How to sell on Depop: from starting an account to optimising your listings – Screen Shot
Deep Dives Level Up Newsletters Saved Articles Challenges

How to sell on Depop: from starting an account to optimising your listings

So you want to learn exactly how to sell on Depop? You’ve come to the right place! From the benefits of selling on the app and how to optimise your posts’ captions to the best ways of packaging your items, we’ll show you how to become a top seller by covering absolutely everything you need to know. Whether you’re simply looking to sell old clothes to clear your space or dreaming of launching your own brand—either way, there are many ways to make some serious cash on Depop, if that’s what you’re aiming for! Let’s get started, shall we?

Sustainability is the word that has been on everyone’s lips over the last few years and along with it came the rise of online marketplaces aimed at gen Zers. Forget about eBay and its confusing auction bidding process, the new generation was in dire need of a fashion marketplace that was not only simple, community-based and diverse but also sustainable—and it got what it wanted. In 2011, Depop was first launched.

If, like me, you’ve always struggled with a self-inflicted overflow of clothes and accessories, then you probably know of Depop and other apps like Vinted or Vestiaire Collective. You might have even downloaded one of them one day, had a quick test of how it functioned in order to gauge whether selling some of your old clothes on it was actually worth your time, but ended up deleting the app pretty quickly after deciding that it probably wasn’t.

Or perhaps you went further than that and actually uploaded a few pictures of that old dress that you personally can’t see yourself wearing anymore but still has some charm, only to never receive any likes or followers, let alone sell anything. If any of those assumptions sound familiar, or if you’re simply looking to optimise your already existing Depop account, then this How To is perfect for you. First things first, here’s a short introduction to the app and its many wonders.

What is Depop?

Just like eBay, Depop was created as an online fashion marketplace first, one where you can buy and sell your unwanted clothes. Unlike its predecessor, Depop is an app-based service, which means that although you can also access it on your laptop, it is mostly used from a user’s phone, which makes it easier and quicker to sell or buy items on it with a tap of a finger.

The app’s interface is similar to that of Instagram, not only because all apps seem to like copying the social media tycoon, but also because the characteristics of Instagram and its design are crucial aspects, especially for gen Zers. Instagram’s interface is simple: it has a few main icons, a handful of shortcuts, and consists mostly of images. As “the fashion marketplace app where the next generation come to discover unique items,” Depop knew it had to fulfil gen Zers’ need for simplicity.

After all, the app’s Unique Selling Point (USP) lies in the fact that it makes selling quick and easy—and it really does, but sometimes when starting out on the app, it can be hard to imagine how others are selling big time and, as a result, see the actual benefits of selling on Depop.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Depop (@depop)

The benefits of selling on Depop

If, somehow, you’re still not fully convinced of the benefits there are to using Depop for selling your unworn but loved clothes, then look at things this way: We are all over consuming—blame it on capitalism—which means that only a handful of people can proudly say that they don’t have personal belongings they wish they could get rid of. But, while your yearly trip to the nearest charity shop helps you both clear your closet and your conscience, you probably still hold on to a few pieces of clothing that are too sentimental (or pricey) to let go of. You want to make sure that whoever gets it will make good use of it (or pay the price you think it deserves). I feel you, trust me, I would be the last one to judge.

Keep in mind that while Depop is mostly known for its second-hand gems, it is also one of the best marketplaces for independent sellers. By that, I mean if you’ve got a collection of handmade products that you would like to start selling, Depop’s app might be a perfect fit for you too! Just like on Etsy, many small designers sell their items on Depop, while others repurpose vintage garments into cool, upcycled pieces. In other words, Depop has way more to offer than what you might think at first.

Still not 100 per cent convinced? Here are 9 benefits of selling items on Depop instead of another online marketplace.

How to sell on Depop: from starting an account to optimising your listings

1. Easy-to-use (even for newbies)

As stated above, Depop’s USP is its simplicity which allows almost anyone to sell their items on the app without any difficulty. Compared to eBay’s old school interface and its confusing mobile version, Depop looks like it was made with kids in mind—and that’s positive, you want to make your life easier, not harder.

