Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) in a nutshell is nothing more than making sure your website can be read (and therefore indexed) by Google (and of course the other search engines).
There are lots of very snazzy and incredibly technical terms floating around but here are the main things you need to know (hopefully in the most non-techie way I can describe it):-
1) Just think about what it is people would search for to find your product or service and make sure you include that phrase (or those phrases) in your website copy.
2) Google currently can't read images (well I think they can now but they are still saying they can't). So if you have a website full of images and you don't name your images correctly (never use the photo number allocated when you take a snap on your phone for example) and if you don't use ALT tags to describe your image then Google just "sees" white space. Each website platform has their own way of you adding ALT tags - when you upload into the media library within WordPress for example, you can give your image a proper name and description then as it is uploaded. Within Wix rename the image either before or after upload and then click on the little cog (for image settings) and add the ALT tag in there.
3) Google likes to see a structure on the page - so for example, make sure that you use the correct tag when setting up your titles (H1 for the most important information on the page) then H2 for your section headings and finally H3 for things you may consider sub-headings on the page plus use P (for paragraph) tags where appropriate. There should be a good mix of tags and a proper structure. If in doubt think about writing out your page on A4 paper what would be the main page heading then the section headings and sub-headings and below each section heading there would be general text.
4) Content was, is and always will be king - write your content for people not the search engines, don't over-complicate it, write naturally and make sure that you include an odd reference or two to your main search terms. Don't put them in anywhere and everywhere because that's not natural.
5) Google wants to know you love your site, that doesn't mean I love it on the day I launch it and I'm going to leave it sat in a dusty corner gathering dust. Build out your website and add pages or other content on a regular basis - an instagram feed or a blog will show Google that you are constantly working on your website and adding content on there. Keeping it totally real - none of the above will instantly guarantee your website is found on the first page of Google but what it will do is make it easier for the search engines to list your website. Getting onto the first page takes time, effort and, increasingly these days, money. Follow the tips above and you will make a start.
All my websites are optimised for the search engines both on-page and off, it is part and parcel of what I do. If you are working with a web designer always check they optimise your website as they go along (and don't charge extra for it). It really should be part of their standard service. If they don't understand SEO themselves then think twice about hiring them. I find a lot of people come to me and ask me to optimise a site that another designer has created for them. A pretty website with zilch beneath the bonnet is nothing more than an empty vessel.
I'm going to be launching the No-Bull SEO course soon. No-Bull SEO is a course for Wix users who want to know their website is in the best possible condition to be indexed by the search engines. With bite-sized, jargon-free videos and trainings this course is aimed at beginners who are feeling freaked out by the whole shebang!
Join the waitlist for our new courses and be the first to receive a haul of income-generating bonuses! - the image below will add you to the waitlist of my new courses and you'll hear as soon as they launch.
