There are many different ways to get people to come to your website. The best ways are always the ones that are free! Most people get their free traffic from search engines. The top search engine by far is Google which is also the most popular website on the Internet.

“Build it and they will come,” does not work on the Internet. You have to use the tools and tricks of the trade to get people to your website. The #1 source of website traffic is the Google search engine. If you can get ranked at the top of the Google for highly searched for keywords you can make a good living on free traffic.

Google does not just send you traffic for no reason. You’ll need to let the search engines know what your page is all about so they will know when to display it and for which keyword searches.

The way Google looks at what information to rank has really changed over the years. In the past Google liked to rank websites. A website could be an authority on a particular subject, whereas today, Google looks more at a single page for ranking factors. They will rank internal pages at the top of the search results no matter what the website is about.

You need to think of an internal webpage as a one page website. Google wants to rank the most authoritative page for a keyword search. Be honest with yourself and ask, “Would I consider this the best, most informative page on the planet for this subject?” If not, you’ve got work to do!

Ideally you want a page so valuable with information that other websites link to your page as a resource for the topic without you even having to ask! Link  building is an external SEO tactic that we will cover later.

With today’s search engine optimization (SEO) you can build an authoritative single page. There are several factors that will help a webpage rank high in the search engines. Below is a list of the basic SEO on-page factors.

On-Page SEO Ranking Factors

1. Keyword Phrases. You must have the keyword phrase on the page for search engines to know what to rank the page for. Keyword research can be an entire episode in itself. Basically start with the keyword phrase you think your audience will be searching for. Example would be “On-Page SEO”. The best keywords are words that are highly searched for but have the least amount of competition. Example: I ranked high for Tatoo Designs back in the day because tons of people were searching for tatoo (tattoo) designs but couldn’t spell tattoo. Other people didn’t want to spend time ranking for the misspelling so I had limited competition.

2. URL. Once you decide on your main keyword phrase you will want to use it in your URL. A URL is the address of the page on the Internet. You should have the keyword phrase in the URL with dashes in between words. Don’t stuff a URL with lots of keywords and try to keep it as short as possible. Example: the URL for this page is CurtisTucker.com/on-page-seo-basics.

3. Title Tag. Many times your page title will be the same as your URL but it does not have to be. Hidden in the header of a pages HTML code are Meta Tags. These tags can be filled out using SEO plugins in WordPress. If you use a different platform you’ll need find out where you go to add that tag. The title tag shows up on the title bar of a browser and it also shows up as the title of the page in a search result. Keep your title between 45-60 characters. Use as much of it as you can but stay below 60 characters which is the amount Google will display in their search results. Example: the title for this page is “On-Page SEO Basics and How To Rank High In Google.” Notice how it is not an exact match of the URL?

4. Description Tag. The description tag is also a meta tag hidden in the header of the page. It is a great place to quickly describe what the page is about. Keep the character count between 145-160. Use your keyword phrase in the description along with any associated words. Example: the description for this page is “Learn how to rank high in the Google search engine with these on-page SEO tactics. Optimize your page for more targeted traffic.”

5. Header Tags. Be sure to use H1, H2, H3 and H4 header tags throughout the page. You don’t have to use every size. Include your main keyword phrase in a few of them. H1 tags carry the most weight and authority. Example: I added the H3 title “On-Page SEO Ranking Factors.”

6. Body Text. Use your primary keyword phrase within the first paragraph or two. Avoid duplicate content meaning don’t go copy information from another website and paste it into your website. Google knows. Be sure to break up your long body text using subheadings and bullets. Example: I used numbered points in this article.

7. Word Count. Write a detailed article about you subject matter/keyword phrase. Try to type at least 800 words if possible and shoot for 1800! When it comes to body content more is better as long as the content is good and informative. Keep your keyword count around 3% of total word count. Example: this blog post has over 1500 words.

8. Images. You can’t have a very authoritative page without at least one image. Choose an image that is related to the subject of the page. Actually name the image using your primary keyword like “your-keyword.JPG”. Once you upload your optimized image add the keyword phrase in the image title and image alt tag. Images don’t just have to be photos, they can also be informative graphics. Example: the image at the top of this article was 3.7mb in size. I reduced the size to 900px by 470px at 72 dpi which dropped the size to 178kb. The image is called “on-page-seo.JPG”. The alt text is “On-Page SEO Tactics”and the title is “On-Page SEO Factors”.

