An SEO budget is more than a financial plan; it’s a blueprint for business growth. When done right, it gives you the clarity and confidence to invest where it matters most.

In this article, I’ll give tips on how to make every dollar count while you create a roadmap for SEO success.

Know the Key Drivers of Your SEO Budget

What’s the first step to building an effective SEO budget? Knowing what drives the costs.

You have to understand two things in SEO: 1. where you want to go (the destination) and 2. the competition. Let’s expand on this further.

Your Business Size and Ambition

The size of your business and your goals will guide how much you should invest in SEO. Here’s how to think about it:

• Larger businesses with big goals: If you want to dominate a competitive market or are aiming for global growth, you’ll need a robust budget to match. This budget will go towards things like highly technical audits, high-level consultants, high-volume content creation and advanced analytics.
• Small to midsize businesses: If you’re a smaller business, start by focusing on strategies with the highest ROI. Think local SEO, niche content or addressing technical issues. The key? Quality over quantity — consistent, well-targeted efforts can yield great results even on a smaller budget.

The Competition

What are your rivals up to? Getting a grip on their SEO schemes helps you understand how soft or aggressive you might want to go in competing with them.

SEO tools like SEOToolSet® give you important insights about your competition, like:

• Detailed information about competitor domains, including their indexed pages and inbound links.
• The SEO strategies of top-ranking pages to understand their on-page and off-page optimization tactics.
• Competitor backlink profiles to gauge the quantity and quality of their inbound links. This analysis can inform your own link-building strategies, highlighting opportunities to acquire similar high-quality links.
• The technical health of competitors’ websites, including mobile-friendliness and page speed.
• Lost rankings for certain keywords, which could present opportunities for you to target those terms.
• How competitors organize their website content and navigation.

(Check out How to Do Competitor Research for SEO for a step-by-step guide.)

Armed with information about your competitors, ask yourself: How quickly do you want to surpass them?

A larger investment can often help you create better content, build stronger authority and outperform the competition faster in SERPs. A more conservative approach can still deliver results with consistent optimization and targeted efforts over time.

But don’t forget to consider your industry:

• Low-competition industries: A smaller budget may still help you achieve meaningful visibility.
• Highly competitive markets: If you’re in a highly competitive market, “comfortable” spending might not be enough to compete.

Revenue and Industry Benchmarks

If you’re wondering exactly how much to allocate, a solid guideline is to dedicate 5% to 10% of your total revenue to marketing, with a good chunk going toward SEO.

If you’re short on budget but already running paid ads, redirecting up to 10% of that budget toward SEO can get the ball rolling.

SEO has staying power for your brand’s presence online. You can’t say the same for digital ads. If you turned off your advertising tomorrow, you’d have no residual value in the search results.

Plus, data shows that SEO trumps PPC on average conversion rates.

Align Your SEO Budget with Strategic Priorities

When you align your budget with business objectives and strike the right balance between short-term wins and long-term growth, you spend on the things that deliver the best ROI.

Set Goals To Align SEO with Your Business Objectives

SEO is much more than just a marketing tool; it’s a strategic business initiative that should be treated as a fundamental part of your business strategy. (Find out how one client of ours did this.)

See, SEO can adapt to meet your specific business objectives, whether you’re looking to launch into new markets, boost revenue or something else.

When you tie your SEO efforts to tangible business goals, you can make a case for budget and show how it impacts the bottom line.

So, before diving in, ask: What is my business trying to achieve? Whether it’s generating 20% more leads or strengthening your reputation as a thought leader, define your objectives, then plug SEO into the mix to support them.

Use Audits as Your Compass

SEO audits are like a map that highlights where you are now and the best path to your SEO goals. They pinpoint what’s working, what’s not and where you can make the most impact.

An in-depth audit examines all aspects of your website, from technical infrastructure to content strategy and backlink profile.

SEO audits help you:

• Locate and fix any crawl errors, duplicate content issues, security flaws or any other potential roadblocks to site performance.
• Keep abreast of algorithm updates and comply with SEO best practices for maximum performance on your site. That way, it can maintain or improve its search ranking.
• Evaluate how well your existing content and keyword strategies are working.
• Evaluate site speed, mobile-friendliness and overall usability to give your visitors a better experience.

In short, SEO audits provide detailed recommendations on what you need to fix and when for the best ROI. This is an indispensable tool when trying to figure out how to allocate a budget.
For more, see my article on SEO Audits and Tools: The Good, The Better and The Best.

Balance Quick Wins and Long-Term Growth

To truly make the most of your SEO budget, you’ll need to balance two types of efforts: quick wins for immediate gains and long-term strategies for sustainable growth.

Here’s how:

Quick Wins

Quick wins are actions you can take right now to see fast improvements. They’re ideal for building early momentum and paving the way for more SEO budget.

Every site is different, but one example of a quick win could be resolving crawl errors. These types of tasks may not require huge time or budget investments but can deliver meaningful results. Plus, they’re great for getting stakeholders excited about SEO.

Long-Term Strategies

While quick wins get you started, long-term strategies are what solidify your site’s authority and visibility over time. These foundational efforts build trust with both users and search engines.

This could include strategies like creating quality content. While these strategies take time to pay off, the long-term rewards are exponential.

How to Find the Right Balance

A smart SEO budget allocates resources to both short-term wins and long-term growth efforts. Here’s one way to allocate your budget:

1. Early stage: Commit 70% of your resources towards quick wins that generate momentum, leaving 30% for foundational work.
2. Growth stage: Transition into a 50/50 balance as your site stabilizes and long-term strategies take priority.

Ensuring a balanced approach means you are not only attending to immediate victories but are also making sure you are attaining success that lasts well beyond the present moment.

Manage Proactively, But Plan for the Unexpected

With constantly changing algorithms, shifting competition and emerging technologies, SEO is anything but predictable. Be prepared for the unexpected.

Smart businesses understand that flexibility must be built into their budgets to address unexpected expenses quickly and remain on track towards meeting their goals.

So, budget for the unplanned. Set aside a portion of your SEO budget for unexpected challenges. This financial cushion ensures you can pivot without putting the rest of your strategy at risk.

Then, be proactive in managing your budget. Remember: SEO isn’t a “set it and forget it” thing. Regular reviews help you fine-tune your budget so it continues to deliver results:

• Conduct quarterly reviews. Use key performance metrics to evaluate your progress quarterly. Look for patterns in what’s working and what isn’t so you can double down on successes and address weak points.
• Think proactively: Have contingency plans to deal with potential roadblocks and obstacles. For instance, think through how you’d react in case traffic suddenly dropped significantly or Google changed their algorithm suddenly.
• Reallocate budget: Based on your findings, adjust your focus and budget. For example, if a particular content strategy is performing well, consider shifting more resources toward scaling it.

This approach keeps your strategy sharp and ensures you’re always spending where you need it most.

Invest in Knowledge

Investing in ongoing education gives you the best chance at success in SEO. An informed team can anticipate potential hurdles better and take advantage of opportunities more swiftly.

Knowledge makes for a better partnership if you’re working with an SEO agency.

That’s why it pays off to allocate budget towards SEO training, webinars and conferences.

If you’re considering SEO training, learn more from these past articles:

• 7 Ways SEO Training Helps You Succeed in SEO
• How SEO Training Can Transform Your Content Strategy
• 5 Things to Know Before Choosing an SEO Training Course

Final Thoughts

An effective SEO budget goes beyond numbers; it should reflect your business priorities and long-term vision. Approach SEO as an initiative instead of a cost center and you’ll maximize its benefits.

Struggling to find the right SEO budget balance? Unsure where to even begin? Our SEO experts can help you map out a plan that drives real results without wasted spend.

Schedule your free consultation

26,000+ professionals, marketers and SEOs read the Bruce Clay Blog

Subscribe now for free to get:

• Expert SEO insights from the “Father of SEO.”
• Proven SEO strategies to optimize website performance.
• SEO advice to earn more website traffic, higher search ranking and increased revenue.

FAQ: How can I allocate resources within my SEO budget to achieve quick wins and strategic growth

Formulating and allocating an SEO budget can be daunting, yet its rewards can be immense when done successfully. A winning SEO budget balances quick wins with long-term growth goals to deliver optimal results for any organization. Here’s how to allocate resources within your budget.

Start off by conducting a detailed audit of how well your SEO is currently doing. Pay close attention to where website traffic is coming from, how keywords rank on search engines and user interactions on the site. Keep an eye out for pages needing some TLC; targeting relevant keywords might give those pages that need work an update without breaking the bank!

Establish the optimal SEO strategies that will bring back maximum returns while meeting your business goals. Making quick gains such as speeding up your site, fixing broken links or optimizing images may result in quick wins that improve user experience while remaining cost-efficient.

Utilize resources in developing and marketing outstanding content. Quality material draws organic traffic while helping establish you as an authority in your field. Aim for evergreen pieces which remain relevant over time but can also be modified as needed; this not only supports SEO efforts but also sustainable growth over time.

Use SEO tools and analytics to monitor your progress and adjust your approach. Google Analytics, SEMrush and Moz are great for pinpointing areas for improvement – keep an eye on these metrics to ensure your budget aligns with your larger goals!

Build relationships and partnerships to grow the authority and reach of your site. Team up with industry influencers or guest blogging as an effective link-building strategy – you may gain some invaluable backlinks that help boost credibility and search rankings over time. Though taking these steps requires some careful foresight, their dividends will pay dividends down the road.

Don’t forget to invest in training programs for your team so they can hone their SEO abilities and stay current with industry practices and updates. Workshops or training programs could equip them to implement effective strategies while staying informed of current practices and updates.

Local SEO should also be prioritized. This involves targeting specific markets and increasing visibility in local searches. Make sure Google My Business profile is optimized, customer reviews start coming quickly, and all business details remain consistent across platforms – this will attract local customers while supporting regional marketing strategies.

While SEO requires more time and energy to drive traffic, paid search can quickly generate results. Allocate part of your budget towards testing these campaigns before using insights gained to modify and enhance your SEO plan.

Prudent budget allocation requires finding ways to balance short-term and long-term SEO plans, by prioritizing tech fixes, top-quality content production, and ongoing education – you can both achieve immediate results as well as long-term growth.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Conduct an in-depth SEO audit in order to assess current performance.
2. Recognize quick win opportunities with high potential impact.
3. Prioritize SEO efforts according to your business goals and available resources.
4. Optimize technical aspects of your website in order to increase performance.
5. Craft a content strategy focused on evergreen topics of high quality.
6. Use SEO tools to track and evaluate performance metrics.
7. Engage in link building and partnership formation activities to strengthen authority.
8. Provide SEO training to team members so they can enhance their skillsets.
9. Leverage local SEO strategies to enhance market exposure and achieve results within specific target markets.
10. Establish a budget for paid search campaigns to increase traffic.
11. Assess and adapt strategies based on analytics insights continuously.
12. Assess and continuously optimize SEO initiatives to drive continuous improvements.
13. Foster relationships with industry influencers to facilitate collaboration.
14. Maintain the consistency of business information across platforms.
15. Monitor competitor activities and adjust strategies as necessary.
16. Remain informed on new SEO technologies by keeping up-to-date on SEO trends.
17. Assess the effect of SEO efforts on business outcomes.
18. Share insights and successes with key stakeholders to demonstrate value.
19. Tailor budget allocations according to performance and goals.
20. Attempt to document processes and strategies for future reference.
21. Stay informed of changes in search engine algorithms.
22. Take part in SEO communities and forums in order to exchange knowledge.
23. Solicit feedback from customers to enhance user experience.
24. Recognize and celebrate SEO achievements to build team morale.

The post How To Create an SEO Budget That Drives Results appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Did you know organic search accounts for 53% of website traffic? SEO is still vital for businesses of any size who want to get this coveted traffic. But for small companies it can feel like an uphill battle when going up against the big guys.

Large enterprises have huge budgets and can allocate a ton of resources to SEO, which leaves smaller companies wondering if they can have a seat at the table in the search results.

I’ll let you in on a little secret — a Fortune 500 budget isn’t required to apply SEO strategies that really work! Many of the tactics successful enterprises use can be scaled down and simplified to fit the specific needs of small businesses.

In this article, I will outline practical approaches for small businesses to implement enterprise-level SEO strategies that deliver results.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Enterprise Approach

Enterprise companies thrive on data to drive SEO decisions. However, they often have big budgets to invest in advanced analytics tools, and people dedicated to configuring the tools and data analysis.

