Basics of Search Engine Optimization

basics of search engine optimization

Welcome to TheSEOGuy, your trusted source for all the latest SEO updates and information. Today, we are going to share basics of Search Engine Optimization which will help you understand the search Engine Optimization process.

In this blog we will explain the search Engine Optimization process and tips to improve your SEO skills. As an SEO agency in Delhi NCR, we have worked with different business across various categories globally. We have collected the case studies from different projects and today we will share SEO tips based on our experiences.

Let’s delve into the information and understand the basics of search Engine Optimization.

What is Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization is the process of optimizing a website according to search engine algorithms to gain better search visibility on search engine result page. It requires a strong understanding or search algorithms and some key skills. Technical skills are not mandatory for search Engine Optimization but if you have some technical skills, it will add some value in your optimization process.

Search Engine Optimization process includes, keyword research, on-page optimization, off-page SEO, Technical SEO, Content generation or optimization, analytics and monitoring, user experience and best practises with search engine algorithm updates.

Keyword Research

The process of identifying the right keywords for business growth and sales is called Keyword Research. It is the base of your SEO strategy. Choosing the right industry keywords is like selecting the right path. You have to do the research using different tools such as Keyword Planner to identify the right terms for your business.

Pro Tip

Include both long-tail keywords and exact keywords in your SEO strategy. Focus on keyword’s search intent instead of higher search volume. Keywords with the right intent will deliver quality traffic and help you generate more conversion. On the other hand, irrelevant keywords will generate less quality traffic with higher bounce rate and low conversions.

Let’s take an example here.

KeywordsSearch VolumeKeyword Intent
SEO90500Informative
SEO Services9900Informative
SEO Services Delhi3600Commercial

In above keywords, you can see the difference in search volume but being an SEO agency in Delhi, we will choose SEO Services Delhi to grow our business which has the lowest search volume. But the intent is commercial and this keyword has potential to generate more business for us.

On-Page Optimization

On page optimization includes several factors such as content optimization, meta tags, URL structure, image optimization, header tags, internal links and external links. While optimizing on-page SEO, prioritize high quality, original content that incorporates keywords naturally within well-structured headings. Compelling meta tags defining the purpose of page including the keywords is best practice for generating meta tags. URL structure also plays an important role in on-page optimization. In our previous guide we have explained the impact of URL structure in SEO. And images are not just a decorative item if you know the image optimization. Optimizing images can help you achieve better SEO scores. We published a detailed study on Image Optimization earlier. You can refer both the studies to understand the entire process and importance of it.

Pro Tip

Create a checklist of all the activities required for on-page SEO and run the checklist at least once a week. Review the SERP results and check the competitor performance.

Off-Page SEO

Just like its name, off-page SEO is all about the activities done for the page but not on the page. In off-page SEO, we focus on generating backlinks, social signals, and local citation for the pages we want to rank in SERP. You need a complete off-page SEO strategy to generate better results.

Pro Tip

While building backlinks, focus on link quality over the quantity. You can follow best practices such as guest posts, partnerships, content syndication, email outreach, claiming local business listings such as google my business and bing business listings and share your content on different social media platforms to drive engagement and generate social signals.

Technical SEO

The Technical SEO process requires optimizing site performance scores, mobile friendliness, indexing and crawlability, secure connections, less number of errors, fast loading website, working functions, use of call to action and other action triggers. You can use different tools to track website performance but it is recommended to use Google Search Console to understand and optimize the website performance.

Pro Tip

Monitor Google Search Console daily to check the pages and website performance. Keep on fixing the website errors and make sure to test the website on different devices. Get a fast and secure server to host your website for site speed and security. Review pages indexability and add index, follow tag on all the pages which you want to rank in SERP. Monitor robots.txt file, website sitemap and page speed insight results for better outcome.

Content Generation and Optimization

Content is king in search Engine Optimization but a complete content marketing strategy is essential to achieve better SEO results. Optimize your content based on the keywords you have finalized and industry you serve in. Create quality content that clearly describes your services or products. Do not stuff unnecessary keywords in content. Follow the content guidelines such as EEAT guidelines for content. Avoid thin content and maintain keyword density and proximity.

