SEO is a fast-moving, marketing-centric industry that will always keep you on your toes. If you\u2019re just getting started, it can feel overwhelming without a guide.<\/p>
There are many facets and specializations in SEO that come later in a career \u2014 local, technical, content, digital PR, UX, ecommerce, media \u2014 the list goes on. But that level of specialization isn\u2019t where junior professionals should begin.<\/p>
Much like a liberal arts degree or an apprenticeship, newcomers should first develop a broad understanding of the discipline before choosing a focus. Here\u2019s how to build that foundation in SEO.<\/p>
1. Start with the business<\/h2>
Whether you\u2019re in-house or at an agency, resist the urge to jump straight into \u201csolution mode\u201d when beginning an SEO project.\u00a0<\/p>
Instead of immediately focusing on meta tags, keywords, backlinks, or URL structure, start by understanding the business itself.<\/p>
Here are some key questions to consider as you browse the website:<\/p>
- What product or service is being sold?<\/li>
- Who is the target audience? (If you\u2019re in-house, who is your company trying to sell to?)<\/li>
- Why does the company believe customers should choose them over competitors? (Common differentiators include price, unique features, or benefits.)<\/li> <\/ul>
If you have the time or opportunity, dig deeper by asking your boss or client these business-focused questions:<\/p>
- What are the company\u2019s goals and targets?<\/li>
- What is the three- to five-year plan for the business? (Are there plans to launch new products or expand into new markets?)<\/li>
- Who are the main competitors, and what are they doing?<\/li> <\/ul>
![\"A](\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/03\/A-sample-of-onboarding-business-questions-from-Building-a-Business-Brain-by-FLOQ-Academy.png.webp\" "\\"8")
A sample of onboarding business questions from Building a Business Brain by FLOQ Academy<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure> <\/div> Even without that level of detail, the first three questions provide a useful frame of reference for determining the best SEO approach.<\/p>
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![\"Semrush](\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/11\/semrush-one.webp\" "\\"8")
<\/div> <\/p><\/div> <\/p> 2. Be curious, ask questions<\/h2>
SEO now touches nearly every aspect of digital marketing.\u00a0<\/p>
Because of that, SEOs often become social butterflies, regularly collaborating with other departments and specialties.<\/p>
I\u2019ve been in SEO for 15 years now (which makes me feel old), but I continue to ask my clients questions every day.\u00a0<\/p>
This field encourages curiosity, so rather than feeling frustrated by what you don\u2019t fully understand, embrace being the one to ask the \u201cdumb questions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>
There\u2019s no such thing as a dumb question, by the way.<\/p>
Dig deeper: How to become exceptional at SEO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>
3. Build from the foundations of SEO<\/h2>
As mentioned earlier, SEO has many specializations. Some, like video or local SEO, are referred to as \u201csearch verticals.\u201d<\/p>
If you\u2019re new to the field, start with the basics: the website and how Google presents search results.<\/p>
Once you understand the business, try a simple exercise to analyze your site\u2019s optimization.\u00a0<\/p>
Open a key product, category, or service page in one window. In another, search for a term you think users would enter to find that page.\u00a0<\/p>
Compare what appears in the search results with your own page and the pages that rank for that term.<\/p>
![\"Nike](\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/03\/Nike-website-vs.-Google-search-running-shoes.png.webp\" "\\"8")
<\/figure> <\/div> For example, in a search for \u201crunning shoes,\u201d a few things stand out:<\/p>
- The intent is somewhat mismatched. Nike\u2019s category page targets users who are researching with intent to buy or are already planning a purchase. However, the search results display articles comparing different running shoes.<\/li>
- Scrolling down, you might see an image carousel, a \u201cNearby Stores\u201d section, and \u201cPeople Also Ask\u201d results.<\/li> <\/ul>
If I were a new SEO at Nike and assumed the \u201crunning shoes\u201d category page could rank for the \u201crunning shoes\u201d query, I would rethink that after reviewing the search results.\u00a0<\/p>
If ranking for that broad term were a priority, I would create a running shoe comparison article featuring high-quality images of real people using the shoes \u2014 maybe even a video, if budget allowed.<\/p>
If your page aligns more closely with the search results, analyze the top-ranking pages and adapt successful elements to your own site.\u00a0<\/p>
- Do most of them have an on-page FAQ while yours doesn\u2019t?\u00a0<\/li>
- A product video? Detailed specs? User reviews?\u00a0<\/li>
- How is the content itself structured? Are there jump links? Short paragraphs? Lots of lists, bulleted or numbered?<\/li> <\/ul>
