SEO for Beginners: 5 Facts Every Business Owner Should Know

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About 93% of all experiences online start with a search engine. If your website isn’t listed in the top search results, you are missing out on a huge opportunity to increase your bottom line.

For website owners, you have to know the ins and outs of SEO to get your site to show up in searches. SEO for beginners can seem intimidating, but it really isn’t once you know the basics.  

Read on to learn the top SEO facts that will show you how you can improve your search results.

Fact 1: Google Uses More Than 200 Ranking Factors

The first thing you should know is that there isn’t one simple solution that will get your site to rank higher. It’s a culmination of many different things.

Google’s algorithm looks for more than 200 things when deciding search results. You should focus on one metric at a time when you’re improving SEO.

Fact 2: You Have to Know Your Audience

Your audience searches for information depending on where they are in the buying cycle. Someone doing product research will look for the best products in a certain category.

Once they get a few products in mind, they’ll do searches that compare the different products. When they’re ready to buy, they’ll look for places to make a purchase.

You need to know how your audience searches for information in each phase so you can position your site to appear in these searches.

Fact 3: Keyword Stuffing Is Bad

There are two types of SEO: white hat and black hat. White hat SEO uses optimization techniques that fall within Google’s webmaster guidelines.

Black hat SEO focuses on trying to “game the system,” where SEOs look for ways to cheat and rank higher. One of the top ways is to pick a keyword and place it throughout a website as much as possible.

That may have worked in 2010, but it doesn’t work in 2020. That’s considered to be keyword stuffing, which can get your site penalized. Incorporate the keyword, but do so in a way that’s natural.

Fact 4: Quality Content Rules

One way your site can stand out from the crowd is to focus on quality content. You don’t need to shoot for a certain word count. Focus on writing content that readers will find useful, engaging, and sharable.

Fact 5: Website Performance Drives Clicks (and Conversions)

One of the overlooked facts about SEO is that website performance matters to search engines and users. Your website needs to be fast on desktop and mobile devices.

Google understands that users won’t wait for a website to load. The company also notes that a faster website leads to a higher conversion rate. 

Fast Facts: SEO for Beginners

There’s a lot that goes into search engine rankings. If you want to know what SEO is about, this SEO for beginners guide will help you get started.

These facts show that SEO is about so much more than keywords. You need to have quality content that people will share, and you need to have a website that’s maximized for performance across devices.

Once you master these basic things, then you can optimize your site further and rank higher. You’ll see a significant return on investment over time.

Be sure to check out the Blogging section of this site for more helpful digital marketing tips.