Complete SEO Guide

Introduction

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Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a huge talking point in the world of digital marketing for a reason – it gives you huge amounts of FREE TRAFFIC and serves up prospects who are seeking out the products you are offering right now.

It is for this reason that it is undeniably the most valuable traffic online. If we can use SEO to our advantage and deliver traffic to our funnel via search engines with the right keyword intent behind the searches then we will get the highest converting traffic there is to be found.

Like anything so valuable it is not a simple and easy thing to crack – it takes analysis, data, optimization and hard work to get it to function correctly but just like digging for gold the hard work pays off – big time. This guide is designed to equip you to make a foray into the wild woods of SEO for yourself. 

Contents

Introduction
Conducting Keyword Research
On-Page Optimization
Off-Page Optimization
Conclusion

Conducting Keyword Research

The first step in establishing a successful SEO campaign is a deep dive into the keywords we want to target. What we are looking for is to target what our prospective buyers will be putting into Google. For example ‘where to buy a website’. Sounds simple enough right? Well sadly not. There are many factors to consider when researching keywords such as:

We must ensure that the keywords you select are relevant to your business and the content you offer. Relevance helps improve your chances of ranking high in search results and attracting the right audience to your website.
Then we should consider the number of searches made for a particular keyword each month. A higher search volume indicates a higher demand for that keyword, which may translate into more traffic to your website.
Next we have to assess the level of competition for a keyword can determine how easy or difficult it is to rank for that keyword. If a keyword has high competition, it may be more challenging to rank for it, whereas lower competition keywords may be easier to rank for.
Don’t forget to consider the difficulty of ranking for a particular keyword based on the strength of your website, the quality of your content, and the competition. Tools like Ahrefs and Moz can help you evaluate the keyword difficulty score.
Finally don’t fail to consider the reason why someone might be searching for that particular keyword. Understanding the intent behind a search can help you create content that answers the searcher’s question or meets their needs.
So let’s think back to the example of a keyword I gave you previously – ‘where to buy a website’. Do you think this is a keyword we should try and rank for?

Take a moment now and consider it against the above criteria giving it a score of 1 to 5:

  1. Relevance
  2. Search Volume
  3. Competition
  4. Keyword Difficulty
  5. Searcher’s Intent

What score did you give it overall?

Well if we take a look at each of these in turn we will see why keyword selection is far more complicated than it first appears:
Relevance – the keyword is definitely relevant and highly specific to what we are trying to do – sell websites. Score 5

Search Volume – the keyword has absolutely amazing search volumes. Literally millions every day. Score 5

Competition – so here we start to see some difficulties. This is an incredibly competitive keyword with some of the biggest companies in the tech world throwing resources into getting to the top of the Google Rankings. Score 1

Keyword Difficulty – Due to the competition, the vagueness of the keyword and the expense in trying to rank for this the difficulty is very high. Score 1

Searcher’s Intent – you may think that the searcher’s intent is spot on right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately simple keywords like this can be very misleading. The searcher is not necessarily looking to procure anything right now. In fact the keyword intent could be informational, commercial, transactional or navigational! Score 2

Keyword Intent

So let’s have a look now at keyword intent and examine why it is an absolute minefield to try and comprehend:

Which keyword intent do you think is the most valuable for us? Yes it is the transactional or navigational intent.

Top Tip: Always bear keyword intent in mind when doing your keyword research.

Here is your step by step guide on how to conduct keyword research:

1. Define Your Business and Marketing Goals

Start by defining your business and marketing goals. This will help you identify the type of keywords that will be most beneficial for your business. Consider what products or services you offer, your target audience, and what actions you want your visitors to take on your website.

2. Brainstorm Potential Keywords

With your goals in mind, brainstorm a list of potential keywords that are relevant to your business. Consider variations of your primary keywords, long-tail keywords, and related phrases.

3. Use Keyword Research Tools

Utilize keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to identify relevant keywords with search volume and competition data. You can use these tools to generate additional keyword ideas and narrow down your list of potential keywords.

4. Analyze Competitor Keywords

Conduct a competitor analysis to identify the keywords that your competitors are ranking for. Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to view your competitor's organic keywords and backlinks.

5. Evaluate Keyword Relevance and Potential

Conduct a competitor analysis to identify the keywords that your competitors are ranking for. Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to view your competitor's organic keywords and backlinks.

