What is SEO and how does it work?

If you’re a business owner, search engines are like a busy street where you want your shop (website) to be.

The more people who see your shop, the more customers you might get.

That’s where SEO comes in. It’s like putting up big, flashy signs to make your shop more visible.

The goal is to get on the first page of Google because not many people click on the second page.

How do search engines like Google work?

Think of search engines like Google as giant libraries, searching billions of web pages to find the most relevant, trusted, and user-friendly content for your queries.

But instead of books, they have web pages.

When you want to know something, you ask the search engine, and it finds the most relevant web pages for you.

This is handy for everything, from looking up a new recipe to finding the nearest pizza place.

Google’s crawlers, or spiders, traverse the internet, indexing content to form a vast database for search results. They assess keywords, fresh content, and site usability to rank pages.

Google’s search engine algorithm employs natural language processing (NLP) to comprehend conversational search terms and link analysis to gauge a page’s importance.

Continuously enhanced by machine learning, Google’s algorithm increasingly refines its ability to deliver precise and helpful answers.

Brief History of Google

According to a report by Statista, Google accounted for over 83% of all global search engine traffic as of July 2023.

It’s the most prevalent search engine on the market, and it’s the industry leader in terms of what search engine optimization is based on.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998 and today, Google is one of the most popular websites in the world, and its search engine remains one of the most relied-upon tools for finding information online.

Early search algorithms used webmaster-provided data, like keyword meta tags or index files in engines such as ALIWEB, to understand and categorize web content.

As the size and complexity of web pages increased, so did the need for search engine crawlers to improve indexing and indexable metadata.

This process significantly improves your PageRank, a key algorithm in search engine rankings.

PageRank is a Google algorithm that gauges a webpage’s importance by analyzing the number and quality of links.

It’s based on the idea that significant pages receive more external links.

Named after co-founder Larry Page and the concept of web pages, as of September 24, 2019, all PageRank patents have expired.

Google still uses a version of PageRank, though it’s not called that anymore.

While it’s no longer directly used for ranking, its essence lives on in a bigger framework called E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).

More on this later!

So, how does Google decide where to rank my website?

Google utilizes complex algorithms, signals, and ranking factors to decide which web pages appear in search results.

It combines analyzing content, understanding user behavior, and using advanced technology to deliver the most relevant results.

New information from the recent antitrust trials has revealed deeper information on signals and algorithms that Google uses:

Signals in Google’s Search

1. The Document: Google examines the words and content on a webpage to understand its subject matter.
2. Topicality: This is about how well the page’s content aligns with the search query, focusing on relevance to your search.
3. Page Quality: The overall quality is crucial. This includes the content’s writing quality and the page’s user experience.
4. Reliability: Trustworthiness and accuracy of the page content are key. Google prefers content from reliable sources.
5. Localization: The relevance of content to the searcher’s location is considered, making local results more prominent when applicable.

Core Algorithms

1. Navboost: This algorithm is dedicated to web results, utilizing 13 months of user click data to influence ranking.
2. Glue: Similar to Navboost, Glue incorporates additional SERP features and accounts for diverse user interactions.
3. Deep Learning Systems (like RankBrain & DeepRank): These systems use complex algorithms and user feedback to fine-tune document rankings, enhancing accuracy.
4. QBST (Query-Based Salient Terms): This method likely uses search queries and click data for ranking purposes.
5. Term Weighting: Similar to QBST, with an emphasis on rating data to determine the significance of specific search terms.
6. Tangram System (formerly Tetris): Integrates various signals, including those from Glue, to enhance non-web search features.
7. IS (Information Satisfaction) Score: Based on search quality evaluations, this score aids in refining Google’s search models.
8. User Click Data: Understanding user search trends and behaviors helps adjust and improve ranking algorithms.

Google’s Main Search Algorithm

• Google Hummingbird: This is the overarching algorithm that determines how websites are ordered in search results.
• RankBrain: As a part of Hummingbird, RankBrain uses machine learning to interpret new phrases, focus on overarching topics instead of just keywords, and prioritize user satisfaction in its rankings. It’s adept at understanding the intent behind your searches and delivering results that align with what users find helpful and relevant.