2. Community-based

Not only does Depop have a highly engaged community, but it also feels so familiar because of its social platform similarities. On the app, you have a profile with a picture, a bio, followers and followings—just like on Instagram. Depop’s feed even looks like Instagram’s. And although eBay also offers sellers the opportunity to have a picture and a short bio, eBay buyers couldn’t care less about who they’re buying from.

On Depop the contrary is true, your personality or your sense of style may be the very reason customers are buying your items and following your account. This idea is founded on the fact that your potential customers will know what to expect from you, much like any other physical shop.

3. Mobile-first

I’ve said it before, but let me reiterate this for the people at the back: Depop’s app is simply the best when it comes to listing (and therefore selling) items. It’s straightforward and sleek, whereas eBay is pretty outdated. With Depop, you can sell clothes, even when you’re on the go.

4. It has some impressive subcultures

Because Depop is a community-based platform, it presents itself as a welcoming platform for any type of seller as well as buyer. This means that you might end up finding pockets where people are hunting for niche-interest products. As a seller, this can be helpful if you’re trying to sell very specific items. As a buyer, Depop is great if you’re into some obscure fashion trend that can’t easily be found on other online marketplaces.

5. You just won’t get the same anywhere else

Many buyers and sellers steer clear of eBay because sellers on there are ‘faceless’. In other words, when buying something on eBay, you have no way of knowing who you’re buying from, which can sometimes result in scams, whereas on Depop, you can find out anything you want from sellers that have a transparent bio, and you can ask questions. On top of that, Depop’s refund system is seamless, so even if you do end up getting scammed (although the chances of this happening are slim), you’ll get your money back in no time!

6. Depop users are friendlier

It may sound silly, but it is a true benefit of the app. While eBay is more established because of its longtime run as an online marketplace, a lot of it is very serious, including its users. If you want just the right mix between eBay’s legally binding bids and sanctions and Facebook’s local group, then Depop is it.

7. Great seller offers

Depop regularly runs seller offers that reduce the fees to list products. This means that if you’ve got a big inventory, those offers are highly beneficial to cut extra costs. If you’re a buyer, the app also offers some seasonal offers and pushes sellers to discount some items before specific holidays.

8. Followers

Because Depop works just like Instagram, it’s very easy to contact customers who follow you, in case you need to check something with them. This allows you to market your inventory by following, liking and generally immersing yourself in the Depop community.

9. Influencers

When a digital platform attracts young fashion enthusiast users, influencers and celebrities usually follow them on the specific app. That’s what happened with Instagram and TikTok, and it also did on Depop. Although the app will probably never gain as much traffic as eBay, it offers sellers the next best thing: a targeted audience. If you have something to sell, find influencers that represent that style and get in with that crowd—the rest will follow. Interaction with other profiles should lead to your own account being noticed.

How to sell on Depop

Now that we’ve exposed the reasons why there is more to gain from using Depop than to lose, it’s time to get rid of that pile of clothes you’ve pushed into a corner and cover the logistics of actually selling items on the app. There are two main things you need to know about before you start making some money: Depop’s selling and listing fees.

Depop fees

Once you’ve sold an item, Depop will automatically charge a 10% fee on the sale price that you’ve personally set, including the shipping costs that you can also manually set depending on the size of the item you’ll be sending. This fee will be taken from your PayPal account, which will be connected to your Depop account, or any card you have linked to your Depop account.

On top of that, there’s a PayPal transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 in the US and 2.9% + £0.30 in the UK. It usually doesn’t equal to much, but keep this in mind before your first sell.

Depop listing fees

Listing an item on Depop, on the other hand, is completely free, unlike other big online marketplaces. This means that the flat 10% selling fee discussed just above is charged only when you sell an item!

Now that you’re aware of all that, let’s get you up and running for your first sell on Depop. All you have to do is to create a free Depop account, list your items, deliver your products, and get paid. Let us take you through a step-by-step process to start selling on Depop.

