Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are a search engine’s response to a user’s search query. SERPs can include organic search results, featured snippets, paid ads, image and video results.

Any time someone searches by typing in a search query or saying a search phrase via Siri/Alexa, the result that they get is known as a SERP.

Rankings continually fluctuate on Google and other search engines, but when SERP rankings drop, companies have to step up and figure out why.

These practical recovery steps for your site can help you figure out the impact of the rankings drop on your page and take steps to fix it.

• Did your rankings actually drop?
• Website changes
• Technical struggles
• Latest Google algorithm
• Competitors
• FAQ: How can I recover from SERP rankings drop and improve my site’s visibility?

Did Your Rankings Actually Drop?

Before you jump to action, take the time to look at the analytics and determine whether or not your rankings actually dropped.

Make sure that you’re looking at a reliable data source and verify using your personal analytics (Google Search Console or tracked search performance via a reliable application like our SEOToolSet®).

If you determine that your rankings have dropped, then it’s time to take action.

Website Changes

Have you made a bunch of changes to your website recently? Whenever you migrate lots of pages, roll out a new design or redesign a page or the entire site, or add a whole new silo, such as a product store, you might see a drop in rankings.

These fluctuations can be natural and expected, but it’s worth making sure that the drop is solely related to these changes and not related to issues from the changes, such as poor internal link structure or technical errors.

Fix it: Start by asking each department whether or not they have made any changes to the site. If any changes were made, check for any technical errors or inconsistencies, make sure the internal link structure is sound, and review the content changes. Once these are all cleared, give it some time and your rankings should reverse.

Technical Struggles

Google and other search engines crawl your website in order to index it. If there are technical issues that make it difficult for the search engines to crawl your site, you can see your rankings plummet.

Fix it: There are a couple of ways we recommend looking for technical struggles. Double-check that your site is still being crawled and indexed normally with Google and any other search engines where you want to rank. Check the log file analysis. Do you notice anything different there? And lastly, test load times.

Latest Google Algorithm

Google frequently updates its algorithm and makes changes to the way websites perform in its search engine. If your rankings have fallen, it’s important to take a look at the latest Google algorithm and make sure that your site fits into the newest iteration.

Google changes the calculations for what holds weight and is considered important on websites. Multiple updates, from product review updates to core updates and helpful content updates, can occur in a single year.

Fix it: Read and review the latest Google update. You can keep track with our Up-to-Date History of Google Algorithm Updates. Notice what Google values and what they have subsequently devalued. Make the necessary changes on your site to reflect alignment with the Google update.

Competitors

Maybe your competitors have changed? Emerging competitors are bound to challenge your SERP rankings. If you have new competition, it’s time to check them out.

Figure out why they are beating you in the search rankings. Do you need better content? A better user experience? Maybe more accurate and enticing featured snippets? Once you know the answer, take action.

Fix it: Take a look at your competitors. Why are they beating you in the search results? This is not an easy fix. Take the time to pursue the data and analyze it. Once you know the reason “why,” make the necessary changes on your site.

Taking practical steps to fix your SERP rankings will help your website regain its visibility, ensuring your content reaches its intended audience and drives substantial organic traffic. Keep ROI high by making sure your site continues to rank high in search results.

Struggling to improve your website’s visibility? Our SEO experts can help you take actionable steps to boost your SERP rankings and organic traffic. Contact us.

FAQ: How can I recover from SERP rankings drop and improve my site’s visibility?

If your website rankings are plummeting on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), fret not. As an expert in the realm of SEO, I understand the complexities that come with these fluctuations. Let’s delve into strategies that can help recover your site’s rankings and bolster its visibility.

Understanding SERP Dynamics

SERPs vary based on user intent. To rebound effectively, discern different search terms reflecting buyer intent, such as “best,” “buy,” or “reviews.”

Analyzing Ranking Fluctuations

Comprehend the reasons behind ranking drops. Utilize tools like Google Search Console to analyze traffic changes, enabling you to pinpoint issues affecting your visibility.

Optimizing On-Page Elements

Refine meta descriptions, titles and content to align with your primary keyword. Ensure clarity, relevance and conciseness for improved user engagement.

Revamping Website Content

Refresh and augment existing content to reflect current trends, incorporate valuable insights and maintain relevance to captivate your audience’s interest.

Leveraging Technical SEO

Address technical glitches impacting crawlability and indexing. Employ schema markup, optimize site speed and fix broken links to enhance performance.

Embracing Mobile Responsiveness

As mobile usage soars, prioritize a responsive design. Optimize your website for mobile devices to cater to a broader audience and improve user experience.

Competitor Analysis

Conduct a thorough analysis of competitors’ strategies. Identify their strengths and weaknesses to adapt and strengthen your own.

