In this new article we are returning to a favorite subject, SEO, and asking “Can you do SEO yourself in 2021?”
Let’s get started
Ok, so I am going to lay it on the line here and show you how you can do SEO yourself in 2020.
Now please bear in mind all of this is my opinion on SEO but note that is from someone who is getting results with search engine optimization and to prove this you can run a few Google searches to see that yes Infobunny is getting results against some very, very strong authoritative competition.
I will drop in a few keywords for you to search as we go along and you can judge yourself as to how well Infobunny is placed.
So can you learn SEO? YES
Can you do SEO yourself in 2021? YES
A while back I wrote my guide to SEO for 2021. So let’s take a look at how it is doing in search. The first keywords to Google are “guide to SEO for 2020” or “SEO guide 2021”. You will see I have a page 1 result at around number 5.
I’m well placed but behind SEO Gods like Brian Dean at Backlinko and Moz and a few more.
These guys are nigh on impossible to pass. I’m in about the best position I can be in at this time so pleased I am with that.
The question is how can you replicate results like mine and do SEO yourself and get results in 2020?
How do you do SEO yourself for a website in 2021? How to learn SEO
We are told that you need to be an SEO Expert or that you need to employ an SEO Expert. to get results in the SERPS but I’m not convinced you do.
Yes if you know your stuff then yeah you do ok but you certainly don’t need to be an expert and you don’t need to employ anyone to do your SEO for you.
Saying that if you are a business or have a budget then it does make sense to outsource your search engine optimization to someone.
There are a few pros and cons to this
Pros
You’re free to run your business
You can concentrate on creating great content
Social media is key, you have more time to be social
Time to drive traffic
Cons
You won’t know what your SEO expert has done to get you results
SEO is changing all the time so you’re going to be riding a wave so once you start paying your need to keep paying
So it looks like there are more positives to employing an SEO expert than not Here is the thing.
SEO can be covered with a common-sense approach. And you can massively improve my SEO for free.
If you want better SERPS then you have to 1/ learn basic SEO 2/ write long content 3/ be consistent - Does this sound hard? No!, you can do all of this yourself!..Click To TweetLet me ask you a question.
What is Google looking to do when you make a search?
It is looking to give you the most relevant up-to-date information it can from your search that concisely answers your search request.
And that is it.
When we search we have an idea of what we should be adding as search terms but we often have to drill down to narrow the search to find what we are looking for.
Google helps us do this when we search. We are shown related searches and related search questions.
They show you what others are searching for, the popular search queries because they know there is a possibility that we are also looking for the same content.
You can treat these related searches and questions as keywords to optimize for. So straight off the bat, a common-sense approach to SEO would be that we use these phrases as our keyword research.
We know they are searched.
We know they are popular.
The only thing we don’t know is the search volumes.
But do you need to stress over this and spend hour upon hour looking at them?
Well, you can pay someone to dissect and find you the best phrases that have great search volumes or you can just trust what Google shows you and use the information, and just spend your time creating content because that is what is important.
How many people searching, does it really matter?
Because the more searching, the more competition there will be for the terms.
You don’t need volumes to decide if you have found a good keyword phrase.
With a common-sense approach, you just look at the number of results for the terms and look at the competition (who is ranking) for the terms.
SEO is a business. We are told it is harder than it is.
We are told we need to do keyword research that we need to check volumes etc.
It is made more difficult than it is to push us towards paying for someone to SEO our site.
With a common-sense approach to SEO, you can do your own keyword research and do SEO yourself.
SEO shouldn’t impact the time that it takes to create good content.
It should be part of the content creation process.
How can I learn search engine optimization?
All you have to do is to do some research. Your find endless articles that will show you how to do SEO yourself.
Most of them will be overly complicated and you end up believing you can’t learn SEO as it’s way too complicated and far too time-consuming.
That’s just not true.
You may never become an SEO expert but you can certainly learn to improve your SEO for FREE.
So, “how can you learn search engine optimization?”
Just do some reading and find someone who is writing something that you understand is getting results and just copy what they do. You can even reach out to them.
Here are a few things that you need to learn to be able to do SEO yourself
You will need to learn the answers to a few questions like
How do I make my website SEO-friendly?
Google needs to know what your site is about. Making your site SEO-friendly is helping them out to understand your site and content.
Niche sites do well with SEO because they are a more narrow subject.
If you write about many very different subjects then you’re going to struggle to convince Google what your site is about. Everything has to be related.
If you are using WordPress self-hosted for your site then use a modern mobile responsive theme.
More people now search via mobile than desktop or laptop.
It just makes common sense for your site to look good in all formats.
How do I speed up my site?
Visitors and Google, like fast sites and speed matters when you optimize for mobile SEO.