1. How to create an account on Depop

First things first, you’ll need to create your Depop account after downloading the app on your phone—you can also do this on Depop’s website, but because you’ll probably mostly use the mobile app, you might as well start there.

You can either decide to connect either your Facebook account or your Apple ID to your new Depop account or simply fill in the information needed yourself. If you do the latter, Depop will ask you for your first name, last name, email address, your Depop username and password as well as your location. You’ll also need to read Depop’s terms and conditions and precise your preferred currency.

2. How to connect your PayPal to your new Depop account

Once you’re all done setting your new Depop account, you have to connect your PayPal account in order to start receiving payments of your sold items or start buying items on the app.

Because Depop doesn’t currently have its own payment system, all purchases go through PayPal, whether the buyer payment is made with PayPal balance or Debit / Credit card. That’s why, if you want to sell on the app, you will need a PayPal account to connect it to.

To connect your PayPal account, open your Depop app and tap on the ‘Profile’ icon located at the bottom right of your mobile screen. We’ve circled it in red in the image below:

How to sell on Depop: from starting an account to optimising your listings

Once you’ve clicked on it, you will end up on your newly created profile. In the top right corner, you should see a ‘Settings’ icon that looks like a grinding wheel. Click on it to access more information on your account, then click on ‘Preferences’.

How to sell on Depop: from starting an account to optimising your listings

There, you should see that your PayPal account is not connected to the app yet.

How to sell on Depop: from starting an account to optimising your listings

Simply tap on it, select ‘Connect PayPal’ and log into your PayPal account. Once that’s all done, your PayPal account will be connected to your Depop profile and you’ll now be able to get paid when you start selling items!

3. How to set up your shop on Depop

We’ll go into more detail on how to optimise an item’s pictures shortly but until then, let’s have a look at how exactly you can set up your shop. Go on your profile, and start modifying it to add more information about yourself. Add a photo or a logo that will represent you as a seller or your brand and tap on ‘Next’. Write a short bio about your shop and what you’re selling then tap on ‘Next’. Link your profile to your other social media accounts and tap on ‘Next’. Enter your first name, last name, billing address, and tap on ‘Next’ again.

After you’ve completed those steps, your final step is to add four images and one video of your first item—while the video is optional, we recommend that you upload one if you get the time. This will give your buyers a better view of the product, and an incentive to buy it. You’ll also need to add a description, some hashtags, your location, a relevant category, some shipping information, and the price of the product you’ve chosen. When finished, all you have to do is to tap on ‘Post listing’.

Listing on Depop is, as we mentioned it above, pretty straightforward. However, listing is an essential part of your image as a seller, so you’ll want to always get it right. You can either open your app and tap on the ‘Camera’ icon at the bottom centre of your home screen to take a picture straight away or use pictures that you’ve already taken beforehand. While both work the same way, we advise you spend a bit of time on taking the right pictures to really showcase your items in the best light you can. After all, if your pictures look bad, buyers probably won’t be interested in buying the items you’re trying to sell. That’s why optimising your listing page is really important.

How to optimise your Depop listings

Your listing page is where potential customers view your products. Optimising your listing pages can have a huge impact on your sales, so make sure you follow these tips when adding listings to your Depop store.

1. Take good pictures and videos of your items

Said like that, it might sound time-consuming, however, making an effort when it comes to your listing process is the best way to start selling your items, and for a good price too! While having good clothes to sell in the first place is always a bonus, some good pictures and a nice video can truly improve the quality of a garment. All you need to do is keep a few things in mind when taking pictures and videos of them.

For one specific item, you can only add four pictures and one optional video maximum, so try to use all these media to your advantage. If you’re happy modelling your items, then try to style them with some other cool pieces that you know will uplift the main item you’re selling. Make sure you’re showing every angle of your item, and do not try to hide any stains or holes, simply mention them in the description of your item and try to take some ‘flattering’ pictures of it too.