Consistent Monitoring and Adaptation

Regularly monitor analytics, identify patterns and adapt your strategies accordingly. SEO is an ongoing process requiring constant adaptation and evolution.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Recovering from SERP Rankings Drop and Enhancing Site Visibility

1. Define Buyer Intent Keywords: Understand user intent behind searches.
2. Analyze Ranking Fluctuations: Utilize tools for comprehensive analysis.
3. On-Page Optimization: Enhance meta elements and content relevance.
4. Content Revamping: Update and refine existing content.
5. Technical SEO Audit: Address technical issues hindering site performance.
6. Mobile Optimization: Ensure mobile-friendly design and functionality.
7. Competitor Analysis: Evaluate competitor strategies for insights.
8. Continuous Monitoring: Adapt strategies based on ongoing analytics.

This structured approach ensures a methodical recovery from the drop in SERP rankings and sustained improvement in site visibility, delivering valuable insights and boosting overall SEO performance.

Remember, navigating through ranking fluctuations demands patience, persistence and a consistent commitment to refining your website’s SEO strategies.

The post SERP Rankings Drop? Recovery Steps for Your Site appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Having a website listed and ranked on search engines is an accomplishment in the highly competitive digital landscape. However, it can be disheartening when these sites fail to attract the expected traffic.

Understanding why this occurs is vital for website owners looking to expand their visibility and engage directly with their target audience.

In this article, we’ll look into why websites struggle with traffic issues despite their best efforts and explore strategies to overcome such obstacles.

• Keywords, Keywords, Keywords
• Technical SEO Issues
• Fresh Content
• User Experience Impact on Traffic
• FAQ: How can a website maximize its organic traffic through improved search engine rankings?

Keywords, Keywords, Keywords

Failure to optimize keywords is an integral factor that prevents brands from ranking highly in search results. Search engines rely on keywords to understand the relevance of a website to specific search queries.

Target keywords must be effectively integrated into the website’s content, titles, headings and meta tags to increase its chances of ranking higher in search results and driving organic traffic.

Another critical aspect is the quality and relevance of the website’s content. Search engines prioritize high-quality and informative content that aligns with user intent. Content that does not demonstrate E-E-A-T — experience, expertise, authority and trust — risks being penalized in search engine results.

One of the best ways to start your keyword research for your brand is to begin with a topic cluster. Start by creating your pillar content. This content should be the main focus of your blog or site. For example, with Bruce Clay, our pillar content is focused on SEO. SEO is what we do, and it’s at the heart of our brand.

From here, you can focus on creating cluster content. Cluster content is content that can be hyperlinked from your pillar content.

For example, we have SEO as our pillar content and have a variety of cluster content, such as online SEO training, search engine marketing, pay-per-click marketing, content development and social media advertising.

All of these clusters are secondary to our pillar pieces, but they also all tie back to our pillar pieces. You can create multiple topic clusters for your site.

The point of creating cluster content is that you can create a web of hyperlinks between all the content within a single cluster. It all feeds back into one another.

This is a broad overview; we take it a step further by creating additional clusters for each, such as a cluster for content development where the pillar piece is the content development page, and the cluster pages are all subtopics of pay-per-click marketing.

Keywords are essential with cluster content because each piece of the topic cluster (both pillar content and cluster content) should have its own keyword focus.

Start with the high-level topic keyword for the pillar content, then move into the keyword focus for each subtopic or cluster content topic. Internally link between each page and all of the other pages.

Technical SEO Issues

Left unaddressed, technical SEO issues can damage a website’s search engine rankings.

Factors such as slow loading times, broken links, poor website structure and improper use of headers and tags can negatively affect user experience.

It’s a good habit to regularly audit your site to identify and optimize these technical aspects. Doing so will improve its performance, enhance user experience and ultimately increase organic traffic.

Optimizing title tags and meta descriptions is another important element in driving organic traffic. These elements play a significant role in conveying the relevance and value of a webpage to search engine users.

Poorly crafted or uninformative title tags and meta descriptions may lead users to overlook the website in search results. Optimizing these elements with compelling and relevant information, including target keywords, can increase click-through rates.

SERPStat ran a study where they audited 288 million pages across thousands of websites. They found the greatest technical SEO issues were mark-up-related issues at 29.56%, and meta tags at 26.62%. When it came to mark-up-related issues, a missing Twitter/X card, missing open graph and missing schema.org were the top issues.

Make sure that these are all in working order on your site. As far as meta tags are concerned, the most common issues they found were the extra-long title and the length of the meta tag description.

There are a variety of SEO tools that you can use with your site to check the length of both your meta tag title and description. Yoast SEO is a common choice for WordPress-based sites, or you can use this simple character count tool. The goal is 50–60 characters for your meta title and 150–160 characters for your meta description.

Fresh Content

Search engines value fresh and regularly updated content. A whopping 27% of all high-performing content is no more than a month old. New, ongoing content tells search engines that the site is active and hints that its content will be more relevant than sites that rarely offer new information.