9. Links. Link to external authoritative websites. Use keywords in the link text. Also use internal linking! Have high ranking pages on your website link to your new page and be sure to use the keyword phrase in the text link. Example: this is a link I created to the Google Search Engine (“search engine” being the keyword phrase).

10. Loading Speed. Loading speed is an on-page ranking factor. If you’re page loads slow Google will not reward you and your visitors may leave before the page loads. You’ll need to learn about optimizing photos to keep their size small. You also need to make sure code and scripts on your page are not taking a long time to load. If I get some time I’ll time this page for loading speed.

11. Above The Fold. Above the fold is basically the area that can be seen on the screen without having to scroll down. Have your best keyword phrases and related keywords above the fold. Move big slow loading images and graphics below.

12. User Experience. You want the visitor to your webpage to have the best possible experience. Google knows exactly how their experience is going. Google is aware of load speed, bounce rate, time on page, click thru rate, etc. Your goal is to attract a visitor to your page using the correct keywords, have them find valuable info very quickly, entice them to stay and read or learn more and then have them follow one of your links to another website for additional info.

13. Extras. It can’t hurt to embed a podcast about on-page SEO and also embed a video about on-page SEO! See how I just used that keyword phrase two more times?

This blog post was created to help with on-page SEO tactics. Is it the best page on the Internet for that subject? No. I’m more into creating the podcast and vlog than I am into ranking for the blog post. Do I want to rank high in Google for this subject? Of course! I can always go back and improve on this page over time.

Also be aware that you can niche down and try to rank for less competitive keyword phrases. There will be less traffic overall but you might rank #1 and actually get more traffic! I could try to optimize this page for “On-Page SEO Basic for a WordPress Website”. Less popular keywords and longer keyword phrases are called long-tail keywords. You can gather lots of traffic with dozens of long-tail keywords.

Be sure and check your facts and your spelling! Google knows!

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Getting your website online early gives you time to learn. By the time you decide on your business idea or side gig you’ll have enough knowledge to start adding great content.

Once your website is online and you’re ready to start using it to attract visitors you’ll want to make sure it is ready for Google and the other search engines. This is a list of elements that just about every website should have.

There are other elements that could have been included but some of those are just content and fluff. Go over your website and make sure you have these 20 essential elements.

These will make it easier on your visitors and will help you with the basics for getting ranked in search engines. If you don’t understand a few of these I will most likely cover them in detail later down the line. In the mean time just search online for additional information for any element you do not understand.

20 Most Essential Website Elements

1. Logo and Name. Your branding elements on every page of the website. Usually found in the header. Be sure the logo image loads quickly and has your company name in the Alt Tag and description. Usually a .JPG or .PNG.

2. Homepage. This should be your introduction page with welcoming information. Add a short story about what you do.

3. Call To Action. If you need the visitors to perform an action let them know! Have them subscribe, download, ask questions, click links, provide information, search, etc.

4. About Page. This describes who you are and tells your story in depth. Might include a photo. If you have some great history add it here. This page could include bios of other employees.

5. Blog. Blogs keep your website fresh and updated. Provide information, entertainment and updates. Some website have the blog as the homepage while others just have a link in the menu to the blog.

6. Contact Page. Include an email form, map, phone number and address. Make sure everything you add here works! Test it. When someone contacts you answer them quickly. You could add your hours here also.

7. Contact Info. Add a phone number or email on every page possibly in the footer. You never know what page a visitor will enter your page on so be sure whichever page it is you have quick contact info.

8. Privacy Policy. It’s boring but you need this on your website. Explain how personal info and data (e.g. advertising, cookies, emails etc) collected will be used, and whether or not it will be shared with third parties. Place a link in the footer.

9. Sitemap. A sitemap page should include links to all of your web pages and blog posts. A sitemap link could be located in the footer of every page. There are XML and HTML site maps. WordPress has sitemap plugins.

10. Search Box. You need to allow visitors to easily search your website for information. You can use a search feature from the website itself or use code from Google for a Google search. Try to add this in the sidebar of every page.

11. Social Media Icons. Be sure to link to all of your social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. These small icons can be in the footer or sidebar. WordPress has widgets that help with these icons.

