Introduction — What you’ll achieve and prerequisites

Outcome: Get your content picked as concise AI answers and keep real visibility

You’ll learn a practical, step-by-step system to make your content answer-ready for AI-driven surfaces (Google AI Overviews, Bing/Copilot, Perplexity, voice assistants and chatbots). By the end you’ll be able to: identify which exact questions AI will pick, craft answer-first blocks that feed models, implement the right schema and page packaging, build trust signals, and measure whether AI engines are using your content — all without losing real reader traffic or your brand voice.

Who this guide is for and why creatives should care about AEO

This guide is written for creative online business owners — musicians, designers, writers, podcasters, course creators — who want to attract steady clients and passive income without chasing every social trend. If you publish helpful content (blog posts, tutorials, pricing pages, FAQs, show notes), AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) helps your content be the answer that potential clients see first — and that drives clicks, leads, and trust. Instead of shouting louder on social, you’ll design content that these new answer surfaces can quote, cite, and route people back to your site or offer.

Prerequisites: content basics, analytics access, and quick tech checklist

Before you start, make sure you have:

• A live website with an editable CMS (WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow, etc.).
• Access to analytics and search tools: Google Search Console, Google Analytics (or an alternative), and a simple keyword/question research tool (AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked, Ahrefs/SEMrush question reports, or free tools like People Also Ask explorers).
• Basic technical access: ability to edit page HTML/head for adding structured data or a plugin (Yoast, RankMath, Schema Pro) to add FAQ/HowTo schema.
• A content inventory: list of your top 20 pages (blog posts, pricing, services, about, FAQ).

Quick outcomes to expect: short-term (1–4 weeks) you may start appearing in “People also ask” / featured snippets; medium-term (2–6 months) you’ll see AI surfaces quoting your answers and a measurable lift in branded queries, clicks, or conversion events.

Step 1 — Research the exact questions AI will be asked (audience + SERP intelligence)

Use People Also Ask, Google SGE prompts, and tools (Answer Socrates, PAA, Search Console, etc.)

Start by mapping the actual questions your audience types or speaks. Don’t guess. Use these signals:

• Google Search Console: open the Performance > Queries report and filter for question-like queries (look for “how”, “what”, “why”, “best”, “should I”, and long-tail phrases).
• People Also Ask (PAA): type core seed queries and expand PAA boxes to capture related question clusters. Screenshot or export.
• SGE / Google Search Generative Experience prompts: if available to you, notice suggested clarifying prompts and related follow-ups.
• AnswerThePublic / AlsoAsked / AnswerSocrates: collect phrasing variations and conversational forms.
• Voice mimic: use your phone’s voice assistant to speak the questions you want to target — note the phrasing it recognizes.

Find high-value queries: prioritize intent, frequency, and commercial value

Not all questions are equal. Rank candidate questions by:

1. Intent: transactional (book, buy, hire), commercial investigation (best, compare), high-value informational (how-to, troubleshooting). Prioritize questions that map to your business goals (e.g., “how much does a custom song cost?” vs “what is songwriting?”).
2. Frequency & visibility: use Search Console impressions + PAA frequency to estimate volume.
3. Opportunity: check current SERP — is the answer box empty, shallow, or full of low-authority content? If top-answerers are weak, you have a chance.
4. Conversion potential: will answering this question move a reader to a service, newsletter sign-up, or booking? If yes, bump it up.

Map questions to content types: short answer, how-to, comparison, or definition

Match each question to the best content format:

• Short answer (FAQ/snippet): crisp, 1–2 sentence answers — perfect for AI summary boxes.
• How-to / tutorial: step-by-step procedures (use HowTo schema).
• Comparison: feature/price comparisons (tables help).
• Definition or concept explainer: 40–100 word definition followed by deeper context.

Practical example: for a creative selling coaching:

• “How much does music coaching cost?” → short answer + pricing range + link to booking (FAQ + pricing page).
• “How to market a music course” → HowTo article with steps, examples, HowTo schema.
• “Course platform vs membership site” → comparison with table and summary.

Step 2 — Write answer-first, then expand: structure that AI and humans love

Answer-first pattern: 1–2 sentence direct answer near the question heading

When a user or AI engine asks a question, give the answer immediately — then expand. For every Q on your page:

• Start with a bolded, direct answer (1–2 sentences, 20–50 words). This is what AI will lift.
• Follow with a concise 1–2 sentence explanation that adds nuance.
• Then provide examples, steps, or a short case study.

Use natural language headings (question H2/H3s) and semantic HTML

Format matters. Use the actual question as the H2 or H3 (not a clever title). Example:

• How much should I charge for a custom song?
• Answer: For an experienced freelance musician, custom songs typically range from $500–$5,000 depending on rights, length, and delivery.

Search engines and LLMs use headings and structure to find concise answers — the clearer, the better.

Layered content: concise answer → 1–2 sentence explanation → examples and deeper context

A layered approach helps both quick snippets and human readers:

• Concise Answer (snippet-ready)
• Short explanation (adds context)
• Example(s): show price tiers, sample scripts, or micro-case studies
• Further reading: link to full guide or workbook

Practical example: Transforming a blog section into an AEO-ready Q&A block

Take an existing long blog and add an FAQ section near the top for the key questions. Each FAQ should:

• Use the exact question phrasing.
• Provide the 1–2 sentence answer first.
• Add a one-paragraph context and a link to the full section.

This gives the AI an easy block to cite while preserving your long-form content for readers who want depth.

Step 3 — Technical setup: schema, markup, speed and content packaging

Which schema to use (FAQ, HowTo, QAPage, Article) and how to apply it correctly

Use schema thoughtfully — it helps engines understand the role of each block:

• FAQPage schema: for grouped Q&A lists; handy for pricing pages and common objections.
• HowTo schema: for step-by-step tutorials (include time estimates and images for each step when possible).
• QAPage schema: when community Q&A exists (e.g., course forums).
• Article schema: for full posts with byline and publish date.