Pro Tip

Do a competitive research and find out the topics related to your business but your competitors are ranking better than your business. Generate quality topics and outrank them with best SEO practices and quality of your content. All the content pieces should be customer oriented. Include your keywords in content wisely. Focus on solving the problems and pick the topics which users are searching about the product or services you are offering.

Analytics and Monitoring

Track your website performance using tools such as Google Analytics. Review organic traffic, CTR, Bounce Rate, conversion rate and keyword rankings. Collect the data to refine your existing strategy or create new strategies based on the analytics data. Analyzing website performance crucial for a successful SEO campaign. You need to invest your time in daily analytics to understand user behaviour to optimize your pages.

Pro Tip

Collect the data sets of different intervals such as monthly, quarterly and six months to compare the performance data. Understand the user behaviour and optimize pages which are not performing. Create strategies in two parts, one for optimizing pages with low performance and second to push the pages on top which are performing but not on top places.

User Experience (UX)

User Experience is all about creating a website with ease of access and generating a smooth experience for website visitors. For instance,  there is a case study on Navboost that highlights the benefits of optimized navigation which is part of user experience. Read more about Navoost and User Engagement study.

You need to keep the user experience in mind while placing call to actions on pages, building notification popups and designing navigation of the website. Better engagement and seamless experience will drive better results for your website.

Pro Tip

Avoid too many popups on your website. It is recommended to use clean menu on website instead of burger menu. All the CTA’s should be clear and meaningful. Information on page should be easily accessible. Keep the page clean and add tips to navigate the content easily.

Search Engine Algorithm Updates

We have covered almost everything which falls under basics of search Engine Optimization but understanding updates is little bit advance for people who are doing SEO. Understanding and implementing algorithm updates is manageable but one should be very careful while implementing changes based on the algorithm updates. Sometimes, too much of the optimization causes negative results. Take your time understanding the algorithm, latest updates and create strategies based on the website performance. Not every algorithm update negatively impacts your website’s performance down. Sometimes you get positive results just after the algorithm update.

Pro Tips

Create an email alert in gmail to get the latest alert about the search engines. Monitor search engine blogs or social media channels to stay updated with latest trends and algorithm changes. Follow different channels such as reddit directories, official twitter handles, YouTube channels and official companies blog to get the latest updates.

FAQs – Basics of SEO

The five important concepts of SEO are On-page SEO, Keyword Research, Off Page SEO, User Experience and Content Optimization.

The three pillars of SEO are authority, relevance and experience. Search engines trust the pages with better authority, relevance and seamless user experience.

To learn the basics of SEO, you can follow the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide by google and follow the documents to improve SEO

You can calculate SEO performance by following the simple ROI formula. Calculate the business you have received after investing in SEO and convert the data into monthly so see outcome of your investment and income you have received. Basic formula is (Gain from Investment – Cost of Investment) / Cost of Investment.

SEO score is a mix of all aspects such as website load speed, user experience, SEO factors, mobile friendliness, content quality, best practices and overall performance.

No, SEO does not require any coding skills. You can do SEO with any technical skills but if you want to achieve advance SEO skills, you need basic understanding of HTML and CSS.

Yes, you can teach yourself SEO by following the guidelines provided by Google itself. Use free tools and do it yourself. You will learn the basics of search engine optimization.

Backlinks are those pages which generate referral for your website or page. For example a news portal of website talking about the product or service related to your industry and have added a link to your website in their content using relevant anchor text.

Yes, you are free to ask as much as questions and reach out to us if you are stuck with complex SEO problems.

No, we teach everyone for free. If you are looking to learn SEO, we will help you.

Hope this guide on Basics of search Engine Optimization will be a useful piece of information. Share your feedback in the comments below and let us know if we missed anything.

If you are looking for a trusted SEO agency in Delhi, give us a call at +91-9968182198 or drop a “Hi” on WhatsApp. Our experts will respond promptly. Keep Exploring TheSEOGuy for latest SEO tips and updates.


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Hi, I am SEO consultant providing SEO services since 14+ years and counting. Worked for 100+ national and international brands. #TheSEOGuy

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