Google’s combination of algorithms like Hummingbird and RankBrain, along with various signals, enables it to provide search results that are not just relevant but also of high quality and reliability.

It’s a sophisticated system designed to understand and meet user needs as accurately as possible.

What makes you rank higher on Google?

In short, Google aims to quickly and accurately match your search terms – like “best chocolate chip cookie recipe” – with the most relevant and helpful search results, making your search experience as smooth and effective as possible.

The search process mainly involves two key elements: your search term (what you type in) and the search results (what Google shows you).

Imagine you’re searching for the “best chocolate chip cookie recipe.”

When you type this into Google, its main task is to figure out what you’re really looking for – in this case, a reliable and delicious cookie recipe.

Google then aims to display a page that perfectly answers your query.

The ideal scenario is that the first result, the top one you see on the search results page, is precisely the kind of cookie recipe you’re hoping to find.

Why does Google care about SEO?

Google cares about SEO because most people rely on Google to answer questions, find other sites, and shop online.

2022 Google handled 61.4% of search queries, while Microsoft (Bing and Yahoo) fielded only 25%.

Users searching and being delivered great results build trust with their audience; this creates an entry point for paid advertising, also known as search engine marketing (SEM).

Google’s leading source of revenue comes from advertisers who want to target their ads to specific groups of people.

For instance, a business may want to target people looking for a new car.

They place an ad on Google that pays per click, meaning every time someone clicks on it, the advertiser receives a commission.

Google also earns revenue by selling access to its data-mining technologies to third-party companies such as Facebook and Amazon.

Differences between SEO, SEM, and PCC

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

SEM is a broader term that includes SEO and paid-per-click (PPC) advertising.

Through paid and unpaid efforts, it’s about gaining traffic and visibility from search engines.

While SEM originally included both SEO and PPC, today, many people use it to refer specifically to paid search activities.

They are driving both organic and paid traffic from search engines.

PPC (Pay-Per-Click)

PPC is a commonly-used model in digital marketing where advertisers are charged a fee for every click their ads receive.

The Analogy for SEO vs. SEM vs PPC

Imagine SEM as a Coin

SEO is one side of the coin, focusing on organic traffic. PPC is the other side of the coin, focusing on paid traffic. They both make up the whole coin of SEM.

SEO vs. PPC

It’s essential to see SEO and PPC not as competitors but complementary strategies.

Each has its strengths and can be used effectively in different situations.

Many businesses use both to maximize their visibility and traffic from search engines:

Aspect	Paid Search (PPC)	Organic Search (SEO)
Results Speed	Quick visibility; immediate results upon campaign launch.	Slower to show results; requires time to build rankings.
Cost	Costs money per click; ongoing budget required.	Primarily time and effort-based; no cost per click.
Tracking	Easy to track costs and ROI.	More challenging to directly track ROI.
Control	Less control over ad placement on SERPs.	More control over content and optimization strategies.
Credibility	Ads may be less trusted by users.	Higher credibility with users who often trust organic results more.
Competition	Immediate competition with other advertisers.	Long-term competition for organic rankings, especially in saturated niches.
Maintenance	Requires ongoing management and optimization for cost-efficiency and effectiveness.	Requires consistent effort in content creation, site optimization, and staying updated with SEO.
Keywords	Keywords are essential for targeting ads.	Keywords are crucial for content relevance and ranking.
Website Quality	Benefits from a well-optimized, user-friendly site.	Relies heavily on a high-quality, well-optimized website.
SEO Techniques	Some SEO tactics can enhance PPC performance (e.g., landing page optimization).	Core focus on SEO tactics for website and content optimization.
Longevity	Visibility lasts as long as the campaign is funded.	Sustainable visibility as long as SEO efforts are maintained.
User Trust	Can be perceived as less trustworthy due to their promotional nature.	Generally perceived as more trustworthy and credible.
Flexibility	Flexible in terms of budget and targeting options.	More flexibility in content strategy and long-term planning.
Focus	Focused on quick wins and immediate ROI.	Focused on building lasting organic presence and authority.