Small Business Adaptation

Small businesses might not have large budgets, but they can still collect and analyze data to make informed choices on how to proceed with their SEO strategy. Many affordable or free tools are available like Google Analytics, Google Search Console and entry-level plans for other SEO tools.

We offer some free SEO tools to get you started. Our SEOToolSet® offers an affordable subscription model, too.

Here’s how small businesses can use these tools effectively:

1. Keyword performance: Use tools like Google Search Console to track which keywords are driving traffic to your site and refine your content strategy accordingly. Check out its performance report for more.
2. User behavior: Leverage Google Analytics to monitor metrics like engagement rates, bounce rates and a plethora of other user metrics, so you can identify areas for improvement on your website. Check out our beginner’s guide to GA4 for more.
3. ROI tracking: Monitor conversions to assess which activities are contributing to achieving your business goals.

Focusing on key indicators helps small companies better align SEO efforts with wider marketing objectives.

Strategic Keyword Targeting

Enterprise Approach

Large enterprises have the resources to target both high-volume competitive keywords and long-tail variations, creating a broad keyword strategy to capture diverse traffic.

High-volume keywords help them dominate highly competitive spaces, while long-tail keywords allow them to cater to specific audience needs and intent.

Small Business Adaptation

Targeting long-tail keywords is a smart strategy for small companies with limited resources because it’s so cost-effective.

Competition for long-tail keywords is lower, giving small websites more chances to rank. Additionally, they align closely with user intent. Plus, Google’s AI Overviews is primed for long-tail searches.

Here’s how small businesses can implement strategic keyword targeting:

• Start with audience research: Understand what your customers are searching for and what problems they’re trying to solve. Check these three steps to define your target audience for your SEO program.
• Use affordable keyword tools: Platforms like Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic or free versions of popular SEO tools are a good place to start. You can learn more about our SEO tools or our free keyword tool here.
• Analyze competitor keywords: Study your competitors’ keywords and look for gaps where you can insert yourself with less effort. SEO tools can help here.
• Optimize for voice search: Long-tail keywords naturally align with conversational phrases used in voice searches (e.g., “What’s the best bakery near me?”). Check out how to do SEO for voice search.

Strategic keyword targeting allows small businesses to compete effectively in the search results and drive meaningful traffic to their websites without the need for massive budgets.

Content Silos for Authority Building

Enterprise Approach

Large enterprises can deploy SEO siloing at scale, where they organize their website into structured categories, or “silos,” each focusing on a specific topic in detail.

This method involves creating a central pillar (landing) page with a supporting section of content with comprehensive information on a subject.

However, it can require a lot of content, and some small businesses don’t have the bandwidth.

Small Business Adaptation

Small businesses can adopt a smaller-sized SEO silo initiative by focusing on only the most important keywords/topics to start (instead of building out many silos to match each business offering).

The benefits of content siloing are vast, including:

• Improved SEO: Separating content into silos helps search engines understand its relevance to search queries, potentially leading to higher rankings.
• Better User Experience: A well-structured site helps visitors find related information quickly. A good user experience increases engagement and reduces bounce rates.
• Authority building: Thoroughly covering a topic and related subtopics turns your site into a go-to resource that builds trust and credibility in your industry.

Here’s how to get started:

• Identify the core topic: Determine the main keyword and topics that align with an important business offering and audience interest.
• Create the silo: Develop at least six webpages (a landing page and five subpages) that cover this core topic in depth.
• Use tools: If you’re short on time or writing skills but still committed to quality, you can safely use an AI content generation tool with the right process in place for quality assurance. See my articles on this, such as Top Benefits and Drawbacks of Using AI Content Creators and 3 Ways to Add a Human Touch to AI-Generated Content (my article at Search Engine Land).
• Regularly update content: Keep your silo current with the latest information to maintain relevance and authority.
• Monitor performance: Use analytics tools to track the performance of your content silos and adjust your strategy as needed.

SEO silos can be a game changer for some sites. Start small and see how becoming an authority on a topic can help drive targeted traffic.

Learn all about SEO siloing:

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

Maintaining Technical SEO

Enterprise Approach

Large companies keep their website competitive by investing heavily into technical SEO strategies. Technical SEO makes websites run seamlessly for both visitors and search engines alike.

However, technical SEO may seem like another world to smaller businesses who don’t understand its purpose or where to begin.

Small Business Adaptation

While small businesses may lack the budget for enterprise-grade technical SEO, they can still achieve significant improvements.

Some of the benefits of incorporating technical SEO include:

1. Higher Rankings: Search engines find it much simpler to index your site when technical SEO issues have been properly addressed, leading to higher ranking and more visibility.
2. Enhanced user experience: Offering users a swift, mobile-friendly and secure website keeps users engaged while increasing metrics like time on page and conversion rates.
3. Cost-effectiveness: Technical SEO improvements such as optimizing images to speed up website load times or installing HTTPS can reap substantial rewards with only minor investment.

Understanding technical SEO and its core fundamentals will drive long-term success.

Here’s what small businesses can do to adapt:

1. Conduct a basic SEO audit: Make use of free or affordable tools such as Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to detect common technical issues like broken links, duplicate content and missing meta tags. You can also use our Check Server Page tool from the SEOToolSet® for free at any time. Check out What Is an SEO Audit? And learn more about the different types of SEO audits.
2. Optimize for page speed: Tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix can help you pinpoint any speed issues on your site and offer actionable suggestions on how to fix them. See How Fast Should My Webpage Be? to learn more.
3. Ensure performance: Tools like Google’s Lighthouse help resolve performance issues.
4. Implement HTTPS: Most sites today implement HTTPS, but if your site is not yet a secure (HTTPS) website, know that it’s a baseline expectation for both users and search engines. Services like Let’s Encrypt offer free SSL certificates to secure your site. Check out HTTPS for Users and Rankings for more on this.

A word of advice — technical SEO is not easy. Have an SEO professional and/or web developer implement the changes to avoid problems down the road.

However, focusing on foundational technical SEO tasks can lead to big gains in traffic, user satisfaction and search rankings.

Learn more about technical SEO:

• Technical SEO vs. On-Page SEO: The Differences
• 5 Technical SEO Best Practices You Can’t Ignore
• 5 Unusual Technical SEO Best Practices

Content Repurposing for ROI

Enterprise Approach

Enterprises get more out of their content by repurposing and republishing it in different formats. This extends the life of a single piece of content and reaches more people across different platforms.

However, enterprise businesses usually have content teams — or at least a dedicated content creator and digital marketer to facilitate this. The good news? Small businesses can replicate this strategy without a massive content team or a huge budget.

Small Business Adaptation

With a little bit of creativity and the right tools, you can transform your existing content into multiple formats to extract even more value. No enterprise-level resources needed!

Here’s what to do to get started:

• Find high-performing content. Go through website data, analytics or social media metrics to find pieces of writing or video that resonate the most with your target audience.
• Repurpose strategically. Make a list of all your well-performing blog posts, then turn them into a series of social media posts, video tutorials, an email newsletter or maybe an infographic.
• Tools like Lumen5 can help you turn text into videos in minutes. For graphic design help, try using Canva.

Repurposing content improves the chances of connecting with new potential customers.

Scalability and Automation

Enterprise Approach

Large businesses rely on scaling and automation technologies to run efficiently.

Small businesses might lack the funds necessary for investing in enterprise-scale systems; nevertheless, they can implement automation solutions on a limited budget.

Small Business Adaptation

Small businesses can work smarter with the help of affordable tools and simplified workflows, not harder.

To get started:

• Social media scheduling: Tools such as Buffer or Hootsuite help you plan and schedule posts across various social platforms with precision. You can save hours without having to post manually.
• Workflow integration: You can automate repetitive tasks with Zapier to create streamlined workflows. Zapier connects different apps like Gmail, Slack and Google Sheets. For instance, you can automatically add email inquiries to a spreadsheet or send reminder notifications to your team members.
• Keyword tracking: Affordable tools or free options can help track keyword performance and SEO progress.
• Schema markup: Use tools like Dentsu’s Schema Markup Generator to create structured data for your website without requiring advanced coding skills. Be sure to follow up by testing the implementation. For more, check out 6 Useful Tools for Getting Structured Data Right.
• Reporting: Set up automated Google Analytics or Search Console reports to stay updated on website performance without manual data pulling.

Automation can help small businesses scale their efforts and free up time for other things.

With a little upfront effort, automation can become your secret weapon to achieving enterprise-like results on a smaller budget.

Final Thoughts

SEO doesn’t have to be intimidating or reserved for enterprise-level companies with vast resources.

Start small and prioritize, leverage free or affordable tools and think long-term. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Those incremental improvements will add up over time.

Don’t have the resources to build a successful SEO program yourself? Let our SEO experts do the work for you.

Get your free consultation

26,000+ professionals, marketers and SEOs read the Bruce Clay Blog

Subscribe now for free to get:

• Expert SEO insights from the “Father of SEO.”
• Proven SEO strategies to optimize website performance.
• SEO advice to earn more website traffic, higher search ranking and increased revenue.

FAQ: How can I utilize small business SEO strategies to help build authority and user engagement?

Small business SEO is a different approach than enterprise SEO. It entails customizing SEO techniques and tailoring them to meet the unique requirements of smaller companies. Larger enterprises tend to specialize in more general markets or niche groups; smaller enterprises often specialize in local markets or niche groups which call for long-tail keywords targeted towards local searches that draw in visitors.

Content provides small businesses with the perfect opportunity to showcase their expertise and establish themselves as thought leaders within their industry. By regularly publishing high-quality blog posts, articles or videos with quality content they are building brand trust while engaging their target audiences through an authentic experience with brand and creating lasting loyalty in customers.

Engaging your users is at the core of digital marketing. Involve them with interactive elements such as polls, quizzes and comment sections. Webpages that load fast and have a user-friendly navigation make it more likely for users to come back, share what they like and recommend your brand.

Local SEO should be prioritized by small companies looking to establish themselves in their community and connect with customers. Optimizing Google Business Profiles with accurate information will not only boost SEO rankings but also build customer acquisition while positioning you as an authority figure in the local area.

Social media platforms allow your brand to connect directly with its target market. Frequent posting, replying to comments, joining conversations and joining groups all build your visibility and increase credibility for the business.

Tracking success and adapting strategies accordingly are two integral parts of business management. Google Analytics makes this easy by showing what works and doesn’t on your site. With metrics such as traffic levels and engagement rates to view, this tool gives insights into whether SEO strategies align with business goals.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Establish Your Target Audience: Learn who your customers are and their online search behaviors to create an audience for your products or services.
2. Conduct Keyword Research: With tools in hand, conduct extensive keyword research that aligns with your business goals and find keywords which meet them.
3. Optimize Your Website: For optimal website performance, ensure it is user-friendly, mobile responsive and speedy for maximum impact.
4. Produce Content of Superior Quality: When crafting content that provides added value and meets audience requirements, strive for superior quality content production.
5. Implement Local SEO Techniques: Take measures to enhance both Google Business Profile and local listings’ optimization for local searches.
6. Engage on Social Media: Stay engaged with your target audience through platforms such as Twitter. Engage them directly for maximum effectiveness.
7. Analyze Performance: Analytics provide an effective means of keeping up with progress and recognizing areas for development.
8. Keep Up With SEO Trends: Stay aware of emerging SEO technologies and adapt strategies accordingly.
9. Create Backlinks: Secure high-quality backlinks from reliable sources.
10. User Experience: Improve user navigation, loading speeds and overall website usability.
11. Implement Technical SEO: Technical SEO improves user experience and makes it search engine-friendly. Focus on implementing technical SEO measures.
12. Optimize for Mobile: Optimize your website so it works equally across mobile devices for the optimal experience on every screen size and browser type.
13. Engage Your Community: Participate in community events to foster relationships and make lasting bonds within your local area.
14. Use Email Marketing: Email marketing allows you to directly provide offers or content directly to your audience.
15. Conduct Competitor Analysis: Gain an in-depth knowledge of what makes each competitor tick by closely inspecting them to understand what drives their operations and any areas for weakness they might possess.
16. Solicit User Reviews: In order to increase credibility, gather user testimonials as proof.
17. Enhancing Your Strategies: As part of ongoing SEO optimization efforts, strive to continuously make improvements based on data.
18. Consistency: Ensure all your business information is accurate and consistent across different platforms.
19. Increase Engagement: Visual content such as images, videos and infographics can increase engagement with your users. Find ways to incorporate these frequently throughout your content.
20. Voice Search: With more and more consumers using voice-activated search, make sure your content can be reached using this method of research.
21. Paid Ads: Use paid advertising to expand your reach and visibility.
22. Foster Brand Loyalty: Engage customers through exceptional services and strategies in order to foster brand loyalty for your brand.
23. Stay Patient and Persistent: SEO is an ongoing project which needs constant efforts over time to produce positive results.
24. Celebrate Successes: Make time each week or month to recognize and reward successes achieved within your workplace.

