SEO Basics For New Bloggers: A Beginner-Friendly Guide (2024)

When I first started my blog back in the day, I thought great content alone would be enough to bring readers flocking. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening.

Say hello to SEO: three small letters essential for blogging success.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “SEO? Isn’t that some complex, techie voodoo?” Well, yes and no. 

It can get pretty deep, but the basics? They’re totally manageable, even for non-techy folks.

In this post, I’m going to break down the essentials of SEO for new bloggers. We’ll cover everything from keyword research (it’s not as scary as it sounds, I promise) to on-page optimization tricks that’ll have Google sitting up and taking notice.

I’ll be sharing some hard-earned lessons from my own blogging journey, including some facepalm-worthy mistakes you’ll definitely want to avoid.

By the time we’re done, you’ll have a solid foundation in SEO that’ll help you start climbing those search engine rankings. 

And the best part? We’re keeping things beginner-friendly. No jargon, no complex theories, but just practical, actionable advice you can start using right away.

What Is SEO And Why Does It Matter For Bloggers?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it’s basically the art of making your blog posts show up when people are searching for stuff online. 

When I explain it to my non-techy friends, I usually say it’s like making your blog post wear a bright neon sign in a world of gray websites.

Now, why does this matter for us bloggers?

Well, let me share a little story. When I first started my blogging blog, I was churning out posts left and right. I’m talking late-night writing marathons, tabs upon tabs open, the whole shebang. But nobody was reading them. It was like whispering my top blogging strategies into an empty room. Not fun.

That’s when I stumbled upon SEO, and it changed the game.

Here’s the deal with search engines: they’re like these super smart but kinda picky librarians. They’re constantly scanning the internet (the tech term is crawling), trying to catalog and understand every single page out there.

I know at first glance it may seem like something ambitious, but Google takes what it says seriously:

Our goal is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai

So how do they decide what’s “relevant” and “high-quality”? Well, that’s where it gets a bit technical, but here are the basics:

• They look at your content to see if it matches what people are searching for.
• They check if other reputable sites are linking to your page.
• They consider how fast your site loads and if it’s mobile-friendly.
• They even look at how long people stay on your page once they click on it.

Implementing SEO strategies as a new blogger is like giving yourself a massive head start in a marathon, and it’s really important for different reasons:

• More eyeballs on your content: when you nail your SEO, you’re more likely to show up on that coveted first page of search results. And let’s be real, how often do you click to page two? Exactly.
• Building credibility: when your blog frequently ranks in search results, you begin to be recognized as an expert in your niche.
• Free traffic: unlike paid ads, SEO can bring you organic traffic without having to shell out the big bucks. As a newbie blogger on a shoestring budget, this is priceless.
• Long-term benefits: some marketing strategies can fizzle out quickly, but SEO can keep bringing in traffic for months or even years. 
• Understanding your audience: as you dive into SEO, you’ll learn more about what your audience is actually searching for. This insight is gold for creating content that really resonates.

Now, I’m not gonna lie…

Getting good at SEO takes time and practice. I definitely had moments of wanting to fling my laptop out the window due to sheer frustration. But stick with it, and I promise it’ll pay off.

And don’t get so caught up in the technical stuff that you forget why you started blogging in the first place. Keep creating killer content, sprinkle in some SEO magic, and you’re good to go.

Keyword Research: The Foundation Of SEO Success

When I first heard the term ‘keyword research,’ I thought it was as enticing as watching grass grow. But once you master it, it’s like discovering a cheat code for your blog.

So, just to clarify, what exactly do we call keywords?

Simply put, they’re the words and phrases people type into search engines when they’re looking for something. Think of them as the breadcrumbs that lead readers straight to your blog. 

They’re the foundation of your SEO strategy. Get them right, and you’re golden. Get them wrong, and… well, let’s just say you might as well be writing in invisible ink.

Now, how do you actually find these magical keywords? 

