Google SEO 2023: Complete SEO Beginner's Guide (2024)

Google SEO 2023: Complete SEO Beginner's Guide (1)

What Is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of continuously optimizing a website for higher rankings in the organic search results, with a focus on popular search engines like Google.

That said: SEO isn’t just about optimizing your website.

In fact, SEO can and should involve other disciplines within digital marketing, including:

  • Content marketing

  • Public relations

  • Branding

  • Conversion rate optimization

  • Coding and web development

  • Content design

  • User experience (UX)

  • Lots more

In short, the sites that perform best in Google aren’t just good at SEO. They’re good at digital marketing in general.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into
this Google SEO guide!

The Google SEO Guide to Keyword Research

When it comes to SEO for Google, keyword research should be your first step. That’s because you want to optimize your content around keywords that people type into Google.

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And when you optimize your webpages around those exact search queries, you can rank your blog posts and landing pages for those terms.

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Here are a few helpful resources to help you learn more about finding keywords

  • Keyword Research: The Definitive Guide
  • How to Find Long Tail Keywords
  • How to Choose Keywords for SEO
  • Keyword Competition: The Ultimate Guide

Write SEO-Friendly Content

Now that you have a list of keywords that your target customer searches for in Google, it’s time to write content. Fortunately, thanks to the keyword research you just did, this step should be pretty simple. All you need to do is write a piece of super high-quality content for each keyword on your list.

Here are a few handy guides to help you write content that’s designed to rank in Google

  • SEO Content: The Complete Guide
  • The 8-Step Content Strategy
  • Copywriting: The Definitive Guide
  • How to Write a Blog Post: The Definitive Guide

Optimize Content for Google SEO

Now it’s time to optimize each piece page on your site around a single keyword. If you’re first starting out, this keyword should be a long tail keyword. Long tail terms don’t get a ton of search volume. But they’re less competitive. So you have a better chance of ranking #1.

Whether you go with a long tail keyword or not, optimizing your page for Google SEO is exactly the same. And this mini SEO checklist will help ensure that your page is optimized for SEO.

Include your main keyword:

In the First 100 Words of Your Webpage

You probably already know that you want to use your keyword a handful of times on your page. However, it’s important to use your keyword at least once in the beginning of your content (ideally in the first 50-100 words).

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In Your Title Tag

From a Google SEO point of view, your title tag is the most important place to include your keyword.

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In Your Page URL

Although not as important as your title tag, you do want to use your keyword once in your page’s URL.

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And if you want to fully optimize your
page for Google SEO, also implement
these on-site SEO techniques:

Use Your Keyword in an H1 and H2 Subheader

This emphasizes to Google that your page is focused on that keyword and topic.

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Use Keyword-Rich Image Filenames and Alt Text

Optimizing images isn’t super important. But it can help.

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Add Internal Links

Internal links can help Google find, crawl and index more pages on your site (and help them rank higher in the search results). Bonus points if you use keyword-rich anchor text in your internal links.

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Use Synonyms and Related Terms

Use variations of your target keyword on your page. For example, if your main keyword is “kettlebell workout”, use variations like “kettlebell exercises” and “easy kettlebell movements”.

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Write an Enticing Meta Description

Although using keywords in your meta description isn’t a ranking factor anymore, organic CTR is. And when Google searchers see a compelling meta description in the organic search results, they’re more likely to click on your site.

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Make Your Site Work With Mobile Devices

In other words, your site should be mobile-optimized for Google searchers and search engine crawlers (also known as “spiders”).

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Use Structured Data

Structured data (Schema) can help your site feature “Rich Snippets” in the search results.

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If you want to learn more about optimizing content for Google SEO, check out these guides

  • On-Page SEO: Anatomy of a Perfectly Optimized Page
  • Internal Linking for SEO

Link Building and Outreach

Link building is the hardest (and most important) part of any SEO strategy. The simple fact is: if your site doesn’t have backlinks pointing to it, you’re probably not going to rank very well. It’s also important to promote your content via outreach and on social media.

If you want to learn more about building links, check out these guides

  • Link Building for SEO: The Definitive Guide
  • How to Get High Quality Backlinks
  • What is Link Bait? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Google SEO Tools and Software

You can technically practice SEO without a single tool. But it makes Google SEO significantly harder.

To help bolster your SEO efforts, here’s a collection of free and paid keyword research tools, backlink analysis software, and more.

  • 25 AMAZING Free SEO Tools
  • Google Search Console: The Definitive Guide
  • How to Use Google Keyword Planner

Taking Your Google SEO To The Next Level

It’s time to wrap up this Google SEO starter guide with a few advanced strategies and tactics that SEO pros use.

These guides will help you rank in “The SERPs” (Search Engine Results Pages) for competitive keywords.

  • SEO Case Study: How I Increased My Organic Traffic 652%
  • Conversion Rate Optimization: The Definitive Guide
  • Measuring SEO Results
  • The 19-Step SEO Audit Checklist
  • Ecommerce SEO: The Definitive Guide

The Next Step

If you want to learn even more about Google SEO, I recommend checking out The SEO Marketing Hub.

