Are you looking for a simple SEO process that will get you better search rankings?

Search Engine Optimization is vital in this day and age on the internet. The World Wide Web is too overcrowded and oversaturated not to use SEO with your content. Not practicing SEO will likely keep you behind everyone else.

I use a simple SEO process that has made most of the content reach page one on Google. This has increased followers, sales, and backlinks to help my overall search engine ranking.

And my simple SEO process works so well that I want to show you how to do it in the minutes it will take you to read the article below.

 

Simple SEO Process Step 1: Keyword Research

Keyword research is the first step of a simple SEO process. Without keyword research, you will not have a good search engine optimization strategy in place.

You have to find what keywords your content should rank for. You don’t want to use just any keywords, either. Some keywords are too competitive, and others are not worth using because no one is searching for them. Research sounds long and frustrating, but there are tons of tools to make it quicker than you think it is.

I usually finish my keyword research in less than an hour for each article. It usually takes me about ten to twenty minutes, to be honest. Once you get the research strategy down, it doesn’t take long at all.

Let’s jump into how you can make your simple SEO process through effective keyword research!

 

Tools that I use

I use three tools when I do keyword research, and that’s all I ever need.

The important thing about keyword research is understanding how competitive keywords are and if they’re being searched for.

The tools I use are Uber Suggest (paid), Keywords Everywhere (paid), and Google Search (free). Uber Suggest allows me to research keywords deeper than free services. Keywords Everywhere give me even more data on keywords as I search for them on Google. Google Search gives me recommendations as I type, and “people also search for” topics on results pages. Those two features indicate what keywords people are looking for the most.

Whether you use paid or free tools, the critical thing is to use a tool that helps you look further into a keyword you wish to target.

 

Long-tail vs. short-tail keywords

There is a big difference between long-tail keywords and short-tail keywords. These differences can make or break your simple SEO process.

Long-tail keywords are longer phrases that can be targeted. An example would be “best New York City coffee.” A short-tail keyword is a shorter phrase that is targeted. An example would be “Best Coffee.” Longer key phrases typically are easier to rank for. This is because an oversaturated market uses short-tail keywords.

When researching keywords for my simple SEO process, I focus on popular short-tail keywords and then add terms to them to make them longer and easier to rank for. This has helped me make my content related but not use overly competitive keywords or phrases.

If there is a shorter keyword you want to rank for, try to add some words to it to make it longer but still search-friendly and focus on it as your target phrase.

 

Centering around the best content

Content is your biggest asset to having an effective search engine optimization strategy.

You must have an effective content creation process if you want a simple SEO process. The content you create matters more than anything else. It should be your very best each time you create it. It should be resourceful and full of quality. And it should be written for humans before robots and algorithms.

I always see what content other people have created. Then I study it to find what essential needs and topics they did not include in it. I then wrote a better article with more details and included what they did not have. That is how I compete with other content on the internet.

Make sure every piece of content you create is better than the last. You should only make better content each time.

 

Simple SEO Process Step 2: Keyword Use

Keyword usage in SEO is usually where people need to improve. It is one of the easiest ways to make or break content ranking on search engines.

The good news is that keyword usage doesn’t have to be that difficult. The most important lesson is that you create content for humans before search engine robots.

I always put people first. People are who my followers are. People are the ones buying my products. Search engine bots are doing none of that. So, why would I put them first?

Always create for people first, no matter what keyword placement strategy you use.

 

Where to put the keywords

Placing keywords doesn’t have to be as confusing and hectic as many people make it out to be.

What’s important is that you don’t stuff your content with keywords. That means mentioning it too many times. Instead of wondering how often you should mention the keyword, focus on creating the best content possible as your starting point. Add keywords later.

I put my keywords in the main title towards the start as long as it makes sense. I put them in every H2 header and skip the keywords in lower headers. I mention the keyword once or twice in the first paragraph and then once every two to three paragraphs. I make sure the ALT tags for my first image have the keywords in them. That’s my simple SEO process for adding keywords to my content.

Write your content and then add your keywords afterward until you get a grove to add them as you create the content.

 

How to blend in keywords

If it is obvious that you’re targeting a keyword or phrase in your content, it could hurt your SEO and your overall reputation.

Blending keywords is extremely important for search engine ranking. The keywords used need to make sense in the statements and sentences they are placed into. If they look out of place, everyone else will notice it, and so will search engines.

I read each sentence out loud, and I’ve added my keyword too. This helps me audit the sentence to see if the keyword blends in and makes sense to use.

Before you publish your content, have someone else read it and try to spot what keyword you’re targeting without telling them your placement strategy. That can help you blend things in better to improve your content in search and for human eyes.

 

Use Yoast to help rate keyword use

Sometimes you don’t know if you’re using the correct number of keywords, which can cause problems.

But it doesn’t have to! There is a free WordPress plugin called Yoast SEO. It will score your keyword placement strategy and tell you what you need to do to improve it. Not everything will have green smiley faces, but most should have them.

I try to have everything green but maybe two or three things. If Yoast tells me I’ve used the keyword too much, I will change it. What’s your most significant objective? – don’t stuff your keyword into your content.

Even if you don’t use WordPress to publish your articles, I suggest using it just for Yoast SEO, if not anything else.