That’s where keyword research tools come in handy. When I was starting out, broke as a joke, I leaned heavily on free tools. Google’s Keyword Planner was my ride-or-die for a long time. 

It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done. Another freebie I love is Answer the Public because it’s great for finding those long-tail keywords that can really set your content apart.

But let me tell you, once I scraped together enough cash to invest in some paid tools, it was like upgrading from a bicycle to a Ferrari. SEMrush and Ahrefs are the big dogs in this game, and for good reason. 

They give you a ton of data about search volume, keyword difficulty, and even what your competitors are ranking for.

Fair warning: they can be a bit overwhelming at first. There were definitely times I just froze in front of my screen, totally clueless. Anyway, what matters for the moment is to remember that there are free and paid tools you can use:

• Free tools: Google Keyword Planner, Answer the Public, and Ubersuggest.
• Paid tools: SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Keysearch.

So you’ve got your keywords tool, now what? 

This is where the real fun begins because you put on your detective hat and start identifying the right ones for your blog posts. Here’s my process for choosing keywords:

1. Relevance: first and foremost, the keyword needs to actually relate to what you’re writing about. Seems obvious, right? But you’d be surprised how easy it is to get sidetracked by a juicy keyword that’s only tangentially related to your topic.
2. Search volume: you want keywords that people are actually searching for. But don’t always go for the highest volume. Sometimes, lower volume keywords can be your secret weapon because they’re often less competitive.
3. Difficulty: when you’re just starting out, aim for lower difficulty keywords. I learned this the hard way by trying to rank for a highly competitive SEO-related term right from the start.
4. Intent: this is a biggie. Try to understand why someone is searching for that keyword.
   Are they looking to buy something? Learn something? Just browsing? Make sure your content matches their intent.
5. Long-tail keywords: these are longer, more specific phrases. They might have lower search volume, but they can be easier to rank for and often convert better.

And here’s something I wish someone had told me when I was starting out: don’t try to cram every keyword under the sun into one post. 

It’s not a good look, and search engines are smart enough to catch on. Instead, focus on one main keyword and a few related ones. Let them flow naturally in your writing.

Your first priority should always be creating valuable, engaging content. The keywords are just there to help the right people find it.

On-Page SEO Techniques Every New Blogger Should Know

On-page SEO is just a fancy way of saying “Make your blog posts search engine friendly.” And trust me, it’s not as complicated as it sounds.

Let’s start with title tags and meta descriptions. 

These little guys are like the movie trailer for your blog post. They’re what shows up in search results, and their impact can determine whether or not someone chooses to click on your link.

Here’s what I’ve learned about crafting killer title tags:

• Keep ’em short and sweet: around 60 characters is the sweet spot.
• Front-load your keywords: put the important stuff at the beginning.
• Make it catchy: give people a reason to click!

As for meta descriptions, think of them as your elevator pitch. 

You’ve got about 155-160 characters to convince someone your post is worth reading. No pressure, right? I used to agonize over these, but now I try to keep it simple: summarize the post, include the main keyword, and throw in a little teaser to pique their curiosity.

Now, let’s talk URLs. 

I used to think these were just random strings of letters and numbers. Honestly, I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried. 

A good URL is like a good street address: it should tell you exactly where you are. Keep ’em short, use your main keyword, and separate words with hyphens. 

So instead of “www.myawesomeblog.com/post12345,” you want something like “www.myawesomeblog.com/best-croissants-paris.”

Header tags are another biggie. 

Think of them like the outline for your high school essays (remember those?). Your H1 is your main title, and you only get one of these per post. Then you’ve got your H2s, H3s, and so on. These help break up your content and make it easier to read. 

Plus, search engines love ’em. I try to include my main keyword in the H1 and sprinkle related keywords in the other headers.

• H1: Use your main keyword, make it catchy.
• H2: Break up main sections of your post.
• H3: Further subdivide your content.

