Every online business needs some form of optimisation, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. If you haven’t got the budget but do have some spare time to learn, our guide on doing SEO for free is just for you; We’ll show you how to use the latest strategies and free tools to optimise your website without spending a penny.
Whether you’re a seasoned website builder or a beginner, this guide offers practical, actionable advice on keyword research, on-page optimisation, image optimisation, and how to check your rankings. We’ve split things down into 5 sections including keyword research, technical, on page, off page and analytics to help you optimise and rank your website for each section without breaking the bank.
Keyword research
keyword research – google keyword planner / ahrefs keyword generator
Free Google Tools
Google Search Autocomplete: Take advantage of the suggestions that pop up when you type in the search bar for common search terms. Related Searches: Locate more related search terms at the end of the search results page.
Google Trends Trend Analysis: Examine the popularity of search terms over time and compare different keywords. Trending Topics: Find out about trending topics and related search terms.
Google Keyword Planner Keyword Ideas: Create keyword ideas and view estimates of how many searches they will get. Keyword Trends: Look into keywords that are trending and gaining popularity.
Other Free Keyword Research Tools
Ubersuggest Keyword Overview: View the number of searches, SEO difficulty, and cost per click for keywords. Keyword Suggestions: Discover related keywords and content ideas.
Ahrefs keyword generator: You can find keyword ideas for free using Ahrefs database of over 8 billion queries! With the ability to add up to 10 words or phrases delivering a list of potential keywords you can target for your website.
Top tip
Another great tip on how to do SEO for free is to review your competitors websites, if they rank well take a look at their page titles and meta descriptions, you’ll find the keywords they are targeting in these places. Study the on page content keywords can be found in headings and repeated terms in their content.
Technical SEO
Performing SEO technical work is essential to make sure your website is easily found and listed by search engines, and it can be effectively accomplished with free resources like Screaming Frog and Google PageSpeed Insights. Screaming Frog’s basic version lets you check up to 500 URLs, giving you important information about your website’s layout, spotting faulty links, duplicate content, and other significant problems that could hinder your SEO efforts. This tool also aids in examining meta tags, creating XML sitemaps, and reviewing redirects.
Google PageSpeed Insights, another priceless free resource, assesses your website’s speed and offers in-depth reports on its performance across both mobile and desktop platforms. It provides practical advice on how to speed up page loading times, which is crucial since page speed affects your ranking in search engine algorithms. By consistently utilizing these tools, you can keep your website’s structure in good shape, boost the user experience, and increase your website’s appearance in search engine results.
On-page SEO
Enhancing your website’s search engine optimisation for free is easy with the help of tools such as Yoast SEO and various free online image compressors. Yoast SEO, a well-liked free WordPress extension, aids in boosting your website’s SEO by providing tips on keyword optimisation, suggestions for improving readability, and feedback on your SEO performance.
To improve the optimisation of images, there are a few free online compressors available, including TinyPNG and Image Compressor, which reduce the size of image files without affecting their quality by to much, thereby speeding up the loading of pages. By utilising these free resources, you can enhance the content and images on your website, this can result in higher rankings on search engines!
Off-page SEO
Gaining free off-page SEO and backlinks is achievable through a variety of manual tactics. Begin by producing top-notch, shareable material that naturally draws in links from other sites, these efforts are a good start but without outreach will not do much for a new website. Get involved in guest posting on sites that are relevant to your field to secure backlinks and boost your visibility.
Join online communities like forums and social media groups by offering useful information and linking back to your content when relevant. Connect with influencers and other site owners to establish relationships that might result in backlink opportunities. Moreover, submit your site to appropriate directories and local business directories to improve your online visibility and backlink profile without the need for paid tools or expensive backlink agencies.
Analytics
Using Google Search Console and Google Analytics for free can give you some great tips for making new stuff. Google Search Console lets you figure out which keywords and questions are driving people to your site, showing what they’re looking for. It also points out how your current stuff is doing in search results, showing where you need to step up your game.
Google Analytics gives you all the nitty-gritty on how people are using your site, like which pages they like the most and how they move around. By digging into this info, you can spot where you’re missing out on content, get a better idea of what your audience wants, and whip up content that’s tailored to their needs and boosts your site’s search engine ranking.
How to do SEO for free summary
So there you have it! A few tips and tricks on how to do SEO for free in, using these free tools and insights from Google can really help get your website climbing to the top of search results, if you are looking for extra help and don’t fancy getting stuck into the back end of your own website feel free to get in touch with Smart SEO Cornwall for help with your SEO!
