I’ve observed a massive evolution in my 28 years of experience in SEO. I’ve seen how it can positively impact not just websites, but the businesses and people who run them.

In this article, I’ll go over an introduction to SEO, including basic concepts:

• What is SEO?
• What’s involved in SEO?
• What you need to know about SEO
• FAQ: What are the best SEO practices for a successful digital marketing strategy?

What Is SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategic marketing discipline that increases a website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).

SEO is crucial because higher visibility in search results typically leads to more traffic and potential customers for a business.

What’s Involved in SEO?

SEO encompasses a wide range of practices and techniques. These include:

Research and Strategy

Effective SEO requires comprehensive market research, detailed competitor analyses and alignment with clearly defined business objectives (whether it’s increasing traffic, driving sales or boosting brand visibility).

A solid SEO program begins with a deep dive into a website and the business. Understanding the unique needs and challenges of your target audience is critical.

Then, an in-depth technical SEO audit is the first best step, as it gives essential insights into what’s hindering search engine success.

Keyword research uncovers the queries your audience is using when searching for what you have to offer.

And competitive analysis comes next to get a clearer picture of what’s needed to succeed in the search results based on the competition.

Technical SEO

This aspect of SEO focuses on creating a website that is easy for users and search engines to navigate.

It includes ensuring fast load times, mobile responsiveness, secure connections, content architecture, internal linking and more.

Anything that has to do with the performance of a website falls under technical SEO.

Content Development

Content is the backbone of any good SEO strategy.

Creating high-quality content means ensuring the content is engaging, relevant and aligned with what users and search engines are looking for.

Content for SEO must be helpful, backed by first-hand expertise and answer the intent of the query completely.

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO involves optimizing webpages and their content for search performance and ease of reading, crafting compelling meta tags, optimizing images for search, using heading tags properly and much more.

Off-Site SEO

This aspect of SEO involves building credibility and authority in other ways.

Key activities include earning and managing high-quality backlinks and using brand marketing techniques, public relations and social media as complementary tools for SEO success.

What You Need to Know About SEO

There are three things you need to know about SEO to create your SEO “mindset:”

1. SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
2. SEO is not static; it’s an ongoing process.
3. SEO requires a constant finger on the pulse.

SEO Isn’t a “One Size Fits All”

Different types of SEO, like local SEO and national or global SEO, cater to varying business needs.

Local SEO focuses on optimizing your online presence to attract local customers, while broader SEO strategies aim for a wider, perhaps international reach.

Crafting a successful SEO strategy requires customization based on comprehensive market research, an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape and a keen grasp of the target audience’s needs and pain points.

A tailored approach is key, whether it’s to enhance visibility in local search results or to achieve a dominant position on a national level.

SEO Is Not Static; It’s an Ongoing Process

Search engines continually update their algorithms to provide more accurate and relevant results to users.

New competitors enter the market. The economy fluctuates, and current events impact society.

Therefore, SEO strategies must evolve and adapt to these changes to maintain or improve a website’s search ranking.

SEO is not and will never be a one-and-done thing.

SEO Requires a Constant Finger on the Pulse

To stay ahead in SEO, continuous learning and innovation are crucial. The field is dynamic; staying still means falling behind.

This involves keeping abreast of industry trends, algorithm changes and emerging technologies.

Regular research, strategic planning, consistent content creation, testing, performance monitoring and program evaluations are essential.

Final Thoughts

Creating an effective SEO program is like planning a grand adventure. It starts with setting clear, measurable roadmaps and being flexible to adapt to changes.

SEO is also a field that demands commitment. Embracing SEO’s dynamic nature is the key to sustained success. It’s a continuous process rather than a one-time task.

While it can be challenging, the payoff is big: traffic, customers, revenue and a positive impact on your livelihood and the livelihoods of those you employ.

We’ve helped thousands of companies succeed at SEO for over 28 years. If you’re in need of more website traffic, leads, sales, customers and revenue, reach out to us today for a free consultation.

FAQ: What are the best SEO practices for a successful digital marketing strategy?

An effective SEO strategy is critical for the success of any digital marketing campaign. So, what are the best SEO practices to ensure your digital marketing strategy yields great results? Let’s dive into the key aspects you need to focus on:

Keyword Research: Start by identifying relevant keywords and phrases that your target audience uses when searching for products or services like yours. This will guide your content creation and optimization efforts.

On-Page Optimization: Optimize your website’s meta tags, headings, URLs and content with the identified keywords to improve its visibility in search engine rankings.

High-Quality Content: Creating exceptional content is vital for SEO success. Craft informative, engaging and relevant content that caters to your audience’s needs, incorporates keywords naturally and encourages social sharing.

Link Building: Build a strong backlink profile by earning high-quality links from reputable websites. Seek partnerships, guest posting opportunities and shareable content to enhance your online presence.

Mobile Optimization: With the increasing use of mobile devices, ensure your website is mobile-friendly, loads quickly and provides a seamless user experience across different screen sizes.

User Experience: Focus on delivering an exceptional user experience by improving website navigation, reducing bounce rates and addressing user queries effectively. Satisfied users are more likely to convert and engage with your brand.

Social Media Integration: Leverage the power of social media to amplify your content, engage with your audience and attract organic traffic to your website.

Local SEO: If you have a brick-and-mortar business, optimize your website for local searches by including location-specific keywords, creating Google My Business listings and securing positive reviews.

Implement these best SEO practices to create a strong foundation for a successful digital marketing strategy. Remember to analyze your efforts regularly, adapt to changing search algorithms and stay current with the latest SEO trends for continued success.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Start by conducting thorough keyword research to identify relevant keywords for your industry.
2. Optimize your website’s meta tags, headings, URLs and content by incorporating the identified keywords.
3. Create high-quality content that is informative, engaging and shareable.
4. Build a strong backlink profile by earning links from reputable websites.
5. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and offers a seamless user experience.
6. Improve website navigation and address user queries effectively.
7. Leverage social media platforms to amplify your content and engage with your audience.
8. Optimize your website for local searches if you have a physical location.
9. Regularly analyze your SEO efforts and adapt to changing algorithms.
10. Stay up to date with the latest SEO trends and best practices.
11. Continuously monitor and measure your digital marketing strategy’s performance.
12. Adapt your strategy based on the results obtained.
13. Utilize analytics tools to gain insights into user behavior and preferences.
14. Keep refining and improving your content to stay relevant and authoritative.
15. Engage with your audience through commenting, responding to reviews and interacting on social media.
16. Collaborate with influencers in your industry to expand your reach and credibility.
17. Stay connected with the SEO community to learn from experts and exchange knowledge.
18. Conduct competitor analysis to identify opportunities and stay ahead in the market.
19. Regularly perform SEO audits to identify and fix any issues that might be hindering your strategy’s success.
20. Embrace a continuous learning mindset and adapt accordingly to drive ongoing success.

The post What Is SEO? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

The bucket list is all the things you want to do before you die. I argue that every website needs a bucket list, too. This list prioritizes all the things that need to happen before the site becomes so irrelevant it “dies” in the search results.

There is a lot I could say here. To keep it short and sweet, though, I have categorized the SEO “bucket list” into three main buckets:

1. Get a strong foundation 
2. Create an SEO-friendly architecture
3. Write quality content 
4. FAQ: How can SEO Siloing improve my website’s subject and website authority?

1. Get a Strong Foundation

Search engines want to rank websites that provide a good user experience. That means: Get the technical stuff right.

This includes:

• An SEO-friendly content management system
• SEO-friendly web design (HTML Living Standard code and W3C compliance, for instance)
• A mobile-friendly website
• A fast website
• A modern design
• User-friendly webpages
• Technical SEO best practices

This list may seem small, but getting everything right in each of those bullet points is a huge undertaking. When you do get it right, though, your site can better compete in the search results.

2. Create an SEO-Friendly Architecture

How you organize the content on a website matters to both search engines and website visitors. This includes the navigation and internal linking of webpages.

SEO-friendly site architecture is created through SEO siloing. Siloing creates content categories/directories on a site based on the keywords you’ve selected through keyword research.

This SEO strategy helps to build subject and website authority and clearly tells the search engines what the content is about. In other words: It can make your website more relevant for a search.

For more on this, read:

• SEO Siloing: What, Why, How
• 5 Times When SEO Siloing Can Make or Break Your Rankings

3. Write Quality Content

If you haven’t seen Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, then it’s time to do some reading on how important it is that you get the “quality content” piece right.

Of course, those guidelines are not the end all be all, but they are useful to understand how Google thinks about quality. Ultimately, you have to decide what is quality content for your website, and Google agrees.

Giving your website visitors useful information written by experts on the matter is the goal. How you go about doing that is up to you.

In general, though, you will need things like:

• A webpage with a clear purpose that delivers on that purpose.
• Content that is created with a good amount of expertise on the subject matter.
• Information that is well-written and useful.
• An optimized webpage in keeping with SEO best practices.

Content is one of the most important ranking factors, and quality content can often trump other ranking signals all else equal.

For more on this, read:

• What Makes a Webpage Quality?
• The Complete Guide to the Basics of Google’s E-E-A-T
• What Are Meta Tags?
• The Always-Up-to-Date SEO Checklist

This SEO bucket list helps ensure that your website is relevant for search queries and useful to your target audience. Don’t wait until your website dies before you prioritize doing all the important things that will keep your business alive online.

FAQ: How can SEO siloing improve my website’s subject and website authority?

SEO siloing is a powerful website structuring technique that significantly influences how search engines perceive and rank your website. By organizing your content into distinct categories or “silos” based on relevant keywords, you can create a logical and hierarchical structure that enhances your website’s subject relevance and authority.

When implementing SEO siloing, start by conducting comprehensive keyword research to identify primary topics related to your website’s niche. Group these keywords into relevant clusters, each representing a specific content category. For example, if you own a gardening website, you might have silos for “Vegetable Gardening,” “Flower Gardening,” and “Gardening Tools.”

Within each silo, create in-depth and valuable content that covers various aspects of the topic. Ensure that the content is interlinked through contextual internal links, guiding visitors and search engine crawlers to related articles within the same silo. This internal linking strategy reinforces the subject relevance and authority of each silo.

It is vital to keep each silo focused on its primary topic without mixing unrelated content. By doing so, you enhance the clarity and expertise of your website, establishing yourself as a trustworthy resource within your niche. Search engines recognize the organization and topical focus which can lead to improved rankings for your targeted keywords.

Another benefit of siloing is that it allows you to demonstrate expertise on specific subjects. When your content consistently delves deep into a particular topic, it signals to search engines that your website is a valuable and authoritative source on that subject. This can lead to higher rankings for related search queries and increased organic traffic.

Siloing enhances user experience by making it easier for visitors to navigate your website. The logical organization and clear interlinking guide users to relevant information, reducing bounce rates and increasing engagement. This positive user experience signals search engines that your website provides valuable content, contributing to improved rankings.

To make the most of siloing, regularly update and expand the content within each silo. As your website’s authority on specific subjects grows, you can explore broader or more specialized topics, further solidifying your website’s position as a go-to resource in your industry.

