{"id":199025,"date":"2023-09-13T08:58:18","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T15:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/?p=199025"},"modified":"2023-09-13T08:58:20","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T15:58:20","slug":"seo-best-practices-you-cant-ignore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/seo-best-practices-you-cant-ignore\/","title":{"rendered":"7 SEO Best Practices You Can\u2019t Ignore if You Want to Rank in the Organic Search Results"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Data<\/p>\n

SEO is a fast-moving industry that is always evolving. One Google announcement, a current event or a change in the competitive landscape can alter how you go about your SEO strategy in an instant.<\/p>\n

But, we do have best practices that stand the test of time. The way we go about doing those best practices might evolve, but they are still rooted in the fundamentals of good SEO. And, when following these best practices, you can better weather any storms that may come your way.<\/p>\n

Here are seven SEO best practices you can\u2019t ignore if you want to compete in the organic search results.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Create the Right Type of Content<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Meet or Beat the Top-Ranked Content<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Create a Good User Experience<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Optimize Your Images<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Silo Your Website<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Focus on Link Earning Not Link Building<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Manage Duplicate Content<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    FAQ: How does duplicate content impact search rankings and what types of duplicate content should be managed?\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

    <\/a>1. Create the Right Type of Content<\/h2>\n

    Every search query\/keyword has a different intent behind it — what the search engine user is trying to do. Google knows this and serves up different types of content to meet those needs.<\/p>\n

    There will always be the blue links, which lead to webpages. But often, there are other types of content<\/a> as well, like video, images and much more. This is what we call engagement objects – SERP features that engage and ultimately make money for Google.<\/p>\n

    An engagement object is a SERP feature<\/a> shown on a search engine results page (SERP) that falls outside of the traditional organic search results (i.e., the blue links).<\/p>\n

    \"Google
    Google Search results showing the different types of SERP features for the query \u201chow to get Kool-Aid out of carpet.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Searchmetrics keeps track of the most common SERP features that show up throughout the year with its SERP Features Monitor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \"Screenshot
    Image source: SERP Features Monitor, Searchmetrics.com<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    So, how do you create and optimize the right type of content to match the search query? Through what we call a whole-SERP SEO strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    A whole-SERP SEO strategy analyzes the features that show up most in the search results for target keywords and then optimizes for them.<\/p>\n

    The first step is to take the keywords<\/a> you want to rank for, then analyze the content in the search results that is showing up for them. Is it mostly blue links? Are there videos? Images? What else?<\/p>\n

    \"Google
    Google search results for the query \u201ccute hamsters\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    This will help you set the content strategy for the type of content you are going to create. A whole-SERP SEO strategy gives you a roadmap for the type of content you need in your SEO program.<\/p>\n

    This strategy can also help combat the phenomenon of \u201czero clicks.\u201d A zero-click search result<\/a> happens when Google is able to answer a search query or facilitate an action right within the search results page.<\/p>\n

    <\/a>2. Meet or Beat the Top-Ranked Content<\/h2>\n

    Knowing what type of content to create is the first step. How you create and optimize the content for search engines and users is the next step.<\/p>\n

    SEO is a game of being the least imperfect. I say least imperfect because no one is going to optimize a piece of content precisely to Google\u2019s algorithms. So, all content in the search results is imperfect when it comes to optimizing.<\/p>\n

    That said, the goal is to be least imperfect compared to your competition. All SEO programs should work to beat the competition, not the algorithm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Here, you want to understand what makes the top-ranked content for your keyword tick. Start analyzing the top results for each keyword. Of course, you could do this manually, but SEO tools are going to save you a lot of time and effort here.<\/p>\n

    \"Google
    Google search results for the query \u201csurf lessons ventura county\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    For example, you could use an SEO tool like our Multi-Page Information tool<\/a> (free version) and see the on-page SEO factors of multiple competitors.<\/p>\n

    \"Screenshot
    Example of the data you can get from the Bruce Clay SEOToolSet\u2019s free Multi-Page Information tool<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Or, if you are using a WordPress site, you can use our WordPress SEO plugin<\/a> to get real-time data<\/a> on the top-ranked pages for your keywords.<\/p>\n

    That means customized SEO data<\/a> for your content versus following best practices that are typically generic.<\/p>\n

    It also means knowing how many words to include in your meta tags and your body content, plus the readability score — all based on the top-ranked content.<\/p>\n

    \"Screenshot
    Bruce Clay SEO Plugin for WordPress dashboard showing content ranking<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Screenshot
    Bruce Clay SEO Plugin dashboard showing keyword ranking and traffic data<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    These types of tools will help you understand how to optimize the content you are creating. But you should also look closer at the nature of the top-ranked content as well before you start writing.<\/p>\n

    Google values experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) as outlined in its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines<\/a>. A component of E-E-A-T is to have shared attributes in the information you are sharing with the top-ranked or highest-quality webpages on the topic.<\/p>\n

    In other words, Google says in its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines:<\/p>\n

    Very high quality MC should be highly satisfying for people visiting the page. Very high quality MC shows evidence of a high level of effort, originality, talent, or skill. For informational pages, very high quality MC must be accurate, clearly communicated, and consistent with well-established expert consensus when it exists. Very high quality MC represents some of the most outstanding content on a topic or type that’s available online. The standards for Highest quality MC may be very different depending on the purpose, topic, and type of website.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    I discussed what this means practically in The Complete Guide to the Basics of Google\u2019s E-E-A-T<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

    And don\u2019t forget: Once you have created a great piece of content, don\u2019t skimp on the headline. A good headline<\/a> can get you more clicks and drive more traffic than a lackluster one.<\/p>\n

    Much of the advice and tools I\u2019ve discussed so far apply to getting data for and optimizing standard web pages (the blue links). If you are up against videos, for example, you will also need to examine them closely and think about your YouTube SEO<\/a> efforts.<\/p>\n

    <\/a>3. Create a Good User Experience<\/h2>\n

    Once a person reaches your website from the organic search results, will they have a good experience?<\/p>\n

    You should care about user experience because you want to make sure you get the most out of the traffic that you send to your website. If all those efforts lead to a bad webpage and the user quickly leaves, then you have wasted your time and money.<\/p>\n

    Google wants to make sure websites are providing a good user experience, too. So Google has developed ranking signals to ensure only the websites that provide the best experience will compete on Page 1 of the search results.<\/p>\n

    One thing that Google may look at is when a large percentage of users from the search results go to your webpage and then immediately click back to the search results. This could be an indication of a poor user experience and may impact your future rankings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Then you have the page experience algorithm update<\/a>, which hit in 2021 and combines pre-existing ranking signals such as:<\/p>\n