So, let’s dive in and answer the question, “How can I improve my website rankings through SEO?”

• Why SEO?
• Understanding search engine algorithms and E-E-A-T
• Importance of keyword research
• On-page optimization techniques
• Technical SEO tactics
• The power of content marketing
• Link earning for SEO success
• Dominating the local market with local SEO
• Monitoring performance and analytics
• FAQ: How can I optimize my website for better search engine rankings using SEO?

Why SEO?

SEO is the key to unlocking the potential of your website. By optimizing your web pages and content, you help search engines understand your website’s relevance to user queries.

This translates to higher rankings on search engine result pages to reach your target audience and drive more organic search traffic.

Studies show that the majority of traffic goes to sites that rank in the first three positions in the search results.

Understanding Search Engine Algorithms and E-E-A-T

Understanding how search engine algorithms work is essential for effective SEO.

For example, knowing how Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines work as a feedback loop for the algorithm is helpful.

These guidelines outline principles such as E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust), which help guide a sustainable and successful SEO strategy.

At the end of the day, no matter what SEO strategies you apply, ethical SEO practices are critical for long-term success.

By working within the guidelines of the search engines and focusing on the end user, you build trust with your target audience and the search engines. This results in becoming more relevant for a searcher’s query and ranking higher in the search results.

Read more: The Complete Guide to the Basics of E-E-A-T

Importance of Keyword Research

Keyword research is one of the first steps in a successful SEO strategy.

By identifying and analyzing the keywords your target audience is using, you lay a strong foundation for your content strategy so that you deliver the right content the moment your customers are looking for it.

Advanced AI tools can even predict future keyword relevance, giving you a competitive edge in the digital landscape.

Read more: What Are Keywords? Why Are Keywords Important to SEO? And How Do You Do Keyword Research?

On-Page Optimization Techniques

There are countless variables in Google’s ranking algorithm, and those variables change based on the page that Google is evaluating.

So investing in the on-page techniques that matter to your website (driven by factors like the top-ranked competition and best practices) can significantly boost your rankings.

Read more: The Always Up-to-Date SEO Checklist

Technical SEO Tactics

Technical SEO works to make sure the website runs smoothly behind the scenes for both users and search engines.

This includes things like mobile optimization, page speed and performance, robots.txt, XML sitemaps, content architecture through SEO siloing and more. This step cannot be overlooked to compete in the search results.

Read more: Technical SEO vs. On-Page SEO – The Differences

The Power of Content Marketing

Every good SEO strategy has a powerful content program behind it. With high-quality, relevant content, you can attract and engage your target audience.

And, when combined with effective SEO, it can propel your website to new heights. Search engines will recognize those sites that put effort into their content.

Read more: 5 Steps To Help Writers Create Expert Content for SEO

Link Earning for SEO Success

Though links play less of a role today than they once did, earning links through quality content and other acceptable methods can help boost your website’s authority.

What matters is quality over quantity. Sites with fewer but higher quality links can outpace their competition in the search results.

Read more: The New Link Building Manifesto: A Complete Guide to Earning Links That Count

Dominating the Local Market with Local SEO

Ninety-eight percent (98%) of consumers used the Internet to find information about local businesses in 2023. (That number is likely to remain unchanged in 2024.) If you’re a local business looking to attract more customers, local SEO is your solution.

Read more: Checklist for Local SEO

Monitoring Performance and Analytics

Keeping track of your website’s performance is vital as you implement SEO strategies.

Monitoring your rankings and organic traffic, understanding SEO performance through analytics and keeping an eye on your competitors will help you refine your strategies and stay ahead.

Read more: The Top SEO Software That Experts Use Every Day

If you’re struggling to improve your website rankings, our SEO experts can help. Schedule a free consultation today to talk about how we can get you more qualified traffic, higher search ranking and increased revenue.

FAQ: How can I optimize my website for better search engine rankings using SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) plays an essential role in driving organic traffic to your website. By implementing effective SEO strategies, you can enhance your website’s visibility on search engine result pages (SERPs) and attract more potential customers.

Here are some key insights and tips to help you optimize your website for better search engine rankings using SEO:

Understand the Importance of Keywords: Keywords act as the foundation of SEO. Research and identify relevant keywords that align with your website’s content and target audience. Utilize keyword tools to determine search volume and competition, aiming for a balance between highly searched terms and reasonable competition levels.

On-Page Optimization Techniques: Implementing on-page SEO techniques will improve your website’s visibility to search engines. This includes optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, headers and URL structures with relevant keywords. Ensure your content is compelling, informative and unique to engage both users and search engines.

Create High-Quality and Engaging Content: Publishing high-quality content is vital for SEO success. Write informative articles, blog posts and other valuable content that answers user queries and addresses their pain points. Incorporate relevant keywords naturally within your content and strive for a balance between readability and keyword optimization.

Build a Solid Backlink Profile: Backlinks from authoritative websites significantly impact search engine rankings. Develop a comprehensive link-building strategy to acquire high-quality backlinks. Reach out to relevant industry influencers or websites for guest blogging opportunities or collaborations. Producing exceptional content will naturally attract backlinks.

Enhance Website Speed and Mobile Responsiveness: Website performance is a crucial aspect of SEO. Optimize your website speed by minimizing file sizes, leveraging browser caching and utilizing content delivery networks (CDNs). Additionally, ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as mobile optimization is essential for ranking well on search engines.

Utilize Local SEO Techniques: For businesses targeting a specific geographic area, local SEO is vital. Claim and optimize your Google My Business listing, ensuring accurate business information, customer reviews and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) details across all platforms.

Leverage Social Media: Social media engagement indirectly impacts SEO. Promote your content on popular social media platforms to attract a wider audience and encourage social signals (likes, shares, comments) that can positively influence search engine rankings.

Monitor Performance and Adapt: SEO efforts are not a one-time task; ongoing monitoring and adjustments are necessary for optimal results. Regularly analyze your website’s performance using tools like Google Analytics and Search Console. Continuously monitor keyword rankings, traffic sources and user behavior to identify improvement areas.

Remember, SEO is an ever-evolving field, so stay informed about recent trends and algorithm updates to maintain your website’s search visibility.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Perform comprehensive keyword research using tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or SEOToolSet®.
2. Analyze competitor keywords and identify opportunities for optimization.
3. Develop a content strategy based on target keywords and user intent.
4. Optimize meta tags, headers and URLs with relevant keywords.
5. Implement schema markup to enhance search engine visibility.
6. Monitor website performance using Google Analytics and Search Console.
7. Identify and fix technical SEO issues such as broken links and redirects.
8. Utilize local SEO tactics if targeting a specific geographic location.
9. Create high-quality, shareable content to attract natural backlinks.
10. Engage with your audience through social media and encourage user-generated content.
11. Regularly audit and update your SEO strategy to adapt to algorithm changes.
12. Implement structured data markup for rich snippet appearance in search results.
13. Collaborate with influencers or industry experts for content promotion.
14. Conduct A/B testing to optimize website conversion rates.
15. Implement HTTPS security protocol to build trust with users and search engines.
16. Monitor and analyze SEO performance metrics to track progress and make data-driven decisions.
17. Implement advanced link building tactics such as guest posting and resource link building.
18. Optimize images and multimedia elements for faster loading times.
19. Utilize Google My Business for local SEO optimization and increased visibility.
20. Generate and submit an XML sitemap to search engines for better crawling and indexing.
21. Implement responsive web design for seamless user experience across devices.
22. Use alt tags for images to improve accessibility and keyword relevancy.
23. Integrate social share buttons to encourage content sharing and enhance visibility.
24. Stay updated on the latest SEO trends and algorithm updates to maintain a competitive edge.

Follow these steps to fully optimize your website for better search engine rankings, drive more organic traffic and attract potential customers to your online presence.

The post How Can I Improve My Website Rankings Through SEO? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Want to re-invigorate your SEO program? Look no further than this list of 10 SEO areas you can start working on right now:

1. E-E-A-T
2. Keyword Optimization
3. Content Formatting
4. Image SEO
5. Technical SEO
6. Internal Links
7. Inbound Links
8. Outbound Links
9. Content Maintenance
10. Getting Help

FAQ: What are the key components of effective SEO program revitalization?

1. E-E-A-T

Experience, expertise, authority and trust (E-E-A-T) are the underpinnings of a quality webpage, according to Google. We know this from Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines (SQRG).

These guidelines show us the things that Google’s search engine algorithm is looking for when ranking pages.

At the center of E-E-A-T is trust – because, as the SQRG says, “Untrustworthy pages have low E-E-A-T no matter how Experienced, Expert, or Authoritative they may seem.” Trust measures the accuracy and reliability of a webpage, among other things.

Expertise is a newer factor, introduced in late 2022, and has to do with the content creator’s first-hand experience on the topic. So, for example, product reviews should require some level of personal experience with the product.

Authority, on the other hand, is about being a go-to resource on a topic, while expertise is having extensive knowledge or skill on a topic. The SQRG asks: “Which would you trust: home electrical rewiring advice from a skilled electrician or from an antique homes enthusiast who has no knowledge of electrical wiring?”

As you can probably see, these concepts are interconnected, and the degree to which each is needed will vary based on the topic at hand.