Take your pictures in natural sunlight in nice settings—no one wants to see your dirty bedroom in the background. Instead, you can even try to ‘stage’ scenes using some of your favourite objects for example. Have a look at how other Depop sellers optimise their listing pictures:

How to sell on Depop: from starting an account to optimising your listings
How to sell on Depop: from starting an account to optimising your listings
How to sell on Depop: from starting an account to optimising your listings

In the first and second examples, you can see that the seller used her plants and a stool as a nice way to create a beautiful environment around her main piece. In the third example, the seller went as far as to create a montage of different angles of her item in order to really show what she’s selling.

Although you don’t necessarily have to add a video, it can be useful as an extra help that gives Depop shoppers a better idea of how your product looks in action.

2. Write product descriptions that sell

If you look at the captions above, you’ll soon figure out that detail is key! When writing your own product descriptions, don’t be shy, try to sell your item by using positive adjectives such as ‘amazing’, ‘gorgeous’, ‘cute’. Then, take the time to add proper measurements of the garment to avoid users from messaging you for more information, as well as the quality of the item you’re listing.

An effective product description will convince potential customers to click the ‘Buy now’ button. Before writing your descriptions, have a think about your buyer personas. Are they okay with a familiar tone of voice? Are they quite young? What kind of budget are they willing to spend on one item? What information are they expecting from you? This should dictate the way you first approach your product descriptions.

Once you’re ready to get writing, use short, descriptive sentences that highlight the key features of your item. To finish it off beautifully, include product keywords to optimise for search so that people will find your listing. You can do that by inserting hashtags in your listing, from the brand of your item to a more global description of it. For example, if you’re selling a pink mini skirt you can include hashtags such as #miniskirt and #pinkminiskirt. If your skirt is from Topshop, add this information too! You could write #Topshopskirt or #Topshopminiskirt for example.

Don’t forget to mention defaults such as scratches, stains or holes. Be a trustworthy seller, because if you decide to hide something from a buyer, they can open a dispute against you, which may result in you having to give them a refund. Depop has its very own page to guide buyers on how to open a dispute against a seller if they received a product not as described. Keep in mind that once you’ve sold something to a buyer, both you and them have the possibility to leave a review visible to any other Depop user, so don’t piss anyone off, it’s just not worth it.

3. Describe the item fully

When listing an item on Depop, underneath the product’s description you will see a few more categories that need to be filled in. From the item’s size and its brand to whether it is second-hand or completely new as well as extra colour tags, make sure you fill as much of these categories as you possibly can. Remember, the more details the better!

4. Price an item fairly

Pricing can be one of the trickier aspects of listing an item. It can have a big impact on whether or not people decide to buy your items, even if you’ve uploaded some top-quality pictures and written a detailed product description.

Before pricing an item, try to calculate the overall cost, including shipping and the retail price of your item. Don’t price your items too low because it could have a negative impact on your profits. Alternatively, don’t price too high either because it can also dissuade customers from buying your product.

If you think that you have an item which is already being sold by other sellers on Depop, search for similar listings to see what they sold for and try to price your item for a slightly cheaper price than the rest. This can give your listing an edge over competitors.

5. Shipping your items

When it comes to your shipping fee, you can manually edit it every time you upload an item or set a global price for all of them. Try not to set it too high, be realistic, but remember that you can also make a small profit from it. By arranging your own shipping, you’ll need to consider the price of packaging as well as the shipping label.

To keep proof of postage, send the item to the address on the in-app receipt and put in the package’s tracking number once it’s sent. In case something goes wrong, you’re protected by PayPal’s Seller Protection.

Beginner’s guide to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Why should I learn about SEO?

Let’s say you have a website—any kind of website—where you offer great content, and yet, it never ranks well on Google. That’s frustrating, isn’t it? If you’re stuck in this situation, that’s when you should seriously consider optimising your website with Search Engine Optimization, also called SEO for short.

You might then wonder, why does my website need SEO? There are a lot of benefits that come from SEO but its main benefit is the one you should focus on first: it increases your website’s visibility on search engines, which is what you’re looking for. Whether that is on Google, Yahoo!, Bing or other search engines, all the techniques and tips that we’ll explain in this How to will help you increase your website’s visibility on the search engine of your choice.

