Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Introduction

Building a website or blog is often driven by the hope that many users will discover and engage with your content.

  • While there are no guaranteed rules or paid options that ensure a site will be indexed by search engines, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a set of best practices aimed at improving your website’s visibility on search engines like Google and Bing.
  • Effective SEO helps drive organic (non-paid) traffic to your site by making it easier for search engines to understand, rank and display your content in relevant search results.



Technical SEO

Although search engines are constantly crawling the web like spiders, they primarily discover new websites by following links from existing ones.

  • These crawlers operate at varying speeds and frequencies, guided by complex algorithms that determine how often a site is revisited and how its content is indexed.

Submitting your website to search engines (like via Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools) is optional but strongly recommended, especially for resolving indexation issues and gaining access to real-time performance insights.

  • It ensures that search engines can properly discover, crawl, index and interpret your content.
  • You can also check if your site is indexed by using the site:search operator in Google. For example, a query of site:yourdomain.com will show which pages from your domain are currently indexed by Google.

To ensure that your site is crawlable, indexable and optimized for search visibility, focus on the following technical SEO fundamentals:

XML Sitemap

  • A sitemap is an XML file that lists all the important pages on your website, acting as a roadmap for search engines.
  • It helps crawlers discover and understand your site's structure more efficiently, ensuring all your content is considered for indexing.

robots.txt File

  • The robots.txt file, placed in your site's root directory, gives instructions to web crawlers.
  • You can use it to prevent them from accessing certain areas of your site, such as admin pages, private files or duplicate content, which helps manage how your site is crawled.

Core Web Vitals

  • Optimize for fast loading speed, interactivity and layout stability.
  • Use Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix performance issues.

Mobile-Friendly Design

  • Use a responsive layout rather than maintaining separate desktop and mobile versions.
  • Use Lighthouse for full mobile emulation.

Secure Website (HTTPS)

  • Implement an SSL certificate to enable HTTPS.

Clean Site Architecture

  • Structure your site with logical internal linking and organized directories.
  • Use structured data (schema markup) to help search engines understand your content.
  • Keep navigation simple and intuitive, ideally no more than 3 clicks deep.

Descriptive, SEO-Friendly URLs

  • Avoid cryptic or numeric-only URLs.
  • Use readable URLs that reflect the page topic (e.g., /how-to-optimize-seo instead of /123?id=45).

Topical Grouping

  • Organize related content into folders or subdirectories (e.g., /blog/seo-tips/).

Canonicalization & Duplicate Content

  • Avoid duplicate pages. Use the <link rel="canonical"> tag to signal the preferred URL when content overlaps.

No Broken Links or Crawl Errors



On-Page SEO

On-page SEO refers to optimizing individual pages to rank higher in search engines and provide a better experience for users.

  • This involves improving content relevance, HTML structure and media optimization on a per-page basis.

Key Elements of On-Page SEO:

Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

  • Ensure your <title> and meta description accurately reflect the page content.
  • Use clear, concise and keyword-rich phrasing to improve click-through rates.
  • Although meta tags do not appear on the page itself, they influence how your site appears in search snippets.

Proper Use of Heading Tags (<h1>, <h2>, etc.)

  • Use one <h1> tag per page, ideally matching the page title.
  • Use nested headings (<h2>, <h3>, etc.) to structure content logically and help both users and search engines understand topic hierarchy.

Keyword Usage and Semantic Relevance

  • Incorporate primary and related keywords naturally in the content, headings and subheadings.
  • Avoid keyword stuffing; instead, use natural language and synonyms that align with search intent.

Image and Media Optimization

  • Include high-quality images or videos to support your content and improve engagement.
  • Use:
    • Descriptive filenames (e.g., seo-checklist.png instead of IMG_1234.png).
    • Alt text to improve accessibility and image SEO.
    • WebP format for faster loading (where supported).
    • Lazy loading (loading="lazy") to defer offscreen images and improve performance.
    • Captions and transcripts for multimedia where appropriate

Clean, Descriptive URL Slugs

  • Use short, keyword-focused URLs that describe the content (e.g., /on-page-seo-basics).
  • Avoid special characters, excessive numbers or vague strings.

User Experience Consideration

  • Minimize intrusive or distracting ads that can disrupt readability.
  • Ensure the page layout is clean and easy to navigate on both desktop and mobile.

Internal and External Linking

  • Use descriptive anchor text to link to relevant internal pages (e.g., related blog posts) and authoritative external sources.
  • Linking improves SEO by helping search engines crawl your site and by offering additional value to users.



Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO focuses on activities outside of your website that help build its authority, trustworthiness and visibility across the web.

  • Unlike on-page SEO, these factors are not directly under your site’s control but significantly influence how search engines perceive your content.

Key Off-Page SEO Elements

  • High-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites.
  • Social signals, such as shares, likes and mentions across social media platforms.
  • Brand reputation and online mentions (including forums, blogs and media).
  • Guest blogging, collaborations and strategic partnerships.