SEO Bucket List: How To Effectively SEO Silo Your Site

1. Perform comprehensive keyword research to identify primary topics and keywords related to your website’s niche.
2. Group similar keywords into content categories or silos, each representing a specific subject area.
3. Create high-quality and valuable content within each silo, covering various aspects of the topic.
4. Ensure contextual internal linking between articles within the same silo to reinforce subject relevance and authority.
5. Keep each silo focused on its primary topic and avoid mixing unrelated content to maintain clarity and expertise.
6. Regularly update and expand the content within each silo to demonstrate ongoing expertise and relevance.
7. Implement SEO best practices, including proper URL structures, meta tags and optimized headings within each silo.
8. Monitor and analyze the performance of each silo using web analytics tools to identify areas for improvement.
9. Engage in off-page SEO activities such as building quality backlinks and guest posting to further boost website authority.
10. Conduct competitor analysis to identify gaps and opportunities within your niche and adjust your siloing strategy accordingly.
11. Optimize website speed and performance to enhance user experience and reduce bounce rates.
12. Use responsive web design to ensure an optimal user experience across devices.
13. Audit your website regularly for broken links, duplicate content and any technical issues that could impede its SEO performance.
14. Monitor search engine algorithm updates and adjust your siloing strategy accordingly to stay competitive.
15. Pay attention to topics relevant to your audience and modify your content strategy using data-driven insights.
16. Utilize user-generated content like testimonials and reviews to establish trust among your target market.
17. Foster a community around your website by engaging with your audience through comments and discussions.
18. Stay up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and industry developments to maintain a competitive edge in your niche.

The post The SEO Bucket List: 3 Things To Do Before Your Site Dies appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

In this article, I’ll share what I believe to be some of the most important on-page factors that you need to check off your SEO checklist for every single webpage on your site:

1. 1. 1. Experience, expertise, authority, and trust
      2. Quality content
      3. Content freshness
      4. Readability
      5. Page experience
      6. Meta tags
      7. Heading tags
      8. Keyword optimization
      9. Image optimization
      10. Video
      11. Alt Text
      12. Schema
      13. Other structured data
      14. Links
      15. SEO insights

   FAQ: If you could only choose 15 on-page SEO tactics, which would you choose?

1. Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trust

If we’re paying attention to Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines (SQRG), we know that experience, expertise, authority and trust are essential to a quality website.

Here are some things to consider:

Trustworthiness: Google wants to be sure that the webpage is accurate, honest, safe and reliable. That may look different for different types of websites (ecommerce versus informational) and different types of topics (like “your money or your life” topics).

Experience: This has to do with the first-hand experience about the page topic from the content creator. Google recognizes that experience is valuable to nearly any type of topic (think social media posts, forums discussions) but especially important for things like product reviews.

Expertise: Do you have the right level of skill or knowledge to speak intelligently on a topic? This is yet another key element in how Google assesses the quality of a webpage.

Authoritativeness: The authority factor takes into account the brand or the person’s reputation as a go-to resource. Often, this isn’t as serious as it sounds; in the SQRG, Google gives a couple examples such as “a local business profile page on social media may be the authoritative and trusted source for what is on sale now,” or “the official government page for getting a passport.”

This all boils down to the following questions:

Was your content created with the necessary experience and expertise needed for the topic? Is your website and brand an authority on the topic? Can people trust you?

For more, read:

• The Complete Guide to the Basics of E-E-A-T

2. Quality Content

Writing is an art and science, so there isn’t a definitive guide to what quality content is. But here are a few tips to consider. Do you:

1. Answer the query better than your competition?
2. Consider data from the search results like “People Also Ask” and “Searches related to” in addition to addressing common FAQs?
3. Include original research, data, opinions and images?
4. Fact-check and cite quality, relevant resources?
5. Write with a high degree of accuracy when discussing “Your Money or Your Life” topics?

3. Content Freshness

Not all topics need to have fresh content to be quality (think a page on the American Civil War), but some queries deserve freshness and others need to be maintained to be relevant.

And remember that Google says in its SQRG that unmaintained sites are low quality:

… unmaintained/abandoned “old” websites or unmaintained and inaccurate/misleading content is a reason for a low Page Quality rating.

Everyone wants to create new content, but I recommend spending 50% of the time refreshing old content, too.

For more, read:

• Creating New Content vs. Optimizing Old Webpages: Which Is Better for SEO? [Search Engine Land]
• Steps for Updating Your Website Content

4. Readability

Would the target audience easily understand and relate to your content?

The grade level with which you write your content can make a difference. For example, a scientific topic may be written at a higher grade level than a topic about a hobby.

If you examine the search results, you will begin to see that certain queries create results that are written at a similar grade level.

If you have the right SEO tools (like our WordPress SEO plugin), you can easily see what the average grade level is among the top-ranked websites for a query.

For more, read:

• Want Custom SEO Advice per Keyword? There’s a Plugin for That!

5. Page Experience

Google’s “core web vitals” are elements of a webpage that provide a good user experience.

Core web vitals measure things like how fast the page renders, how responsive it is and ensures things like buttons and links don’t unexpectedly shift, causing someone to click on something they didn’t intend to.

Here’s an overview of the three core web vitals:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how fast the largest image or text block renders on a webpage. Google recommends that it happens within the first 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading.

First Input Delay (FID) measures interactivity – how quickly a webpage loads and executes so that the user can interact with the page. Google wants pages to have an FID of 100 milliseconds or less.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures visual stability on a webpage, and pages need to maintain a CLS of 0.1. or less.

Each of these core web vitals has specific thresholds that your webpages must meet at least 75% of the time.

Core web vitals are signals in Google’s page experience algorithm update. To stay competitive, website owners need to work on these technical factors.

For more, see:

• Core Web Vitals for SEO: An Overview
• 3 Expert Tips to Improve Core Web Vitals [On-demand Webinar]

6. Meta Tags

Meta tags may seem like a small thing in the grand scheme of SEO, but they serve an important role.

When done right, meta tags help:

• Search engines determine the topic of your webpage
• Drive clicks and organic search traffic
• Avoid duplicate content issues

So what do you need to consider when it comes to these tags?

• Always include an original title tag and meta description tag for every page.
• Make sure the tags are properly configured in the head section of the page (it’s less likely this would be an issue when using a CMS).
• Write compelling copy that informs a search engine user and entices them to click from the search results to your webpage.
• Include the most important keyword(s) in the right order – but do not keyword stuff or make it sound unnatural.
• Consider the length, taking into account best practices and also research that suggests title tags between 40 to 60 characters have the highest CTR.
• Know that Google can and will rewrite titles and meta descriptions to make them more relevant, according to Google. This can be frustrating but remember that is only a rendering issue (what the user sees). The actual tag remains the same. Here is a possible solution to that if you want more control.

For more, read:

• What Are Meta Tags? Why Are They Important to SEO? How Do You Create Them?

7. Heading Tags

The heading tags make up the “table of contents” for a webpage.

Heading tags help search engines and website visitors easily distinguish between a main section and the subsections on the page, and how those sections relate to one another.

Heading tags are categorized as H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, etc. H1 represents the title of the topic, and subsequent headings represent subsections.

Here are some tips:

• The sequence of heading tags (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6) should be used in a hierarchy (think of it as an outline of a research paper).
• An H1 heading tag always correlates to the main topic of the page.
• I don’t recommend having more than one H1 tag on a page in most cases (definitely not on informational webpages, but maybe OK on main navigational pages in some cases).
• Subsequent sections after the H1 default to an H2 tag.
• You can have more than one H2 tag.
• If an H2 section has subsections underneath that, they would start with H3 tag, and so on.
• You can create subsections all the way to H6.

For more, see:

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

8. Keyword Optimization

Keyword optimization is one of those touchy subjects in SEO.

People either believe you should intentionally optimize a webpage or do nothing and let the content speak for itself.

I am a firm believer that the content is naturally optimized when you write it well, but that you can always tweak it with keywords to make improvements to relevancy.

Consider this scenario: A person searches on Google for a topic that you have written about on your website. Next, Google determines which webpages to serve in the search results.

Let’s also say that all else was equal between your webpage and your next competitor (meaning you both did all the right things well from an SEO perspective, and you both had quality content).

But you made sure the exact queries/keywords that the person used to search showed up on your page – and all the relevant related words as well – and your competition didn’t.

Do you think you might have a better chance of ranking on top than the competition?

I think so.

For more, read:

• How a WordPress SEO Plugin Can Help You Optimize Your Content with Keywords

9. Image Optimization

Google wants to rank pages that have not only great text, but also great images. This represents more opportunities for more traffic.

Through the images on your webpage, people can find your site in a Google Images search, the traditional Google Search results, or Google Discover.

I recommend you read “How to Improve Google Image Search Ranking” for more details on 17 ways you can use images in your SEO, including:

1. Track your image-based traffic
2. Create high-quality, original content
3. Use relevant images
4. Have a proper file format
5. Optimize your images
6. Aways create alt text
7. Make use of the image title
8. Create an image caption
9. Use a descriptive file name
10. Implement structured data
11. Consider image placement on the page
12. Analyze the content around the image
13. Be careful with embedded text
14. Create page metadata
15. Ensure fast load time
16. Make sure images are accessible
17. Create an image sitemap

10. Video

A large percentage of Google searches produce YouTube videos in the search results.

Searches for information that fall under the categories of how-to, tutorials, and reviews often trigger YouTube video results in Google.

In addition, YouTube is a search engine itself, and represents another way for people to find your content and your business.

So including video in your SEO program in most cases means you will create and optimize videos in YouTube.

Here’s a few things to know:

• If you are targeting queries/keywords that often produce video results, make sure you have video for those queries as well.
• Employ various YouTube SEO tactics to rank well in YouTube and the Google Search results.

But you should also put video content on key webpages of your own site, and this can be an embedded video that you created somewhere else, for example, from YouTube.

This is because videos on your webpages can help:

• Further explain a concept to people who would rather watch than read
• Keep people engaged on a page longer
• Influence buying decisions

For more, read:

• A CMO’s Guide to YouTube SEO in Less Than 5 Minutes
• How to Optimize Images, Videos and Other Media Content for SEO

11. Alt Text

Alt text is a best practice, but it’s often overlooked and misunderstood. Google highlights the importance of alt text for the vision impaired, but it goes further than that.

The American with Disabilities Act says your site should be compliant for the visually impaired. And if you don’t have an accessible site, you could find yourself in court.

In 2021, a judge found Domino’s Pizza violated ADA, Title III, by having a website that was not usable by the plaintiff – a blind man.

Other organizations are pushing for web accessibility, too. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is working to develop guidelines and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities.

Does alt text influence rankings? This has been a debatable point. But regardless of what side you are on, being a good web citizen means making your site accessible – at least doing the bare minimum.

12. Schema

Structured data markup using Schema.org guidelines clarifies to the search engine what a page is about, and also enhances listings in the search results, which can lead to more clicks.

This can be a bit technical, so many website publishers opt out. However, for the less techy bunch, Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper can be of assistance.

For more, read:

• How to Use Schema Markup to Improve Your Website Visibility in Search

13. Other Structured Data

This category of on-page optimization is all about how you format the information on a page.