12. Responsive Theme/Template. Be sure your WordPress or other website is responsive. That means your website will display correctly depending on if a visitor is on a computer, pad or phone.

13. Meta Tags. Make sure you fill in the hidden meta tags in your header. You’ll need a website title and description. Without these tags search engines will not know how to correctly rank you.

14. SEO. Search Engine Optimization. This will be an entire blog post/episode in itself. Just be sure you know how and where to add keywords, headline text, images, and content. WordPress has great SEO plugins.

15. Email Signup. Everyone needs to build an email list! Ask visitors to sign up with a simple form or link. An email list is something you own and keep. It’s your secure connection to your best fans or customers. Try Mail Chimp.

16. Navigation Menu. This may seem obvious but be sure to link to your most important pages at the top of the page. Do not overdue the links in the main menu, maybe limit to 5-7. Add navigation menu to every page.

17. Google Analytics. Get bazillions amounts of information on your visitors by letting Google track them. Learn who your visitors are, where they came from, where they are going, what they are searching for and more. A must have.

18. SSL Certificates. An SSL certificate is needed for websites accepting payments and collecting user data. They help keep the website secure. Google has now come out and said websites with SSL will rank higher because they are trusted.

19. Copyright Notice. Original content on your website is automatically protected under copyright law. Include a copyright notice on your website. It can support your legal rights and may deter infringements from happening.

20. Images. A website would be very boring without photographs and illustrations. Break up long blocks of text with images. Be sure images are optimized so they load quickly. Homepage sliders with great images are very popular.

That’s 20 elements every website needs. Do you think I missed one? Leave your ideas and thoughts in the comments. Don’t forget… start now!

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If I’ve said it once I’ll say it again, “Everyone needs a website!” Even those that don’t need a website, need a website. You’ll never make a good impression in the online world without a web presence.

I’ve also talked about getting started no matter what. You’ve got to eliminate excuses so you can just get going. Starting a blog or website is not as difficult as you might think. If you are not ready to start your side gig you still need to start the process and that entails setting up a website.

A website cannot be seen online without having a domain name and without being hosted on a server somewhere. Your domain name registrar and hosting service company do not need to be the same.

I highly recommend that you build your blog and website on the WordPress platform. WordPress itself is completely free and open source but it does require a paid hosting plan. WordPress hosting can cost as little as $2.95 per month. It’s the number one web building software on the Internet.

WHAT’S A BLOG

Don’t get confused between a website and a blog. A blog is a “web log” or journal that is an addition to a website. A website without a blog is very static and does not change much. Blogs are dynamic and change all of the time.

A website is made up of pages like home, about us, contact, sitemap, etc. A blog is made up of posts that are continuously updated and can be categorized by topics and easily searched for. WordPress is a website and blogging platform. If you don’t want to update a blog you can just turn it off.

Blogs have dated posts that can be grouped by months and years. Blog posts can really help with search engine ranking because they are fresh and topics can cover a large number long tail keywords.

Blogging has become very popular and blogs are a great way of making extra money on the side while working from home. Affiliate links and ads can be inserted into blog posts which generate advertising income.

FREE WEB PLATFORMS

If you are absolutely broke and plan on using that as an excuse I am going to include a few completely free options. You can get started and test things out with a free blog and not have any commitment. Once you’re ready to move to the next level you can switch to WordPress.

Free blogging platforms include Wix.com, Weebly.com, Blogger.com and Tumblr.com. Wix and Weebly are newer, Tumblr is a micro blogging platform and Blogger has been around the block a few times.

Wix and Weebly are pretty easy to use. Almost too easy. They allow you to choose from assorted templates and include a drag and drop system to build your site. Use these platforms to cut your teeth on. Set them up and just start typing. Nobody ever has to know they are online. Upload photos, try to add videos, test their limits.

Blogger and Tumblr are older but have their own communities. I was building HTML websites in 1999 and when I discovered blogs I used Blogger as the blog on my websites. It was 2003 and WordPress had just been created. I basically built websites and had a link called “blog”. When surfers clicked on the link they were taken to the Blogger website where they saw my blogs. Clunky but it worked. If I had known code I would have invented WordPress.

Tumblr is part micro blog, part social media network. It’s really easy to get started. Check it out if you just want to have a little fun and get something online in minutes. There are also many other free blogging platforms online.