6. Organize Your Keyword List

Organize your keyword list into groups based on keyword type, relevance, and search volume. This will make it easier to develop content around specific topics and target specific audience segments.

7. Refine Your Keyword List

Refine your keyword list over time by reviewing the performance of each keyword and adjusting your strategy based on changes in search trends or competition.

On Page Optimisation

On-page optimization, also known as on-page SEO, is the practice of optimizing individual web pages on your website to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. This involves optimizing elements on your website such as content, title tags, meta descriptions, headings, images, and internal linking to make them more search engine friendly and improve the user experience.


In other words, on-page optimization is the process of improving the content and structure of a website’s individual pages to make them more appealing to search engines and users. By optimizing your website’s on-page elements, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), attract more relevant traffic to your website, and ultimately achieve your business goals.
Some of the key factors that contribute to effective on-page optimization include creating high-quality content that is optimized for target keywords, making sure your website is easy to navigate and user-friendly, and ensuring that all on-page elements are optimized for search engine crawling and indexing.

So we now have our keywords. The next thing we need to do is optimize page titles, meta descriptions, headers and content for target keywords

Here are the steps we need to take to do this:

Optimize Your Title Tag: Your title tag should accurately describe the content of your page and include your target keyword. Keep the title tag length under 60 characters to avoid truncation in search results.

  1. Write a Compelling Meta Description: Your meta description should be a brief summary of your page’s content and include your target keyword. Keep the meta description length under 160 characters.
  2. Use Header Tags: Use header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to organize your content and make it easier for users to read. Use your target keyword in at least one header tag.
  3. Optimize Your Content: Your content should be high-quality, informative, and engaging. Use your target keyword in the first 100 words of your content and throughout the body of your text. Aim for a keyword density of around 1-2%.
  4. Use Image Alt Text: Use descriptive alt text for your images that includes your target keyword. This helps search engines understand the content of your images.
  5. Internal Linking: Include internal links to related content on your website. This helps search engines understand the relationships between your pages and improves user experience.
  6. Optimize Your URL: Use a descriptive, keyword-rich URL that accurately reflects the content of your page.
  7. Improve Page Speed: Optimize your page load speed by minimizing image sizes, reducing unnecessary code, and using a content delivery network (CDN).
  8. Test and Monitor: Test your page to ensure that it is working correctly and monitor your page’s performance using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Make adjustments as necessary to improve your page’s ranking.

Asset Optimization

The next thing we need to do is to complete a process of asset optimization for assets such as: images, videos and other multimedia elements throughout our website

Here’s how we can do this step by step

1. Choose the Right File Format:

Use the right file format for your images and videos. For images, use JPEG or PNG formats, and for videos, use MP4 format. These formats are supported by most web browsers and are optimized for fast loading times.

2. Use Descriptive File Names:

Use descriptive file names for your images and videos that include relevant keywords. This helps search engines understand the content of your multimedia elements.

3. Optimize Alt Tags:

Use descriptive alt tags for your images and videos that include relevant keywords. Alt tags provide text descriptions of your multimedia elements for search engines and users who may have trouble loading them.

4. Use Captions and Transcripts:

Use captions and transcripts for your videos and other multimedia elements. This helps search engines understand the content of your multimedia elements and provides a better user experience for people who may have difficulty hearing or watching your content.

5. Optimize File Size:

Optimize the file size of your multimedia elements by compressing images and videos. This helps improve page load times and provides a better user experience.

6. Use Sitemaps:

Include multimedia elements in your XML sitemap to help search engines discover and index them.

7. Use Schema Markup:

Use schema markup to provide additional information about your multimedia elements to search engines. This helps improve the visibility and relevancy of your multimedia elements in search results.

Create a network of internal links

The final task for our on page optimization is to create a network of internal links within the website – this is an extremely important and vital step

Here’s how we do it step by step:

  1. Understand the importance of internal linking: Internal linking is a crucial process that can improve the user experience of your website and help search engines better understand the structure and hierarchy of your website.
  2. Map out your funnel: It is important to map out the stages of your funnel and identify the pages that are most important for guiding users through the funnel and the pages that should be linked to those pages.
  3. Link to relevant pages: Ensure that you link to pages that are most relevant to the user’s current stage in the funnel. Use descriptive and relevant anchor text for your internal links, and organize them in a hierarchical structure with important pages higher up in the hierarchy. Avoid linking to too many pages from a single page, as this can dilute the relevance of your internal links.