Benefits of SEO vs SEM

Organic traffic is the lifeblood of online visibility.

Unlike paid ads that require continual investment, organic traffic is cost-effective in the long run.

Metrics	Value (%)
Organic Search Traffic	53
Paid Search Traffic	15
Social Traffic	5

Source: BrightEdge Research

These numbers illustrate a clear lead organic search over other website visit channels.

There are three main types of SEO:

1. Technical SEO: This is like the behind-the-scenes work for your website. It ensures your website works well easily, for search engines to crawl and understand. This can include improving how fast your website loads, making it mobile-friendly and ensuring that search engines can easily crawl through your site’s content.
2. On-page SEO (on-site SEO): This focuses on the content on your website. It’s all about creating valuable, engaging content that answers people’s questions. This also involves ensuring your website uses the right keywords—these are the words people type into search engines when looking for something.
3. Off-Page SEO (off-site SEO): This is about building your website’s reputation and authority. It involves activities that happen away from your website but still impact its success. This includes things like getting other reputable websites to link to your website and building a solid brand presence on social media.

While you have complete control over your website’s content and technical aspects, off-site SEO can be trickier. You can’t directly control who links to your site or if a social media platform you use makes a significant change.

However, these off-site activities are still crucial for building your website’s authority and helping it rank higher in search results.

So, is SEO worth doing for my website?

Absolutely, SEO is worth it! 

SEO remains profitable in 2023.

Ahrefs’ study reveals that businesses ranking first in organic search results capture 53% of all website traffic, highlighting the significant impact of top SEO rankings on web traffic.

However, its success hinges on adopting the right approach and strategies.

Here’s a calculator to see if SEO is worth investing in:

Understanding and Mitigating SEO Risks

SEO involves certain risks, some of which may be worthwhile. These include:

• Keyword Stuffing: Overusing keywords to manipulate rankings, risking Google penalties as it’s against spam policies.
• Low-cost SEO: May harm your site and brand, potentially leading to bans from search results.
• Black Hat SEO: Tactics like hidden text, link farms, and copying competitor content are unethical and risky.
• Bad SEO: Targeting irrelevant keywords, not addressing user queries, and maintaining a non-user-friendly website can negatively impact SEO effectiveness.

It’s important to balance SEO with other marketing strategies and always adhere to the best practices recommended by search engines to mitigate these risks

Here are some strategies to improve your SEO:

1. Keyword Research

Keyword research is a crucial part of any SEO strategy. It helps you identify the terms and phrases people use when searching for information related to your business or industry.

It’s like detective work to find out what words people type into search engines when looking for something you offer. This helps you speak their language and show up in search results.

This research helps pinpoint what potential customers are searching for, enabling the creation of targeted content and blog posts that fulfill their queries.

Types of Keywords

Short-tail Keywords

These are broad, general terms like “Coffee.” They’re often searched a lot, but there’s a lot of competition.

They are also known as fat head keywords.

Long-tail Keywords

These are more specific phrases like “How do I make coffee at home?” They might be searched less, but they’re less competitive and often lead to better results for your site.

Medium-tail Keywords

Medium-tail keywords are moderately competitive search terms that balance specificity, traffic, cost, and risk. They are also known as chunky middle keywords or “broad match.

An example of a chunky middle keyword could be “wireless headphones reviews.” This term is more specific than a broad term like “headphones” but less precise than a long-tail keyword like “best wireless headphones for running.

How to Do Keyword Research

I have a whole guide on doing keyword research to check out here

Here’s the tl;dr:

1. Think about topics related to what you do or sell.
2. Use SEO tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Keywords Everywhere can show how often people search for these terms.
3. These keyword research tools can also suggest other keywords you might have yet to consider.
4. Create a list of target keywords to inspire relevant content that match the search intent of the keyword phrases.

2. Implement On-Page Optimization

It’s like giving your webpage a makeover so that it’s attractive to search engines and people who visit it. This includes tweaking the content and the behind-the-scenes code (HTML) to improve the page.