Mobile site versions by nature tend to be slower as they serve up desktop versions.
You can optimize your mobile site to be fast on Google but if you struggle with understanding SEO then don’t even try to optimize your mobile site.
A better option would be to move your site over to AMP which is super fast. All you have to do is download a plugin and follow the instructions to set it up.
I use AMP for Wp for Infobunny and recommend this as a good option to seriously speed up your mobile site, it’s also free.
Everything else you need to do to make your website SEO friendly is covered in my SEO Guide. I cover it in great depth in my guide and hopefully keep it easy to understand.
How to do SEO yourself – My SEO Checklist
1/ Read my SEO Guide 2021
My SEO guide will break search engine optimization down for you.
2/ Set up your on-page SEO (All covered in detail in my guide) but here is the short version,
On-page SEO is just really to do with how you write your content and structure it.
Think of your post or article as a newspaper page. How does a newspaper grab your attention?
They add headlines.
Blogging is no different. Use headings and sub-headings so it is clear what your content is about.
Your heading and sub-headings need to carry your keyword researched terms.
You already know the easy way to do keyword research if you have read this far already in this article but here is my how I do keyword research guide that takes you into a bit more detail.
Do a quick Google search for never do keyword research 🙂
3/ Write killer titles for your articles.
Following on from your keyword research, you know what people are searching so refer to and ask questions in your titles.
I have covered how to create great titles in my How to write killer blog titles article
4/ Create long articles and posts
You need to be writing 1500 to 2000 words plus. The longer your posts the better.
5/ Post regularly and consistently
The whole point of this article is to help you to approach SEO with a very common-sense attitude.
None of this works if you are content-lite. Just look at all the sites that are ranking and you will find they all have one thing in common.
They all post consistently and have a big body of published content behind them.
For Google to trust you there are some key things you need to be doing.
The biggest thing to do is be consistent.
But when you are creating content you have to make a judgment on your competition.
When you create content go for popular search terms that have less competition.
If your seeing authority sites then get more specific with your terms and rank for these.
Every time you can rank for longer more specific keyword terms, well that’s a tick in your favour.
It will bring you a little traffic. It is a slow process, it can take you years to get traction.
But the more you post the quicker it happens.
6/ Know your cornerstone content (best content)
So, for example, my SEO Guide is one of my cornerstone posts. My Guide to starting a blog is another.
I consider these to be my best posts so I create related articles and link those posts to my cornerstone posts to let Google know these are great posts to rank. Internal linking is great for site navigation and directing traffic.
7/ Qualify what you are writing about
Why should we believe what you say is true? Qualify what you say by linking out to authorities and reputable sources.
But that is helping the competition? True, but think about it.
It is Google’s job to find the most relevant information to a user’s search.
If you help visitors find relevant information by linking to it you are also helping the user.
Google likes this and when Google likes you-you earn a little grace with Google. It’s all about building up some trust with Google. (Try Googling Trustrank 😉 )
A good strategy would be to link to those who are getting results but not those who are dominating results.
Here is why.
Someone who is doing well will notice you have linked to them, especially if you then also reach out to them. It’s all about building relationships.
These good results you link to may turn out to be great results and you have a relationship with those bloggers.
Linking out to just big authorities is not going to get you recognized.
All the big boys do is a link to fellow big boys.
How to do SEO yourself – Takeaways
SEO is often over-complicated when it doesn’t have to be.
It’s an industry that tells the story that you need some kind of special skill to succeed.
All you need is common sense.
You can read this article and see exactly how I approach SEO.
This is the easy way to do SEO yourself.
You can spend an age on keyword research, cause you got to get it right, right?
But what you really need to know is already in front of you when you search.
Google tells us the popular searches so it is common sense that these are good keyword phrases to optimize for.
With regards to the competition, you can see the competition as well.
If you see endless results for the terms then you’re looking at impossible keywords.
If all you see is authority sites then likewise. Just dig deeper into the popular searches that you see and you will find competition drops off.
These are the phrases to optimize for.
Keep doing this consistently. Gain small results and small wins with Google until Google says “ok I’m going to give you a shot, you are doing the right things so let’s move you up the SERPS and send you some traffic” You can’t run before you walk.
But as soon as you can walk things start to happen.
I don’t consider that there are any shortcuts in this whole process.
If you find a sneaky way to jump ahead of the competition then it is not long before it is shut down and depending on what you did to get ahead you may get penalized.
It’s not worth it. Just be consistent and do it right from day one.
That’s all for now.
If you like my common sense approach to SEO then let me know in the comments below.
Make sure you subscribe to the comments so you know when I reply.
If you would like to get in touch then just look me up on my social channels or send me a message via my Contact Form linked in the menu above.