4. Use internal links to improve user experience: Use internal links to guide users through your funnel, cross-sell or up-sell products or services, and provide additional information that may be relevant to the user’s current stage in the funnel.

5. Use internal links to improve SEO: Distribute link equity throughout your website by using internal links to improve the ranking of your important pages. Also, ensure that your internal links are crawlable by search engines, and avoid using internal links that may be considered spammy.

6. Monitor and update your internal links: Regularly monitor your internal links and update them as necessary to ensure that they remain relevant and useful for your users. This can help improve the user experience of your website and keep your SEO efforts up-to-date.

Once you have completed all of the steps outlined above then your on-page optimization is completed and you can move on. However you must remember to continuously monitor and update the on page optimization on an ongoing basis.

Off Page Optimisation

Off-page optimization refers to the techniques and strategies used to improve the visibility and ranking of a website on search engine results pages (SERPs) through activities that occur outside of the website itself. 

This includes tactics such as link building, social media marketing, influencer outreach, and brand building. Off-page optimization is an essential component of search engine optimization (SEO) and is used to establish the authority and credibility of a website with search engines and users alike. By implementing effective off-page optimization strategies, businesses can improve their online presence, drive more traffic to their website, and ultimately increase their conversion rates and revenue.

First things first we must have a plan to create high quality backlinks and devise strategies for outreach and guest blogging

Here are the steps we need to take to do this:

  1. Identify your target audience and relevant websites: Determine your target audience and the websites they frequent. Identify relevant websites that are related to your industry and have high domain authority.
  2. Conduct research on your competitors: Analyze your competitors’ backlinks and identify the websites that are linking to them. This can provide insight into potential link building opportunities for your own website.
  3. Develop a backlink strategy: Develop a backlink strategy that aligns with your business goals and focuses on acquiring high-quality backlinks from relevant and authoritative websites. Consider outreach, guest blogging, broken link building, and other tactics.
  4. Create high-quality content: Create high-quality content that is valuable, informative, and engaging to your target audience. This can include blog posts, infographics, videos, and other types of content that are relevant to your industry.
  5. Reach out to relevant websites: Reach out to relevant websites and offer to provide them with high-quality content that they can publish on their website. Make sure to personalize your outreach emails and provide a clear value proposition for why they should link to your website.
  6. Guest blog on relevant websites: Guest blog on relevant websites in your industry and include a link back to your website within the content. Make sure to follow the guidelines and requirements of the website when submitting your guest post.
  7. Monitor your backlinks: Monitor your backlinks and ensure that they are high-quality and relevant to your industry. Remove any low-quality or spammy backlinks that may harm your website’s SEO.
  8. Continuously optimize your backlink strategy: Continuously optimize your backlink strategy based on the results and feedback you receive. Test different outreach tactics, guest blogging opportunities, and types of content to find the most effective approach for your business.

Next we have to consider how to utilize social media and other platforms for our off page optimization

Here’s how to do this step by step:

1. Identify relevant social media platforms:

Determine which social media platforms are most relevant to your target audience and industry. This can include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and others.

2. Develop a social media strategy:

Develop a social media strategy that aligns with your business goals and focuses on creating engaging and shareable content. Consider posting relevant industry news, creating how-to guides, and sharing user-generated content.

3. Build a social media following:

Build a following on social media by promoting your profiles and engaging with your target audience. Use hashtags, engage in conversations, and respond to comments and messages.

4. Encourage social sharing:

Encourage social sharing of your website and content by including social sharing buttons on your website and within your content. Make it easy for users to share your content on their own social media profiles.

5. Participate in online communities:

Participate in relevant online communities and forums to engage with your target audience and share your expertise. This can include platforms such as Quora, Reddit, and LinkedIn Groups.

6. Collaborate with influencers:

Collaborate with influencers in your industry to promote your brand and content. This can include working with influencers to create sponsored content or partnering with them for social media takeovers.

7. Monitor your online reputation:

Monitor your online reputation and respond to any negative comments or reviews in a timely and professional manner. This can help mitigate any potential harm to your brand's reputation.

8. Continuously optimize your off-page optimization strategy:

Continuously optimize your off-page optimization strategy based on the results and feedback you receive. Test different social media tactics, online communities, and influencer collaborations to find the most effective approach for your business.