So, develop a content strategy that includes generating new content and refreshing old content regularly to help attract search engine crawlers and boost rankings.

Fresh content goes beyond search engine traffic — it gives visitors to your site a reason to keep coming back. New content can keep readers interested and give them a reason to spend more time on your site.

Use your target audience avatar to determine your audience’s biggest pain points and work to create fresh content that addresses them weekly for the best results.

User Experience Impact on Traffic

User experience is essential in search engine rankings and organic traffic. When search engines determine the ranking of websites, they evaluate the site user’s experience. To do this, they look at real-time data: bounce rate, time spent on site, page load speed and whether the site is mobile-friendly.

A website with slow loading times, difficult navigation, or lack of mobile optimization may experience lower organic traffic. Optimizing the website for a smooth and seamless user experience across devices is vital.

If you’re failing to generate traffic to your website, it’s because you are not paying attention to the factors that influence search engine ranking — keyword optimization, technical SEO, content quality and user experience. Improve these areas and you will improve organic traffic, visibility, engagement and conversions.

Unhappy with your search engine ranking and traffic volume? Our SEO experts can help. Contact us for a free consultation today.

FAQ: How can a website maximize its organic traffic through improved search engine rankings?

Maximizing organic traffic through improved search engine rankings is a crucial goal for any website to increase its online visibility and reach a wider audience. Attaining this objective requires an integrated strategy combining on-page and offline strategies, technical optimizations and content enhancement.

Optimizing on-page SEO is crucial for optimal search engine ranking. To do this, high-quality and relevant content is required.

Utilizing relevant keywords naturally throughout the content, optimizing meta tags, headings and improving the overall user experience can significantly boost a website’s search engine ranking. Regularly updating and refreshing content keeps it current and engaging for visitors and search engine algorithms.

Off-page SEO plays a vital role in increasing organic traffic to websites. Search engines can verify that your website is reliable by building high-quality links from relevant and reputable websites while engaging with your audience.

Creating a solid presence on social media can indirectly affect search rankings, increasing brand recognition and driving more organic traffic to your website.

Additionally, technical SEO plays a crucial role in website optimization. Ensuring that the site’s structure is user-friendly and mobile-responsive is essential for ranking well in search engines.

Optimizing page load times, implementing secure HTTPS protocols and making XML sitemaps can enhance the overall user experience and positively impact search engine rankings.

Lastly, ongoing monitoring and analytics are essential. Regularly reviewing website performance through tools like Google Analytics and Search Console can provide valuable insights.

By analyzing which keywords drive traffic, understanding user behavior and adjusting your strategies accordingly, you can continually optimize your website to maximize organic traffic and improve search engine rankings.

Optimizing a website for better search engine rankings requires a holistic approach encompassing on-page, off-page, technical and analytical aspects. By creating high-quality content, acquiring authoritative backlinks, maintaining a technically sound website and using data-driven insights to make improvements, a website can maximize organic traffic and increase its visibility in search engine results.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Maximizing Organic Traffic for a Website with Search Engine Rankings

1. Keyword Optimization: Identify target keywords relevant to your website’s content and align with user search intent. Incorporate these keywords into your website’s content, titles, headings and meta tags.
2. Content Quality and Relevance: Create high-quality content that meets the needs of your target audience. Provide them with content that delivers value. Ensure that your content aligns with user search intent and addresses their queries effectively.
3. Technical Optimization: Regularly audit and optimize your website for technical SEO issues such as slow loading times, broken links and proper website structure. Ensure that headers and tags are used correctly to provide a clear and organized content structure.
4. Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Craft compelling and relevant title tags and meta descriptions for each webpage, incorporating target keywords and accurately reflecting the content. Ensure these tags provide enticing information and encourage users to click through to your website.
5. Regular Content Updates: Implement a content strategy that regularly updates existing pages and creates fresh content. Focus on providing valuable and up-to-date information to attract search engine crawlers and keep your website active and relevant.
6. User Experience Optimization: Optimize your website for a smooth and seamless user experience. Improve page load speed, simplify navigation and ensure mobile optimization for a user-friendly browsing experience.
7. Social Media Promotion: Leverage social media platforms to promote your website’s content and attract organic traffic. Share snippets of your content, engage with your audience and encourage social sharing to increase visibility.
8. Monitor and Analyze Performance: Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor your website’s performance. Analyze user behavior, traffic sources and engagement metrics to identify areas for improvement and adjust your strategies accordingly.
9. Stay Updated with SEO Trends: Stay informed about the latest SEO trends to adapt your optimization strategies. Follow reputable industry blogs, attend webinars and participate in forums to stay up-to-date with the evolving SEO landscape.

The post Why Do Sites Struggle with Traffic and What Can SEO Do About It? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

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

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

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

1. E-E-A-T

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

2. Keyword Optimization

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

3. Content Formatting

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

This includes things like:

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

Heading Tags

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

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

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

Goal: Use heading tags properly on every page.

