The 10 SEO Basics You Need to Master (No Technical Experience Required)
You might not be aware of it, but Google is changing the way they rank websites. They are now looking at mobile-first and ranking your site based on how well it performs on a mobile device. This means that you need to start optimizing for mobile because more than 50% of people use their phone instead of a desktop computer to search for local businesses. If you don’t optimize for voice search or hide content, then your website will be less likely to show up in Google’s rankings. But the basics are simple.
All you need to do is focus on creating great content that your target audience will love. If you can create lots of great content for a particular topic, then it’s likely that your site will be easier to rank in Google search results. Now it’s time to take action! So what’s next?
SEO Basic #1: Link
You probably don’t know it, but Google likes to see lots of other websites linking back to your site as a sign that you have quality content or information people want.
This is called link building, and if anyone tells you otherwise, they’re lying. This is one of the most effective ways to improve your SEO and if you do it correctly, you will notice an increase in traffic very quickly. So where do I start?
If you can create content that really helps people, then they will be much more likely to share that content on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or YouTube.
is a great way to get the ball rolling when it comes to building links.
SEO Basic #2: Content
Just like link building, content is another one of those SEO basics that you need to focus on to improve your rankings.
Content is a big part of what makes Google rank sites higher in their search results.
In the past, people would create lots and lots of pages for a single website to take advantage of this. But now Google has made it clear that it wants to see high-quality content instead. The question then becomes: What exactly do I mean by high-quality content?
Quality content means writing about topics your target audience is interested in. This will make them more likely to share your site with others, as well as bookmark it for future reference or return visits down the road. It’s all about staying relevant! You also need to be sure that you’re writing for humans and not search engines. If your content is too generic or doesn’t contain enough useful information, then it’s likely Google will devalue it and move on to the next site in their rankings.
SEO Basic #3: Meta Descriptions and Headlines
SEO is a lot about the little things. It’s important to have well-written meta descriptions and headlines for all of your content so that when someone shares them on Facebook or Twitter, they look good.
The main reason behind this is that you want to be sure that Google knows exactly what your site is about in case someone searches for it in their search engine. The more relevant keywords you’re able to pack into these short sentences, the better off you will be.
SEO Basic #4: Google My Business
Don’t forget to claim your Google My Business listing too. This is an easy way for you to provide additional details about your business that will help people find it on their maps, websites, and search engine results. It’s also possible to create a link back to your site if you do this correctly which can be very powerful!
SEO Basic #5: Local SEO
It’s important that you have a solid local SEO campaign in place. This is especially true if your school is located in a small town, since Google will be more likely to favor sites that are closer to where they’re searching from. And don’t forget about reviews! The more positive reviews you have on social media or third-party websites; the better off your chances are at ranking higher for your targeted keywords.
Google now gives preference to businesses with lots of positive reviews online, so make sure your target audience knows what you’re all about by getting out there and collecting some feedback!
A simple way to do this is by using something like “gift certificates” as an incentive to get people involved.
SEO Basic #6: Keyword Research
Keyword research is an absolute must if you want to improve your rankings.
You should find out what keywords your competitors are ranking for and then create content around those same topics. Doing this will ensure that Google sees you as a relevant authority on the web, which means higher page rankings! Of course, the caveat to this is that you cannot include these keywords over and over again in your pages, so they become burdensome or spammy. You need to be creative when using them, but still, use them enough times to get Google’s attention without coming off like a robot.
SEO Basic #7: Site Link Structure
You also need to consider your site’s internal link structure. This is vital because it can help Google crawl all of the pages on your website easier, so they know what you’re all about. It also helps with reminding search engines of all the content you’ve created which can improve your overall rankings.
A good site link structure is a series of interlinking pages of your website that is used to connect one main page to another. Doing this makes the entire website more organized, and it helps users find what they’re looking for on your site faster.
SEO Basic #8: Internal Linking on Pages
Internal linking can be really helpful when it comes to improving your rankings on Google because it tells search engines about all of the content you’ve created within your website. It’s important that you don’t abuse internal linking by having too many links in a row or overusing certain keywords, though, because these things can decrease a page’s overall rank instead of improving it.
It’s best if you keep things simple while remembering not to shy away from important keywords or phrases that people use to find your school’s website online.
SEO Basic #9: Mobile Responsiveness and Content
You also need to remember about mobile responsiveness and content when you’re trying to improve your site’s rankings.
It doesn’t matter if people are searching for your school on a desktop or a smart device; Google still ranks the same. So, you want to be sure that all of your content can be easily viewed on any mobile device, which means making sure that your site is mobile responsive.
This mainly has to do with how the site looks and functions on a mobile phone, tablet, or other smart devices so be sure to check it out in person and make changes if you need to!
Mobile responsiveness is just one of the many SEO basics that you need to be aware of if you want your school’s website to rank high on Google and other search engines.
SEO Basic #10: Content Relevancy
The last SEO basic that you need to be aware of is content relevancy. It’s pretty simple too…
You want all of your web pages to have the same target keyword or phrase so users are able to easily find what they’re looking for when they come to your page.
For example, if someone has the keyword “Boston language school” and they search for it, you want your page to be relevant so it shows up as the first result. If someone searches for “language courses,” however, and your site isn’t about language courses or language schools, then you’re going to rank low on Google, which won’t help your school’s online ranking!
SEO Basic #11: Keep Them Coming
So keep these SEO basics in mind when you want to improve your school’s rankings on Google and other search engines. It’s not hard to do, but it requires a lot of time and effort that most schools simply cannot spare.
If you’re looking to build or design a new website, you can get in touch with us. We specialize in creating modern websites for language schools, so be sure to give us a call today if you’re interested!
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