Goal: Think about the level of experience or expertise needed for your content to stand out so that you can work to become a trusted authority.

Recommended reading:

• The Complete Guide to the Basics of Google’s E-E-A-T
• AI-Generated Content Is a Tool, Not a Solution

2. Keyword Optimization

Do keywords still matter? I say yes. The role of a keyword has always been to clarify the meaning of the content so that the search engines better understand the page.

Of course, Google’s search engine has come leaps and bounds since we used to be able to change a keyword on a page and immediately rank for it some 20 years ago.

In other words: Google can better understand what a page is about today without us having to do a lot of extra work.

That said, the search engine is not perfect, and it still needs help. We need to get our webpages into the best shape possible so it can do its job better.

Yes, I know that you naturally optimize a page when you write well. So, this is not about keyword stuffing. It’s about tweaking so that you are least imperfect compared to the competition.

Consider this: Which webpage do you think might seem more relevant, all else equal? A page that had missing content in its meta tags and no keywords in the header tags, or a page that had the topic’s keywords in those places?

Goal: Write the content well, then think about the target keywords – how can you work those into the page?

Recommended reading:

• What Are Keywords and Why Are They Important to SEO?
• What Are Meta Tags and Why Are They Important to SEO?
• SEO Should Beat the Competition, Not the Algorithm

3. Content Formatting

Yet another way to help search engines understand what a page is about is the way you format the page.

This includes things like:

• Heading tags
• Structured data
• Other types of content formatting

Heading Tags

Heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) distinguish the different sections of a page.

You can think of the heading tags as a sort of table of contents for a page (and in fact, some people use the heading tags to create an introductory table of contents at the top of their articles).

When a search engine bot crawls a page, it can better understand what the page is about by scanning the table of contents.

Goal: Use heading tags properly on every page.

Recommended reading:

• What Are Heading Tags and Why Are They Important to SEO?

Structured Data

Structured data helps to clarify to the search engines what type of information you’re presenting.

Using schema markup, you can further explain elements on a webpage. In turn, you can enhance that page’s listing in the search results.

Google gives an example of how a recipe page can be marked up to generate a carousel listing in the search results, including image, author, and other details:

Goal: When possible, implement structured data on a page to clarify the information, be more relevant for a search and entice users to click through with enhanced search listings.

Recommended reading:

• What Is Structured Data and Why Is It Important for SEO?

Other Types of Content Formatting

You can format your page further to improve readability by both search engines and visitors.

This includes things like:

• HTML tables
• Bulleted lists
• Ordered lists
• Breadcrumb navigation
• Table of contents at the top (especially with anchor links)
• Headings that contain a key term or question, followed by the answer in body text
• TL;DR (“too long, didn’t read”) summary near the top of your article

This type of formatting can lead to the page being chosen for a coveted featured snippet, a.k .a. “position zero” on the search results page.

Goal: Take a look at the final product before you hit publish – what other formatting tweaks would make it more user-friendly?

Recommended reading:

• 3 Surprising On-Page SEO Techniques You May Not Know About (see No. 2 on the list)

4. Image SEO

Images present another way to drive traffic to your website. Someone may click through to your website when they see your image via:

• Google Search: Images are commonly displayed for search queries – more than 36% of searches contain images.
• Google Images: A search vertical used just for searching images on the web.
• Google Discover: A personalized feed with content for people to explore. Here’s how to get on Discover.

Google has said in the past that it has a ranking system for images, which weighs things like:

• Context of the search
• Authority of the webpage
• Freshness of the content
• Position on a page

Google’s AI-powered technology, Google Lens, means that images can bring even more traffic to a website but in different ways.

Goal: Be as thoughtful about your image selection and optimization as you are with the rest of your SEO strategy. Before you publish a new page, think about how the images might drive more traffic.

Recommended reading:

• How to Improve Google Image Search Ranking
• A CMO’s Guide to Google Image Search in Less Than 5 Minutes

5. Technical SEO

A website needs to run like a well-oiled machine. Technical SEO is about making the behind-the-scenes back end of a website perform so that search engines and visitors have a good user experience.

Without it, your rankings can suffer. And because Google rolled out an algorithm all about user experience, these things are more important than ever.

Just some of the things to consider include:

• The hosting your website is on
• Server errors
• Page load performance, responsiveness and visual stability
• Sitemaps
• Mobile-friendliness
• HTTPS
• No interstitial pop-ups

Goal: Invest just as much effort into your technical SEO as you do your on-page SEO. It will pay dividends.

Recommended reading:

• 5 Unusual Technical SEO Best Practices
• Technical SEO vs. On-Page SEO

6. Internal Links

How you structure the content and links within your website can have a big impact on SEO and user experience. An internal link is simply one that points from one webpage on a website to another webpage on the same website.

Some examples of internal links include:

• The main navigation
• Footer links
• Contextual links embedded within the content
• “Related-content” links that suggest other content on the website
• Links within a webpage like “fragment” or anchor links

Some benefits of internal links include:

• Helping people find content on a website
• Communicating to the search engines what the website is about
• Allowing search engines to discover more pages on a website
• Passing link equity from one webpage to another in a site

One of the best strategies for internal links with regard to SEO is SEO siloing – a concept we invented back in 2000. SEO siloing groups like topics together in a way that builds subject relevance and authority.

Goal: Implement SEO siloing as a foundational best practice. It will take work. But it pays off: We’ve seen sites boost their traffic significantly with SEO siloing.

Recommended reading:

• What Are Internal Links and Why Are They Important to SEO?
• A Jam-Packed Guide on Internal Linking for SEO

7. Inbound Links

If your links are not trusted, then neither is your website. So, inbound links matter – but link building is a thing of the past.

Today, it’s about creating content that earns links naturally (versus reaching out and asking for links). Of course, you will still promote your content to get exposure. And there are many ways to do that.

You will want to earn links from high-quality, relevant sources. And remember that it’s not necessarily a numbers game anymore. We have seen sites with fewer high-quality links outrank others with more links of lower quality.

As you build a backlink profile, you will continuously monitor it and tweak it if necessary.

Goal: Focus first and foremost on creating content people will want to link to, then make sure to publicize it once you publish.

Recommended reading:

• 50 Ways to Get Quality Links
• [E-book] The New Link Building Manifesto: A Complete Guide to Earning Links That Count

8. Outbound Links

Outbound links are important because they can impact user experience and SEO.

The user experience factor is self-explanatory; you want to direct your users to quality resources from your page to another website.

Google supports this concept:

Recommended reading:

• What Are Outbound Links, and Why Are They Important to SEO?

9. Content Maintenance

Once you have created content, you cannot set it and forget it. Part of a successful SEO strategy is the upkeep of all your content to make sure it’s still relevant.

The great thing about quality webpages is that they can continue to build value and drive more traffic over time – but they do need to be up to date. Google may not trust a site where the majority of content is old, especially if your competitors are refreshing those topics.

I recommend spending 50% of the time writing new content and the other half maintaining old content. You will want to build content refreshes into your editorial calendar as a thing you do regularly.

Goal: Do a content audit and prioritize refreshing content on pages one and two of the search results, then devise a plan for the rest (302 redirect? Refresh? Optimization only?).

Recommended reading:

• Creating New Content vs. Optimizing Old Webpages: Which Is Better for SEO (Search Engine Land)
• What’s the Best Way to Revive Dead Content and Get New ROI?
• AI-Generated Content Is a Tool, Not a Solution

10. Getting Help

One of the best ways to push past your current state of SEO is to hire expert help. SEO experts can identify what’s hindering your search engine rankings, find quick wins and offer recommendations on the latest strategies.

Goal: Consider diverting some of your marketing budget to hiring help. With the right SEO team on your side, you won’t regret it.

Recommended reading:

• 10 Expert Skills of an SEO Agency
• How To Hire an SEO Company the Right Way
• The One and Only Thing You Need in an SEO Agency
• What Is an SEO Audit?
• SEO Audits and Tools: The Good, The Better, and The Best
• You Have an SEO Emergency – Who Do You Call?

Looking to improve your SEO? Our SEO experts can help you win more traffic, leads, conversions and revenue. Schedule a free consultation with us today.

FAQ: What are the key components of effective SEO program revitalization?

Staying ahead of the curve is essential to maintaining and improving the visibility of your website. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the linchpin of online success, but strategies that worked yesterday may not suffice today. Therefore, the question arises: What are the key components of effective SEO program revitalization?

Comprehensive Audit and Analysis

The first step in revitalizing your SEO program is to conduct a comprehensive audit. This entails evaluating your website’s performance, identifying weaknesses and assessing your competitors. Analyze your keywords, backlinks and technical aspects like site speed and mobile-friendliness. This step provides a solid foundation for your revitalization efforts.

Content Optimization and Freshness

High-quality content is the lifeblood of SEO. Refresh existing content by updating information, improving readability and ensuring it aligns with current trends and user intent. Additionally, create new, relevant content that addresses your audience’s needs and interests. Fresh, engaging content appeals to users and captures search engine attention.

Backlink Strategy

Backlinks remain a critical SEO factor. Revitalize your backlink profile by identifying toxic or irrelevant links and disavowing them. Simultaneously, focus on acquiring high-quality, authoritative backlinks from reputable sources within your industry. A robust backlink strategy enhances your website’s authority and visibility.