I’ve created a whole on-page SEO checklist for specifically on-page SEO optimization that goes into more specific details, check it out.

Here’s a quick guide on on page SEO:

Include keywords in the page title

These are like the labels on your webpage. They tell people and search engines what your page is about. Keep them short (under 60 characters) and unique, and make sure they include keywords that are relevant to your content.

Include keywords in the meta description

Think of meta descriptions as a mini-ad for your webpage.

They summarize what your page is about in about 140 – 160 characters.

Including keywords here helps search engines understand your page better.

Include keywords in the headings tags

Headings are like chapter titles in a book.

They help organize your content and make it easier to read. 

Here’s how heading tags work in SEO:

• H1 Tag: The most important heading, indicating the page’s main topic. It should include the target keyword or key phrase for optimization.
• H2 Tag: Used for subtopics related to the main topic, incorporating secondary keywords.
• H3-H6 Tags: These tags indicate further subtopics under the H2 tag, containing supporting keywords and phrases for detailed information about each subtopic.

They also give clues about what each section of your content is about.

Include keywords in the page URL

Including keywords in the page URL is essential for SEO.

It helps search engines understand the page’s content, enhancing its relevance to specific queries.

This practice can improve the page’s visibility and ranking in search results, aligning it more closely with user searches.

Use keywords in the page’s content.

This is all about making sure the words on your page are interesting to read and include keywords that people might search for. It’s a balance between writing for humans and search engines. 

In all cases of using keywords, avoid keyword stuffing your content; this is considered outdated black hat tactics.

Major search engines like Google are more sophisticated and favours higher-quality types of content, thus an effective SEO strategy handles their online content with care and consideration for user experience.

Improve the user experience

Consider the page’s quality and how a human will engage with it.

Users that spend more time on a page mean your content and page itself are of high quality, which indirectly benefits your rankings; this is called user experience.

As highlighted ealier, Google does use click and user interaction data as signals for their ranking process.

Using Keywords in Your Images Tags

Incorporating keywords into your page’s text and image alt tags is essential.

Alt tags, which describe images, help search engines grasp the context of your content and images, enhancing the page’s relevance and visibility in search results.

Web Accessibility

Web accessibility ensures that websites are usable by individuals with disabilities, situational limitations, or socio-economic restrictions.

Web accessibility issues include poor color contrast, making text hard to read for those with vision impairments; reliance on color alone for information, which excludes color-blind individuals and those using screen readers; and lack of alt text for images, hindering blind users from understanding visual content.

These obstacles can be prevented or eliminated, ensuring that websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities. This involves thoughtful design and development practices that consider diverse user needs and abilities.

Internal Links

Linking to other pages on your website where relevant improves navigation, guiding visitors to more of your content.

This internal linking not only enhances user experience but also aids in spreading page authority across your site.

3. Improve Technical SEO

Technical SEO involves optimizing your website’s technical elements to ensure smooth operation and better comprehension by search engines.

It’s like fine-tuning a website’s engine, focusing on aspects that influence how search engines perceive and rank your pages.

Information Architecture

Organizing your website clearly and logically is crucial. It’s akin to arranging a store for easy navigation.

A well-structured site aids both users and search engines navigate without confusion, enhancing the overall user experience and site effectiveness.

Site speed

Website loading speed is critical. Search engines favor fast-loading sites for better user experience.

Enhance your site’s speed by optimizing images, streamlining code, minimizing redirects, and utilizing browser caching.

Mobile-friendly optimization

The rise in mobile internet usage makes mobile optimization crucial for websites. Google ranks mobile-friendly sites higher, emphasizing the need for responsive design.

Google’s Mobile-First Indexing update, as detailed in their Webmaster Central Blog, emphasizes the importance of mobile-friendly website design for search rankings.

Ensure your website displays and functions nicely across all screen sizes to enhance user experience and search engine ranking.

Structured data markup

Using Schema markup on your website is like adding clear labels to your content, helping search engines understand its context.

This markup clarifies whether a page focuses on a product, recipe, article, etc., enhancing the content’s visibility and relevance in search results.

