Complete SEO Course for Beginners: Learn to Rank #1 in Google

Sam Oh welcomes viewers to the SEO Fundamentals Course by Ahrefs, aimed at teaching the fundamentals of SEO with a focus on execution. The course is designed for beginners but is also beneficial for experienced marketers as it emphasizes the foundational aspects of SEO that have led to compounded growth for many businesses, including Ahrefs.

Overview of SEO:

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it is the process of optimizing content to be discovered through a search engine’s organic search results. SEO is crucial as it helps demonstrate to search engines that your page is the most relevant result for a given query. It is an $80 billion industry, attracting marketers due to its potential to reach massive audiences, the consistency of organic traffic, and the cost-effectiveness compared to paid ads.

How Google Works:

Google uses crawlers, also known as spiders, to gather publicly available information from the web. These spiders start from a list of known URLs and follow the hyperlinks on those pages to discover new pages. This information is then added to Google’s search index, which users search through when they key in a query in Google. Google’s ranking algorithm, which includes hundreds of ranking signals, then tries to return the most relevant results for any given query.

Importance of SEO:

SEO is important due to its ability to attract free and consistent traffic and the opportunity to reach massive audiences. The number of searches for a given topic is typically consistent month to month, allowing businesses to tap into a steady stream of potential customers actively searching for information.

Key SEO Concepts:

1. Backlinks: Links from one website to another, acting as “votes” and vouching for the content on the page. The more credible the sources, the higher the trust.
2. Search Intent: Represents the reason behind a searcher’s query. Matching the search intent is crucial for ranking.
3. Content Depth: Providing context about the subject and answering the searcher’s query the best way possible is essential. Depth doesn’t always translate to length; it’s about solving the user’s query from start to finish.

Keyword Research:

Keywords are words and phrases that people type into search engines. They are crucial in SEO as they set the foundation for search engine optimization. Keyword research is the process of finding keywords that people are inputting into search engines. The basic goal of SEO is to rank your pages for keywords that your target audience or customers are searching for.

Choosing Keywords:

When choosing keywords, it is essential to check if the keyword has search demand, represented by the volume of monthly searches made for a keyword, and to check the traffic potential of the topic, which represents the total search traffic you could get if you were to rank at the top of Google for your keyword.

Course Structure:

The course is broken down into four modules:

1. Keyword Research: Finding keywords to target that can benefit your business.
2. On-Page SEO: Optimizing your pages to rank for those keywords.
3. Link Building: Focusing on one of Google’s most prominent ranking signals.
4. Technical SEO: Covering best practices and website maintenance.

Conclusion of Part 1:

This part of the course provides an introduction to SEO, explaining its importance, how search engines like Google work, and the basics of keyword research. It sets the stage for the upcoming modules, which will delve deeper into each aspect of SEO, providing viewers with actionable insights and strategies to optimize their online presence effectively.

I will now proceed to transcribe the second part of the video. After completing the transcription, I will convert the entire transcription into a well-structured article.

In the continuation of the SEO Fundamentals Course by Ahrefs, Sam Oh delves deeper into the concept of search intent and the importance of keyword research. He emphasizes the necessity of understanding and matching search intent and provides a comprehensive guide on how to choose keywords effectively, focusing on their relevance, traffic potential, and business value.

Understanding Search Intent:

Search intent represents the reason behind a searcher’s query. It is crucial to match the search intent to show search engines that your page is the most relevant result for a given query. Identifying search intent involves analyzing the top-ranking results for a specific keyword, focusing on content type, content format, and content angle.

The Three C’s of Search Intent:

1. Content Type: It can be categorized into blog posts, videos, product category, and landing pages. For example, the dominant content type for “best golf shoes” is blog posts.
2. Content Format: It applies more to blog posts and landing pages and can be in the form of how-to’s, step-by-step tutorials, list posts, and opinion editorials.
3. Content Angle: It often depicts the benefit and is the hook as to why someone should click and visit your page.

Assessing Business Potential:

Business potential represents the value a keyword has to your business. Assigning scores between one to three to keywords being researched can help in assessing their relevance and importance to the business. For instance, topics where products can be organically recommended would hold the highest business value.

Choosing Keywords:

Choosing keywords involves assessing their search demand, traffic potential, business potential, and the ability to match searcher intent. It is essential to determine whether the topic drives enough traffic and has enough business value to make the effort worthwhile.

Keyword Research Process:

Keyword research is divided into two macro steps:

1. Generating Keyword Ideas: It involves coming up with a list of seed keywords related to your niche and using keyword research tools to discover potential topics.
2. Validating Keywords: It involves assessing whether the keywords are worth pursuing, focusing on their relevance, traffic potential, and business value.

