How to Start Basic SEO: Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide
Starting SEO can feel overwhelming for beginners who don’t know where to begin. Between technical audits, keyword research, and content creation, many business owners get paralyzed by the sheer volume of advice available online.
In this guide from Optimize With Sanwal, we break down basic SEO into four manageable steps: conducting a site crawl, optimizing on-page elements, implementing internal linking, and creating a strategic 10-page content plan. These foundations will set you up for long-term SEO success.
Site Crawl – Understanding Your Starting Point
Before optimizing anything, you need to understand your website’s current state. A site crawl reveals technical issues that could prevent Google from properly indexing and ranking your pages.
Using Google Search Console: This free tool from Google shows you exactly how the search engine sees your website. After verifying your site ownership, check the Coverage report for crawl errors, indexing issues, and pages that Google cannot access.
Alternative Tools: For more detailed analysis, tools like Screaming Frog (free for up to 500 URLs) provide comprehensive crawl data including broken links, missing meta tags, duplicate content, and page loading speeds.
What to Look For: Focus on critical issues first – pages returning 404 errors, missing title tags, or duplicate meta descriptions. These problems directly impact your search visibility and should be your immediate priority.
Taking Action: Create a simple spreadsheet listing each issue found during your crawl. Prioritize fixes based on impact: broken internal links and missing title tags should be addressed before minor technical optimizations.
Remember, you don’t need to fix everything immediately. Address the most critical issues first, then gradually work through smaller optimizations over time.
On-Page SEO Basics – Optimizing Your Content
On-page SEO involves optimizing individual pages to help search engines understand your content and match it with relevant search queries.
Page Titles and Meta Descriptions: Every page needs a unique, descriptive title tag that clearly communicates the page’s purpose. Keep titles under 60 characters and include your target keyword naturally. Meta descriptions should be compelling summaries that encourage clicks from search results.
Heading Structure: Use H1 tags for your main page title, H2 tags for major sections, and H3 tags for subsections. This hierarchy helps both readers and search engines understand your content organization.
Keyword Integration: Focus on one primary keyword per page and integrate it naturally into your title, first paragraph, and throughout your content. Avoid keyword stuffing – write for humans first, search engines second.
Content Quality: Each page should thoroughly address its topic and provide genuine value to visitors. Google increasingly rewards comprehensive, helpful content over thin pages designed purely for search engines.
Image Optimization: Add descriptive alt text to all images, both for accessibility and SEO benefits. This helps search engines understand your visual content and can drive traffic through image search results.
The key to effective on-page SEO is balance. Optimize for search engines while maintaining natural, readable content that serves your audience’s needs.
Internal Linking – Connecting Your Content
Internal linking is one of the most underutilized SEO tactics among beginners, yet it’s entirely within your control and provides immediate benefits.
Understanding Link Equity: When you link from one page to another on your website, you’re essentially telling Google that the linked page is important and related to the current topic. This helps distribute authority throughout your site.
Strategic Linking: Link to your most important pages from multiple other pages on your site. Your homepage, key service pages, and cornerstone content should receive the most internal links.
Anchor Text Best Practices: Use descriptive, natural anchor text that gives readers and search engines clear context about the linked page’s content. Avoid generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.”
User Experience Benefits: Good internal linking helps visitors navigate your website and discover related content. This increased engagement sends positive signals to search engines about your site’s value.
Implementation Strategy: As you create new content, naturally link to 2-3 relevant existing pages. Similarly, update older posts to link to newer, related content when appropriate.
Start with your most important pages and gradually build a web of connections that helps both users and search engines understand your site’s structure and expertise.
Content Plan – Your First 10 Pages
A strategic content plan ensures your SEO efforts align with business goals and customer needs rather than random topic ideas.
Keyword Research Foundation: Before writing, understand what your potential customers actually search for. Use Google’s autocomplete feature, analyze competitor content, and review common customer questions to identify valuable topics.
Page Purpose Clarity: Each of your first 10 pages should serve a specific purpose – answering a particular question, explaining a service, or solving a customer problem. Avoid creating pages just for the sake of having more content.
Content Variety: Mix different content types across your 10 pages – service descriptions, how-to guides, frequently asked questions, and educational resources. This variety helps you capture different types of search queries.
Logical Structure: Organize your content plan so pages naturally link to each other. For example, a general service page might link to specific process explanations, pricing guides, and related case studies.
Implementation Timeline: Don’t try to create all 10 pages immediately. Plan to publish 1-2 high-quality pages per week, ensuring each meets your standards before moving to the next.
Focus on creating genuinely helpful content that demonstrates your expertise and builds trust with potential customers. Quality always trumps quantity in sustainable SEO.
Content Analysis Toolkit
Get comprehensive, data-driven analysis of your content’s structure, readability, and SEO optimization. This tool evaluates your primary and secondary keywords, headlines, and article content to provide actionable feedback that goes beyond guesswork. Perfect for ensuring each of your 10 strategic pages meets professional SEO standards before publication.
Related Learning Resources
Full Guidance post: How to Do SEO for Beginners – Comprehensive roadmap for SEO success
Related Posts:
- Can I learn SEO on my own? – Self-learning strategies and resources
- What are the 3 C’s of SEO? – Core principles that drive SEO success
- What is the 80/20 rule for SEO? – Focus on high-impact activities
- Can I do SEO myself for free? – Budget-friendly SEO approaches
- What are SEO keywords? – Understanding the foundation of search optimization
Key Takeaways
SEO success starts with understanding your current position, then systematically improving the elements within your control. The four-step approach outlined here – crawling, optimizing, linking, and planning content – provides a solid foundation for long-term growth.
Consistency beats complexity in the early stages of SEO. Focus on executing these basic steps well before moving to advanced tactics. Small, repeatable actions compound over time into significant competitive advantages.
Start with what you can control – your content, internal links, and on-page optimization. These elements form the foundation that supports all future SEO efforts.
Remember that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. The businesses that succeed are those that maintain consistent effort over months and years, not those seeking quick fixes or overnight results.
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About the Author
Sanwal Zia – SEO & Content Strategist
Sanwal Zia has over 5 years of experience guiding small businesses through beginner-friendly SEO strategies. At Optimize With Sanwal, he breaks down complex SEO concepts into actionable steps that business owners can implement confidently without technical expertise.
His practical approach focuses on sustainable growth through consistent, measurable actions rather than complicated tactics that overwhelm beginners.
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Conclusion
Learning how to start basic SEO doesn’t require advanced technical skills or expensive tools. By following this four-step approach – crawling your site, optimizing on-page elements, implementing strategic internal linking, and creating a focused content plan – you’ll build the foundation necessary for long-term SEO success.
Start with step one today. Conduct a basic site crawl using Google Search Console, identify your most critical issues, and begin addressing them systematically. Each small improvement brings you closer to better search visibility and increased organic traffic.