Robots.txt & sitemap.xml

Robots.txt files instruct search engines on which parts of your site to crawl or ignore, while sitemaps act like maps, guiding them to all your pages.

Both are crucial for proper indexing, ensuring search engines effectively understand and list your site’s content.

Reduce duplicate content

Reducing duplicate content is essential for SEO. It prevents search engines from getting confused about which version to index or rank.

Unique content on each page ensures clarity and improves search engine effectiveness in presenting your site to users.

4. Off-Page Optimization for Credibility

Off-page SEO, involving external activities like backlink acquisition and social media engagement, directly influences your website’s credibility.

Similar to networking, these efforts build your site’s reputation, where each quality backlink acts like a commendation, enhancing trust and authority in the eyes of search engines.

Link Building

Link building is about earning links from other websites to yours.

Each link acts as a vote of confidence, signaling to search engines the quality of your content.

High-quality links boost your website’s appeal to search engines, akin to receiving recommendations from respected peers in your field.

However, backlinks still remain a core pillar of SEO strategy to this day, despite a never-ending debate..

According to compile.blog, reveals strong faith in link building’s future: 53% of SEOs expect its impact to hold steady, while only 41% foresee a decline.

Backlinko’s study found highest correlation to Google rankings is the number of domains linking to a page.

A personal anecdote:

Recently at an SEO conference with a selection of the SEO experts, 8/10 conversions lead back to “How do we as SEOs get higher quality and more impactful backlinks.

It makes sense, more endorsements from credible sources enhance your site’s credibility, backlinks formed the foundation of PageRank as mentioned earlier, it was Google’s original algorithm.

Despite algorithm evolution, backlinks hold their ground as a top ranking factor.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing leverages platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to promote your content.

This approach increases visibility and can generate additional links as people share your posts.

It’s comparable to using a loudspeaker to announce your website to a large audience, boosting the likelihood of visits and links.

Content Promotion

Content promotion entails distributing your content via various channels, such as email newsletters, press releases, or guest blogging.

This strategy aims to maximize reach and engage a broad audience.

It’s like distributing flyers for an event; the more places you share them, the more people become aware of your offer.

5. Optimize for Local SEO

For local SEO, ensure your website highlights your area, services, and products.

Integrate local keywords in content, page titles, and meta descriptions. Create distinct pages for each service area or location.

This approach aids both people and search engines find relevant information about your offerings in specific areas.

Creating Local Content

Creating local content aligns well with Google’s topic authority system. Your website can demonstrate expertise in your area by sharing relevant local stories, news, or events.

This local focus enhances your site’s appeal to regional searchers and aligns with Google’s criteria for topic authority, which values:

1. Relevance to a Topic or Location: Your local content positions you as a notable source of regional information.
2. Influence and Original Reporting: As you create original local content, you establish influence and authority, particularly if other sources cite your work.
3. Source Reputation: Consistent, high-quality local reporting can build a positive reputation, potentially leading to recognition and awards.

Online Directories & Citations

List your business on platforms such as:

• Yelp for Business: List your business on Yelp, a popular platform for customer reviews and business discovery. Include detailed information about your services, hours, photos, and respond to customer feedback.
• Yellow Pages: Register your business on Yellow Pages, a well-known directory for local businesses. It allows you to include comprehensive business information and is beneficial for both online and offline visibility.
• Apple Maps Connect: Add your business to Apple Maps, crucial for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS users. Include business information, category, hours, and Apple Pay acceptance.
• Bing Places for Business: Register your business on Microsoft’s Bing for visibility in Bing Search and Maps, detailing your name, address, category, and more.
• Citysearch: An online city guide where you can list your local business.
• CitySquares: A neighborhood directory for local businesses, featuring reviews and recommendations.
• Facebook Business Page: Create a page to display your business details, including category, contact, links, and customer interactions like reviews and posts.
• Foursquare for Business: Claim and update your listing on Foursquare to help people discover your business, editing category, hours, and adding photos and links.

This boosts your visibility and assures search engines of your credibility.

Citations and online mentions of your business name, address, and phone number help search engines confirm your location and legitimacy.