Using Keyword Research Tools:

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer and Ahrefs Keyword Generator are tools that can be used to find information on keywords like their search volume, keyword difficulty scores, and other SEO metrics. These tools help in discovering potential topics and generating keyword ideas for the website.

Practical Application:

Sam demonstrates a practical application by doing keyword research for a golf blog that generates revenue through affiliate commissions. He uses Ahrefs Keywords Explorer to add seed keywords related to golf and goes to the phrase match report to get keyword ideas with search volumes and other helpful metrics. He emphasizes the importance of filtering through the keywords and revisiting the five-point checklist to choose keywords that have search demand, traffic potential, business potential, and match the searcher intent.

This segment of the course provides a deeper understanding of search intent and its importance in SEO. It offers practical insights into choosing keywords effectively and demonstrates the process of keyword research using SEO tools. The emphasis is on selecting keywords that are not only relevant but also have substantial business value and traffic potential, ensuring that the SEO efforts are aligned with the business goals.

In the subsequent segments of the SEO Fundamentals Course by Ahrefs, Sam Oh elucidates the concept of ranking difficulty and the importance of understanding your competitors in the SEO landscape. He provides a detailed guide on how to assess the ranking difficulty for a keyword and how to analyze the competitors to make informed decisions in keyword targeting.

Understanding Ranking Difficulty:

Ranking difficulty refers to how challenging it will be to rank high in Google for your target keywords. Understanding this is crucial before targeting a keyword to avoid entering a battle that you won’t be able to win. Competitors in SEO are the pages and websites that rank at the top of Google for your target keywords, and they can be different for every single keyword you target.

Three Main Considerations:

1. Search Intent: It is crucial to look at the SERP and assess whether the top-ranking pages match the search intent closely.
2. Metrics of Top Ranking Pages and Websites: Analyzing the metrics of the competitors can provide insights into their strength in the SEO landscape.
3. Topical Authority of the Top Ranking Websites: Understanding the authority of the competitors in the specific topic can help in assessing the level of competition.

Self-Check Questions:

Creating a list of self-check questions while going through these points can help in making informed decisions in keyword targeting. These questions can revolve around the match of search intent, the inclusion of the primary keyword in the titles and URLs, and the specificity of the content in matching the searcher intent.

Analyzing Competitors:

Understanding who you’ll be up against is essential. From an SEO perspective, competitors are pages and websites that rank at the top of Google for your target keywords. Analyzing the competitors involves looking at their content type, content format, content angle, and the inclusion of the primary keyword in their titles and URLs.

Identifying Weakness in the SERP:

Paying close attention to the titles and URLs of the ranking pages can help in identifying any weakness in the SERP. If there is a mix in the specificity of the content, it can be a sign of weakness in the SERP, indicating a lack of rank-worthy content that closely matches the searcher intent.

Using SEO Tools:

SEO tools like Ahrefs Keywords Explorer and Ahrefs SERP Checker Tool can be used to see metrics of top-ranking pages and to analyze the competitors effectively. These tools provide data on the top-ranking pages and help in assessing the search intent, metrics, and topical authority of the competitors.

This segment of the course emphasizes the importance of understanding ranking difficulty and analyzing competitors in the SEO landscape. It provides practical insights and self-check questions to assess the level of competition and to make informed decisions in keyword targeting. The use of SEO tools is highlighted as a means to gain insights into the metrics of the competitors and to identify any weaknesses in the SERP, ensuring that the SEO efforts are strategically aligned to target rank-worthy content.

In the next module of the SEO Fundamentals Course by Ahrefs, Sam Oh shifts the focus to on-page SEO, debunking common misconceptions and providing actionable strategies for optimizing web pages effectively. He emphasizes the importance of satisfying search intent and addresses the significance of various on-page elements in achieving higher rankings in search engines.

Debunking On-Page SEO Myths:

Sam Oh clarifies that on-page SEO is not about stuffing exact match keywords, using the keyword a specific number of times on the page, or meeting a minimum word count. He explains that Google understands connecting words, synonyms, and closely related words and phrases, making keyword stuffing an outdated and ineffective practice. Additionally, focusing on a specific number of keyword mentions can lead to poor user experience and readability, and adhering to a minimum word count without considering the context can result in unnecessarily lengthy content.

Understanding On-Page SEO:

On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing web pages to rank higher in search engines, revolving heavily around optimizing pages for search intent. It involves creating and optimizing HTML tags like titles and meta descriptions and ensuring that the content addresses the searcher’s intent effectively. The goal is to create content that satisfies the searcher’s intent and includes the right elements, such as titles, subheadings, internal linking, and readability, to be optimized for search.