Be critical and specific about what you can improve. (Never copy content directly.)<\/p>
At its core, SEO is about identifying what Google deems important for a given product or service, then doing it better than the competition.\u00a0<\/p>
Many SEOs get caught up in tools and tactics and forget to examine the search results themselves.\u00a0<\/p>
Break that habit early and make reviewing Google\u2019s search results a key part of your research process.<\/p>
4. Dabble in the technical side and build relationships with your developers<\/h2>
Technical SEO is one of the more complex specializations in the field and can seem intimidating.\u00a0<\/p>
If you\u2019re using a major CMS, your technical foundations are likely solid, so today, much of technical SEO focuses on refinements and enhancements.<\/p>
While it\u2019s important to develop technical knowledge, a great way to start is by building relationships with your development team and staying curious.\u00a0<\/p>
Asking questions makes learning more interactive and immediately relevant to your work.\u00a0<\/p>
Exploring coding courses or creating your own website can also help you develop technical skills gradually instead of all at once.<\/p>
Some argue that you can be a good SEO without technical expertise \u2014 and I don\u2019t disagree.\u00a0<\/p>
However, understanding a website\u2019s inner workings, how Google operates, and even how large language models (LLMs) function can help you prioritize your SEO efforts.\u00a0<\/p>
Code is Google\u2019s native language, and knowing how to interpret it can be invaluable when migrating a site, launching a new one, or diagnosing traffic drops.<\/p>
Dig deeper: SEO prioritization: How to focus on what moves the needle<\/em><\/strong><\/p>
<\/p>
Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p> <\/p><\/div> <\/p><\/div> <\/div>
<\/p>
5. Learn the different types of information Google shows in search results<\/h2>
The way search results are presented today vastly differs from 10 or 15 years ago.\u00a0<\/p>
Those who have been in the industry for a while have had the advantage of adapting gradually as Google has evolved.\u00a0<\/p>
Newcomers, on the other hand, are thrown into the deep end, facing a wide range of search features all at once \u2014 some personalized, some not, and some appearing inconsistently.\u00a0<\/p>
This can be challenging to grasp, even for experienced SEOs.<\/p>
Google has invested heavily in understanding user intent and presenting search results in a way that best addresses it.\u00a0<\/p>
As a result, search results may include:<\/p>
- Videos.<\/li>
- Images.<\/li>
- People Also Ask<\/em>.<\/li>
- Related Searches<\/em>.<\/li>
- AI Overviews.<\/li>
- AI-organized search.<\/li>
- Map results.<\/li>
- Nearby shopping options.<\/li>
- Product listings.<\/li>
- People Also Buy From<\/em>.<\/li>
- News<\/li> <\/ul>
Building visibility for each of these features often requires a unique approach and specific considerations.\u00a0<\/p>
These search result types are now industry jargon, so a glossary can help you learn SEO terminology.<\/p>
6. Learn the different types of query intent classifications<\/h2>
Google\u2019s mission is to \u201corganize the world\u2019s information and make it universally accessible and useful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>
As part of this, Google works to understand why people search for something and provides the most relevant results to match that intent.\u00a0<\/p>
To do this, they classify queries based on intent.<\/p>
![\"Search](\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/03\/Search-Quality-Evaluator-Guidelines-Understanding-user-intent.png.webp\" "\\"8")
<\/figure> <\/div> The Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, a handbook Google provides to evaluators who manually assess website and search result quality, also touches on understanding user intent:\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cIt can be helpful to think of queries as having one or more of the following intents.\u00a0<\/p>
- Know<\/strong> query, some of which are Know Simple<\/strong> queries.<\/li>
- Do<\/strong> query, when the user is trying to accomplish a goal or engage in an activity.<\/li>
- Website<\/strong> query, when the user is looking for a specific website or webpage.<\/li>
- Visit-in-person<\/strong> query, some of which are looking for a specific business or organization, some of which are looking for a category of businesses.\u201d<\/li> <\/ul> <\/blockquote>
When conducting keyword research, it\u2019s helpful to analyze both your site and the queries you\u2019re targeting through this lens.<\/p>
Many SEO professionals also use these broader, traditional intent categories, though they don\u2019t always align perfectly with Google\u2019s classifications:<\/p>
- Informational<\/strong>: Who, what, when, where, how, why.<\/li>
- Commercial<\/strong>: Comparison, review, best, specific product.<\/li>
- Transactional<\/strong>: Buy, cheap, sale, register.<\/li>
- Navigational<\/strong>: Searching for a specific brand.<\/li> <\/ul>