Implementing small business SEO strategies effectively is crucial to increasing authority and user engagement for any small enterprise. Not only will your online presence expand; taking these steps will also create trust with audiences while forging lasting relationships that lead to long-term success.

The post What Small Businesses Can Learn From Enterprise SEO Strategies appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP) might be the missing piece in your local SEO strategy.

If you have a business with a local service area, a well-optimized GBP is the key for visibility in the “Local Pack” search results and on Google Maps.

According to a study by BrightLocal, the average business profile is found in over a thousand customer searches each month — 84% of which are discovery searches.

This means that optimizing your GBP could be exactly what you need to reach new customers who are actively searching for products or services like yours.

In this article, I’ll walk through five key tips to optimize your Google Business Profile and boost your local visibility.

The Benefits of Google Business Profile Optimization

Why optimize your Google Business Profile? Here are a few benefits:

1. Better visibility: Detailed business profiles can attract people who are simply looking for a product or service, not a business name.
2. Build trust and engagement: Using high-quality photos, adding specific categories and including positive customer reviews improves your credibility and helps you connect with your customers better.
3. Direct customer interaction: Google Posts, customer reviews and messaging gives you a direct line to your customers, giving you more opportunities to build loyalty, respond to inquiries and promote special offers.

5 High-Impact Tips for Optimizing Your GBP

1. Create and Verify

Do you have your Google Business Profile yet? If you do, have you verified it?

First things first: Sign in to your Google Account (or create one using your business email). Go to create a profile, enter your business name and select it if it appears in suggestions.

Google offers step-by-step instructions on how to complete this piece here.

Next, you want to verify the profile. A verified Google Business Profile can be a big influence on Local Pack ranking, and you can see evidence of this in the 2023 Whitespark Local Search Ranking Factors Report (No. 9).

Basically, Google wants to know you are a legitimate business, and there are some steps you have to go through.

The whole process of getting your GBP verified and up and running in search could take up to a few weeks (or more) if executed efficiently, depending on the type of verification.

You can see Google’s help file here on verification and explore the different ways to verify, including phone/text, email, video recording, live video call or mail.

2. Fill in All the Details

A more complete GBP may influence how well you do in the search results. So, take your time on this step and make it as robust as you can.

For example, Extra Space Storage’s GBP for Thousand Oaks has multiple photos and a video by the owner, products, categories, hundreds of questions and answers, a robust description, recent updates, links to social profiles and more.

Here are all the details available for you to fill in, as outlined in Google’s help file:

• Business name: Enter your exact business name as shown on all branding. If you change it post-verification, re-verify.
• Category: Choose a primary category that represents your business accurately. You can add up to nine additional categories, but more may not necessarily be better. Avoid using categories solely for keywords or attributes.
• Address and pin location: Input the complete address or leave it blank if customers don’t visit your physical location. Address changes require re-verification.
• Service area: Specify the local area you serve based on cities, postal codes, etc., to clarify where you deliver or visit.
• Hours: Set regular hours, plus don’t forget holiday and feature-specific hours.
• Phone number: In addition to the primary business number, you can add up to two more contact numbers (not fax). Use a local number for your primary, and you can add a toll-free number as a secondary if you have it.
• Website: Add your website and ensure Googlebot can crawl your site; some business types may add links for online orders or appointments.
• Social media links: For eligible regions, add one link per social platform, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and others.
• Attributes: Add attributes like “Wi-Fi” or “outdoor seating.” Some attributes rely on customer feedback.
• Business description: Write a description (up to 750 characters) highlighting offerings, history, mission and unique points about the business or brand. Take the time to craft this section as it contributes to the first impression of your business. Avoid URLs, HTML or promotional offers. Experiment with breaking the text up for easy reading (instead of a large wall of text).
• Opening date: Enter the opening date to inform customers of business longevity; only month and year are required.
• Menu/services: Use the Menu and Services Editor for accurate menu or service listings (limited feature available for certain industries). Make sure to craft your service offerings with care and include relevant keywords naturally.
• Products (retail): Add your products and put thought and time into product details, weaving in relevant keywords where it makes sense. You can automatically add products by linking a POS system with Google’s Local Inventory app. This is a limited feature at the time of writing.
• Hotel features (hotels only): List check-in/check-out times and hotel amenities to keep guests informed.
• Car dealership inventory (dealers only): Display available cars for sale, manage inventory and use preferred data providers if eligible. This is a limited feature at the time of writing.

Pro tip: Make sure to get your NAP+W (name, address, phone number and website) right as part of a greater strategy for NAP+W consistency across the web — inconsistencies across the web confuse Google.

3. Optimize Categories

The right category for your GBP may be the most important ranking factor in the Local Pack.

Most SEOs agree, as showcased in the Whitespark 2023 Local Search Ranking Factors study referenced earlier:

For this, you want to choose the most relevant primary category for your business.

Be specific, such as “hair salon” instead of just “salon.” If your ideal category isn’t available, pick the closest general option from the list.

You should have plenty to choose from though. This list of GBP categories from Propellic shows thousands (almost 4,000).

When you pick your primary category, think about what your business is at its core.

Here, Google gives a guiding principle for picking a category:

“Select categories that complete the statement: “This business IS a” rather than “this business HAS a.” The goal is to describe your business holistically rather than a list of all the services it offers, products it sells, or amenities it features.”

While you can add up to nine more categories, start with an additional two or three — and only if they are relevant.

As Google points out in the help file linked above: “Don’t add a category for every product or service.”

However, it can be helpful to add categories based on special departments or services, as Google says here:

“For example, if you manage a grocery store that includes a pharmacy and deli, choose “Grocery store” as your primary category, then add “Pharmacy” and “Deli” as additional categories.”

Use the attributes feature to refine what you have to offer even more.

Experiment over time to see how different categories may impact your business.

4. Add Images

You want to make sure you do as much as possible to own the first impression of your business. And sometimes photos can be that first impression.

A positive image of your business can drive conversions. BrightLocal research (cited earlier) found that businesses with more than 100 images on their GBP get 520% more calls, 2717% more direction requests and 1,065% more website clicks than the average business.

Both owners of the business and customers can both upload images, but it’s important that you take responsibility for getting some high-quality images up.

Going back to the example shared earlier with Extra Space Self Storage, you can see the difference in photo quality from what the owner uploaded, and what a customer uploaded.

The owner’s photo is on the top, and the customer’s on the bottom:

If you were to only rely on customer photos, you’d be missing out on a big opportunity.

You can include photos such as your logo, a cover photo and additional photos of your business. Don’t forget you can add video, too.

Google has a helpful file on the types of photos you can include and why you’d want to include them, here.

You can learn more about photo and video guidelines and specifications in Google’s help file, here.

Aim to keep your photos fresh and update on a regular basis — try a new photo every week.

5. Communicate and Update

There are different ways to engage with your audience through your GBP, and one great way is to take advantage of Google Posts.

Google Posts serve as mini announcements of what’s going on at your place of business. These posts can help you stand out from the competition and engage further with your audience.

Your audience can get notified of your updates, too.

One study, done informally and posted on Moz, found that these posts are highly engaging but about 40% of businesses do not take advantage of it.

You can post anything from promotions and events to key updates about the business and any relevant news.

This Google help file gives more general information on Google Posts, and Google gives guidelines on the content you create here.

Aim to keep this area of your GBP fresh, posting once a week is a good cadence.

Final Thoughts

There’s much you can do to continuously improve your Google Business Profile optimization.

To start, focus on high-impact tactics like verifying your profile, filling in all the details, selecting precise categories, adding quality images and engaging through regular updates and Google Posts.

Remember, your GBP often serves as a first impression of local businesses for searchers. Keeping your profile accurate, visually appealing and informative not only boosts local search rankings but also builds trust and attracts new customers.

For more local SEO tips, see our big local SEO tips list.

Our SEO experts can help you optimize your Google Business Profile for peak performance and generate more traffic.

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FAQ: How can I improve my Google Business Profile visibility to attract more customers through local SEO?

An optimal Google Business Profile is essential to drawing customers through local SEO. Taking the steps to optimize and expand their online presence online ensures businesses can increase customer reach.

Set up your Google Business Profile by providing accurate details relating to your name and address, phone number, website, categories and categories. Google uses these details to match up local searches with local businesses more accurately. Be sure to add stunning images or posts that draw customers in.

Call upon satisfied customers to leave reviews that demonstrate the depth of your care for customer service while simultaneously building trust as a business. Create an effective review strategy by inviting all reviews – both good and bad – right after sales/service have occurred.

Local citations are of equal importance. Make sure your business information is consistent across various online platforms like directories and social media; this will keep search rankings higher while helping customers quickly locate you.

Include local keywords in your business description and posts to optimize SEO results and drive more local searches. Doing this can make an immediate statement about who your audience is.

Stay engaged with your community by using Google Posts and answering inquiries in the Q&A section. Keep your profile current by regularly adding updates that inform potential customers of special offers or events happening near your location.

Implement these strategies to boost your visibility on Google and attract more traffic and customers. Be mindful to remain consistent as trends and customer preferences may alter over time.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Sign into your Google Business account.
2. Verify that all of your business details are complete, current and accurate.
3. Add images to show off your business, products and services. Make sure they are high-resolution.
4. Customize your business description by including relevant local keywords.
5. Take steps to verify your business location using Google’s verification process.
6. Establish clear business hours, including any holidays that may arise.
7. Share updates, special offers and exclusive events on Google Posts.
8. Respond swiftly and appropriately to customer reviews, feedback and inquiries.
9. Encourage customers to submit positive reviews following purchase.
10. Monitor customer profile insights to evaluate customer engagement.
11. Make adjustments to your profile according to feedback and performance data.
12. Use questions and answers to address common customer inquiries.
13. Keep your business information consistent across platforms.
14. Engage with local community events and spread the word through your profile.
15. Make use of local SEO tools to measure performance.
16. Adjust based on local search trends.
17. Join forces with local influencers to increase profile visibility.
18. Use social media to drive visitors to your Google Business Profile.
19. Stay relevant by regularly adding fresh content.
20. Evaluate competitors’ profiles to gain insights and make improvements.
21. Use Google Ads to increase organic traffic.
22. Apply advanced SEO strategies to reach more customers and expand your local SEO visibility.
23. Look for ways to cross promote your brand and work with other local businesses.
24. Always review and assess how your local SEO strategy is doing. Make adjustments as necessary.

The post 5 High-Impact Tips To Optimize Your Google Business Profile appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

One tiny acronym separates the best-performing websites from the rest in the search results — SEO. No matter the business, the right SEO strategy can take you from invisible to indispensable.

In this article, I’ll highlight three compelling SEO success stories across industries. You’ll see how different businesses tackled unique obstacles and the strategies that led to their breakthroughs.

SEO Success Story No. 1: Local Drug Testing Services

National Drug Screening (NDS), a trusted provider of drug testing services, had trouble ranking well and bringing in qualified leads. Their website wasn’t built with technical SEO in mind, and it was hurting their performance. NDS reached out to Bruce Clay for help.

Recognizing these foundational issues, our SEO experts suggested doing a full site migration as the solution for long-term SEO growth.

Here are the broad strategies that drove the transformation:

• Built a new SEO-friendly website. Guided NDS through the process of developing and launching a new, responsive website designed to meet modern SEO standards. This included collaborating with the new web development team to ensure the technical foundation supported long-term search engine visibility and performance.
• Enhanced site architecture and navigation. Redesigned the site’s navigation and silo structure to improve responsiveness, user experience and search engine crawlability. This included a complete overhaul of the blog structure and the addition of on-site search functionality.
• Content optimization and expansion. Improved content readability and relevance by optimizing headings, bullet points and informational sections. FAQs and videos were enhanced and strategically placed to increase engagement, while content gap and keyword analyses created a strategy for valuable new content.
• Technical SEO enhancements. Implemented key technical fixes, including schema markup (breadcrumb, video and FAQ), XML sitemaps, canonicals, proper 301 redirects and link cleanups. Core Web Vitals and page experience optimizations were prioritized for mobile performance and speed.

The results?