Once you have completed all of these steps then you will have finished off page optimization but, as with on page, it is an ongoing exercise that you must keep at. It is extremely important to do these steps continuously to maintain healthy traffic to your funnel or website. Keep on top of it and you will see great results.

Measuring and Analyzing Results

This is probably the most important aspect of being successful with SEO. We need to constantly monitor our results and ensure that we are always improving – because remember this your competitors are not standing still! We need to be looking at the data and understanding where we can improve.

You will have already signed up with a service to conduct keyword research but you must also ensure that you have Google Analytics on your page so that you can understand exactly how much traffic you are getting. There are also various other tools available on the market to help you collate and interpret SEO data sets.

So how do we track key performance metrics such as traffic, rankings and conversion rates?

  1. Identify your key performance metrics: Determine which metrics are most important to your business and align with your goals. This can include metrics such as website traffic, keyword rankings, conversion rates, bounce rates, and revenue.

  2. Set up tracking tools: Set up tracking tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and other third-party tools to measure and monitor your key performance metrics.

  3. Define your benchmarks: Establish benchmarks for your key performance metrics based on historical data, industry averages, and your business goals. This will help you measure progress and identify areas for improvement.
  4. Regularly monitor and analyze your metrics: Regularly monitor and analyze your metrics to identify trends, patterns, and opportunities for improvement. Use data visualization tools to easily track your metrics over time.
  5. Conduct A/B testing: Conduct A/B testing to identify which changes to your website or marketing campaigns have the most significant impact on your key performance metrics. This can help you optimize your website and marketing efforts for better results.
  6. Adjust your strategy as needed: Use the insights gained from monitoring and analyzing your metrics to adjust your strategy as needed. This can include refining your target keywords, adjusting your marketing tactics, or improving your website design and functionality.
  7. Share performance reports with stakeholders: Share performance reports with stakeholders, such as executives, marketing teams, and website developers, to keep everyone informed of progress and identify areas for collaboration and improvement.
  8. Continuously monitor and optimize your metrics: Continuously monitor and optimize your key performance metrics to ensure your business is meeting its goals and achieving long-term success.

Next we must use our analytics tools to gain insights into user behavior and make the optimize accordingly

Now that we have a specific and targeted Group or Page and it has been set up to yield results we want to grow that audience to continuously generate traffic and sales. We will want the group to expand while also maintaining its integrity as Groups or Pages which end up full of spammy messages are quickly abandoned by the members. So how do we grow the Group or Page while also ensuring that the content stays on point and we only accept the right members?

1. Set up event tracking:

Event tracking allows you to track user interactions with your website or app, such as clicks, form submissions, and video views. Set up event tracking to gain deeper insights into user behavior and identify areas for improvement.

2. Analyze user behavior:

Use your analytics tools to analyze user behavior throughout the funnel. Look for patterns and trends, such as which pages or features are most popular, where users drop off, and how long it takes to complete each step of the funnel.

3. Identify areas for improvement:

Based on your analysis, identify areas for improvement within the funnel. This could include optimizing landing pages, simplifying the checkout process, or improving the user experience overall.

4. Test and iterate:

Once you've identified areas for improvement, test different variations to see which changes have the most positive impact on user behavior. This could include A/B testing different page designs, or experimenting with different calls-to-action.

5. Track results:

Continuously track and measure the results of your optimization efforts. Use your analytics tools to monitor changes in user behavior, such as increased conversion rates or longer session durations.

6. Adjust your strategy:

Based on your results, adjust your strategy accordingly. Continue to analyze user behavior and make iterative improvements to optimize the funnel for maximum conversions and user satisfaction.

As with all aspects of SEO this is always going to be an ongoing process which you have to work at constantly. There is never a time when this work is ‘done’ because if you don’t continue to monitor the data and optimize based on what it suggests then your competitors will gain an edge on you and you will stop making money. So be disciplined and do this on an ongoing basis.

Conclusion

In conclusion, SEO is one of the best weapons in our arsenal when it comes to making money online and you would be a fool not to use it. When done correctly the results will be staggering as you drive the most targeted traffic to your funnel for free. However while there is no cost to the traffic you will be receiving in terms of dollars and cents there is a big time investment you must make in order to make your SEO campaign successful.


Our best advice is that unless you are an experienced marketer with a fairly strong knowledge of digital marketing strategies, web design and development and you have capacity to really invest time into your campaign you should probably leave SEO to the experts.

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