Want to learn how to do SEO by yourself? You're in the right place. Hiring an SEO expert can be expensive, especially for startups and small businesses, with some professionals charging at least $2000 per month.

However, SEO optimization is necessary for every website.

Many people think SEO is just for experts, but actually, understanding the basics can really help your website a lot. You can do quite a bit of SEO yourself before you hire a professional.

We're going to guide you through the key aspects of doing SEO on your own and how to tackle it. So, if you're running a startup or a small business, this detailed guide on DIY SEO is meant for you.

Read more: 23 Free & Paid DIY SEO Tools For 2024

1. Set Your Organic Search Baseline

By setting an organic search baseline, you can track your website's performance and measure the success of your optimization efforts. Google Search Console is an invaluable tool for this purpose, as it provides essential data on your website's search performance, including click-through rates, impressions, and average position in search results.

To set up your organic search baseline, follow these steps:

1. Sign up for a Google Search Console account if you don't have one already.
2. Add and verify your website property to gain access to your website's performance data.
3. Monitor your website's performance regularly and take note of any significant changes or trends.
4. Identify areas that need improvement and prioritize your SEO efforts accordingly.

2. Keyword Research and Implementation

Keyword research is a fundamental aspect of SEO success. Identifying the right keywords ensures that your content aligns with what your target audience is searching for, ultimately driving more traffic to your website. To conduct effective keyword research, you can use tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner, which provides insights into monthly search volumes for various keywords.

Semrush's “Keyword Magic Tool” makes finding keywords easier and more thorough, as it provides detailed explanations for each metric.

When researching keywords, focus on three main metrics:

1. Search volume: Higher numbers are generally better.
2. Keyword difficulty: Lower scores are preferable.
3. Keyword intent: Use informative keywords for blog posts and commercial keywords for service pages.

Once you have researched and identified relevant keywords for your content, it's essential to assign them strategically within your content. This helps maintain the focus of your content, making it easier for search engines and readers to understand the topic you're addressing. To effectively implement keywords in your content, follow these actionable steps:

1. Create a list of primary and secondary keywords relevant to your content topic.
2. Include primary keywords in your content's title, headings, and subheadings, as well as throughout the body of the text in a natural and meaningful way.
3. Utilize secondary keywords to support your primary keywords and provide additional context for your content.
4. Avoid keyword stuffing, which can harm your search engine rankings. Instead, focus on creating high-quality content that seamlessly incorporates your keywords.

3. Optimize On-Page SEO Elements

By optimizing various elements on your website, you improve your content's readability and relevance, which leads to better search engine rankings. One of the critical components of on-page SEO is metadata optimization, which includes elements such as meta title tags, meta description tags, page URLs, image filenames, and image alt text.

To optimize your on-page SEO elements, follow these steps:

• Create titles that grab attention, limit them to 60 characters, and include the most important keyword.
• Write meta descriptions that are appealing and encourage action, making sure they are no longer than 160 characters.
• Ensure your page URLs are descriptive and include target keywords for better search engine indexing.
• Optimize image filenames and alt text with relevant keywords to improve your website's accessibility and search engine performance.

In addition to metadata optimization, focus on creating content that is easy to read and understand by incorporating primary and secondary keywords naturally throughout the text. This can help you create a more engaging user experience while also improving your website's SEO performance.

4. Focus on Content Quality and Relevance

Creating high-quality content is crucial for attracting and retaining website visitors. By focusing on providing useful information that serves the needs of your target audience and addresses their questions, you can improve user engagement and boost your website's search engine rankings. Additionally, updating old content with fresh data and references will help maintain its relevance and attract more traffic.

Always remember that your main audience is people, not just search engines. So, your content should be informative and interesting.

To create high-quality and relevant content, follow these actionable steps:

• Research your target audience to understand their needs, preferences, and pain points.
• Brainstorm content topics that address the most pressing concerns and interests of your audience.
• Focus on providing valuable information in a clear, concise, and engaging manner, avoiding heavy jargon and complex language.
• Use a conversational tone to make your content more relatable and easy to understand.
• Regularly review and update your existing content to ensure it remains accurate, up-to-date, and relevant to your audience's needs.

Using the "Writing Assistant" tool in Semrush will help you write the kind of content you want. This Programmatic SEO tool will suggest ways to make your content better, both in terms of SEO and how easy it is to read. Make sure to use these suggestions to improve your work.

5. Improve Internal Linking

Internal linking is a crucial aspect of SEO, as it plays a vital role in enhancing your website's organic visibility. By strategically placing internal links within your website's structure, you can guide visitors through your content and help search engines better understand the relationships between your pages. 

To create an effective internal linking strategy, follow these steps:

• Analyze your website's current content and identify relevant pages that can be linked together.
• Create a linking hierarchy that prioritizes your most important pages and ensures they receive the most internal link equity.
• Use descriptive anchor text for your internal links, incorporating relevant keywords where appropriate.
• Link related content together to create a more seamless and engaging user experience.
• Regularly audit your internal links to identify any broken or outdated links that need to be updated or removed.

