Maybe you're one of those who use YOAST and clap your hands when the little dots change from red to green?

Don't worry! I do it too!

YOAST is a great tool, BUT wouldn't it still be nice to have a slightly better understanding of how to make those little devils change color?

Let's try to dissect an SEO text:

Title

• Your article's headline as it appears on Google. Should be a maximum of 60 characters long. Should ideally start with or at least contain your keyword.

Meta Description

• The small text snippet below the headline that appears on Google.

• The meta description should entice people to click, and you can encourage this by, for example, adding phrases like "read more," "click here to learn more," etc. at the end of the description.

• Should ideally be between 150-160 characters long (in 2021 - it changes from time to time, so it's good to stay updated with the latest knowledge, which you can do at www.moz.com).

URL

• The actual link that refers to your SEO text. It will typically start with https://www.yourdomain.com/ and then continue with text that refers to the content on the specific page, for example, "how-to-build-an-seo-text." It's a good idea for it to include your keyword.

Heading / H1

• The headline in your text or article - that is, when someone has clicked into the article and has come to the actual text.

• Should ideally be precise and clearly give an impression of what the text is about and what the reader will gain from reading it.

Subheadings / H2

• The next level of headings in the text - that is, your subheadings.

• Should ideally include synonyms for your keyword and address relevant questions the reader might have about the topic. If you lack inspiration or knowledge about what your target audience is interested in, you can Google your topic and scroll to the bottom of the Google page. There, you'll find something called "related searches," which can give you an idea of what people have searched for related to your topic.

Images

• Should have SEO-optimized ALT tags. Alt tags are descriptions of what is in the image. It can be useful for visually impaired individuals who can have the text read aloud to them and find out what is in the image. Additionally, it's another way to help Google understand what your text is about.

• A good Alt tag describes what's in the image and preferably includes your keyword (if it makes sense for what's in the image).

• Should be optimized so they don't slow down your page.

Links

• Make sure to have a couple of links that point to other places on your site. Google loves pages that inspire people to read more and click around.

• If it makes sense, you should also have a couple of links that point to other external pages. It could be to support a claim. However, remember not to link to your competitors. That would be silly.