Important: schema should reflect visible content exactly. Don’t markup content you don’t show. Use plugins if you’re non-technical but verify the generated JSON-LD matches your on-page answers.

Semantic HTML, headings hierarchy, clear URLs and metadata

• Use H1 for page title, H2/H3 for question headings.
• Put the Q&A block above the fold when the question is central.
• Create descriptive, short URLs: /pricing/custom-song-pricing-notes → better than /p?id=123.
• Metadata: craft meta descriptions that include the question and the short answer (helps click-throughs if AI doesn’t include a direct link).

Performance and UX: Core Web Vitals, page speed, and mobile readiness

AI engines and voice assistants favor content that loads fast and works on mobile:

• Compress images, use lazy-loading and a CDN.
• Aim for Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) < 2.5s and good CLS.
• Ensure answer blocks render in HTML (not injected by client-side JS), so crawlers and LLM scrapers can read them.

Step 4 — Build topical authority and trust so answer engines cite you

Create content hubs and internal linking that reveal topical depth

AI systems prefer authors/sites that show depth, not one-off answers. Build hubs:

• Cluster content around pillars (e.g., “Music Business” > pricing, licensing, marketing, course creation).
• Internally link: every Q&A or FAQ should link to a longer resource and vice versa.
• Use breadcrumbs and topical menus to show relationships.

Signals that matter: E-E-A-T, original data, authorship and update cadence

Demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness:

• Add author bylines with short credentials (Tonya Lawson — freelance musician & SEO).
• Showcase real examples, client results, or anonymized data (e.g., “Average course conversion 3.2% across 12 launches”).
• Cite sources for facts — link to studies or authoritative pages.
• Update content regularly (publish date + last updated date).

Off-site authority: citations, interviews, and syndication tactics for creatives

Help the wider web cite you:

• Publish interviews, guest posts, and collaborations that reference your original content.
• Create sharable assets: short templates, pricing calculators, or a free SEO cheatsheet that other sites link to.
• Encourage press mentions and podcast appearances — those backlinks and mentions strengthen AEO signals.

Step 5 — Optimize for multiple answer interfaces (search, voice, chatbots)

Format variations: short snippet, bulleted lists, tables, and conversational phrasing

Different surfaces require different outputs:

• Short snippet: 1–2 sentence answer.
• Bullets/tables: good for step lists, comparisons, and features.
• Conversational: include a short Q&A style that’s friendly for voice assistants.

How to adapt content for voice answers and chatbot follow-ups

• Use natural, spoken-language phrasing in questions and answers.
• Add clarifying follow-ups at the end of answers: “If you want steps, say ‘show me the five steps to X’.”
• Provide quick next-actions (CTA) that a chatbot can use: “Book a 15-minute consult” with a short URL slug.

Mini-format examples:

• Voice-friendly answer: “A custom song for social use typically costs between $500 and $1,200 for indie musicians. Higher prices reflect full rights or rapid delivery.”
• Chatbot follow-up prompt: “Would you like pricing tiers, licensing options, or examples of past work?”

Troubleshooting — Common problems and how to fix them

My content isn’t being picked: quick technical and content checks

• Check indexing, server-rendered content, and schema validity (use Rich Results Test).
• Make sure your answer is concise and appears near the question heading.
• Strengthen trust signals: author bio, citations, and original data.

Conflicting answers across pages: canonicalization and consolidation fixes

• Consolidate overlapping content and use 301s/canonical tags to the best page.
• Make one page the authoritative “hub” and use internal links to drive signals to it.

Traffic dropped after AI answers appeared: measuring real visibility and recovery tactics

• Make the on-page value worth the click: exclusive downloads, detailed examples, templates.
• Promote direct channels (email list, YouTube, podcast) to reduce dependence on search friction.

Verification, measurement and next-level recommendations

How to verify your content is being used by AI (logs, SERP features, branded queries)

• Search Console: look for rising impressions for the exact question phrase or similar.
• SERP monitoring tools: check whether your domain is cited in AI Overviews or featured snippets.
• Manual verification: query the question and inspect snippet for your domain being cited or linked.

Key metrics to track and an AEO-friendly reporting checklist

• Impressions for question queries (Search Console).
• Appearances in featured snippets, PAAs, AI Overviews (SERP tracker).
• Click-through rate and conversions on answer pages.
• Backlinks and mentions that cite your answer content.
• Update frequency and content freshness score.

Next-level moves: repurpose into micro-content, internal tools, and passive income offers

• Turn popular Q&A into a mini-course or paid brief.
• Create a downloadable template (pricing sheet, contract) to capture emails.
• Build a membership area where members get deeper answers and coaching.

Final checklist: publish, monitor, update — repeat!

• Does the page include a clear 1–2 sentence answer at the top?
• Is the content server-rendered and marked with the right schema?
• Are author byline and citations present?
• Are internal links pointing to a topical hub?
• Is the page fast and mobile-friendly?

If yes — publish, watch the data, and iterate.

You’re ready: start small, iterate fast

Pick three high-value questions from your content inventory. For each:

1. Add an answer-first Q&A block with a short, literal question heading.
2. Ensure the answer is server-rendered and marked with the appropriate schema.
3. Publish, monitor Search Console for impressions, and track conversions.

Remember: AEO is not a magic trick — it’s disciplined content design and trust-building. For creatives, it’s an incredible opportunity: answer the real questions your ideal clients are asking, and those answers will bring attention, authority, and steady inquiries without the noise of hustle culture. Go build answers people (and AI) love!

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It’s no secret that website visibility is key to success in today’s digital age. Without traffic, your website might as well not exist.

Direct and organic traffic are two important sources of website visibility that should be leveraged together for the best results. By understanding the differences between the two types of traffic and taking actionable steps to improve your marketing knowledge and analytics skills, you’ll be on your way to increasing your website’s visibility and reach.

What Is Organic Traffic?

Organic traffic is any traffic that is naturally generated from search engine results. This type of traffic is earned, as opposed to paid traffic, and typically happens when a user searches for something in a search engine like Google or Bing.

An organic traffic example might be someone who finds this article on Google when searching for the term organic traffic vs. direct traffic.