Not only do you want your platform to gain more visibility, you also want it to rank on a search engine for the right keywords. For example, if you sell flowers in London, you’ll want your website to rank high for keywords such as ‘best flowers London’ or ‘where to buy flowers in London’. Search engines rank websites on the relevance of the keywords they include and the quality of the content they offer. You want people’s keyword queries to match the content of your website.

Once you start seeing those two benefits from a bit of SEO work, you’ll see a third benefit along the way—you’ll witness a traffic increase to your website. That will only happen if you offer potential users great content. If you don’t, users will just find another website with better content to stay on. After all, search engines have plenty of content for users to pick from. What you need to attain in order to separate yourself from competitors is good content that brings something new to the table. You need to answer a user’s query and provide them with even more information if possible!

Inherently, because of this increase in traffic and your relevance to keywords you cover on your website, people will find it more easily than before. An optimised site helps your target audience find your website therefore increasing brand awareness. People will know more about you and your platform, which can result in a conversion from a local business to a global business. Let’s say you decided to sell flowers all around the world. You would then try to rank for less specific keywords such as ‘best flower delivery service’ or you could target specific new locations. This would mean you’ve expanded your business visibility through SEO.

So, let’s elevate your business!

What is SEO exactly?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the practice of getting ‘free’ traffic from organic search results on any search engine. Depending on the keyword that someone types in, search engines rank websites based on which content they consider most relevant to users. It’s all about relevancy.

If your website ranks on the first page of a specific search engine for relevant keywords, you’ll get more visibility, which means you’ll get more traffic and therefore more conversions. The higher you rank on a search engine, the more traffic and visibility you’ll end up with.

For example, Google has 10 results per page for a search result. If your website ranks in the top 3 of the first page of a specific keyword’s query, you’ll receive a majority of the clicks as people usually never go further than the first page and rarely scroll down after the three first links that appear.

What is keyword research?

Keyword research is one of the most important steps in SEO, so let’s have a look at what it is exactly. Keyword research is the process of identifying popular words and phrases, also called keywords, used on search engines by users who are looking for content. This research should also be based on high search volume, high relevancy and less competition. To put it simply, you’ll want to find the goldmine, instead of competing with unreachable keywords.

You should always want to find relevant keywords that have a high search volume and possibly not too much competition. When you start looking at specific keywords, you’ll see two different types of keywords: short tail keywords and long tail keywords.

What are short tail keywords?

Short tail keywords are more generic, they usually consist of less than 3 words and have high search volume as well as high competition which means less conversion rate. For example, you can imagine that a lot of people type in ‘best flowers’ and that therefore, a lot of your competition wants to also appear in the search results of this short tail keyword. This means that if you do end up on the first page of the search results, you’ll get a lot of traffic. But this also means that getting to that first page is going to be extremely difficult.

Furthermore, ranking for short tail keywords might not result in a high conversion rate because those keywords are broader than long tail keywords, meaning your page might not be the most relevant result. What if someone who just searched ‘best flowers’ didn’t actually want to buy some but wanted to plant them instead? Your website wouldn’t be as relevant and the search engine would probably end up ranking you down for this keyword.

You can go for short tail keywords if you are trying to drive a lot of visitors to your website. However, if you want conversions, you should consider focusing more on long tail keywords.

What are long tail keywords?

Long tail keywords are way more specific than short tail keywords. They’re usually made of more than three words, have less competition because of how precise they are and a smaller search volume. This gives them the advantage of resulting in a higher conversion rate. For example, if you sold flowers locally on your website, in London more specifically, you would first want to rank for ‘flowers delivery London’. Now, what about reducing this to a specific type of flower? What if you sell an amazing bouquet of preserved flowers? You would then try to rank for the long tail keyword ‘preserved flowers delivery London’. You could even go as far as trying to rank for a specific borough in London. So, if you’re interested in conversions, long tail keywords might be better for you as visitors who land on your website from a long tail keyword are usually ready to make a purchase.

All in all, long tail keywords are great for targeted pages such as articles and product pages. Now that you’ve familiarised yourself with SEO and keyword research, let’s have a look at your biggest friend and your biggest enemy: search engines.

