SEO Techniques

Study Outline

SEO Techniques

1. On-Page SEO

• Keyword Research

  It's like figuring out the magic words that people use to find stuff online. You use these words on your website so it shows up when people search for those things.

• Content Optimization

  This is about making your website's content the best it can be, so both people and search engines (like Google) think it's great and useful.

• Meta Tags Optimization

  Meta tags are snippets of text that describe a page's content; the meta tags don't appear on the page itself, but only in the page's source code. Meta tags are essentially little content descriptors that help tell search engines what a web page is about.

• URL Optimization

  The URL is the web address you type to visit a page. Making it clear and easy to understand helps people and search engines know what the page is about before they visit it.

  • Describe your Content.

  • Include Keywords in URLs.

  • Use Hyphens to Separate Words.

  • Use Lowercase Letters in URLs.

  • Keep URLs Short.

  • Use Static URLs.

  • Be Careful with Subdomains.

  • Limit Folders in URL Structure.

• Image Optimization

  This means making sure images on a website load quickly and look clear, which makes the website faster and more enjoyable to use. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/google-images

• Internal Linking

  This involves connecting different pages of your website with links, making it easier for visitors to find more information and navigate around.

• User Experience (UX) Optimization

  UX is all about how easy and pleasant your website is to use. Optimizing it means making sure everything works smoothly and visitors can find what they need without any trouble.

2. Off-Page SEO

• Link Building (AKA Backlinks)

  Imagine building bridges between websites. Link building is connecting your website to other relevant websites. These connections (links) help search engines understand your site's importance and can improve your website's visibility in search results.

  • Guest Posting

  • Social Bookmarking

  • Directory Submission

  • Influencer Outreach

• Social Media Engagement

  Imagine having a conversation with friends at a party. Social media engagement is interacting with people on social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. It's about responding to comments, liking posts, and being part of the online conversation.

• Brand Mentions and Citations

  Picture someone mentioning your brand name in a positive way. Brand mentions and citations are when other websites or social media profiles talk about your brand. It's like getting a shout-out or recommendation online.

• Online Reputation Management

  Think of it as taking care of your online image. Online reputation management involves monitoring what people say about your brand, addressing any negative comments, and maintaining a positive online presence.

3. Technical SEO

• Site Structure

  Refers to the way a website’s content is organized. A good site structure helps users and search engines navigate the site.

• Mobile Optimization

  Involves designing and formatting your website so it's easy to use on mobile devices. This may include resizing content, using responsive design, and optimizing navigation.

• Page Speed Optimization

  The process of making your website load faster. This can be achieved by reducing file sizes, improving server response times, and other technical improvements.

• Schema Markup

  A code (semantic vocabulary) that you put on your website to help search engines return more informative results for users. It helps search engines understand the content on your pages.

• XML Sitemap

  A file that lists all important pages of a website to ensure search engines can find and crawl them. It's like a roadmap for search engines to understand the structure of your site. Substack builds one for you after you have a few posts. See mine at: https://pau1.substack.com/sitemap.xml

• Robots.txt

  A file used by websites to communicate with web crawlers and other web robots. The file tells these bots which areas of the site should not be processed or scanned. Substack does this for you as well. Example: https://pau1.substack.com/robots.txt

• Canonical Tags

  HTML elements that help prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the "canonical" or preferred version of a web page. It's useful when multiple versions of a page exist. Identify your preferred URL for duplicate content. Your preferred URL is the canonical URL. Add a rel=“canonical” link from the duplicate pages to the canonical one.

• HTTPS/SSL

  HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP, used for secure communication over a computer network. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser.

4. Local SEO

• Google My Business Optimization

• Local Citations

• NAP Consistency

• Customer Reviews

5. Content Marketing

• High-Quality Content Creation

• Blogging

• Infographics

• Videos

• Podcasts

• Ebooks

6. SEO Analytics

• Keyword Ranking Tracking

• Traffic Analysis

• Conversion Tracking

• Bounce Rate Analysis

• Click-Through Rate (CTR) Optimization

7. SEO Tools

• Google Analytics

• Google Search Console

• Google Tag Manager

• Bing Webmaster Tools

8. Algorithm Updates

• Google Algorithm Updates (e.g., Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, BERT)

• Stay Updated with Industry News

9. Ethical SEO Practices

• White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO

• Avoiding Keyword Stuffing

• Building Quality Backlinks

• Providing Value to Users