Here at Manchester SEO we know that every SEO project should start with lay solid foundations for your SEO so that everything else built upon it has the best chance to make the largest impact possible.
In this article we give 6 simple steps that anyone can implement to begin their SEO journey.
1. Add Google Webmasters Tools
The first basic step on your SEO Journey is to add Google Webmasters Tool to your site. Introducing a simple line of code will enable you to have access to essential information about the way in which Google evaluates your website.
You learn numerous details such as the recommended number of page that your site should have, whether the titles and descriptions of your web pages are duplicate or not, the exact search queries for which your website is ranked, as well as any potential malware issues present on your website. Google Webmasters Tool is a valuable tool to use in order to address a great deal of SEO-related aspects.
2. Optimize your page tags and <description></h2><p>A second important SEO rule is to ensure that each page of your website has a unique and distinct title and description. The title is the main part of the link to your website, whereas the description is the smaller black text beneath it, and these two serve as an advert of your website to the visitors.</p><p>This is the reason why they should be as eye catching and compelling as possible.</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E" data-src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=UTF-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271024%27%20height%3D%27683%27%20fill%3D%27rgba%28255%2C255%2C255%2C.2%29%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27100%25%27%20height%3D%27100%25%27%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E" decoding="async" data-lazy="1" width="1024" height="683" data-tf-src="http://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-1024x683.jpg" alt="Content Marketing in Manchester" class="tf_svg_lazy wp-image-225 lazy" data-tf-srcset="https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-300x200.jpg 300w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-768x512.jpg 768w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920.jpg 1920w" data-tf-sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" title="Lay Solid Foundations for your SEO - 6 easy Steps 2"><noscript><img
width=1024 height=683 data-tf-not-load src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E" data-src=http://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-1024x683.jpg alt="Content Marketing in Manchester" class="wp-image-225 lazy" data-srcset="https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-300x200.jpg 300w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-768x512.jpg 768w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/content-marketing-4111003_1920.jpg 1920w" data-sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" title="Lay Solid Foundations for your SEO - 6 easy Steps 2"></noscript></figure><h2>3. Create Great Unique Content</h2><p><wpil-free-highlight id="wpil-free-highlight">The 3rd step is to understand that great content is what really counts in <a href="https://mcr-seo.com/why-maintaining-your-high-google-ranks-makes-seo-a-long-term-commitment/">terms of basic efficient SEO</a>. The text, images and video material featured on your website should be both interesting to the users and relevant to your business. Moreover, these elements have to be unique, therefore copying the content of other websites is not recommended.</wpil-free-highlight></p><p><wpil-free-highlight id="wpil-free-highlight">Quantity has an important role as well and you need to provide enough content (a few images accompanied by a single line of text won’t do) so that <a href="https://mcr-seo.com/does-engagement-on-social-media-help-organic-google-rank/">Google can ‘label’ it appropriately and rank</a> your site for the corresponding search queries.</wpil-free-highlight></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20768'%3E%3C/svg%3E" data-src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=UTF-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271024%27%20height%3D%27768%27%20fill%3D%27rgba%28255%2C255%2C255%2C.2%29%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27100%25%27%20height%3D%27100%25%27%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E" decoding="async" data-lazy="1" width="1024" height="768" data-tf-src="http://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-1024x768.jpg" alt="Don't buy backlinks" class="tf_svg_lazy wp-image-219 lazy" data-tf-srcset="https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-300x225.jpg 300w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-768x576.jpg 768w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920.jpg 1920w" data-tf-sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" title="Lay Solid Foundations for your SEO - 6 easy Steps 3"><noscript><img
