SEO Fundamentals Course by Ahrefs

Introduction

• Instructor: Sam Oh
• Course Focus: Fundamentals of SEO with practical execution
• Structure: 4 modules + Introduction (SEO 101)
• Business relevance: SEO as a fundamental strategy, providing significant traffic (over a million visits monthly).

SEO Basics

What is SEO?

• Definition: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing content to be discovered through a search engine's organic search results.

How Search Engines Work

• Analogy: Search engines are like libraries storing copies of websites and web pages.
• Process: Crawling → Indexation → Returning relevant results.

Importance of SEO

1. Free Traffic: Unlike paying for ads, organic search traffic is free.
2. Consistency: Organic traffic remains constant over time compared to social media and email marketing.
3. Audience Reach: Opportunity to reach a global audience (4.39 billion internet users with nearly 4 billion being Google users).

How Google Works

1. Crawling and Indexation: Google uses crawlers to gather information and create a search index.
2. Ranking Algorithm: Employs algorithms to return the most relevant search results based on various ranking signals.

Key SEO Factors

1. Backlinks: Links from one website to another acting as votes of confidence.
2. Search Intent: Understanding the reason behind a searcher's query and matching it.
3. Content Depth: Providing thorough answers to users' queries.

Module 1: Keyword Research

Lesson 1: What Are Keywords?

• Definition: Words and phrases that people type into search engines to find information.
• Importance: Setting the foundation for SEO; essential for targeting the right audience.

Choosing Keywords

1. Search Demand: Determined by search volume metrics. Use tools like Ahrefs Keywords Explorer.
2. Traffic Potential: Looking at the total search traffic potential, not just search volume.
3. Business Potential: Scoring keywords by relevance and potential to impact business (1-3 scale).
4. Matching Search Intent: Ensuring your content matches the intent behind search queries.
5. Ranking Feasibility: Assessing the difficulty of ranking for chosen keywords using various metrics.

Tools and Techniques

• Modifiers: Adding terms like “best”, “top”, “review”, etc., to broaden keyword discovery.
• Competitor Analysis: Reviewing competitors’ top pages to find keyword opportunities.

Module 2: On-Page SEO

What is On-Page SEO?

• Definition: Optimizing web pages to rank higher in search engines (focused on satisfying search intent).
• Old Tactics to Avoid: Keyword stuffing, meeting minimum word counts, unnecessary repetition.

Key Optimizations

1. Target Keyword in Title: Natural inclusion of target keywords in the title for clarity.
2. Descriptive URL Slugs: Short, descriptive, and keyword-friendly URLs.
3. Meta Descriptions: Important for click-through rates, even though they aren't direct ranking factors.
4. Internal Links: Linking within your site to improve crawlability and user experience.
5. Image Optimization: Naming image files appropriately, using descriptive alt text, and compressing images for faster load times.
6. Readability: Ensuring content is easy to read and understand.

Tools for On-Page SEO

• Hemingway App: For checking readability and writing clarity.
• Plugins: Rank Math or Yoast for adding meta tags and schema.

Module 3: Link Building

What is Link Building?

• Definition: The process of getting other websites to link to your site (important for SEO rankings).

Strategies for Link Building

1. Create Backlinks: Manually adding links to directories, comments, or social profiles. Generally less effective.
2. Buy Backlinks: Paid links; against Google’s guidelines and risky.
3. Earn Backlinks: Through outreach, being cited as a source, or organically.

Qualities of Good Backlinks

1. Relevance: Links from topical and relevant sites carry more weight.
2. Authoritativeness: Links from high-authority sites contribute more to rankings.
3. Anchor Text: Clickable text in a hyperlink; should be natural and contextually relevant.
4. Link Attributes: Followed links pass authority, nofollow/ugc/sponsored links usually don’t.
5. Placement: Prominent and contextual links are more valuable.

Common Link Building Tactics

1. HARO (Help a Reporter Out): Contributing expert insights to journalists for backlinks.
2. Guest Blogging: Writing posts for other websites in exchange for a backlink.
3. Skyscraper Technique: Creating superior content and convincing those linking to similar content to link to you.

Effective Outreach

• Methods: Sniper approach (targeted) vs. shotgun approach (broad, less effective).
• Crafting Emails: Personalized, concise, clear value proposition, and starting a conversation.

Module 4: Technical SEO

Importance of Technical SEO

• Ensures search engines can crawl, understand, and index your site properly.

Key Components

1. No Index Meta Tag: Ensure important pages are indexable, prevent accidental no-indexing during site migrations.
2. Robots.txt: Control which parts of your site are crawlable by search engines.
3. Sitemaps: List important URLs, aiding search engine crawling effectively.
4. Redirects: Properly redirecting outdated URLs to maintain link equity.
5. Canonical Tags: Handle duplicate content, indicating preferred URLs to search engines.

Best Practices

1. Site Structure: Logical hierarchy and efficient internal linking.
2. Page Speed: Caching and image compression to ensure fast loading times.
3. Regular Audits: Use tools like Ahrefs Site Audit to identify and fix SEO issues, ensuring ongoing site health.

Tools for Technical SEO

• Google Search Console: For indexing and technical health monitoring.
• SEO Plugins: For automating and simplifying many technical tasks.

Conclusion

• Importance of Fundamentals: Focus on executing fundamental SEO principles for significant results.
• Continuous Learning: Keep updated with SEO trends and platforms for long-term success.

Resource: Full Course on YouTube