Recommended reading:

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

Structured Data

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

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

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

Other Types of Content Formatting

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

This includes things like:

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

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

4. Image SEO

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

5. Technical SEO

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

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

Just some of the things to consider include:

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

6. Internal Links

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

Some examples of internal links include:

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

Some benefits of internal links include:

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

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

7. Inbound Links

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

8. Outbound Links

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

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

Google supports this concept:

Recommended reading:

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

9. Content Maintenance

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

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

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

10. Getting Help

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

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

Recommended reading:

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

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

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

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

Comprehensive Audit and Analysis

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

Content Optimization and Freshness

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

Backlink Strategy

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

Technical SEO Optimization

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

Keyword Research and Optimization

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

User Experience Enhancement

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

Analytics and Monitoring

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

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

Step-by-Step Procedure for Effective SEO Program Revitalization

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

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

• Resolutions
• How to make sure the SEO work gets done
• Resolve to get SEO things done this year
• FAQ: How Do I Prioritize and Execute SEO Tasks for Maximum Impact?

Resolutions

SEO Resolutions are well-meaning, but 81% of people who make them fail to reach their goals.

Don’t make resolutions without an action plan.
The secret to success is right in your hands.

–J Allen Shaw, children’s book author

Search engine optimization can drive more visibility in the search results, more traffic, and more revenue. But like a New Year’s resolution, you must do it to see results.

Well-meaning site owners pay agencies, consultants, or in-house SEO professionals to give SEO advice to help their businesses grow. Yet a significant percentage of those recommendations never get implemented.

This happens for many reasons. Most often, the company doesn’t see SEO as a strategic initiative. That trickles from the top down, and business silos make it nearly impossible to get things done.

So how do you succeed with having great SEO intentions and actually following through on them?

How to Make Sure the SEO Work Gets Done

Here are a handful of things to consider implementing to make sure SEO priorities get done:

1. Educate, educate, educate. And not just the immediate marketing teams, but other teams that need to get SEO things done need to be trained too.

We have upgraded what people know and love as “online training” with our membership-based SEOtraining.com, a comprehensive SEO training experience. The heart of it is the Bruce Clay SEO Training course.

Our new SEO course is online, but it is not a recording of a live class. It is green-screen recorded and quite professional in sound and presentation, with more than 15 hours of professionally produced video lessons. As with all videos, you can take the course at your own pace – start and stop as you like.

Members also have access to email support and regular live Q&A sessions to get their questions answered. Resources beyond the training course include in-depth mini-courses on key subjects, e-books, single-topic Ask-Us-Anything videos, and many more.

2. Prioritize recommendations. Work on the most impactful SEO tasks first — the ones with the most potential to move the needle.

For example, our SEO audits make it clear which tasks are most important to tackle first and how to prioritize everything else from short-term to long-term tasks.

3. Support recommendations with Google guidance. Show examples (help files, tweets, videos, etc.) of Google recommending what you are trying to accomplish. This is a great example from Google on why site performance matters.

Make sure to distill the “why” behind Google’s recommendation. Whether you’re talking to a client or your own internal team, you want to make it easy for your intended audience to understand and get on board. Also, think about your audience when you talk about results.

For instance, if you’re recommending a change that will improve site performance, the UX department will respond to user experience improvements, while the C-Suite will respond more to revenue growth.

For every half second decrease in homepage load speed, our customers see an average annual revenue increase of $376,789.

–Mobify

4. Get creative to move SEO changes forward. Technical fixes can be hard to implement. That’s because web developers and IT folks often focus on other things.

In a bit of good news: UK-based Zazzle found that 75 percent of marketers said SEO technical fixes were implemented within one month. But that leaves 25 percent of those surveyed waiting more than a month.

To help move technical SEO changes forward, speak the language of your audience. Instead of requesting enhancements to the site, put SEO technical fixes in as bug reports. Fixing bugs is typically KPIs developers care about and want to stay on top of.

(The key is not to put anything in the report you must defend. A bug is a bug; it’s not “losing traffic to competitors” or anything else.)

5. Think strategically. We must think and plan strategically to get things done. This article by a doctor at the Harvard Medical School blog gives tips on how to keep New Year’s resolutions by asking five important questions.

These same questions could be applied to communicating and getting buy-in for SEO initiatives so they get done:

1. Why do you want to make the change? Know and show the reasons behind the SEO recommendation.
2. Is your goal concrete and measurable? Support your recommendation with Google guidance and data, case studies for similar organizations, websites, or initiatives, and the KPIs you will track.
3. What is your plan? Detail the steps necessary to reach the goal.
4. Who can support you as you work toward change? Identify which colleagues, teams, or departments will need to be involved to get the recommendation done and how.
5. How will you celebrate your victories? Make sure that the small and big wins are in front of everyone all the time. This helps build trust and confidence in the SEO process.