Technical SEO Optimization

Ensure your website is technically sound. Optimize for mobile devices, enhance page loading speed and fix broken links or errors. Implement structured data to improve your site’s appearance in search results and enhance user experience.

Keyword Research and Optimization

Keyword trends evolve, and it’s essential to stay updated. Conduct thorough keyword research to identify trending and relevant keywords for your industry. Implement these keywords strategically within your content, meta tags and headings.

User Experience Enhancement

A positive user experience is paramount. Revamp your website’s design, navigation and layout to be user-friendly and visually appealing. Ensuring a seamless user journey can reduce bounce rates and improve search engine rankings.

Analytics and Monitoring

Implement robust analytics tools to monitor the performance of your SEO efforts. Track key metrics like organic traffic, conversion rates and keyword rankings. Regularly review these metrics to fine-tune your strategy and adapt to changing algorithms.

The key components of an effective SEO program revitalization involve a holistic approach encompassing technical, content and user-focused strategies. By conducting a comprehensive audit, optimizing content, managing backlinks, addressing technical issues, researching keywords, enhancing user experience and closely monitoring performance, you can breathe new life into your SEO program and maintain a competitive edge in the digital landscape.

Step-by-Step Procedure for Effective SEO Program Revitalization

1. Begin with a comprehensive audit of your website’s current SEO performance.
2. Analyze your keywords, backlinks and technical aspects.
3. Identify weaknesses and assess your competitors.
4. Optimize existing content by updating information and improving readability.
5. Create fresh, relevant content aligned with current trends and user intent.
6. Evaluate your backlink profile, disavow toxic links and focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks.
7. Ensure your website is technically sound, optimizing for mobile and fixing errors.
8. Implement structured data to enhance the appearance of search results.
9. Conduct keyword research to identify trending and relevant keywords.
10. Implement keywords strategically within your content, meta tags and headings.
11. Enhance the user experience through design, navigation and layout improvements.
12. Implement robust analytics tools to monitor performance.
13. Track key metrics, including organic traffic, conversion rates and keyword rankings.
14. Regularly review metrics to fine-tune your strategy.
15. Adapt to changing algorithms and industry trends.
16. Continuously update and refresh your content to stay relevant.
17. Engage with your audience through social media and other channels.
18. Seek out industry partnerships and collaborations for backlinks.
19. Stay informed about SEO best practices and algorithm updates.
20. Adjust your strategy to maintain and improve your website’s visibility and ranking.

The post 10 Ways To Improve Your SEO, Starting Now appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

And this is good news for website publishers, too. More features mean different opportunities and ways to rank — but it does make it more complicated for website publishers.

In this overview, I’ll tell you what SERP features are, why they are important to SEO, and how to take the first steps in learning how to optimize for them.

And, by the way, you can count on the SERP changing soon. The features are seldom constant. And in fact, they are seldom all used at the same time, responding to user behavior, location, and history.

• What are SERP features? 
• Why should I SERP features?
• How to get SERP features
• FAQ: How can I effectively optimize my content for SERP features to improve my website’s ranking and visibility? 

What Are SERP Features?

A SERP feature is a type of result shown on a search engine results page.

Most people know the “10 blue links” — those are the organic listings that have been around the longest. But over the years, Google has integrated more features into the SERP.

Google integrates some results from vertical search engines (such as images from Google Images). Others are features that Google automatically generates based on the type of query, such as direct answers.

Here is a screenshot of a SERP with some — but not all — of the available SERP features:

The mix of SERP features changes from query to query. So no two SERPs are going to look the same.

Why Should I Care about SERP Features?

The SERP features that show up on Page 1 for your target keywords can help guide your SEO cosearcntent creation and optimization strategy.

Remember that to compete online today, you have to be savvy in the content you produce for your keywords and how you optimize it.

Some keyword search results might be heavy on engagement objects like images or videos, while others will display blue links and ads only.

It is important to know how to optimize for the search features that show up for your target keywords so you have a better chance of ranking.

For example, if Google displays a lot of YouTube videos on the SERP for a particular keyword query, you need to understand how to create and optimize videos for YouTube to have a better chance of showing up in the mix. Similarly, if images dominate the SERP for a certain query, sharpen your image SEO skills and optimize your multimedia objects for search. If it’s just the 10 blue links, how is your on-page SEO?

How to Get SERP Features

There are many search features that you can optimize for and some that you can’t.

For example, you can optimize your content for a chance to rank as a featured snippet (aka “position zero”). You can’t, however, optimize your content to compete against Google’s answer box (direct answers, like a calorie counter that shows up in the SERP).

Other SERP features are automatically generated, too, like sitelinks. Sitelinks appear as part of a website’s search result listing and are links to other webpages within the website. Website publishers cannot directly control their sitelinks but can do so indirectly. Read our Best Practices for Google Sitelinks for details.

First, it is useful to get to know the common types of SERP features to see what you are dealing with. I recommend reading our Quick Reference Guide to Common Google SERP Features.

Once you have a grasp on common search features, you’ll be able to identify which show up in your targeted SERPs. Then your next step is to understand how to optimize for them.

You can enable a lot of these features by using structured data.

Google has a handy help file that goes over how to enable search results features for your site. In it, Google covers:

• General categories of search results
• What SERP features are best for a page or website
• How to enable SERP features for your website
• Measure the performance of SERP features

SEO gets more complex by the minute. Every time search engines like Google introduce new SERP features, we need to understand how to create content for them and then optimize for them.

Studying the SERP features that appear for the keywords we are after is part of a whole-SERP strategy. It helps give us a solid roadmap for how to compete in the organic search results.

FAQ: How can I effectively optimize my content for SERP features to improve my website’s ranking and visibility?

Optimizing your content for search engine results page (SERP) features is a game-changer. SERP features go beyond traditional search results, providing users with immediate, actionable information. Mastering this optimization strategy can significantly enhance your website’s visibility and ranking.

Understanding SERP features begins with recognizing that search engines have evolved from displaying merely “10 blue links.” Today, users are greeted with diverse elements such as featured snippets, knowledge graphs, and rich media. These features offer users quick answers, making aligning your content with them imperative.

To optimize for SERP features effectively, start by identifying the features commonly appearing for your target keywords. Featured snippets, for instance, provide concise answers to user queries. Craft your content with direct and comprehensive answers, ensuring you follow structured data guidelines. This proactive approach increases the likelihood of your content being featured.

Structured data is a vital tool in SERP feature optimization. By implementing structured data markup, you provide search engines with context about your content, making it easier for them to display relevant features. Schema.org provides a rich vocabulary of structured data types that cover various content types. Leverage these schemas to enhance your content’s visibility.

Furthermore, understanding user intent is crucial. Tailor your content to match the intent behind the user’s query. For instance, if the search indicates a “how-to” query, structuring your content as a step-by-step guide enhances the chances of securing a featured snippet. Optimizing images and videos within your content can also lead to image and video carousels on the SERP.

Optimizing SERP features requires a multifaceted approach. By aligning your content with user intent, implementing structured data, and providing concise, valuable information, you position your website to capitalize on these powerful search enhancements. Stay updated with industry trends, monitor your SERP performance, and adapt your strategies accordingly. Your commitment to optimizing for SERP features will prove invaluable as the search landscape evolves.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Optimizing Content for SERP Features

1. Research and identify your target keywords.
2. Analyze the SERPs for these keywords to identify common SERP features.
3. Craft your content with concise, informative answers relevant to the identified features.
4. Utilize structured data markup from Schema.org to enhance content context.
5. Choose the appropriate schema types for your content (e.g., Article, HowTo, FAQPage).
6. Implement structured data on your website’s pages using HTML tags or JSON-LD format.
7. Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure proper schema implementation.
8. Regularly update and refine your structured data to match evolving guidelines.
9. Focus on user intent; tailor your content to match different search intents (informational, navigational, transactional).
10. Utilize the “People Also Ask” section on Google to identify related queries to address in your content.
11. Optimize images and videos within your content for search visibility.
12. Provide clear, step-by-step instructions for “how-to” content to secure featured snippets.
13. Monitor your SERP performance and track changes in the featured content.
14. Stay informed about search engine algorithm updates and changes in SERP features.
15. Adapt your content strategy based on the performance of different SERP features.
16. Regularly update your content to maintain relevance and accuracy.
17. Engage with user comments and feedback to enhance your content’s quality.
18. Continuously refine your strategies based on the success of your SERP feature optimization efforts.
19. Collaborate with other industry experts to exchange insights and best practices.
20. Stay committed to ongoing learning and optimization, adapting to the dynamic search landscape.

The post What Are SERP Features and Why Should I Care? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

More than one SEO platform offers a site authority type of metric that attempts to tell you how good or bad your website is compared to others like it, or over a period of time.

Domain Authority (DA) is one such metric offered by Moz. Semrush has an Authority Score as well.

For users of platforms like these, it can be a handy metric at first glance and is certainly a well-liked feature. There is nothing wrong with these metrics, per se, and it’s clear a lot of thought has gone into creating them.