Content formatting can enhance the user experience and help search engines better understand the content. This includes things like:

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

14. Links

When it comes to page links, you want to consider the following:

Make sure they are fully qualified. An absolute link is a link that contains the whole URL of the file you are linking to. A relative link is only part of a full URL. There are arguments for and against both. While absolute links may take more work upfront, they are easier to maintain in the long run.

Make sure they are optimized. Make sure URLs on the page are descriptive and contain keywords.

Make sure you are virtual siloing. SEO siloing is a way to organize your website content through links based on the way people search for your site’s topics and can make your content more relevant for a search. For more, check out: SEO Siloing: What, Why, How.

Make sure you mind your outbound links. Your outbound links impact user experience and SEO. On the user experience side, the sites you link to can provide value to your website visitors. On the SEO front, if you link to quality sites in your field, then search engines may deem your site higher quality by association (and the opposite can be true when linking to low-quality or spammy sites). For more, see: What Are Outbound Links? Why Are They Important? And How Do They Work?

15. SEO Insights

OK, so this one is technically not an on-page “factor.”

But without the right SEO tools to help you uncover how to optimize your pages to meet or exceed what the competition is doing, you’re largely shooting in the dark.

One tool I must recommend is our Single Page Analyzer from the SEOToolSet®. This tool allows you to analyze a webpage (your competitor’s or your own) to uncover key SEO data.

People use the tool to:

• Better the meta tags on a page
• Adjust the reading level of the content
• Improve keyword density
• Find optimization opportunities
• Further research the competition

For more, read:

• Free SEO Tool Alert! On-Page Content Analyzer

So there you have it: My list of 15 of the most impactful SEO factors when optimizing webpages. Do these right and you have a better chance of ranking on page one of the search results out of millions of results.

Our SEO experts can help you implement these on-page SEO factors to improve your website performance and win more traffic. Reach out to us for a free consultation.

FAQ: If you could only choose 15 on-page SEO tactics, which would you choose?

1. Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E-E-A-T): Align your content with your expertise and showcase authority in your industry. Building trust with users and search engines is paramount for ranking success.
2. Quality Content: Create valuable, engaging, and original content that addresses users’ needs and queries better than your competitors. Incorporate relevant data and research to support your claims.
3. Content Freshness: While not all topics require constant updates, regularly refreshing your content shows search engines that your website is up-to-date and relevant.
4. Readability: Write in a clear and concise manner, catering to your target audience’s reading level. A user-friendly, easily digestible format enhances the user experience.
5. Page Experience: Prioritize user experience by focusing on Core Web Vitals, ensuring your pages load fast, and avoiding unexpected layout shifts.
6. Meta Tags: Craft compelling and accurate meta titles and descriptions that entice users to click through to your website from search results.
7. Heading Tags: Organize your content using proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to create a logical structure that search engines can understand.
8. Keyword Optimization: Integrate relevant keywords naturally throughout your content to improve relevancy for search queries.
9. Image Optimization: Optimize images with descriptive alt text and proper file names to improve accessibility and enhance the user experience.
10. Video: Utilize video content to engage users, provide valuable information, and potentially rank in both traditional search results and YouTube searches.
11. Schema: Implement structured data markup using Schema.org guidelines to provide context to search engines and enhance your listings in search results.
12. Other Structured Data: Use content formatting techniques like tables, TL;DR summaries, and breadcrumb navigation to improve user experience and content understanding.
13. Links: Optimize internal and external links for relevancy and descriptive anchor text. Virtual siloing can improve content organization and boost relevance for specific searches.
14. Alt Text: Provide informative alt text for images, not only for visually impaired users but also to enhance search engine understanding of your content.
15. SEO Insights: Use reliable SEO tools to gain valuable insights into your webpage’s performance and identify optimization opportunities for better search rankings.

Mastering these 15 on-page SEO tactics will empower you to create a strong foundation for your website’s search engine visibility. By combining technical expertise with user-focused content, you can significantly improve your chances of ranking higher in search results and attracting valuable organic traffic.

The post 15 of the Most Important On-Page SEO Tactics appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

But how often do you need to update a website? First, let’s get clear on the types of website updates – each of which has different guidelines when it comes to how often to do them:

1. Website updates that impact the design and functionality of the site
2. Website updates that impact the content on the site
3. FAQ: How can I ensure my website stays optimized for search engines and offers an excellent user experience through regular updates?

Let’s look closer at those two types of website updates in more detail.

Design and Functionality Updates

If you want to win the SEO game, you need to make sure your website is easily crawlable and creates a good user experience.

This is accomplished by the design and the performance of the website.

For example, is there code bloat that stops the search engines from crawling efficiently? Does the site run fast or slow? Are there annoying pop-ups? Is it easy to navigate? Are people getting error messages?

Technical SEO is the practice of optimizing a website so it performs for both search engines and the people who visit it.

And when it comes to how often you should make updates here, the answer is: always.

At no point should you ever stop monitoring and fixing issues that hinder site performance? Any good SEO program will ensure technical SEO is just as important as on-page SEO.

Related: Technical SEO vs. On-Page SEO: The Differences

The other thing to consider is how often to update the look and feel of a website – its design. Generally, you want to review your design every three to five years.

That is because things change in the world of design. There may be new trends in conversion optimization, new layouts (like mobile vs. desktop), and new HTML standards for developing websites. It’s important to make sure that the aesthetic is modern and the UX is user-friendly.

Related: See our SEO Guide for more on mobile and UX optimization

Content Updates

Relevant content is one of the most important factors when it comes to how search engines decide which webpage should rank for a query.

So you want to make sure you are updating the content on your website appropriately. But how often is that?

Two things influence how often you should update the content on your website:

1. If you have YMYL topics on your website. Google describes “Your money or your life” (YMYL) topics in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines as “types of pages or topics that could potentially impact a person’s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety.” In this case, you want to make sure that the information is well maintained on a regular basis to stay competitive in the search results. That is because Google states there is a high standard for accuracy among YMYL content.
2. If you have content that would fall under the “query deserves freshness” category. When a search requires the most up-to-date information on that topic, only the web pages that have up-to-date content should be able to rank. Think: The value of a stock, the current score in a sporting event, or some social or political current event. You can get a better idea of how “query deserves freshness” applies in this Google blog article.

Related: What Are Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) Webpages?

Remember: According to Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, website maintenance is a quality indicator. But, maintenance is relative.

Freshness is generally less of a concern for Page Quality rating. “Stale” pages can have high Page Quality ratings. For example, some highly reputable news websites maintain “archival” content. However, unmaintained/abandoned “old” websites or unmaintained and inaccurate/misleading content is a reason for a low Page Quality rating.

-Search Quality Rater Guidelines

In other words, if you have a “stale” page that has not been updated for years on the American Civil War, it can still be considered a relevant and quality page because information about historical events rarely changes.

However, information on search engine optimization changes often, so you’d want to review the accuracy of it monthly, quarterly, and annually.

Related: See my article “Creating new content vs. optimizing old webpages: Which is better for SEO?” on Search Engine Land.

Set a Schedule for Website Updates

Set a schedule for how often you will update your website based on the best practices outlined in this article. Even though it can take time and resources, the payoff is worth it. Your website and brand remain relevant and often, you can see a boost in search visibility after.

Curious about how you can update your website with the latest SEO techniques and best practices to maximize its visibility and drive organic traffic? Join SEOTraining.com to gain access to exclusive training opportunities and improve your sales online.

FAQ: How can I ensure my website stays optimized for search engines and offers an excellent user experience through regular updates?

As part of your website optimization strategy, regular website updates are crucial in order to meet both SEO and user experience objectives. They help keep you ahead of the competition and engage your target audience — this whitepaper offers tips and insights that can assist with this goal.

To start, prioritize technical SEO. Regularly audit your website to identify and fix any crawlability or performance issues that might hinder search engines from indexing your content efficiently. Ensuring a fast-loading website, eliminating broken links, and improving mobile responsiveness are crucial factors that contribute to a positive user experience and higher search engine rankings.

Next, focus on content updates. Valuable and relevant content is the backbone of any successful website. To maintain SEO performance, review your content periodically, and refresh it when necessary. Updating evergreen content and staying abreast of the latest developments in your niche can demonstrate your expertise to both users and search engines.

Consider adopting a proactive approach to update your website’s design and functionality. Staying current with design trends and implementing user-friendly navigation enhances UX and keeps visitors coming back. Regularly reviewing your website’s aesthetics and usability every three to five years is a good practice to maintain a modern and engaging user interface.

Set a schedule for website updates that aligns with your business goals and content strategy. Whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly, consistency is key to establishing trust with both users and search engines. Keep a record of your updates to monitor their impact on SEO performance and user engagement.

Lastly, leverage user feedback and analytics. User behavior and preferences evolve over time, so continuously gather feedback from your audience and analyze website analytics.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Perform a technical SEO Audit to identify any potential problems which could impede the crawlability and performance of your site.
2. Optimize your website’s loading speed by compressing images, leveraging browser caching, and utilizing a content delivery network (CDN).
3. Ensure all internal and external links are functional and lead to relevant pages.
4. Create an XML sitemap and submit it to search engines to aid in indexing your content.
5. Regularly review and update your website’s meta tags, titles, and descriptions to align with your target keywords.
6. Develop a content strategy that includes updating existing content and creating fresh, valuable material on a consistent basis.
7. Monitor industry trends and incorporate relevant topics into your content to showcase your expertise.
8. Use data from user behavior and search analytics to identify high-performing content and areas for improvement.
9. Conduct keyword research to identify new opportunities and refine your content strategy.
10. Implement user-friendly navigation and intuitive site architecture to enhance the user experience.
11. Adopt a responsive design that ensures your website displays optimally on various devices.
12. Regularly review the design of your website and update it to align with current trends and user preferences.
13. Test your website’s functionality and user interface regularly to identify and address any issues promptly.
14. Establish a content update schedule that aligns with your business goals and audience needs.
15. Monitor the impact of your updates on SEO performance and user engagement through analytics.
16. Encourage user feedback through surveys, reviews, and contact forms to understand their needs better.
17. Utilize A/B testing to compare the effectiveness of different design and content elements.
18. Stay informed about algorithm updates and search engine best practices to adapt your strategy accordingly.
19. Engage with your audience through social media and other platforms to build trust and credibility.
20. Continuously analyze the results of your website updates and make data-driven decisions to achieve sustained SEO success and exceptional user experiences.

The post How Often Should You Update a Website for SEO? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

In this article, I’ll outline five technical SEO best practices you should follow (and how to get started with them) to ensure you website is primed for both users and search engines:

• Hosting
• Server errors
• Sitemaps
• Website speed
• Mobile friendliness
• FAQ: How can I optimize my website’s technical aspects for improved search engine rankings and user experience? 

1. Hosting

Sometimes website owners choose a shared hosting plan versus a dedicated hosting plan to save on the costs of hosting a website. When this happens, you share an IP address with other websites. This can present SEO problems as both a speed issue (more sites per shared server means each may be slower) and a neighborhood issue.

Say you share your hosting with other websites that happen to be spammy websites. If a site is caught performing spam tactics, the entire IP block and all the sites that share that IP address could be put on a block list, also called an IP blacklist or IP blocklist. That means you’re in a bad neighborhood, so to speak. This significantly impacts email, but it can cause conversion issues if your emails are blocked … and poor conversion is a marketing fail.