McKinsey also has some great insights worth looking into on how to make a change within an organization, including motivating people.

Resolve to Get SEO Things Done This Year

If we want our SEO recommendations to be implemented, we must create a plan for how to get things done. Like the person who signs up for the gym in January but never attends, paying for SEO advice but not following it is wasted potential.

Remember, SEO is forever — there is no “end,” and it takes a commitment to see results. This core concept can help us think beyond the title tags that need to be changed this month or site speed that needs to be tackled the next so that we can accomplish more.

Most people overestimate what they can do in a year and they underestimate what they can do in two or three decades. #iamnotyourguru

— Tony Robbins (@TonyRobbins) October 25, 2016

If you need help with your SEO action plan, contact us for a free quote, and let’s talk.

FAQ: How Do I Prioritize and Execute SEO Tasks for Maximum Impact?

Executing SEO tasks with precision and purpose can significantly influence your website’s performance. Prioritizing these tasks to maximize their impact requires a well-defined strategy considering both short-term gains and long-term objectives.

To start, analyze your current SEO landscape. Identify keywords that drive the most traffic and conversions. This data-driven approach enables you to allocate resources to tasks that align with your business goals. Additionally, top priorities should be auditing your website for technical issues and optimizing on-page elements. These foundational tasks lay the groundwork for effective SEO.

Once the essentials are addressed, turn your attention to content optimization. Conduct thorough keyword research to uncover valuable opportunities. Craft compelling, user-focused content that addresses searcher intent. This enhances your website’s relevance and drives organic traffic growth.

In the realm of link building, prioritize quality over quantity. Seek authoritative websites within your niche for potential collaborations. Secure high-quality backlinks that boost your search rankings and establish your website as a trusted resource.

Regular performance monitoring is key to maintaining SEO success. Leverage analytics tools to track keyword rankings, organic traffic, and conversion rates. This data empowers you to refine your strategy and reallocate resources as needed.

By implementing these prioritization strategies, you’ll ensure that your SEO efforts yield maximum impact. Remember, success in SEO requires a holistic approach encompassing technical excellence, content optimization, link building, and continuous performance analysis.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Prioritize and Execute SEO Tasks for Maximum Impact

1. Keyword Analysis: Identify high-performing keywords that align with your business objectives.
2. Technical Audit: Conduct a comprehensive audit to address any technical issues hindering search engine crawlability and indexing.
3. On-Page Optimization: Optimize meta tags, headers, and content for target keywords to enhance on-page SEO.
4. Content Strategy: Develop a content plan based on keyword research, focusing on creating valuable, informative, and engaging content.
5. Keyword Mapping: Align target keywords with specific pages on your website for better content optimization.
6. User Experience Enhancement: Improve website navigation, page load speed, and mobile responsiveness to enhance user experience.
7. Link-Building Strategy: Identify authoritative websites for potential link-building partnerships.
8. Backlink Acquisition: Secure high-quality backlinks from reputable sources within your industry.
9. Local SEO: Optimize your website for local search by creating and verifying Google My Business listings.
10. Social Media Integration: Leverage social media platforms to promote and share your optimized content.
11. Performance Tracking: Implement analytics tools to monitor keyword rankings, organic traffic, and conversion rates.
12. Regular Audits: Schedule regular website audits to identify and address new technical issues and optimization opportunities.
13. Competitor Analysis: Analyze competitor SEO strategies to identify gaps and potential areas for improvement.
14. Algorithm Updates: Stay informed about search engine algorithm updates and adjust your strategy accordingly.
15. Voice Search Optimization: Optimize your content for voice search queries to accommodate changing search behavior.
16. Structured Data Implementation: Implement structured data markup to enhance the visibility of rich snippets in search results.
17. Local Citations: Build local citations to improve your website’s visibility in local search results.
18. Content Refresh: Regularly update and refresh existing content to ensure it remains relevant and valuable.
19. Conversion Rate Optimization: Optimize conversion rates by creating optimized landing pages and calls-to-action.
20. Continuing Learning: Stay abreast of the latest SEO practices and trends through webinars, conferences, industry publications, and other sources.

This step-by-step guide is designed to assist in efficiently prioritizing and implementing SEO tasks, with maximum impact, for maximum search engine visibility and site performance goals.

The post Don’t Be Surprised by the Traffic You Didn’t Get for the SEO Work You Didn’t Do appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

We are in the midst of a massive shift in search behavior that’s impacting search results and traffic. Unlike a significant algorithm update though, no one saw this coming.

Now, as we figure out our new shelter-in-place lives, we’re also figuring out how to keep organic search traffic up.

In the past few weeks, the search results have been volatile.

SEMrush Sensor data for all categories, retrieved on April 6, 2020

This is especially true for things like news results (as we would expect right now):

SEMrush Sensor data for News category, retrieved on April 22, 2020

As we’re finding out, what you ranked for yesterday may no longer be the case. Path Interactive pointed out that the usual top-ranking sites for health queries are not on Page 1 anymore. At the same time, the CDC and WHO are claiming the top spots on Google.

