Welcome to the SEO Mastery Course in Arabic. My name is Anwar Al-Gharbi, and I am a digital marketer specializing in search engine optimization since 2014. Throughout my career, I have optimized several websites for search engines and ranked number one for numerous highly competitive keywords, enabling the sites I manage to receive hundreds of thousands of targeted visitors every month — completely free of charge. In this comprehensive training course, you will learn everything about search engine optimization, starting from the fundamentals all the way through advanced techniques. By the end of this course, you will know how to optimize your website for search engines, how to improve the ranking of your pages in search results for the keywords you target, and how to reach the top positions. I will explain multiple methods for building high-quality, effective backlinks, and how to use the most popular SEO tools such as Google Search Console and Google Keyword Planner.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which means improving your website so that it appears in the top results on search engines in order to increase the number of visitors. For example, if you own an online store selling shoes, through search engine optimization you can make your website appear in the first results on Google when someone searches for buying shoes or a shoe store — and as a result you will receive thousands of visitors who are interested in buying your products. Or if you own a cooking blog and you publish an article about how to make pizza, through SEO you can make that article appear first in search results when someone searches for how to make pizza, thereby increasing the number of visitors to your blog.
The Importance of Search Engine Optimization for Your Website
Today, most people use Google daily to search for solutions to all the problems they face. If your website is not present on Google and optimized for search engines, you are missing out on a huge opportunity while your competitors capitalize on it. For example, did you know that there are more than 165,000 monthly searches for the word "abayas" alone? Imagine if you owned an online store selling abayas that appeared first on Google whenever anyone searched for that word — the result would be tens of thousands of free monthly visitors who are interested in purchasing your products.
Of course, people do not only search on Google for products like clothing and shoes; they search for everything imaginable — and beyond. For instance, there are more than 33,000 monthly searches by people looking for a "furniture moving company."
How Do Search Engines Work?
Search engines are websites or tools that help you find the information you need on the internet. There are many search engines such as Yahoo and Bing, but the most popular search engine on the internet is Google. You can use Google to search for anything you want online. Search engines like Google operate through three fundamental stages:
- Crawling: In the crawling stage, search engines explore the web looking for new or updated web pages and websites. Google performs this process using search spiders. These spiders spread across the internet, and once they discover a new web page, they move on to the second stage.
- Indexing: In the indexing stage, search spiders simply analyze the text, images, and videos found on the newly discovered page, then save the page's URL, its contents, and the keywords it contains in a massive database called the search index.
- Ranking (Displaying Search Results): In the third stage, when a user searches for something on Google, Google retrieves all the web pages it has indexed that relate to that topic and displays them on the search results page. Of course, Google does not display pages randomly — it ranks them to ensure that the first result shown to users is the best possible result.
Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
The Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is the page that appears when you search on a search engine. The results page varies depending on what you are searching for. Sometimes you may see ordinary search results consisting of ranked web pages, but in many cases you will find other elements such as a group of images or videos appearing in the results, or news items. Sometimes you will also find questions and answers related to your search, and in other cases you may find Featured Snippets at the top of the page that answer your query directly. If you are using your phone to search on Google, you may find some suggested apps you can install. And if you are searching for a specific location or business, you may also find a map showing notable places.
There are many things that can appear on the search results page, because Google always tries to show you the best possible result for what you are looking for. In addition to all of this, advertisements sometimes appear on the search results page. These ads are generally found at the top of the page and can easily be identified by the word "Ad" that appears before them. After the ads you will find the organic search results. Ad owners paid Google to appear in search results when someone searches for a particular keyword. Organic results, on the other hand, are the results that Google's algorithm has determined to be the best answer to your search query — and the owners of these websites paid nothing; they simply optimized their sites for search engines in order to appear in the top results.
Google's Search Algorithm and How It Works
Every search engine — whether Google, Yahoo, or Bing — has its own algorithm that ranks search results. Google will not publicly disclose the exact workings of its algorithm, as this is considered a trade secret. Nevertheless, they do announce how results are ranked in general terms. There are five fundamental stages:
- Understanding the meaning of the search query: When you search for something, Google's algorithm tries to understand the meaning of the search query — that is, what the person who typed that phrase actually intends.
- Searching for relevant content: After Google understands what the person is looking for, it searches for content relevant to the query. Google determines relevance primarily through keywords. For example, any page that contains the keyword the person is searching for is considered relevant.