6. Attract High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks play a significant role in boosting your website's credibility and search engine rankings. Attracting high-quality backlinks from reputable websites improve your website's authority, making it more likely to rank higher in search results. 

To attract high-quality backlinks, it's essential to adopt specific strategies that will encourage other websites to link to your content such as:

• Focus on creating valuable, shareable content that other websites will want to reference and link to.
• Reach out to influencers and industry experts in your niche to collaborate on content or request a backlink.
• Participate in online communities, forums, and social media platforms where you can share your content and engage with others in your industry.
• Guest posts on reputable websites, providing valuable insights and including a link back to your website.
• Monitor your competitors' backlinks to identify potential link-building opportunities and replicate their strategies.

7. Technical SEO Audit and Optimization

By conducting a technical automated SEO audit, you can uncover issues related to crawling, indexing, and on-page optimization that may be negatively impacting your website's search engine rankings. Tools like Semrush's Site Audit can help you identify and resolve these issues, ensuring that your website is optimized for search engines and users alike.

In addition to addressing technical issues, it's essential to ensure your website is responsive and offers improved page speed. A responsive website adapts to different devices and screen sizes, providing an optimal user experience for all visitors. Improved page speed ensures that your website loads quickly, which helps reduce bounce rates and improve user engagement. These factors are essential for driving more traffic to your site and boosting your search engine rankings.

To conduct a technical SEO audit and optimize your website, follow these steps:

1. Use a tool like Semrush's Site Audit to identify technical issues on your website, such as broken links, duplicate content, or missing metadata.
2. Address the identified issues by fixing broken links, updating duplicate content, and adding missing metadata where necessary.
3. Ensure your website is responsive by using a mobile-first design approach and testing your website on various devices and screen sizes.
4. Optimize your website's page speed by compressing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and implementing browser caching.
5. Monitor your website's technical performance regularly, addressing any new issues that may arise and making continuous improvements to maintain optimal performance.

8. Optimize for Voice Search

As voice search continues to grow in popularity, it's crucial for businesses to optimize their websites to meet the needs of users who rely on voice assistants. By optimizing your content for voice search, you can tap into this growing trend and ensure that your website remains accessible to all users.

To optimize your website for voice search:

• Focus on long-tail keywords, as voice searches tend to be more conversational and involve longer phrases. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your content to improve its relevance for voice search users.
• Use structured data on your website to help search engines better understand your content and present it in voice search results. Structured data can be implemented using Schema.org markup or similar tools, which will enhance your website's visibility in voice search results.
• Ensure that your content is easy to understand and written in a conversational tone, as voice search users are more likely to engage with content that is clear and straightforward. Avoid using heavy jargon or complex language, and focus on providing valuable information in a simple and accessible manner.

9. Leverage the Power of Visual Content

Visual content plays a critical role in attracting and retaining website visitors. By incorporating relevant images, videos, and infographics into your content, you can significantly improve user experience and engagement. 

Visual content is not only more appealing and eye-catching, but it can also help break up text and make it easier for readers to digest and understand your content. Visuals also further emphasize your key points and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic at hand.

To effectively leverage the power of visual content, follow these actionable steps:

• Choose high-quality images and videos that complement your written content and help illustrate your main points.
• Optimize your visual content for SEO by adding descriptive filenames, alt text, and captions that include relevant keywords.
• Use infographics to present complex data or information in a more visually appealing and easy-to-understand format.
• Embed videos and interactive content to provide a more engaging user experience and encourage longer time spent on your website.
• Consider using original visuals, such as custom illustrations or photographs, to set your content apart from competitors and add a unique touch to your website.

10. Target Local Searchers with Optimized Landing Pages and Listings

Local SEO is crucial for businesses that target specific regions, as it helps attract and retain customers within the targeted area. By optimizing your landing pages and listings for local searches, you can improve your website's visibility in local search results, drive more traffic from users in your target region, and grow your business in specific markets.

To effectively target local searchers:

• Create location-specific landing pages for each targeted area, including relevant keywords, local information, and unique content that caters to the specific needs of users in that region.
• Optimize your landing pages with clear and concise meta titles, descriptions, and header tags that accurately represent your business and the targeted location.
• Ensure that your business listings in online directories, such as Google My Business and Yelp, are accurate and up-to-date, with consistent information about your business name, address, phone number, and website URL.
• Encourage customers to leave reviews and ratings on your local listings, as positive reviews can significantly impact your local search rankings.
• Utilize schema markup and structured data to provide search engines with additional information about your business, such as operating hours, contact information, and service offerings.

11. Track and Monitor SEO Performance

By keeping a close eye on the effectiveness of your SEO strategies, you can make data-driven decisions and ensure that your website continues to improve its search engine rankings and drive more traffic. Furthermore, utilizing user-friendly SEO tools can make the monitoring process more manageable and efficient.