Addressing Search Intent:

Sam emphasizes the importance of addressing search intent, which involves considering the content type, format, and angle. The content needs to address the things people expect to see and should include tangible items like titles, subheadings, internal linking, readability, and the actual content itself. The focus is on creating content that is not only relevant and informative but also well-structured and reader-friendly.

Practical Strategies for On-Page SEO:

In the second lesson of the on-page SEO module, Sam provides practical strategies on how to create a page that’s optimized for search. He guides viewers on how to incorporate various on-page elements effectively to ensure that the content is well-optimized, readable, and aligned with the searcher’s intent. The strategies provided are aimed at helping viewers understand the nuances of on-page SEO and implement optimization techniques effectively.

This module of the course provides a comprehensive overview of on-page SEO, debunking common myths and focusing on the importance of satisfying search intent. Sam Oh provides actionable insights and strategies for optimizing web pages effectively, emphasizing the significance of various on-page elements in achieving higher rankings. The practical strategies provided in this module are designed to help viewers implement on-page SEO techniques effectively and create content that is well-optimized and aligned with the needs and expectations of the searchers.

Module 1: Unlocking the Basics of SEO

Overview of SEO:

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the art of optimizing content to enhance its visibility through search engine’s organic search results. It is an $80 billion industry, pivotal for reaching massive audiences and driving consistent, cost-effective traffic.

How Google Works:

Google utilizes crawlers to gather publicly available information from the web, which is then indexed. Google’s ranking algorithm, incorporating hundreds of signals, determines the relevance of pages for a given query.

Importance of SEO:

SEO is crucial for tapping into a steady stream of potential customers actively searching for information, making it a reliable and free source of traffic and audience engagement.

Key SEO Concepts:

• Backlinks: Act as “votes” for content credibility.
• Search Intent: It’s vital to match the reason behind a searcher’s query.
• Content Depth: It’s about solving the user’s query comprehensively.

Keyword Research:

Keywords are the foundation of SEO. They represent the phrases that people type into search engines. The goal is to rank your pages for keywords that your target audience is searching for.

Module 2: Mastering Search Intent and Keyword Research

Understanding Search Intent:

Search intent is the motive behind a searcher’s query. It is crucial to match the search intent to show search engines that your page is the most relevant result for a given query.

Choosing Keywords:

Selecting keywords involves assessing their search demand, traffic potential, business potential, and the ability to match searcher intent. It is essential to determine whether the topic drives enough traffic and has enough business value to make the effort worthwhile.

Keyword Research Process:

1. Generating Keyword Ideas: Discover potential topics related to your niche.
2. Validating Keywords: Assess the relevance, traffic potential, and business value of keywords.

Practical Application:

Sam demonstrates keyword research for a golf blog using Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, emphasizing filtering through keywords and revisiting the checklist to choose keywords effectively.

Module 3: Deciphering Ranking Difficulty and Competitor Analysis

Understanding Ranking Difficulty:

Ranking difficulty refers to the challenge of ranking high in Google for target keywords. It is essential to understand this and analyze competitors before targeting a keyword.

Analyzing Competitors:

Competitors are the pages and websites that rank at the top of Google for your target keywords. Analyzing them involves looking at their content type, content format, content angle, and the inclusion of the primary keyword in their titles and URLs.

Identifying Weakness in the SERP:

Identifying any weakness in the SERP can help in finding opportunities to rank. SEO tools like Ahrefs Keywords Explorer and Ahrefs SERP Checker Tool can be used to analyze competitors effectively.

Module 4: On-Page SEO and Optimization Strategies

Debunking On-Page SEO Myths:

Sam clarifies that on-page SEO is not about keyword stuffing, using the keyword a specific number of times, or meeting a minimum word count. Google understands connecting words, synonyms, and closely related words and phrases.

Understanding On-Page SEO:

On-page SEO revolves heavily around optimizing pages for search intent. It involves creating and optimizing HTML tags like titles and meta descriptions and ensuring that the content addresses the searcher’s intent effectively.

Addressing Search Intent:

Addressing search intent involves considering the content type, format, and angle. The focus is on creating content that is not only relevant and informative but also well-structured and reader-friendly.

Practical Strategies for On-Page SEO:

Sam provides practical strategies on how to create a page that’s optimized for search. He guides viewers on how to incorporate various on-page elements effectively to ensure that the content is well-optimized, readable, and aligned with the searcher’s intent.

Conclusion:

The SEO Fundamentals Course by Ahrefs provides a comprehensive overview of SEO, offering actionable insights and strategies for optimizing web pages effectively. From understanding the basics of SEO and mastering search intent to deciphering ranking difficulty and implementing on-page SEO strategies, this course is a valuable resource for anyone looking to master SEO and optimize their online presence effectively.