\n better fit its namesake (you guessed it): a starter audience.\n<\/p>\n
![\"Print](\"https:\/\/alienroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/kb-gorsel\/g-b102e8e58193.jpg\")
\n Takeaki Kanaya<\/a>, on x.com<\/a><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n Launched in 2008<\/a>, this guide was \n Today we’re publishing a refreshed, more pocket-sized version of the SEO Starter Guide with a \n As the name suggests, the SEO Starter Guide is not actually for SEO professionals, but rather \n To better help our intended audience, we removed jargon and fluffy language (and just got to the \n We removed:\n<\/p>\n \n We compressed:\n<\/p>\n \n We tried our best to not add anything new, but some sections lacked an answer to “why should I do \n We also added a new section about common SEO theories and ideas<\/a>
\n originally a 22-page PDF that was designed to be a one-stop-shop for the most common SEO (short
\n for search engine optimization) topics of the time. The PDF expanded to 40 languages<\/a>,
\n and then got modernized into HTML<\/a>.
\n Over the years, we also added more topics (but rarely removed anything), with each addition
\n reflecting the general advice of a respective era (looking at you, mobilegeddon).\n<\/p>\n
\n better focus on a starter audience and the topics we think a person who’s just dipping their toes
\n in SEO should focus on and why<\/i>.\n<\/p>\nBetter focus on the target audience<\/h2>\n
\n newish website owners and other content creators who would like to learn how to improve their
\n content’s presence in search results.\n<\/p>\n
\n point faster), compressed most sections to their core elements, and deleted a few sections
\n entirely. We also focused our rewriting efforts on explaining terms and concepts in a more
\n approachable way, and elaborating on the “why” behind a given topic or best practice.\n<\/p>\n\n
\n to think about; if someone is using a content management system (CMS) like Wix or Squarespace,
\n they might try using a plugin and not have to worry about learning how to add code to their
\n website.\n <\/li>\n
\n likely, it’s something to look into after understanding the basics and making a few changes on
\n your site.\n <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n check if your site is on Google, and on the first steps a site owner should take if they don’t
\n see their site in Google Search results.\n <\/li>\n
\n it into 2 sentences and linked out to the full guide.\n <\/li>\n
\n comprehensive standalone docs.<\/li>\n
\n Those interested can learn more in the image best practices guide, if they are feeling
\n adventurous.\n <\/li>\n
\n mentioned, it’s probably not why the reader is working their way through the guide.\n <\/li>\n
\n their useful aspects and why linking is helpful for users (and search engines).\n <\/li>\n
\n Google for Creators<\/a>, as they have a
\n more detailed guide on this topic<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n
\n aggressively.<\/li>\n404<\/code> section<\/b>: Because we really don’t care about 404<\/code> pages
\n and site owners should just do whatever makes sense for their users.<\/li>\nNewly added content<\/h2>\n
\n this” and “why is this thing not here”. Far-from-groundbreaking, the additions are in the
\n duplicate content section<\/a>,
\n which now elaborates on what is duplicate content and how to fix it (if that’s even needed at
\n all), and a new short section for videos<\/a>
\n (for parity with the images section).\n<\/p>\n
\n that we think people shouldn’t focus on too much, and a new section about
\n how long it can take to see impact<\/a>.
\n While we waffled a bit<\/a>
\n on whether it’s a good idea to document anti-patterns and myths, in the end we added this with the
\n intent of helping newcomers focus their efforts on areas that actually matter.\n<\/p>\nWhat’s next?<\/h2>\n