Now, here’s where things can get tricky: incorporating keywords into your content. When I first learned about this, I went a little… overboard. My posts read like keyword soup. Not good. 

You want to use your keywords, but you want it to sound natural. Like you’re just having a conversation with your reader.

I aim to use my main keyword in the first 100 words of my post, and then sprinkle it (and related keywords) throughout the content. And if it doesn’t fit naturally, don’t force it. Google’s gotten pretty smart about recognizing keyword stuffing, which doesn’t reflect well on your website.

One trick I’ve learned is to use synonyms and related terms. So, if my main keyword is “best cafes in Paris,” I might also use phrases like “top coffee shops in the City of Light” or “must-visit Parisian bistros.” 

Images are another often overlooked aspect of on-page SEO. 

I used to just slap any old file name on my photos, but now I make sure to name my image files with descriptive, keyword-rich names. 

And don’t forget about alt text! This is super important for accessibility, and it’s another opportunity to slip in those keywords. Alt text describes images for visually impaired users and helps search engines understand the image content.

Lastly, I’ve learned that skillful internal linking is another powerful strategy to enhance site navigation and SEO.

Whenever I mention something I’ve written about before, I’ll link to that post. It helps keep people on my site longer and shows search engines how my content is connected. 

So there you have it: on-page SEO in a nutshell. It might seem like a lot to remember, but it becomes second nature after a while. Just keep at it, and you’ll be an SEO wizard in no time.

Content Is King: Creating SEO-Friendly Blog Posts

I’ve found that posts around 1500-2000 words tend to do well for me. 

But here’s the thing: every niche is different. I’ve seen 5000-word behemoths crush it in the tech world, while 800-word recipes can dominate in the food space. The key is to cover your topic thoroughly without rambling on like your drunk uncle at Thanksgiving. Sometimes, less is more.

You should also break your text with some images. Good images can make or break your post, making it more shareable, and can even help with SEO if you play your cards right.

I’ve gathered some helpful tips on images to share with you during my blogging journey:

• Use high-quality, relevant images. No more generic office stock photos, please.
• Optimize your file names. “IMG_12345.jpg” tells Google nothing. “Best-credit-card-for students.jpg” is much better.
• Compress your images. Nobody wants to wait 10 years for your page to load.

I once had a post that was tanking in search results. I decided to add some custom graphics, and boom! Traffic started picking up within weeks. Never underestimate the power of a good visual.

Now, we’ve touched on internal linking strategies before, but we need to go a little deeper. Internal links let you create a web of connections within your site. It helps readers navigate your content and shows search engines how your posts are related.

I try to include 3-5 internal links in each post, but I always do it in a natural way. For example, If I’m writing about the best coffee shops in Rome and I mention how to order coffee in Italian, you bet I’m linking to my “Italian Phrases for Foodies” post.

External linking is another ball game. 

Some bloggers are scared to link out, thinking it’ll drive traffic away from their site. But the reality is that linking to high-quality, relevant sources can actually boost your credibility. Plus, it’s just good internet citizenship.

Here’s my rule of thumb for external links:

• Only link to reputable sources.
• Make sure the link adds value for your reader.
• Use descriptive anchor text (no more “click here” nonsense).
• Don’t go overboard: a few quality links are better than a ton of mediocre ones.

Lastly, here’s something I wish I’d known earlier: your content needs to solve a problem or answer a question. Google loves this stuff. 

So before you start writing, ask yourself: “What’s in it for the reader?” If you can’t answer that, it might be time to go back to the drawing board.

Technical SEO Basics For Beginners

Let’s start with site speed. A slow site is like a store with a line out the door. People just aren’t gonna stick around.

I remember the day I realized my blog was taking forever to load. I ran some tests and nearly fell off my chair when I saw it was clocking in at 8 seconds. Yikes! So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work:

• Optimized my images (turns out I didn’t need to upload 5000×5000 pixel photos).
• Invested in better hosting (goodbye, bargain basement plan).
• Installed a caching plugin: thank you WP Rocket.