How does a search engine work?

Before ranking your website, search engines crawl it, they follow links and create a map of your site. Once that is done, search engines will take this information back to their servers and index it. Then, when someone searches for a specific keyword, search engines are able to quickly give them the most relevant content they’re looking for.

Types of SEO

Your SEO strategy should be based on two main things: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO is the work you’ll do on your website, whereas off-page SEO is the second part of the strategy which focuses on the work you’ll do off your website to be relevant for search queries, also called link building. Both steps are very important but let’s focus on on-page SEO first.

1. On-page SEO

By doing on-page SEO, you’re optimising elements of your web page, which is typically used to gain more relevant traffic. On your website, you’ll have a number of different elements that you can look to improve. Here are seven of the most important things you should start improving on your website.

Schema markup

First, you should start with schema markup, which is code, or a micro description that you can add to your website in order to give users a good description for it on a search engine’s result page.

Basically, users need to understand more about the content of your website even before clicking on one of your links, and this description, if written well, gives you the opportunity to convince people you’re the right link to click on.

This schema markup also gives search engines more information about your website, which then allows them to understand your platform better and associate it with relevant keywords. Included in a schema markup can be reviews, an image thumbnail, other site links, and even product availability.

Title tag

The next tool you should consider using is the title tag, which is the tag of a web page that appears on a search engine’s result page. This tag needs to summarise your website’s content by describing what your content is about. Having a good title tag will increase your click-through rate (CTR). If someone is searching on Google ‘best preserved flowers’ then you should include these in your page’s title tag.

When improving your title tags, keep in mind that Google has a character limit of 65 characters, so optimise it by following this format:

Primary keyword – secondary keyword | website/brand name

Meta description

Then, you have the meta description, which is a short description that summarises the content of your website. It is important that you insert a unique description for each page of your website. As you can see below, Screen Shot has different meta descriptions for different pages. Our ‘About’ page showcases a preview on Google about our company, whereas our category pages have meta descriptions about the type of content users will find on those specific pages.

Beginner’s guide to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A website’s meta description will always be under the site’s title tag and its URL. When optimised, the meta description of your page will help you become more relevant for certain search queries. The optimal length for a meta description is between 50 and 300 characters.

Header tag

Once you’ve gone through these steps, you’ll want to focus on header tags. These are used on a web page to identify the headings and subheadings of your website. You’re going to optimise the header tags of both your headings and subheadings, which are part of a header tag hierarchy that goes from H1 to H6. H1 is at the top, which means that if you decide to use a H1 on your page, you’re telling the search engine that whichever information is displayed in H1 is the main point of that specific page.

For example, if you go on an article on Screen Shot, the page’s H1 will be the title of the article. In your H1, you’ll want to include your most important keywords so that search engines can notice straight away which keywords you’re emphasising and going after.

H1 is the main heading of a web page, whereas H2 to H6 are optional subheadings. On Screen Shot, we’ll only use H2 in addition to our initial H1 in some articles that need to be broken up into different sections. In our H2, we always add more keywords, ones that are less important than the keywords included in the H1.

A code sample for your H1 will be:

<h1> main heading </h1>

For your H2 it will be:

<h2> optional heading </h2>

And so forth. Not only will this help you organise the content of your website but it will also help search engines find what queries your page is relevant to.

URL structure

A URL is like an address in real life, but on the internet—it specifies the location of your website on the internet. As mentioned before, your URL also shows up in search engines. Your URL’s structure is also important for SEO, which is why you’ll need to make yours SEO-friendly.

A URL consists of a protocol, a domain and subdirectories. To put it simply, if you look at this Screen Shot URL:

https://screenshot-media.com/topics/visual-cultures/

‘Https’ is what we call a protocol, which can also be ‘http’ when the website is not secure. ‘Screenshot-media.com’ is the domain, and ‘topics’ as well as ‘visual-cultures’ are subdirectories.

