SEO isn't magic; it's a process. Master these fundamentals from the Google SEO Starter Guide to build a website that both users and search engines love.
How Google Search Works
01 Crawling
Googlebot travels the web by following links to find new pages.
02 Indexing
Google analyzes text, images, and video files on the page and stores the info.
03 Serving
When a user searches, Google returns the most relevant results from its index.
1. Keyword Research
Understand what your users are searching for. Keywords are the bridge between a user's need and your content.
Search Intent Simulator
Click a query to see what the user actually wants.
2. On-Page SEO
Optimize the content and structure of individual pages.
TDK Optimization
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Image Optimization
Search engines can't 'see' images. Use Alt Text to describe them.
URL Structure
domain.com/p=123&cat=9Baddomain.com/running-shoesGoodContent Quality
- Original & Unique
- Solves User Problem
- Easy to Read
3. Technical SEO
Ensure search engines can crawl and index your site without issues.
Site Speed
Target: Load under 2.5s
Mobile Friendly
Responsive Design
XML Sitemap
Submit sitemap.xml
Sitemap vs Robots.txt
"Here are my pages, please index them." (A map for the bot)
"Do NOT go here (e.g., admin page)." (A stop sign for the bot)
4. Off-Page SEO
Build authority through backlinks. Think of links as 'votes' from other websites.
5. Analytics
You can't improve what you don't measure. Use Google Search Console (GSC) to track performance.
Total Clicks
12.5K
Impressions
450K