SEO Marketing Hub

Whether you’re brand new to SEO, or want to learn advanced strategies, this is your hub for SEO knowledge.

Start Now

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It’s a free library of SEO resources that covers pretty much everything you need to know about search engine optimization, including technical SEO, building backlinks, key Google ranking factors, advanced SEO tips, XML sitemaps, advice for avoiding duplicate content and more.

Google SEO 2023: Complete SEO Beginner's Guide (2024)

FAQs

Is learning SEO worth it in 2023? ›

Should I learn SEO in 2023? It would help if you learned SEO, as Google is the largest and most used search engine with more than 40 percent market share. SEO is a set of best practices that can be implemented to improve your website's or blog's organic visibility in Google search results.

Does SEO still work in 2023? ›

How has SEO changed in 2023? 80% of CMOs say they are maintaining the same level or investment or increasing investment in SEO in 2023. SEO now accounts for about 10% of the average marketing budget.

Can I learn SEO on my own? ›

Learning SEO on your own is possible, but it'll take a bit of time because there is a lot to learn. Thankfully, there's so much helpful information out there to support you in your learning process. I know everyone has a different learning style, so I'll include resources that appeal to different needs.

How to do Google SEO yourself? ›

Help Google find your content
  1. Check if Google can see your page the same way a user does.
  2. Don't want a page in Google's search results?
  3. Use descriptive URLs.
  4. Group topically similar pages in directories.
  5. Reduce duplicate content.
  6. Expect your readers' search terms.
  7. Avoid distracting advertisements.
  8. Link to relevant resources.

Will SEO exist in 5 years? ›

In conclusion, while the tactics and strategies may change, the essence of SEO—improving visibility in search engine results—will likely remain important. As search technologies and user behaviors evolve, so too will SEO, making it an indispensable part of digital marketing strategies in the foreseeable future.

Can you learn SEO in 3 months? ›

In short, learning the basics of SEO takes about 3 months. But you can't say you have fully learnt the job without having some experience under your belt, which could take 2 to 3 years.

Is SEO becoming obsolete? ›

While SEO still thrives, how SEO looks has evolved and will continue changing. It must change to survive the shifting algorithms. As a result, many of the SEO strategies you have come to rely on are becoming less effective and some strategies are becoming obsolete.

Will SEO be replaced by AI? ›

AI helps automate and refine many SEO processes, like keyword research, content optimization, and user experience analysis. Instead of replacing SEO, AI is making it more efficient and effective.

Is SEO hard for beginners? ›

Learning SEO can be challenging due to the vast amount of information to process, the need to master various SEO tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, and Moz, and understanding unique SEO vocabulary.

How do beginners learn SEO for free? ›

The Best SEO Guides and News Sites
  1. Google's SEO Starter Guide. What better place to start than Google's very own starter guide to SEO? ...
  2. Moz's Beginner's Guide to SEO. ...
  3. Google (Search) ...
  4. Search Engine Land's SEO Guide. ...
  5. SERPStat's SEO Guide. ...
  6. WordStream's SEO Guide. ...
  7. Search Engine Roundtable. ...
  8. Search Engine Journal.

How much does it cost to start SEO? ›

A highly reputed and award-winning firm is likely going to charge a hefty amount, while a startup might charge a lot less. SEO prices are between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 1,00,000 per month in India.

Is SEO free on Google? ›

Google Search Console for Technical SEO

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free SEO tool that allows you to track your site's health and performance. You use it to help improve your visibility and ranking in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Is Google SEO worth it? ›

SEO is worthwhile if you have the right strategy in place and work with a partner that knows how to get results. About 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and the close rate of SEO leads is much higher than that of traditional marketing. So, SEO provides an impressive return on investment (ROI).

How to get 100% SEO? ›

How to Increase SEO Score of Your Website to 100%
  1. All pages should be working.
  2. All pages must have meta tags.
  3. Pages should have headings and subheadings.
  4. BlogPatcher: The be-all-end-all of content optimization!
  5. Decrease the size of image files.
  6. Defer render-blocking resources.
  7. Make site load faster.

Is SEO a good skill to learn in 2024? ›

Certainly. SEO Specialist skills are highly adaptable to numerous digital marketing roles. Mastery in keyword research, content optimization, and data analytics is beneficial for content marketing, PPC, and social media management positions.

Is SEO still relevant in 2024? ›

As we navigate the ever-changing digital world of 2024, you might be wondering: is SEO still worth investing in? Well, I'm here to tell you that the answer is a resounding yes! SEO continues to be a key piece of the digital marketing puzzle, and here are five reasons why: SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.

Is there a future for SEO? ›

The future of SEO is dynamic and filled with opportunities and challenges. As search engines become more sophisticated and user behaviors evolve, businesses must stay agile and informed to maintain their competitive edge.

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