How to do SEO can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not immersed in digital marketing. You’ve probably heard terms like “backlinks,” “meta descriptions,” and “alt text” thrown around without much context. But here’s the thing: SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. I want people who manage websites to understand what things mean. I’ve been working in SEO for over 10 years, and I’m currently taking an SEO/SEM class as part of my Digital Integrated Marketing Communications master’s program at the University of Kansas. I want to share both my experience and what I’m learning in a way that makes sense, so you can understand how to do SEO without feeling overwhelmed. Here’s how.
SEO Is About Helping People Find What They Need
If you’re wondering how to do SEO, the first step is understanding that it’s about making your website more useful and easier to find for the right people.
At its core, SEO (search engine optimization) is about making your website more useful and easier to find for the right people. It’s not about gaming the system; it’s about being clear, helpful, and relevant. If you have great content that answers real questions, Google wants to show it to people searching for those answers.
Start With the Basics: Keywords and Clarity
A key part of learning how to do SEO is using the right keywords in the right places on your site.
Before you get lost in keyword research tools, think about what your audience would type into Google when looking for what you offer. Use those words naturally in your website’s:
- Page titles (What the page is about)
- Headings (Break content into easy-to-read sections)
- First paragraph (Summarize the topic upfront)
- URL (Keep it short and clear)
If you want to go deeper into keyword research, here are some tools to explore:
- Google AdWords – Free to search for keyword ideas.
- Moz – Offers a 30-day free trial for in-depth keyword analysis.
- Ubersuggest – Most affordable option for managing keywords on a single website.
- SparkToro – Helps find what your audience is paying attention to online. (They also have a free tier.)
Make It Easy for Google (and People) to Read
Google ranks websites that are easy to navigate. This means:
- Writing in plain, clear language (avoid technical terms when possible, use words your audience understands, and keep sentences straightforward. For example, instead of saying ‘implementing responsive design strategies,’ you could say ‘making sure your site looks good on all screen sizes.’)
- Using short paragraphs and bullet points
- Adding alt text to images so Google knows what they show. Alt text is a short, written description of an image that helps search engines and screen readers understand its content. Learn more about alt text here.
- Including internal links to help visitors find related content. Internal links are links that connect different pages within your website, making it easier for users to navigate and for search engines to understand your site’s structure.
Speed and Mobile-Friendliness Matter
Google prioritizes websites that load quickly and work well on mobile. Google prioritizes websites that load quickly and work well on mobile. You can improve this by:
- Prioritizing site speed over fancy design elements. Elements like videos, parallax scrolling, and excessive animations may look nice, but they can slow down your site, making it harder for users to navigate and consume content quickly. The simpler the site, the faster it loads, the easier it is to navigate, and the quicker users can consume your content.
- Compressing large images. If you use WordPress, there are plugins like Smush and ShortPixel that can automatically optimize images for better site performance. Otherwise, you’ll need to manually compress images using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh before uploading them to your site.
- Using a reliable hosting provider. I use SiteGround and have an agency account, which helps ensure fast load times and reliable performance for WordPress websites. If you’re looking for WordPress hosting, feel free to reach out..
- Avoiding unnecessary plugins that slow things down. Many WordPress sites rely on too many plugins, which can slow down performance and create security risks. Every plugin used adds potential vulnerabilities for hackers. With a good developer, some features can be implemented without needing a plugin, keeping your site faster and more secure.
Keep It Fresh and Relevant
SEO isn’t a “set it and forget it” deal. Updating your content, adding new blog posts, and refining pages over time helps keep your site relevant. If a page isn’t performing well, tweak it by simplifying the language, adding a clearer headline, or answering a more specific question.
What’s holding you back from keeping your content fresh and relevant? I’d love to hear about your challenges—what pain points make it difficult to update your site regularly? Comment below!
Focus on People, Not Algorithms
Another crucial element of how to do SEO is keeping your content updated and relevant to maintain visibility in search results.
Search engines are smart. If you focus on providing value to real people, you’ll naturally improve your rankings. Google is also using high-quality content to generate AI-driven answers, which means the better and more useful your content is, the more likely it will be featured in search results. Write content that:
- Answers common questions
- Solves problems
- Reflects your expertise
- Encourages engagement (comments, shares, etc.)
The Takeaway: SEO Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
If you’ve been wondering how to do SEO, start with small, meaningful improvements that help people find and engage with your content.
When you strip away the complexity, SEO is simply about being clear, helpful, and easy to find. If you take that approach, you’ll naturally improve your rankings over time without needing to become an SEO expert.
Have questions about SEO? What’s the biggest area of concern for you? What part of SEO is the most frustrating? What do you wish you knew? Drop them in the comments or reach out. I’d love to help answer what I can!