DIYs are always economical options. And you also get to do the work independently according to yourself. But to do so, you must have enough knowledge about that particular field.

Many people find SEO very difficult just because it sounds technical. They don’t even bother to do research about it. But if they do some digging, they’ll find that it’s not as complicated as it sounds.

But no more wandering here and there for basic information. We have accumulated some basic concepts and a simple step-wise procedure for conducting SEO optimization yourself.

Let’s start with knowing SEO! 

Understanding the Concept of SEO

SEO helps your website appear higher in search engine results. It makes your site more attractive to Google.

First, use the right words or phrases that people search for. These are your keywords. Sprinkle them throughout your site—titles, headings, and text.

Your content needs to be good—really good. Search engines notice if people enjoy your site and stay longer. Plus, your site must load fast and work well on phones. Speed and mobile friendliness matter a lot.

Getting other reputable sites to link to yours is like giving your site a thumbs-up. It signals to search engines that your content is valuable. 

Remember, SEO rules change as search engines update their algorithms. What works today might need tweaking tomorrow.

Lastly, patience is key. SEO is a slow game. Stick with it, and you’ll see your site climb the rankings. Keep your site fast, friendly, and filled with great content.

Is DIY SEO Possible?

Absolutely, DIY SEO is possible. With the right tools and resources, anyone can learn to optimize their website for search engines. 

It’s about understanding the basics, applying consistent efforts, and keeping up with the latest trends. 

While professional help can accelerate progress, individuals can achieve significant improvements on their own by dedicating time to learn and implementing SEO strategies.

When do You Need an Expert to do Your SEO?

Sometimes, doing SEO by yourself becomes tough. In the following situation, you definitely need an SEO expert. 

1. Stagnant or Falling Rankings: If your website’s rankings have plateaued or are declining despite your best efforts, an SEO expert can provide advanced strategies to overcome these hurdles.
2. Technical SEO Issues: When you encounter complex technical SEO problems, such as site speed optimization, mobile responsiveness, or indexation issues, an expert’s technical skills are crucial.
3. Entering Highly Competitive Markets: If you’re targeting highly competitive keywords or industries, an SEO professional can help you craft a strategy that differentiates and elevates your site.
4. After a Website Redesign: Post-launch of a new or redesigned website, an SEO expert can ensure that your new site maintains or improves its search visibility, addressing any potential losses in traffic.
5. Lack of Time or SEO Knowledge: Running a business takes time. If you can’t keep up with the latest SEO trends and updates, an expert can manage your SEO strategy, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.

They keep up with the latest trends and updates, so you don’t have to. In short, when SEO feels like a puzzle you can’t solve, or there’s just no time, an expert can help big time.

How to do DIY SEO for Your Site?

Doing your own SEO is like giving your website a boost to be more noticeable online. It’s about making small, smart changes that add up over time. You don’t need to be an expert; just willing to learn and apply some basics.

1. Set up Analytics

Setting up analytics for your website is a crucial first step in doing your own SEO. It’s like installing a dashboard that shows how your website is performing and how visitors interact with it. Here’s how to get it done in simple steps, focusing on two essential tools: Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

First, set up Google Analytics:

• Go to the Google Analytics website and sign up using your Google account. It’s a free service.
• Once signed up, you’ll be guided to add your website as a “property.” Follow the instructions.
• Google Analytics will give you a piece of code. Copy this code.
• Paste this code into the HTML of your website, specifically in the header section. This lets Google Analytics track visits to your website.

Next, set up Google Search Console:

• Sign up at the Google Search Console website with your Google account, another free service.
• Add your website as a new property. You’ll need to verify ownership, but Google provides several easy methods to do this.
• Once verified, you don’t need to install any additional code if you’ve already set up Google Analytics. Both tools can work together.

After setting up both tools, give it a little time. Soon, you’ll start seeing data about how many people visit your site, how they find it, and what they do there. This information is gold for improving your site’s SEO and making it more visible online.

