Basic SEO for beginners: how people find your articles

SEO stands for search engine optimisation. It means helping search engines understand your pages so they can show them to people looking for what you offer. You do not need tricks. The best SEO is writing helpful, original content for real people.

Start with the reader's question

People type questions into search engines: "how to save data on calls" or "what is a BVN". If your article answers a specific question better than others, it has a chance to be found. Before you write, decide what question your article answers.

Use words people actually use

Look at how people phrase their problems. Use those words naturally in your title, headings and opening paragraph. Do not repeat the same phrase unnaturally, because that makes the text hard to read.

Write a clear title and description

• The title should describe the article honestly and include the main topic.
• The description is the short summary that may appear under the title in search results. Write one or two sentences that explain what the reader will learn.

Structure your article

Use headings to divide the article into parts. Short paragraphs, lists and examples make it easier to scan on a phone. Search engines also use headings to understand what each section covers.

Make pages load quickly

Large images slow pages down. Compress your pictures and avoid heavy scripts. Many readers use mobile data, and they leave slow pages.

Make it work on phones

Most visitors in Nigeria browse on phones. Check that your text is easy to read, buttons are easy to tap and nothing is cut off.

Link your own pages

When one article relates to another, link between them. This helps readers continue learning and helps search engines discover your pages.

Build trust

Show who writes the site, how to contact you and how you handle personal information. Pages such as About, Contact and Privacy tell readers and search engines that a real person or business stands behind the content.

What to avoid

• Copying text from other sites.
• Stuffing pages with repeated keywords.
• Buying thousands of cheap links.
• Publishing many thin articles with no real value.

Be patient

SEO rewards consistency. A new site may take months to be noticed. Keep publishing useful, original articles and update older ones when information changes.

Written by the EarnNaija team at EarnNaija Digital Technologies.

This article is general information, not financial or legal advice. Earnings are never guaranteed. See our fees page for the exact costs.