6. Setting SEO Objectives and Measuring Results

Setting SEO objectives is an integral part of any SEO strategy.

There are several things to consider when setting objectives:

Understanding Your SEO Goals

First, think about what you want your website to achieve.

What are your business goals?
What do you want your online presence to achieve?
These questions guide your objective setting.

Are you aiming to get more visitors, sell more products, or increase brand awareness?
Your goals will guide your SEO strategy for organic traffic.

Setting Measurable SEO Targets

Once you know your goals, set specific targets.

Having clear, measurable targets helps you see if your strategy is working.

Here are examples of SEO goals/objectives:

Increase Organic Traffic Objective: “Our target is to boost our year-on-year organic traffic by 30% in the first quarter and 35% in the second quarter.”

Enhance Keyword Ranking Objective: “Aim to elevate 60% of our key 30 keywords to the first page of Google search results within six months.”

Boost Conversions from Organic Traffic: “Our goal is to improve conversions from organic traffic by 15% over the next nine months.”

Using Analytics Tools

Google Analytics and Search Console are report cards for your website’s organic traffic.
They provide insights into how users discover and interact with your site, including visitor numbers, viewed pages, and session durations.

This data is crucial for understanding and optimizing your website’s performance and user engagement.

Understanding Key SEO Metrics

Examine metrics such as page views, session duration, and bounce rate.
These metrics provide valuable insights into your website’s performance and user engagement.
Search Console provides users with information on how their website is displayed in search results through queries in the Performance Report.

The data includes the number of times your site appears in search results (impressions), the frequency of clicks on your site from those results (clicks), and the search terms that drive traffic to your site.

Regular Monitoring of SEO Results

Keep an eye on these metrics regularly:

1. Organic revenue/sales: indicating earnings from organic traffic and showing successful target audience engagement.
2. Search engine rankings: reflect your website’s position for targeted keywords,
3. Organic traffic: higher rankings often leading to increased traffic.

This way, you can spot trends, see what’s working, and adjust your strategy if needed.
Setting SEO objectives and measuring results is about defining clear goals for your website, using SEO tools to track your progress, the return on investment of SEO, and regularly checking your performance to see what’s working and what isn’t.

Advanced SEO Strategies

Eli Schwartz, a renowned expert in SEO, remarks in his book ‘Product-Led SEO’:

“SEO is so much more complex than just focusing on keywords and has evolved significantly over the years.”

This insight underscores the multifaceted nature of SEO today and how advanced stratagies are coming, I’ll break down more modern SEO strategies that have risen in popularity in the last few years:

1. Digital PR

Digital PR is about making connections with influencers, journalists, bloggers, and others to promote your brand.

It has many benefits, like more brand awareness, better search rankings, and an improved reputation and credibility.

Most importantly, it’s a way to get high-quality and relevant backlinks to your website.

Reactive digital PR involves responding quickly to news and using events like breaking stories to boost brand awareness.

This strategy, known as newsjacking, requires timely action to stay relevant.

Creative-led PR campaigns are more elaborate, involving interactive elements or influencer partnerships.

These campaigns, though time-consuming, generate significant buzz and backlink opportunities.
Examples include creative data visualization with maps, survey-based campaigns, dream job promotions, insightful studies, interactive digital campaigns, and visual experiments.

Each method aims to engage audiences uniquely and effectively.
To get backlinks for free like this, create awesome content that naturally attracts links from authoritative sites.

When done right, this method proves more efficient than traditional PR or SEO tactics, as it yields organic, authoritative backlinks without needing direct solicitation or financial investment.

2. Brand Awareness for SEO

Google often favors well-known brands in its search results. When your brand is recognized, it tends to rank higher, especially for branded keywords.
Increased visibility results in more engagement on your site, such as impressions, clicks, and time spent.

Over time, this also positively affects your ranking for non-branded keywords. More visibility means more organic traffic to your website and more conversions.

Even top brands need to focus on SEO to maintain their position in search engine results pages (SERPs). Ranking for your brand name is just the start.