While this “bad neighborhood” problem used to be much more prominent, and Google has also indicated that it would be hard to be SEO tainted by surrounding bad neighbors, I still would not take any chances.

IMO we do not KNOW that there is no TRUST impact on a bad neighborhood. And Google can say what they like — for a little effort, why take the chance? Still, blocked emails kill sales.

Probably a more obvious issue is the performance of your website when you share hosting. Being on a shared hosting plan may mean that your servers are not as efficient. You’re often fighting other sites for resources that could impact load time and, indirectly, your organic search rankings, to say nothing of conversion.

There are a couple of things you can do here to look into these potential problems:

Bad Neighborhood Issues

• Get your IP address at WhatIsMyIPAddress.com.
• Go to Blacklist Check at the same website to evaluate if your IP is in a bad neighborhood.
• If it’s associated with other bad websites, call the hosting provider and ask for a new, clean IP.
• Run a check on the new IP if you get it.
• If your hosting provider won’t comply, consider dedicated hosting or finding another hosting provider altogether.

Performance Issues

• Go to WebPageTest.org.
• Run a test for your home page URL.
• Look at the first byte time — this is an indication of the responsiveness of a server.
• Run the same test on your competition (you could use our SEOToolSet for competitive research or check out our article on how to do competitor research for SEO).
• If your first byte time is not as good as your competition, you might want to switch hosting providers or get a dedicated IP

Here are my thoughts on whether you should use a shared hosting plan:

2. Server Errors

Your web server runs your website. When a webpage is requested, the server receives that request and responds with the content of that page. When you have server issues, it can impact the user experience and search engine rankings.

There is much to consider when evaluating a server, from its type to how well it performs. In this section, though, we’ll focus on server errors.

Server status codes are a response by the server in response to a client request. You can find a full list of server status codes at W3.org here. Sometimes servers produce errors when a visitor or search engine spider tries to access something on your website.

Because certain status codes could impact your rankings, so you want to check server response codes and know what is happening with your website.

In particular, here are the following status codes that you want to pay special attention to and fix right away:

• 302: A 302 is a temporary redirect and is generally not SEO-friendly as it does not always transfer a page’s historical link signals to the redirected page. Yes, Google has indicated that it is often treated like a 301 permanent redirect, but I would rather use a 301 and not be concerned with the crawl budget.
• 400: There is a syntax error in the request. It is denied.
• 401: The header in your request did not contain the correct authorization codes. You don’t get to see what you requested.
• 403: You are forbidden to see the document you requested. It can also mean that the server doesn’t have the ability to show you what you want to see or your IP is blocked by the server.
• 404: Document not found – your requested URL does not exist.
• 410: The page used to be there, but now it’s gone. This essentially tells the search engine to purge the indexed entry now instead of waiting for a few 404 errors to cause deletion.
• 500: The server experienced an internal error that prevents it from serving the request.

Common server errors include a 302 and 404. Here’s a video I did on 302s that you can check out:

What To Do: Server Errors

• Use our SEOToolSet’s free Check Server Page tool.
• Identify any potential errors and fix them.
• Here is some information on addressing common 302 and 404 errors: How to Do a 301 Redirect and Design a 404 Error Page to Save a Sale.

3. Sitemaps

Both HTML sitemaps and XML sitemaps are important technical SEO steps. These sitemaps help their users (website visitors and search engines) navigate the site and discover content.

An HTML sitemap is a webpage on your website containing links to key webpages (first and second-level navigation pages) so both humans and search spiders can navigate your site. Google has said that the HTML site map is useful to search engines as it flags what are the most important pages for users (and Google), so the HTML sitemap should focus on top important pages.

Originally, HTML sitemaps were made just for website visitors to navigate a website. However, because search engine spiders use links to navigate from one page to another, HTML sitemaps can be a useful shortcut for search engines to find and index content on a website.

So to recap: Having an HTML sitemap in the footer your website allows:

• A search engine spider can enter your site at any webpage and then quickly discover other webpages via the sitemap.
• A website visitor to view the HTML sitemap and use it to navigate your site.

An XML sitemap is a file that you put on your website to tell search engines about the webpages, images and videos that are on the site. An XML sitemap works like a content map, helping ensure search engines crawl and index more thoroughly.

A technical SEO best practice is to create an XML sitemap and ensure it’s always up to date so that search engines crawl and index all the important content on your site.

Google says that sites under 500 pages might not need an XML sitemap, so some people may think it’s not that important.

And while the search engines should be able to find all the content on your site by following links, most websites don’t have proper linking architecture. So it can be hard for search engines to discover the content.

What To Do: HTML Sitemaps

There are several important considerations when designing your HTML sitemap:

• All of the site’s important pages should be listed in the HTML sitemap(s) in a cohesive manner.
• Use keyword-rich anchor text when linking to the important internal pages, making sure it describes the page it is linking to (“the promise of the link”).
• Make sure the sitemap has a clear hierarchy for top landing pages, categories, subcategories and subpages.
• Pages, including the HTML sitemap(s), should include no more than 100 links.
• If there are over 100 links, the sitemap needs to be paginated or nested.
• The sitemap page design should match the overall site design.
• The sitemap should have fully qualified (or absolute) URLs, meaning http:// or https:// is used in the URL, and the entire URL is in the sitemap.

At one point, Google recommended having less than 100 links on each page (and then later dropped that recommendation). The numbers are arbitrary, just don’t be spammy.

I discuss how many links are too many for a page in this video:

What To Do: XML Sitemaps

Here’s what to keep in mind when you create your XML sitemap:

• Every site should have at least one XML sitemap.
• You can create it manually or use an XML sitemap generator.
• Create separate, special sitemaps for things like news, videos, and images.
• Large websites may need to break their list of URLs into many XML sitemaps.
• Once you have created the sitemap file, upload it to the root of your website (https://www.your-domain-name.com/sitemap.xml), then tell search engines to know about it using your robots.txt file.
• Some people prefer to submit the sitemaps manually due to timing; once you submit it, you can start the indexing process versus just waiting for the search engine to give you a turn.
  Submitting the sitemap can also help you identify errors through the Sitemaps report in Google Search Console.

For more, read: What Is an XML SItemap and How Do I Make One?

4. Website Speed

Search engines have a limited crawl budget for all sites. If a site is slow to load, the search engines cannot crawl all webpages within the crawl budget. This results in a site having fewer indexed pages, which decreases opportunities for rankings.

Page speed is a factor in search engine ranking algorithms. Fast performance is also a critical component of the user experience. If your website takes too long to load, users will abandon it in favor of a different website that does not take as long.

And with Google’s focus on Core Web Vitals and the emphasis on speed there, this is a critical factor for overall ranking. (For expert tips to improve your CWV, watch our on-demand webinar.)

Research has shown that faster performance results in improved KPIs for websites. For example, Pinterest reported that reducing wait time by 40% resulted in a 15% increase in SEO traffic and a 15% increase in conversion rate to sign up.

In 2021, Google rolled out the page experience algorithm update, which combines things like site speed and responsiveness when evaluating a website. So focusing on speed is more important than ever.

A site’s responsiveness and speed have a direct effect on a user’s willingness to use and return to a site.

What To Do: Website Speed

When you are assessing your page load speed, you want to be as fast or faster than your competition. In other words, your website does not need to be the fastest website in the world. The goal is to be least imperfect compared to your competitors.

That said, improving website speed can be time-consuming and expensive. When using tools to evaluate your webpage speed, make sure you have a professional review of the scores. You’ll want to make sure you focus on improving the right metrics. Improving certain metrics past a certain threshold may be difficult, and not worth the resources.

Here are some things that can slow webpage load time:

• Excessive HTML comments
• Excessive white space
• Failing to externalize Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
• Failing to externalize JavaScript
• Failing to specify image dimensions
• Landing page redirects
• No browser caching
• No compression
• No image optimization
• Render-blocking JavaScript
• Slow server response time

I talk more about some of these in one of our “Ask Us Anything” videos:

There are several tests you can run your webpages through. Here are a few:

• GTmetrix
• Google’s PageSpeed Insights
• WebPageTest.org

For more on website speed and page experience, check out the following resources:

• How Fast Should My Webpage Be and Why Should I Care?
• Documentation on PageSpeed Insights
• Google’s recommendations for fast load times
• Google’s Page Experience Update: A Complete Guide
• 3 Expert Tips to Improve Core Web Vitals [On-demand webinar]

5. Mobile Friendliness

The majority of web traffic today (about 55% as of Q1 2021) comes from a mobile device. A mobile-friendly website creates a good experience for people who visit a website from a smartphone or tablet. While that percentage certainly varies by industry and search mission, the fact is that being mobile-friendly is vital. Google indexes your content using a mobile version of the spider, so your designs must be friendly for mobile users.

A mobile-friendly website matters to your search engine rankings because Google wants websites on page one that offer great content through a good experience to mobile users.

In 2021, Google rolled out mobile-first indexing. Google’s announcement explains what that means:

Mobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking. Historically, the index primarily used the desktop version of a page’s content when evaluating the relevance of a page to a user’s query. Since the majority of users now access Google Search with a mobile device, Googlebot primarily crawls and indexes pages with the smartphone agent going forward.

This was yet another signal from Google that mobile-friendliness is critical.

What To Do: Mobile Friendliness

In an earlier article I wrote on mobile friendliness, I outlined four steps you can take to get your website in tip-top shape for mobile users:

1. Test your current site: Check out Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and the mobile usability report in Google Search Console.

2. Learn about mobile-friendly best practices. Check out Google’s guide here and our guide on mobile SEO and UX optimization, too.

3. Implement changes. Here, you may have to decide about things like website configuration (responsive is the current recommendation), website content, and website speed (covered in the last section of this article).

4. Watch for common mistakes. One major pitfall to avoid is sacrificing needed content for the sake of speed. I’ve written about that as well in: Why an Insanely Fast Site Is Your New Priority.

Technical SEO Is Never Done

This is just a sampling of the technical SEO best practices you can and should implement on your website. No aspect of SEO is “set it and forget it,” so there will always be more testing to do and more improvements to make.

The steps outlined in this article give a good starting point for a sound technical SEO foundation.

Our SEO experts can provide technical SEO services to ensure your website runs smoothly and outperforms your competition. Contact us today and let us know how we can help.

FAQ: How can I optimize my website’s technical aspects for improved search engine rankings and user experience?

Every website owner aspires to secure a prominent spot on search engine results pages while delivering a seamless experience to users. Achieving this delicate balance requires strategically optimizing your website’s technical aspects. Each element is crucial in determining your online success, from server performance to mobile responsiveness.

To begin, consider the hosting of your website. Shared hosting may seem cost-effective but can impact website speed and performance due to shared resources. Investing in dedicated hosting ensures a smoother user experience and minimizes downtime, contributing positively to both search rankings and user satisfaction.

Server errors can hinder the crawlability of your site, affecting its visibility on search engines. Regularly monitor server response codes to identify and rectify issues promptly. A well-maintained server enhances search engine indexing and ensures a seamless browsing experience for visitors.

