As a business, your website will be an enormous part of your success. It is how potential customers get to know who you are and what you offer.
The question is, how easily can they find you?
Even the most incredible marketing content won’t ultimately amount to much if search engines like Google aren’t serving it to users who can benefit from it. Implementing and improving SEO, as well as staying in step with the latest techniques and trends, is a must.
For example, user experience (UX) can dramatically impact SERP rankings, so prioritizing it and the Core Web Vitals (CWVs) that help you evaluate and track it is essential.
Let’s dive into what you should know about how to improve SEO on Google and get your content discovered.
What Does SEO Mean?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a series of steps designed to improve your website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).
By implementing these steps, you can enhance your visibility, rank higher than your competitors, reach your target audience more effectively, and drive more traffic to your website or blog.
When users search for answers or information on a particular subject, they enter keywords and phrases into a search engine. The search engine then returns links to content that it deems most relevant to the user’s query.
By optimizing your content for SEO, you increase the likelihood that your content will appear in these search results, allowing you to connect with your intended audience.
What is SEO Ranking?
An SEO ranking refers to the position where a webpage or blog post appears on the search engine results page (SERP) in response to a user’s query.
Search engine algorithms use a variety of ranking factors to determine this positioning, including content relevance, backlink quality, readability, and other factors.
The higher your SEO ranking, the more likely your target audience will find your content and click through to your website or blog.
Increased traffic to your site enhances the chances of converting visitors into customers. A strong SEO ranking is crucial for visibility and online success, as it directly influences the reach and effectiveness of your digital presence.
How Can I Improve My SEO in 2024? 15 Techniques to Rank Higher
Maintaining or improving SEO rankings is an ongoing need for every business and freelancer. To improve your SEO in 2024, start with an SEO Audit of your website. Learn everything you can from this audit and identify where to start.
Often, you will only need to focus on making smaller changes or modifications to a webpage or other parts of the site. Yet, there are several direct and indirect techniques you can use to improve your ranking.
Ready to improve your SEO ranking in 2024? If so, consider the following list of techniques.
1. Prioritize the user experience
The user experience is, by far, one of the most critical factors for a good SEO strategy. Google is increasingly attentive to how content is produced on websites and how it is being delivered to users.
This is because if your content is robotic and made just to please search engines, it probably won’t rank. All content should be produced from person to person naturally, delivering something that users want to see and read.
The latest algorithm created by Google in 2021 focuses on the experiences of the users on web pages, and now all the updates have been based on this algorithm.
Try to understand more and more how the user experience (UX) can be directly connected to SEO, and your organic strategy will become better and better.
2. Always analyze data
Analyzing SEO data is essential for a successful strategy. Use this data as a basis for the formation of your organic acquisition strategy.
Pay attention to data on traffic and the number of visits to each blog post. Know which pages do not make sense on your website and revise or remove them. Do content pruning or optimize content that is not being visited as much.
By organizing and acting on the SEO data, you will be able to make your organic acquisition of customers even better.
3. Create high-quality content relevant to your audience
The top driver of higher SERP rankings is your content.
Focus on creating more high-quality, authoritative, and fresh content geared toward your intended audience.
This content can increase traffic to your website or blog, which, in turn, boosts the relevance and authority of your site. Search engines will recognize this, and you can move up in the rankings.
Strategies to help write content valuable to your intended audience (and to search engine rankings) include:
- Build content around a keyword phrase your intended audience searches for frequently.
- Create content using related keywords and phrases to those most searched queries, which may be found under the “Searches related to” section of a Google results page.
- Build content around low-competition keyword phrases, such as those you might find in the “People also ask” sections on SERPs.
4. Revisit older content and update and optimize as needed
Don’t forget about the content already on your website.
Updating and optimizing existing content is a quick way to improve the relevancy of your site. Start with a content audit to identify what to focus on first.
While the content may still be beneficial and not need revising, evaluate it for targeted keywords. Also, check to see if any images, infographics, or videos need to be updated.
Ensure Google indexes your updated content by going to Google Search Console, entering the URL of the updated content, and clicking on the “Request Indexing” button.
5. Increase the readability of your site
By increasing the readability of your content, you can impress both your audience and search engine algorithms.
Readability is a measurement of how easy your content is to read. Elements that factor into this measurement include text legibility, complexity, and even the actual formatting. A key characteristic of readable content is that it is also scannable.
You can measure the readability of your content with the Flesch-Kincaid and Flesch Reading Ease formulas. Help is available online, including with tools such as Yoast SEO, SEMrush, Readable, Grammarly, and Hemingway.
Readability improves the reader experience, alerts search engines that the content is of higher quality according to the number of readers, and can help boost you up in SEO rankings.
6. Create a robust linking strategy
Your linking strategy is a key component of your SEO success and needs to include plans for both internal and external links.
Within your content, link to external authoritative, relevant, and reputable sources. By doing so, you can increase your own credibility and authority, which are two factors search engine algorithms pick up on.
Make the anchor text for your links descriptive also, and use your targeted keywords or phrases whenever possible.
Inbound links (or backlinks) are also beneficial to SEO. These are links that occur as a result of another website linking back to your site. To gain these inbound links, create high-quality, shareable content and track down opportunities to guest post.
Google looks at inbound links as another indicator that your website contains quality content and will take you more seriously. You don’t need a ton of these, as the search engine looks at the quality of each more than how many you have on your site.
