Having an optimized website may be the difference between thousands of visitors to your website or no visitors at all. That’s why you should always consider your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) when creating content and building your site’s structure, especially if you want to appear in Google, Bing and other popular search engines. This guide will teach you the basics of how to rank your website in Google, as well as how to optimize content, choose keywords and build links to improve your search engine rankings.

Getting discovered on Google

To get your website discovered on Google, you have to start by developing a strong presence. In other words, people need to know that your site exists and that it’s a worthwhile destination. Here are some tips for getting discovered on search engines

The Keywords Game

If you want your website to rank higher, you’ll need more than just content: You’ll need keywords. In SEO, these are words or phrases that define what your site is about. Start by defining which keywords your site should be ranking for and how much traffic each one brings in. Once you have that information—and once you know where people are searching—you can tailor your content strategy around them.

Optimizing Your On-Page SEO

The importance of search engine optimization can’t be overstated. Search engines like Google are a key driver of traffic for your site, and it’s incredibly difficult to gain organic traction from sites like Facebook and Twitter—particularly if you don’t already have a large following. The good news is that on-page SEO isn’t terribly complicated, as long as you stick with tried-and-true best practices.

Link Building Strategies

Think about link building like networking. You can’t get business cards without first having a conversation, and you can’t get links without first publishing content on your website.