Regards Dexter
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Donna Merrill
SEO always seems to baffle me lol. I have Yoast plugin on my blog and when the green lights up I’m good to go. However, I do need to get better at my titles. I do research and its working OK but I’m always trying to perfect it.
-Donna
Dexter Roona
I did a whole post on Titles, it is linked as CommentLuv. Yes, Yoast is great but they do go a bit mad on the optimization but they have to because if they say “well you don’t really need to do this bit” then it is one less feature and like I said SEO has been made into a huge money spinner.
Let me give you an example, Yoast, I love Yoast it’s what I use. However, there is a premium feature that allows you to optimize for more than one keyword phrase. Now to turn the keyword phrase SEO button green you have to use the phrase around I think I worked it out 5 or 6 times per 1000 words.
We know Google likes long posts the thing is the longer the posts gets the harder it is to keep optimized for 1 phrase let alone a second.
If you add a second then you have to be a master writer to get everything in and for it still to be readable for a visitor. It’s even trickier with longtail keywords. Try getting a 4-word phrase into a 2000 word post.
You would think it is easier cause you have more words to work with, but you’re looking to use it 10x plus.
So a lot of optimizing is optimizing for no real reason other than to turn buttons green
Dexter Roona recently posted…How to write Killer Blog Titles that convert into views
Lisa P Sicard
Hi Dexter, great tips! I love using the Yoast SEO plugin to help guide me along as I wrote posts. I like your point about qualify what you write about, that’s an important one. As well as internal linking which many still don’t do often.
I struggle with titles even when I use the co-schedule headline analyzer. It’s helped some but I still need to get more creative with them.
Thanks for the tips here Dexter and have a wonderful day!
Dexter Roona
Related searches give you big clues to what a title should be.
Dexter Roona recently posted…How to cross-promote using Instagram
Lisa P Sicard
Thank you Dexter, great tip! I hope you have a great new week ahead.
Sharon T McLaughlin
Thanks so much for this information, you have included some great tips. I have to work on killer titles. I will keep this in my mind when I am writing my posts.
Dexter Roona
Sounds like you need to read my article in my CommentLuv comment 😉
Dexter Roona recently posted…How to write Killer Blog Titles that convert into views
Kishan Kumar
Great Blog!
I am a learner, your blog is very helpful for me
Thanks so much for this information
Dexter Roona
Great to hear. Hopefully everyone can read this and get the info that will make their SEO efforts work for them.
Jasmine
Great post!
Thanks for sharing a valuable information. Hope to read more from your site!
Jasmine recently posted…These are Facebook 2018 Biggest Changes & What You Need to Know
Dexter Roona
Your welcome. Will pay your site a visit now 😉
Dexter Roona recently posted…How to Start A Blogging Business for Money
James N. Landry
Thanks for sharing this great topic. The world is now online. Seo is a very important topic to learn. I was searching for some content for SEO learning. Your information has great tips. Keep up such an excellent work!
Dexter Roona
I agree, I am glad you found the information useful.
udit khanna
Hi Dexter, SEO is a very important topic to learn. The world is now online.
Professor.Nahabu
Thanks so much for this information, you have included some great tips. I have to work on killer titles. I will keep this in my mind when I am writing my posts.
Quibus
I am a digital marketing trainer and I am feeling good to say that your blog is amazing I have shared this link with my students in today’s class on SEO and content marketing.
Keep Writing such amazing articles!!
Cheers!
Dexter Roona
Great, feel free to link to it as a resource in your course.
stevan
Thanks so much for this information, you have included some great tips.boss
Dexter Roona
Hope to see you high in the rankings very soon.
SEO Expert
Hi
This is very useful information I like the way you described all aspects.
Thanks
DigiRev
This is Great writing skills Roona, very nice information.
Thank you so much for sharing!
jesssica morgan
Thanks for sharing this great article. You have highlighted some important points which most of the people do not follow or tend to ignore.
Dexter Roona
Thanks, Jessica.
Vernon SEO page
Very Interesting article about SEO of a website by yourself. I will use the suggestions discussing here for optimizing my site. This post will be very helpful for the beginner SEO worker who is new in this field because these mistakes are more often made by the beginners.
smallseoguide
Good Post its Very help full for me. i Read your Blog every day.Please write more about this topics.
Arash Ghaemi
Thanks for posting!
This is a great intro article for getting started in SEO. The most important thing to do in SEO is to take action and learn along the way.
Push yourself to read the best SEO blogs every single day and learn what others are doing that’s actually working.
Smoothstack
This is an interesting article for people who want to learn SEO without any formal education. Most of the topics in this article are vital in learning SEO in 2019. It is a nice source of information for SEO newbie. Don’t forget that content is the king. Thank you for sharing it.