However, too many people mistakenly believe that search engines like Google value these metrics. They try and try to improve their DA or other site authority score, thinking that doing so will boost their rankings in search. If that’s you, let me save you some time: Google does not use DA or any other third-party metric in its algorithms.

As with any data point you might glean from analytics, wisdom must be applied.

And there’s always more to the story.

• The story behind a site authority metric
• The truth about Google and site authority
• Takeaways
• FAQ: How does the concept of site authority metrics impact website ranking and quality?

The Story behind a Site Authority Metric

There is a long history behind the idea of a single site authority metric. This Search Engine Journal article does a good job of chronicling it, so I can just summarize it here.

Basically, years and years ago (from 1999 on), hypotheses began to form about some overall site authority measurements that Google might use for ranking. This idea became associated with Google’s PageRank.

As Barry Schwartz pointed out in the SEJ article, the concept of a domain authority metric is useful to SEOs only “as a catch-all for all the quality signals that Google uses.” It’s based on the tool maker’s or SEO’s best understanding of what determines overall website quality. But it isn’t a Google formula, and it definitely isn’t a ranking signal.

Let me explain …

First, the SEO tools that use these metrics have developed a set of factors that they believe can impact a website’s ability to rank based on industry knowledge and occasional folk tales.

However, there are hundreds of factors in Google’s actual algorithms, which may or may not coincide with the SEO platform’s assessment of what it takes to rank or what is considered quality. (And Google is constantly tweaking those factors.)

Some people also may not understand that the Domain Authority metric does not come from Google, nor does Google use it in any ranking algorithms. It’s simply a feature of some SEO tools out there.

Google’s John Mueller had a cheeky response to a Reddit thread in which the user asked if domain authority existed:

The Truth about Google and Site Authority

Of course, Google does have a collection of factors it uses to determine the authority and quality of a website and its webpages. But it has never been confirmed that there is a single site authority metric that Google uses.

Instead, when it comes to the authority of a website, Google outlines several factors it takes into account in its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines:

1. The authority of the content creator
2. The authority of the content itself
3. The authority of the website as a whole

Links and mentions are very likely to be a part of this, but maybe not all.

(Related: Complete Guide to the Fundamentals of Google’s E-A-T)

Secondly, and building on the first point, the search is extremely complex. Search engines essentially apply a different algorithm to each search query, with different factors and weights based on the intent of the search.

(Related: SEO Should Beat the Competition, Not the Algorithm)

It is far more important to understand how to compete and win (and how you are tracking) for each individual query you’re targeting than to get an arbitrary number related to how good or bad your website is as a whole.

(Related: What Is a Whole SERP SEO Strategy?)

Takeaways

You might wonder why I’m beating a dead horse since Google representatives and others have repeatedly denied that the search engine uses DA or any other single metric for site authority.

The reason is that people continue to use this type of site authority score as a vanity metric for various use cases. For example, to sell links, domains, or try to pull the wool over someone’s eyes about their so-called services.

The problem is that it’s a made-up number that may or may not reflect a website’s true quality or its ability to rank.

So, the bottom line is: When reviewing performance reports, make sure you really understand the numbers you are looking at, what they actually mean, and if they reflect true performance.

This is true for any report generated on a website from any analytics or SEO platform and especially true for a site authority metric.

Again, there is nothing wrong with SEO technology companies wanting to create metrics their users might like. It is how the users understand those metrics and take action on them that is important.

And unfortunately, some metrics are just vanity metrics that don’t offer a true picture of performance or specific steps to take. That is where both discernment and SEO experience come into play.

Let us know how we can help you. If you’re interested in expert assistance with your website SEO, here’s where you can start the conversation.

FAQ: How does the concept of site authority metrics impact website ranking and quality?

Site authority metrics are pivotal in determining website ranking and overall quality. These metrics, such as Domain Authority and Authority Score, indicate a website’s credibility and influence within its niche.

Site authority metrics are not merely arbitrary numbers; they reflect the culmination of various factors that establish a website’s reputation. These factors include the quality of content, backlinks, user engagement, and industry relevance. A higher site authority metric often correlates with improved ranking potential and enhanced visibility on search engine result pages.

Search engines like Google value authoritative and trustworthy sources. When a website boasts a high authority metric, search engines are more likely to consider it a reliable source of information. As a result, the website is positioned prominently in search results, driving organic traffic and elevating its online presence.

The concept of site authority metrics is intertwined with the quality of a website’s content and user experience. Websites consistently producing valuable, relevant, and authoritative content tend to attract more backlinks, shares, and engagement. This virtuous cycle enhances the site’s authority metric and delivers valuable information to users.

For website owners and digital marketers, understanding the dynamics of site authority metrics is essential. To boost site authority and subsequently improve ranking and quality, focus on these actionable steps:

1. Create High-Quality Content: Craft informative, original, and authoritative content that addresses users’ needs.
2. Build Quality Backlinks: Foster genuine connections within your industry to earn high-quality backlinks.
3. Enhance User Experience: Ensure a seamless, user-friendly website interface that encourages engagement and sharing.
4. Leverage Social Proof: Showcase endorsements and testimonials to establish credibility and authority.
5. Monitor and Adjust: Regularly track site authority metrics, adapt strategies, and refine your approach based on data insights.

Site authority metrics wield substantial influence over website ranking and quality. By strategically aligning efforts with these metrics and focusing on delivering value, website owners can pave the way for enhanced visibility, credibility, and user satisfaction.

Step-by-Step Procedure to Maximize Site Authority Metrics’ Impact on Website Ranking and Quality:

1. Understand the fundamentals of site authority metrics and their significance.
2. Evaluate your current site authority metric through tools like Moz or Semrush.
3. Audit your website’s content to ensure it is informative, valuable, and authoritative.
4. Identify opportunities to create comprehensive, well-researched content on industry-related topics.
5. Develop a link-building strategy that prioritizes high-quality, relevant backlinks.
6. Foster relationships with other authoritative websites for potential collaboration.
7. Optimize on-page elements, such as title tags, meta descriptions, and headers, for SEO.
8. Enhance user experience through intuitive navigation and fast-loading pages.
9. Encourage user engagement through interactive elements and social sharing options.
10. Leverage social proof, such as user reviews and endorsements, to establish credibility.
11. Regularly monitor site authority metrics and track improvements over time.
12. Analyze user behavior and adjust content strategy based on user preferences.
13. Stay updated with search engine algorithm changes and adapt strategies accordingly.
14. Continuously refine and optimize your website’s content and user experience.
15. Collaborate with industry influencers to amplify your website’s authority.
16. Participate in relevant online discussions and forums to establish thought leadership.
17. Conduct outreach campaigns to earn high-quality backlinks from reputable sources.
18. Implement schema markup to enhance search engine visibility and credibility.
19. Embrace data-driven decision-making by analyzing website performance metrics.
20. Stay committed to delivering value and relevance to your audience, ensuring sustainable growth in site authority metrics, website ranking, and overall quality.

This article was updated on December 22, 2023.  

The post Can You Trust the Site Authority Metric? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

You and your website are in a serious relationship — even if you don’t know it. And relationships are work. Every move you make on your site has an impact on its rankings and your business. So you owe it to your website to be fully engaged.

Although many websites are feeling the impact of COVID-19 on their traffic, there are other reasons sites aren’t getting organic traffic. Here’s what you can do about it.

• You’re just not that into it
• Something’s “off” with your off-page
• You need a tissue for your server issues
• You’re overthinking RankBrain
• Your E-E-A-T is real
• FAQ: How does off-page SEO impact website rankings, and what should I look out for?

1. You’re Just Not That Into It

Are you “casually” doing on-page SEO? Here’s a reality check: You don’t have to go all-in, but you do have to be least imperfect compared with the competition.

There are lots of things you can do to improve on-page SEO (content is No. 1, but we’ll discuss that later). But here are some things you should do every time:

• Image and video optimization. See how to improve Google Image Search ranking for everything you need to know. And don’t forget video optimization, too.
• Externalize JavaScript & CSS. The first thing search engines should crawl is keyword-rich content, not unnecessary lines of code. Doing this step can also speed up page load time, help rankings significantly, and save crawl budget.
• Title tags: Yes, titles are still critical for ranking, but many still get them wrong. For the latest recommendations, check out our post on foundational SEO strategies.

2. Something’s “Off” with Your Off-Page

Something’s not quite right with your off-page SEO, and you may or may not know it. This can negatively impact your rankings.

• Links: If links to your site are not trusted, then your site won’t be, either. I’ll even go so far as to say that the sites that link to the site that is linking to you matter, So it’s our responsibility to know and validate those networks. And the sites you link to must be likewise trusted — linking out to an untrusted site, even with a “nofollow”, could harm your perceived trust.
• Sentiment: It’s my belief that brand sentiment (including reviews and social media) is a primary indicator of trustworthiness. This is why sentiment analysis is now part of SEO success. (This ties into E-E-A-T, which I’ll touch on later.) While trust is not an algorithm ranking factor, it is still important for search engines to present trusted resources. If trust matters at all, and we know it does, then this is critical. There is more on trust below.

3. You Need a Tissue for Your Server Issues

SEO 101: Identify and resolve server issues quickly. Use a server tool like ours or check out Google’s tools to identify things like server error codes. And don’t forget to set up a custom 404 error page. (Got a Microsoft IIS server? See this post.)