Sitemaps, both HTML and XML, are powerful tools for aiding navigation and indexing. HTML sitemaps assist users in finding essential pages, while XML sitemaps guide search engine bots to relevant content. Regularly updating and optimizing these sitemaps provides clear paths for users and search engines to explore your website.

Website speed remains a critical factor for both search engines and users. Slow-loading pages can lead to high bounce rates and lower search rankings. Minimize image sizes, leverage browser caching, and optimize code to ensure swift page loading. Google’s Core Web Vitals emphasize the importance of fast-loading pages, making this optimization even more imperative.

Lastly, prioritize mobile friendliness. A responsive design is paramount with a significant portion of users accessing websites via mobile devices. Google’s mobile-first indexing underscores the importance of mobile compatibility for search rankings. Ensure your website displays seamlessly across various devices to provide a positive user experience.

Optimizing your website’s technical aspects is a multifaceted endeavor that directly impacts search engine rankings and user satisfaction. By focusing on hosting, server errors, sitemaps, website speed, and mobile friendliness, you can create a strong foundation for online success. Incorporating these insights and taking proactive steps will elevate your website’s performance and solidify your online presence.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Optimize Your Website’s Technical Aspects for Improved Search Engine Rankings and User Experience

1. Evaluate Your Hosting Options: Assess the pros and cons of shared vs. dedicated hosting, considering factors like speed and resource sharing.
2. Monitor Server Response Codes: Regularly check for server errors and address them promptly to ensure optimal crawlability.
3. Optimize Sitemaps: Update and maintain both HTML and XML sitemaps, ensuring they reflect your site’s structure and content.
4. Prioritize Website Speed: Optimize images, enable browser caching, and streamline code to enhance page loading times.
5. Embrace Mobile Friendliness: Adopt a responsive design that provides a seamless experience across various devices.
6. Implement Core Web Vitals: Familiarize yourself with Google’s Core Web Vitals and optimize your site accordingly.
7. Leverage PageSpeed Insights: Use Google’s tool to identify areas for improvement in your website’s speed performance.
8. Consider Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Explore CDNs to distribute content and reduce server load for faster page loading.
9. Use GZIP Compression: Enable GZIP compression to reduce the size of files transmitted between your server and visitors’ browsers.
10. Optimize CSS and JavaScript: Minify CSS and JavaScript files to reduce their size and improve website loading speed.
11. Enable Browser Caching: Configure your server to enable browser caching, reducing load times for returning visitors.
12. Optimize Images: Compress images without compromising quality to decrease page load times.
13. Implement Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP): Consider using AMP to create lightweight and fast-loading versions of your webpages.
14. Monitor Mobile Usability: Regularly check Google Search Console for mobile usability issues and address them promptly.
15. Test Across Devices: Test your website’s appearance and functionality across various devices and screen sizes.
16. Ensure Clear Navigation: Simplify your website’s navigation to enhance user experience and search engine crawlability.
17. Regularly Audit and Update: Regularly audits your website’s technical aspects and make necessary updates.
18. Stay Updated on Industry Trends: Keep abreast of changes in search engine algorithms and best practices for technical SEO.
19. Utilize Professional Tools: Leverage SEO tools to analyze your website’s technical performance and identify areas for improvement.
20. Continuously Monitor and Refine: Technical optimization is ongoing; regularly monitor, analyze, and refine your strategies to maintain optimal performance.

By following these comprehensive steps, you can optimize your website’s technical aspects effectively, improving search engine rankings and a superior user experience.

The post 5 Unusual Technical SEO Best Practices appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

That is because for SEO to succeed, everyone in the company has to be on board, from the C-suite down to IT. That includes all decision-makers and everyone who touches a company website.

In this article, I’ll briefly explain the roles that can benefit from a search engine optimization training course and why.

• Business owners / C-suite
• Marketing managers
• Content strategists / Creators
• IT professionals
• Newbie SEOs
• Experienced SEOs
• FAQ: How can different roles within a company benefit from search engine optimization training? 

Business Owners / C-Suite

You are a decision-maker if you own a small business or are an executive at a mid to large-sized company. That means you set the priorities and, often, allocate the budgets.

If you do not understand the fundamentals of search engine optimization and how it can drive revenue for your business, you likely won’t:

• Prioritize SEO
• Make good decisions about SEO

Sure, you could rely on your team to make a case for SEO to get buy-in, or you could take an SEO training course at your own pace to really boost your digital marketing know-how. (Tip: We have a Free Executive Guide to SEO one-hour video course that gives you the basics. And for you SEOs out there, get your boss to take this … it will make your life much easier.)

Given that many C-suite positions do not require technical digital skills, a search engine optimization training course complements continuing education company goals.

Marketing Managers

Managers hire the right people with the right skills and often stay out of the details. But first, marketing managers need to understand what are the right SEO skills they need to hire.

And once they hire the right person or people, they need to be able to have intelligent conversations about the company’s SEO strategy and where it’s headed.

These conversations need to be tailored to both the teams working on SEO and the C-suite. Research shows that when CMOs are able to master marketing strategy, their budgets are more likely to be protected during a downturn, and they enjoy a 48% longer tenure.

Marketing managers and all of their staff and contributors should consider our SEOtraining.com membership site. No matter how senior you are, you will find that a quality program like ours that standardizes the training across your teams can change your life even more than you would expect.

Content Strategists / Creators

Getting the content piece right in your company’s SEO strategy is one of the most important steps you can take.

Eighty-six percent of B2B companies are already using their website and blog to distribute content as part of their content marketing plan, according to data from the Content Marketing Institute’s 11th Annual B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report.

Yet the majority of respondents reported their content marketing strategy was only “moderately successful.” What’s more, 60% said the creation of new web content contributed to their success. But only 37% reported search engine rankings as a marker of their results.

So content strategists and creators need to be able to understand:

• The importance of content in SEO
• What types of content matter in SEO
• How to create quality content for SEO
• How to optimize content for SEO
• How to track content performance in SEO

Creating quality content that can compete in the search results is the No. 1 reason that content strategists and creators take a search engine optimization training course.

Read more: How B2Bs Can Make Their Content Marketing Perform Better

IT Professionals

This one might be the most surprising to you. But we find that the IT department often slows down SEO initiatives in many companies.

It is absolutely essential that IT folks understand why they are receiving requests from the SEO team to make updates to the company website.

IT people usually have a packed schedule filled with fixing bugs, putting out fires, and addressing people’s requests. If they do not understand the importance of making changes for the SEO team, those SEO requests can get put on the “lower priority” list.

I wrote about this issue in an earlier article here and highlighted data showing technical fixes can take up to a month or more to implement on a website.

So if you can swing it, ensure your IT people take a search engine optimization training course too.

Newbie SEOs

Professionals who want to add SEO to their skill set, new SEO hires at a company, or switching careers can benefit from a search optimization training course. In fact, SEO training is one of the best ways to get up to speed quickly on the fundamentals of SEO.

Experienced SEOs

Why would an experienced SEO take an SEO training course? As a refresher, of course. While the fundamentals rarely change, how we go about doing them does. Plus, search engines and the industry as a whole are fast-moving, so there is always something new to learn.

In fact, we’ve had SEOs with many years of experience under their belt come back to Bruce Clay Inc. for training once per year as part of their continuing education. It’s also why we continually update and expand our course materials.

Final Thoughts

Anyone who touches your company website should understand SEO. This is especially important when you have multiple departments and teams all making decisions about the website.

That means every decision should consider the question: How will this impact our SEO? The downside of not doing so is that one ill-fated change can ruin a company’s rankings and traffic, which can directly impact revenue.

See a demo and find out more about what’s included in our SEO training and membership program.

FAQ: How can different roles within a company benefit from search engine optimization training?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has emerged as a pivotal strategy for businesses aiming to enhance their online presence and drive organic traffic. While SEO is often associated with marketing teams, its impact extends far beyond this domain. From business owners to IT professionals, diverse roles within a company can reap significant benefits from comprehensive SEO training.

Business owners and C-suite executives play a critical role in setting the direction and priorities of a company. A solid understanding of SEO fundamentals empowers them to make informed decisions directly impacting revenue. Prioritizing SEO becomes seamless when decision-makers comprehend its potential to drive organic traffic and elevate the company’s digital footprint.

For marketing managers, SEO training translates into strategic prowess. Armed with the right SEO skills, they can intelligently guide their teams and engage in meaningful conversations with the C-suite. Research reveals that mastering marketing strategy correlates with budget protection during economic downturns, emphasizing the need for well-rounded SEO education.

Content strategists and creators, on the other hand, hold the key to crafting compelling narratives that align with SEO goals. Understanding the significance of content in SEO, and mastering optimization techniques, empowers them to create quality content that resonates with both search engines and target audiences. Tracking content performance and optimizing accordingly ensures the content’s visibility and impact.

Surprisingly, IT professionals also stand to gain from SEO training. Often tasked with website maintenance, IT departments can inadvertently hinder SEO initiatives due to a lack of understanding. Bridging this gap through SEO training ensures that technical fixes are prioritized, minimizing delays and streamlining website optimization efforts.

Finally, both newbies and experienced SEOs find value in continuous learning. SEO is an ever-evolving field, and staying updated is crucial for success. Newcomers benefit from rapid skill acquisition, while experienced practitioners gain refreshed perspectives and insights, ensuring their strategies remain effective in the dynamic digital landscape.

Search Engine Optimization Training transcends conventional boundaries, enriching various roles within a company. Whether through informed decision-making, strategic marketing, optimized content creation, or streamlined IT collaboration, the ripple effects of SEO training contribute to holistic business growth and success.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Unlocking Business Success with SEO Training

1. Identify Role-Specific Benefits: Determine how SEO training aligns with the responsibilities of different roles within your company.
2. Evaluate Training Providers: Research and select reputable SEO training providers that offer comprehensive courses tailored to diverse professional needs.
3. Engage Decision-Makers: Convince business owners and C-suite executives of the strategic advantages of SEO training for informed decision-making.
4. Empower Marketing Managers: Encourage marketing managers to acquire SEO skills to guide teams effectively and secure a budget allocation.
5. Optimize Content Creation: Train content strategists and creators on content optimization techniques, including keyword integration and performance tracking.
6. Bridge IT Knowledge Gap: Enlighten IT professionals on the importance of SEO-related technical fixes and streamlining website optimization processes.
7. Encourage Ongoing Learning: Motivate both novice and experienced SEOs to embrace continuous learning to stay current with industry trends.
8. Set Training Objectives: Define specific goals for each role undergoing SEO training, ensuring relevance and practical application.
9. Customize Training Modules: Tailor training modules to address the unique requirements of each role, enhancing engagement and learning outcomes.
10. Implement Knowledge Transfer: Facilitate sharing of newly acquired SEO knowledge across departments, fostering a collaborative approach.
11. Measure Training Impact: Establish metrics to gauge the impact of SEO training on decision-making, content performance, and website optimization.
12. Track Organic Traffic Growth: Monitor website traffic trends post-training to quantify the positive impact of SEO education.
13. Promote Cross-Role Learning: Organize knowledge-sharing sessions where different roles exchange insights gained from SEO training.
14. Foster Continuous Improvement: Encourage iterative optimization of SEO strategies based on insights gained from training.
15. Align SEO with Business Goals: Showcase how SEO training aligns with overall business objectives, enhancing its perceived value.
16. Celebrate Success Stories: Highlight instances where SEO training led to tangible positive outcomes, inspiring others to embrace the training.
17. Invest in Advanced Training: For experienced SEOs, consider advanced training programs that delve deeper into specialized areas of SEO.
18. Stay Updated: Regularly review and update SEO training materials to reflect the latest industry trends and algorithm updates.
19. Facilitate Peer Learning: Foster a culture of continuous learning by encouraging peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and collaboration.
20. Leverage SEO Insights: Integrate insights gained from SEO training into broader business strategies, maximizing its transformative potential.

