What is SEO and how does it work? A guide for beginners.

What is SEO? That's an incredibly good question! In short, here's what SEO is and does…

SEO makes sure your website is more visible in search engines such as Google. Without a solid strategy, your website is harder to find, no matter how good your content or product is.

I'm Matthijs, founder of Digital Bean, and I've been helping companies become more visible in search for 7+ years now. First at an agency, and for a while now for myself. Through my experience and testing different strategies, I've picked up a lot of practical knowledge that I'm happy to share with you.

In this guide, you'll learn the basics of SEO in a simple, practical way. Let's get started!

In short

• • Definition of SEO: Optimising websites for better visibility in search engines.

• • Importance of SEO: Essential for attracting organic traffic to a website.

• • SEO's three pillars: Technical optimisation, content creation, and link building.

• • SEO tools: Various tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs, and Mangools are crucial for effective SEO.

• • Local vs. general SEO: Local SEO focuses on local searches, while general SEO targets a broader audience (national or even international).

• • Google's role: Follow Google's SEO guidelines to avoid penalties and rank well in the search results.

• • SEO benefits: Increases visibility and credibility, and can improve conversions.

• • SEO strategy: Involves understanding SEO basics, doing keyword research, creating content, technical SEO, link building, measuring, and analysing results.

• • SEO tips: Focus on quality, stay flexible, stick to the basics, and be patient with results.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It's a broad term for all the improvements you can make to your website to make it more accessible to both people and search engines or AI crawlers.

Think of optimising text, technical changes, and improving your website's structure.

Why is SEO important?

With billions of websites online, standing out is a challenge. SEO helps bring your website forward by making it more visible to your target audience. A good SEO strategy delivers:

• More visitors through organic (free) search results.
• Relevant visitors who are actually looking for your content, product or service.
• Long-lasting results that keep paying off, unlike short-term ads.

Without SEO, there's a good chance your website won't be found, no matter how good your content or product is.

What does SEO consist of, and what do you need for each part?

SEO is a broad field made up of several components. Each of these components plays a role in how well your website performs in search engines and for users.

Let's take a closer look at the three most important parts of SEO: technique, content and link building.

The technical side of your website

The technical side of your website is about how well your site is built. Think of the speed of your website, its mobile usability, whether it's easy to index, and the internal link structure of your site.

To evaluate the technical side of your website, you need a tool such as Google PageSpeed Insights. This tool gives you insight into what can be improved.

On top of that, you also need technical knowledge to fix any issues that come up. This can range from knowledge of server management to understanding HTML and CSS.

That said, with well-known CMS platforms such as WordPress and Lightspeed, the basics are often already reasonably well covered, so you need less of this knowledge yourself.

Content

Content is all the information on your website. This can range from blog posts and articles to images and videos. Good content is relevant to your audience and answers their questions or solves their problems.

To rank in search engines, it's obviously important to base this on data, and to create content for keywords that people actually search for. So it's important to first do keyword research using tools such as KWFinder.

To create effective content, you need the search intent behind the keyword. Ask yourself: “What kind of information or product are people looking for with this keyword?“. That way, you can give a targeted answer to that question and all the information that goes with it.

It also helps to plan with a content calendar and to know your keyword research, so you understand what your audience is actually searching for.

Besides the content itself, it's also important to add internal links from your content to other relevant content on your website.

That way, you help the visitor find other pages on your website too, and it makes it easier for search engines to discover new pages.

Link building

Link building is about getting links from other websites to your site. Links signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and valuable.

Good link building requires a strategy. This can range from creating valuable content that earns links on its own, to actively reaching out to other websites.

It also helps to have tools that give you insight into your backlink profile, such as Ahrefs or SEMrush.

For more in-depth strategies and help, you could consider bringing in a link building specialist. We can obviously help you with that too.

Which part matters most?

In my (Matthijs') 7 years of experience as an online marketer, I've seen how important each of these components is.

