SEO Fundamentals Course by Ahrefs: Lecture Notes

Introduction to SEO Fundamentals

• Instructor: Sam Oh
• Focus: Fundamentals of SEO with an emphasis on execution.
• Important Note: Even large, successful businesses primarily use the fundamentals of SEO to drive traffic.
• Course Structure: Contains four modules plus an introductory video.

SEO Basics

• SEO Definition: Search Engine Optimization is about optimizing content for search engine results.
• Search Engines as Libraries: They store pages and return relevant results based on a search query.
• Why Focus on SEO?
  • Free organic traffic.
  • Consistent traffic as opposed to spikes from social media or email.
  • Access to a massive audience.
• How Google Works: Involves crawling, indexation, and ranking algorithms.
• Ranking Factors:
  • Backlinks: Seen as votes of confidence.
  • Search Intent: Determines the relevance of content.
  • Content Depth: Quality content that fully answers the user's query.

Module 1: Keyword Research

• Keywords Definition: Words or phrases users search for.
• Importance: Basis for ranking pages and driving traffic.
• Keyword Research Process:
  • Search Demand: Measure with search volume.
  • Traffic Potential: Total potential traffic for a keyword.
  • Business Potential: Relevance to business goals.
  • Search Intent: Understanding the user's purpose behind a search.
  • Ranking Difficulty: Analyzing the competition.
• Keyword Tools: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, Ahrefs Keyword Generator.

Module 2: On-Page SEO

• Definition: Practices to optimize web pages for higher rankings.
• Common Misconceptions:
  • Keyword stuffing and specific keyword count are outdated practices.
• On-Page SEO Practices:
  • Optimize for search intent using the three C's: Content type, format, and angle.
  • Use appropriate HTML tags (titles, meta descriptions, internal links).
  • Optimize images and improve readability.

Module 3: Link Building

• Definition: Building relationships to earn links from other sites.
• Importance: Backlinks contribute significantly to rankings.
• Methods:
  • Creating, buying, or earning backlinks.
• Attributes of Good Backlinks:
  • Relevance, Authoritativeness, Proper placement and attributes.
• Link Building Tactics:
  • Guest posting, HARO, Skyscraper technique.
• Effective Outreach: Crafting personalized emails for link requests.

Module 4: Technical SEO

• Definition: Optimizing the technical aspects of a site for better search engine interaction.
• Key Concepts:
  • No Index Tag: Prevents pages from being indexed.
  • Robots.txt: Controls crawler access to site directories.
  • Sitemaps: Help search engines discover URLs.
  • Redirects: Direct traffic and signals properly.
  • Canonical Tags: Address duplicate content issues.
• Best Practices:
  • Logical site structure.
  • Ensure fast page load speeds.
  • Regular site audits to identify and fix SEO issues.

Conclusion

• Aim: Equip learners to rank and maintain a healthy site.
• Resources: Links to additional learning materials and tools are provided throughout the course.