Organic traffic includes clicks on organic search results and is usually seen as more valuable than other types of website traffic since it generally results in higher conversion rates.

What Is Direct Traffic?

Direct traffic is categorized as traffic that does not come from a referring website. This might include organic searches conducted via a bookmarked URL or organic searches without accompanying keyword data. In some cases, it could also be attributed to users who type the URL of your website directly into the browser or are referred by social media.

However, this isn’t entirely true. An experiment done by SearchEngineLand and Groupon revealed that as much as 60% of what is considered to be direct traffic is organic traffic – meaning organic searches are being incorrectly categorized as direct.

This important distinction has led many website owners to question the accuracy of their analytical data and resulted in some changes to Google’s organic search algorithms.

Direct Traffic vs. Organic Traffic: Which one is more important?

When it comes to web traffic, organic traffic is considered the holy grail. This highly targeted type of traffic usually has a better conversion rate than direct traffic because it comes from individuals who are actively searching for a solution to a problem. This means organic traffic is more likely to result in sales or more qualified leads.

However, that doesn’t mean direct traffic isn’t important too. Direct traffic can still be valuable for website owners looking to increase their visibility and reach. Leveraging organic and direct traffic together can help boost website visibility and increase organic search engine rankings.

How to Check Your Website’s Organic Traffic

As a website owner, you want to make sure you’re getting plenty of organic traffic to your website, and to do this; you need to track organic search engine traffic. You can do this by using Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or a tool like HubSpot.

When you use one of these tools, you’ll be able to see how much organic traffic your website is getting and which pages are performing best. This will help you make data-driven decisions that will improve your organic search engine rankings

How To Check Organic Traffic Using Google Analytics 360 (Universal Analytics)

Universal analytics has been around since 2012 and provides Google Analytics 360 users with an improved tracking system. This system allows you to track organic search engine traffic from organic searches, as well as organic clicks from SERPs (search engine results pages).

To view organic search engine traffic in Google Analytics 360, log in to your account and click “Audience” under the “Behavior” section. On the left-hand side of the page, click on “Organic Traffic” to view organic search engine traffic details.

You can also use organic search engine traffic reports in Google Analytics 360 to identify which organic keywords are driving organic website visitors and clicks from SERPs. This will help you make informed decisions about organic search engine optimization and improve organic search engine rankings.

How To Check Organic Traffic Using Google Analytics 4

Google has announced that Universal Analytics will disappear on July 1, 2023, so if you haven’t yet switched to Google Analytics 4, now is the time to do so.

Google Analytics 4 also allows you to track organic search engine traffic from organic searches and organic clicks from SERPs.

To view organic search engine traffic in Google Analytics 4, log in to your account and click “Acquisition” under the “Reporting” section. Select “Search Console” and then click on organic traffic.

Just like with universal analytics, you can also use organic search engine traffic reports in Google Analytics 4 to identify which organic keywords are driving organic website visitors and organic clicks from SERPs. This will help you make informed decisions about organic search engine optimization and improve organic search engine rankings.

How To Check Organic Traffic Using Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to track organic traffic vs. direct traffic, as well as many other metrics.

To use the organic search engine tracking feature in Google Search Console, simply log in to your account and click on “Search Traffic.” Here you will be able to see how much organic traffic vs. direct traffic you’re getting as well as view organic search engine traffic details such as organic keyword searches, organic clicks from SERPs, and organic impressions.

This information can be used to identify organic search engine optimization opportunities, diagnose organic ranking issues, and improve organic search engine rankings.

How To Check Organic Traffic Using Hubspot

Hubspot is a powerful all-in-one marketing platform that allows you to track organic search engine traffic as well as organic clicks from SERPs.

To view organic search engine traffic in Hubspot, simply log in to your account and click on “Marketing > Analytics” in the left navigation menu. Here you will be able to access organic search engine traffic details such as organic keyword searches, organic clicks from SERPs, and organic impressions.

This information can be used to identify organic search engine optimization opportunities, diagnose organic ranking issues, and improve organic search engine rankings.

How to Check Any Website’s Organic Traffic

Not only can you check your organic search traffic, but you can also see how your competitor’s websites are ranking.

Using tools like SEMRush and Ubersuggest, you can easily check the organic traffic of any website. Just type in the domain name, and you will be able to see organic SERP ranking, organic keyword search volume, and other search metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), Impressions, CTR rate, and organic average position.

Organic vs. Paid Traffic Value

Now that we’ve compared organic traffic and direct traffic, let’s take a look at paid traffic. While organic traffic is still considered the holy grail of traffic sources, paid traffic is very targeted and can also be very effective in generating leads.

Paid traffic allows you to target specific keywords that are related to your products or services. While organic traffic requires you to wait for organic rankings to start appearing in the SERPs, paid traffic can get you immediate visibility and sometimes even speed up your ability to rank.

The downside to paid traffic is customer acquisition cost (CAC). With organic traffic, you are able to acquire customers for a lower price (the price of your web hosting and expenses) compared to when using paid traffic. Organic traffic also allows you to build trust with your target audience.

How Do You Get Organic Traffic?

While there are a number of factors that go into organic traffic acquisition, SEO is by far the most important. SEO stands for search engine optimization and is the process of optimizing your website for organic search engine rankings.

In order to get organic traffic from Google, you need to make sure that your website is optimized and follows best practices, such as using relevant keywords in your content and having an organic link-building strategy.

Why Is Organic Traffic Important?

Like we said before, organic traffic is the holy grail when it comes to page views because readers who find your page organically are actively searching for a solution to a problem. This means that organic traffic is highly targeted and more likely to convert than direct or referrer traffic.

Organic search engine rankings are also believed to be more trustworthy than other forms of online advertising, since organic search engine users are actively looking for the products and services you are offering.

How SEO Drives Organic Traffic

Search engine optimization is all about making sure that your website follows best practices and includes the keywords that you want to rank for.