As search behavior changes all over the world with new trends popping up daily, Google is striving to keep up with relevant results.

What is making the search results so volatile? In addition to a suspected algorithm update in late March, Google is dealing with an influx of new searches it has never seen before. Add to that the fact that people want different things as a result of the pandemic.

This different search behavior is no doubt giving AI systems a headache. The algorithm must think that the only thing important to people now are these new trending queries.

It must be difficult for the software to understand that we’re not always going to be in panic mode. The answers we want now will not be satisfied once things settle down. And I think that could be confusing. We’ll have to wait and see how the current crisis-driven behavior biases the top search results long-term.

As we know, search trends reflect the priorities of people. And as a business, it’s our job to listen and respond.

• What’s happening in search right now
• How to respond with SEO
• FAQ: How is the search behavior shift impacting online businesses?

What’s Happening in Search Right Now

There are many disruptive factors at play right now in the search results. As you may remember, RankBrain (Google’s search AI), is among the top three signals in Google’s algorithm.

What that means is that along with content and links, RankBrain helps determine rankings.

Google created RankBrain to handle the growing percentage of queries it had never seen before. You can imagine what RankBrain must be dealing with now. Each day, we’re seeing new searches that never existed before.

Google’s Coronavirus Search Trends data, retrieved on April 22, 2020

Not only are we seeing high-volume searches that never existed before (like “coronavirus money help”), but search behavior for goods and services is also changing.

It’s no surprise that searches for grocery stores are up while searches for restaurants are down. And new trends in searches for goods like cotton bandanas are up.

trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(“TIMESERIES”, {“comparisonItem”:[{“keyword”:”cotton bandanas”,”geo”:””,”time”:”2020-03-30T15 2020-04-06T15″}],”category”:0,”property”:””}, {“exploreQuery”:”q=cotton%20bandanas&date=now%207-d”,”guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”});

Now that people are sheltering in place, other trends include a drop in mobile searches and a rise in desktop.

WordStream reports a 24 percent drop on average in mobile search ad traffic. And Microsoft reports a rise in desktop searches compared to mobile.

Not to mention the amount of time now spent on social media like Facebook as people connect digitally, and how search is changing there, too.

All this is to say that the pandemic is shifting the way people search and behave online. Fortunately, the fundamentals of SEO have not changed. We would apply many of the same strategies today as we would in the past.

How to Respond with SEO

Here are four things to do now when it comes to SEO and keeping your website visible in the search results.

1. Understand Search and Ranking Trends

Look at Google Search Trends. You can use its coronavirus search trends hub to see what’s trending and refer to our guide to using Search Trends for more help.

You can use keyword tools like our free keyword suggestion tool or others like Ubersuggest to find different keywords you want to optimize for.

You can use our WordPress SEO plugin to get insights about the top-ranked sites for your keywords before you start writing content. This can give you key data points on what quality is for your targets.

Make sure you explore how search trends are impacting your particular niche. This Moz article has interesting ideas on the types of content to create per industry during COVID-19.

2. Continue to Publish Quality Content

Keep producing high-quality content. This is especially true for “Your Money or Your Life” sites, which would answer many search queries about the pandemic today. See our E-A-T guide for more info on this.

Now more than ever, Google needs help in finding and understanding the meaning of your content. So that means extra diligence with your optimization. See our up-to-date SEO checklist for ideas.

Google also recently gave tips on how health sites can optimize their content to be found in these times. Any website can apply these basics to help them get found.

3. Stay Relevant in Business and in Search Results

As people’s priorities change, so does search. Depending on how the economy reacts to the pandemic, search behavior may change for good.

For example, people may stop buying cars and want to sell them instead. New industries may emerge as a result of a potentially permanent work-from-home economy.

trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(“TIMESERIES”, {“comparisonItem”:[{“keyword”:”buy car”,”geo”:””,”time”:”2020-01-06 2020-04-06″}],”category”:0,”property”:””}, {“exploreQuery”:”date=today%203-m&q=buy%20car”,”guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”});
Search query data from Google Trends

Think about how you can be part of the conversation and add value now. What will that look like in the future, too?

Remember, if your webpages are not relevant to the searcher’s intent (what they want to accomplish), you will not be found online.

4. Be Patient But Act Now

SEO is already a game of patience. As Google works out the kinks in ranking the most relevant results, search results will be volatile, for some queries more than others.

But trends come and go, and as we pull out of this pandemic, searchers will turn their minds to other things.

There will be opportunities and challenges ahead. But SEO can support any shift in offers and messaging so that your business can be found for what people want.

Acting now will help your business weather the crisis, and come out ahead after it has passed.

