SEO - Practical Search Engine Optimisation (no geek speak)

In this lecture we explore what a search result page in Google can look like. We discover that there can be several results from a Google Search including:

• Google Ads

• Google Shopping ads

• Rich Snippets (eg. People also ask…)

• Google My Business

• Business Websites – Organic Search Results

• Images

• Videos

In this video we explain what a meta-description is and what makes a good one. We then demonstrate how to update your meta-description in the following website platforms:

• WordPress (using the plug-in Yoast SEO)

• Wix

• Weebly

• SquareSpace

• Shopify

What search terms are people using in Google to find the products you sell or the services you provide? This video explores keywords as they relate to:

• Relevancy

• Quantity

Through an example of Aloe Vera shampoo vs shampoo for dandruff we consider how search terms can get different search volumes.

We compare the search volume of the following search terms (or keywords)

• Teacher vs Educator

• Bodycare vs Moisturiser vs Skincare

• Wellness vs Mental Health vs Anxiety

• Budget vs Finance

We talk about how each page can be optimised. Optimise one page for one search term. Optimise your homepage on your business name.

Writing great content is the backbone of optimising your site. This video is best watched after the following lessons:

• Keywords

• Meta-Description

The aim is to optimise one page with one search term or keyword. Write 300 words, or more, per page. For product pages aim for 150 words and include the search term twice. Tips for writing content for SEO:

• Create unique content

• Make it informative

• Write in easy to understand language

• Make it easy for a person to scan read the page

• Have plenty of spacing

ChatGPT is an AI writing platform that can give you ideas and get you started with creating content for your website. In this lesson we demonstrate using ChatGPT:

• Creating a blog article

• Benefits of comparing services

• How to generate ideas for content

• Re-writing the homepage

• Re-writing content for a target audience

• Re-writing content in different styles

In this topic we demonstrate an online tool for non-WordPress websites that can help you write great content for SEO. This suits website platforms such as Wix, Shopify, SquareSpace, Weebly or other website platforms.

In this topic we demonstrate an online tool for WordPress websites that can help you write great content for SEO.

Your domain name, or web address is very important in SEO. If your keywords are in your domain name this is a good ranking factor. Keyword friendly web addresses (usually your business name) are great for SEO.

We take a look at how you can change the end of the URL (the slug) to be SEO friendly in the following website platforms:

• WordPress

• Wix

• Shopify

• Weebly

Be warned – changing the slug changes the web address link and may result in an Error 404 Page Not Found message.

We discuss two options to deal with Error 404 Page Not Found if broken links are created through changing the web address.

We take a look at the What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor in websites where you can bold text, left or right align text and format the text with other options. We use the paragraph formatting to make the text Heading One with the <h1> html code.

We look at how to change text to heading 1 <h1> in

• WordPress

• Wix

• Shopify

• Weebly

There are two main ways to optimise images for SEO:

• size of the images

• naming of the images

This lecture covers both of these tasks.

Links are an important ranking factor for search engines.

There are 3 different types of links

1. Links within your own site (i.e.from one page to another)

2. Links from your site to other sites

3. Links to your site from other sites

In this topic we look at the 3 types of links and which type is most important for SEO.

The 3rd type, i.e. getting links to your site, can take time, effort and ideas. Glean some ideas in this video.

All things being equal, a website which is technically solid will rank better than a website that has poor technical standing. This lecture covers a few things that come under the technical category.

This lecture demonstrates how product names or product titles can be used for best SEO. We also look at the slug or URL of the product.

This video goes in depth with product descriptions and gives some hints 'n tips about how you can use the descriptions to help people searching Google find your online shop.

Good navigation is important for good SEO.

There's a bunch of tools that are used on websites to help the user navigate and find the product of their choice. There's top menu bars, sidebars, search online (magnifying glass) and breadcrumbs. As products come and go, there's also the real possiblity that a user may navigate to a page not found (Error 404).

The video looks at several different online shops, giving examples of the different types of navigation you may consider for your website.

As products come and go your online shop may end up with broken links. This video gives you two options for how you might easily deal with this scenario.

Search Engine Optimisation

Search Engine Optimisation is the stuff you do to convince Google your business should be seen when people search for products that you sell or services you offer.

Local Search Engine Optimisation

Local Search Engine Optimisation is the stuff you do to convince Google your business should be seen when people, who live in your area, search for products that you sell or services you offer.

A local SEO strategy is particularly important if your business is based in a physical location and the people living in that location are the majority of your customers or clients, for example bricks ‘n mortar shops and premises like:

• Retail shops

• Pizza places

• Accountancy and professional service providers with offices

• Physiotherapists, medical centres and other health providers

• Bike shops

• Gift shops

Anywhere there is a physical location that people can walk into, such as a store, premise or office.

How do local SEO techniques differ from usual SEO?

A local SEO strategy doesn’t let you off the hook for all the other activities and techniques you’ve learnt about SEO. They still apply. However there are two things that are particularly valuable for local SEO, and they are:

1. Google My Business listing

2. Citations

In this lecture we demonstrate how to get your Google My Business listing.

Citations is a fancy word for listing your business in online business directories.

For small cities with a population of under 1 million people, being listed in 30 or so directories is likely to be enough. For larger cities, or very competitive industries, aim to be listed in 100 directories.

There are three types of directories

1. Generic

2. Geo

3. Niche

Some of the directories you can list in will be known to you and will be fairly obvious. But there are hundreds that you’ve probably never heard of before.

In this lecture we list lots of directories and give some ideas about directories that you can find in your area or your niche.

Blogs are a very important part of the SEO strategy for freelancers and work-from-home consultants.

Blogs are not only great for SEO. They:

• provide content for your social media posts and e-newsletters

• provide helpful hints 'n tips you can email your clients or customers

• provide answers to commonly asked questions

• help you test your own theories and thoughts on items of interest as you conduct research for the article

Articles can assist you be seen as a thought leader and as a person with expertise in your area and therefore can lift your profile in your industry.

Articles don't always need to be on your own site. Writing articles as a guest author, as we described in the Links section, is great for your SEO.