And if you are not running with HTTP/2, you have really missed the speed boat. Do this now if not already done (free test here).

4. You’re Overthinking RankBrain

When Google said its AI-powered RankBrain was among the top three signals in its algorithm, people got confused. There are no specific RankBrain SEO ranking factors, per se. In many cases, it’s business as usual.

But business “as usual” doesn’t mean “do nothing.” RankBrain is a search result relevant to steroids.

Its purpose is to better understand the meaning of content and the intent behind a search query. For a query, RankBrain determines if users click on shopping or informational sites more and then biases the results towards those preferred types of sites. In other words, it has become difficult for a shopping site to rank for an informational query. Once RankBrain better understands intent, it can apply the Google algorithm signals that deserve the most weight for that query.

That said, content is still the primary focus. Understanding the intent behind queries and delivering on that with our content is critical. Looking at our content from not just a page level but a site level is mandatory.

5. Your E-E-A-T is Beat

Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Four words that have big implications for how Google assesses and IMO ranks our websites.

Google is not shy about giving clues on how it assesses E-E-A-T, but much of it is still misunderstood. What we do know is that content and trust are integral. Here are some things to know …

Content

• Know your audience. Ask: What content will delight people and keep them coming back to your site?

Creating compelling and useful content will likely influence your website more than any of the other factors discussed here. Users know good content when they see it and will likely want to direct other users to it. This could be through blog posts, social media services, email, forums, or other means. Organic or word-of-mouth buzz is what helps build your site’s reputation with both users and Google, and it rarely comes without quality content.

–Google’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide

• Keep it fresh. Review your site from time to time to ensure that the content is up to date. Remember, Google says unmaintained content is one way to rank low on the E-E-A-T scale.
• Organize it. There’s nothing Google loves more than an organized website with quality content. That’s why site architecture is so important
• Make it authoritative. There are two different levels of quality that Google looks at related to authority: 1) The content itself has to be written well, and 2) The content needs to be written or reviewed by experts on the matter.

Expertise and authoritativeness of a site increases its quality. Be sure that content on your site is created or edited by people with expertise in the topic. For example, providing expert or experienced sources can help users understand articles’ expertise. Representing well-established consensus in pages on scientific topics is a good practice if such consensus exists.

–Google’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide

Trust

What does it mean to have a trustworthy site? In its SEO Starter Guide, Google opines:

Users feel comfortable visiting your site if they feel that it’s trustworthy. A site with a good reputation is trustworthy. Cultivate a reputation for expertise and trustworthiness in a specific area.

Provide information about who publishes your site, provides the content, and its goals. Shopping and other financial transaction websites should have clear and satisfying customer service information to help users resolve issues. News sites should provide clear information about who is responsible for the content.

Using appropriate technologies is also important. If a shopping checkout page doesn’t have a secure connection, users cannot trust the site.

Each of those recommendations gives us clues into how to build a trustworthy site and brand — be an expert both online and offline, focus on customer service and accountability, and ensure transactions are protected.

As mentioned earlier, there are other things at play, too. Like brand sentiment. Brand sentiment can help Google understand what kind of business you are, beyond just what you say you are. For more, read about sentiment as a trust signal.

Last Thoughts

These five main categories — on-page, off-page, server level, RankBrain influence, and E-E-A-T — cover most of what we do in SEO.

If you would like help pinpointing how to improve your site’s rankings and traffic, contact us for a quote. An SEO Audit or other SEO services could provide the guidance you’ve been missing.

FAQ: How does off-page SEO impact website rankings, and what should I look out for?

Understanding how off-page SEO impacts website rankings is essential for any digital marketer or website owner looking to increase their online visibility.

The Basics of Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to all the activities that take place outside your website but directly impact its performance in search results. These activities include backlink building, social media engagement, online reputation management, and content marketing. Search engines like Google consider these external factors as indicators of a website’s authority, credibility, and relevance.

Social Signals and Brand Building

Social media has become a significant player in off-page SEO. Your social presence and engagement can indirectly affect your website’s rankings. Search engines use social signals such as shares, likes, and comments to determine the relevance of content. A strong social media presence will not only increase SEO rankings but also your online reputation.

Online Reputation Management

Managing your online reputation is crucial for off-page SEO. Negative reviews and unfavorable mentions can harm your website’s credibility. Monitor your online presence regularly and address any negative feedback promptly. Encourage customers to submit positive testimonials and reviews; doing so can strengthen your website’s credibility by way of increased online reviews.

Content Marketing and Guest Posting

Off-page SEO involves creating high-quality, informative, and shareable content. Guest posting on reputable niche websites will showcase it and give you valuable links; make sure that its value aligns with that of your audience.

Off-page optimization is an integral component of digital marketing and can have a substantial effect on website rankings. By prioritizing quality backlinks and cultivating social media presence, off-page SEO can improve website performance on search engine result pages and ultimately boost its performance overall. For long-term success in SEO, be mindful of off-page SEO practices, adapt to industry trends quickly, and prioritize quality over quantity.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Leverage Off-Page SEO for Better Website Rankings

1. Understand the concept of off-page SEO and its importance in website rankings.
2. Find out how backlinks affect search engine rankings and the importance of off-page SEO.
3. Sort out high-quality links from low-quality ones.
4. Discover how to get organic backlinks that are of high quality for your website.
5. Discover the significance of social signals and their influence on SEO.
6. Establish an engaging online presence relevant to your niche.
7. Create a plan for building your brand online in order to enhance its online reputation.
8. Monitor your online reputation and promptly address any negative feedback or reviews.
9. Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews and testimonials.
10. Embrace content marketing as a fundamental element of off-page SEO.
11. Create high-quality and informative content that engages your target audience effectively.
12. Explore opportunities for guest posting on reputable websites in your industry.
13. Identify websites that accept guest posts and align with your niche.
14. Craft compelling guest post pitches and content that provide value to readers.
15. Leverage guest posting to earn backlinks and increase your website’s visibility.
16. Stay updated with the latest trends and best practices in off-page SEO.
17. Regularly assess your off-page SEO efforts and adjust your strategy as needed.
18. Prioritize quality over quantity in all your off-page SEO activities.
19. Measure the impact of your off-page SEO efforts on your website’s rankings.
20. Continuously refine your off-page SEO strategy to achieve sustained improvement in search engine rankings.

This article was updated on December 21, 2023.  

The post 5 Reasons You’re Not Ranking Right Now and What To Do Instead appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

In the world of Google Search, there are few opportunities to peek inside the inner workings. The Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines is one such opportunity. In it, we get a better understanding of Google’s view on what is a quality website. From there, we can piece together how that might factor into Google’s algorithms.

In this article:

• What is Google’s E-A-T and where did it come from?
• How do Google’s Search Quality evaluator guidelines work?
• E-A-T and rankings
• How E-A-T and YMYL go hand-in-hand
• Have a purpose, then E-A-T
• How does Google define Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness?
• TL;DR
• FAQ: How can I improve my website’s E-A-T according to Google’s guidelines?

What Is Google’s E-A-T and Where Did It Come From?

The concept of E-A-T, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, originated in Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (SQEG). The concept of debuted within the SQEG in 2014, giving us clues into what Google believes is quality.

We first found out about search quality teams in 2004 — then later the SQEG document, used internally to train search quality raters, was leaked from Google. In 2015, Google made the full version of Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines available to the public. Since then, it has gone through several iterations, with the latest version dated December 2019.

(This is a good summary of big changes in the latest iterations of SQEG.)

E-A-T can apply to individual pages or whole sites, and how important E-A-T also depends on the type of topic. I’ll touch more on that later.

How Does Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines Work?

The SQEG allows Google to better understand if the changes it’s making to its Search algorithms are producing quality results.

Human evaluators (thousands of them) use the guide as a way to evaluate the search results for certain queries and then report back what they have found. This can act as a feedback loop for Google engineers to make further tweaks to the algorithm.

Here are some snippets from Google explaining how search quality raters work …

In a help file here, Google explains how raters work:

We constantly experiment with ideas to improve the results you see. One of the ways we evaluate those experiments is by getting feedback from third-party Search Quality Raters. Quality Raters are spread out all over the world and are highly trained using our extensive guidelines.

Their feedback helps us understand which changes make Search more useful.

Raters also help us categorize information to improve our systems. For example, we might ask what language a page is written in or what’s important on a page.

We use responses from Raters to evaluate changes, but they don’t directly impact how our search results are ranked.

Another explanation from Google here on its “How Search Works” page:

We work with external Search Quality Raters to measure the quality of search results on an ongoing basis. Raters assess how well a website gives people who click on it what they are looking for, and evaluate the quality of results based on the expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness of the content. These ratings do not directly impact ranking, but they do help us benchmark the quality of our results and make sure these meet a high bar all around the world.

And here’s a 2012 video of former Googler Matt Cutts discussing it:

E-A-T and Rankings

E-A-T does not directly impact rankings as an algorithm would. Instead, Google uses a variety of signals in its algorithm to align with the concept of E-A-T.

For example, I believe the “Panda” update was about expertise, the “Penguin” update about authority, and the “Medic” update about trust.

