Easy SEO Guide for You: Keywords, Links & Success Tips

If you’ve ever wondered how websites appear at the top of Google, the answer is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). SEO is all about making your website more visible to people who are searching for things online. It’s a simple concept, but quite a complex process. It helps bring more traffic to your site, improve your credibility, and ultimately get more enquiries, sales, or sign-ups.

Whether you’re running a business, starting a blog, or managing a side project, this is how ti all works.

Keywords

Let’s start with the backbone of SEO: keywords.

Keywords are the words and phrases people type into Google (or any other search engine) when they’re looking for something. If your website uses the same words people are searching for, there’s a better chance it will show up in the results. In theory, at least.

Here’s an example. If someone types “best running shoes for flat feet” into Google, and you sell running shoes, you’d want that phrase or something very close to it to appear naturally in your product descriptions or blog posts.

There are a few types of keywords to be aware of:

Short-tail keywords

These are very broad, like “trainers” or “laptops”. They get lots of searches but are highly competitive. You’ll struggle ranking for these unless you have a lot of authority, which we’ll look at shortly.

Long-tail keywords

These are more specific, like “best waterproof hiking boots for winter”. They might not get as many searches, but the people who do search them are usually ready to buy or take action.

Related keywords (also called semantic keywords):

These are words and phrases connected to your main topic. For example, if your page is about coffee beans, related keywords might include “Arabica”, “coffee grind size”, or “cold brew”.

The goal with keywords is to include them naturally in your content, in your headings, in the body of your text, and even in your image names and page titles. But don’t stuff them in. Search engines are smart enough to tell when a page is helpful versus when it’s just trying to rank.

How to Find Them

Now that you understand what keywords are, the next step is figuring out how to find the right ones to target.

This process is called keyword research, and it helps you discover what your potential customers or readers are actually searching for.

Here are some practical ways to do keyword research:

1. Use free tools

Google Keyword Planner: Originally built for Google Ads, but still a great way to see rough search volume and keyword ideas. It’s not precise, but it’s a great start.

Google autocomplete: Start typing something into Google and see what it suggests. These are based on real searches. It’s a big help!

Google’s “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches”: These often appear on the search results page and give you extra keyword ideas. Look for these with every search of your keywords.

Google Trends: Helps you compare search interest over time. It also gives some insight into newly trending queries to give you a head start.

2. Use paid tools (if you’re serious about SEO)

SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz all offer in-depth keyword data. These tools show how many people are searching for a term, how difficult it is to rank for it, and who your competitors are. They do a LOT of things. Don’t get too bogged down here yet, but check them out later. This is what professional SEO agencies use every day,

3. Look at your competitors

Search your main topic in Google and look at the top-ranking pages. What keywords do they use in their titles, headings, and content? Tools like Ubersuggest or SEOquake (a browser extension) can help you dig into this a bit more if you use Chrome. There’s a load of free tools out there to check out.

Focus on keywords that have decent search volume, match what you offer, and aren’t too competitive when you’re just starting out.

What is Search Intent?

Search intent is one of the most important concepts in SEO. It’s all about understanding what someone really wants when they search. After all, Google wants users to find their info ASAP.

Imagine someone types “buy running shoes online”. That’s clearly someone ready to make a purchase. But if they search “best running shoes for beginners”, they’re still researching. Both are valuable, but they’re at different stages of the buying journey. Neither of these queries, however, would show results for how to make running shoes, because that’s irrelevant.

There are four main types of search intent:

Informational: The person wants to learn something. (Example: “how to tie trail shoes”)

Navigational: They’re looking for a specific brand or site. (Example: “Nike UK website”)

Transactional: They want to buy or take action. (Example: “cheap trail running shoes size 9”)

Comparative/Commercial: They’re weighing up options before buying. (Example: “Nike vs Adidas running shoes”)

Understanding intent helps you create content that actually serves the searcher’s needs. If you give people what they want, search engines are more likely to reward you with better rankings.

And just to show how seriously Google takes this, a Google engineer testified in a 2025 US court case (part of an antitrust investigation) that matching search intent is one of the top three ranking factors used in their algorithm. This confirmed what many in the SEO world had long believed. It’s not just about keywords, it’s about meeting the user’s expectations.

What Are Backlinks?

Another big part of SEO is something called backlinks.

A backlink is when another website links to yours. Think of it like a vote of confidence. If a trustworthy site links to your content, it signals to search engines that your site is credible and worth showing to more people.

There are different types of backlinks:

Natural backlinks: These come from people linking to your content because it’s useful. For example, someone might link to your blog post in their own article.

Guest post backlinks: When you write a guest article for another website and include a link back to your own.

Directory backlinks: Listings on business directories, industry-specific sites, or local platforms.

The more high-quality backlinks you have, the better. But it’s not just about quantity; quality matters most. A single link from a trusted source like a national newspaper or university, is more powerful than dozens of spammy links from low-quality sites.

Be careful, though. Buying links or participating in link schemes can get your site penalised by Google. Focus on earning links by creating genuinely helpful content and building relationships in your industry. It’s hard, but it’s pivotal.

(Also, if you’re emailing random sites with “Hi, can I get a backlink?” please stop. Nobody likes that.)

How to Track SEO Success

Once you’ve started working on SEO, how do you know if it’s working?

Luckily, there are several tools that help you monitor your website’s performance and see where improvements are needed.

1. Google Search Console

This is a must-have for anyone doing SEO. It’s free, and it shows you:

• Which keywords you’re ranking for
• How many clicks and impressions your pages get
• Your average ranking position
• Any technical issues that might be stopping your site from performing

It also lets you submit your sitemap so Google can crawl your site more efficiently.

2. Bing Webmaster Tools

Similar to Google Search Console, but for Bing. This one gives insights into how your site is performing on Microsoft’s search engine, which still holds a decent market share, especially on desktop computers. It has a boatload of other tools too, so it’s worth checking out.

3. Third-Party SEO Tools

If you want deeper data or are managing multiple sites, paid tools can be a great investment. Tools like:

• SEMrush
• Ahrefs
• Moz
• Ubersuggest

These tools offer everything from keyword tracking and backlink analysis to site audits and competitive research. They make it easier to see what’s working and what’s not, all in one place.

Just a heads up, some of these tools can be a bit pricey. Some more so than others. Make sure you actually need the features before subscribing. It’s easy to get carried away with shiny graphs and dashboards when you really just need to fix your broken pages and write better content.

Final Thoughts

SEO doesn’t need to be intimidating. At its heart, it’s about understanding your audience, creating content that answers their questions, and making sure your website is easy for search engines to understand.

It’s not instant. It’s not always glamorous (at all). And sometimes you’ll wonder why the hell a random forum post from 2009 is outranking your carefully written blog.

But stick with it. Keep learning, keep tweaking, and keep putting your audience first. Over time, SEO will reward you with steady, sustainable growth.