It’s also about ranking for questions, queries, and problems related to your products or services. Strong brand recognition builds trust and can improve your click-through rate (CTR).

3. Search Generative Experience Optimisation

SGE is an AI-powered feature in its testing phase that’s set to transform how content is ranked and displayed in search results.

For SEO professionals and business owners, adapting to SGE is becoming crucial.

In a 2022 global survey of SEO professionals. The top reason, cited by 18.7% of respondents, was the impact of machine learning and AI on SEO practices as a key factor in SEO evolution over the next two years.

For SGE success, start with solid SEO: target keywords, optimize content, and maintain brand authority.

Create concise pieces of content answering search queries using SERP and keyword analysis.

Regularly audit content for SGE alignment, focusing on brevity and clarity.

Add unique insights from various sources and diversify with videos, podcasts, and infographics for better SGE rankings.

4. Generative Engine Optimization

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) aims to enhance content for better recognition and display by AI-driven search engines like Google’s SGE and Bing, optimizing for higher visibility and relevancy in search results.

Kevin Indig on the Transformation of SEO through AI:

Machine learning will change SEO more fundamentally than Penguin and Panda did – but we’re not there yet. AI is only used in small, specific use cases for organic search but its usage seems to be growing quickly

A study tested GEO on 10,000 queries, showing that techniques like adding citations and statistics can increase content visibility by 30–40%.

5. EEAT Optimization:

Google prioritizes content with “E-E-A-T” (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) – especially for critical topics like health, finances, and safety. Following these principles can boost your Google ranking and protect users from harmful misinformation.

Here’s how to improve your EEAT:

Authors: Showcase author credentials and expertise through bios and guest posts.

Sources: Link to official and trustworthy sources to establish credibility.

Reputation: Manage online reviews and build a positive brand image.

User Content: Encourage user testimonials, photos, and social mentions.

6. Video Content for SEO

When you use videos, you have a fantastic opportunity to rank for specific keywords.

Here’s a neat detail: when you use videos, they don’t just help directly by being a favored type of content. They also indirectly improve other aspects of your website that search engines consider. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone!

By carefully choosing and using the right keywords in your video content, you make it more likely for your video to pop up in search results.

Since Google owns YouTube, it makes sense that Google would show a preference for content on its video platform.

So, a smart move is to post your video on YouTube first and then embed that video on your website.

This strategy can significantly increase the chances of your website appearing in search results, especially with Google Perspectives announced as a new feature of search results.

7. Google Perspectives

Google Perspectives is all about adding a personal and human touch to what people find when they search.

It gathers different views, including short and long videos, images, and written posts from real people and creators across various platforms like discussion boards, Q&A sites, and social media.

With this feature, there are more voices and content in the mix. This means you’ll be up against a larger pool of competitors. To stand out expand out your content marketing strategy, create high-quality, unique content showcasing your expertise and experiences.

For SEO, Google Perspectives highlights a few key elements:

User-generated content that feels personal and real is getting more attention. This includes posts from social media, discussion boards, and Q&A sites.

It’s not just about creating content; it’s about creating good content. Google is looking for original and high-quality posts that offer real value.

Authentic experiences and personal stories are becoming more critical. They aid in making your content resonant with your audience and visible to search engines.

8. Semantic SEO

Semantic SEO involves crafting content as a network of meaningful concepts, not just keywords. Google analyzes the context and relationships between entities, assessing content quality and depth.

This approach fills information gaps, offering a complete picture for users. It’s a strategic way to improve content understanding and ranking by focusing on context and quality.

Entities are the stars of this show. They’re not just simple keywords or phrases but concepts or things that have significance. These can be anything from people, places, and objects to ideas and abstract notions.

As a semantic search engine, Google is quite clever at understanding these entities. It looks at how they are connected and what they mean in the context of your content.

This helps Google understand and rank your content better, providing more value to users searching for information. It’s a smart way to approach SEO, focusing on quality, context, and depth.

9. Parasite SEO

Parasite SEO is all about using the power of popular and authoritative websites to boost your site’s ranking.