Those who watch Google know how to read between the lines. When the Medic update hit, we saw both a blog post from Google and this tweet from Googler Danny Sullivan about the SQEG:

In that blog post, Google said:

Another resource for advice on great content is to review our search quality rater guidelines. Raters are people who give us insights on if our algorithms seem to be providing good results, a way to help confirm our changes are working well.

It’s important to understand that search raters have no control over how pages rank. Rater data is not used directly in our ranking algorithms. Rather, we use them as a restaurant might get feedback cards from diners. The feedback helps us know if our systems seem to be working.

If you understand how raters learn to assess good content, that might help you improve your own content. In turn, you might perhaps do better in Search.

In particular, raters are trained to understand if content has what we call strong E-A-T. That stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Reading the guidelines may help you assess how your content is doing from an E-A-T perspective and improvements to consider.

Sullivan also weighed in another time on how E-A-T factors into search:

How E-A-T and YMYL Go Hand-in-Hand

“Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) webpages are those that Google says “could potentially impact a person’s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety.” These types of topics, in particular, are held to a very high standard. In these instances, E-A-T is critical.

YMYL topics include:

• News and current events
• Civics, government, and law
• Finance
• Shopping
• Health and Safety
• Info related to groups of people

That list is a start, and Google notes that “there are many other topics related to big decisions or important aspects of people’s lives which thus may be considered YMYL, such as fitness and nutrition, housing information, choosing a college, finding a job, etc. Please use your judgment.”

While high E-A-T for YMYL topics is crucial, E-A-T may be just as important for other queries as well.

In the guidelines, it says that “there are high E-A-T pages and websites of all types, even gossip websites, fashion websites, humor websites, forum and Q&A pages, etc. In fact, some types of information are found almost exclusively on forums and discussions, where a community of experts can provide valuable perspectives on specific topics.”

Have a Purpose, Then E-A-T

Before we dive into E-A-T details, let’s look at what Google says are the most important factors to consider when rating a webpage or topic:

• The purpose of the page
• Expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness
• Main content quality and amount
• Website information/information about who is responsible for the MC
• Website reputation/reputation about who is responsible for the MC

The most important thing to first establish is that the webpage has a purpose.

As outlined by Google:

Websites or pages without some sort of beneficial purpose, including pages that are created with no attempt to help users, or pages that potentially spread hate, cause harm, or misinform or deceive users, should receive the Lowest rating. For all other pages that have a beneficial purpose, the amount of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) is very important.

Note that Google said that E-A-T is important for “all other pages with a beneficial purpose.”

How Does Google Define Expertise, Authority, and Trust?

Now let’s examine expertise, authority, and trust, and how to achieve them on your website.

Expertise

Expertise is a page-level assessment (versus a whole site). For this, Google wants to consider the expertise of the content creator and, essentially, the content creation process.

The level of expertise needed varies from topic to topic. As mentioned, YMYL pages will be held to a higher standard of expertise. SQEG states that “formal expertise is important for YMYL topics such as medical, financial, or legal advice. Expertise may be less formal for topics such as recipes or humor.”

Examples of Expert Content

The SQEG gives several examples of when expertise is critical, and what high E-A-T looks like.

Google says:

An expert page on cooking may be a page on a professional chef’s website, or it may be a video from an expert content creator who uploads very high quality cooking videos on YouTube and is one of the most well-known and popular content creators for recipes in their area of expertise.

Google clarifies some examples in which high expertise is critical:

● High E-A-T medical advice should be written or produced by people or organizations with appropriate medical expertise or accreditation. High E-A-T medical advice or information should be written or produced in a professional style and should be edited, reviewed, and updated on a regular basis.

● High E-A-T news articles should be produced with journalistic professionalism—they should contain factually accurate content presented in a way that helps users achieve a better understanding of events. High E-A-T news sources typically have published established editorial policies and robust review processes …

● High E-A-T information pages on scientific topics should be produced by people or organizations with appropriate scientific expertise and represent well-established scientific consensus on issues where such consensus exists.

● High E-A-T financial advice, legal advice, tax advice, etc., should come from trustworthy sources and be maintained and updated regularly.

● High E-A-T advice pages on topics such as home remodeling (which can cost thousands of dollars and impact your living situation) or advice on parenting issues (which can impact the future happiness of a family) should also come from “expert” or experienced sources that users can trust.

● High E-A-T pages on hobbies, such as photography or learning to play a guitar, also require expertise.

Examples of topics that need less formal expertise include people sharing their personal experiences in forums or helpful reviews of products or restaurants by people with first-hand experience.

In these cases, Google says: “These ordinary people may be considered experts in topics where they have life experience.” Also, “if it seems as if the person creating the content has the type and amount of life experience to make him or her an ‘expert’ on the topic, we will value this ‘everyday expertise and not penalize the person/webpage/website for not having ‘formal’ education or training in the field.”

It’s worth reviewing the examples of high E-A-T in the SQEG, Section 5.4, which includes examples of why they’re considered experts.

For example, for this recipe page, Google notes: “Even though this user does not seem to be a well-known professional chef, recipes are an example of everyday expertise. The author of this blog has documented her extensive experimentation with a chocolate chip cookie recipe, and her expertise is demonstrated in the large quantity of original high or highest quality MC.”

For this parenting article, Google notes: “The author of this blog post has become known as an expert on parenting issues. She is a regular contributor to this and other media websites.”

How to Determine “An Expert”

So how does someone show they’re an expert? Experts build a name for themselves on a particular subject matter. But how do you communicate that expertise to a person who may have just landed on your page from the search results?

Having easily accessible credentials is key. For example, author biographies.

In a Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout, John Mueller discussed E-A-T and author biographies:

In a nutshell, Mueller says it’s less of a technical thing (like using markup on the page) and more of a user experience thing. Make sure that visitors can easily identify who wrote the content and why they are qualified to do so.

In another Webmaster Central office-hours hangout, Mueller again discussed schema markup as it relates to E-A-T. He reiterated that while Google can use this info, make sure that information is accessible by users, not just search engines.

This article references a Pubcon Q&A with Googler Gary Illyes in which he was quoted as saying:

“In web search, we have entities for very popular authors, like if you were an executive for the Washington Post, then you probably have an entity. It’s not about the author, it’s about the entity.”

Expertise and the Google Algorithm

Let’s talk about expertise and the algorithm. When someone types in a query, Google is going to uses its algorithms and RankBrain to determine which webpages (out of potentially millions) in its index for that query will show up on Page 1.

One of the ways Google might determine if your content is “expert” is how similar or different that content is to other expert, high-quality webpages.

In the SQEG, it says this about high-quality content:

Very high quality MC is original, accurate, comprehensive, clearly communicated,
professionally presented, and should reflect expert consensus as appropriate. Expectations for different types of information may vary. For example, scientific papers have a different set of standards than information about a hobby such as stamp collecting. However, all types of very high quality informational content share common attributes of accuracy, comprehensiveness, and clear communication, in addition to meeting standards appropriate to the topic or field.

For instance, say you have content that states that blueberries can cure cancer. Even if you feel you have the authority to make this claim, when competing against YMYL content, you will not be considered an expert for a query about cancer because the claim is not supported elsewhere.

Remember this excerpt from earlier?

High E-A-T information pages on scientific topics should be produced by people or organizations with appropriate scientific expertise and represent well-established scientific consensus on issues where such consensus exists.

In summary, expertise is really as simple as this quote from SQEG: “Think about the topic of the page. What kind of expertise is required for the page to achieve its purpose well?”

Authoritativeness

Authoritativeness builds on expertise, and takes three things into account:

1. The authority of the content creator
2. The authority of the content itself
3. The authority of the website as a whole

To achieve authority, one must be a recognized expert in their field, whether a brand or a person. To better illustrate, here’s an example in the SQEG of what would not be authoritative:

The website is not an authoritative source for the topic of the page, e.g. tax information on a cooking website.

And even though a website may be a collection of contributors, in many cases, the brand is responsible for the overall content. That means the authority of the brand can come into play.

Often a business or organization is responsible for the content of a website, not an individual person. The IBM Corporation is responsible for the content on ibm.com. The Cleveland Clinic is responsible for the content on clevelandclinic.org. An individual is not responsible for the content on these websites, even though many individuals contributed to creating and maintaining the content. In these cases, we will view the business or organization as responsible for the content on every single page, as well as maintenance of the website.

Authority doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, a restaurant’s “about” page would be considered authoritative because it’s from the restaurant. Here’s an example of that from the SQEG with the following notes:

This is an “about us” page on a restaurant website. This page provides information on when the restaurant opened and what visitors can expect. Other pages on the website provide information about the restaurant including the address, menu, other contact information, etc. This website is highly authoritative because it is about itself.

Another example that is deemed “high level” E-A-T is the US Naval Observatory Master Clock page.

The SQEG says this about it:

The purpose of this page is to display the official US Naval Observatory Master Clock time in 7 different time zones. The page displays the clock information in a clear, easy-to-read format. The Naval Observatory is highly trustworthy and authoritative for this type of information.

Authority as it Relates to Links and Mentions

The SQEG does not mention the links to a website as an indicator of authority. Perhaps that is because Google doesn’t expect its quality raters to use sophisticated tools for link analysis. Regardless, SEOs know from experience that links matter.

