SEO is Starting to Feel Like a Contradiction: Learning SEO as a beginner.

A few weeks ago, SEO felt simple. Use keywords, write your blog, wait for Google to discover your website and become internet famous. Easy right? WRONG!!

The more I learn about Search Engine Optimization, the less I understand it, I know it’s a classic part of learning a new skill, but can a girl get a break.

Apparently I should:

  • write for humans but also optimize for search engines.
  • use keywords but not too many keywords.
  • create high-quality content but also publish consistently
  • be patient because SEO takes time but somehow keep on improving my content.
  • answer search intent but somehow also stand out from thousands of people. answering the same question. Confusing much?

At this point, SEO is starting to feel like someone handed me a puzzle but forget to include half of the pieces, with that frustrating logic in mind, I think I may have found a few problems that I can fix and I would like to share them with you.

The Thin Content Situation.

I recently asked Google to check my website and apparently some of my pages have what is called ‘Thin Content’, which first of all, sounds rude, my website is small, I am trying my best but unfortunately for me, or fortunately, I understand what it means. Google wants more useful content (I know google I am working on it.) More useful content, more information, more depth and more value and honestly, that sounds fair. My website is still new, I am trying to find my writing style that will be helpful to my readers but also help the crawling spiders understand it.

The Keyword Struggle.

Right now, this is my biggest challenge. How do I find keywords that people are actually searching for? How do I find keywords that are not so competitive that my tiny baby website immediately gets buried under websites that have existed since I was in school and only used the internet to chat with my friends. And most importantly, what are people searching for anyways, what did I search for?

I am learning there is a difference between “SEO Keywords” and “Why is Google ignoring my website?” Which is mildly frustrating for a beginner like me, who is realizing that technically, these two phrases are related but emotionally, my emotions included, they are two different searches.

The Indexing Waiting Game.

Then there is indexing. This one here is really testing my patience. I publish a post then I wait. I check Google Console, then I wait some more. I refresh. Nothing. Zero licks, zero impressions, no traffic and then my brain starts asking questions. Are my posts not good enough? Did I do something wrong? Should I rewrite everything? Should I become a farmer instead? Realistically I know the answer. The website is new with ‘thin content’ and as we have learnt SEO takes its sweet time like requesting an Uber, when you are already late for work, and no driver is accepting your ride. Google is not ignoring me personally but understanding that logically and feeling it emotionally are two completely different things.

What I Think I am Slowly Learning.

I think SEO might be a long exercise in delayed gratification. You write today so somebody might find it six months from now, hopefully. You improve your website today so Google might trust it later. You keep publishing even when nobody seems to be reading. Which feels strange but maybe that is the biggest SEO lesson. Maybe SEO is less about trying to outsmart Google because we all know we can’t do that and it’s more about slowly building a useful library, one post at a time and maybe feeling confused is part of the process. If there is one thing I am continuously learning while buffering is this: Sometimes progress looks less like confidence and more like repeatedly asking the question, “Am I doing this correctly?” And then doing it anyway.

Lessons Learned.

1. SEO is not instant.

A new website needs time to build trust, authority and visibility

2. Keywords are clues, not magic spells.

Using a keyword once or one hundred will not guarantee rankings.

3. Search intent matters.

People are not just searching for words. They are searching for answers.

4. Publishing consistently is also part of SEO.

A website cannot grow if there is nothing new for Google or readers to discover.

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