NDS experienced remarkable growth across key metrics:

• 301% increase in organic search visibility within their target markets.
• 215% growth in organic leads, translating into tangible business opportunities.
• Top rankings for competitive localized keywords, such as “drug testing near me.”
• Website engagement improved with a 20% increase in time-on-page. This showed users were finding the information they needed.

Key Takeaway

A technically sound website is the cornerstone of a successful SEO strategy. Building a strong website foundation and then expanding an SEO program from there can improve visibility, engagement and lead generation.

A thorough audit of your website’s technical health can give you a baseline of what needs to be fixed before you can get momentum in an SEO program.

SEO Success Story No. 2: Home Furniture E-commerce

Home Gallery Stores is an online retailer specializing in furniture. The business enjoyed strong performance, ranking on the first page of Google Search results for many top keywords — that is until they launched a website redesign when traffic and rankings took a downturn.

Here’s what we did:

• Thorough index analysis and diagnosis. Conducted an in-depth audit to identify problematic URLs. This included pinpointing duplicate content, soft 404 pages, product variation pages with minimal organic value and URLs with unnecessary parameters.
• Strategic index management. Developed targeted solutions to address each index-related issue, such as eliminating duplicate URLs, adding noindex meta tags, and removing low-value pages and unnecessary URL parameters.
• Reducing crawl waste. By focusing on reducing the number of irrelevant or low-value pages indexed, the team improved crawl efficiency.

The results?

Home Gallery Stores saw dramatic improvements in their online performance:

• A 230% increase in organic traffic, driving more customers to their website.
• Top rankings for high-converting long-tail keywords, which lead to a boost in online sales.
• Enhanced site usability with a 15% decrease in bounce rates.
• A 120% growth in revenue from organic search.

Key Takeaway

In competitive industries like e-commerce, success often rides on maintaining technical SEO and user experience — especially during significant changes like a website redesign.

Prioritize site audits, publish keyword-specific content and ensure your website redesigns are built with solid technical SEO foundations. Your rankings will be safeguarded and you’ll create an e-commerce experience that attracts and retains shoppers.

SEO Success Story No. 3: B2B SaaS Startup

A startup in the B2B SaaS space was determined to carve out a presence in an emerging tech market. While their highest converting leads came from organic search traffic, previous efforts with SEO firms failed because those firms didn’t fully understand the nuances of their business.

Internal efforts also struggled due to limited bandwidth. Bruce Clay stepped in with a strategic SEO plan tailored to their unique challenges and goals.

Here’s how the client turned it around with our help:

• Keyword research and targeting. The Bruce Clay team created a comprehensive list of 100+ industry-specific keywords to align with their offerings and target audience. The keyword list was regularly updated based on new marketing initiatives and trends.
• Content development and siloing. Created 71 pages of research-driven content, including glossary pages, tutorials and blog posts. These silos of industry-specific content were designed to position the company as a trusted resource and authority in their field.
• Technical SEO and site infrastructure improvements. Addressed foundational issues, including navigation problems, broken links and Core Web Vitals metrics to improve the site’s speed, user experience and overall search performance.

The results? In just 17 months, the company achieved exceptional growth:

• 367% increase in organic traffic, significantly expanding their audience.
• 359% growth in clicks from non-branded keywords, capturing new prospects unfamiliar with their brand.
• Substantial improvements in keyword rankings, driving more qualified leads to their website.

Key Takeaway

Even in emerging or niche industries, SEO can be a powerful tool for growth. This B2B SaaS startup proved that research-driven content, targeted keyword strategies and strong technical foundations can drive results in emerging markets.

If you’re operating in a new or specialized space, focus on becoming the go-to authority by creating valuable, educational content and ensuring your website performs flawlessly.

5 Things That Successful Brands Do in SEO

Regardless of the industry or business size, the strategies that led to transformative SEO results for the businesses highlighted in this article shared a common thread:

1. Successful brands build a strong technical foundation. Every successful program began by addressing technical weaknesses that hindered their website’s performance. Creating a solid foundation helps ensure any SEO strategies built from that point on have a chance at succeeding.
2. Successful brands invest in tailored strategies. Every business faces its own set of unique obstacles, so generic approaches just won’t cut it. Working with SEO experts who take time to learn your needs will put your business on a solid foundation for long-term success.
3. Successful brands align content with searcher intent. SEO strategies thrive when you align with what your audience is actively searching for, ensuring content delivers real solutions.
4. Successful brands prioritize high-quality content. Brands that position themselves as trusted authorities with meaningful content attract improved rankings and qualified traffic.
5. Successful brands adapt to change. Transformative SEO often requires tough decisions in less-than-ideal circumstances. Whether it’s a website redesign that went wrong, a new site build or shifting to or from SEO agencies, successful businesses embrace change when necessary.

Final Thoughts

These SEO case studies show that there’s no single path to SEO success. Each business faced unique challenges and required a tailored strategy to overcome them.

The takeaway? SEO will change your life — with the right approach. It can be the transformative solution for business and website growth, despite any challenge you face.

By the way, you can read more about how Bruce Clay helped clients get better SEO results.

Bruce Clay has helped thousands of clients get more website traffic, improve search ranking and increase revenue for nearly 30 years. If you need better results from your SEO efforts, we can help you, too.

Get your free consultation

26,000+ professionals, marketers and SEOs read the Bruce Clay Blog

Subscribe now for free to get:

• Expert SEO insights from the “Father of SEO.”
• Proven SEO strategies to optimize website performance.
• SEO advice to earn more website traffic, higher search ranking and increased revenue.

FAQ: How can tailored SEO strategies help my website perform better in a highly competitive industry or niche?

SEO strategies offer your website personalized protection in today’s increasingly competitive environment, helping it stand out from its peers and become visible online. Instead of employing generic approaches, tailored SEO offers custom techniques specifically tailored for each industry and its requirements. By targeting specific keywords and understanding more about your audience you can increase site visibility and ranking resulting in visitor conversion that drives increased sales growth and business expansion.

Custom SEO strategies designed specifically to fit niche markets involve in-depth market analyses, studying competitors and understanding target audience motivations.

SEO strategies must be tailored specifically for every industry; each sector includes its own keywords, customer habits and competition levels that must be taken into account when formulating strategies designed to achieve business goals. Customized approaches ensure alignment with business aspirations while simultaneously improving content production, web structure optimization and user experience.

Customized strategies often incorporate cutting-edge tactics like local SEO, voice search optimization and mobile-friendly designs. These tools help you reach audiences across platforms and remain relevant in markets.

Implementing SEO strategies takes constant fine-tuning; with its ever-evolving landscape, SEO requires constant adjustment that ensures your site performs at its highest capacity, drawing in and converting visitors.

SEO strategies provide many advantages for building brand authority and trust among target audiences. By consistently producing engaging, high-quality content that keeps audiences coming back for more, SEO strategies can position your business as an industry expert – keeping customers coming back.

Companies can build online presence, foster growth and experience lasting success by meeting niche requirements, employing sophisticated techniques and tracking performance closely.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Know Your Industry: Take the time to fully understand the challenges, opportunities and latest trends within your industry.
2. Establish Your Audience: Determine who your target audience is by conducting research into demographics, preferences and online habits of this target market.
3. Conduct Competitor Analysis: Evaluate which competitors do well and where their weaknesses exist.
4. Search Keyword Research: Research the search terms that your audience uses.
5. Optimize Your Website Architecture: Make sure your site is user-friendly and structured efficiently.
6. Create Engaging Content: Produce engaging material that caters to audience needs while including appropriate keywords.
7. Conduct On-Page SEO: Optimize meta tags, headers and images to increase search visibility for improved search visibility.
8. User Experience: Give visitors to your website an enjoyable experience by making it load quickly, accessible across devices and viewable from all mobile phones.
9. SEO Tools: Use tools like our SEOToolSet® to keep an eye on performance, gather and analyze data, and adjust strategies as required.
10. Use Local SEO: Strengthen local presence through business listings and backlinks from local websites.
11. Engage in Content Marketing: Provide valuable, informative material across platforms in order to draw customers in and hold onto them.
12. Implement Technical SEO: Overcome technical issues preventing effective indexing and crawling.
13. Monitor SEO Performance: Track analytics to measure the efficacy of your strategies.
14. Adjust Strategies as Needed: It is wise to remain flexible regarding any adjustments required based on performance data.
15. Build Brand Trust: Establish credibility through engaging content creation.
16. Sought Customer Feedback: Use customer testimonials and reviews as an avenue for building trust and improving services.
17. Paid Advertising: Give SEO efforts an extra push with carefully tailored paid campaigns.
18. Stimulate Social Media Engagement: Increase engagement on social platforms by driving traffic to them.
19. Keep Up With Changes In Industry: Keep abreast of changes that might alter your SEO plan and plan.
20. Collaborate With Experts: Join forces with SEO specialists to improve strategies and implementation processes.
21. Target Long-Tail Keywords: Choose phrases less competitive to your audience to target long tail keywords effectively.
22. Employ Schema Markup: Help search engines understand your content more fully by using schema markup.
23. Build Quality Backlinks: Acquire links from credible sources in order to increase authority and rankings of your website.
24. Acknowledging Milestones: Remember achievements and establish new goals for growth.

The post SEO Success Stories: What You Can Learn from These 3 Businesses appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

This article updated February 26, 2025

Picture this: You are at the starting line of an auto race with nine other competitors. Your car is tuned, and the pit crew is ready. The race is on.

You’re speeding along — your competitors are all in front of you, traveling as fast as you or even faster, and you are stuck in last place.

Suddenly, something happens, and all nine cars stop or slow down. Do you stop as well? Or do you seize the opportunity to catch up and pass them? I opt to drive faster.

This is a great allegory that illustrates what businesses have experienced in recent times.

As a search marketing advisor to many high-growth businesses, we’ve been closely following both search trends and economic trends. I want to provide my current thinking from a market opportunity perspective.

• Navigating the Highs and Lows of Recent Years
• SEO Growth in Uncertain Times
• FAQ: How can I leverage SEO growth to overcome uncertainty while outperforming my competitors in challenging times?

Navigating the Highs and Lows of Recent Years

Starting with the 2019 COVID event, the world experienced something unlike anything else in our lifetimes.

COVID and the subsequent impact it had on the health and well-being of people, their businesses and their livelihoods was a major setback for many — devastating for some.

Since then, we’ve experienced more volatility. Here in the U.S., headlines about wars, shortages, inflation, rising prices and potential recessions dominated the airwaves.

At the same time, many businesses have been impacted by Google’s search engine algorithms.

Sweeping algorithm updates have led to sudden fluctuations in rankings, penalties and even de-indexing from spam violations. The March 2024 core update comes to mind as one example.

From “page experience” updates to “core algorithm” updates and “helpful content” updates, maintaining rankings in Google requires constant vigilance and the most trusted SEO strategies.

To me, the state of affairs over the past handful of years has meant an opportunity to protect those we care about by driving more business.

Despite the volatility, here’s what we’ve seen: Most businesses that have invested in quality search marketing over the past five years have succeeded in driving growth.

Instead of freezing up, the most common reaction among our client base in the face of uncertainty has been to keep working hard and to get creative about operating under a new paradigm while the competition is paralyzed by current events.

For brick-and-mortar businesses, despite closed doors and empty buildings, many realized new ways of doing business, knowing that their websites still persisted.

So, our advice to clients is to quickly push forward and leapfrog over competitors who are not as nimble.

There is a great opportunity to gain traction in the coming year by expanding your search marketing programs.

SEO Growth in Uncertain Times

The search marketing economy remains very favorable for short- and long-term growth:

• Google processes more than 6 million searches per minute. A segment of those searches will be for services, products or information you can provide.
• In fact, the organic search channel drives 53% of traffic to websites.
• Plus, the SEO market is projected to expand from an estimated $66.97 billion in 2024 to approximately $98.38 billion by 2029, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.98%.

Our SEO agency is well-acquainted with navigating turbulent times — both in the economy and within the ever-changing search results.

When it comes to SEO, the industry may as well adopt the motto: “The only constant is change.”

With more than 29 years of experience in business, we’ve weathered countless cycles of highs and lows, building resilience and adaptability along the way.

Despite all this, we know one thing to be true: If you focus on the fundamentals of creating a good website backed by a solid SEO strategy, you can weather the storm.

As we face more unknowns, the opportunity to focus your energy has never been greater. While your competition is:

• Slow to act
• Uncertain about the economy
• Has decided Google is too volatile
• And has analysis paralysis

… you can embrace the opportunity to get ahead.