Neglecting even one aspect can hold back your SEO performance. But with the right knowledge, tools and strategy, you can make sure your website thrives in search engines.

Of course, every part has its place and its moment in an SEO strategy, so it always takes a bit of thought to work out the best strategy for growing your particular website.

The difference between local SEO and general SEO

If you've ever wondered what local SEO is and how it differs from general SEO, you've come to the right place. In the world of online visibility, understanding these nuances is crucial. And believe me, it can make the difference between being found by your neighbour or by someone thousands of kilometres away.

Local SEO

Local SEO focuses specifically on optimising your online presence for local searches. Think of searches like "near me" or "physio in [city X]".

It's like a good espresso: strong, local and direct. You need a Google Business Profile, consistent name and address details (name, address, phone number) across your website, and positive reviews to rank well locally.

Local SEO is often a bit easier, since there's less competition than at a national or international level.

SEO in general

General SEO, on the other hand, is more like a big pot of filter coffee, meant for a broader audience. It's about optimising your website so it ranks well in search engines nationally or worldwide.

This means quality content, extra strong backlinks and a website that's technically optimised down to the last detail.

Now you might be wondering, what does this mean for me?

If you run a local bakery, for example, you want people nearby to find you, not someone living on the other side of the country. This is where local SEO comes in.

The role of SEO in online marketing

In the context of online marketing, SEO is the backbone of your marketing. It supports and strengthens your efforts across the board. Whether you're working on content marketing, social media, or pay-per-click campaigns, your website is always where you're sending people.

SEO also lays a nice foundation for Google Ads. We explain this further in a guest article we wrote for Ranktracker.com.

At Digital Bean, we also look beyond the search engines and at what the most optimal experience is for visitors. Because if you optimise for visitors, the SEO results follow naturally.

Curious about one of our results? Take a look at how we grew e-styleaudio.nl's clicks by 325.57%.

The benefits of SEO optimisation for websites

Now that you know what SEO is, why it matters and how it works, we also want to show you a few benefits and effects of SEO that we've come across in our client work.

1. Visibility and reach

One of the most tangible benefits of SEO is that you show up more often, and higher, in the search results. When your website is optimised according to the best SEO practices, it becomes more pleasant for users and more accessible for search engines.

This means that when customers type in search terms related to your service or product, your website is more likely to appear on the first page of search results. Because let's be honest, who ever looks beyond the first page of search results?

2. Credibility and trust

I remember launching a website without any knowledge of SEO. The result?

A beautiful, but invisible, website. After applying SEO optimisation, I saw a significant improvement in search rankings.

This isn't just good for visibility, it also builds credibility and trust with your audience. Websites that rank higher are often seen as more trustworthy and credible.

3. Increased conversions

SEO optimisation also means improving the user experience on your website. A faster loading time, mobile-friendly design and well-structured content lead to a better user experience. And a satisfied visitor is more likely to become a customer, right?

The role of Google in SEO

Google is by far the biggest search engine in the world. 90% of all searches go through Google's search engine.

So it's fair to say that Google is the most important source of traffic for most websites, and that this gives them a lot of influence over SEO best practices.

Google constantly updates its algorithm (sometimes as many as 100 small updates a month) to improve the search results. This can sometimes make it hard to get a clear picture of what actually works and what doesn't.

The importance of following Google's SEO guidelines

Following Google's SEO guidelines isn't optional, it's a necessity. Ignoring these guidelines can lead to penalties, such as a lower ranking or even your website disappearing from the search results entirely. These are also known as Google penalties.

So how do you stay on Google's good side? Focus on white-hat SEO techniques such as creating quality content, improving the user experience, and building quality backlinks.

Avoid black-hat techniques such as keyword stuffing, cloaking and using invisible text. We go further into this in this blog! >

Go for a long-term strategy that will keep bringing you traffic for years to come.

Next steps

Are you excited about the possibilities SEO optimisation offers, but not sure where to start? Or have you already taken some steps but aren't seeing results yet?