Rather than focusing solely on keywords, take a step back and consider the intent behind the search. Understanding intent is essential for SEO success.<\/p>
Dig deeper: Why traditional keyword research is failing and how to fix it with search intent<\/em><\/strong><\/p>
7. Do the research yourself before finding ways to use LLMs<\/h2>
Your company may already have guidelines for using LLMs like ChatGPT or Claude for tasks such as keyword research, content creation, or competitor analysis.\u00a0<\/p>
However, if you\u2019re new to SEO, I strongly recommend completing at least one full project using tools like Google Search Console, Semrush, or Ahrefs without LLM support.\u00a0<\/p>
While AI can speed up the process, relying on it too early has drawbacks:<\/p>
- Slower learning curve<\/strong>: If an LLM does the heavy lifting, you miss the experience of making strategic trade-offs, such as choosing a low-volume, mid-competition keyword over a high-volume, high-competition one.<\/li>
- Lack of instinct for accuracy<\/strong>: Without firsthand research experience, it\u2019s harder to recognize when an LLM generates inaccurate information or pulls from an unreliable source.<\/li>
- Reduced impact<\/strong>: Google is increasingly sophisticated in detecting \u201crepetitive content.\u201d Relying too much on LLMs for mass content creation could hurt performance, whereas a more focused, strategic approach might yield better results.<\/li> <\/ul>
While it may be tempting to jump straight into strategy rather than hands-on execution, senior SEOs develop their strategic mindset through years of practical work across different clients and industries.\u00a0<\/p>
Skipping this foundational experience could make it harder to recognize large-scale patterns and trends.<\/p>
Dig deeper: Why you need humans, not just AI, to run great SEO campaigns<\/em><\/strong><\/p>
8. Understand how GEO\/AEO is different<\/h2>
While this channel represents a small percentage of market share compared to traditional Google search, the C-suite and other stakeholders are concerned with \u2014 and starting to pay attention to \u2014 their brand\u2019s visibility in LLMs.\u00a0<\/p>
There are difficult conversations around measurability, impact, and how much time we should invest in optimizing for a relatively small channel, but that\u2019s a different article. As a newcomer to SEO, it\u2019s important to understand how this type of search is different. A few things to look into include:<\/p>
- How LLMs actually work<\/strong>: Do they truly \u201cknow\u201d information, or is something else happening? Short answer: yes, something else is happening. It\u2019s important to understand what that is and how it works. When unsure, rely on the LLM\u2019s own documentation. Industry experts to follow include Lily Ray and Dan Petrovic.<\/li>
- How LLMs train on data and how RAG impacts this<\/strong>: Develop a basic understanding of how these systems evaluate website content when generating answers.<\/li>
- How people claim they can influence LLM output<\/strong>: Some tactics are high risk, such as publishing large volumes of self-promotional listicles. Others are lower-risk, longer-term activities, like ensuring a site is crawlable in plain HTML, making sure LLM agents aren\u2019t blocked by firewalls, and structuring HTML to be more bot-friendly. If many of these lower-risk tactics sound familiar, they should \u2014 they overlap with traditional SEO practices.<\/li> <\/ul>
If you\u2019re feeling advanced, explore concepts like query fan-out and MuVERA, or research what engineers at DeepSeek, OpenAI, Google, and Claude are currently developing.<\/p>
See the complete picture<\/span> of your search visibility. <\/p>
Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. <\/p> <\/p><\/div>
Start Free Trial<\/span> <\/p>
Get started with<\/p>
<\/div> <\/p><\/div> <\/p> Laying the groundwork for SEO success<\/h2>
SEO offers endless opportunities once you master the fundamentals. If you\u2019re just starting out, focus on these core areas:<\/p>
- The business.<\/li>
- The search results.<\/li>
- User intent.<\/li> <\/ul>
Keep it simple. Stay focused. Be business-led.\u00a0<\/p>
Build your SEO expertise on a strong foundation, and your career will grow from there.<\/p> <\/div>
Contributing authors are invited to create content for Search Engine Land and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the search community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. Contributor was not asked to make any direct or indirect mentions of Semrush. The opinions they express are their own.<\/em> <\/p>
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- How LLMs train on data and how RAG impacts this<\/strong>: Develop a basic understanding of how these systems evaluate website content when generating answers.<\/li>
- Lack of instinct for accuracy<\/strong>: Without firsthand research experience, it\u2019s harder to recognize when an LLM generates inaccurate information or pulls from an unreliable source.<\/li>
- Commercial<\/strong>: Comparison, review, best, specific product.<\/li>
- Do<\/strong> query, when the user is trying to accomplish a goal or engage in an activity.<\/li>
- Related Searches<\/em>.<\/li>