Correct the flaws in your website, add meaningful, insightful and compelling content, tune up your performance and pass the competitors.

Everyone has their own race to win … do not stop. And, if anything, drive faster. As with any great race, your future depends on your next decision. This is an all-in moment.

Don’t let uncertainty slow you down — our SEO experts can help you develop an SEO strategy that accelerates your business growth.

Get your free consultation

26,000+ professionals, marketers and SEOs read the Bruce Clay Blog

Subscribe now for free to get:

• Expert SEO insights from the “Father of SEO.”
• Proven SEO strategies to optimize website performance.
• SEO advice to earn more website traffic, higher search ranking and increased revenue.

FAQ: How can I leverage SEO growth to overcome uncertainty while outperforming my competitors in challenging times?

With markets constantly shifting and adaptation key for survival, optimizing content for search engines ensures not only visibility to audiences but resonates with them too – helping turn it into a trusted name that reduces anxieties caused by uncertainty.

How can SEO growth become part of your business DNA? By keeping your website relevant and using data to measure customer sentiment. Also be ready to adapt with changes in the market. SEO isn’t something you do once and then be done with. It’s an ongoing journey that evolves just like your market environment.

As more users access websites via mobile phones these days, make sure your website is optimized for viewing on these mobile phones. Speed matters, too — fast load times keep users happy while improving search rankings. Furthermore, having an impressive backlink profile boosts credibility of the site itself and should never be underestimated.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Conduct an in-depth SEO audit on your website in order to identify its strengths and weaknesses.
2. Research and select keywords that accurately reflect both your industry and target audience.
3. Adjust meta tags, headers and content so they correspond with your chosen keywords.
4. Make your website mobile-responsive for the optimal user experience.
5. Speed up your website with optimized images and intelligent code.
6. Produce content of premium quality that not only engages and benefits your audience, but is also high-quality and engaging.
7. Implement a strategy to build more links to strengthen your credibility.
8. Use social media to create buzz and send people to your content.
9. Use Google Analytics and Search Console to track your website performance.
10. Adjustment SEO strategies as needed based on data analysis and industry developments.
11. Utilize local SEO techniques to target nearby customers if this fits into your business model.
12. Staying abreast of changes to search engine algorithms will maximize success.
13. Form relationships with influential figures and industry leaders for possible collaboration opportunities.
14. Add schema markup to boost visibility.
15. Content should be regularly revised and refreshed to remain relevant and engaging.
16. Examine competitors to identify potential gaps and capitalize on opportunities within your SEO approach.
17. Make use of A/B testing in order to optimize advertising campaigns and landing pages.
18. Engage your target audience through comments, surveys, and feedback mechanisms.
19. Establish an extensive FAQ section in order to meet customer inquiries and satisfy common inquiries.
20. Use paid ads as a supplement to organic growth efforts.
21. Explore voice search, AI and other cutting-edge tech to stay competitive.
22. Make a content calendar to build a pipeline of high-quality articles for your audience.
23. Create a strong brand presence across digital channels.
24. Monitor and adapt your SEO strategy regularly in response to changing conditions.

SEO growth can be an excellent way to address uncertainty and outwit competitors. By prioritizing quality content production, website optimization, agility and building real relationships with your audience – as well as ensuring lasting success – SEO growth offers any brand the chance to experience long-term success.

The post Time for High-Growth Businesses To Drive Faster appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

In this article, I’ll give five quick tips on how to future-proof your website so it’s ready when those pesky core updates hit.

What Do Google Core Updates Do?

What happens during a Google core update? Imagine you and your competitors have all done the “right” SEO things to your sites — essentially leveling the playing field in the search results.

Core updates come in and can shift the balance, so some sites win and some sites lose.

This can happen by reweighting certain factors in the algorithm, emphasizing specific variables or prioritizing different types of content (like informational over navigational).

Your competitors may have sites that the algorithm now favors, making them the “least imperfect” in this new landscape.

“Least imperfect” means that no one website will ever get their site optimized perfectly to match the Google algorithm, but some will get more things right than others.

In a core algorithm update, your competition that came out on top didn’t necessarily work harder — they just had the right mix of things.

So, how do you become the “least imperfect” and reclaim your rankings?

Focus on proactive strategies to strengthen your site. That means doubling down on quality, relevance and usability — the areas that will help you stand out in every algorithm iteration.

Now, let’s look at the five areas you should put your SEO efforts into.

5 Ways to Future Proof Your Website Against Google Core Updates

1. Know Why You’re Creating the Content

Reality check: Why are you creating the content for your SEO program?

If you said “to rank for a keyword,” you’re not alone. While this is a goal in SEO, we can’t let it become the master.

A means to an end (ranking for a keyword) should not overshadow the ultimate purpose (serving your audience).

Google’s guide on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content suggests we think of our “why:”

“Why” is perhaps the most important question to answer about your content. Why is it being created in the first place?

The “why” should be that you’re creating content primarily to help people, content that is useful to visitors if they come to your site directly. If you’re doing this, you’re aligning with E-E-A-T generally and what our core ranking systems seek to reward.

If the “why” is that you’re primarily making content to attract search engine visits, that’s not aligned with what our systems seek to reward.

It’s possible you’ve focused too much on churning out tons of content without taking the time to understand what your audience finds helpful.

So take a deep breath and think about this existential question. You might be surprised at how it could shift your content strategy for the better.

2. Dive into the SQRG and E-E-A-T

Pour a cup of coffee, get comfortable and explore some of SEO’s most-loved acronyms, including the “SQRG” (Search Quality Rater Guidelines) and E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust).

These resources are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to creating quality content that Google wants to reward.

Since quality content is at the heart of many of these Google core updates, we want to better understand what it is that Google values.

Danny Sullivan over at Google gave folks a gentle reminder about this back in 2018:

Want to do better with a broad change? Have great content. Yeah, the same boring answer. But if you want a better idea of what we consider great content, read our raters guidelines. That’s like almost 200 pages of things to consider: https://t.co/pO3AHxFVrV

— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) August 1, 2018

In a nutshell, the SQRG is useful for anyone doing SEO because it gives us a glimpse into the inner workings of how Google Search defines quality.

The SQRG was created for a Google program where hired staff use the guide to evaluate the search results for certain queries and then report back what they have found.

This, in turn, acts as a feedback loop for Google engineers to make further tweaks to the Search algorithm. It helps Google understand if the changes it’s making to its Search algorithms are producing quality results.

So, you can imagine the potential nuggets of useful information that can be found in the guide.

To expand on this, E-E-A-T is a concept presented in the SQRG that discusses the principles of quality in more detail.

If you’re not quite ready to dive into the hundreds of pages in the SQRG, here is your cheat sheet o n E-E-A-T:

• Trust is at the center of E-E-A-T. A page must be accurate, honest, safe and reliable.
• Experience is about the need to have first-hand knowledge of a topic, which is obtained through direct interaction or involvement.
• Expertise is the necessary knowledge or skill needed to write about a topic.
• Authoritativeness builds on expertise and is about being a go-to source on a topic.

For more on this, I highly recommend you read through Google’s SQRG and explore our in-depth guide on E-E-A-T.

3. Handle AI Content with Care

In a reality where everybody and their brother can use AI to create content, it’s a bit of a Wild West situation.

So, we must be responsible for what we put out there. Google is already fighting AI content in the search results with new spam guidelines targeted to AI-generated content at scale.

Although its stance on AI-generated content is a bit more complex. Google doesn’t care how you create the content, but it does expect the content to uphold quality principles.

In other words, you need to keep the bar high for any AI-generated content, asking the “why” and reviewing the content for E-E-A-T.

Google has gone so far as to suggest that disclosing how you used AI in your content could be a good idea, though I think most companies are still a bit shy about coming clean.

Here’s an excerpt from a Google help file that discusses this:

Many types of content may have a “How” component to them. That can include automated, AI-generated, and AI-assisted content. Sharing details about the processes involved can help readers and visitors better understand any unique and useful role automation may have served.

If automation is used to substantially generate content, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is the use of automation, including AI-generation, self-evident to visitors through disclosures or in other ways?
• Are you providing background about how automation or AI-generation was used to create content?
• Are you explaining why automation or AI was seen as useful to produce content?

Overall, AI or automation disclosures are useful for content where someone might think “How was this created?” Consider adding these when it would be reasonably expected.

I’ve written at length about how to create quality content and integrate AI content into your SEO processes, and here are a few articles you might like:

• Google’s Explosive March Updates: What I Think
• Crafting High-Quality SEO Content: A Comprehensive Guide
• 3 ways to add a human touch to AI-generated content (SEL)
• How to survive the search results when you’re using AI tools for content (SEL)

4. Invest in Technical SEO for User Experience

A site that runs well creates an environment that is better for SEO.

Technical SEO is about addressing elements of a website you don’t see — the things that give users and search engines a good experience.

Google recently has doubled down on its user experience advice, making “page experience” a focal principle.

Google’s page experience brings together different factors that impact a website’s user experience. Getting these factors right can give you a leg up on your competition in the search results.

There’s much that goes into making a site run well. That’s why we have technical SEO.

This includes strategies like site structure, optimizing for core web vitals, mobile-friendliness, HTTPS, optimizing a website for crawlers and more.

Be sure to check out 5 Technical SEO Best Practices You Can’t Ignore.

5. Get a Website Audit

How will you know if your site can withstand a Google algorithm update? Get a technical SEO audit.

A technical SEO looks at all of the things that are hurting website performance and preventing it from ranking.

There are different kinds of audits — some are good for uncovering surface-level problems. However, the best audits take time and effort, and are completed by technical SEO experts.

As I’ve written about before here on the blog, the three typical audits include:

• The software-driven SEO audit: A software tool uncovers superficial SEO issues (many of which may be useful). However, the tool produces a generic report. This is appropriate when you don’t have an auditing budget, or you want to check some basics yourself before starting with an agency.
• The blended SEO audit: An SEO vendor uses software for an audit and gives additional SEO insights but without many solutions. They may identify problems that data analytics alone can’t uncover. But, without in-depth solutions, this only points to possible trouble areas.
• The in-depth technical SEO audit: An SEO vendor or expert performs an in-depth technical audit that requires the expertise of a seasoned SEO who specializes in technical website analysis and SEO business strategy. This is a manual review supported by tools, and it takes many hours (for instance, our audits here at Bruce Clay Inc. take more than 100 hours).

If you’re interested in learning more about audits, here is an article I wrote about it: SEO Audits and Tools: The Good, The Better and The Best.

Final Thoughts

Core updates are unpredictable. Google won’t allow us to control their algorithm, but we can take steps with our sites that ensure they’re ready for any future updates.

Remember: your goal is to beat the competition, not the algorithm.

Follow the five steps outlined in this article, and you’ll be able to better weather any core updates that come your way.

Don’t let the next core update catch you off guard! Our SEO experts can analyze your site, identify risks and create a strategy to future-proof your rankings.

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• Expert SEO insights from the “Father of SEO.”
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• SEO advice to earn more website traffic, higher search ranking and increased revenue.

FAQ: How do I determine whether my website has been positively or negatively impacted by Google core updates?

Knowing how Google core updates impact your site — both positively and negatively — is key to staying visible online. These updates represent major alterations to their search algorithms that aim to make search results more relevant and high-quality, potentially altering visibility and traffic flows in either direction. So let’s dive in now.

Before doing anything else, it is crucial that you first monitor your search rankings and traffic using tools such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics. A sudden decrease in rankings or traffic could signal potential trouble; conversely, if rankings or traffic appear to have increased after updates – that could be good news – simply compare changes with dates to see any potential conflicts between updates vs changes versus updates vs updates!

Content quality matters as well. Google likes high-quality, relevant, and trustworthy information – if your material lacks depth or is thin or outdated it could get hit hard by updates such as these. Review all material to ensure it meets their standards, refreshing or removing low-quality pieces as appropriate.

User experience matters too, with core updates often favoring websites that deliver an outstanding user experience. Consider testing how quickly your site loads, whether or not it’s mobile-friendly, and usability overall – tools such as PageSpeed Insights can help identify areas for improvement that could cause people to leave and drag down rankings; negative experiences could even have people altogether leaving your site entirely, significantly decreasing rankings over time if that happens!

Engagement metrics such as time on page, click-through rates, and return visits provide an accurate measure of user interaction with your content. A high engagement score demonstrates to Google that its search algorithms find your material relevant; otherwise, it indicates areas for improvement.

Backlinks play an equally vital role, and any sudden drop or increase in low-quality links could drastically damage your rankings. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs can provide invaluable assistance for tracking backlink health.

