What I Wish I Knew Back Then. Wealthy Affiliate Training-Google-Data-SEO

byRobbyofstone

557 followers

7 months ago

Follow-Up: What I Wish I Knew Back Then — SEO, Rank Math & Backlinks Starting to Make Sense

This post is a direct follow-up to the one I shared earlier this week, after seeing some great comments and feedback, especially from members like Isabella, who reminded me where I was not so long ago.

Back then, I didn’t really understand what to do with Google Analytics, Search Console, or even how Rank Math tied into improving SEO. I hadn’t done a lot of the things I now realise are essential when building a site that’s meant to be seen.

This post is my way of clarifying and expanding on what I said before — and hopefully helping anyone who’s currently in that "I didn’t know what I didn’t know" phase.

I joined WA in June last year, and for quite a while I was in the same position that many others here find themselves, trying to get posts seen and ranked in Google, juggling and learning plugins, and feeling like there was just too much data and learning to be done to make sense of it all.

And I stayed in that position right up until late 2024. I had content. I had strength and effort. But I didn’t yet have direction because of my lack of knowledge. But there is no way, even if it was available somewhere in the training, that I could have absorbed any more.

Then Things Started to Make Sense…

The turning point came when I began using ChatGPT more seriously, not just casually, but with purpose. Every day, I gained a little more clarity about how data (yes, even the intimidating kind from Site Kit or Analytics) could actually help shape what I was doing.

At the same time, Rank Math became my SEO coach of sorts. It taught me which parts of a post needed work and why certain choices affected my rankings. But unlike a steep SEO course, it explained things in a way that fit my style of learning, practical and visual, not theoretical.

Combining the Tools = Real Progress

The more I used Rank Math, the better my prompts to ChatGPT became, and in return, the better advice I received. The result? I began restructuring and rewording everything, from titles and meta descriptions to internal links and headings.

Now I’m going back through all 24 of my earlier posts, updating each one with everything I’ve learned. Some of them ranked well before the Google update “bomb” that hit on November 11, 2024, but faded afterwards. I’m confident I can get them climbing again.

Why I'm Now Going to be Prioritising Backlinks

Another piece of the puzzle? Backlinks.

Both Bing and Google have flagged my sites for having too few links from reputable external domains. I hadn’t given backlinks much thought until I saw it mentioned in both Webmaster Tools dashboards. Now I’m building a backlink plan, starting with:

• Craft-focused forum engagement
• Outreach to complementary creators and blogs
• Submitting tutorials or guides where relevant

The goal is to build natural, helpful links, not spammy ones. This next phase is all about reinforcing what I’ve already written by making it worth linking to.

My Takeaway for Others:

If you’re where I was. overwhelmed, unsure what to fix, or hesitant to rework old posts — I want you to know: it’s worth it.

Learn just enough to apply one improvement at a time. The data doesn’t have to be scary; it can be your guide, once you start asking the right questions and using the right tools.

I’m happy to share anything I’ve learned along the way if it saves someone else from doubling back later. Or making you think about doing something else!

Rob