[null,null,[],[[["\u003cp\u003eGoogle's SEO Starter Guide has been refreshed to be more beginner-friendly, focusing on core SEO concepts and explaining the "why" behind them.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUpdates include removing jargon, simplifying sections, and deleting advanced topics like structured data and mobile-friendliness to cater to a starter audience.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eNew additions address common SEO myths and misconceptions and provide realistic expectations on how long it takes to see results from SEO efforts.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe guide aims to empower website owners and content creators with foundational SEO knowledge, enabling them to improve their content's visibility in search results.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWhile significant changes are infrequent, Google remains committed to enhancing its documentation clarity based on user feedback.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["The SEO Starter Guide was updated to better serve new website owners and content creators. Key changes include removing jargon, compressing sections, and deleting advanced topics like structured data, mobile friendliness, and site performance analysis. Content was compressed for sections such as \"Are you on Google,\" \"Links,\" and \"Promoting a site.\" New sections were added to explain duplicate content, videos, common SEO theories, and expected timelines for seeing results. The guide aims to simplify SEO basics, focusing on core concepts.\n"],null,["# The SEO Starter Guide got a makeover\n\nFriday, February 2, 2024\n\n\nWe refreshed our [SEO Starter Guide](/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide) to\nbetter fit its namesake (you guessed it): a starter audience.\n*Print version of the SEO Starter Guide cca. 2014; credit to and permission from\n[Takeaki Kanaya](https://evangelist.tokyo/), on [x.com](https://x.com/jumpingknee/status/1635206500678516736)*\n\n\n[Launched in 2008](/search/blog/2008/11/googles-seo-starter-guide), this guide was\noriginally a 22-page PDF that was designed to be a one-stop-shop for the most common SEO (short\nfor search engine optimization) topics of the time. The PDF [expanded to 40 languages](/search/blog/2009/06/seo-starter-guide-now-available-in-40),\nand then got [modernized into HTML](/search/blog/2017/12/a-revamped-seo-starter-guide_12).\nOver the years, we also added more topics (but rarely removed anything), with each addition\nreflecting the general advice of a respective era (looking at you, mobilegeddon).\n\n\nToday we're publishing a refreshed, more pocket-sized version of the SEO Starter Guide with a\nbetter focus on a starter audience and the topics we think a person who's just dipping their toes\nin SEO should focus on and *why*.\n\nBetter focus on the target audience\n-----------------------------------\n\n\nAs the name suggests, the SEO Starter Guide is not actually for SEO professionals, but rather\nnewish website owners and other content creators who would like to learn how to improve their\ncontent's presence in search results.\n\n\nTo better help our intended audience, we removed jargon and fluffy language (and just got to the\npoint faster), compressed most sections to their core elements, and deleted a few sections\nentirely. We also focused our rewriting efforts on explaining terms and concepts in a more\napproachable way, and elaborating on the \"why\" behind a given topic or best practice.\n\n\nWe removed:\n\n- **Glossary section**: Instead, explained the individual terms in context.\n- **Structured data section**: It's a more of an advanced topic that starters don't have to think about; if someone is using a content management system (CMS) like Wix or Squarespace, they might try using a plugin and not have to worry about learning how to add code to their website.\n- **Mobile friendliness section**: Most new sites and platforms are already mobile friendly.\n- **Analyzing site performance section**: This is a next step and more of an advanced topic; likely, it's something to look into after understanding the basics and making a few changes on your site.\n\n\nWe compressed:\n\n- **\"Are you on Google\" sections**: Simplified to one section that focuses on a quick way to check if your site is on Google, and on the first steps a site owner should take if they don't see their site in Google Search results.\n- **\"Do I Need an SEO\" section**: We have a standalone doc; no need to repeat it. Compressed it into 2 sentences and linked out to the full guide.\n- **Title links and snippets section**: Shortened considerably, in favor of the more comprehensive standalone docs.\n- **Images section**: For a starter audience, alt text is the more important guidance. Those interested can learn more in the image best practices guide, if they are feeling adventurous.\n- **\"Opt out of Google Search\" section**: While it's an important topic that should be mentioned, it's probably not why the reader is working their way through the guide.\n- **Links section**: Compressed (without changing the message about them), and highlighted their useful aspects and why linking is helpful for users (and search engines).\n- **Promoting a site** : Compressed and linked out to [Google for Creators](https://creators.google), as they have a [more detailed guide on this topic](https://creators.google/en-us/content-creation-guides/audience-engagement/).\n- **Site structure section** : Largely kept it unchanged, however removed:\n - **Navigation section:** Instead, focused on linking important onsite URLs more aggressively.\n - **`404` section** : Because we really don't care about `404` pages and site owners should just do whatever makes sense for their users.\n - **Explicit setup for breadcrumbs**: This is more of an advanced topic.\n\nNewly added content\n-------------------\n\n\nWe tried our best to not add anything new, but some sections lacked an answer to \"why should I do\nthis\" and \"why is this thing not here\". Far-from-groundbreaking, the additions are in the\n[duplicate content section](/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide#reduce-duplicate-content),\nwhich now elaborates on what is duplicate content and how to fix it (if that's even needed at\nall), and a new [short section for videos](/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide#videos)\n(for parity with the images section).\n\n\nWe also added a [new section about common SEO theories and ideas](/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide#focusing)\nthat we think people shouldn't focus on too much, and a new section about\n[how long it can take to see impact](/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide#how-long-must-i-wait).\nWhile [we waffled a bit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EABqJXHQB3w)\non whether it's a good idea to document anti-patterns and myths, in the end we added this with the\nintent of helping newcomers focus their efforts on areas that actually matter.\n\nWhat's next?\n------------\n\n\nThe [SEO Starter Guide](/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide) rarely changes and\nwe hope that it stays that way. However we do want to continue making our documentation clearer\nand easier to understand in the coming months. If you have ideas about which guide or topic we\nshould prioritize, or you have feedback about the SEO Starter Guide (like releasing a bespoke\nleatherbound edition, or a full-cast audiobook recording), use the feedback button on this page.\n\nPosted by [Lizzi Sassman](/search/blog/authors/lizzi-sassman)\nand [Gary Illyes](/search/blog/authors/gary-illyes), Search relations"]]