2. Perform SEO Audit

After setting up your analytics, the next step is to perform an SEO audit. This is like giving your website a health check-up to see where you can make improvements. It helps you spot issues that could be stopping your site from showing up in search results. Here’s a simple way to do it:

• Use an SEO Audit Tool: Many tools can help you audit your site. Some popular ones include SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz. These tools look at your site the way search engines do and point out what’s good and what needs work.
• Check for Common SEO Issues: The audit tools will check for things like:
  • If your pages are optimized for keywords.
  • Whether your site has any broken links.
  • If your site is mobile-friendly.
  • How fast your site loads.
• Review Your Audit Report: After the audit, you’ll get a report. It lists what’s working well and what’s not. Look for any errors or issues the tool found.
• Make a Plan to Fix Issues: Prioritize what to fix based on the audit. Start with big issues that can have a big impact, like fixing broken links or making sure your site works well on phones.

An SEO audit might sound technical, but it’s really about improving your website for visitors. By using tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz, you can get a clear picture of where you stand and what steps to take next.

3. Thorough Keyword Research

It’s about finding the exact words and phrases people use when they’re searching for something you offer. This step is crucial because it guides everything from your website content to how you optimize your pages. Here’s how to do it:

• Start with Brainstorming: Think about what your website or business offers. What words would you use to search for it? Ask friends or family what they would search for. This gives you a good starting point.
• Use Keyword Research Tools: Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs come in handy here. They show you how often people search for these terms, how competitive they are, and even suggest related keywords you might not have thought of.
• Look for Long-Tail Keywords: These are longer, more specific phrases that are easier to rank for than more general ones. For example, instead of “baking,” try “gluten-free baking recipes for beginners.” These attract more targeted traffic to your site.
• Consider Search Intent: Consider why someone is searching for a particular keyword. Are they looking to buy something or just looking for information? This will help you create content that meets their needs.
• Organize Your Keywords: Group your keywords by topic or by the type of content they’ll be used in. This helps keep your website organized and makes it easier to plan your content strategy.
• Keep Updating Your Keywords: Trends change, and so do the ways people search. Regularly revisiting your keyword strategy keeps your content relevant and your website visible.

By doing thorough keyword research, you’re laying the groundwork for a successful SEO strategy. It’s about understanding your audience and how they search for what you offer. With the right keywords, you can create content that draws in visitors and meets their needs exactly.

4. Content Optimization

Content optimization is all about making sure the words on your website are like magnets for search engines and readers. It’s not just about stuffing your pages with keywords. Instead, it’s about creating useful, engaging content that answers your audience’s questions. Here’s how to nail it:

• Focus on Quality Content: Write content that’s helpful and interesting. Ask yourself, “Does this answer what people are searching for?” If yes, you’re on the right track.
• Use Keywords Smartly: Include keywords naturally in your text, especially in important spots like titles, headings, and the first paragraph. But remember, don’t overdo it. It should feel natural to the reader.
• Optimize Your Images: Make sure images on your site have descriptive file names and alt text. This helps search engines understand what the image is about, and it can also improve your site’s accessibility.
• Structure Your Content: Break your content into sections with headings. This makes it easier to read and helps search engines understand the structure of your content.
• Update Regularly: Search engines love fresh content. Updating your site with new information or blog posts can help keep your rankings up.
• Use Tools for Help: Tools like Yoast SEO (for WordPress users) can guide you in optimizing your content. They give tips on where to improve readability and where to add keywords.

Focusing on creating high-quality, well-structured content that naturally includes keywords will set your website up for success. Remember, the goal is to engage your readers first; search engine rankings will follow.

5. Backlink Building

When other websites link to yours, it’s a sign to search engines that your site is trustworthy and valuable. Here’s how to go about it:

• Create Great Content: Start by making sure your website has content that others find useful or interesting. This could be blog posts, guides, infographics, or videos. Great content gets shared and linked to naturally.
• Reach Out: Don’t be shy. Contact other website owners or bloggers in your field and share your content with them. If they find it valuable, they might link back to it from their own sites.
• Guest Posting: Offer to write articles or blog posts for other sites in your niche. In your author bio or within the content, you can usually include a link back to your site.
• Use Tools to Find Opportunities: Tools like Ahrefs and BuzzSumo can help you find where your competitors are getting their backlinks from. This can give you ideas on where you might want to get backlinks as well.
• Be Active in Your Community: Participate in forums, social media groups, or comment sections related to your niche. Being active and helpful can lead to natural backlink opportunities.