The advantage to using these free blogging platforms is that they are simple to use, quick to setup and you don’t need to connect them with your domain name, although you can. These are for you get break the ice and get started.

The disadvantage to these free websites and blogs is that they have limits. They do not have the full capabilities of WordPress and they are proprietary, meaning you can only use them on the website/server they are associated with.

USING WORDPRESS

WordPress is the leading web building software on the Internet. Many of the largest websites and most popular blogs use WordPress. It is open source and completely free. You can move your WordPress website to any web hosting company. You’ll also find tens-of-thousands of themes, plugins and tutorials.

If you love to figure things out and you’re not afraid to try I would recommend you just start with WordPress and skip the other free platforms. I’ll eventually talk you into moving to WordPress down the road so avoid the nagging and start now!

Web design has become so much more simplified than back in the day. Websites these days are built on themes that can easily be switched with the click of a couple of buttons. There are thousands of themes for WordPress and the other web designing platforms. Do a few searches and you’ll find free and paid themes.

Free themes can be very cool. Unfortunately some of them come with no support and the author may stop updating them without warning. If the theme is not updated it could eventually stop working with the web designing platform like WordPress. Paid themes have more support and tend to get updated for much longer times.

About the only downfall I’ve found with WordPress is all of the updates. Luckily many hosting companies now update WordPress automatically which is fantastic. Be sure to check in your dashboard and see if your WordPress version needs an update. If your host does not update automatically you’ll need to click a few links to get it to update. Once updated you’ll also need to update plugins.

A theme or plugin that does not get updated can stop working correctly or develop a “back door” that a hacker could break into. Once you get used to this it doesn’t really take much time at all.

WEB HOSTING

Many web hosting companies now offer WordPress packages like HostGator.com. I use HostGator for almost all of my websites. A WordPress hosted account means the software is automatically installed for you so there’s no setup.

HostGator will migrate your website if it is currently hosted somewhere else. They also offer an SSL Certificate, Backups, Domain Name and more. They also have great deals when you first get started. Give them a try! If you sign up after clicking on my link I might even make a buck through an affiliate sale.

When choosing a web hosting company be sure to look into a few specific things. Does the hosting include free email accounts, SSL certificates and 24 hour support? Look for packages that include unlimited websites, unmetered storage, unlimited bandwidth, subdomains, backups and other bonuses.

If you’re building an eCommerce store there are many other things to look into. Shopify and other shopping cart websites might be the easier way to go. I’ll do a future episode on building an eCommerce website. But that shouldn’t stop you from starting on something now!

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The post How To Start A Blog For Your Side Gig appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

Think of your website as your house, the place where you live online. Like a regular home you need an address to be found. Rather than assign a website along list of numbers you get to choose an easy to remember domain name. Your domain name is associated with a set of name servers that tell the Internet where your website is hosted. Name server addresses are entered at your domain name account registrar like Go Daddy or Network Solutions.

Think of a phone number like 1-800-843-2665. It would be easier to remember 1-800-THE-COOL. That’s exactly why we use domain names. There are many factors in deciding on the perfect domain name. Take a little time to research your choice but don’t let that stop you from getting started. Pick something and get going, you can always make changes later.

You can always change your name at a later date and even forward a new name to the old one. But! Don’t wait too long. If your business or side gig starts picking up steam you will need to make a decision quickly. The age of a domain name has been a ranking factor in Google before so the sooner you can get your name online the better.

I personally have owned over 100 domain names and still have a rather large collection. I have my own set of rules that will help guide you to a great domain name. There might be a reason for you to differ from my guidelines which is fine.

1. Purchase your name, business name, brand or keywords. This seems pretty obvious. I own CurtisTucker.com which is my name. I run EnidBuzz.com which is the name of my main gig. And I purchased EnidBusinesses.com which is a local business directory for Enid, Oklahoma. Most people will search for you by name so it would be advisable to buy your name if possible. Unfortunately your name may not be available. Someone may already be using it or a cyber squatter may have reserved it.

If you can’t get your exact domain name you can alter it slightly or choose a different name. At one time I wanted to buy CartoonLogos.com but it was not available so I purchased ECartoonLogos.com. If your name is gone try adding your middle initial or full middle name.