Since the beginning, a link to a site has been a vote of confidence. This is the concept of PageRank, and yes, it still exists.

Of course, you want links from other experts or other relevant types of sites, not just any links. Google is good at knowing which links should count, thanks to its evolving algorithm and updates like Penguin.

Mentions could also be a factor in how Google determines authority. When determining if an individual or brand is an authority on a topic, do a simple search online.

Is a person’s name connected with the subject matter in the search results?

Search results for the query “Bruce Clay SEO”

In a post on E-A-T from Marie Haynes, she accurately points out that:

If your business is getting amazing press mentions, this really can help. The incredible thing though is that Google feels really confident that they can determine which mentions are there because there is true buzz circulating about your company, and which are just there because they’re paid, incentivized or self made.

There is a big difference between a mention from a Forbes contributor and a Forbes staff journalist. Google knows to ignore the former, and most likely, they can recognize the latter as a vote for your brand’s authority. In fact, we believe that this was one of the reasons why Google made changes to rel=nofollow. It is possible that now, if Google comes across a great link on an authoritative site, we think they can count it towards your E-A-T even if it is nofollowed.

To add to the discussion about rel=”nofollow” … I, too, believe that “nofollow” is merely a hint to Google nowadays. Just as a link with a “nofollow” on it can work to your advantage as in her example, it can work against you, too.

Take this scenario: A person on your site is reading an informational article. Within that article is a link with branded anchor text pointing to another company’s website. This link is a paid placement.

The average reader would not be able to distinguish a “nofollow” link from a regular link. Therefore, that link may be automatically trusted by your website users.

If Google identifies this link as irrelevant or deceptive (especially when we’re talking about YMYL topics), Google might ignore the “nofollow” and still count that link against your site.

(For more on this, see a post I wrote on manual penalties and guest posts.)

At the end of the day, expertise and authority are closely related and interconnected concepts — as is the “T” pillar in E-A-T, trust.

Trustworthiness

Like authoritativeness, trustworthiness is assessed on multiple levels:

1. The trustworthiness of the content creator
2. The trustworthiness of the content itself
3. The trustworthiness of the website as a whole

Trust is about reputation. Reputation matters, especially when authority and expertise are important. From the SQEG:

When a high level of authoritativeness or expertise is needed, the reputation of a website should be judged on what expert opinions have to say. Recommendations from expert sources, such as professional societies, are strong evidence of very positive reputation.

Google further defines how it thinks about reputation:

A website’s reputation is based on the experience of real users, as well as the opinion of people who are experts in the topic of the website. Keep in mind that websites often represent real companies, organizations, and other entities. Therefore, reputation research applies to both the website and the actual company, organization, or entity that the website is representing.

Reputation, says the SQEG, is determined by outside information about the website (not just what the website says about itself):

Many websites are eager to tell users how great they are. Some webmasters have read these rating guidelines and write “reviews” on various review websites. But for Page Quality rating, you must also look for outside, independent reputation information about the website. When the website says one thing about itself, but reputable external sources disagree with what the website says, trust the external sources.

The guidelines give clues into some ways that Google evaluates trust and reputation:

Extensive reputation research is important when giving Highest ratings. Very positive reputation is often based on prestigious awards or recommendations from known experts or professional societies on the topic of the page.

Wikipedia and other informational sources can be a good starting point for reputation research. For YMYL topics especially, careful checks for reputation are required. YMYL reputation should be based on evidence from experts, professional societies, awards, etc.

For shopping pages, experts could include people who have used the store’s website to make purchases; whereas for medical advice pages, experts should be people or organizations with appropriate medical expertise or accreditation. Please review section 2.3 for a summary of types of YMYL pages/topics.

For some topics, such as humor or recipes, less formal expertise is OK. For these topics, popularity, user engagement, and user reviews can be considered evidence of reputation. For topics that need less formal expertise, websites can be considered to have a positive reputation if they are highly popular and wel

Bad Reputation and Rankings

Google does not look kindly upon sites or brands with a bad reputation. This is something it has been battling for years and gained a lot of traction with the Decor My Eyes debacle.
I believe sentiment is an important factor in trust and can impact rankings. I also believe that artificial intelligence has allowed Google to make significant advances in sentiment measurement as a part of that trust component.

As outlined in an article I wrote on sentiment as a trust signal, things like low ratings on the Better Business Bureau can be a big deal. We believe this harmed the trustworthiness of a client’s website and contributed to lower rankings.

Others have reported how reputation (specifically poor BBB ratings) may have impacted rankings after the Medic update.

The SQEG in fact mentions the BBB several times. Here’s one instance:

Look for articles, reviews, forum posts, discussions, etc. written by people about the website. For businesses, there are many sources of reputation information and reviews. Here are some examples: Yelp, Better Business Bureau (a nonprofit organization that focuses on the trustworthiness of businesses and charities), Amazon, and Google Shopping.

One excerpt indicates that “very low ratings on BBB are usually the result of multiple unresolved complaints,” and to “consider very low ratings on the BBB site to be evidence for a negative reputation.”

To be clear, I do not think a BBB rating is a direct ranking signal. Google has confirmed here and here that it is not. (That last confirmation was the result of confusion over a talk I gave on the topic. Nonetheless, Google weighed in.)

Again, the SQEG is designed to be used as a feedback loop for how Google designs its algorithms.

Does Google want brands or websites with a bad reputation to rank high? Of course not. Does Google integrate things like the BBB rating into its search results? Yes, just look at the entries for Google Local Services.

Google Local Services entry with BBB rating integration

So, where does that leave us? Does sentiment impact a website’s trustworthiness, and indirectly impact rankings? I believe, yes.

Take this study on sentiment analysis, where the author points out:

84% of analyzed SERPs are dominated by positive results. People would rather focus on the benefits than the cons of whatever they are looking for. For the decision-making process, they are not that interested in content that brings attention to the flaws. …

Big sample analysis shows some trends but examples twist them quite often. Every SERP is different, analyze your competitors and find out what sticks to the top.

And I’ll add to this: When it comes to inbound links to a webpage (that vote of confidence), the words surrounding the link should also be positive.

It seems that Google AI technology can separate good from bad reviews, for instance, and properly count them in your rankings. They know if you have been naughty or nice.

I have written more about sentiment as a trust signal in a two-part series. For more, see:

• Sentiment as an SEO Trust Signal
• How to Use Sentiment Analysis to Strengthen SEO Trustworthiness

TL;DR

The concept of E-A-T, also known as expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, originated in Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (SQEG).

The SQEG trains human quality raters, who help Google understand if the changes it’s making to its Search algorithms are producing quality results. This can act as a feedback loop for Google engineers to make further tweaks to the algorithm.

E-A-T does not directly impact rankings as an algorithm would. Instead, Google uses a variety of signals in its algorithm to align with the concept of E-A-T. For example, I believe the Panda update was about expertise, the Penguin update about authority, and the Medic update about trust.

E-A-T is important for most websites, but for “Your Money or Your Life” topics, it is critical. The level of expertise needed for other topics varies.

Expertise is a page-level assessment (versus a whole site). For this, Google wants to consider the expertise of the content creator and the content creation process.

Authoritativeness builds on expertise, and takes three things into account:

1. The authority of the content creator
2. The authority of the content itself
3. The authority of the website as a whole

To achieve authority, one must be a recognized expert on the matter, whether a brand or a person. We know that links and mentions are also key, though not mentioned directly in the SQEG.

Just like authority, trustworthiness is assessed on multiple levels:

1. The trustworthiness of the content creator
2. The trustworthiness of the content itself
3. The trustworthiness of the website as a whole

Trust is about reputation. And reputation matters, especially when authority and expertise are important. As a component of that, I believe that overall online sentiment is a key part of trust. You can read more about that in earlier posts here and here.

Many signals contribute to your online success. If you’d like assistance, check out our SEO services or contact us today!

FAQ: How can I improve my website’s E-A-T according to Google’s guidelines?

Google’s emphasis on E-A-T has become a central theme. E-A-T stands for Expertise Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness and plays a pivotal role in determining the search result ranking of websites. Anyone seeking to enhance their online presence must understand and comply with Google’s E-A-T guidelines.

1. Expertise: The Foundation of E-A-T

Begin by establishing your expertise in your niche or industry. This involves creating high-quality, well-researched content that showcases your knowledge. Regularly update your content to stay current and accurate. Consider featuring author bios and credentials to highlight the expertise behind your articles.

2. Authoritativeness: Building Credibility

To enhance authoritativeness, seek backlinks from reputable sources within your industry. Google views these backlinks as votes of confidence in your website. Additionally, engage with your audience through social media and other channels to demonstrate your authority in your field.

3. Trustworthiness: Gaining User Confidence

Trust is critical on the internet. Ensure your website is secure, and protect user data. Display trust signals, such as privacy policies and SSL certificates. Encourage positive user reviews and address any negative feedback promptly and professionally.

4. Content Quality: The Cornerstone

Creating high-quality, original content is fundamental to improving E-A-T. Avoid plagiarism and focus on in-depth, valuable information. Fact-check your content and cite reliable sources. Google values content that provides genuine value to users.

