6 Steps for SEO a website of Beginners
As always, IWhale Marketing uses story to present theory, and Little W’s journey into digital marketing is no exception. Here, Little W is a beginner in the world of digital marketing, just like you! Together, we’ll take a detailed, step-by-step adventure into the magical world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). By the end of this story, you’ll know exactly how to make your website more visible in search engine results, helping more people find what you have to offer, In another word, How to Do SEO for a Website Step by Step.
Step 1: Understanding Keywords – The Foundation of SEO
Little W’s adventure began when he heard of something called keywords. He thought, “What are these magic words that everyone talks about?” Keywords are the words and phrases people type into a search engine to find information. Imagine you’re looking for the best way to bake cookies; you’d type something like “easy cookie recipe” into Google. That’s a keyword!
To make your website show up when people search, you need to find the right keywords. Little W learned to use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush. With these tools, he could find out what words people often search for in his niche. He found that many people were looking for “affordable running shoes” and decided to use this keyword to get more visitors to his sports shoe website.
Pro Tip for Little W: Always pick keywords that match what your audience is searching for. The more specific your keywords, the better your chances of ranking. For instance, instead of “shoes,” try “best shoes for running beginners.” This way, you attract people looking exactly for what you offer!
Step 2: Optimizing Website Content – Make It Shine!
Little W now had his keywords, but what next? He needed to make sure that his website content had these keywords in all the right places. He learned that it’s important to use them naturally in titles, headers, and paragraphs—like planting seeds in the right spots of a garden. He wrote blog posts about “The Top 5 Running Shoes for Beginners” and made sure that his keywords were included without making it sound forced or repetitive.
To optimize even further, Little W focused on internal linking. He added links between pages of his website, which made it easier for people to move around. He linked his running shoe article to another page about “How to Start Running as a Beginner.” Internal links are like helpful signposts that guide people—and search engines—around the website.
He also learned to optimize his images by using descriptive filenames and adding alt text. This made his website friendlier for visually impaired users and helped Google understand what each image showed. Instead of naming an image “IMG1234.jpg,” Little W named it “affordable-running-shoes.jpg” and wrote “A pair of affordable running shoes for beginners” as the alt text.
Pro Tip for Little W: Make sure your content is easy to read and helpful. Google loves content that people love! Always aim to answer your readers’ questions and provide real value.
Step 3: Make It Mobile-Friendly – Going With the Flow
One day, Little W noticed many people were visiting his website from their phones. He decided to make his website mobile-friendly. Since almost everyone uses their smartphones to browse the web, it was crucial for his site to work well on smaller screens. He made sure the buttons were easy to tap, the text was easy to read, and the whole experience was smooth and enjoyable.
By using responsive web design, Little W made sure his website automatically adjusted to any device—whether it was a computer, tablet, or phone. This way, users could easily read and navigate his content, whether they were on the go or relaxing at home.
Pro Tip for Little W: Google favors websites that work well on mobile devices, so making your site mobile-friendly can significantly boost your rankings!
Step 4: Crafting Effective Titles and Meta Descriptions
Next, Little W learned about titles and meta descriptions. These are what people see in the search engine results—the title is the bold link, and the meta description is the short summary underneath. If these don’t look inviting, people won’t click on them.
Little W made sure his titles accurately described the content, using the main keyword naturally. For his running shoes article, he used the title: “Affordable Running Shoes for Beginners – Top Picks 2024.” His meta description read: “Discover the best affordable running shoes for beginners, with reviews and buying tips for 2024.” This way, people knew exactly what they would find on his page.
To craft effective titles, Little W followed these guidelines:
- Use Keywords Naturally: Titles should include the main keyword, but it should sound natural and not forced. For example, instead of “Cheap Running Shoes Cheap Price,” a better title would be “Affordable Running Shoes for Beginners.”
- Keep It Concise: Titles should be short—ideally under 60 characters. This ensures they aren’t cut off in search engine results. Little W kept his titles around 50-60 characters.
- Create Curiosity: A good title should make people want to click to learn more. Little W used phrases like “Top Picks” or “Guide for Beginners” to make his titles interesting.
For meta descriptions, Little W learned a few tricks:
- Summarize the Content Clearly: Meta descriptions should provide a clear idea of what’s on the page. For example, “Find the top running shoes for beginners, complete with reviews and buying tips.”
- Include a Call to Action: Little W learned that adding phrases like “Learn more,” “Discover now,” or “Shop today” can encourage users to click.
- Stay Under 160 Characters: Meta descriptions should be concise. Little W kept his under 150 characters to ensure the full description would show up in search results.
He experimented with several examples:
- For a blog about running techniques, he used the title: “Running Techniques for Beginners – Improve Your Form Today” and the meta description: “Learn effective running techniques to improve your form and prevent injuries. Read our beginner-friendly guide.”
- For a product page about running shoes, he tried: “Best Running Shoes for Long-Distance Runs – Top Picks 2024” with the meta description: “Discover the best running shoes for long-distance running. Get reviews, ratings, and top recommendations for 2024.”
Pro Tip for Little W: Keep your titles and descriptions short but informative. Make them interesting enough that someone would want to click to learn more. Always test different versions to see which get the most clicks.
Step 5: Building Trust with Links
Little W learned that getting other websites to link to his website was like getting gold stars from teachers. These links, called backlinks, tell Google that his website is trustworthy.
Backlinks help search engines recognize the authority of a website, which can significantly boost its ranking in search results. To get these backlinks, Little W looked for websites related to his niche. He focused on fitness blogs, running communities, and sports equipment review sites.
He contacted bloggers who reviewed running shoes. He asked them to link to his page. He explained why his content would be helpful for their readers.
He also engaged in guest posting, where he wrote articles for other blogs in exchange for a link back to his site. He even created shareable infographics that other websites could use, with credit linking back to his page. For example, he created an infographic called “The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Running Shoes.” He shared it on social media and in relevant forums.
He was careful not to buy links or use any tricks, as he learned that Google could punish websites that tried to cheat. Instead, Little W focused on creating valuable content that people naturally wanted to link to—like “How to Choose the Right Running Shoes for Your First Race.” He understood that quality backlinks often come from creating helpful, informative, and shareable content.
He also joined online communities related to running and fitness. By actively participating and sharing useful insights, he built credibility. People started linking to his website as a reliable source of information.
Pro Tip for Little W: Focus on quality over quantity. A few links from well-known websites are more valuable than dozens of links from random or spammy sites. Also, try to build relationships with other content creators in your field. Networking can help you get natural backlinks over time.
Step 6: Structured Data – Helping Google Understand Better
Little W heard about a secret way to make his pages even more attractive in search results—using structured data. He learned that structured data is a special code that helps Google understand his content better.
For example, he used it to show product ratings and prices right in the search results! When people searched for “affordable running shoes,” they could see his product’s rating and price at a glance. It made his website stand out.
Pro Tip for Little W: Use Google’s Rich Results Test to make sure your structured data is correctly implemented. This can help your content look more appealing in search results.
Conclusion – Little W’s SEO Success
Thanks to his hard work, Little W’s website started appearing at the top of the search results! He learned that SEO wasn’t about shortcuts or magic tricks—it was about making his website useful, easy to navigate, and filled with valuable content. He understood that by following each step and constantly improving, he could help more people find his website and fall in love with his content.
Now, it’s your turn! Follow the steps that Little W took—understand keywords, optimize your content, make your website mobile-friendly, craft great titles and descriptions, build trust with backlinks, and use structured data. SEO is like a journey, and every step takes you closer to your goal of helping others find your website. Just like Little W, you’ve got this!