At Digital Bean, we're here to help. With years of experience and a team of SEO experts, we're equipped to take your website to the next level.

Which tools are useful for doing SEO?

A common question after all the information you've just read is "which SEO tools are useful to use?". So below, we've listed a few tools that we use ourselves or recommend.

Keyword tools (Ahrefs / Mangools)

Let's start with Semrush, Ahrefs and Mangools. These tools are for anyone serious about SEO. They give you insight into which keywords could bring potential traffic to your website, and also offer plenty of other features that give you insight into competition and opportunities.

They don't just give you a list of keywords, but also search volumes, competition levels and other crucial data you need to make informed decisions.

At Digital Bean, we use Ahrefs to do keyword research, track how websites are performing on SEO, and keep an eye on competitors.

I find Mangools a bit more user-friendly than Ahrefs, but Ahrefs does have a number of features that can give some really good insights.

Google Search Console / Bing Webmaster Tools

Next on the list are Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. These free tools give you information about how your website is actually performing in the search results. You can see which pages are doing well, what improvements are needed, and how your site is performing technically.

We use Google Search Console daily to monitor the technical health and performance of our own websites and those of our clients.

What I like about these tools is that it's data straight from the search engines themselves. So you can genuinely analyse how the pages on your website are actually performing.

On-page SEO tool – Surfer AI / Neuronwriter

Then there's Surfer SEO and Neuronwriter. These tools are worth their weight in gold when it comes to on-page SEO (content optimisation). They analyse your content and give recommendations to optimise it for specific keywords.

It's like having a personal SEO advisor guiding you through every aspect of your content.

These tools let you create SEO-optimised content quickly, and with all the AI developments, they're also getting better and better at writing the whole text for you. So they do the heavy lifting for you. Which also brings us to the next tools…

Content creation tools: (AI) ChatGPT / Agility Writer

Last but not least, let's talk about content creation tools such as ChatGPT and Agility Writer. These AI-powered tools can help you create SEO-friendly content in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

I was sceptical at first, but after playing around with ChatGPT for a while, I was sold. It helped us create engaging, informative content that genuinely helps readers, and that also ranked well in the search engines.

It's especially helpful for beating writer's block. That moment where you stare at a screen for half an hour, with no idea where to start.

Agility Writer is really good at helping you build outlines based on the competition, and it can also put together complete texts in a single click. Very handy if you want a first draft of the text.

Of course, with tools like this, it's important to check the text over and make sure everything's accurate. And add your own touch to the text too, naturally.

Technical analysis: Screaming Frog

If you want to know how your website's technical side is doing, there are several tools you can use. Here at Digital Bean, we use Screaming Frog SEO Spider for a general technical SEO scan. A very handy tool for quickly getting insight into your technical setup.

A beginner's guide to getting started with SEO

We've now covered the basics in good detail, and it's time to get started! So if you're planning to do this yourself, here's a short SEO starter guide to give you a flying start…

Step 1: Understand the basics of SEO

• • Learn what SEO is and why it matters for websites. Reading this article is a great first step!

• • How search engines work: Understand how search engines such as Google find, index and rank content.

Step 2: Keyword research

• • Find keywords / topics: Identify keywords and topics that are relevant to your business or niche. Learn how to do this in detail here!

• • Keyword competition: Understand the competition around your chosen keywords. Tools such as KWFinder can help nicely with this, thanks to their competition score.

• • Long-tail keywords: Also consider longer, more specific keyword phrases that are potentially less competitive.

Step 3: Creating good content

• • Content is king: Make sure you have quality, relevant, and unique content on your website. This is what builds your online visibility.

• • Title tags and meta descriptions: Optimise your title tags and meta descriptions with relevant keywords.

• • Internal links: Make sure you have a solid internal link structure that helps users navigate and helps search engines understand your site structure.

Step 4: Technical SEO

• • Website speed: Make sure your website loads quickly to reduce bounce rates and improve the user experience. So, good hosting. Mijn.Host is a great option here! We use it ourselves for all our own websites and our clients' websites too.

