Your blog should be a trove of information for your prospective customers. That means not every blog post or web page you create needs to belong to a topic cluster. There’s also value in writing about tangential topics your customers care about. For example, we regularly create content about SEO, but it’s difficult to rank well on Google for such a popular topic with this acronym alone. We also risk competing with our own content by creating multiple pages that are all targeting the exact same keyword — and potentially the same SERPs. During this step, you’ll begin optimizing your pages for specific keywords.
Keep in mind, the above list of sub-buckets just gives a glimpse of the available ranking factors. What’s important to know when having SEO explained to you is these factors have different weights. If you’re SEO Anomaly curious to learn more about Google and its impact on SEO, check out our timeline of Google algorithm updates. Set up Google Analytics 4 (or an alternative analytics tool) to track SEO metrics like organic traffic and conversions.
Content Quality & Relevance
By now you probably see the importance of content in your overall SEO strategy. Content not only contains ranking keywords but if done right can draw in potential customers to learn more about your products or services. Not only does SEO get you more traffic and conversions, but it also helps to build trust and confidence with your customers.
Add Alt Text to Your Images
User experience (UX) is how visitors interact with and perceive your site (its design, usability, etc.)—and Google values a positive user experience. Another way to quickly identify a keyword’s intent is to use Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool. For example, a coffee shop owner might know that “best coffee shop” is a good keyword to target. But if you notice any important pages that you want to be eligible for rankings, work to identify and address the issue. This matters because higher rankings often lead to more clicks and visits. Highlight and precisely detail where your location is specifically rather than providing vague directions and landmarks that are near.
This combination allows search engines to sift through massive amounts of information and bring the most relevant results to your fingertips in seconds. We all rely on search engines to find everything from quick answers to complex research. Whether you’re searching for a recipe, troubleshooting a problem, or just satisfying curiosity, search engines are our go-to resource.
- Many people quickly discard direct mail without a second thought, and magazine or newspaper ads are frequently ignored—or missed entirely by those who prefer digital media over print.
- SEO provides long-term benefits, as once you achieve a high-ranking position, you can continue to receive leads from it (as long as you’re able to compete for that top position).
- This can be useful in revealing issues and blocking factors that you were never aware of, particularly as you’re likely to be very familiar with how your site works, giving you tunnel vision.
- On top of this, its pricing starts at $5,000 per month, so it may not be the right fit for a budget-conscious business.
- Search engines use complex processes and criteria to rank results, aiming to provide users with the best search experience.
Voice search has grown in popularity and will likely continue to do so. It shouldn’t be your #1 SEO priority, but it does make sense to start optimizing for voice search. So now is the time to learn the basics and implement best practices on your site.