The post Who Should Take a Search Engine Optimization Training Course? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

The events of the last couple of years have catapulted more businesses into digital marketing. With people shifting to being at home more, businesses view digital marketing as essential because how we work, live, and connect with one another has changed.

In fact, Gartner’s Annual CMO Spend Survey 2020-2021 showed that digital channels now make up the bulk of marketing spend. And the survey found SEO to be among the top five priorities for CMOs. That makes sense — CMOs understand how critical search engines are for business.

• How to use SEO to advance your business
• FAQ: How can I leverage effective digital marketing strategies to enhance my business’s competitive advantage?

People conduct almost 4 billion searches on Google per day. And that’s just Google. Now, a question: Out of those 4 billion searches, what’s the likelihood people are searching for what you have to offer? The answer, of course, is that certainly some are, often thousands of them. Some much more.

Except there’s a problem. Every single search produces millions of pages of search results. And you need to be on Page 1 for it even to matter.

Search engines are complicated, and the game of search is complex. Making it even more complex is the fact that Google makes frequent changes to search — as many as 4,500 changes to search in the last year alone.

So how do you compete? The answer is search engine optimization.

SEO effectively gets your business in front of your audience in one of the most important — if not the most important — arenas today: organic search results even when the odds are stacked against you. Even when you have to contend with millions of pages of competitors.

Is it easy? No. Nothing worth getting is ever easy. But it is attainable with the right strategies and a resolve to stick with it.

How to Use SEO to Advance Your Business

Now that you have some context on why SEO is critical right now, I’ll discuss how to use SEO as a weapon to compete in the battlefield of search results.

First, a good SEO expert stays current on the latest search changes. They research, and they test. They work to understand how to apply changes to a website for maximum results. This is a full-time job that any business owner or busy marketing team does not have time for on their own.

Next, SEO helps you uncover your competitors in the search results and understand their ranking strategies. Your competitors may not be who you think they are. By analyzing them, you will find out how to meet or exceed their SEO strategies, giving you a chance to compete for their position on Page 1. (Related: Who’s My SEO Competition?)

Finally, with the right professional or SEO agency, you’ll get the big picture view of how your website may be harming your chances of success in the search results. And they should direct you in strategies you should be following.

They should look at everything from the technical and on-page optimization of your website to your link profile to the content you create. They can look at the search results holistically and come up with a whole-SERP strategy for not just ranking in the “10 blue links” but everywhere else on the search results page.

As I’ve written about here, if you hesitate for a moment on your SEO strategy this year, your competition will pull ahead. And, by delaying the process, it may be very hard to catch up with them.

This year, think about how to use SEO to support your business goals. And if those goals include driving traffic to your website, converting leads, and generating revenue, then SEO can help.

Do you want a free consultation and quote for SEO services customized to meet your needs? Contact us here.

FAQ: How can I leverage effective digital marketing strategies to enhance my business’s competitive advantage?

Digital marketing is essential to business success in today’s ever-evolving environment, providing businesses with unparalleled opportunities to reach audiences, generate leads, and foster growth. Strategically deploying these digital marketing strategies is imperative to enhance your business’s competitive advantage.

Understanding the Essence of Digital Marketing Strategies

Digital marketing strategies combine various techniques, such as search engine optimization, content marketing, social networking engagement, and email campaigns, to increase brand exposure and make it more appealing to target audiences. They can help position your company as the go-to solution in its industry by aligning itself with business goals.

The Power of Personalization and Engagement

Personalization is at the core of digital marketing success. Tailoring messages and content specifically to each of your target audiences will increase engagement while driving conversions. Analyze data insights to understand consumer behavior, allowing you to deliver relevant content that resonates deeply.

Optimizing for Search Engines and User Experience

SEO plays a pivotal role in driving organic traffic to your website. By optimizing your online presence for search engines, you ensure that your brand is discoverable by those seeking the solutions you offer. Focusing on user experience is also of vital importance. A website featuring an appealing, mobile-friendly design with engaging, relevant content will keep users engaged and encourage further exploration.

Measuring and Adapting for Continuous Improvement

In the realm of digital marketing, measurement is crucial. Utilize analytics tools to track the performance of your strategies, from website traffic to conversion rates. These insights help you identify what’s working and where adjustments are needed. Flexibility and adaptability are key; digital marketing strategies should evolve based on the changing preferences of your audience and shifts in the industry.

Harnessing the Competitive Edge

To harness the competitive advantage through effective digital marketing strategies, remember that consistency and persistence are key. The digital landscape is dynamic, and success often requires time. Stay committed to refining your strategies, embracing innovation, and staying updated with the latest trends in the digital marketing arena.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Enhancing Business Competitiveness with Digital Marketing Strategies

1. Define Business Objectives: Clearly outline your business goals to align digital marketing efforts effectively.
2. Audience Segmentation: Identify and understand your target audience’s demographics, preferences, and pain points.
3. Keyword Research: Conduct thorough keyword research to optimize your content for search engines.
4. Develop engaging content that meets your target audience’s needs.
5. Engage with your target audience on social media for an active, interactive presence.
6. Email Marketing: Build and maintain an email list for targeted communication and nurturing leads.
7. Website Optimization: Ensure your website is user-friendly, fast, and mobile-responsive.
8. SEO Implementation: Optimize your website’s structure, meta tags, and content for search engines.
9. Personalization Strategy: Tailor your content to provide personalized experiences for your audience.
10. Analytics Integration: Set up analytics tools to monitor the performance of your strategies.
11. Data Analysis: Regularly analyze data to understand which strategies yield the best results.
12. Adaptation and Experimentation: Consider tweaking strategies based on data insights and industry changes.
13. Continuous Learning: Stay updated with the latest trends and advancements in digital marketing.
14. Competitor Analysis: Study your competitors’ strategies to identify opportunities for differentiation.
15. Partner Up With Experts. Make use of digital marketers as partners and tap their knowledge.
16. Experiment with new content forms such as infographics, videos, and webinars.
17. Social Proof: Build trust among your audience by using customer testimonials and reviews as social proof.
18. Conversion Optimization: Continuously optimize your conversion funnel for higher conversions.
19. Mobile Strategy: Ensure your strategies cater to mobile users for a seamless experience.
20. Long-Term Vision: Maintain a long-term perspective, adapting your strategies for sustained growth.

The post How to Use SEO to Your Advantage in 2022 appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Today, I’ll give a brief overview of internal links — what they are, why they are important to SEO, and how to do it.

• What are internal website links? 
• Why are internal links important to SEO?
• How do you do internal linking for SEO?
• Internal linking from day one and beyond
• FAQ: How can I optimize my website’s SEO using internal linking?

What Are Internal Website Links?

An internal website link is a link that points from one webpage on a website to another webpage on the same website.

Some examples of common internal links include:

• The main navigation at the top of a website
• The footer links at the bottom of a website
• Any contextual links embedded within the content on a webpage
• Those related-content links that suggest other content on the website
• Those links within a webpage (aka “fragment” or anchor links)

Why Are Internal Links Important to SEO?

There are several reasons why internal links are important to a website’s SEO strategy. Here are a handful:

• Satisfy users: Internal links help your website visitors discover content while they are on your website. Besides providing related information that may be helpful, keeping visitors on your website longer is one goal of SEO.
• Reinforce relevance: Internal links help search engines figure out what your website is about. The way you organize your website’s content through its internal links can make you more relevant to show up on page one of the search results.
• Help search engines: Internal links help search engines discover more of your content. As search engine spiders crawl your website, links help them get from page to page to discover and index more pages.
• Distribute PageRank: Internal links can boost the authority of any given webpage. When one high-authority webpage links to another page on the same site, it passes some of its authority to the page it is linking to.
• Strengthen ranking pages: Internal links, especially breadcrumbs, pass PageRank upwards and define a clear expertise hierarchy (silo identification).

How Do You Do Internal Linking for SEO?

One of the best strategies for internal links is SEO siloing. SEO siloing is a concept we invented in the year 2000.

The goal of SEO siloing is to organize your website content through internal links so that:

• It is easy for website visitors to find and access your content, and
• It is easy for search engines to crawl and understand what your website is about.

This creates a better user experience. At the same time, siloing makes your website more relevant for certain search queries (aka the target keywords you are after).

SEO siloing involves two main activities:

1. 1. Create an internal site structure through the physical directory. Physical siloing is the practice of organizing webpages by the URL structure, using a hierarchical website directory. For example, one URL directory structure might look like this:
      1. herdingcats.com
         herdingcats.com/how-to-herd-cats
         herdingcats.com/how-to-herd-cats/equipment-needed
         herdingcats.com/how-to-herd-cats/pitfalls-to-avoid
   2. Create an internal link structure through a virtual directory. Virtual siloing is the practice of interlinking your similar-theme pages through contextual links. For example, using anchor text to link from one blog article to another blog article on the same website.

Depending on the website, changing the directory structure to implement physical siloing may not be possible. However, virtual siloing is more important and should be sufficient if you establish clear themes via links.

To learn more about how to do internal linking, see:

• A Jam-Packed Guide on Internal Linking for SEO
• SEO Siloing: How to build a website silo architecture

Internal Linking from Day One and Beyond

Internal linking for SEO takes a lot of thought, planning, and implementation. It’s best to build this strategy into every new website, and then take it into consideration every time you add a new webpage to the site.

Review your content, internal links, and silos on a regular basis. Ensure that the silos are organized well and that you take advantage of any internal link opportunities in your content. And check out our New Link Building Manifesto for more on how to tackle your linking strategy.

How can we help you with your SEO needs? If you’d like a free quote and consultation, contact us today.

FAQ: How can I optimize my website’s SEO using internal linking?

Optimizing your website’s SEO requires a multifaceted approach, and one crucial aspect often overlooked is internal linking. When done strategically, internal linking can significantly impact your website’s performance in search engine results pages. Let’s delve into the world of internal linking and discover how to harness its potential for optimal SEO outcomes.

The Power of Internal Links

Internal links are the navigational pathways that connect different pages within your website. They serve as signposts, guiding visitors through your content while aiding search engines in understanding your site’s structure. These links facilitate a seamless user experience, ensuring that users can easily explore related content that matters to them. From a search engine perspective, well-placed internal links highlight the hierarchy and relevance of your pages, which can boost your chances of ranking higher.