There might be circumstances where you want to buy your name or business name but would like to use something else as your domain name. Guess what? You can point more than one domain name to the same website! You cannot point a domain name to more than one website though. For example, I purchased CurtisTucker.com years ago but have since started branding myself as That Buzz Guy. So! I purchased ThatBuzzGuy.com and it forwards to CurtisTucker.com! Just like a phone number or email address.

Another example of when you might need two domain names is if one is very long or hard to remember. I purchased BottleCapsMercantile.com because we opened a brick and mortar store. That is the name of the store but is a bit much to type all of the time. So I also purchased BCMerc.com which forwards to BottleCapsMercantile.com. That way I can give people a much easier name to type in.

2. Purchase a .com. You can tell someone a million times that your website is WhiteHouse .gov and they’ll usually go straight to WhiteHouse.com. I always suggest getting a .com. Almost everyone has heard of famous DotComs whereas very few remember a famous .net, .edu, .org, etc. If you can’t get the .com go with a different name rather than going for a .net. Anything other than the .com will appear as not being the original or best web address. It’s like taking second place.

These days you can purchase a wide variety of descriptive extensions like .pizza, .photography, .buzz, .smile, .life, .lawyer, .me and many, many others. These are cute and can be fun to purchase but I would not use one of these as your main domain name. Like I said I own EnidBuzz.com but I also own Enid.Buzz. They both forward to the same website. I bought it just for fun and to make sure someone else didn’t come along and try to compete with me.

Some companies will purchase the .com, .net and .org to protect their brand. They don’t want anyone using their brand with a different extension. I’ll do a post on trademarking down the line.

3. Pick a name available on social media. Another factor for choosing a domain name might be the vanity usernames on social media. In an ideal world you would want to have your domain name as your username on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and other social media platforms. If your username is gone on most social media accounts you can pick a different domain name which helps with branding or you might just have to choose a variety of social media account names that don’t match. It’s not a huge deal but makes branding a little messy and less memorable.

4. The shorter the better. Try to get the shortest domain name possible. I purchased ShaggyDuck.com but my company name was Shaggy Duck Media & Design. Short domains are easier to remember, faster to type and actually worth more if you ever try to resell. Finding a four or five letter domain name is much like finding a nugget of gold. They are almost impossible to find unless they make no sense at all. I made up several six letter domains like Weetys.com. My shortest domain name is EHS81.com at five letters. It stands for Enid High School Class of 1981.

5. Choose a catchy name. There might be times when you are creating a fun online business and want something really catchy. Think of names like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Monster. My first domain name was Curtoons.com in 1999. It is a combination of my first name Curtis and the word cartoons. It was the perfect cartoon website name which I still own today. I also used to make up new words back in the day. I combined Zoinks and Jinkies from Scooby Doo and came up with Zoinkies.com.

6. Avoid hyphens and numbers. Although I just said I own EHS81.com I would not recommend using numbers unless it is specific to the name. Do not use a hyphen, nobody will remember it is in your name and they’ll never find you. The problem with numbers is that searches won’t know whether to use the number or spell out the word.

7. Don’t use a trademarked name. After the release of the Apple iPad I purchased iPadBum.com. I would blog about iPads, apps and accessories. It was a bad choice of names because I could never really promote it with merchandise and I could never trademark it myself because it was using the word iPad. If I had printed anything using the term and tried selling it, Apple would have shut me down really quickly. Make sure you have complete freedom to market your domain name without possibility of legal action.

8. Purchase an existing domain name. There might be a domain name that your really like or your actual brand name might be parked. In those cases you might want to purchase an existing domain name. Beware that you’ll pay way more than the actual $8-12 cost. Be sure and negotiate. One benefit will be that the domain name will have some age which could help in rankings. A negative might be that the domain was used for illegal purposes and or had been blocked in search rankings in the past. Be sure and do several searches online to see what info comes up. You can also visit the Way Back Machine to see what website had been connected with the domain.

Be sure and set your name to auto-renew! If you lose your name someone will snag it. They’ll hold it as long as they can and charge you big bucks to get it back. At one time I owned WebZot.com, a name I totally made up. I purchased the domain for about $10 from a registrar that I normally did not use. They did not have auto-renew on. The second the domain expired it was purchased by someone else. Over the years I’ve seen it used a few times but it is now parked and is for sale. Guess what the asking price is? $50,000! LOL!

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