Temitope
Hi Dexter, nice tips am new to the Seo operation but i wanted to know if there is a site I have to register my seo or how do I do the necessary applications to get me on track
Dexter Roona
Make sure you have a Google Analytics and a Google Search Console account.
Tecida
Hey,
I am a SEO expert, I really appreciate your time and effort you have put in this blog post. I came to know about a lot of new things from this blog post. I will surely use these tactics in my next SEO campaign. Thank you, I will be expecting more blog posts like these in the future.
Katie
Wow! These tips are almost completed. Thank for this one. I do it myself SEO without risking anything. Now, I would say, your blog is worth reading.
M. Hridoy
Hi Dexter ,
This is a worthy article to read. Thanks for sharing this informative article. I thinks on page optimization is the backbone for any website to rank on SERP’s.
Sam patel
Nice blog post! This is a great article for beginners. Thanks for sharing this informative article. You are a great author. Keep share more! If anyone wants to grow their business online please contact Andmuchmore. Andmuchmore is a best digital marketing and graphic design agency.
Rahul
Nice blog post! This is a great article for beginners. Thanks for sharing this informative article. You are a great author. Keep share more! If anyone wants to grow their business online please contact Andmuchmore.
Tecida
Great Blog Spot Thanks for Sharing Such a Nice Article i Really Appreciate Your Hard Work & time you have put in 🙂 Always your reader
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Mansoor Bhanpurawala
Thanks for posting!
Improve your SEO Ranking is a great intro article for newbies in SEO. The most important thing to do in SEO is to take action and learn along the way.
Push yourself to read the best SEO blogs every single day and learn what others are doing that’s working.
Mansoor Bhanpurawala recently posted…77 Ways To Improve Your SEO Ranking of Your Blog
Emma Feeney
Hi Dexter,
Thanks for sharing this amazing stuff with us. I am new in seo and your article is very helpful for me.
10seos
Thank you so much I never found the indeed and favorable article like this. Keep posted these beneficial articles. Thanks. Keep it up
Simba instiute
Nice blog post! This is a great article for beginners. Thanks for sharing this informative article. You are a great author. Keep share more! If anyone wants to grow their business online please contact Andmuchmore.
tanisha
Thanks Dexter , this article is insightful.
I am able to get certain knowledge around the SEO. Also what do you think about the tips and tricks to follow digital marketing in 2020? I am new to digital marketing & SEO and currently looking for digital marketing blogs and resources. What tips do you have for a beginner?
vasundhara coaching
Great information. Thanks, Dexter, for this article. Nice blog post! great article for beginners.
Newsbaki
Thank you Dexter for this detail information about how to do seo yourself.
In the early stage of my website. I used to pay $$ to my content writer who wrote seo optimized article at my blog.
But later i realise that it will be so costly to pay for seo every month for years. So i started to learn seo myself.
Now i do seo for my blog myself and also save money and feel satisfy for my efforts.
Flor Dimassi
Your website is an amazing resource for bloggers, work at home moms, and other Internet entrepreneurs. You offer a lot of really helpful information. Thanks!
Akshay Sharma
This is really great article. I am a professional digital marketer and today I shared it with my students to learn more about how they can do SEO their own.
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Abhay Gautam
Hi Dexter,
Valuable Post! Thank you so much for sharing this informative post on how to do SEO yourself. And I am pretty impressed that you have covered almost all points in such a crisp manner.
All the above points are totally valuable & correct but one thing is most ignored by newbie blogger is regularly posting & consistency. I have also neglected this in my early days but I have learned the real importance of it.
I request all the newbie bloggers or who are just starting their SEO journey to please pay attention to the consistency. It will help you.
Keep up the Good Work… Keep Sharing…
Cheers,
Abhay
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Social Geometry
Hey. I always loved SEO, I truly appreciate your time and research Spent on the blog. A lot of new things from this blog. Please Keep blogging on topics like this. I would like to use these strategies.
Prince
Hey, Thank you so for this blog. I love to do SEO and this blog helps me and it also guides me on the correct way to do SEO to and to rank my website.
Anu Thakur
Many thanks for your valuable content. You are an inspiration with your hard work. It will help peoples to increase site domain authority and rank website on SERP.
Keep up the awesome work and know that you’re appreciated!
Thanks
Anu Thakur
IIHT SURAT
For SEO Firstly You can overall website analysis and step by sep all pages on-page optimization and off-page optimization
Abhay
Great Post!
This very helpful for me.
I have lots of learning form this blog.
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Jacob Barlee
The easiest way to keep track of your efforts when you’re still getting the SEO fundamentals under your belt is to take it step-by-step. You might even want to write a checklist so you know you’re not missing anything.