- Ranking results by quality: Google tries to rank search results by quality. The better the quality of a web page, the higher Google will rank it. One of the most important factors for determining quality is Backlinks.
- Ease of use: Google also evaluates how easy a web page is to use — such as site speed, ease of navigation, and mobile-friendliness. Slow sites or those that do not display well on mobile are given lower rankings.
- Context and settings: The algorithm takes into account location, language, and previous search history. For example, a person searching for "furniture moving company" in Tunisia will get different results from someone searching the same phrase in a different country.
Crawling and Indexing
Before you try to improve your site's ranking in search results for the keywords you are targeting, you must first make sure that your site can be crawled and indexed by search engines. In this section you will learn how to find out whether your site is present in search engines, how to submit your site to search engines for crawling and indexing, how to prevent search engines from indexing your site or specific pages, and how to use Google Search Console.
How to Know Whether Your Site Is Indexed in Google
To find out whether your site is indexed in Google, type the following into the search box: site:example.com (replacing example.com with your domain name). If results appear, it means Google has indexed pages from your site. You can also check a specific page by entering its full URL. If no results appear, the page or site is not indexed. There are several reasons why a site may not be indexed:
- The search engine has not yet discovered your site (especially true for new sites).
- You have blocked the search engine from archiving your site through incorrect settings.
- Other technical reasons.
Google Search Console
To access Google Search Console, search for it on Google or use the direct link. You will need to sign in with your Google account. After that, add your site's URL and choose a method to verify site ownership. There are several ways to verify ownership:
- Download an HTML file and upload it to your hosting in the public_html folder.
- Use an HTML meta tag by adding it to your site's settings (the Yoast SEO plugin can be used for this in WordPress).
- Use Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager.
After verifying site ownership, you can use the tool to request indexing of specific pages by entering the page's URL and clicking "Request Indexing."
XML Sitemap
A sitemap is a file that helps search engines find, crawl, and index all the content on your site. It is also used to inform search engines which pages are most important. Small, well-linked sites may not need a sitemap, but it is strongly recommended for larger sites. It is advisable to create a sitemap for your site and submit it to Google regardless of whether your site is large or small.
To create a sitemap in WordPress, you can use the Yoast SEO plugin. After activating the plugin, go to Settings > Sitemaps and enable the feature. Then copy the sitemap link, go to Google Search Console > Sitemaps, and add the link there.
Preventing Search Engines from Indexing Your Site or Specific Pages (Noindex)
If you want to prevent search engines from indexing your site or specific pages, you can use the noindex tag. In WordPress, you can prevent indexing of the entire site from Settings > Reading > Discourage search engines from indexing this site. To block only specific pages, use the Yoast SEO plugin, go to the advanced settings for the page, and select "No" under the option that allows search engines to show the page in search results.
Keyword Research
Keyword Research is one of the first and most important steps in search engine optimization. It is the process of discovering the search phrases that your customers or target audience use when searching on search engines like Google. If you create a page or publish an article on a topic that nobody is searching for, you will not receive visitors from Google. The keyword research process allows us to identify the phrases people use, the number of searches for each keyword, and to discover keywords that are easier to rank for.
Types of Keywords
- Short-tail Keywords: Consist of three words or fewer. Monthly search volume is high, but competition is intense.
- Long-tail Keywords: Consist of four or more words. Search volume is lower, but they are more specific and competition is generally easier.
Search Intent
Every person searching on a search engine has a specific intent. It is very important to understand the search intent behind a keyword in order to provide the right content. Keywords are classified by search intent into four main types:
- Informational: The user wants to get information or learn something. Example: "how to make pizza."
- Navigational: The user wants to reach a specific site or page. Example: "Facebook login."
- Commercial: The user wants to buy a product or service but is looking for more information before making a decision. Example: "best phones 2024."
- Transactional: The user is ready to buy or take an action. Example: "buy iPhone 15."
To determine search intent, search for the keyword on Google and look at the results. The number-one result usually reflects what people are looking for. If the results are articles or Wikipedia pages, people are seeking information.
Methods of Keyword Research
Method One: Manual Google Search
Start by identifying the main keyword for your site's niche. Search for it on Google and observe:
- Autocomplete suggestions that appear as you type.