The result? My load time dropped to under 3 seconds. And wouldn’t you know it, my bounce rate plummeted too.

Moreover, you have to make sure your site is mobile-friendly. Today, if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you might as well be writing on stone tablets. I used to think my site looked fine on my phone until a friend tried to read it on her ancient iPhone. It was a disaster.

Setting up Google Search Console helped me a lot with this kind of issue, too. It’s like having a direct line to the search engines.

They tell you what’s working and what’s not and even give you a heads-up if your site has gone wonky. I check mine religiously now—it’s the first thing I do with my morning coffee.

Another thing you must do is submit your sitemap to Google. A sitemap is basically a roadmap of your site for search engines. I use the RankMath plugin to generate mine automatically, but there are plenty of other tools out there. 

Lastly, don’t forget to implement SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which encrypts the data exchanged between users and your website, protecting their information from being intercepted by malicious parties.

It’s really important for SEO, and Google cares about it. A lot. 

Building Backlinks: Off-Page SEO For New Bloggers

The more quality sites link to you, the cooler Google thinks you are. But don’t focus on the quantity of backlinks; it’s all about quality.

So, how do you build backlinks the right way? Here’s what’s working these days:

• Guest posting: it’s like being a substitute teacher, but for blogs. You provide valuable content for someone else’s site, and in return, you get a backlink. Win-win.
• Creating shareable content: make an infographic about a specific post, and watch the backlinks roll in without you lifting a finger.
• Broken link building: this is like being the helpful neighbor who points out when someone’s left their lights on. You find broken links on other sites and offer your content as a replacement.

Now, let’s talk about some link-building no-nos. Avoid paid links like the plague. Don’t even think about those “10,000 backlinks for $5” deals on Fiverr. 

For the love of all that is holy, stay away from link farms. I know people who stumbled into one, and it took them months to clean up the mess.

There’s no shortcut to building backlinks. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It often takes a solid year before seeing real results. But when it finally clicks, it’s like watching a blog go from the kid picked last in gym class to the star quarterback.

Just keep at it, create great content, and the links will come.

Measuring Your SEO Success: Analytics For Newbies

When I first installed Google Analytics, I felt like I’d stepped into NASA’s mission control. 

SO. MANY. NUMBERS. 

But once you get the hang of it, it’s addictive. Setting it up is actually pretty straightforward: just paste a bit of code into your site’s header, and you’re tracking. Or, if you want to follow my preferred way, just install the Google Sitekit plugin, and it will handle everything for you, making setup a breeze.

Now, what should you actually be looking at? Here are the metrics I obsess over:

• Organic traffic: this is the good stuff: people find you through search engines.
• Bounce rate: if it’s high, something’s off. Maybe your content doesn’t match the search intent.
• Average time on page: the longer, the better. It means people are actually reading your stuff.
• Conversion rate: whether it’s newsletter sign-ups or product purchases, this is where the rubber meets the road.

Using these data to improve your SEO strategy is where the magic happens, but don’t expect overnight miracles. I spent months staring at flat lines before things started to pick up. 

But when they did? It was worth every late-night and coffee-fueled writing session.

It’s Your Turn To Progress

Alright, you’ve made it through the SEO crash course! 

By now, you should have a solid grasp of the basics. But remember, SEO is just one piece of the blogging puzzle. To really set yourself up for success, you’ll need the right tools in your arsenal.

Ever wondered what plugins can supercharge your SEO efforts? Or which analytics tools can give you the insights you need to grow? 

Well, you’re in luck! I’ve put together a comprehensive guide on the must-have tools for new bloggers. From keyword research powerhouses to user-friendly design apps, I’ve got you covered.

Trust me, these tools have been game-changers for my blog, and they could be for yours too. 

So don’t miss out. Head over and check it out—you might just find exactly what you need to take your blog to the next level!