When organic search engine users type in a query related to your services, Google will display organic results in order of relevance as determined by their algorithms. If your page matches the search so closely that it appears on page one of Google’s search engine results, you stand a much higher chance of getting organic visitors to your site.

How To Increase Your Organic Traffic

Set up Your Google Business Profile

Having a profile set up on Google My Business will help you appear in organic search engine results, as well as the local three-pack. Make sure to include all of your relevant business information, such as website address, contact information, and images, to ensure that your profile is complete. Including a local address and phone number proves to Google that you are a real person and real business, increasing your chance of ranking.

SEO Optimization

Be sure to optimize every page and blog post on your website for SEO. This includes optimizing your title tags and meta descriptions, including keyword-rich content, and creating internal links between pages.

These small changes will help Google understand the relevance of your website to organic search engine queries and increase your organic traffic over time.

Create Epic Content

The content on your website should be highly valuable and a one-stop shop for readers who are actively searching for a solution to a problem. You want to make sure your blog post is comprehensive and answers any questions they could possibly have to make sure they stay on your site until they decide to buy.

Target High-Volume Keywords

High-volume keywords are broad terms that many organic search engine users are searching for. They tend to have a higher organic search engine volume and competing websites, so it’s important to come up with creative ways of targeting them.

Do some keyword research to determine which high-volume keywords could bring organic traffic to your website. Be sure to create unique content focusing not only on your targeted keyword but also on related keywords and their long-tail counterparts. Keyword research is something we do a deep dive into in Creative SEO.

Check Your Website for Any Technical Issues

Technical issues such as slow page load times, broken links, de-indexing, and redirects can have a significant impact on search engine rankings. Be sure to audit your website for any technical issues that may be preventing you from ranking on page one.

Leveraging Organic and Direct Traffic for Maximum Visibility

It’s not always an organic traffic vs. direct traffic stand-off. Organic traffic and direct traffic are both important to website owners looking to maximize their visibility and organic search engine rankings. Understanding the differences between organic traffic and direct traffic, as well as how to increase organic traffic, is key.

To maximize organic visibility, you should focus on optimizing your website for both organic and direct traffic sources. Optimizing your website for organic search engines means creating content that is relevant to users’ searches, creating backlinks from other high-quality websites, and optimizing your website for keywords.

To have a better understanding of direct traffic sources, you should conduct experiments and track different variables to help determine the source of that traffic. By understanding how to utilize both organic and direct traffic, you can increase your overall visibility and drive more visitors to your website.

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Today it’s just not enough to be talented and creative – you need to put yourself out there and actively promote your work if you want people to actually see it.

Having your own website is essential for any business looking to reach a wider audience. Not only does it act as a portfolio or visual showcase of your work, but it also provides a space for you to share your thoughts and ideas with the world, 24/7. Plus, it allows you to connect with potential clients and brands who are interested in what you do. And lastly, having a website lends professionalism and credibility to your business – something that can be invaluable when establishing yourself as an authority in your field.

Your Website Can Be a Visual Showcase of Your Work

Whether you’re a musician, artist, writer, etc., showcasing your work is the best way to get people interested in what you do. Your website can act as a portfolio of this work and allow people to discover why they should be interested in it. Plus, having an online presence allows you to connect with even more potential fans who may have never seen your work.

Content Marketing Is Essential For Creative Businesses

Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to give your brand a voice and get it noticed. It involves strategically creating content that aligns with what your target audience is looking for and making this content freely available on your website. You can also take steps to amplify this content through social media and other relevant channels, further driving more people to your product or service.

A Website Allows You To Promote Yourself 24/7

Having your own website is like having the best version of yourself promoting your services or portfolio 24/7. No matter where in the world people might be, they’ll always have access to your content and will be able to learn more about why they should trust you with their business.

Ideal Clients and Brands Can Reach Out To You

Having a website that is optimized with SEO draws your ideal clients and brands in directly, allowing them to reach out to you directly for potential collaborations or to work with you. This means that instead of relying on cold emails or other methods of approach, they can find what they’re looking for right away. Plus, it’s always easier to land paid work when someone has already found you rather than having to do research.

Random Opportunities Will Appear More Often

You’d be surprised at how many seemingly random opportunities start appearing in your life when you focus on marketing yourself and increasing your online presence. Whether it’s a press opportunity, speaking engagement, or just an interested contact, the chances of these things happening will increase exponentially when you have a website that is visible to the world.

Your Website Helps You Take Ownership Of Your Online Presence

We love social media around here, but your social media channels can be shut down at any time without notice, but when it comes to your website and email list, YOU own them. Having your own website allows you to take more control of your online presence and build an audience that is solely yours.

You’ll Establish Authority in the Creative Space

Having a website affords you the opportunity to establish yourself as an authority in your own creative space. Not only does it showcase your work, but it also provides credibility when working with potential clients or brands. Plus, it allows you to share your knowledge in the form of blog posts, tutorials, or other content and can actually bring in regular passive income.

You’ll Display Professionalism and Credibility

Having a website has become almost essential for any business that wants to be taken seriously. It gives potential clients and brands an easy way to learn more about you and why they should trust you with their projects or needs. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to display your professionalism through your website’s design and content.

Your Audience Has Access to Uninterrupted Communication

Having a website allows you to connect with your audience on a more personal level without any interruptions from third-party algorithms or other issues. You can create email campaigns, post blog updates, or simply share your latest work with everyone who visits your website, allowing them to learn more about why they should trust you with their business.

You’ll Increase Your Brand’s Recognition

Having a website is also one of the most effective ways to increase recognition for your brand and get noticed by potential clients, collaborators, and other people in the industry. Your website acts as the hub of your online presence and becomes one of the most important tools you have to help grow your creative business.

A Website Can Give You Insight Into Your Audience

Not only can your website tell your audience more about you, it can also tell you more about your audience. With the help of analytics, you can gain insight into who is visiting your website and why. This information can be extremely valuable when it comes to understanding why people are interested in your work and how you can better reach them.

