Master the Fundamentals of SEO and Drive Free, Consistent Traffic!
Table of Contents
- Introduction to SEO Fundamentals Course
- Module 1: Keyword Research
- Module 2: On-Page SEO
- Module 3: Link Building
- Module 4: Technical SEO
- The Benefits of SEO
- How Search Engines Work
- Crawling and Indexation
- Google's Ranking Algorithm
- Important Ranking Factors
Introduction to SEO Fundamentals Course
Welcome to the SEO fundamentals course by Ahrefs! In this course, I'll be teaching you the basics of SEO with a focus on practical execution. Don't be fooled by the term "beginner," though. Even as an 8-figure business, we have found success by sticking to the fundamental principles of SEO. Our website now receives over a million monthly visits from Google search alone, proving SEO to be one of our most effective strategies for driving traffic.
This course is divided into four modules, which I will release one week at a time to give you the opportunity to apply what you've learned. Before we dive into the modules, let's start with an introduction to SEO basics and how search engines work.
How Search Engines Work 👀
Search engines can be compared to libraries, but instead of storing books, they store copies of websites and web pages. When you enter a query, the search engine looks through its index to find the most relevant results. SEO helps demonstrate to search engines that your page is the best result for a given query.
So, why focus on SEO when there are other marketing channels available? Here are three compelling reasons:
- Free Traffic: Unlike paid ads, organic search traffic is free. Once you rank high in search results, the traffic you receive is consistent.
- Consistent Traffic: Other marketing mediums like social media and email marketing often result in traffic spikes that fade quickly. Search traffic, on the other hand, is consistent as it comes from users actively searching for information.
- Massive Audience Reach: With billions of internet users, search engines present an opportunity to reach a wide audience. SEO allows you to tap into this potential and get your business discovered.
Now, let's take a closer look at how Google works and the two key components: crawling and indexation.
Crawling and Indexation 🕷️
Google uses crawlers, also known as spiders, to gather information from web pages. These crawlers start with a list of known URLs and follow hyperlinks to discover new pages. They collect this data and add it to Google's search index, which is what we search through when using Google.
Google's Ranking Algorithm 📊
Google's ranking algorithm determines the order in which search results appear. The algorithm is updated frequently, with 500 to 600 tweaks made each year. While we don't know all the specifics, Google has provided some guidelines on important ranking factors.
Let's explore a couple of these factors:
- Backlinks: Backlinks are links from one website to another. They serve as a validation of trust and authority. The more backlinks you receive from credible sources, the higher your page's trust and ranking.
- Search Intent: Understanding search intent is crucial. Google's goal is to return the most relevant results for a given query. By analyzing the top-ranking pages for your target query, you can determine the type of content that matches search intent.
- Content Depth: While search engines can't fully understand text, it's your job as a content creator to provide context and depth. Your content should answer a searcher's query comprehensively. Depth doesn't necessarily mean length; it means providing the best and most relevant information to the user.
With these basics in place, we can now move on to the modules that will delve deeper into specific aspects of SEO. Stay tuned for module 1: Keyword Research, which will be released in the next week. Don't forget to subscribe and click the bell icon to be notified of future lessons. If you're watching this later, check the description for links to all the course's modules.
I look forward to guiding you through this SEO fundamentals journey!