A well-structured URL provides both users and search engines clear information of what the website is about. URLs need to be shorter than 2,083 characters but the most important thing you should remember is that your website’s URL should always be clear and make sense. Keep it short and understandable. Keeping the number of subdirectories you include in your URL low will also make your URL clearer.

Internal links

An internal link is a type of hyperlink that goes from one page of the domain to another page on the same website. They allow search engines to follow the pages of your website, which helps them index your pages easily. Internal links also help spread what we call ‘link juice’, which means that a specific page is important because it includes other links to more pages of that same website. It gives your page more authority. For example, search engines know that Screen Shot’s main page is the most important one because of how many internal links it contains (internal links that mostly point to other Screen Shot articles).

Page speed

Your website’s page speed, which is the speed at which your website’s pages load, is very important for SEO. Search engines such as Google for example, have many users searching for many different things, as you can imagine. Because of that, and because of the competition, Google wants its users to have the best experience they can. That’s why, on top of ranking websites depending on their relevance, Google will also rank them on their page load time. If a website loads too slowly, it would then be detrimental to Google to rank that page too high.

If a page loads too slowly, it may lead to a high bounce rate and low average time spent on the website. Fast site speed will help you rank higher on a search engine. If you look at Google Analytics for example, you can look at the statistics for your page over the last 30 days and see your average page load time.

Ideally, your page speed should be no more than 3 to 4 seconds maximum. Depending on the browser that users use, your website’s page speed might be higher or lower. Same can be said about the type of device users are accessing your website on—that could be a desktop, a phone, a tablet. Countries play a role in it too, depending on networks. In Google Analytics, you can also look at one exact page of your website and the speed it loads at.

To improve your website’s page speed, Google Analytics actually has a ‘Speed Suggestions’ tab where it will give you some feedback on what to do in order to speed up your page load time. In order to increase your page speed you should use a simple website design, optimise your code and your images, and improve your server response time.

2. Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO are actions you take that are not directly done on your website, which is basically the technique of promoting your website using link building.

Link building

By establishing links to your platform on other websites, you’ll be able to improve your website’s credibility, increase your domain’s authority, increase your referral traffic and improve your page rank. Keep in mind that it’s about quality, not quantity.

For example, a link to Screen Shot’s website coming from a well-known website is called a backlink, and this will be worth much more than a link coming from a small blog. Link building is the most effective method of off-page SEO. Link building is one of Google’s top 3 search ranking factors, along with other on-page SEO methods.

Some of the most popular ways of link building are guest blogging, listing your website in trustworthy directories such as Wikipedia, through testimonial link building or even social media content.

Now, although we’ve mentioned previously that other search engines exist, Google remains the number one search engine used worldwide, which means it should be the one you know the most about for SEO.

Google algorithms

Google’s algorithms use advanced concepts to retrieve data from its index and deliver web pages based on specific search queries within milliseconds. To do so, it uses a combination of algorithms (Google Panda, Google Penguin, Google RankBrain…). While it is useful to get familiar with some of Google’s algorithms, it should also be noted that the company constantly updates its algorithms, which can lead to major changes announced a few times a year.

Make sure you check these changes often so you can keep up with your SEO work. Google Panda focuses on delivering high-quality content. It removes online pages that have low-quality or duplicate content from Google’s index.

Google Penguin combats low-quality links by focusing on two things: link schemes and keyword stuffing, which is when people include links or keywords that are not relevant to their content just to try and raise their traffic and visibility.

Google RankBrain uses machine learning to interpret search queries that users type on Google. Basically, it makes any type of search logical so that the search engine can give the user the right type of content they may be looking for.

How can I measure my SEO performance?

Once you’ve gone through the basics of SEO and you’ve looked at on and off-page SEO, surely you’ll want to see whether your hard work paid off. If you’ve followed the previous steps, you should see an improvement in your website’s organic traffic, as well as its mobile traffic, its keyword ranking, its amount of backlinks and its engagement metrics.

So where do you go and which tools can you use? The first and simplest tool you should always check is Google Analytics. On top of that, use Google Search Console. To check your keywords or your page’s ranking, you can use different websites such as ahrefs.com (our favourite), moz.com or SEMrush.com.