Imagine you want to climb a mountain – instead of starting from the bottom,
Parasite SEO is like starting halfway up, using a more robust, taller mountain to boost you.
Here’s how it works:

1. Content on High Authority Sites: You create content, but instead of putting it on your site, you place it on external websites already well-known and trusted by search engines. These could be big-name sites or platforms that have a lot of traffic.
2. Link Building Strategy: The main goal here is to build links. By having your content associated with high-authority sites, there is an increased likelihood of achieving higher rankings in search engine results for specific keywords. Using their strength to make your content more visible.
3. Different from Guest Posting: It’s important not to confuse Parasite SEO with guest posting. While guest posting can happen on any site, Parasite SEO targets top-tier, authoritative websites. The focus is solely on leveraging their existing reputation and ranking power.

Parasite SEO is a clever strategy where you use the strength of high-ranking websites to enhance your own site’s visibility in search results.

Are there any disadvantages of SEO?

It’s a powerful tool, but it’s essential to have realistic expectations and understand the challenges involved.

1. Time and Patience Required: SEO is a long-term strategy, not a quick fix. Both seeing improvements in search engine rankings and realizing returns on investment can take significant time, ranging from weeks to months.
2. No Guaranteed Success and Constant Competition: There are no guaranteed outcomes with SEO. Despite best efforts, desired results might not always be achieved, partly due to the ever-present and evolving competition. Competitors may have more aggressive strategies or resources, impacting your own SEO success.
3. Resource-Intensive: Effective SEO requires investment, both in terms of money and time. It can be costly to implement the right strategies and tools, and staying updated with constantly changing algorithms and market trends is resource-intensive. Additionally, paid search options can overshadow organic efforts, especially for those with limited budgets.

Quick SEO Case Study

Before we wrap up, here’s a quick case study showing success in SEO:

We worked with a remedial massage clinic in Melbourne. Initially, the business faced challenges due to issues created by a previous SEO agency. These included multiple domains with duplicate content, keyword stuffing, and site speed problems.

Our approach focused on collaboration and education when performing on-site fixes and implementing SEO optimization tactics. Key aspects of the plan included repairing issues from the previous agency, teaching technical on-site fixes, and managing a backlink campaign.

This collaborative approach led to significant improvements.

• 74.9% increase in organic users year on year
• 57% rise in organic traffic year on year
• 137% increase in keywords ranked over four years

Tackling the core types of SEO and dealing with poor SEO practices to recover and increase this website’s organic traffic.

Conclusion

A successful SEO strategy for climbing search engine ranks like Google’s involves several key elements.

It’s essential to balance paid and organic search, select optimal keywords, and ensure your website features high-quality content and a well-structured design.

Strong backlinks and technical efficiency are crucial.

Tailor this approach to your unique business needs and goals.

The main objective is to boost your website’s visibility and attract more customers, which is achievable with a robust SEO strategy.

Now, we turn to you, our readers: How have you adapted your SEO strategies to keep up with the latest trends in search engine algorithms?

Share your experiences and insights by DMing me on LinkedIn.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SEO, and why is it important?

SEO is the process of optimizing a website to improve its visibility in search engine results for relevant queries. This is important because higher search visibility attracts more potential customers.

What are the core components of SEO?

SEO’s core components include on-page SEO (optimizing webpage content and HTML), off-page SEO (focusing on link building and external signals), and technical SEO (addressing the site’s structure and technical factors that influence visibility).

How can SEO increase a website’s visibility in SERPs?

SEO boosts a website’s visibility in search engine results by aligning with user searches and following search engine guidelines.

Critical practices include:

• Creating valuable content.
• Utilizing relevant keywords.
• Ensuring the site is mobile-friendly.
• Maintaining fast page speeds.

Why is understanding engagement metrics important for SEO?

Engagement metrics, key for SEO, offer insights into user interactions with your site. Metrics like bounce rate, time on site, and click-through rate indicate areas for improvement and serve as ranking signals. Enhancing these can boost your site’s user experience and improve its position in search results.

Related Guides:

What is On-Page Optimization

On-Page SEO Checklist

How to Do Keyword Research