HF Formations If you are here, it means you want to learn SEO without breaking the bank. Good news: it’s possible! Natural referencing, or SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for those in the know, is an ultra-valuable skill in 2025. Whether you are an entrepreneur, blogger, or just curious, knowing how to climb to the top of Google can literally change the game. And guess what? You don’t need to pay hundreds of euros for that!
Hold tight, we’re going to break down SEO together, step by step, and I’ll even give you some ninja tips to stand out. Ready? Let’s go!
What is SEO and why should you care?
Imagine you open a super stylish restaurant in the middle of a desert. It’s beautiful, the menu is crazy, but… no one knows it exists. That’s where SEO comes into play: it helps you make sure people find you on Google instead of getting lost in the abyss of the Internet.
Basically, SEO is the art of pleasing Google by optimizing your site so that it ranks first in search results. More visibility = more visitors = more customers (or readers if you run a blog). It’s that simple!
The 3 Essential Pillars of SEO
For your site to succeed on Google, you need to work on three fundamental aspects of natural referencing:
1. On-Page SEO: optimizing your site
This covers the content and structure of your site. Essentially, Google needs to understand what you’re talking about and want to promote you. To do this, you should:
- Use the right keywords (like “free SEO training”, for example).
- Structure your content with well-thought-out headings (H1, H2, H3…).
- Optimize your images (alt text, compression…).
- Improve user experience (loading speed, intuitive navigation…).
2. Off-Page SEO: the reputation of your site
Here, we talk about what others say about you on the web. The goal is to show Google that your site is a reference, mainly through quality backlinks (links from other sites to yours).
Little hack: a link from an ultra-authoritative site (like a well-known media outlet) is worth gold!
3. The Technique: the backend of SEO
This is the slightly geekier part of SEO. For Google to love you, your site must be fast, secure, and responsive (to display well on mobile). Also think about:
- A good internal linking structure (links between your pages).
- A silo structure (well-organized categories).
- A sitemap and a robots.txt file (it helps Google crawl your site).
How to Find the Right Keywords?
Now that we have the basics, let’s get to the heart of the matter: how do we know which keywords to use to make Google love you?
You need to look for popular yet not overly competitive keywords. For that, several options:
- Google Suggest (the search suggestions when you type a word in Google).
- Ubersuggest (great for seeing the search volume of a keyword).
- Answer The Public (to find questions people are asking online).
- Google Search Console (if you already have a site, it provides plenty of info).
💡 Tip: long-tail keywords (e.g. “free SEO training for beginners”) are often easier to rank than short, highly competitive keywords.
Create Optimized and Engaging Content
Now that you have your keywords, it’s time for content. And here, be careful: Google no longer likes articles stuffed with poorly placed keywords. It wants quality content that really answers users’ questions.
💡 Checklist for a good SEO-friendly article:
✅ An engaging title (with your main keyword inside).
✅ Well-thought-out subheadings to structure the article (H2, H3…).
✅ Short and easy-to-read sentences (avoid long blocks of text).
✅ Engaging content (with anecdotes, examples, and maybe a bit of humor).
✅ Bullet points (like this one 👀).
✅ Internal and external links (with nofollow for external links).
Example of an ideal structure:
| SEO Element | Best Practice |
|---|---|
| H1 Title | Contains the main keyword |
| Meta Description | Catchy and optimized |
| URL | Short and descriptive (SEO-friendly slug) |
| H2 & H3 | Logically organize the content |
| Images | Compressed, with optimized ALT tags |
| Internal Links | Link the articles to each other |
Backlinks: The Holy Grail of Referencing
Good content is great. But without backlinks, it’s hard to be first. Google loves to see others sites referencing you; it proves that your content is useful.
💡 How to get backlinks for free?
- Write guest articles on popular blogs.
- Sign up for SEO-friendly directories.
- Propose your site on forums and Facebook groups (without spamming!).
- Create highly shareable content (infographics, case studies…).
The goal is for credible sites to talk about you. The more natural and varied your link profile, the better.
Free Tools to Help You Excel in SEO
Let’s be honest, SEO is work. Fortunately, plenty of free tools can help you organize:
🛠 Google Search Console – To analyze your SEO performance.
🛠 Google Analytics – To track your traffic in real-time.
🛠 Screaming Frog – To perform a technical audit of your site.
🛠 Ubersuggest – To analyze your keywords.
🛠 Yoast SEO (WordPress) – To optimize your site without being a coding pro.
Take Action!
There you go, you now have all the keys to boost your SEO without spending a dime! It’s your turn: apply these tips, create awesome content, and watch your rankings climb in Google.
And if this article helped you, share it with your friends on social media! After all, the more of us who master SEO, the better the Internet will be filled with great content. 😏
