Build SEO Websites and Blogs

Build, Crawl, Index, Rank, and Grow!

Creating a website or blog is more than just developing an online presence—it’s an opportunity to establish authority, share knowledge, and generate income. Whether you’re launching a personal blog, an e-commerce store, or a niche information site, understanding the fundamentals of building a website is crucial to long-term success.

Building a site and developing content is one process. You also must show up in search engines, otherwise you won’t be able to achieve your goals. This article provides the basic steps of website creation and how to use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as an asset.

Building a Website or Blog

Who Should Build a Website or Blog?

• Anyone can build a blog. Entrepreneurs, business owners, writers, educators, and hobbyists who want to share expertise or sell products/services included. Also, individuals looking to create an online presence for personal branding or professional growth, a project which may or may not include monetization.

What Are the Key Components of a Website?

• The domain name (e.g., www.yoursite.com) comes first, and this is also where you SEO education comes in. I highly suggest you bone up on SEO tactics before you even purchase a domain name. But, if you already have that domain, then utilize it.

• Next is web hosting. Understanding what you might need to host your site is important. Be a visionary and think about how you want your site to grow, as this exercise will help you to avoid moving from one hosting option to another when you least desire that move. Understand your web hosting options:

  • Shared Hosting – Multiple websites share the same server resources (CPU, RAM, bandwidth). It's the most affordable option but can be slower and less secure if other sites on the server experience high traffic or issues. Best for beginners and small websites. Learn more about shared hosting at Wikipedia.

  • VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting – A middle ground between shared and dedicated hosting. The server is partitioned into multiple virtual environments, each with dedicated resources. It offers better performance and control than shared hosting but at a higher cost. Best for growing websites with moderate traffic. Learn more about VPS at Wikipedia.

  • Dedicated Hosting – A single website gets an entire server to itself, providing maximum performance, security, and customization. However, it’s expensive and requires technical knowledge. Best for high-traffic websites, large businesses, and enterprise applications. Learn more about dedicated hosting at Wikipedia.

  • Cloud Hosting – Websites are hosted across multiple interconnected servers rather than a single one, allowing for scalability, reliability, and high performance. You pay for the resources you use, making it cost-effective for fluctuating traffic. Best for businesses expecting growth or needing high uptime. Cloud hosting is also known as cloud computing. You can find more information about the history and application of cloud computing at Wikipedia.

  • Some more hosting options include Managed WordPress hosting, which is specialized hosting optimized for WordPress websites that often includes additional security and performance features; Reseller hosting that allows users to purchase hosting in bulk from a provider and resell it to their own clients; Colocation hosting where a user rents physical space in a date center to house personal server hardware; and Free Hosting, which may be a basic option with limited features and potentially lower performance.

• Websites and Blog Platforms are vital for your design and planning. Do you want a simple blog, or do you need pages that offer tutorials and other stable information? Understanding the types of websites and blogs available is key to your future plans.

  • CMS-Based Websites – Websites built using Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal allow for easy content creation, organization, and customization without extensive coding knowledge. Best for bloggers, businesses, and content-heavy sites.

  • CRM Programs – Platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce include website-building tools alongside customer relationship management features, making them ideal for businesses that need to track customer interactions and sales funnels.

  • Blogging Platforms – Services like Google Blogger, Medium, and Substack cater specifically to writers and content creators looking for an easy way to publish and monetize articles. Google Blogger also offers pages for stable content.

  • E-Commerce Websites – Online stores built using platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce (WordPress), BigCommerce, or Squarespace allow businesses to sell products and services with integrated shopping carts and payment processing.

  • Marketplace Stores – While not traditional websites, selling on platforms like eBay and Etsy allow entrepreneurs to establish an online presence within a pre-existing marketplace. eBay also offers their sellers a newsletter option for an individual store, as sellers collect a buyer’s email address every time and item is sold.