How To Use Your Website To Drive Sales

Not only can your website display your product or service to a wide audience, you can also use conversion-based copy to drive sales. This means incorporating persuasive language into your website design and content that encourages people to take action. You can use different forms of media, such as videos, images, and podcasts, to help capture the attention of potential customers and influence their decisions.

A Website Lets You Keep Costs Low

As creatives, we don’t always have much money to throw around, especially when we’re starting out. A website is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to get your name out there without spending a fortune. You can create and host your own website with relative ease or use the services of an expert, such as a web designer, to help make sure it looks professional and functions properly.

A Few Website Tips And Recommendations

Keep It Simple

When it comes to web design, simpler is almost always better. It’s easy to get caught up in the design aspect, but you really need to make sure you keep your website design clean and simple so that it doesn’t overwhelm visitors.

Optimize It For Search Engines

When creating content for your website, it’s important to use keywords related to your work so that people can easily find your site in search engine results. This will help you get more traffic and potential customers over time. If you’re not sure where to start, check out Creative SEO.

Have At Least One CTA On Every Page

CTA stands for call to action and refers to when you ask visitors to do something, such as sign up for your newsletter or follow you on social media. It’s important to incorporate at least one CTA on each page of your website so that people can easily take action if they want.

Add Open Graph Images

Open graph images are the images that show up when you share a link from your website on social media. They help attract attention and make it easier for people to find and share your content. Make sure to include them on all of your web pages so that they can be more easily shared.

Final Thoughts

Having a website is essential for any creative business looking to reach a wider audience, increase brand recognition, and establish authority in their given industry. Not only does it provide potential clients with an opportunity to learn more about you, but it also allows you to keep costs low compared to other marketing methods. Use the tips provided above and make sure that your website is well-optimized for search engines so people can find your totally awesome work!

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But achieving this goal is easier said than done – it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs). And SEO can be totally confusing if you’ve never done it before.

Thankfully, there are ways to improve your website’s visibility and optimize your content for the best possible results. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the basics of SEO for beginners and how you can use it to your advantage. We’ll also cover some common mistakes people make with keyword research and how to avoid them, as well as explain why it is important to keep content up-to-date. Finally, we’ll provide tips on how to optimize websites for maximum visibility in SERPs.

What Is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and in basic terms, it’s how to optimize your website to get found on Google. SEO is a combination of techniques and methods to help search engines better understand what your website is about and how it should be ranked in the SERPs.

How does SEO work?

SEO works by optimizing both onsite content (content you already have on your website) as well as offsite content (content found elsewhere on the web). Optimizing your content in a strategic way allows the bots that crawl websites to better understand your content and therefore rank it higher up in Google Searches. SEO also involves leveraging keywords to make your website easier to find on search engines.

Some of these strategic SEO techniques include things like keyword research, copywriting (or content creation), link building, SEO website audits, and A/B testing.

Why SEO is important?

SEO is crucial because it helps ensure that your website reaches the right audience. This is especially true for new or young websites. SEO helps improve your visibility when people are searching for content related to what you do, which leads to more traffic and potentially more conversions.

SEO also helps build trust and credibility. Since search engines only show the best content to their users, a reader is more likely to trust a website that appears higher in the SERPs, increasing their chances of becoming a customer. SEO is also important for staying competitive against other businesses that are looking to rank in the same space as you.

Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

The two core elements of search engine optimization are on-page SEO and off-page SEO.

On-page SEO involves optimizing elements within a website, such as titles, headings, content, images, alt text, and meta tags. This helps search engine crawlers better understand what your page is about.

Off-Page SEO involves techniques to enhance the authority of a page or website by getting other authoritative websites to link to it. This is done through things like guest blogging, social media marketing, and building relationships with other relevant websites. This type of SEO is what helps set you apart when it comes to Google’s E-E-A-T factor.

SEO Strategies: Black Hat Vs. White Hat

You may have heard the terms “black hat SEO” and “white hat SEO” thrown around. Black Hat SEO refers to tactics that are used to manipulate the terms black hat and white hat thrown around a lot but aren’t really sure what they mean.

Black hat SEO is when SEO techniques are used to manipulate the SERPs or gain an unfair advantage. SEO tactics such as keyword stuffing, link spamming, and creating doorway pages are all examples of black hat SEO.

Search engines frown against the use of these questionable practices, and they go directly against Google’s best practices.

White Hat SEO, on the other hand, uses SEO tactics that follow Google’s guidelines for SEO and focus more on creating quality content and providing a great user experience. SEO strategies such as keyword research, creating content with SEO in mind, link building in a natural way, building a presence on social media platforms, and optimizing your website for both desktop and mobile devices are all part of white hat SEO.

Why is SEO important for marketing?

If you are involved in the marketing world (and if you’re a musician or creative trying to sell their products or services, you are), SEO is critical in helping you reach the right audience.

SEO helps increase your visibility in search engines, so people searching for keywords related to what you do can find you more easily. SEO also helps build trust and credibility with potential customers, as well as create a great user experience. A good SEO strategy will boost your ranking on Google and other search engines, helping to increase your website traffic, and leading to potentially higher conversions and sales.

Things to consider when incorporating SEO into your Content

When incorporating an on-page SEO strategy into your content, you need to keep a few things in mind.

Creating Epic Content

Your goal is to keep people on your page as long as possible, so when creating content that converts, you need to anticipate every question a reader might have. Epic content is comprehensive, easy to navigate, and skimmable.

Quality

Not only should your content be comprehensive, but it should also be high quality.

We’ve all come across those blog posts that read like they were written by a robot (because they pretty much were). No one wants to trudge through dry and boring content, and search engines know that. That’s why content that is completely unique and well-researched will rank higher in the SERPs and be more likely to convert.

User Intent

Another thing to keep in mind when creating epic content is user intent, or what Google thinks the user intent is.

When a music teacher hears the words *music studio* they automatically think of a place where they teach private lessons, but when you google the same term, Google brings up locations where you can actually record music. That’s why understanding user intent is so important to SEO. Knowing what the user is looking for when they search a particular keyword can help you create content that answers their questions and provides them with valuable information.

