Running a website is hard going at times. I don’t pretend to understand what Gears does to keep this whole ship running but making these stories more visible in search engine responses is key. Over the years, we’ve been approached by a number of companies who want to charge us for this “SEO” service. Indeed, it’s something that webmasters from other sites have asked us about too.
If you’re looking to find out more, you should learn SEO. It is one of the most efficient digital marketing practices and it can help you to beat the competition, getting more clients and hopefully a bit more success. Yes, getting your site running and looking great on desktops and mobile phones is important, but if ensuring that your site shows up on Google is also key. Search engine optimization ensures that your website ranks higher for particular keywords associated with your business. It puts you above your competitors. After all, you don’t want to be on page 2 of Google. Who goes there?
So, for those that have asked us over the years, we’ve had a word with the powers that be and got you some tips. First, hiring an expert team. Yes, you can do this. There’s teams like The Search Initiative – agency. SEO services are always an excellent option because they are carried out by online marketing specialists who are constantly up-to-date with all the changes in search engine algorithms and apply the best SEO practices only. We don’t always pretend to know all the magic, but they should.
However, at the same time it’s important to do at least some research – broaden your own knowledge before just letting someone in the door.
If you want to do it the free way (and why not?) there are many free options. Here’s just a few…
Google Webmaster Central Blog
Google Webmaster Central Blog is definitely one of the most significant and useful places to go. As the name suggests, it is the official blog run by Google. You’ll find there’s a lot of information on ranking, indexing and crawling. Not only that but you’ll stay in tune with all the updates and tweaks that you might need to do to keep your SEO fresh..
If you don’t know anything about SEO just yet, it would be a good idea to begin with “The Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide”. What’s more, if you are interested in the best ways to build a website in 2020, you can go to Google Web Fundamentals. The site also has videos explaining everything if you don’t want to get too buried in lengthy text.
Neil Patel’s Blog
Neil Patel is a famous SEO specialist who’s been very successful with a website called Quicksprout. He then created a separate blog and named it after himself. He explains, for example, how to choose the best keywords to rank at the top of Google search results.
Apart from that, you can find the most effective ways to market content (which is an essential element of digital marketing), helping you to both improve your website’s position and encourage clients to make a purchase. Interestingly enough, Neil Patel even published special tools helping you to analyse your domain and provide suggestions for improving it. It’s definitely advisable to learn from the leaders of the industry, and he is one with no doubt!
Search Engine Land
Search Engine Land was created in 2007 by Danny Sullivan. He’s considered one of the most influential people in SEO history. This site always informs its readers about all the breaking news in the world of search engines. The SEO industry develops so quickly that it is recommended to be up-to-date with it constantly.
Search Engine Land has an experienced editorial team and they often feature renowned SEO experts who share useful tips, strategies and tactics. Apart from search engine optimization, they also talk about PPC campaigns, Google Ads and social media ads. For instance, you can learn the difference between SEO and SEM, or what Google can punish your website for.
Search Engine Journal
In 2003, Loren Baker started the Search Engine Journal, which soon became a great source of knowledge for everyone who wants to learn more about SEO. People responsible for this website follow all the news in the industry and analyse the current situation, providing amazingly useful insights and guides for online marketing specialists. They focus not only on SEO itself, but also on social media, content marketing, and PPC.
Every day, there is a steady stream of stories that can help you to familiarise yourself with advice and hints from both the staff and invited experts. The SEJ team also organise webinars and record podcasts regularly to discuss the hottest topics in the SEO industry. They present case studies from which you can learn how other businesses managed to develop thanks to effective digital marketing.
Moz
Moz is amazingly famous in the SEO industry as one of the greatest resources of the most ingenious tricks and tactics. They have, for example, their SEO Learning Centre where all the information is sorted by topic, so you can easily find what you are looking for.
Apart from that, in the Moz Beginner Guide to SEO, you can find a play on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs called Mozlow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Thanks to that, you can learn which aspects of search engine optimization are crucial and which ones are slightly less significant. Both a beginner and an advanced user can find beneficial information there!
The SEM Post
If you are not an absolute beginner, but you still need some more specific information to learn about SEO, the SEM Post is the right place for you. Its structure is quite untypical as for the modern standards – it refers to the past when websites had a very minimalistic design with a format resembling a newsletter and simple interface. Nevertheless, you can find a lot of valuable news about the changes in Google algorithms, the latest SEO practices and all the other relevant information on the industry.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, there are many sources for you to learn SEO without any charge. In fact, these are only a few examples of well-known websites, and you can easily find many others as well. Thanks to them, you will know what technical changes are necessary, how to write valuable content, how to avoid search engine penalties, what keywords are the most efficient, and not only. It is definitely worth following Google’s official blog, but apart from that, specialist guides are also recommended because they may say more than Google wants to tell you directly. They can be websites that provide information for both beginners and specialists (like Moz) or focused on expanding the knowledge of people who already have some experience in SEO (like the SEM Post).
However, before you start implementing SEO strategies to your website, make sure that you are competent enough to conduct it. If not, it is always better to search for a reputable SEO agency who will take care of all the analysis, tactics, coding, content, and every other aspect of this marketing technique. Let’s hope your website will rank high in the search results soon!