Researching your competitors is important, and it can certainly be eye-opening. Watch how their updates compare with yours; if they made more ground while you did not, that likely indicates they adapted their content and SEO strategies better than you.

Discussion forums and communities for SEO professionals can offer invaluable insight. Sharing experiences may bring to light patterns or issues you hadn’t noticed; ultimately, this collective wisdom can contribute towards improving SEO strategies.

Hire SEO specialists if you’re facing difficulty reaching a certain milestone; their experts can conduct extensive analyses of your site’s performance and recommend tailored strategies that can get things back on track quickly. In addition, their expertise can also assist in understanding Google’s ever-evolving algorithm changes.

Recognizing the effect of Google’s core updates on your website involves considering various elements: performance metrics, content quality, user experience, engagement levels, backlinks, and competitor behavior. By piecing together this puzzle you will have a clearer view and can take steps to optimize it for future success.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Log into Google Search Console: Once logged into the console, access data such as impressions, clicks, and average positions for more accurate analysis.
2. Analyze Traffic Patterns: Evaluate changes in traffic prior and post Core Update implementation.
3. Analyze Rankings: To quickly and efficiently monitor ranking changes for key terms, keyword tracking tools provide invaluable visibility into these fluctuations.
4. Conduct a Content Audit: Evaluate the quality of your content against Google’s benchmarks for measuring quality content.
5. Assess User Experience Metrics: Assess metrics like speed, mobile friendliness, and usability as indicators of customer experience.
6. Evaluate Engagement Metrics: To understand engagement metrics, analyze page time on page, bounce rates, and click-through rates.
7. Monitor Backlink Profile: Utilizing tools such as SEMrush to monitor any changes or losses on your backlink profile is vital in maintaining optimal health, and identifying any possible losses or dangers.
8. Conduct Competitor Analysis: Evaluate how well your rivals are faring and what strategies they employ.
9. Join SEO Communities: By joining forums, members can exchange knowledge and receive input from other members.
10. Seek Assistance From An SEO Professional: Hire an expert consultant for assistance by conducting a full audit and evaluation.
11. Implement Changes: Once your findings are in, use them to make any necessary modifications to content and SEO strategies as a result of them.
12. Track Progress: Assess any modifications made to your website performance to ascertain their effect and any possible repercussions they might have had.
13. Remain Aware: Keep informed on SEO trends and any upcoming Google updates in order to stay one step ahead.
14. Refine Strategies: As needed, adjust your approach based on ongoing analyses and emerging best practices.
15. Target Web Vitals: Focus on increasing loading speeds, interactivity, and visual stability to meet this objective.
16. Increase Content Authority: When providing information, be sure it comes from reliable sources with expert opinions backing it up.
17. Diversify Backlinks: For increased authority, diversifying backlinks is key to creating a healthy backlink profile and should be done through diversifying them.
18. Produce Content that Satisfies User Intent: Create content that precisely fulfills user search intentions.
19. Implement Data-Driven Insights: Make informed decisions with content and strategy by employing analytics for smart decision-making.
20. Establish a Feedback Loop: Gather user input regularly in order to continuously enhance performance.
21. Uphold SEO Hygiene: Upgrade plugins and resolve technical errors regularly to maintain SEO hygiene.
22. Adjust Advertising Strategies: Coordinate ads with SEO efforts for consistent messaging.
23. Utilize Social Media: Take advantage of social platforms to drive traffic and engage your target audience.
24. Examine Long-Term Impact: Monitor changes over time in order to ascertain their long-term ramifications.

The post 5 Ways to Future-Proof Your Website Against Google Core Updates appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

The search industry never stands still.

Each year, Google makes thousands of updates to search. While most are minor, several can cause significant shifts in rankings and user experiences.

Then we have to factor in new technologies, like AI-driven search and changes in user behavior, that change how people use search engines.

So in order to consistently be competitive, businesses have to be flexible and frequently adapt their SEO strategies. This can prove to be too overwhelming for many.

The good news is companies can turn to SEO agencies for help. The best agencies are experts at helping clients understand what’s happening in search, stay proactive and adjust strategies as needed.

In this article, I’ll explore how SEO agencies help clients manage change:

How SEO Agencies Guide Clients Through Change

With search in constant motion, website publishers (brands and businesses) benefit from their partnership with agencies to guide them through changes. The role of a good SEO agency is to help clients make sense of updates and trends and pivot to stay competitive.

Guiding Clients Through Algorithm Updates

Google never fails to keep us on our toes. Algorithm updates can range from no big deal to “oh boy.”

For many businesses, these updates can feel unpredictable. However, in SEO, they’re a constant reality.

The good news is that algorithm updates usually reward webpages that are most relevant, authoritative and trustworthy.

That means if you’re on the good side of SEO, as in you’re implementing solid strategies, you can more easily weather any storm.

In this sense, agencies are critical in helping clients prepare for algorithm updates by focusing on the right strategies.

Related: 5 Things to Know If Your Site Loses Rankings.

Agencies are also helpful in diagnosing fluctuations. This helps businesses avoid knee-jerk reactions when sometimes the first instinct is to make immediate changes to a site.

When an algorithm update hits, agencies can:

1. Monitor performance metrics to assess how the update is impacting their clients’ websites.
2. Analyze trends across industries to determine whether the impact is widespread or specific to certain types of content or industries.
3. Provide clear recommendations based on their analyses. The goal is to help clients make informed decisions.

This guidance helps clients stay on top of changes, even when search feels uncertain.

Guiding Clients Through Trends

Knowledge is power, especially in an industry that moves as quickly as SEO — and agencies help keep clients ahead of the curve.

Clients have to keep up with the latest in SEO and how changes impact their business.

A client who doesn’t understand trends may hesitate to allocate budget towards the needed resources. But, an informed client can stay committed to an evergreen SEO strategy over the long term.

Of course, not every trend needs an immediate response. This is where agencies can also be of use. Knowing how to distinguish between trends that need quick adjustments and long-term shifts keeps you focused.

Helping Clients Pivot

Businesses may need to pivot from time to time. And SEO agencies help clients pivot effectively to ensure long-term success.

SEO is a long-term game, and things change over the months and years. A good agency partner will know when an SEO strategy needs to change course.

There are many scenarios when you might have to pivot a strategy, including:

• Significant ranking drops that don’t recover after an algorithm update or technical fix.
• Content that drives traffic but isn’t converting into leads or sales.
• Changes in user behavior that require shifts in content focus, such as users preferring shorter content or more visual elements.

Pivots may feel risky to clients who have put a lot of time, resources and budget into developing an approach.

People are resistant to change. Usually, they prefer to stay the course, hoping that results will improve on their own. If left up to their own devices, many businesses may wait too long to pivot.

As such, a trusted advisor role of an agency becomes key.

When it’s time to pivot a strategy, agencies can help make the transition smoother by:

• Explaining what’s happening and why the current strategy needs to change.
• Providing a detailed outline of the new approach, including specific actions the agency will take.
• Sharing expected outcomes and timelines for when clients can expect to see results.

Final Thoughts

SEO is an ever-changing discipline that requires everyone to adapt. The best SEO agencies offer more than just services — they create a partnership that really gives clients the added bonus of being able to adapt to change confidently.

Our SEO agency has helped thousands of clients navigate the constantly evolving SEO landscape. If you’re struggling to keep up with the changes and drive more traffic, we can help you, too.

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• Expert SEO insights from the “Father of SEO.”
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FAQ: How do SEO agencies educate clients on the importance of balancing traffic generation with conversion optimization?

SEO agencies play a big part in helping businesses compete in the complex digital environment. Their advice helps businesses strike a balance between traffic generation and conversion optimization for maximum effectiveness and sustainable returns on investment (ROI).

The first step of any digital marketing strategy is usually traffic generation, which brings people to your website through SEO, PPC advertising and social media strategies. Once they arrive on your site, conversion optimization should follow to turn their visits into results such as sales, signups, downloads or subscriptions.

Conversion optimization means building a website that turns visitors into leads or customers. It involves understanding the behavior of website users and trying out different design elements that make a better user experience.

SEO agencies help businesses address this challenge by communicating the importance of integrated approach to digital marketing. They explain how traffic generation and conversion optimization complement each other, showing clients why it makes sense to invest time and resources into both areas, prepping them for long-term success. Agencies work with them to incorporate both into their overall digital marketing plan.

SEO agencies advise businesses wishing to achieve a balance between traffic and conversion with a strategic approach. Setting goals, measuring performance and trying different strategies are all part of this approach.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Website Audit: Do an assessment of your website. Look for opportunities to improve performance.
2. Track: Track where your visitors are coming from, as well as conversion rates, by using tracking tools.
3. Establish Audience: Determine who your ideal customers are.
4. Optimize: Website content must be engaging, helpful and relevant.
5. User Experience: Make your site easy for people to navigate — navigation should be clear and logical. Ensure web pages load fast and are responsive.
6. Test Landing Pages: Conduct an A/B split analysis between different designs and messages to discover those which convert leads into sales most effectively.
7. Utilize A/B Testing: Use different versions of your website pages as A/B tests and compare which lead to more conversions.
8. Refine PPC Campaigns: Take time to examine performance data to optimize pay-per-click strategies for optimal ROI.
9. Social Media: Connect and engage with your audience on social media. Forming meaningful relationships will help drive more traffic back to your website.
10. Effective SEO: Implement SEO best practices to optimize your website for traffic and visibility growth.
11. Track Competitors: Keep tabs on competitors and adjust your approach as necessary.
12. Engage Users: Form relationships with your target audience by offering tailored communications and support services.
13. Retargeting Strategies: Reconnect with visitors who did not initially convert on your site through targeted ads.
14. Monitor Performance: Review performance metrics frequently. Look for trends and areas for improvement.
15. Adjust Strategies As Needed: Adapt to any new data insights by being flexible with your strategy and willing to modify it as necessary.
16. Educate Your Team: Make sure that all team members understand the significance of balancing traffic with conversion.
17. Keep Up with Trends: Staying abreast of current digital marketing developments can give your organization an advantage over competitors.
18. Create Conversion Funnels: Give users clear pathways from entry to conversion.
19. Create Value Propositions: Make sure customers understand how your products or services benefit them in order to increase conversion rates and sales rates.
20. Integrate Tools and Technologies: Take advantage of cutting-edge tools to maximize tracking and optimization efforts.
21. Foster an Atmosphere of Experimentation: Foster a team-wide environment conducive to experimentation so as to investigate all potential avenues.
22. Document Your Learnings: Record any successes and failures so that future strategies can take into account.
23. Evaluate Success and Iterate: Evaluate past performance to make improvements over time.

The post The Role of SEO Agencies in Managing Change appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Excelling at keyword research is central to developing an effective SEO strategy. It’s also one of the biggest obstacles. More than simply selecting words, keyword research requires extensive exploration in the search results to uncover insights that show you how best to create relevant and engaging content.

So here in this article, we’ll go over what aspects of the search results to focus on while you’re doing keyword research.

1. User Intent: The Reason Behind the Search

As you gather and refine your keywords, you need to know the intent behind them. This ensures the content you create fulfills a person’s needs as they search on Google.

There are typically four buckets of user intent behind keywords:

• Informational intent: Users are looking for answers or learning something new. For example, “What is keyword research?”
• Navigational intent: They’re trying to find a specific brand or resource. For instance, “Google Keyword Planner.”
• Commercial intent: These people are nearly ready to buy, but want to compare products, for example, “Google Keyword Planner vs. SEOToolSet.”
• Transactional Intent: They’re ready to act, like making a purchase. For instance, “subscribe to SEOToolSet.”

The important step here is to analyze the content that ranks for your target keyword to confirm its intent.

If the top-ranking results are product pages but you’re creating a blog post, you might need to adjust your approach.

You can also consider gathering metrics, such as the target word count for that keyword based on the top-ranking pages.

2. Assess the Competition: Who’s Already Winning?

Ranking for a desired keyword entails evaluating your competitors. You have to understand who’s already ranking and what they’re doing to stay ahead.

• Assess content quality: What makes their content valuable? Is it detailed, user-friendly or visually engaging? For more, see my guide on crafting high-quality SEO content.
• Evaluate the domain: Do competitors have strong backlinks and a high level of trust? Check out my article on the site authority metric before you do this.
• Spot gaps: Can you offer deeper insights than your competition, update outdated information or target a specific niche they’ve overlooked?