Freshness

Keeping your content fresh and up to date is also essential for SEO. Search engines love fresh content, so making sure to update old content and add new content on a regular basis will help boost your SEO efforts.

Tips for Creating Quality Content

1. Create content with SEO in mind – This means using strategic keywords and phrases that are related to what you do.
2. Make sure your content is comprehensive and easy to read. Most people don’t read entire blog posts anymore so skimmability is important.
3. Keep user intent in mind – Before you start writing, research what people are looking for when they search for a particular keyword and make sure your content satisfies that intent.
4. Create content that is unique – People appreciate fresh content, and search engines do too. If you’re saying the exact same thing as everyone else, your post may get lost in the fray. Make sure your content is better than the competition, and you’re more likely to rank.
5. Optimize your content for SEO – SEO isn’t just about the words on a page. It’s also important to make sure your images, videos, and other visuals are properly optimized with SEO keywords as well.

Keywords

Keywords are the words and phrases used in a search query that let search engines know what kind of information you are looking for, and they are integral to SEO. Knowing which keywords people use when searching for your services or products will help you rank higher in the SERPs.

When doing keyword research, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

Keyword Selection

Keyword selection is of the utmost importance when it comes to ranking. When doing keyword research, you need to make sure you’re choosing the RIGHT keywords. Choosing low-competition keywords will help you rank higher in the SERPs, but if no one is actually searching for that keyword, it won’t do you any good. Finding the right balance between competition and search volume is critical when it comes to maximizing your SEO efforts.

Competition Analysis

When trying to rank for any keyword, it’s important to know who your competition is. Doing a competition analysis will help you determine which SEO techniques your competitors are using, so you can adjust yours accordingly. Additionally, it will let you know what kind of content is ranking for those keywords and how to make yours even better.

Search Intent

User intent, or search intent, is understanding what Google thinks users are actually looking for when they search any given keyword. Understanding what the user is looking for when they search a particular keyword can help you create content that answers their questions and provides them with valuable information.

Tips for Selecting the Best Keywords

Finding keywords that rank can be tricky, but these tips can help you out.

1. Start with broad keywords – These are the words that are most likely to be searched and can help you get started with SEO.

2. Move on to long-tail keywords – Long-tail keywords are more specific phrases that often have lower search volume, but they’re also less competitive, so they can help you rank higher and get more targeted traffic.

3. Analyze the competition – Knowing who your competition is will help you determine which SEO techniques they’re using, so you can adjust yours accordingly.

4. Look for opportunities – Keep an eye out for new trends in your industry and capitalize on them with keyword-rich content to gain a competitive edge.

5. Get creative – SEO isn’t just about keywords; it’s also about being creative and finding new ways to reach your audience.

HTML

HTML has been around for ages, but do you know what it actually means? Understanding what it is and how it affects SEO will help you to make the adjustments needed to land on page 1.

What is HTML?

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language, and it’s the code that search engines use to crawl your website. Using HTML correctly is essential for SEO success. Make sure you are using the right tags, keyword-rich meta descriptions, and other SEO tactics so search engines can properly index your site.

Title Tags

Title tags are the HTML code that tells search engines what your page is about and are an essential part of search engine optimization. They should include your primary keyword for the page, but to optimize them to the fullest, you need to make sure you keep them short (under 60 characters) and descriptive.

Meta Description

Meta descriptions are short summaries that appear under the title of an article in a Google search. They are used to give people an idea of what your page is about and should include relevant keywords for SEO purposes. Make sure you work in the keywords naturally in a way that is natural, easy to read, and makes sense.

Schema

Schema is a specific type of structured data that helps search engines better understand your content and can help boost SEO. It’s a unique way of providing additional information to search engines, so they know exactly what the page is about. This information helps them determine where to rank your content in search results.

Subheadings

Like title tags, subheadings are part of HTML and can help search engines better understand the content on your page. Subheadings should include keywords relevant to the topic and should be used to break up content into sections that are easy to read. Using subheadings keeps your content skimmable and helps to keep the reader on the page longer.

Alt Text

Alt text is the text placed into images to tell search engines what an image is about. It is also used by screen readers to help the visually impaired know what an image is. Including alt text with your images helps search engines understand your content and can also improve SEO.

URL Slug

The URL slug consists of the last few words of any URL. It’s important for SEO because it tells search engines what the page is about and can help you rank higher in search results. Make sure that your URL slug includes at least one of your primary keywords, as well as any other words relevant to your content. Most platforms default to the title of a blog post for the URL, but you can manually change it to create a more optimized slug.

Tips for Improving Your HTML

A few easy ways to improve your search engine optimization through HTML are:

1. Keep titles, subheadings, and meta descriptions short but descriptive

2. Use keywords throughout your HTML tags

3. Include relevant alt text for images

4. Use relevant keywords in your URL slugs

5. Make sure all of your HTML elements are properly formatted

Site Architecture

The architecture of your website can make or break you when it comes to SEO. A clean, logical site structure helps search engines understand your website and can make it easier for them to index your content. This includes keeping the navigation of your website simple and clear, as well as making sure you have a properly formatted XML sitemap so that all of your content can be indexed.

How Site Architecture Works

The architecture of your website should be organized in a logical way. This starts from the homepage and works its way down to all of your sub-pages. The goal is for every page only to be one click away from any other page. This not only helps search engine bots crawl more efficiently but also makes it easier for users to find what they’re looking for when they visit your website. Internal linking and silo pages are a great way to organize your website, making it more user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Easy to Crawl

In addition to user-friendliness, having a well-structured site architecture will also make your website easier for bots to crawl. This is important because search engine bots can’t index a website they can’t find. A clean, easy-to-crawl site is great for SEO because it makes sure your content is indexed and ranked correctly in search engine results pages.

Duplicate Content

When search engines find duplicate content on your website, they have no way of knowing which page is the original and which pages are copies, so they may not index any of them. This means that all of your SEO efforts may be wasted if you have multiple versions of the same page. To avoid this, make sure you only have one version of each page and use canonical tags to direct search engine bots to the original.

