An Introduction
Information is constantly being published to the internet, from the latest trends on “how to train your dog”, to “is wholemeal bread actually better for you?” we live in a digital age of content. These particular search trends may not affect your site, but don’t be fooled into thinking you aren’t at risk of disappearing in this digital content sea. This is why having even a basic SEO knowledge is essential in todays digital market.
As daunting as this may sound, there are plenty of services out there that can help you ensure your site stays relevant in Google’s algorithm. One such site is Yoast SEO, Yoast is leading the way in Search Engine Optimisation. With an intuitive site, software, and training courses to get you on your way to becoming an SEO expert.
A Brief History
Joost de Valk was an SEO consultant but in 2010 he left his job to start his own business. At the time, he thought no one would ever want to come and work for him, so he named his company Yoast after himself and how you pronounce his name in Dutch. In the beginning Joost started by writing site reviews and providing SEO consultancy for major companies like eBay. From there he began work on his first WordPress plug-in and by October of that year, WordPress SEO, now Yoast SEO was born. Yoast has become one of the leading consultants in the world of SEO, now with many courses and plug-ins for your site, Yoast has become a fundamental stepping stone in most businesses’ SEO journeys.
Time to Study
In 2015 Yoast began an educational service called Yoast Academy. With 20 courses (as of April 2024) Yoast provides both beginner and specialised courses to start your SEO training. The “beginner” course comes free and gives a basic overview of SEO – from what it is, to how to manipulate and start to use it in your favour. The beginner course too gives quick introductions on copy writing as well as how to use their plug-ins. From here, Yoast offers more specialised classes such as site structure, block editor, and many more.
As part of a base package you will be provided with multiple free courses, however, a subscription is required if you wish to access all classes and training. For a novice to SEO these classes provide essential tips and tricks to get you on your way. But don’t worry, even though it may look like a lot of information, these courses are broken into easy manageable modules and won’t leave you feeling drown in information. The course modules are easy to take in bite sized chunks and are helpful to work at your own pace. So watch one 5 minute video, watch them all, it really is a choose your own adventure.
Putting Theory into Practice
All these free classes are great to help you on your way to getting your site trending, but what is the best way to put this theory into practice? Yoast offer a series of bundles ranging from basic to more advanced plug-ins they offer everything you may need to get you on your merry way. The basic bundles will gain you access to their plug-ins, keyword optimisation for articles, clearing dead links on your site, and more to get your site looking more streamline for Google’s algorithm. From there the packages include more advanced systems allowing for more keywords and SEO phrase searches, allowing you to custom how your page appears on google pages, these additional features help your site get recognised easier as well as allowing you to use Yoast to the fullest.
If the Yoast Academy sounds too much like going back to school and you want quick fixes without the fuss of reading a module, Yoast has a page dedicated to articles ranging from tips and tricks, to telling you the latest trends in the seo world. These work as a compliment to the Academy as well as a quick stop for anyone interested in a quick read to boost their current knowledge.
A Yoast SEO Example
Below is an example of Yoast SEO in action, it provides clear easy to ready information about how your article search results will look. A green smiley face indicates that your piece hits all the necessary marks to be seen in googles algorithm. As well as this, it shows a green bar to let you know both your title and meta description follow good SEO practice
SEO for Everyone
Yoast’s business model of “SEO for everyone” is a perfect sum up of their service, and encapsulates everything they are about. Their easy and clear to use site accompanied by pages of helpful tricks allow you to look like a pro even if its your first time hearing the phrase SEO. So, if you are looking to learn about SEO or further your skills, Yoast SEO is definitely the place to start