Use tools like SEOToolSet®, Ahrefs, SEMrush or Moz to uncover competitors’ backlinks and identify gaps in their keyword strategies. I discuss this more at length in How to Do Competitor Research for SEO.

3. Leverage SERP Features: Beyond the Blue Links

The search engine results pages (SERPs) are rich with information during your keyword research.

The SERPs can give you additional ideas for keywords to target and help you better understand how you will structure your content strategy for a keyword.

For keyword research, you can look at the SERPs in areas such as:

• Google’s autocomplete feature.
• People Also Ask feature.
• Related Searches feature.
• People Also Search For feature.
• Discussions and forums results.

Then, you can use the SERP to analyze the SERP features that show up for a target keyword. (For a quick beginner’s guide, see What Are SERP Features and Why Should I Care?)

For example, are videos predominant in the SERPs for an important keyword? Make sure you’re making videos to answer that query.

Every SERP feature will have a unique strategy. There’s everything from AI Overviews to the Local Pack, Knowledge Panels, Image Carousels and more.

So you’ll need a thoughtful approach to ranking in the whole SERP, and you can learn more about that in my article, What Is a Whole-SERP SEO Strategy?

Final Thoughts

For better keyword research, use the SERPs to uncover the insights you need for a solid SEO content strategy.

When you understand user intent, evaluate your competition and leverage the many SERP features available, you can craft relevant content that ranks and resonates.

Read How To Do Keyword Research for SEO for more keyword research insights.

Don’t have the time to do keyword research? Lacking resources to build a content strategy? Let our SEO experts do the work for you.

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FAQ: How can I effectively use keyword research to identify gaps and opportunities in my competitors’ strategies?

Effective keyword research gives businesses a competitive edge online. It reveals what terms are sending traffic to your competitors’ website, and it shows you the areas where their content may be lacking. This is helpful information you can capitalize on. This process involves analyzing search volume, competition level and keyword intent to ensure alignment with user needs and search behaviors.

Staying ahead requires a keen understanding of competitor strategies. Investigating the keywords they leverage provides insights into their market positioning and audience targeting. More importantly, it unveils keywords and topics they overlook.

Focusing on these gaps allows you to produce content that addresses unmet needs while offering unique value, drawing people in while strengthening SEO efforts as a thought leader and resource in your industry.

The challenge lies in the saturation of popular keywords, where competition is fierce and cutting through the noise is difficult. However, resolving this issue involves a strategic shift towards long-tail keywords or niche phrases that offer lower competition yet significant value.

These keywords often indicate specific user intents, resulting in higher engagement and conversion rates when addressed effectively. By tailoring your content to meet these targeted needs, you can draw traffic away from competitors and establish a more prominent online presence.

Integrating emerging trends and technologies into your keyword strategy is also crucial. Utilizing AI-driven tools for keyword analysis can provide deeper insights into search patterns and competitor tactics.

These tools allow you to quickly identify shifts in consumer behavior, enabling you to modify your strategy proactively. Staying current with industry developments ensures your keywords stay relevant.

An experiential tip for optimizing your keyword research is to regularly conduct audits of your competitors’ performance. This involves tracking their keyword rankings, analyzing their content strategies, and monitoring their engagement levels.

By understanding what works for them and what doesn’t, you can refine your approach and implement advanced tactics that set your brand apart. Combining this with a robust SEO framework will solidify your strategy and drive sustained growth.

Achieving a nuanced understanding of keyword dynamics requires a multi-faceted approach. Engage in competitor analysis, utilize cutting-edge tools, and continuously refine your strategy based on performance data.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Establish Goals: Set clear objectives, whether it’s generating more traffic, earning higher search ranking or finding new markets.
2. Target Competitors: Focus your research efforts by making a list of competitors, both direct and indirect.
3. Keyword Research Tools: Use the right tools for keyword research, utilize advanced tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, SEOToolSet or PreWriter.ai.
4. Analyze Competitor Keywords: Note which keywords your competitors are ranking for, then look up their search volume, difficulty and click-through rates.
5. Find Content Gaps: Take note of topics or keywords unexplored by competitors that present opportunities for your content creation.
6. Assess Keyword Intent: Establish the intent behind each keyword.
7. Prioritize: Prioritize opportunities based on their impact, feasibility and how well they align with your business goals.
8. Content Strategy: Formulate a plan to produce content which addresses gaps while remaining search engine and user friendly.
9. Apply On-Page SEO Techniques: Take steps such as optimizing titles, meta descriptions and headers in order to enhance visibility for your content and make it more noticeable online.
10. Monitor Competitor Performance: Keep track of how competitors’ keyword rankings and content updates impact them so you can adjust your approach appropriately.
11. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords: Leverage long-tail keywords to take advantage of their lower competition and increased conversion potential, customizing content specifically to individual queries.
12. Acknowledging Emerging Trends: Remain aware of industry developments and integrate key words into your plan in order to remain competitive.
13. Conduct Audits Regularly: Assess your keyword strategy regularly to gauge its effectiveness. Tweak accordingly.
14. Engage With Your Audience: Engaging with your audience through social media will help you understanding what they’re interested in. You can build a list of targeted keywords With these insights.
15. Optimize for Voice Search: Use keywords that are conversational throughout your content. Staying current on voice search trends will help.
16. AI Tools: Use AI tools to analyze search patterns and anticipate future trends to strengthen your keyword strategies.
17. Refining Your Approach: Review performance data and market changes frequently to keep your keyword strategy effective and up-to-date, to make sure it remains effective and relevant.
18. Focus on User Experience: Make sure your content offers readers an enriching and enjoyable experience, which can boost search rankings and increase traffic.
19. Create an Effective Backlink Profile: Strategize ways of acquiring high-quality backlinks that will elevate both authority and search visibility.
20. Test and Iterate: Utilize data-driven experiments to test various strategies and approaches in keyword research and implementation processes, then utilize this feedback to further strengthen them over time.
21. Keep Up: To keep an edge in keyword research and maintain market leadership, keep abreast of emerging technologies and trends through keyword monitoring. Doing this will give your competitors less of a fighting chance while providing you with an advantage for keyword research.
22. Collaborate With Your Team: For optimal keyword strategies to meet business goals and initiatives, work closely with your marketing team in creating alignment between keyword strategies and other business initiatives.
23. Continued Education: Stay current with changes to SEO and keyword research. can ensure your knowledge and abilities stay at their most up-to-date state.
24. Utilize Analytics Tools: Leverage analytics tools to assess and adjust your keyword strategy.

The post What Should I Analyze in the Search Results When Conducting Keyword Research? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

What’s one key to SEO success? Fulfilling audience needs in search results at exactly the moment they require them.

Understanding user intent is essential for aligning SEO strategies with what users desire.

In this article, I’ll outline the significance of user intent in SEO strategies and its potential effects on search visibility.

• What Is User Intent?
  • Types of User Intent
• How User Intent Drives SEO Success
  1. Relevance
  2. User Experience
  3. The Customer Journey
• Nailing User Intent: A Step-by-Step Approach
  1. Perform In-Depth Keyword Research
  2. Analyze the Search Landscape
  3. Leverage Behavioral Data
  4. Optimize Content for Intent
  5. Update Content Regularly
• Final Thoughts
• FAQ: How can I utilize insights from user intent data to enhance SEO performance on my website?

What Is User Intent?

The motivation, reason or goal for a search query is user intent, also known as search intent. User intent is the “why” behind the search, what the person wants to accomplish through it.

Understanding user intent is central to crafting content that resonates with visitors and increasing website rankings. Search engines such as Google are focused on ranking results that directly align with user needs.

Types of User Intent

User intent typically falls into one of these types:

• Informational intent:You’re looking for specific information about a topic, product or service. For example, “How does solar energy work?” This may be the first step in your journey as you ponder whether to buy something.
• Navigational intent: The search engine user wants to visit a specific website or find a particular brand/service. For example, “Tesla solar.”
• Commercial intent: You’re comparing products or services before making a decision, like “Tesla solar roof vs. traditional solar panels,” for instance.
• Transactional intent: You’re ready to purchase or take a specific action. Something like “buy Tesla solar panels S series.”

How User Intent Drives SEO Success

Let’s explore why understanding user intent lays the foundation for an effective SEO strategy:

1. Relevance

Simply put — content that isn’t relevant for a query won’t appear in the search results.

Google has millions upon millions of websites to choose from. Only the relevant survive Page 1 or the top of the search results.

If you figure out what your audience needs when they are using the keywords they are using in search, then you can remain relevant and have a chance to compete in the search results.

2. User Experience

Nothing satisfies users more than finding a resource that gives them exactly what they need, without having to look elsewhere. No need to go anywhere else; your content is the best resource for the query.

Put yourself in your audience’s shoes, then research what the competition is doing for that query. Armed with that information, you can create a quality resource that helps your audience complete their mission.

Plus, the better you are at providing what your audience needs with their first interaction with you, the more likely they are to stay on your site or come back.

3. The Customer Journey

Yes, SEO can align with the customer journey. Users interact with your content differently depending on their stage in the buying process:

• Awareness stage: Searching for general information.
• Consideration stage: Comparing options and weighing pros and cons.
• Decision stage: Ready to shop.

When you tailor your SEO program content to these stages, you can guide users seamlessly through their journey, ultimately driving conversions and building brand loyalty.

Nailing User Intent: A Step-by-Step Approach

Understanding user intent is an important first step in an SEO strategy. Here are some steps to consider:

1. Perform In-Depth Keyword Research

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEOToolSet®, SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify the right keywords for your niche — and those that support the entire customer journey.

2. Analyze the Search Landscape

Discover the types of results appearing for your target keywords. For instance, do they mainly show informational articles, product pages, how-to guides or videos?

What questions do top-ranked pages answer? For the keyword query, “solar panel efficiency comparison,” pages may break down the efficiency metrics of leading brands.

3. Leverage Behavioral Data

How users interact with your website, and the things they care about, are useful data you’ll want to collect. Use Google Analytics and social media listening tools to get this info.

Monitor things like:

• Which pages drive the most traffic.
• How long users stay on each page.
• What actions they take (clicking, downloading, or purchasing).

4. Optimize Content for Intent

Successful content meets the specific needs of your audience, so tailor it accordingly.

For example:

• Informational intent: Write in-depth guides, FAQs, and explainer posts. For instance: “How Solar Panels Work: A Beginner’s Guide.”
• Navigational intent: Create clear, easy-to-navigate landing pages. For example: “Explore Solar Products by [Brand Name].”
• Commercial investigative intent: Create side-by-side comparisons, expert reviews or listicles. For instance: “Top 5 Solar Panel Brands Compared: Which Is Best for Your Home?”
• Transactional intent: Create landing pages for products with key information like product reviews and pricing details.

5. Update Content Regularly

Search intent evolves as industries change and trends emerge. Revisit and refresh your content so it remains relevant and aligned with current user expectations.

For example, you might update a foundational content piece each year, like “Solar Panels in 2025: What’s New and What to Know.”

Final Thoughts

As soon as your content meets the needs of each step of a search journey, it can create relevant resources that draw in traffic while improving user satisfaction and increasing conversion rates.

As search engines prioritize quality over quantity, catering to user intent will position your site as a reliable and valuable resource.

Understanding — and applying — user intent isn’t always easy. Our SEO experts can help you build a content and SEO strategy that meets your specific audience needs.

Schedule a free consultation now

26,000+ professionals, marketers and SEOs read the Bruce Clay Blog

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• Expert SEO insights from the “Father of SEO.”
• Proven SEO strategies to optimize website performance.
• SEO advice to earn more website traffic, higher search ranking and increased revenue.

FAQ: How can I utilize insights from user intent data to enhance SEO performance on my website?

The integration of user intent data into SEO strategies is a transformative approach that can significantly enhance website performance. Understanding user intent involves figuring out the underlying motivations and needs behind the search queries of your audience. With this knowledge, SEOs can optimize content and make the user experience better, which in turn will generate more qualified traffic to your site.

User intent comes in four broad categories: navigational, informational, transactional and commercial intent. Understanding each of these categories helps SEOs tailor content specifically for its respective user. Publishing educational articles and optimizing product pages that make the buying easy increases engagement and conversion rates.

Many businesses struggle to provide their website users exactly what they need. This means they will go somewhere else, causing bounces rates to climb and conversion rates to fall. SEOs can avoid this issue by utilizing user intent data to publish content that meets user expectations. This will improve search engine rankings since algorithms favor content that provides value to users.

User intent-focused SEO strategies start with doing thorough keyword research. Use tools that analyze search queries to identify intent categories. Then, make a content plan using the insights you’ve gained that meets the needs across all stages of the buyer’s journey.