• When looking at various platforms, check out their website design options (themes, templates, or custom design): Most programs listed above provide these choices. That said, you need to figure out your design (layout) and branding before you decide on your template.

• Essential pages (home, about, contact, blog, privacy policy, terms of service): again, SEO architecture is important to understand so you can determine what hierarchy you need to plan for optimal SEO.

• Learn about SEO and mobile optimization for better visibility: You’ll need websites that translate seamlessly from desktop to mobile platforms easily. Since 93% of internet users use Google as their primary search engine, what Google says about searches might be important, right?

• When Should You Launch?

  • As soon as you have a clear idea of your niche and target audience…

  • …but after testing functionality and optimizing for speed, security, and user experience. In other words, SEO.

• Where Can You Host a Website?

  • Hosting providers like Bluehost, SiteGround, HostGator, or cloud solutions like AWS and Google Cloud.

  • Free platforms like Google Blogger and WordPress.com (with limitations) or self-hosted options for greater control.

• How to Build a Website: A Simple Path

  • Carefully choose and register a domain name, hopefully one with a major keyword you intend to use throughout your site.

  • Select a hosting provider and set up your site with a platform.

  • Plan the design and hierarchy of your content, much like you would with the contents of a book. Use PowerPoint or a Mind Map (such as Miro or Canva to lay out your plans. This is an important step for creating a map for search engines to crawl and index your site. More about this issue later.

  • Customize the design and layout with themes or custom coding according to your design plan. Brand this puppy! Whatever colors you choose will lay the groundwork for all your design options, including any paper products like business cards or stationery, advertising, landing pages, and more. Learn about branding from Hubspot, and download their free guide for elements of a brand strategy to help you plan your look.

  • Create high-quality content that provides value to your audience. Creating authoritative content is important to gain readers, but also for search engine ranking. That said, great content only goes so far with search engines. You also need to create internal links, backlinks, and external links. While this linking process is important, it also takes time. Remember your reader, who always comes first.

  • Optimize for search engines (SEO) and ensure mobile-friendliness (see below). This last step is an ongoing process, especially as you add new content to your site.

• Why Build a Website or Blog?

  • Establish credibility and authority in your niche.

  • Share knowledge, products, or services with a global audience.

  • Generate income through multiple monetization strategies.

Understanding SEO: Boosting Traffic and Visibility

Creating a website is just the first step. If you want people to find your site, search engine optimization (SEO) is essential. While SEO can seem technical, there are simple steps you can take to improve your site’s visibility without in-depth training. Here’s how:

1. Choose an SEO-Friendly Domain Name

Your domain name matters. If possible, include a relevant keyword in your domain. For example, if you’re starting a site about organic gardening, a name like OrganicHarvestTips (I own that one) will signal to search engines (and users) what your site is about. Keep it short, memorable, and easy to spell.

2. Use Keywords Naturally

Keywords help search engines understand what your content is about. But stuffing keywords everywhere won’t help—it can actually hurt your rankings. Stuffing keywords at the bottom of a page and making them invisible to the reader (blending them into the background) used to be an SEO hack that worked for about a year before sites were penalized. Instead:

• Use primary keywords in your headings, and URL. Keep it sparse. Using a phrase that you think a searcher might use to find your site is better for the title and meta. For OrganicHarvestTips, I could use the words Organic, Harvest, and Tips in various sentences or as a phrase.

• Naturally include keywords in your content, especially in the first 100 words.

• Use variations and related terms so your writing flows naturally.

3. Optimize Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

Your page title and meta description appear in search engine results, so they need to be compelling.

• Title: An SEO page title is the title of a page that appears in search engine results and on browser tabs. It's also known as an SEO title tag. Keep it under 60 characters and include a keyword near the beginning.

• Meta Description: An SEO meta description is a concise summary of a web page that appears in search results. It's a snippet of code that helps search engines understand what the page is about. Summarize your page in 150–160 characters, incorporating a keyword naturally while making it appealing to readers.