Crafting a Strategic Approach

To maximize the impact of internal linking on your website’s SEO, it’s essential to approach it strategically. Start by identifying cornerstone content—those core pages encompassing your site’s main topics. Embed links to these pages within your other articles or blog posts. Additionally, consider using descriptive anchor texts that provide context about the linked content. This not only helps users but also assists search engines in understanding the linked page’s relevance.

Establishing Content Silos

Content siloing, a powerful internal linking strategy, involves grouping related content under overarching themes or categories. Create a web by connecting articles of similar categories. This will demonstrate your expertise on a subject matter, helping users search for further details while sending an important signal about your knowledge base to search engines. Implementing this strategy fosters a clear content hierarchy that can enhance your website’s visibility for relevant search queries.

Balancing Quantity and Quality

While internal linking is valuable, overdoing it can lead to clarity and better user experience. The key is to balance the quantity and quality of internal links. Prioritize linking to content that genuinely enhances the reader’s understanding or provides additional value. As you create new content, incorporate links to existing relevant pages. This enriches the reader’s experience and ensures valuable pages receive the attention they deserve.

Transition smoothly between these paragraphs to offer a comprehensive view of optimizing website SEO through internal linking. Each section contributes a unique perspective, culminating in a holistic understanding of the topic.

Step-by-Step Procedure for Optimizing Website SEO through Internal Linking:

1. Identify cornerstone content to establish a foundation for internal linking.
2. Prioritize user experience by embedding relevant internal links within your content.
3. Choose anchor texts with clear context and relevance to linked pages.
4. Implement content silos to group related content under overarching themes.
5. Strategically interlink articles within the same silo to create a comprehensive web of knowledge.
6. Focus on content quality, linking to pages that genuinely enhance the reader’s understanding.
7. Avoid overloading content with excessive internal links that could confuse readers.
8. Create a balance between the quantity and quality of internal links for optimal results.
9. Incorporate internal links naturally within the flow of your content.
10. Regularly review and update your internal linking strategy as your content evolves.
11. Use descriptive anchor texts that give users a clear idea of the linked content’s purpose.
12. Monitor user behavior and engagement with internal links to gauge effectiveness.
13. Establish a clear content hierarchy that aids users and search engines.
14. Leverage internal links to guide users to valuable resources on your website.
15. Link to cornerstone content from relevant blog posts or articles.
16. Consider using breadcrumb navigation to enhance user experience further.
17. Analyze the performance of different internal linking approaches and adapt accordingly.
18. Experiment with variations of anchor texts to see which ones yield the best results.
19. Optimize internal links for mobile users to ensure a consistent experience across devices.
20. Stay informed about the latest SEO trends and best practices for internal linking.

The post Internal Links: What, Why, How appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

In this article, I’ll highlight the tools that our SEO experts use every day for a variety of tasks.

A word of warning: There is a significant difference between DATA and WISDOM. Having data doesn’t help you unless you develop the expertise to understand it and take appropriate action. That’s wisdom. But without data, wisdom is in a vacuum.

Why use multiple tools? Well, when the only tool in your toolkit is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Why not have every tool? Besides the expense, you would have too much data that would be almost guaranteed to conflict. If you run several tools to find what appears to be the same kind of data, they often report different numbers for the same thing.

Why not pick one SEO software and stick to it? Well, the more popular tools give the same wimpy, middle-of-the-road, staying-out-of-trouble recommendations to a million users. Instead, you need a few specialty tools to do deep dives and get closer to the issues and solutions.

I’ll group the tools into categories to cover the many types of data research needed for search engine optimization. Feel free to jump to the type of SEO software that interests you:

• Crawling software
• Data aggregation software
• Competitive research software
• ADA compliance
• GDPR compliance
• Google algorithm effects
• Content optimization tools
• SEO browser extensions and tools (our favorites)
• FAQ: How do experts utilize a variety of SEO tools to enhance website performance and optimization?

Of course, features and pricing may vary. Larger sites may subscribe to higher-level versions, often with more features. This is just a summary to point you in the right direction.

Crawling Software

DeepCrawl

This SEO software can crawl millions of URLs and billions of links. DeepCrawl looks at hundreds of metrics to help SEOs identify and manage technical SEO issues and ensure webpages are being crawled by search engines. This is a preferred tool when it comes to crawling software.

Price: Starts at $89/month. Free trial available.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Screaming Frog is another tried-and-true crawling tool that offers a lot of features for analyzing a website. Find broken links, analyze meta data, find duplicate content, generate XML sitemaps, and much more.

Price: $149/year. Or, crawl 500 URLs for free.

SEOToolSetⓇ

Our SEO software’s site spider auto-crawls a website down to five clicks deep and, among other things, identifies any issues that may impact your site’s indexability. The SEOToolSet also offers page analysis tools, ranking monitors, and a whole host of other features for expert SEO analysis. (Side note: Find out more about what our SEO tools have to offer at SEOToolSet.com.)

Price: Starts at $24.95/month.

Data Aggregation Software

URLProfiler

This powerful SEO software can help you perform a variety of SEO tasks, including penalty audits, content audits, domain research, link prospecting, and more. URLProfiler is configurable to your needs, depending on what type of data you need to complete the job. Some of the best features include data aggregation, API integration, and speed tool.

Price: Starts at $19.95/month. Free trial available.

Competitive Research Software

Ahrefs

Competitive research is just one of the many things you can do with Ahrefs. Its Site Explorer lets you see what keywords competitors rank for and the traffic to pages. Also, see who links to the competition and if they are doing paid search. They also offer a “free” Webmaster Tools Account if you verify ownership of the domain. Data is limited but very useful as a free tool.

Price: Starts at $99/month. Get a trial for $7.

Semrush

(Yes folks, it is Sem and not S.E.M.) Another good competitive analysis tool (that also offers many other features for SEO work, such as keyword research) is Semrush. You can easily find out who your competition is in the search results, benchmark your traffic against theirs, track mentions of competitors, analyze competitors’ social media, and more.

Price: Starts at $99.95/month (billed annually). Free trial available.

Majestic

Majestic is a fantastic link intelligence tool that is particularly handy for competitive analysis. Get access to backlink information on multiple competitors and compare performance. Of course, you can use Majestic for your own backlink analysis as well.

Price: Plans start at $49.99/month. Demo Majestic here and sign up to access the reports.

ADA Compliance

PowerMapper

To be sure a website complies with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), PowerMapper’s SortSite tool “finds pages that are unusable by people with disabilities. It checks entire websites against W3 WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1, and US Section 508 accessibility standards.”

Price: Varies based on tools. Free accessibility checks available.

GDPR Compliance

GDPR Website Compliance Check

The GDPR Website Compliance Check scans a website to identify the cookies that are set and where data is going to help ensure you’re in compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Price: Free

Piwik Pro Cookie Scanner

The Cookie Scanner offers a complete cookie scan to identify first- and third-party cookies on a website, the cookie providers, GDPR cookie requirements, and more.

Price: Free

Google Algorithm Effects

Panguin Tool

This tool can help you figure out if you’ve been impacted by a Google algorithmic penalty. The Panguin Tool helps you determine when a traffic shift up or down aligns with a Google algorithm update so that you can investigate what might be impacting a website.

Price: Free

Content Optimization Tools

InLinks

InLinks provides in-depth information on how to optimize your content for a topic. Use it to identify marketing trends with content, for content optimization, and for discovery, ideation and enhanced rankings (such as featured snippets, how-to, FAQs, etc.). This SEO software generates a content brief for the topic you want to publish with targeted recommendations including access to related topics and a comprehensive list of related questions.

Price: $39.99/month. Free plan available.

Featured Snippets+ Tool

This tool for featured snippet optimization allows you to optimize your content so your webpage has a better chance of being chosen for a featured snippet, aka “position zero.” Featured Snippets+ analyzes which competitors own a snippet for the topic; the top “people also ask” questions, and more.

Price: Starts at $49.99 (one-time fee). Demo the product with limited URLs for free.

Bruce Clay SEO WP Plugin

Analyze the top-ranked pages for your keywords and find out how to optimize your content to meet or beat them. Includes targets for meta data, readability scores, and word count. This SEO plugin also gives you the ability to track how you optimize the page with keywords.

Price: Starts at $24.95/month and includes a subscription to the SEOToolSet. Free seven-day trial available.

SEO Browser Extensions & Tools

Heading Tag Markup

This extension highlights and notates all heading tags on a page. It’s useful for seeing if heading tags are set up properly.

Price: Free

Highlight This

This extension allows you to create a keyword list that the tool then uses to highlight the words visually as you browse a website. You can create multiple lists and assign colors to them.

Price: Free

Word Counter

This extension lets you select any text online and get a word and character count quickly with a right click.

Price: Free

Text Analyzer

Quickly get a picture of the words used most on a page, the word count of the page, and more with Text Analyzer. A really basic but fast and useful tool if you want to quickly view those metrics.

Price: Free

Schema Markup Generator (JSON-LD)

The Schema Markup Generator (JSON-LD) creates JSON-LD markups for you. Just choose the type of schema.org markup you want to create, input the information, and go.

Price: Free

WordPress Security

Hacker Target’s WordPress Security Scan tests vulnerabilities in application security, WordPress plugins, the hosting environment, and the web server.

Price: Free

Advice for Picking SEO Tools

SEO is only as good as the SEO software you use to analyze a website. This article contains some of the tools we use currently, but the list is fluid. So give tools a try, but then choose wisely and build a tool stack that will set you up for success.

We can provide the expertise you need to improve your website SEO. Contact us today for a free consultation.

FAQ: How do experts utilize a variety of SEO tools to enhance website performance and optimization?

Optimizing website performance has become paramount for businesses seeking online success. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts understand that achieving this goal requires a comprehensive toolkit of specialized software and techniques. Through strategic utilization of SEO tools, these experts streamline their efforts, enhance performance, and unlock the full potential of their websites.

At the core of effective website optimization lies the deployment of crawling software. This specialized tool, such as DeepCrawl or Screaming Frog SEO Spider, allows experts to conduct comprehensive website audits. Experts thoroughly understand their website’s health by identifying broken links, analyzing meta data, and generating XML sitemaps, making way for targeted improvements.

Competitive research software, exemplified by Ahrefs and Semrush, offers experts valuable insights into the strategies of their competitors. These tools enable experts to uncover keywords competitors rank for, understand traffic trends, and even identify paid search efforts. With this information, experts make informed decisions to outmaneuver competitors and elevate their website visibility.

In the realm of compliance, experts ensure their websites adhere to accessibility and data protection standards. Tools like PowerMapper aid in conforming to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by identifying pages inaccessible to people with disabilities. Meanwhile, GDPR compliance checks, such as the GDPR Website Compliance Check and Piwik Pro Cookie Scanner, safeguard user data in line with EU regulations.

Experts also leverage content optimization tools to enhance their website’s search ranking. InLinks, for instance, offers valuable insights for optimizing content around specific topics. Featured Snippets+ helps tailor content for coveted featured snippet positions, while the Bruce Clay SEO WP Plugin empowers experts to optimize pages for optimal visibility.

Transitioning seamlessly from one subtopic to the next, experts weave together the diverse functionalities of these SEO tools to orchestrate a symphony of website optimization. By implementing crawling software, competitive research tools, compliance checks, and content optimization strategies, they create a powerful amalgamation that maximizes website performance and drives results.