Another key aspect is optimizing user experience. Your website should load fast and give users a logical, intuitive navigation. This enhances user satisfaction and encourages longer visits, which are favorable for SEO. Monitor user interactions with your content through analytics tools for insight into what’s successful and what may need improvement. Refine your strategy accordingly.

Understanding your target audience is key for implementing user intent data into your SEO strategy. Try conducting surveys to get feedback about their preferences and needs. Make it a point to stay current on SEO trends.

SEO professionals can significantly elevate website performance by aligning content to meet user expectations and optimizing user experience, as this approach not only pleases users but also drives traffic and increases conversions, guaranteeing long-term success within the digital world.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Conduct Keyword Research: Use SEO tools to discover keywords and their intent behind searches.
2. Categorize User Intent: Segment keywords into navigational, informational, transactional, and commercial intents.
3. Analyze Search Queries: Examine query patterns to understand user behavior and preferences.
4. Develop a Content Plan: Plan a content strategy that meets user intent.
5. Create Relevant Content: Write content tailored specifically for users.
6. Optimize for SEO: Employ meta tags, headers and alt text when optimizing for search.
7. Enhance user experience: Optimize website loading speeds and provide intuitive navigational tools for user comfort.
8. Monitor Analytics: Track user interaction and content performance.
9. Gather User Feedback: Get important insights from your users through user surveys.
10. Refine Strategy: Align your SEO plan with data insights and user feedback in order to achieve maximum effectiveness.
11. Stay Current: Keep up with SEO trends and technologies.
12. Integrate AI Tools: Use AI to enable predictive analytics and enhance content production.
13. Build Quality Links: Raise brand authority by building quality backlinks from reliable sources.
14. Connect With Audiences Through Social Media: Reach broader audiences through various social media channels.
15. Implement Schema Markup: Apply schema markup to your website HTML for improved visibility.
16. Optimize for Mobile: When building your site, ensure it’s user-friendly for mobile visitors.
17. Research Competitors: Research what your competitors are doing. Note what’s successful or what needs improvement.
18. Engage with Audience: Build community through comments, forums and social media interactions.
19. Evaluate Content Performance: Regularly assess which content types resonate most with your audience.
20. Test and Experiment: Conduct A/B testing to optimize content and user experience.
21. Leverage Local SEO: Optimize for local searches to attract nearby customers.
22. Create Video Content: Incorporate videos to engage users and enhance content diversity.
23. Make a Content Calendar: Planning and scheduling content in advance keeps content consistent and relevant.
24. Measure Success Metrics: Monitor important KPIs like traffic, engagement and conversions.

The post What Is the Importance of User Intent in Search Engine Optimization? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Wondering which marketing strategy yields the best returns for businesses? SEO still reigns supreme, and HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report 2024 confirms it — SEO outperforms the other channels with the most significant ROI.

Yet marketing teams are still unclear on exactly how to drive traffic.

So what to do? As a content creator or strategist on a marketing team, the answer is SEO training.

Investing in SEO training on your own or with your team can give you the exact insights you need to transform your website content strategy to drive more traffic to your site.

In this article, find out how SEO training (specifically, ours) can help content creators and strategists by:

Getting to Know SEO Content Fundamentals

Does a falling tree in the woods make a sound if there’s nobody around to hear it? This question equally applies to content on your website. You could write the greatest article in history, but does it even matter if it doesn’t rank and no one reads it? Is it helpful, relevant and worth the effort?

SEO training covers the fundamentals of how to optimize content. These fundamentals turn a great article that no one will see into a great article that has a chance to compete in the search results.

Consider that for every given search, there are millions of search results. And all that matters is the first 10—maybe 20—results (depending on how far people are willing to scroll, and we know from historical data on SERP positions that it ain’t that far).

Without knowing how to ideate, create and optimize content in a way that competes in the search engines, you’re essentially wasting resources.

SEO training helps students learn the basics of search-engine-optimized content from start to finish, including:

• Finding the appropriate keywords. Keywords are words or phrases your target audience searches for when looking for what you offer in search engines. Selecting the right keywords ensures your content stays relevant and is picked by search engines when they decide which websites will rank for specific queries.
• How to do keyword research. Doing keyword research well requires more than just a list of words generated from a keyword tool. It takes discernment and strategy. Using the right tools is important, yes, but also understanding nuances like the intent behind keywords, choosing just the right keywords (traffic volume vs. competition) and choosing long-tail keywords is key.
• Optimizing content with keywords. Making sure your target keywords show up on the webpage in a way that actually reinforces the topic so that search engines understand that the content you wrote is an authoritative source takes some work. You can get pretty technical here, going so far as how often and where the keywords show up, as well as what related words should be on the page.
• Tweaking content for readability. SEO training can help you understand readability scores and how those might factor into how Google evaluates a webpage against others like it.
• Optimizing other elements of the content. SEO content doesn’t begin and end with keywords. Creating and optimizing content for meta tags, using header tags correctly and using alt attributes all contribute to a well-rounded, search-optimized webpage. And these types of tasks can fall squarely on the shoulders of content creators.

Understanding How to Enhance Content Quality

You most likely know what it takes to make great content, but do you know what Google thinks about it? SEO training gives you a complete understanding of Google’s content quality guidelines.

In most cases, if you are creating excellent content, you have nothing to worry about. But it is still critical to understand the rules.

Once you know what search engines like Google consider quality content, you can begin to see the connection between content and the algorithms that filter out poor-quality content in favor of high-quality content.

Just some of the things you can explore in more detail during SEO training include:

• How to create people-first content. Content should be made for people, not search engines, says Google. SEO training gives you the knowledge to prioritize the needs of your audience over search engine algorithms.
• E-E-A-T. Experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust are key signals in Google’s quality guidelines. Being able to break down these concepts into your content strategy and individual content pieces helps you better compete in the search results.
• AI-generated content. AI is quickly becoming a go-to tool for marketers, and understanding how to use it effectively without the risk of losing rankings or suffering search engine penalties is critical. Marketers who get this piece wrong risk more than just lost rankings but also lost business revenue. For more, see my article on Search Engine Land about how to survive the search results with AI content.
• Other Google-created quality concepts. This includes “your money or your life” content, “needs met” ratings and how the reputation of content creators factors into quality content as outlined in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines.

SEO training helps you enhance the quality of your content by delving deeper into the framework of what quality means to search engines.

By the way, it’s worth mentioning that we are bringing back my In-Person SEO Training course in 2025. Our next course is January 28–30 (see the website for the rest of this year’s dates).

Now is the perfect time to join me and learn my expert insights that will help you improve your content — and SEO — strategy. Seating is limited, so reserve yours before they fill up.

Register for the In-Person SEO Training

Keeping Up with Trends

Keeping up with search engines and SEO is a full-time job for content creators, strategists and marketers, and they already have enough on their plates!

SEO training is great because it informs you about the newest search engine algorithm changes and industry updates, and how to adapt to them.

Google has long championed quality content and continues to evolve its algorithms to suppress low-grade material from search results. Content creators and strategists have to stay on top of the changes if they want to stay competitive.

For instance, Google core algorithm updates, which can happen several times a year, can impact websites in many ways, with content often being a factor (see my article on Search Engine Land for more on surviving these updates).

And when Google rolled out new spam policies related to AI content, many marketers needed to quickly shift their content strategies.

Of course, nothing beats reading up-to-date news about SEO so you can adjust strategies as soon as needed.

However, given the current climate, SEO training takes a deeper dive into how to best handle SEO content and allows you to ask questions and clarify strategies with SEO experts.

In addition, incorporating new SEO techniques is another way training can make a significant difference. As technology advances, so do SEO strategies.

A good course will cover emerging practices like voice search optimization, AI-driven content creation and mobile-friendly content, which are increasingly important.

When content creators and strategists keep up with the latest changes in SEO, they can pivot quickly and stay ahead of the game.

Final Thoughts

SEO training covers essential areas of content that are competitive in the search results, including optimization basics, enhancing content quality, mastering SEO tools and staying updated with the latest trends.

Each area contributes to a more robust, data-driven content strategy that aligns with user expectations and search engine algorithms.
With a better understanding of SEO, you can make your content creation efforts pay off in competitive search results.

That’s why SEO training is not just an educational investment; it’s a strategic move that empowers marketers, content creators and strategists to drive significant improvements in their content strategy to attract more traffic and customers.

Join us for our next In-Person SEO Training With Bruce Clay. This training course will give you the knowledge and skills to build a content strategy that drives more visibility, leads, sales, customers and revenue. Reserve your seat today before they fill up!

Reserve your In-Person SEO Training seat

FAQ: How can I utilize SEO training to develop and execute strategies that improve my website’s ranking?

Search engine optimization training provides essential skills and knowledge needed for increasing website visibility in a highly competitive digital landscape. SEO training arms professionals with the knowledge of keywords optimization, link building strategies, content production techniques and technical SEO, all key elements to creating successful SEO campaigns.

SEO training teaches you how to adapt to changes in ranking factors as they evolve. It covers how to create high-quality, relevant content that ranks and appeals to your audience.

SEO training also covers advanced techniques such as schema markup and mobile optimization that are key for optimizing website performance and accessibility.

Implementing these strategies can be difficult. A lot of website owners struggle to stay abreast of SEO trends and algorithm updates, leading them to experience stagnation or decline of site performance. Continuing SEO education is necessary in order to remain current in search results and keep your website competitive in them.

SEO training is a great way for anyone looking to expand their SEO capabilities. It not only builds your expertise but also empowers you to build an SEO strategy that generates more traffic and visibility.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Explore SEO Training Options: When considering various SEO training programs, ensure they cover both foundational and advanced subjects.
2. Understand Search Engine Algorithms: Learn about how search engines rank pages and the factors which contribute to them being listed at the top.
3. Master Keyword Research: Conduct keyword research using tools such as Ahrefs, SEMRush or PreWriter.ai to discover high-value keywords relevant to your target audience.
4. Analyze Your Competitors: Research what your competitors are doing. Find any gaps and areas for potential improvement.
5. Optimize Website Architecture: Build your site with a well-structured architecture that is logical for users and easy to crawl.
6. Engaging Content Creation: Develop keyword-rich articles that meet user needs with engaging articles that capture reader attention and draw them in.
7. Enhance On-Page SEO: Increase search engine visibility through optimizing title tags, meta descriptions and internal hyperlink strategies.
8. Focus on User Intent: Align content with what users are seeking out for an increase in relevancy and satisfaction for them.
9. Create Quality Backlinks: Attract quality links through guest blogging, partnerships and content promotion to establish yourself as an authority figure online.
10. Utilize SEO Tools: Track performance with tools like Google Analytics, Moz and SEMrush in order to gain actionable insights.
11. Combat Technical SEO Issues: Fix broken links, and address duplicate content and slow page speeds to increase rankings.
12. Optimize for Mobile Users: Build your site so that it is easy to navigate for mobile users.
13. Implement Schema Markup: Use structured data to improve how search results display on your site.
14. Optimize Local SEO: Increase local searches by claiming and updating your Google My Business listing.
15. Voice Search Optimization: Develop strategies that specifically target natural-language queries used in voice searches.
16. Track SERP Performance: Evaluate keyword ranking performance to gauge how successfully your strategies have taken hold in search results pages (SERPs).
17. Conduct Regular SEO Audits of Your Site: Conduct routine SEO audits on your site in order to detect and address performance bottlenecks and performance bottlenecks that hinder its overall efficiency.
18. Keep Up With Industry Trends: Stay informed by industry developments by following reliable SEO blogs and attending relevant webinars. Keep Your Knowledge Current: To stay abreast with industry developments, subscribe to top SEO blogs and attend relevant webinars regularly.
19. Experiment With Innovative Tactics: Explore innovative tactics like interactive content in order to outshout competitors.
20. Collaboration Within Your Team: Share insights and align strategies across marketing, content production and technical teams.
21. Measuring Return On Investment (ROI): In order to demonstrate their investments’ return on effort, companies need to assess how SEO efforts impact traffic, leads, and conversions.
22. Continuously Refine Strategies: Leverage insights gained through analytics to refine campaigns and achieve improved results.
23. Celebrate Milestones: To maintain momentum for SEO efforts and spur team members forward onward, celebrate milestones to celebrate progress along your SEO journey and recognize progress made along your SEO path. Doing this can serve to reinforce and sustain efforts moving forward.

The post How SEO Training Can Transform Your Content Strategy appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..