4. Structure Your Content for Easy Reading

Search engines prioritize content that provides a great user experience. Make sure your content is:

• Scannable – Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings.

• Engaging – Write for humans, not just algorithms. Answer common questions and provide valuable insights.

• Organized – Use proper heading structures (H1 for titles, H2 for subheadings, H3 for smaller sections). This helps search engines understand the hierarchy of your content.

5. Improve Your Website’s Speed

A slow website frustrates users and hurts your rankings. To improve speed:

• Optimize images. Use compressed formats like WebP or JPEG instead of large PNGs. Also, reduce the size of your image to fit the size you’ll use in the site. Use a graphic program (such as Canva) for optimization and reduction.

• Use a reliable hosting provider. Read reviews and understand the issues, if any, before you buy.

• Minimize plugins and scripts that slow down your site. KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetheart). Please eliminate pop-ups.

• Enable browser caching and use a content delivery network (CDN). NOTE: Many web servers and platforms use CDN. Simply look for it or ask if you don’t see a reference.

• Google retired some of its tools that monitor page speed. Google suggests using Google Lighthouse instead, but this tool may be too technical for some users, especially if you are a company of one. You can either hire an IT person (even part time this isn’t a bad idea as your site grows), or you can use tools such as PageSpeed Insights. This topic leads to making your site mobile-friendly…

6. Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

• About 50% of all web activity is now conducted on mobile devices. Responsive Web Design (RWD) automatically creates design that adapts to all devices. That link leads to Google, where you can find a ton of information about techniques to improve your SEO and user experiences. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’ll lose visitors. You can test your site’s mobile-friendliness using SEOMeter’s free trial Mobile-Friendly Test Tool.

7. Leverage Links

• Internal Links: Link to other relevant pages on your site. This helps search engines understand your site structure and keeps visitors engaged longer.

• External Links: Linking to high-quality, authoritative sources boosts credibility. Just make sure links open in a new tab so visitors don’t leave your site.

• Backlinks: Backlinks are as crucial as content to build authority for your site. Backlinks that come from authoritative resources (such as newspapers, libraries, museums, other top businesses and services, etc.) are crucial to develop your own authority in your readers’ eyes as well as in searching engine rankings. Start with Google Search Console (free) to learn more about your site, including backlinks.

8. Use Alt Text for Images

Search engines can’t “see” images, but they can read alt text (alternative text descriptions). Adding alt text:

• Improves accessibility for visually impaired users.

• Helps images appear in search results.

• Reinforces keyword relevance (but avoid keyword stuffing).

9. Keep Content Fresh and Consistent

Search engines favor sites that regularly update content. Some ways to keep content fresh:

• Publish blog posts or updates consistently.

• Refresh older posts with new information.

• Remove or fix outdated links.

10. Build High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks (when other sites link to yours) signal to search engines that your content is valuable. To gain backlinks:

• Write guest posts for reputable websites in your niche.

• Create high-quality content that people want to share.

• List your site in relevant directories and industry listings.

Final Thoughts

SEO is an ongoing and cumulative process that takes time, but these simple steps can significantly boost your website’s visibility. The more search engines trust your site, the higher you’ll rank in search results—bringing in more traffic and potential sales.

Want to dive deeper? HubSpot’s free SEO certification course is a great next step to refine your skills and take your website’s performance to the next level (including building those valuable XML Site Maps). You don’t need to obtain the certification if you don’t need it for job searches. But, if you go through all the videos and take notes, you’ll have all the basics you’ll need.

Conclusion

Building a website or blog requires planning, dedication, and a strategic approach. By understanding your audience, creating valuable content, and implementing effective SEO methods, you can transform your online platform into an authoritative resource for readers. Which is to say you also have become an authoritative source for spenders. Using SEO is just as effective in the long run as any advertising campaign.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to improve an existing website, the key is consistency, optimization, and adaptability in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Photo by Tobias Dziuba at Pexels