Promotion & Outreach

To drive traffic to your blog or website, it is essential to actively promote your content through multiple channels, especially when you are just starting out. Effective methods include:

  • Sharing posts on social media platforms.
  • Engaging in online communities and relevant forums.
  • Running targeted ads (social or search).
  • Sending email newsletters to your audience.
  • Encouraging word-of-mouth sharing through valuable content.
  • Participating in link-worthy initiatives (e.g., collaborations, interviews).

These efforts improve visibility, attract more readers and can lead to natural backlinks, creating a positive feedback loop that enhances both your SEO and content reach over time.



Content is King

As of 2025, Google holds over 90% of the global search engine market share, meaning the vast majority of your organic traffic will likely come from Google Search.

  • Understanding and aligning with Google's evolving SEO standards is therefore critically important.
  • At the core of these standards is E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness.
  • These principles, along with a user-first approach, are especially vital for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics, which include content that can significantly affect a person’s health, financial stability, safety or the broader well-being of society.
  • Of the E-E-A-T components, Trust is the most important. While your content does not need to demonstrate all four elements at once, each contributes to establishing credibility (i.e. trust) in the eyes of both users and search engines.
Despite the evolution of algorithms, Google's fundamental guidance remains: Create original, helpful and people-first content.
  • Avoid writing solely for search engines by stuffing keywords or chasing trends.
  • Instead, aim to deliver genuine value to your target audience. That includes:
    • Writing with clarity and depth.
    • Using a conversational and natural tone.
    • Demonstrating first-hand experience or expert knowledge.
    • Citing reliable sources and linking to authoritative references.
  • To improve user experience and help readers find what they need quickly:
    • Use clear headings and subheadings.
    • Break text into short paragraphs.
    • Include bullet points or numbered lists.
    • Add supportive images, diagrams or videos.
    • Use internal links to guide readers through related content.
    • Ensure the layout is mobile-friendly and easy to scan.
  • Keeping your content current enhances topical authority and signals to Google that your site is actively maintained.
    • Regularly update outdated information
    • Prune or delete irrelevant or obsolete content
    • Refresh content that is underperforming or no longer aligns with your niche

There is no magic word count that guarantees higher rankings.

  • In the past, there was a misconception that longer content with repetitive but slightly varied keywords would perform better.
  • Google has long debunked this myth. The focus should always be on depth, relevance and usefulness, not arbitrary length.

In summary, if you are building a user-centric website that offers helpful, trustworthy and original content, you are not only improving your SEO, but you are also future-proofing your site against algorithm changes.

  • By serving your readers first, you help Google do what it aims to do best: deliver the right content to the right people with minimal effort.



Personal Reflection

As we invest time and effort into developing a website or blog, it is only natural to regularly check page views and compare performance with others.

  • However, it is important to approach early traffic metrics with realistic expectations.
  • There is no universal benchmark for what constitutes “good” traffic.
  • Page views per day or month vary widely based on factors like
    • Your niche or topic
    • The quality and frequency of your content
    • Your SEO optimization
    • Your audience and engagement
    • Whether you are promoting through social media, email or other channels

If your blog is new and has fewer than 50 posts, expecting to hit 10,000 page views per month early on is often unrealistic.

  • From personal experience, it takes time for articles to gain traction in search engines, sometimes months. In fact, many posts may never reach the top of search results at all.
  • Instead of aiming for large, arbitrary milestones, focus on steady, sustainable growth, such as: Increasing from 1000 to 2000 page views per month over time.
  • This gradual progress is far more reflective of how SEO and audience-building truly work.



Summary

SEO results are not immediate, but it often takes several months for content updates and optimizations to have an impact.

  • Building traffic and loyal readership is a long-term effort.
  • That is why it is essential to remain patient, persistent, and focused on improving your content, site structure and value to users.

As you grow your site, leverage these free and paid tools:

Another emerging challenge in website SEO is the rise of AI-generated answers.

  • Increasingly, users turn to AI chatbots for quick information, and even traditional search engines like Google now display AI-generated summaries directly in search results.
  • This trend contributes to the growth of zero-click searches, where users get their answers without ever visiting a website.
  • Coupled with the sheer volume of competing webpages, it has become significantly more difficult for websites to rank highly and attract actual clicks.
To address this, SEO strategies must go beyond simply optimizing for keywords and search intent.
  • It is essential to understand how users are consuming and interacting with content across the internet.
  • Diversifying content distribution through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok can extend your reach and engagement beyond traditional search, ensuring your brand remains visible and relevant in an evolving digital landscape.
  • Content should be carefully curated to address complex queries with depth, clarity and real-world insights. The goal is not only to provide accurate answers but also to help users see the bigger picture - often beyond their initial understanding. By consistently delivering high-quality and insightful content, your site can become a credible and frequently cited source, potentially earning position zero (featured snippets) in AI-generated answers and search engine results.
  • Ideally, your website should focus on a well-defined niche and demonstrate deep expertise in that area. By consistently showcasing authority, accuracy and reliability, you build long-term user trust and reinforce your brand’s credibility. Over time, this establishes your site as a go-to resource - one that users actively seek out when looking for answers within your domain.


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