For more on how to market and do SEO during COVID-19, see my earlier post Don’t Quarantine Your Marketing. If you’d like help navigating the online changes for your business, contact us right away.

FAQ: How is the search behavior shift impacting online businesses?

Search behavior has undergone a significant transformation. Understanding and responding to this shift is crucial for the survival and success of online businesses.

1. The Rise of Conversational Search:

Search engines have become more sophisticated in understanding natural language, leading to the rise of conversational search. Users now ask questions in a way they might speak, using voice assistants and mobile devices. Online businesses should optimize their content for voice search by incorporating long-tail keywords and providing concise, informative answers.

2. Mobile-First Indexing:

With mobile devices dominating internet usage, search engines have shifted to mobile-first indexing. This means that a website’s mobile version is the primary basis for ranking. Online businesses must ensure their websites are mobile-friendly, offering a seamless user experience across various devices.

3. Local SEO and Geotargeting:

Search behavior has become increasingly localized, with users seeking information relevant to their immediate surroundings. Online businesses must invest in local SEO strategies, including accurate business listings and geotargeted content, to connect with nearby customers effectively.

4. Visual and Video Search:

Visual and video searches are gaining prominence, driven by platforms like Pinterest and Google Lens. Online businesses should incorporate visual elements into their content and optimize images and videos for search engines.

5. E-A-T and Content Quality:

Search engines now prioritize content quality and expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T). Online businesses should focus on producing high-quality, authoritative content that demonstrates their expertise in their respective industries.

6. AI and Machine Learning Algorithms:

Search engines employ AI and machine learning algorithms to understand user intent better. Online businesses can leverage these technologies to personalize content, recommendations, and advertisements for users, enhancing their overall experience.

7. Featured Snippets and Structured Data:

Featured snippets have become a valuable source of organic traffic. Online businesses can increase their chances of being featured by structuring their content with schema markup and providing clear, concise answers to commonly asked questions.

8. User Experience and Page Speed:

A fast-loading website and a positive user experience are crucial for search rankings. Online businesses must optimize their websites for speed, usability, and mobile responsiveness to retain visitors and improve search performance.

The shift in search behavior has far-reaching implications for online businesses. To thrive in this changing landscape, businesses must adapt their strategies by embracing conversational search, prioritizing mobile optimization, local SEO, visual content, and quality. Additionally, leveraging AI and machine learning, optimizing for featured snippets, and enhancing user experience is key to staying competitive.

The post Google Search Trends Amidst COVID-19 and How to Respond appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

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

In this article:

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Does Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines Work?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

E-A-T and Rankings

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

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

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

In that blog post, Google said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YMYL topics include:

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

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

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

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

Have a Purpose, Then E-A-T

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

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

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

As outlined by Google:

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

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

How Does Google Define Expertise, Authority, and Trust?

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

Expertise

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

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

Examples of Expert Content

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

Google says:

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

Google clarifies some examples in which high expertise is critical:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to Determine “An Expert”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Expertise and the Google Algorithm

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

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

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

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

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

Remember this excerpt from earlier?

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

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

Authoritativeness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The SQEG says this about it:

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

Authority as it Relates to Links and Mentions

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

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

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

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

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

Search results for the query “Bruce Clay SEO”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trustworthiness

Like authoritativeness, trustworthiness is assessed on multiple levels:

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

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

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

Google further defines how it thinks about reputation:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bad Reputation and Rankings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Google Local Services entry with BBB rating integration

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TL;DR

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just like authority, trustworthiness is assessed on multiple levels:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Authoritativeness: Building Credibility

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

3. Trustworthiness: Gaining User Confidence

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

4. Content Quality: The Cornerstone

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

5. Consistency is Key

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

6. Mobile Optimization

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

7. User Engagement

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

8. Ongoing Monitoring and Adaptation

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

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

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

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

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

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

In youth events, participation awards are often given out to recognize those who didn’t quite win the trophy but put in the effort.

There’s certainly no shortage of controversy around this everyone-is-a-winner practice. Nonetheless, at its core, it’s about acknowledging that someone tried their best.

But in SEO, there are no participation awards. You don’t get all the visibility in the search results and all the traffic coming to your site by giving it the old college try.

That’s because search is a zero-sum game. If you’re not front and center in the search results, you’re a loser. And for that, don’t expect any slaps on the back or rewards for simply showing up.

• From good to great
• No prize for “almost ranking”
• FAQ: Why is basic SEO not enough in today’s competitive landscape?

From Good to Great

Good is the enemy of great … it’s one of the main reasons why we have so few things that become truly great. –Jim Collins, author of “Good to Great”

Solving organic traffic puzzles is a daunting task for most and it is way too easy to just do the basics of SEO (of course, we want to do those really well) and hope for the best.

The fact is: It’s not just about showing up and doing “good.” It’s about being great.

I’ll give you an example of what we’re up against. For years, we’ve had those data points that Position No. 1 gets the most clicks. And that may still be true in many cases.