Remember, the quality of backlinks matters more than quantity. Getting a few links from well-respected sites is better than lots of links from sketchy ones. Focus on building relationships and providing value, and the backlinks will follow.

6. Track the Performance

Tracking the performance of your website is like keeping an eye on the scoreboard during a game. It tells you if your SEO efforts are paying off. Here’s how you can do it:

• Go Back to Your Analytics Tools: Remember Google Analytics and Google Search Console? These are your best friends for tracking performance. They show you how many people visit your site, how they find it, and what they do there.
• Set Goals: Decide what success looks like for you. It could be more visitors, higher rankings for certain keywords, or more sales and sign-ups.
• Check Regularly: Make it a habit to check your analytics regularly. This could be weekly or monthly. Look for trends, like an increase in visitors or improvements in search rankings.
• Use Keyword Tracking Tools: Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz also let you track how well your site ranks for specific keywords over time. This is great for seeing if your SEO work is helping you climb up in search results.

Remember, SEO is a long game. It takes time to see results. By tracking your performance regularly, you can see how small changes add up to big improvements over time. This helps you stay motivated and keeps you on the right path toward making your website a success.

7. Continue the Process

SEO isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process. Just like taking care of a garden, your website needs regular attention and updates to grow and thrive in the vast internet space. Here’s how to keep the momentum going:

• Regularly Update Content: Keep your site fresh with new and updated content. This could be blog posts, new product pages, or updates to existing information. It shows search engines that your site is active and relevant.
• Monitor Your Analytics: Remember those analytics tools you set up? Check them frequently. They tell you what’s working and what’s not. Look for trends, like which pages visitors spend the most time on, and use this info to make improvements.
• Stay Updated on SEO Trends: The rules of SEO can change because search engines are always updating how they rank websites. Keep learning and staying current with SEO best practices. Websites like Search Engine Journal and Moz Blog are great resources.
• Perform Regular SEO Audits: Use those audit tools every few months to check your website’s health. Fix any new issues they find to keep your site in tip-top shape.
• Engage with Your Audience: Keep in touch with your audience using social media, email newsletters, or your blog. Engagement can drive traffic and encourage more links back to your site, which is great for SEO.
• Build Backlinks: Look for opportunities to get other reputable websites to link to yours. Guest blogging, being featured in articles, or listing your site in directories are ways to build backlinks.

By continuing these steps, you’re not just maintaining your website; you’re giving it the best chance to climb higher in search engine rankings. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. With patience and persistence, your efforts will pay off.

Combine AI with SEO

Combining AI with SEO is like adding a supercharger to your website’s engine. AI SEO tools can analyze huge amounts of data faster than any human. For example, they can sift through thousands of pages in minutes to find patterns and trends.

AI helps predict what keywords will be popular next month or next year. It can also suggest what kind of content your audience will love. This means you can stay ahead of the game.

Businesses using AI for SEO see big improvements. Reports show that websites using AI strategies can increase their traffic by up to 50% and get more people clicking on their links.

In short, AI makes your SEO smarter. It uses data to guide your strategy, helping you attract more visitors and grow your website faster.

Conclusion

Doing SEO yourself might seem like a big task at first, but it’s totally doable and definitely worth it. By starting with setting up analytics and performing regular audits, you’re laying down the foundation for success. 

Remember, SEO is a continuous journey, not a one-off task. Keeping your content fresh, engaging with your audience, and staying on top of SEO trends is key to climbing higher in search rankings. 

Plus, mixing in a bit of AI can turbocharge your efforts, making your strategy even more effective. So, keep at it, be patient, and watch your website grow. 

Your hard work will pay off in more visitors, better engagement, and, ultimately, more success online.

FAQs Related to DIY SEO

Marketing Analytics: 8 Best Ways to Track Your Online Marketing Activity

2 years ago by erika 11 min read No comments

Do you know how profitable your marketing campaigns are? Have… […]

Read More… from Marketing Analytics: 8 Best Ways to Track Your Online Marketing Activity