 

Simple SEO Process Step 3: Important Factors

To simplify a simple SEO process, you need to abide by other search engine guidelines and recommendations that make it easier to rank.

Luckily for us, Google constantly outlines these critical issues. Google Search is what you are trying to rank for in the end. All the other search engines don’t matter that much.

I focus on new blog posts that Google is putting out on their search blog so that I know what I should be doing to ensure my articles rank well.

So, let’s jump in and look at other things you should do to help with your process.

 

Friendly URL and headings

Your headings and web address need to be optimized for search engines before posting your content.

Each heading on your website should be eye-catching and have a hook. The heading is what will usually keep people reading or viewing your content. The website address (URL) should be friendly and easier to remember.

Whatever keyword I am targeting with any given content is what the entirety of my URL will be. For example, if I were writing an article about the “Best Cheesecake in Las Vegas,” I would make my friendly-URL end with “best-cheesecake-in-las-vegas” because it is easier to remember and may help slightly with SEO.

Just ensure you’re keeping your headings and URLs as short as possible without lacking enough detail in them.

 

Fast website and mobile

Your website needs to be fast. Your website needs to be mobile-friendly. If no to either of these, failure is likely.

Google has already said that fast websites will improve search engine rank positioning. No one wants to go to a slow website where images don’t load fast enough. And the majority of your visitors are using their mobile devices, so if you don’t optimize for them first, you’re probably going to lose them, which will be the majority of your visitors.

I make sure to create content for mobile users first. I constantly check my articles and websites from my smartphone to ensure they look their best. I have added my website to Cloudflare to speed it up and have a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to host my images to make load time quicker. I continue to make tweaks as much as possible to speed up my website.

When creating content for your article, use smaller images in the space they take up, which will significantly increase your website load time and mobile optimization.

 

Good external and internal links

When it comes to SEO, the links that you put into your content matter.

Google and other search engines want to see links that lead to trusted content directly related to the topic you’re posting about. They also want to see anchor text (the link’s description text) to explain precisely what people will be clicking on.

I use at least one to two external links to other trusted and older articles that still have merit about the topic I am writing about. I then ensure that I include three or four internal links to other content I have created that relates to the topic I am writing about. I do this for every blog I write.

Your simple SEO process can be made by turning things like good link strategies into habits. You need to do it the same way a few times, and it’ll start becoming more habitual for you.

 

Simple SEO Process Step 4: Link Building

Link building is an essential component of search engine optimization that many people need to remember.

Link building is the act of generating links to your content from other respectable sources. Link building is a core milestone of successful search engine optimization. The more good links you have for your content, the better you will rank on search engines.

I try to focus on social media for most of my link-building because it’s easier to do, but you still have to do some work.

Start building links now so that later on down the road, it isn’t such a daunting task.

 

Using social media for link building

Social media is easy to build links for your content, but it isn’t just posting a link and waiting for the magic to happen.

To succeed on social media for link building, you must build a community of people who are fans of your brand, business, blog, or topic. Without a community of related people, no one will see your content or share it.

I focus community-development efforts on my brand’s page and community groups. I spend a lot of time being active and engaging on my page and social groups. I’ve learned over the years that I have to put in the work on social media for it to be a successful link development strategy.

Don’t go overboard and burn yourself out by choosing to build a community on too many social media platforms. Just start with one or two at first and go from there. But eventually, the more platforms you have a community on, the more link-building you can achieve.

 

Create sharable content

You can create a simple SEO process for link building by creating the kind of content that people want to share with others.

You have to create the best possible content that you can make. It needs to help someone directly with a significant challenge. If the solution is complex, make it easier to understand. It takes work on your end, but once you accomplish it, people will go out of their way to see your content. Be the helper of your industry to create the best possible content you can offer.

I also make sure that my content is sharable in terms of how easy it is to share the content. I make certain social sharing functions are in a place where people can easily hit share. I make it easier for people to add a link to the article to their website or blog. I also tell people, especially on social media, that they may share my content with anyone.

So, start focusing on exceptionally sharable content. This alone will give you more backlinks than you’ll ever expect. Problem-solvers win!

 

Guest blogging for backlinks

Guest blogging was one of the best ways to build backlinks. And the good news is that it still is a better way to continue building links, but there is a catch.

Guest blogging has declined over the years due to spamming and poor guest content. Don’t create content to advertise your website or gain a backlink. People are picky about guest content – I sure am! Write content on another person’s website as if their website is your own. Write the best content possible because it is your name and reputation on the line, after all.

I sell more guest blog posts than I write for free. But selling these posts ensures that I create the best possible content I can make. Because I want to make sure I can earn money for the article, right? Anything I publish online, I want it to look the best.

Don’t start guest blogging until you know for sure that your guest content is going to be as good as your content.

 

And that’s how you create a simple SEO process for your content and website. Search engine optimization is that simple. I use this process every time I create content, and it works too! Use the advice above, and you’ll rank higher on search engines quickly!

About the Author

Shawn Gossman has created content, blogged, ran online communities, and shared a passion for digital marketing for over twenty years. Shawn believes the best way to help content creators, businesses, brands, and marketers is to give away more than you sell. The same advice is recommended for the readers who follow this blog. Shawn also offers various services for extra help in content creation and blogging.