But now we’re facing more challenges in getting those clicks. Consider first that some results are now competing with Google itself for clicks.

Then add the fact that, for products at least, 70 percent of searchers look for a known retailer when it comes to selecting search results.

On top of that, you have the AI-powered RankBrain, which has been known to study user engagement with the search results to learn the most relevant results over time, and then serve those up.

So you can begin to see that it may not just be No. 1 we’re after anymore — as if that wasn’t hard enough.

All of this is to say that just being “good” in SEO today is not enough. We have to be great to get results.

No Prize for “Almost Ranking”

Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that’s first place. –Former Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi

SEO is a competitive sport. If we want to win, we really need to sharpen our SEO skills and then get into the game focused on being competitive.

Participation awards have their place in some scenarios. But in SEO, we have to be in the business of winning. Anything else is just losing. And there is no prize for “almost ranking.”

Want to talk about your SEO needs? We’re here for you. Contact us today.

FAQ: Why is basic SEO not enough in today’s competitive landscape?

Businesses striving to gain online visibility are confronted with a harsh reality: basic SEO is no longer enough. Here, we’ll unravel the reasons why basic search engine optimization strategies fall short in today’s fiercely competitive landscape and how you can adapt to thrive.

The first critical point to understand is that search engines have evolved. Google’s algorithms are now more sophisticated than ever, taking into account factors beyond keyword optimization. They prioritize user experience, mobile-friendliness, and website performance. Ignoring these elements will inevitably lead to poor rankings and reduced organic traffic.

Furthermore, content quality has become paramount. With the influx of content creators and the emphasis on experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), basic SEO can’t cut through the noise anymore. To be effective, your content needs to be engaging, well-researched, and informative; this requires time and resources.

Link building is another area where basic SEO falls short. In the past, quantity often trumped quality when it came to backlinks. However, today’s search engines favor high-quality, authoritative links. Building such links requires relationship-building, content partnerships, and a deep understanding of your niche.

Technical SEO also plays a pivotal role. In a competitive landscape, website speed, mobile optimization, and structured data can make or break your SEO efforts. Basic SEO often overlooks these aspects, leaving your site at a disadvantage.

Basic SEO practices, while a fundamental starting point, are insufficient in today’s cutthroat digital environment. You must adopt an integrated SEO strategy that includes advanced techniques, quality content creation and authoritative links, technical optimization, and technical improvements if you hope to outshine the competition. Doing this successfully takes expertise, dedication, and the ability to adapt quickly in an ever-evolving SEO landscape.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Enhancing Your SEO Strategy for Today’s Competitive Landscape

1. Understand Search Engine Evolution: Familiarize yourself with the evolving algorithms of search engines, such as Google, which now prioritize factors like user experience and mobile-friendliness.
2. Embrace User-Centric SEO: Shift your focus from keyword-centric to user-centric SEO by creating content that provides value and addresses user needs comprehensively.
3. Prioritize Content Quality: Invest in creating high-quality content that showcases your experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) in your niche.
4. Adopt a Strategic Link Building Approach: Move beyond basic link-building and establish relationships with authoritative websites and influencers in your industry.
5. Implement Technical SEO: Ensure your website is optimized for speed, mobile devices, and structured data to improve its overall performance and user experience.
6. Conduct Thorough Keyword Research: Use advanced keyword research tools to identify long-tail keywords and search intent to tailor your content.
7. Create a Content Calendar: Plan and schedule content publication to maintain consistency and relevance.
8. Monitor and Analyze Competitors: Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing and adapt your strategy accordingly.
9. Optimize for Voice Search: Consider voice search optimization as voice-activated devices become more prevalent.
10. Leverage Local SEO: If applicable, optimize your online presence for local search results by claiming and updating your Google My Business listing.
11. Invest in Paid Advertising: Complement your organic SEO efforts with paid advertising to gain more immediate visibility.
12. Measure and Analyze: Regularly monitor your SEO performance using tools like Google Analytics and Search Console.
13. Adjust and Iterate: Based on your analysis, make data-driven adjustments to your SEO strategy to improve results.
14. Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest SEO trends and algorithm updates through reputable industry sources.
15. Seek Professional Help: Consider consulting with an experienced SEO agency or expert for guidance and support.
16. Engage with Your Audience: Foster a strong online community through social media and user engagement to build trust and authority.
17. To stay ahead of the competition, don’t be intimidated to experiment with new SEO tools and techniques.
18. Educate Your Team: Make sure that every member of your team understands SEO and their place within the strategy.
19. Maintain Patience: Understand that SEO results take time to manifest, and consistent effort is key to long-term success.
20. Adapt and Evolve: Be prepared to adapt to the ever-changing SEO landscape and adjust your strategy as needed to stay competitive.

By following these steps, you can enhance your SEO strategy to meet the demands of today’s competitive digital landscape effectively.

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