We all know, or at least imagine how complicated SEO is.

All those white hat, black hat or whatever shade of hat techniques and constant algorithm updates make SEO a very scary field of Marketing. Every business owner, blogger and marketer who is not an expert in the SEO field will agree, won’t they?

Well, let’s face it! SEO can be pretty complicated and scary for anyone who doesn’t know much about it. But, hey! Don’t get disappointed or let down! We have prepared the 3 SEO basics you should master without being an SEO master, which will definitely put your SEO efforts to a whole new level of efficiency. Learn them now!

SEO Basic #1: Content

As the saying goes…Content is King.

Aha! Content is King. Really!

Just to state the obvious here, content is where you put your keywords in, in order to rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs). So… you get it! Content is very important.

Also, think about it. Online searchers are looking for relevant and trustworthy content when doing their searches. And, if you manage to provide them with such content, which is also so catchy that they will stay on your website for a little longer, then you win.

How? Well, that serves a signal to search engines that you have provided your visitors with a relevant and satisfying experience, which makes you an authority, thus, ranking you high in SERPs.

Now, here are some super important content tips for the better SEO of yours!

• Know your audience.
• Create long-form content.
• Try different types of content.
• Repurpose old content.
• Write catchy headlines.
• Use keyword-rich phrases.
• Use lots of visuals.

Related:  5 Major Tips for SEO Friendly URLs

SEO Basic #2: Meta Descriptions and Headlines

Guess what?

The headline and meta description of your every post or webpage is the first thing online searchers see. It looks something like this:

So what?

It means that meta descriptions and headlines are your only chance to attract the searchers to click on your webpage. Don’t waste it! First impressions matter significantly.

If you don’t do a compelling job here, they will, for sure, go ahead and check out the other search results that seem more attractive to their wants and needs.

What does that mean to you?

You guessed it! Low click-through rate (CTR) => low rankings in SERPS! Ouch!

So, put substantive effort in writing those headlines and meta descriptions, will you?

Here are some tips to help you in that process:

• Write not too short and not too long.
• Place your keywords.
• Put the keywords in your headlines as close to the beginning as possible.
• Use enticing wording.
• Use brackets/parentheses in your headlines. They make them more clickable!
• Make sure they fully reflect the content of your page.

A Bonus Tip: Check out Buzzsumo’s research on 100 million headlines. You will have a lot to learn from it!

Also Read:  3 Major Reasons Why You Need Online Reviews

SEO Basic #3: Links

You want it or not, links in SEO are super important!

And, they are going to stay that way for long. So, you better treat them with care and close attention.

Not sure about it?

Check out Backlinko’s research on 1 million Google search results, that explores the factors originating first-page rankings.

Here, as you see, the decrease in referring domains directly causes Google position to drop. Drop a lot! So… convinced, right?

The only question remains is – why? Why are links so important for ranking high in SERPs?

Well, the logic is clear. The more authority sites link to you, the more it signals search engines that you have valuable content for the searchers. It is like a trust source!

Use these simple link-building tips to get those links that search engines hold in such high esteem:

• Publish original content.
• Write testimonials for other companies.
• Hunt for broken links and offer to replace them with yours.
• Reach out to influencial bloggers asking to share your content.
• Consider guest posting.