width=1024 height=768 data-tf-not-load src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20768'%3E%3C/svg%3E" data-src=http://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-1024x768.jpg alt="Don't buy backlinks" class="wp-image-219 lazy" data-srcset="https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-300x225.jpg 300w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-768x576.jpg 768w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sign-1732791_1920.jpg 1920w" data-sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" title="Lay Solid Foundations for your SEO - 6 easy Steps 3"></noscript></figure><h2>4. Do Not take the easy route and BUY Backlinks</h2><p>A fourth primary SEO rule is to not buy links. In the past, a way to gain a better ranking in the Google search results was to buy links. However, this is no longer the case as Google now penalizes the users that resort to this procedure. Therefore, avoid doing this as there maybe a short term gain but long term it will be detrimental to your search engine position or worse case completely removed altogether.</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20603'%3E%3C/svg%3E" data-src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=UTF-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271024%27%20height%3D%27603%27%20fill%3D%27rgba%28255%2C255%2C255%2C.2%29%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27100%25%27%20height%3D%27100%25%27%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E" decoding="async" data-lazy="1" width="1024" height="603" data-tf-src="http://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-1024x603.jpg" alt="link building in manchester" class="tf_svg_lazy wp-image-222 lazy" data-tf-srcset="https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-1024x603.jpg 1024w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-300x177.jpg 300w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-768x452.jpg 768w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-1536x904.jpg 1536w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920.jpg 1920w" data-tf-sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" title="Lay Solid Foundations for your SEO - 6 easy Steps 4"><noscript><img
width=1024 height=603 data-tf-not-load src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20603'%3E%3C/svg%3E" data-src=http://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-1024x603.jpg alt="link building in manchester" class="wp-image-222 lazy" data-srcset="https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-1024x603.jpg 1024w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-300x177.jpg 300w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-768x452.jpg 768w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920-1536x904.jpg 1536w, https://mcr-seo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/link-building-4111001_1920.jpg 1920w" data-sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" title="Lay Solid Foundations for your SEO - 6 easy Steps 4"></noscript></figure><h2>5. Relate your Business to a location</h2><p><wpil-free-highlight id="wpil-free-highlight">The 5th basic <a href="https://mcr-seo.com/sample-step-by-step-seo-report-example/">step to achieving your basic SEO</a> foundation for your website is to narrow your keywords to a local ‘area’.</wpil-free-highlight></p><p>For example, if you run a takeaway in the UK, you are advised to focus on keywords that are local to the location in and around the location of the takeaway.</p><p>Therefore, the area where your business is situated and the type of restaurant you run represent two main sources of keywords.</p><p>This way, you will be competing with fewer similar websites and your content will be more relevant to the visitors.</p><blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>Check out our article on location SEO</p><p><a href="https://mcr-seo.com/beginners-guide-to-location-based-seo/" class="rank-math-link">Beginners Guide to Location based SEO</a></p></blockquote><h2>6. Keep Constant Track of SEO developments</h2><p>The 6th and final step on your SEO journey is to regularly keep an eye on the latest SEO developments.</p><p>SEO is always evolving to adjust to changes in both Google’s algorithm and searchers behaviours, therefore it is very important to keep up to date with the latest information out there.</p><p>You do this by referring to valuable related sites, such as <a href="https://moz.com/" class="rank-math-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moz.com</a>, Search Engine Journal (<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?v=lu-UPC8aDE0&event=video_description&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.searchenginejournal.com%2F&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0lRY3pha0hqb0pNRGhsUFU0T0E2VGVlV3BPUXxBQ3Jtc0ttMktYUzhpTHkxc0MwcFJJa1RxbXFwZTQ2aW1DUEtITWRselJrMDFQZFBGQWVlLUowS0FKdXE4bFZHdEtZTThWWmg0dlAyZUNrS2R5SkEyY3dPR1JMTG9lZE0tbEw3SkR2SERuVkZBVk5jTWpJNU9RNA%3D%3D" target="_blank">http://www.searchenginejournal.com/</a>), or Search Engine Land (<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?v=lu-UPC8aDE0&event=video_description&q=http%3A%2F%2Fsearchengineland.com%2F&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWw3SWRCYnZSc1lkRFJHQzZ0NUJHbVQtNzBrUXxBQ3Jtc0trR3B3dGVDUVBfLUVMMjlpdmk4Uy01U09tMjFBUHc2ZWtVV24xLTUtU0lkR2UyR2hpQVRNRlZ4ZC1LcjJiYUlOM1NlZWVoOEMwUjVBR3pnbnBrUVNlTjV1aDJMODJmZl80RDBHdVZQcUNnX3pGUTlMZw%3D%3D" target="_blank">http://searchengineland.com/</a> ).</p>