To effectively track and monitor your SEO performance, consider the following actionable steps:

• Use SEO tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or Semrush to track your website's traffic, rankings, and engagement over time.
• Set up regular reports and alerts to receive updates on your website's performance and stay informed about any significant changes or trends.
• Analyze your website's performance data to identify areas of improvement and prioritize your SEO efforts accordingly.
• Continuously adjust and refine your SEO strategies based on the insights gained from your performance monitoring to ensure ongoing progress and success.

Remember, SEO is an ongoing process, and staying proactive in monitoring and adjusting your strategies is key to achieving lasting success.

12. Stay Updated on SEO Trends and Updates

Staying informed about new SEO trends, algorithm updates, and best practices will help you stay ahead of the competition and ensure that your SEO strategies always remain effective.

To stay updated on SEO trends and updates:

• Regularly read industry blogs and resources, such as Search Engine Journal, Moz, and Google Search Central, for valuable information on the latest SEO techniques and best practices.
• Subscribe to newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube channels that focus on SEO and digital marketing to keep your knowledge current and learn from industry experts.
• Engage with other SEO professionals and digital marketers through online forums, social media platforms, and networking events to gain insights and stay informed about industry trends.
• Implement new SEO techniques and best practices as you learn them, continuously refining and updating your existing strategies to ensure ongoing success.

13. Optimize for Semantic Search and Topic Clusters

As search engines continue to evolve, there is a shift towards semantic search, which focuses on understanding the intent and context behind search queries. This shift has made it increasingly important for businesses to organize their content into topic clusters, which can help search engines better understand and index their content. Furthermore, incorporating semantic keywords into your content can help improve its relevance and visibility in search results.

To optimize your website for semantic search and topic clusters, follow these steps:

• Analyze your existing content and identify related topics that can be grouped together to form topic clusters.
• Create pillar pages that serve as comprehensive guides for each main topic, providing valuable and in-depth information for users.
• Link your pillar pages to related subtopic pages, creating a well-structured and interconnected content hub that caters to both search engines and users.
• Research and incorporate semantic keywords into your content, focusing on terms and phrases that are contextually related to your main topic and provide additional meaning and depth to your content.
• Regularly update and expand your topic clusters to ensure they remain relevant and up-to-date, reflecting the latest trends and developments in your industry.

14. Utilize AI-Powered Content Marketing Tools

AI content marketing tools, like Speedybrand.io, play a huge role in content creation and optimization. These tools streamline the content creation process, providing personalized content recommendations and strategies based on your target audience's preferences and search behavior. 

The benefits of using AI content marketing tools for your SEO efforts include:

• Increased efficiency in content creation, as AI algorithms can analyze large volumes of data and provide tailored content recommendations in real time.
• Better optimization of your content for search engines, as AI-powered tools can identify and incorporate relevant keywords, semantic terms, and other on-page SEO elements.
• Improved content performance, as AI-driven insights can help you create content that resonates with your target audience and drives higher engagement and conversions.
• Continuous learning and improvement as AI algorithms adapt to the ever-changing SEO landscape and provide updated strategies and recommendations to stay ahead of the competition.

15. Continuous Learning and Improvement

SEO is a long-term process that requires continuous learning and improvement. Staying committed to understanding and implementing DIY SEO techniques is essential for maintaining and enhancing your website's search engine performance. Consistent improvement will help you achieve sustained SEO success and drive more traffic to your website.

To ensure continuous learning and improvement, take the following steps:

• Stay informed about the latest SEO techniques, best practices, and industry developments by regularly reading blogs, attending webinars, and participating in relevant forums.
• Test and evaluate your SEO strategies to identify areas for improvement and implement changes based on data-driven insights.
• Stay agile and adaptable, being open to experimenting with new SEO tactics and discarding outdated practices that no longer yield results.
• Continuously monitor your website's SEO performance and make necessary adjustments to your strategies based on the insights gained from tracking tools and analytics.
• Engage with other professionals in the SEO community, sharing knowledge and learning from their experiences and expertise.

Does SEO make you want to pull your hair out? Programmatic SEO is like letting a robot do the hair-pulling (of data analysis) while you sit back, relax, and enjoy the results.

Conclusion

These 15 excellent SEO tips are designed for small business websites, whether they are just starting or have been around for a while. It might take a while to see the results, but following these steps will gradually boost your website's ranking.

If you are one of the few who have successfully handled SEO for your website on your own, congratulations! It's important to celebrate your achievements and keep up the great work. While you may have succeeded in SEO, think about whether your business is still getting as much work or if it suffered because of your focus on SEO. Take an honest look at what you've learned. Was the time you invested in doing SEO yourself truly worth it, or would it have been better to hire an SEO expert while you focused on what you do best?

Also, take advantage of Speedybrand.io's free website audit to identify areas for improvement and optimization. Start your journey towards a better online presence and growth for your business today!

FAQs

What are DIY SEO tips for small businesses?

As a small business, you should first claim & optimize your Google My Business listing, build backlinks from local directories & partners, and create valuable local content regularly.

What are DIY SEO tips for beginners?

Find relevant long-tail keywords. Optimize titles, meta descriptions, and images. ️Publish and share content and build backlinks gradually.

How to do SEO for my website for free?