- Related searches at the bottom of the results page.
- Using an asterisk (*) before or after the keyword to get additional suggestions.
Method Two: Google Keyword Planner
This tool is primarily designed for advertisers, but it is very useful for search engine optimization. You need a Google Ads account to use it. The tool provides:
- Average monthly searches for each keyword.
- Suggestions for new keywords.
- Competition level for ads (not organic results).
- The ability to get keyword ideas based on competitor websites.
Other Keyword Research Tools
- KeywordTool.io: A free tool that lets you get keyword suggestions from Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, and others.
- WordStream: A free tool, though it does not support the Arabic language.
- Ahrefs: A paid tool that offers a limited free version allowing you to see search volume and keyword difficulty.
- SEMrush: A comprehensive paid tool with a limited free version.
Assessing Keyword Difficulty
To determine how difficult it is to rank for a keyword:
- Search for the keyword on Google and analyze the results. Read the top-ranking articles and ask yourself: Can I write a better article? Can I build a better site?
- Use tools such as the Ahrefs Keyword Difficulty Checker or MozBar to measure the strength of top-ranking sites (Domain Authority and Page Authority).
- The stronger the top-ranking sites, the more competitive the keyword.
If most of the keywords you are targeting have fierce competition, the solution is to think long-term and enter the competition by creating better content and acquiring more backlinks.
Keyword Clustering
Search engines have become intelligent enough to understand that phrases like "how to make crepes" and "crepe recipe" share the same search intent. Therefore, group keywords that share the same search intent and target them on a single page rather than creating separate pages for each keyword. Search for the keywords on Google, and if you find that the results are similar, create one page that targets all those keywords.
On-Page SEO
On-Page SEO covers all the factors within a web page that affect its ranking in search results. Remember that a website consists of multiple pages, and each page can be optimized to rank for specific keywords. A separate page should be created for each topic you want to rank for.
Title Tag
The Title Tag is the title that appears at the top of the browser and in search results. It should contain the keyword you are targeting. In WordPress, you can use the Yoast SEO plugin to edit the page title separately from the post title. Make sure the title is not too long, or Google may truncate it in the search results. Google sometimes rewrites the title for display in search results, but it is always important to include your target keyword in the title tag.
Including the Keyword in the Content
Make sure to include your target keyword near the beginning of the page (within the first 100 words). Use the keyword in different forms naturally. Do not over-repeat keywords (Keyword Stuffing), as this creates a poor user experience and may lead to penalties from search engines. Google is capable of understanding content in an advanced way and can rank your page for keywords you have not even explicitly mentioned.
Page URL
The page URL should contain the keyword you are targeting. In WordPress, you can edit the permalink from the post settings. Do not change the URL after it has been published, and if you must, use a redirect to preserve the value of backlinks.
Headings (H1, H2, H3...)
Headings are used to organize page content. There are six levels from H1 to H6. H1 is the main heading and should be used only once per page. In WordPress, the post title is automatically set as H1. Use H2 and H3 to organize content and make it easier to read. Add keywords in headings wherever appropriate.
Image Optimization for Search Engines
To optimize images for search engines:
- File name: Rename the image to a descriptive name containing the keyword instead of random names like "IMG001.jpg."
- Image compression: Reduce the image file size before uploading to speed up the site. You can use free tools like TinyPNG.
- Alt Text: Always add alt text that describes the image and naturally includes the keyword.
- Original images: Try to use original images that you have created or photographed rather than images copied from the internet.
Website Architecture
Website architecture refers to how the pages of your site are organized and interconnected. Building a site with a solid structure helps to:
- Improve the user experience.
- Make it easier for search engines to crawl and index the site.
- Increase page authority through internal links.
- Highlight the most important content and prevent keyword cannibalization.
The site structure should be hierarchical: the homepage at the top, then the main categories, then sub-pages under each category. This helps Google understand the importance of pages and the relationships between them. Google understands site structure through:
- Internal links: How pages link to one another.
- URL structure: URLs reflect the hierarchical order of pages.
- Structured data: Such as Breadcrumbs, which tell Google the level of each page.
Internal Links
An internal link is a link that takes a visitor from one page to another on the same website. Types of internal links include:
- Header Navigation links: Very important — place the pages you want to rank here.
- Footer links: Less impor