5. Consistency is Key

Consistency in all aspects of your online presence is vital. Maintain a uniform tone and messaging across your website and social media profiles. Regularly update and review your content to ensure it aligns with your expertise.

6. Mobile Optimization

Given the rise of mobile internet usage, having a mobile-responsive website is crucial for both user experience and Google’s rankings. Ensure your site is optimized for various devices and screen sizes.

7. User Engagement

Engage with your audience through comments, forums, and social media. Respond to questions and provide helpful insights. Encourage discussions and community-building around your niche.

8. Ongoing Monitoring and Adaptation

Regularly monitor your website’s analytics to gauge your progress. Adjust your strategy based on the data. Google’s algorithms and guidelines are continually evolving, so staying adaptable is essential.

By focusing on expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness, content quality, consistency, mobile optimization, user engagement, and ongoing adaptation, you can strengthen your website’s E-A-T and bolster its performance in search rankings.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Enhancing Your Website’s E-A-T

1. Establish Expertise: Create high-quality, well-researched content showcasing your knowledge.
2. Build Authoritativeness: Seek backlinks from reputable sources and engage with your audience.
3. Gain Trustworthiness: Ensure security, display trust signals, and manage user feedback professionally.
4. Prioritize Content Quality: Avoid plagiarism, fact-check, and provide valuable information.
5. Maintain Consistency: Keep a uniform tone and messaging across your online presence.
6. Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your website is mobile-responsive.
7. Engage Users: Interact with your audience through comments, forums, and social media.
8. Monitor and Adapt: Regularly review analytics and adjust your strategy accordingly.

By following these steps, you can effectively enhance your website’s E-A-T and improve its ranking according to Google’s guidelines.

The post Complete Guide to the Fundamentals of Google’s E-A-T appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Quality SEO: If cheap and fast SEO worked then everyone would rank number 1. Instead, it takes meticulous high quality work to be top-3 out of millions of results. If you want value from your SEO project, cheap and fast is not your solution.

There’s a phenomenon that occurs with near-death experiences. Many people report having seen a bright light at the end of a tunnel or so-called angels. This is often accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of pure love.

But that’s not what happens when your business dies. It’s often a slow, excruciating experience that involves a decrease in online visibility, traffic, leads, and conversions. There is no bright light at the end of the tunnel, but you may feel something: overwhelming desperation.

Why do businesses have these near-death experiences? There are many reasons. CB Insights says being out-competed and poor marketing are among the Top-10. I agree.

There’s a saying in the project management world: good, fast, cheap — pick two. You can usually get something that’s good and fast (like Chinese food delivered from UberEATS) or cheap and fast (a service on Fiverr). But good and cheap is harder to find.

Want good SEO, fast? Double up on your budget for more resources. Want cheap SEO, fast? That’s easy, but you get what you pay for. Want SEO that’s both good quality and cheap? Sorry, but that’s not an option.

• How do I know if I’m getting quality SEO?
• How much should I spend on SEO?
• What is valuable to your business? 
• FAQ: How much should I allocate for SEO in my budget? 

We’re living in a time where products and services are brought to market that give regular folks access to high quality for a small price. So, it’s no wonder that many businesses expect the same from SEO. But SEO is not one of those services.

Cheap SEO is a near-death experience. It’s an impending death of your website and your business. The way to avoid death is superior quality, and that comes at a price.

But understand that you’re not just throwing money into a black hole. Quality SEO pays dividends in more traffic, good user experience, and conversions, which equals money.

The bottom line: Don’t sacrifice quality SEO if you want to be in the top five results on Page 1 of the search results.

How Do I Know If I’m Getting Quality SEO?

Henry Ford once said that “quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” But how do you know if you’re getting a quality SEO service? There are a great many things you can do to assess vendors and practices, as I’ve previously outlined in this article on how to evaluate an SEO company.

The bottom line is that expert SEO advice will come from expert sources. But it’s up to you to do your due diligence.

Just some of the things to consider when assessing SEO vendors:

• How long has the SEO vendor been in business?
• Does the internal team have sufficient skills and experience?
• Does the company demonstrate thought leadership through speaking engagements, expert content or training?
• Does the company have a good reputation among its peers in the industry?
• Has the company received any awards or accolades?
• How involved is the company in the industry’s professional organizations and/or professional community?
• Does the company have SEO methods that are keeping within Google’s quality guidelines (aka “white hat” practices)?

Remember: Two different SEO professionals could look at the same website and see totally different things. Analyzing a website, pinpointing issues, and prescribing solutions comes from experience.

For more on hiring a quality SEO service, check out Google’s advice for hiring an SEO agency.

How Much Should I Spend on SEO?

Budget constraints are one of the top five reasons that SEO projects fail. When looking at your long-term business and SEO goals, the question you have to ask yourself is: How long am I willing to wait until I beat my competition? This determines your budget.

Part of the problem is that many businesses don’t understand SEO’s worth. SEO is not a put-in-a-quarter-and-get-a-dollar-out strategy. SEO takes time. It’s an investment. It’s a leap of faith.

But those who stay in the game reap the rewards, as SEO has proven again and again to drive revenue. This chart from BrightEdge research shows how much revenue the organic search channel drives.

So, how much should you actually pay for SEO? Businesses should allocate five to 10 percent of their revenue to SEO as a cost of advertising. And every industry is different. Some industries invest a lot more in advertising because that is what it takes to compete. In other sectors, less money may go a long way.

If your competition is getting most of their traffic from organic search and you’re not there it’s only going to get worse for you. By the way, organic search is the dominant marketing channel for most industries at 53 percent on average.

And yes, you can hire a cheap service and get more hours. The question is: Will it be high value for your business? Is it enough to beat your competition?

Not only that, but cheap SEO can cost more in the long run. Many businesses have paid for low-cost SEO only to have little results, or worse, have their near-death experience.

What Is Valuable to Your Business?

Most everything that’s quality has a price. When you buy an expensive car, you spend money to get all the features and outcomes that are valuable to you, including longevity. Cheap cars may be shiny driving off the lot, but as the paint begins to fade, the realization is that what you’re left with is a quick fix.

SEO is no different. The quality is going to be proportionate to your investment. So you have to ask: What is valuable to your business in the long term? Is it to remain competitive? If so, you have to be prepared to compete, and sometimes it is to work smarter. And that means investing in quality SEO services.

Interested in learning more about our SEO services? We invite you to call us or start the conversation with our contact form.

FAQ: How Much Should I Allocate for SEO in My Budget?

Search Engine Optimization is no longer an optional expense; it has become an indispensable necessity. However, budgeting for SEO may seem difficult; we will explore all the factors affecting it to help guide an informed decision process.

Understanding Your Business Goals

Before allocating a specific budget to SEO, aligning your SEO strategy with your business objectives is imperative. Consider where you currently stand and want to be regarding online visibility and traffic. Are you aiming for local or global reach? Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or boost e-commerce sales? The answers to these questions will guide your budget allocation.

Competitive Analysis Matters

Your industry and the level of competition within it can greatly impact your SEO budget. Conduct a thorough competitive analysis to understand your rivals’ investment in SEO. Use this worksheet as a starting point, but remember that your approach may need to be adjusted depending on your business’s unique circumstances and goals.

Quality Over Quantity

It’s a common misconception that pouring a large sum into SEO will guarantee immediate success. In reality, the quality of your SEO efforts matters more than the quantity of your budget. Prioritize areas with the most significant impact, such as keyword research, content optimization, and technical SEO improvements.

Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation

SEO is an ongoing process, and your budget should reflect that. Allocate funds not only for initial optimization but also for continuous monitoring and adaptation. SEO trends, algorithms, and consumer behavior change over time. Regularly assess your SEO strategy and adjust your budget to stay ahead.

Allocating the right budget for SEO is a pivotal decision that can shape the success of your online presence. You can make the most of your SEO investments by aligning your budget with your business goals, analyzing your competition, focusing on quality, and allowing for ongoing adjustments.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Determining Your SEO Budget

1. Begin by clearly defining your business goals and objectives related to SEO.
2. Assess your current online presence and determine where you want to improve.
3. Research your industry and competitors to understand their SEO strategies and budgets.
4. Calculate a baseline budget by considering your business size and industry standards.
5. Prioritize key SEO areas that align with your goals, such as keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building.
6. Allocate a portion of your budget for ongoing monitoring and adaptation.
7. Consider working with an experienced SEO agency or specialist if needed.
8. Continuously track and measure the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.
9. Be prepared to adjust your budget based on the results and changing SEO landscape.
10. Monitor Google algorithm updates and adapt your strategy accordingly.
11. Regularly analyze your competition and update your budget as needed.
12. Focus on content quality and user experience to maximize the impact of your budget.
13. Implement technical SEO improvements to enhance website performance.
14. Utilize data-driven insights to refine your keyword strategy and content.
15. Invest in link-building strategies that align with your objectives.
16. Consider local SEO efforts if your business serves a specific geographic area.
17. Stay informed about industry trends and emerging SEO technologies.
18. Collaborate with your SEO team or agency to optimize your budget allocation.
19. Continuously measure the ROI of your SEO investments.
20. Adjust your budget to ensure ongoing SEO success and growth.

The post Cheap SEO Is a Near-Death Experience appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..