How to do SEO?

Learning how to do SEO on your own seems complicated. But don’t worry, even we needed some time and practice to perfect it.

The good thing is, you don’t need to learn it alone. That’s why we’re here.

We already covered the basics in our “What is SEO?” blog, and now it’s time to put it into action. Think of this as a beginner-friendly guide with a few simple steps you can follow.

Let’s get to it.

How to Do SEO?

You already know what SEO is, so now let’s go one step further.

Here’s a beginner SEO walk-through that shows you what to actually do, broken down into simple steps.

Step 1: Set a Clear Goal

Before you start researching keywords and building topical maps, decide what you want. More visitors? Sales? Local customers?

Without this, SEO feels like guessing.

For example, a local bakery might want to rank high when someone searches “fresh bakery near me”. Knowing your goals keeps your SEO step-by-step plan realistic.

Step 2: Find the Right Keywords

Keywords are still the starting point. Use free tools like Google Keyword Planner or AnswerThePublic to see what people are typing into Google.

If you sell yoga mats, “best yoga mats for beginners” will probably pop up; that’s a phrase you should look at targeting.

Keep a short list of keywords that balance search volume and competition.

This is where a simple SEO guide pays off, because you won’t waste time chasing impossible keywords or ones with a difficulty level of 90+.

Step 3: Make Helpful Pages

You should think of each page as its own mini-project. Always add the chosen keyword in the title, headings, and naturally throughout the content.

Emphasis here is on naturally; no one, including Google, likes keyword stuffing.

Write content that actually answers the question behind the search, not something that has nothing to do with the original query.

Add images with helpful alt text and make pages easy to navigate. This isn’t just “nice to have”; clear formatting on a page helps both readers and Google.

If you’re on WordPress, plugins make WordPress SEO surprisingly simple. All these things fall under on-page SEO.

Step 4: Off-Page SEO and Tracking

Google doesn’t just look at your site; it looks at who talks about you. That’s off-page SEO.

A mention in a local blog, a directory listing, or a link from a partner site shows you’re trusted. These are called backlinks. You have to build them over time.

After that, you can use tools like Google Search Console or SurferSEO to track what’s working and what isn’t.

If one of your pages starts ranking for different keywords, then that’s a proven strategy right there. Look at what you did for that page and do the same for others.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

Getting started is exciting, but it’s also easy to slip up. Here are the mistakes most people run into when they first learn SEO.

Chasing Too Many Keywords

Beginners often grab every keyword they find and try to rank for all of them at once. This spreads your content thin and confuses search engines.

Instead of ranking for one phrase, you end up ranking for none.

• Quick Fix: Focus on one main keyword per page and use a few natural variations.

Ignoring Technical SEO

It’s hard for great content to rank if your site is slow, broken, or not mobile-friendly. Technical SEO covers these things.

A lot of beginners overlook this because it feels “too techy,” but it’s critical for your pages to start ranking.

• Quick Fix: You can use free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check your site speed and address the basics.

Forgetting Internal Links

People write good articles, but never connect them together. Without internal links, both readers and search engines miss the bigger picture of your site.

If a page on your site hasn’t been linked to by another one of your pages, it’s hard for Google’s crawlers to find and inspect it.

• Quick Fix: Add 2-3 links in every post pointing to other relevant pages on your site.

Copying Instead of Creating

The one thing Google loves most is originality.

It’s easy for readers (and Google) to spot when you just copy content from other websites and swap a few words. You won’t build trust like this.

• Quick Fix: Add your own examples, stories, or data to make the content fresh.

How We Can Help You

Doing SEO on your own can feel like a mess, but we can help with that.

At VP Media, we’re a team of experienced SEO specialists, content writers, and graphic designers who’ve worked with both local businesses and global brands.

We take care of the entire SEO process, from research to results.

If you’re not sure about what your site needs, we offer a free consultation to point you in the right direction.

Think of us as your partner in making SEO simple, effective, and actually worth your time.

Conclusion

Well, there it is! You now know how to do SEO all on your own.

It’s not about fancy tricks; it’s about knowing what people search for, creating pages that help them, and keeping your site running smoothly.

If you stick with it, you’ll notice more visitors finding you naturally. SEO takes patience, but the results build up over time and make a real difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does SEO take to work?

It’s hard to measure SEO using time. Most sites tend to see changes within 3-6 months, depending on the level of competition and the effort invested.

The most important thing in SEO is patience; it’s a long-term game, not something that happens overnight.

Do I need to know coding for SEO?

Not really. Most of the tasks involve content, topics, and keywords.

Having basic tech knowledge can help you with things like site speed or broken links, but there are tons of tools and plugins that help with that and are easy to understand.

What’s the difference between on-page and off-page SEO?

The terms are pretty self-explanatory. On-page SEO happens on your website (things like titles, content, headings, and site speed).

The off-page SEO part happens outside. Think of things like links back to your site, reviews, and mentions.

Google checks both of these things, making them equally important.

Can I do SEO for free?

Yes. There are loads of great free tools like Google Search Console, Keyword Planner, and PageSpeed Insights.

There are also a lot of great tools that require paying for, but beginners can learn the SEO basics and see results without having to spend money.