Mobile-Friendliness

Google’s rollout of core web vitals places a huge emphasis on both page experience and mobile friendliness. Since the majority of readers are using mobile devices to view websites, it’s important that your website looks good and functions properly on all screen sizes. You can use Google’s mobile-friendly test to check if your site is up to date. Additionally, improve SEO by making sure you have a responsive design and effective page speed optimization.

Tips to Improve Your Site Architecture

Even if your site is an organized mess, changing one or two things at a time can make all the difference in the world, so try these out.

1. Minimizing the number of clicks it takes to get from one page to another

2. Using SEO-friendly URLs that include keywords

3. Adding silo pages to organize content into categories

4. Utilizing internal links throughout your website

5. Creating a sitemap and adding canonical tags for duplicate content

Trust

In order for a search engine to rank your content, it first has to trust that your content is accurate and helpful to its users. This means creating content that is authoritative and informative, as well as linking to other websites where appropriate.

Elements of Trust on Your Website

Most search engines look for a few basic elements when it comes to trust. Site age, site speed, and links from authority sites are all factors that search engines consider. Additionally, you can also boost SEO by making sure your website is secure with an SSL certificate and adding a privacy policy page to your site.

Tips to Build More Trust

Building trust takes time, but you can speed the process up by taking a few basic steps.

1. Securing your website with an SSL certificate

2. Linking to other authoritative websites in your content

3. Adding a privacy policy page

4. Making sure all of your content is current and up-to-date

5. Keeping site speed fast by optimizing images and minifying code

Links

Links also play an important factor in SEO. Google and other search engines view links as a signal of trust and authority. It’s important to have both inbound and outbound links on your website.

Understanding Link Building

Link building is an important process of off-page SEO. Getting backlinks from other authoritative sites builds trust with Google and other search engines. It also boosts your E-E-A-T (we’ll get to that a little later). There is, however, a darker side to link building. Getting too many backlinks from spammy sites can cause your SEO to tank and drive you down in the rankings faster than you can blink.

Let’s take a look at several ways you can use links to improve your optimization, both on-page and off.

Backlinks

Backlinks are when one website links back to an article on your website. Backlinks are an important factor in SEO, and they give search engines a signal that your content is helpful and trustworthy.

Getting backlinks, however, can be tricky…especially if you’re website is brand new. You can work toward getting backlinks by fostering relationships with other bloggers in your niche, submitting guest posts to other websites, and using a tool like HARO.

Internal links

Internal links are when you link from one page on your website to another. Internal linking is important because it helps search engines understand how your pages are all connected. It also makes it easier for visitors to navigate through your website and find the content they are looking for.

When adding internal links, make sure you use SEO-friendly URLs and that they link back to relevant or related posts. This will help boost SEO and improve your user experience.

Black Hat vs. White Hat Links

Remember that dark side of link building we mentioned earlier? This is where SEO tactics can go from helpful to harmful. Black Hat SEO tactics, such as purchasing links and link swaps) are frowned upon by search engines and can get you penalized if you’re not careful.

White Hat SEO tactics like the ones we mentioned above, on the other hand, will boost your SEO rankings in a natural and organic way that is more likely to stand the test of time.

How To Improve Your Link Profile

1. Linking to other quality websites

2. Keeping all of your SEO-friendly URLs up to date

3. Increasing the number of internal links on your pages

4. Reaching out to other bloggers in your niche for collaborations and link exchanges

5. Using tools like HARO to reach out for backlinks

E-A-T

You’ve probably heard the term E-A-T floating around, but what does it actually mean for you? Let’s take a look at what it actually is and how it can influence your ranking in the SERPs.

What is E-A-T?

Google has something called E-A-T—Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness—that it uses to determine the quality of a website. This means that if you want to get SEO benefits from your content, it needs to be written by an expert in the field.

Google has now added an extra E into the mix (Experience). Many believe that the new E-E-A-T was added in response to the explosion of AI writers that can crank out blog posts in a matter of minutes.

It is more important than ever to prove there is a real human behind the writing by including personal photos, linking social media accounts, and writing in a tone that’s true to your own voice.

Google’s EAT Guidelines

Did you know that google actually has humans called search raters that manually review websites to determine relevance and quality? These raters are given a 176-page document of guidelines that they then use to create their ratings. The great news is there’s no secret to it. Google makes the document available to the public so you can review it at any time.

Tips for Improving Your EAT Score

In order for your SEO efforts to pay off, you will want to make sure that your website is following the guidelines set forth by Google’s search raters.

These are some of (but not all) the things they look for:

1. Accurate and up-to-date information

2. Clear structure and hierarchy

3. High-quality content that provides value to users

4. SEO-friendly keywords

5. Easy navigation and intuitive user experience

6. Good security measures in place

7. Trustworthy domain name, authority, and reputation

FAQ

How do I rank faster on Google?

The best way to rank faster on Google is to optimize your SEO and make sure you are following SEO best practices.

Can I rank a website without SEO?

Sure, but it will take a lot of time and effort. SEO helps you get your content to the right people at the right time, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with SEO trends and techniques if you want to rank quickly.

How much does SEO cost?

Nothing! SEO is completely free if you do it yourself. SEO services generally cost between $500 and $5000 per month, depending on the scope of work. If you’re a beginner, we suggest following our tips above to get started.

How can I learn SEO?

There are tons of great SEO resources available online. But make sure you’re learning from a reputable source. Spoiler alert, we have an SEO membership coming soon!

What is the best SEO tool?

It really depends on what your needs are. We personally recommend SEO tools like SEMRush, Ahrefs, and MOZ.

In Summary

SEO can be a complex and overwhelming topic for beginners, but with the right knowledge and tools, you can take your website to the next level.

SEO is all about understanding how search engines work and optimizing content in order to get more organic traffic from them. By following the SEO tips we discussed above, such as keyword research, keeping content up-to-date, improving link profile, and following Google’s EAT guidelines, you should have everything you need to start making progress on your SEO journey.

Don’t forget that SEO isn’t just about gaining higher rankings; it’s also about providing valuable information for users, so they keep coming back!