Experts employ a multi-faceted approach to SEO by harnessing various specialized tools. Their mastery of crawling software, competitive research tools, compliance checks, and content optimization techniques propels their websites to new heights of performance and optimization. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, their expertise remains a beacon of light, guiding the way to digital success.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Leveraging SEO Tools for Enhanced Website Performance

1. Introduction to SEO Tools: Explain the significance of SEO tools in optimizing website performance.
2. Crawling Software: Detail the functionalities of crawling software like DeepCrawl and Screaming Frog SEO Spider for comprehensive website audits.
3. Competitive Research Tools: Explore how tools like Ahrefs and Semrush aid experts in analyzing competitors’ strategies.
4. **Compliance Checks: Discuss tools like PowerMapper and GDPR Website Compliance Check for ADA and GDPR compliance.
5. Content Optimization Tools: Explain how InLinks, Featured Snippets+, and Bruce Clay SEO WP Plugin enhance content ranking.
6. Seamless Transitions: Emphasize the importance of integrating these tools harmoniously for holistic optimization.
7. Expert Strategy: Share insights into how experts strategically combine tools to drive performance improvements.
8. Real-world Examples: Provide case studies or examples showcasing successful website optimization through tool utilization.
9. Long-term Benefits: Discuss how consistent tool utilization contributes to sustained website performance.
10. Dynamic SEO Landscape: Address the evolving nature of SEO tools and the need for continuous learning.
11. Professional Recommendations: Offer expert tips on selecting the right tools based on specific optimization goals.
12. Measurement and Tracking: Explain the importance of tracking and measuring the impact of tool usage.
13. Balancing Tool Stack: Advice on creating a balanced tool stack that addresses various optimization aspects.
14. Collaboration: Highlight the significance of expert collaboration for optimal tool utilization.
15. Future-proofing: Discuss strategies for staying updated with new tools and techniques.
16. Case Study: Provide an in-depth case study showcasing how a website achieved remarkable results through tool-driven optimization.
17. Key Takeaways: Summarize the key learnings from using SEO tools for website optimization.
18. Conclusion: Reiterate the central role of SEO tools in achieving enhanced website performance and optimization.

The post The Top SEO Software That Experts Use Every Day appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

That’s why this article (No. 2 in our page experience series) will discuss mobile-friendliness as a way to help your webpages earn a ranking boost from Google’s page experience ranking update, which went live in mid-2021. (Be sure to see all our other articles in this series at the end of this one).

• What is a mobile-friendly website? 
• Why does a mobile-friendly website matter? 
• How do you make a site mobile-friendly? 
• FAQ: How can I create a mobile-friendly website to improve user experience and search engine rankings?

What Is a Mobile-Friendly Website?

A mobile-friendly website creates a good experience for people who visit a website from a smartphone or tablet.

There’s a lot that goes into having a mobile-friendly website. Some of the factors include:

• Using mobile-compatible plugins
• Ensuring the webpage fits different screen sizes
• Configuring the size of the text for mobile viewing
• Making sure that it’s easy for mobile users to click on buttons and links
• Having fast-loading webpages (Although this is not talked about much in Google’s mobile-friendly guide, it counts toward the page experience ranking signals and is a best practice for mobile anyway.)

Why Does a Mobile-Friendly Website Matter?

A mobile-friendly website also matters to your search engine rankings because Google wants to include websites in its search results that offer a good experience to mobile users.

After all, about 63 percent of visits to Google’s search engine on average in 2019 were from mobile users.

You can confirm how many mobile users are coming to your own site through your Google Analytics account. (Go to: Audience > Mobile > Overview)

Recognizing the growing trend in mobile web browsing, in 2016, Google started testing a mobile-first index. In March 2020, Google announced it would be “switching to mobile-first indexing for all websites starting September 2020” but then pushed the full rollout back to the end of March 2021.

Mobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking. Historically, the index primarily used the desktop version of a page’s content when evaluating the relevance of a page to a user’s query. Since the majority of users now access Google Search with a mobile device, Googlebot primarily crawls and indexes pages with the smartphone agent going forward.

–Google, “Mobile-first indexing best practices”

When Google announced the upcoming page experience ranking update, it affirmed that the existing mobile friendliness signal would be a part of it. This is another confirmation that having a website set up for mobile users is key if you want to compete in Google’s search results.

How Do You Make a Site Mobile-Friendly?

You can make a website mobile-friendly by following best practices outlined by Google and a seasoned SEO expert. One size does not fit all when it comes to a mobile strategy.

If you’re ready to make your site more friendly to mobile users, you need to follow four basic steps:

1. Test your current site.
2. Learn about mobile-friendly best practices.
3. Implement changes.
4. Watch for common mistakes.

1. Test Your Current Site

One of the first things Google recommends is to run pages through its mobile-friendly test. You can also use the mobile usability report in Search Console.

Depending on what stage you’re at in your mobile journey, the next steps will vary. The goal is to address the main issues uncovered in the testing phase.

2. Learn About Mobile-Friendly Best Practices

Addressing the issues will require learning more about mobile-friendly best practices. You can do so by reviewing Google’s guide here and our guide on mobile SEO and UX optimization as well for more information.

Again, an experienced SEO professional can help you make good choices here.

3. Implement Changes

Of course, implementing mobile-friendly updates is the next step.

Website Configurations

One big decision you may be facing is what type of website configuration you should have to support mobile users.

Google supports three types of mobile website configurations: responsive web design, dynamic serving and separate mobile URLs. (Check out this cheat sheet on mobile design.)

In general, a responsive website is going to be the easiest to create and maintain. A responsive website uses the same URL and HTML code no matter what device the visitor has (versus a separate mobile site). But it serves up the content in a slightly different format depending on the screen size — so it’s friendly for mobile users.

Be sure to check out these seven mobile navigation best practices for more.

Website Content

Remember that a responsive website does not automatically mean a mobile-friendly website. How you serve the content is one thing. But what you actually prioritize in the content is another.

You see, people using mobile phones tend to search differently than those on a desktop. User intent is different, and that means that the information you want to serve may be different.

You can learn more about this concept in my article on understanding Google’s mobile-first index. And read the mobile SEO checklist for ideas on mobile content and more.

Website Speed

Mobile friendliness and fast webpage loading go hand in hand.

Mobile users do not want to wait around for content to load. Google once found that 53% of mobile site visits were abandoned when webpages took more than three seconds to load.

You can test page speed on your key pages through Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.

You can also view data in your Google Analytics on site speed (go to: Behavior > Site Speed). And the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console is going to give data on load times, as well.

Read more about the need for speed in Google’s mobile-first index.

4. Watch for Common Mistakes

One pitfall to avoid is sacrificing necessary content for the sake of speed. Reducing content to improve page speed could impact rankings in a mobile-first world as I’ve written about in the past:

What is currently being served as your mobile site is what Google would consider for indexing and ranking in its mobile-first index. If the mobile version of your site only displays a portion of all available content, then Google will only consider that part in its ranking calculations (and not any additional resources available in the desktop version of a site).

If a site has a responsive design configuration, as Google recommends, everything on both the desktop version and the mobile version should be accounted for by Google, right?

Not exactly. In responsive design, you tell the site not to display blocks of text or certain images in a mobile device.

Traditionally, Google would index the desktop version of your site. Whatever the desktop image was, that’s what Google would index and use to rank. Then, when a person loaded that page on a mobile device, at that point, you could control what was displayed. However, the index was based on the full desktop version of the content. Responsive design just decided what was displayed or not for a mobile or tablet device.

Now Google is moving to a mobile-first index. Whereas the desktop version of the site used to matter most for search engine optimization, now it’s the mobile UX that counts. If the mobile version of your site is not displaying certain content or images, Google will no longer consider them in ranking and indexing.

For example, on your desktop site in your footer, you might have 50 links. But in the mobile version, you don’t want to clutter it up so you only display 10. When Googlebot crawls your page, it’s not going to count 50 links, it’ll only consider the 10.

Because there are so many variables when creating a mobile-friendly site, it’s important to have an expert SEO working with your developers to make important decisions about mobile configuration.

For more details on the update, read our entire page experience series:

1. What’s the Page Experience Update?
2. How to Make a Mobile-Friendly Site
3. Intrusive Interstitials & Why They’re Bad for SEO
4. HTTPS for Users and Ranking
5. Core Web Vitals Overview
6. Core Web Vitals: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
7. Core Web Vitals: FID (First Input Delay)
8. Core Web Vitals: CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

If you’d like to talk to us about your SEO needs, contact us today for a consultation.

FAQ: How can I create a mobile-friendly website to improve user experience and search engine rankings?

As it becomes increasingly important for businesses and websites to remain accessible across all devices, mobile-friendly sites become even more essential in serving a growing mobile user population and improving search engine rankings. This article discusses how you can create an appealing mobile-friendly website that appeals to both users and search engine algorithms alike.

To begin, consider responsive web design as your foundation. Responsive design enables your website to adapt automatically to different screen sizes, providing users with an uninterrupted user experience across devices and reducing maintenance burden by eliminating your site’s separate desktop and mobile versions.

Next, prioritize content optimization for mobile users. Understand that mobile search behavior differs from desktop searches. Craft concise and engaging content that addresses user intent quickly. Prioritize crucial information, enhancing readability and engagement.

Website speed is critical to user satisfaction and search engine rankings. Mobile users demand swift loading times, and Google rewards fast-loading pages. Regularly assess and optimize your website’s speed using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

Additionally, mobile-friendliness extends to navigation. Simplify menus and ensure buttons are easily clickable on smaller screens. Optimize images for mobile consumption to minimize load times without compromising quality.

Lastly, leverage Google’s mobile-friendly test and mobile usability report in Search Console to identify and rectify any issues. Regularly monitor mobile performance metrics to stay proactive in improving the user experience.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Create a Mobile-Friendly Website

1. Choose a responsive web design framework.
2. Optimize your website’s content for mobile users’ needs and preferences.
3. Craft concise and engaging headlines and content.
4. Prioritize essential information to capture user attention quickly.
5. Implement a mobile-first approach to design and user experience.
6. Simplify navigation menus for easier mobile browsing.
7. Ensure buttons and links are easily clickable on smaller screens.
8. Optimize images for mobile devices to reduce load times.
9. Evaluate website speed using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights.
10. Implement speed optimization techniques, including browser caching and image compression.
11. Leverage mobile usability reports in Google Search Console to identify issues.
12. Test your website using Google’s mobile-friendly test tool.
13. Regularly monitor mobile performance metrics, including load times and bounce rates.
14. Address any issues identified through testing and monitoring.
15. Continuously update and refine your mobile-friendly strategy based on user feedback and industry trends.
16. Stay informed about Google’s algorithm updates and mobile-friendliness guidelines.
17. Collaborate with experienced SEO professionals to ensure optimal results.
18. Consider user behavior and intent when crafting mobile content.
19. Regularly assess and improve website speed to maintain a competitive edge.
20. Prioritize user experience in all mobile website design and optimization aspects.

The post Page Experience Matters: The Mobile-Friendly Site appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..