• • Mobile-friendliness: Your website needs to work well and be easy to navigate on mobile devices.

• • SSL certificate: Make sure your website is secured with an HTTPS connection. (arrange this with your hosting provider)

• • Sitemap and robots.txt: Create a sitemap and robots.txt file to help search engines crawl and index your site.

Step 5: Link building

• • Quality over quantity: Focus on getting high-quality backlinks rather than a large number of low-quality links from other websites.

• • Guest blogging: Consider guest blogging on relevant websites in your niche.

• • Social media: Use social media to spread your content and attract natural backlinks. There are also ways to automate sharing your blogs to social platforms. If you need help with that, feel free to get in touch.

Step 6: Measure and analyse

• • Google Analytics: Use Google Analytics to analyse traffic and user behaviour on your website.

• • Google Search Console: Monitor your website's performance and potential issues with Google Search Console.

Step 7: Keep learning

SEO is constantly changing. Stay up to date with the latest updates and adjust your strategy where needed. To stay in the loop, you can sign up for our newsletter. In it, we keep you posted on the most important updates and shifts in the market.

Tips for SEO beginners

Now that you have a step-by-step plan to use for the start of your SEO journey, I want to leave you with a few more tips you can use to get off to a flying start.

Tip 1: Focus on a topic, not a keyword

The mistake I (Matthijs) made early on was focusing too much on the keyword itself. But it's important to see every keyword as a topic.

Take the main keyword of this blog, for example: "what is SEO?" If you look at this as a topic, you'll quickly find that the keyword "how does SEO work?" has the same search intent, so it fits perfectly well within a single blog.

So look at the search intent behind the search term people type into the search bar, and address that.

Tip 2: Stay flexible

The next thing I want to give you is that it's important to stay somewhat flexible. Google is constantly working to improve its search results. Whether it always succeeds is another question. But you'll run into fluctuations along your SEO journey.

So stay up to date with the latest news and adjust your strategy where needed. In other words, move along with the search engines.

Tip 3: Stick to the basics at first

There are countless groundbreaking SEO techniques online that all claim to have found the golden egg. Don't let yourself get too distracted, and really stick to the basics at first.

Make sure your website's technical side is solid, do keyword research, and after that it's simply a matter of good content plus strong backlinks. That's the only thing you should focus on in the beginning.

Tip 4: Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console from the start

Setting up Google Analytics and Google Search Console properly from day one means you'll have good data. Imagine you've been working on this for six months, want to check how it's going, and you have no data at all, because you never set it up. Then you have to wait even longer before you can draw any conclusions about whether your strategy is working.

Tip 5: Go for quality, not quantity

It's also usually better to go for quality rather than quantity.

Sure, these days you can throw together a full text at the click of a button. But is that content that actually helps the visitor? Put time into your content and create something you can genuinely be proud of.

Well-optimised SEO copy simply takes time, but think of it this way: in the long run it can really pay off, without you having to do much more with it.

Tip 6: Be patient

A really important tip to keep in mind is that you need to be patient. SEO generally takes a few months before you start seeing the effects of your work.

So focus on quality, publish it, and keep publishing new content in the meantime.

Tip 7: Optimise your content

After about six months, evaluate the content you wrote earlier. Look in Search Console to see what you're ranking for, check what your competitors have been up to in the meantime, and read through your text again to see if there's anything you can add.

Think of extra content, but also internal links to new articles you've written since. That keeps your content nice and fresh and up to date.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it comes down to a good SEO strategy, strong and helpful content, and then reinforcing that content with external links to your website.

I can imagine all this information feels a bit overwhelming the first time you read it. Still, I hope this article has given you a good start.

If you still have questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment below.

Take the next step with Digital Bean

Whether you're struggling with technical SEO, content creation, or link building, we have the expertise and experience to guide you on your digital journey.

Why search alone when you can team up with a team that knows the way? Let's join forces and work together on an SEO strategy that delivers sustainable results and growth for your business.