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By understanding the key terms related to SEO, you can ensure that your website is properly optimized and has a better chance of appearing at the top of Google results. So take a look at our ultimate glossary of SEO terms for beginners.

301 Redirect: This is a permanent redirect that tells search engines that a page has moved. It also helps to keep link equity when you move a page or change its URL.

Alt Attribute Text (or Alt Text): Alt text is typically used by screen readers to describe the image on your website. This text is also read by search engine crawlers and can help to boost your rankings.

Anchor Text: This is the visible text that links from one page to another. It helps search engines understand what the page linked to is about. Using relevant keywords in anchor text can boost your SEO and help your website rank on google.

Authority: Sometimes called DA or DR, authority is a measure of how influential a website is. Websites with high DA will usually appear higher in search engine results than sites with lower DA.

Backlinks: These are links from other websites that direct users to your website. They can help to boost your SEO by showing search engines that your website is important and relevant to others.

Backdoor Linking: This type of linking is done by using indirect methods to link from one page to another. It’s not recommended as it goes against Google’s best practices and can be seen as a form of spam by other search engines, negatively impacting your SEO.

Bots: These are automated programs that crawl websites, indexing pages and gathering information. This information is then used by search engines to determine the relevance of a webpage to certain keywords or phrases.

Breadcrumb Navigation: This is a type of website navigation that helps users and search engine crawlers to know where they are on a website. It usually shows the hierarchy of pages, starting from the homepage.

Canonical Tag: This is a type of HTML tag that tells search engines which page to use when multiple versions of the same webpage exist. It helps prevent duplicate content from negatively impacting your SEO.

Cloaking: This is a technique that shows different content to the bot crawlers than actually shows up in your browser. Most search engines view this kind of practice as a form of spam and it can negatively impact your SEO.

Deep Link: This is a link that goes directly to an internal page of your website rather than the homepage. Deep links help to spread the “link juice” around your site and can improve SEO.

Do Follow and No Follow: These are HTML attributes that tell search engines whether or not to follow a link. Do-follow links are the backlinks you want to get, since they help to boost SEO. No-follow links won’t help with SEO directly, but they still can be important for improving user experience and engagement.

Doorway Linking: This is a practice of sending users to a different page than they initially clicked on. Like cloaking, this practice is viewd as spam by search engines and can have a negative impact on your website’s SEO.

Headings: Sometimes referred to as H tags, these are used to organize content on a page and can help search engine crawlers understand the structure of your website. H1 is considered a title tag, H2 tags representing headings, and H3 tags are used for sub-headings.

Inbound Links: These are links from other websites that direct users to your website. They can help to boost your SEO by showing search engines that your website is considered important and relevant to others.

Indexing: This is when search engine bots crawl webpages and store information about them in their database so they can be found by users searching for specific keywords. Getting each blog post indexed by Google is the only way it will ever appear in the search rankings.

Index or No Index: These are HTML tags that tell search engine crawlers whether or not to index a particular page. If you don’t want your page to show up in search results, you can use the no index tag to block it from being indexed. No index tags are typically used for silo pages or other pages that offer duplicate content.

Keyword Density: This is a measure used to determine how many times a keyword appears on a webpage. Dividing the number of times your keyword is used by the total number of words on the page will give you your keyword density. It’s important to have a good keyword density in order to ensure your website shows up in search engine results. Too high a density can be considered keyword stuffing and goes against Google’s best practices.

Keyword Stuffing: This is an outdated practice of stuffing as many keywords into a webpage as possible in order to try to trick search engines into ranking a webpage higher in the SERPs. This practice is now highly discouraged by search engines and can have a significant negative impact on your website’s ranking.

Link Bait: This is content created with the intention of encouraging other websites to link back to it. While link bait sounds negative, it is actually an important part of SEO as it not only helps to get your website more visibility but it also shows search engines that your website is considered valuable and relevant by other webmasters.

Link Building: This is the practice of building inbound links from other websites to your own website. Done correctly, this can help to boost SEO by showing search engine crawlers that your website is considered; however, accruing a large number of black hat backlinks can have a negative impact on SEO.

Link Juice: This term refers to the power or authority that a website has. When a link is created, it passes some of its power or link juice to the destination webpage. Search engines use this link juice as an indication of how important and relevant your website is.

Long-Tail Keywords: These are keywords that are made up of three or more words and usually have less competition than shorter, more generic keywords. Long-tail keywords can be particularly effective for targeting niche audiences and providing more relevant search results.

Meta Description: This is a short description of your webpage that appears in the search engine result pages (SERPs). It’s often used as an opportunity for marketers to add persuasive content that encourages users to click through to their website.

Outbound Links: These are links from your website that direct users to other websites. Outbound links can help to build relationships with other websites and provide documentation to support any data or statistics cited in your articles. Both of which can be beneficial in terms of SEO.

Page Rank or Page Authority: This is a numerical value that search engines assign to web pages. It measures the authority of your webpage in terms of its content and its link profile. A higher page rank or page authority indicates that a webpage has more relevance and importance than other pages with a lower score and will likely rank higher in the SERPs.

Responsive Web Design: Responsive web design is the practice of designing websites that automatically adjust to fit any size device. Since the majority of users now access the internet from a mobile device, having a responsive web design ensures users can access your website and its content with ease.

SERP: This stands for Search Engine Result Pages and refers to the page of web results that a search engine provides in response to a user query. Optimizing your website or blog, so it appears higher up on SERPs is essential if you want to increase your website’s visibility.

Sitemaps: These are XML documents that contain all the pages on a website and their hierarchy. Sitemaps are used by search engine crawlers to discover new web pages and determine how to index them.

In Summary

Understanding SEO terms can be intimidating for beginners, but it is essential if you want to get your website or blog noticed by search engines. By familiarizing yourself with the key concepts of SEO, you’ll be able to optimize your site correctly so that it appears higher up on SERP rankings. Investing time in learning these principles NOW will help ensure your success down the road!

Learn more about SEO and how you can use your website to build out passive income streams.

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