In 2600 BC, Egyptians constructed one of the seven wonders of the ancient world; The Great Pyramid of Giza.
It took around 27 years to build the pyramid, during which workers carried huge blocks every day, hoping to see the finished structure before they died.
Fortunately for you, building your SEO pyramid won’t take a lifetime!
As with everything, though, you have to start from ground zero and work your way up.
You’d have to start learning about the pillars of SEO first, such as Technical SEO, On-site SEO, Off-site SEO, and finally, Content SEO.
If you’ve already got the basics of SEO practices under your belt, then you’d want to climb further up the ladder.
You want SEO to come naturally, like how natural breathing is to you.
Five steps.
You heard that right!
Five steps to mold yourself into an SEO expert is all you need.
So open that word document and start taking notes!
Step 1: Power Up Your SEO Skills
Content SEO
Sure, words might flow like water for you; however, content writing for SEO is not the same as writing plain old academic papers or essays.
If you’ve just opened a blog section on your site, remember, your content exists to persuade readers and turn them into potential customers.
You don’t want to confuse or bore them to sleep with your huge chunks of paragraphs that are not easy on the eyes.
Use meta descriptions, bucket brigades, H1 to H6 tags, image alt attributes, and focus keywords if you’re using YOAST on WordPress.
Also, make sure to be straightforward, clear, and professional with every piece you produce.
Alternative Text for SEO
Another thing to keep in mind is optimizing your alternative texts for SEO.
If your business is into sustainable clothing, for example, you can leverage alternative texts like eco-friendly, sustainability, circular economy in your articles to rank high on Google.
Avoid using generic terms like clothing, clothes, or dresses as alternative texts, which will be over-used by top competitors.
Diversify your alternative texts by combining different types like exact match, partial match, or naked links for better results.
Become a T-Marketer
There’s a saying which goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none’’
You might be a proficient content writer/editor who likes to dabble a bit in Ahrefs and Google Analytics. But you’re not confident enough to call yourself an expert in them.
That’s fine.
If you want to remain a content writer, that is.
Becoming an SEO expert entails specializing in specific SEO skills that will, later on, build your reputation in the marketing industry.
When you decide on becoming a T-marketer, you will possess the fundamental SEO skills, which is the horizontal line in the letter “T.”
At the same time, you’ll increase your knowledge in one SEO field of your choice, represented by the vertical line in “T.”
You can choose specialization fields such as:
- Link building: Know how to do outreach and acquire relevant backlinks.
- Technical SEO: Become proficient in XML sitemaps and page load speed optimization.
- Social media: Use social media ads, write compelling copy, and incorporate appropriate hashtags to posts to grow your traffic.
- Email marketing: Write unique emails for specific clients and targeted audience groups.
Step 2: Understand Google’s Ranking Criteria
Google has millions of pages to rank, so obviously, it isn’t going to do all of this alone.
That’s why in the kingdom of SERPS, the ruler is Google and Google has its minions. These minions, known as crawlers, are dispatched to scan your site and index it.
But Google is picky when it comes to ranking pages.
That’s why you need to check if you cover the following criteria:
Relevancy
If a user types “buy golden retriever,” Google provides precisely what the user typed.
It doesn’t give the user “buy poodles” or “buy a golden bracelet” in its results.
So it’s important to understand user search intent when targeting customers.
Trust and Authority
Are you getting good-quality backlinks?
That’s how Google knows how popular you are.
If you offer vegan food and well-known food bloggers refer their followers to your site, then your traffic will increase, and the list of potential customers will expand.
Moreover, if you’re not beating around the bush and giving people exactly what they want to know, you’ll build a good rapport with them.
Positive Experience
No one wants to scroll for hours to find what they want on a site.
If your site has an unorganized structure, slow loading time, and error pages, users will quickly leave your site with no desire for future returns.
A/B testing and Google Analytics are tools you can use to evaluate your user experience constantly.
Step 3: Earn a Certificate
Who said learning has to stop after getting your job?
Learning is a constant process, and you can still land your dream SEO job by signing up for self-paced courses.
Google Analytics offers a course on their site for both Beginners and Advanced levels.
When it comes to SEO certifications, though, rarely do companies ask for certificates. It’s best to show rather than tell.
So you can create your own demo website on WordPress or write a blog that incorporates alternative texts and relevant keywords.
Step 4: Analyze Your Competitor
“Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.” – Chinese General Sun Tzu.
If you want to get better results, you should know what tactics your competitors are using that are causing them to outrank you.
For starters, using a Traffic Analysis tool will tell you where your competitor’s traffic is coming from: referral, social, paid, organic. Plus, you’ll know how many visitors they’re getting each month.
Another tool you can try is called Keyword Gap Analysis. This tool provides insight into the top keywords your competitors are using to rank on Google.
Step 5: Grow Your Network and Stay Up-to-date with Current SEO Trends
Did you know voice search is becoming more prevalent?
Though it’s still in its infancy, voice search is a trend to look out for when planning your SEO strategies.
Besides voice search, video SEO is also booming. YouTube videos are especially popular with the new generation of users.
Hence, staying on top of SEO trends can propel you forward and gain attention from professionals in the SEO industry.
Moreover, connecting with SEO experts on LinkedIn groups and attending conferences organized by well-known SEO specialists should be on top of your list.
By engaging in conversations with experts, you’ll get to learn from seasoned SEO professionals who will guide you on the correct path.
Stay Up-to-date on Best SEO Tools
Using outdated SEO practices will impact your sales, lead generation, and customer acquisition. So it’s best to keep yourself updated with advanced SEO tools that will increase your rankings on SERPS and ultimately contribute to bolstering your business.