7. Regularly check for broken links
To improve the user experience even more, regularly check both your outbound and inbound links to ensure they are still working properly. You may find an inbound link from another website is broken or an external link in your content isn’t functioning as intended.
Broken links can annoy your readers, reduce trust, and affect dwell time (thus, increasing the chances of visitors bouncing off your website completely). Visitors to your content can also be suspicious that your site is unattended, outdated, or inactive. All of these can impact the user experience and your SEO rankings.
8. Vary content types
Offering different content types can attract a wider audience and increase traffic to your website. It can also boost dwell time, causing visitors to spend more time on your site, which can directly impact your SEO ranking.
If you’re unsure where to start, consider your existing content. How can you repurpose it in another format? For example, turn a popular video into an informative blog post, or vice versa.
Content types that are beneficial to SEO include:
- How-to guides
- Authoritative blog posts
- Long-form content
- Detailed Lists / Listicles
- Videos
- Interactive content
- Infographics
9. Strive for the featured snippet
A snippet is what Google puts at the top of a search engine results page to provide a partial or full answer to a specific query. This featured snippet is pulled from one of the top 10 results appearing on that first page.
Strive for your content to be the featured snippet.
To do so, find a keyword phrase you are currently ranking for on a SERP.
Look at the featured snippet appearing on that results page and notice its structure. The structure type will usually be a definition, list, or table.
Examine your ranking content and make sure it is formatted to fit into one of the snippet format types.
For example, to strive for a list-based snippet, be sure you use consistent subheadings (h2, h3s) with descriptive phrases for each section.
10. Add alt tags
For every video and image on your website or blog, include alt tags.
These alternative text descriptions help search engines understand what that image is and index it appropriately.
The original purpose for alt tags is to provide a description of images for visitors who cannot see them. It is also what shows if an image fails to load for some reason.
To increase the effectiveness of these tags, be as specific as possible in your description, keep it short, include your keyword or phrase, and be unique.
11. Include meta titles and meta descriptions
Include both meta titles and meta descriptions to help the search engines gain a clearer understanding of your content and to entice viewers to click over to your website.
Make each one short, unique, and descriptive while also including your most important keyword or phrase.
While these have less of a direct impact on your SEO, they can boost user engagement with your content and website, making them an indirect SEO factor.
12. Consider adding an FAQs section
As a person learns about a topic or subject, it can lead to additional questions and interests. Yet, it is impossible to address all of these potential questions and related interests in the content of just one webpage, article, or blog post.
So, if you can anticipate what these will be, you can benefit your SEO by adding an FAQs section at the bottom that utilizes long-tail keywords. With these included, search engines will recognize the long tail keywords, and you can now rank when people are searching on those topics as well.
13. Concentrate on improving your local SEO (if relevant)
Local SEO is essential to those who serve specific geographical areas. It helps you appear at the top of local search results.
A major goal is to rank in what is referred to as the “Local Pack.” This pack of three local businesses shows up at the top of SERPS, along with a Google map.
To help optimize your local SEO and boost your chances of ranking higher, here are a few tips:
- Claim or create your Google My Business Profile, then optimize it.
- Make sure you have consistent online directory citations (name, contact information, etc.) across the web.
- Optimize your website and blog content for local keywords
- Respond to Customer Reviews
14. Make your website more mobile-friendly
With more people conducting searches on mobile devices today, it’s no wonder that you need to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Not only will this provide a better user experience for your target audience, but it can also affect your SEO.
Google now uses mobile-first indexing, and this means that its algorithms primarily focus on how your content is displayed for mobile devices and use this to index and rank your pages.
15. Monitor webpage loading speeds
If your webpage loading speed is overly slow, it will impact your visitors and also Google rankings. Visitors are more likely to abandon your site, and Google is more likely to notice.
In other words, how fast or slow your website loads will directly and indirectly impact your rankings.
Monitor and test how fast your web pages load and make improvements on those that prove to be too slow.
Things that can help speed up load times include reducing the file size of your webpage, compressing images on your site, and re-evaluating any plug-ins and themes.
On-Page SEO Techniques
On-page SEO is about fully optimizing your web pages and content to achieve those first-page Google rankings you’ve been striving for. Some must-know tips for fantastic on-page SEO in 2024 include:
- Focusing on content quality: Content that meets current Google standards is engaging, well-formatted, and helpful to the max. It also includes features like click-worthy SEO titles, bullet lists, and optimized headings. Adding the right SEO tools to your repertoire can help. These include AI tools to help streamline portions of the creative process.
- User experience: Optimizing user experience is key in today’s digital marketing landscape. Get familiar with Core Web Vitals and track them religiously. Pay special attention to site loading speeds and mobile-friendliness. Top authorities like SEMRush recommend prioritizing interactivity, as well.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO covers the functional aspects of your website, supporting optimal user experience in the process. Bring your own approach up to date by implementing best practices like the following:
- Advanced techniques: Don’t shy away from advanced practices like schema implementation and structured data use. They’re the key to meeting Google’s current SEO standards, helping bots understand your site, and qualifying for highly visible SERP features like rich snippets.
- Site security: Modern web users want to know they’re safe with you when they land on your website, so top-tier security is key. Boost SEO and show Google that you take security seriously by implementing an ultra-secure HTTPS protocol.
Off-Page SEO Strategies
A robust approach to off-page SEO helps complement your other SEO efforts. Off-page SEO covers anything you do outside of websites you own and control to achieve higher rankings. Top considerations to keep in mind in 2024 and beyond include:
- Link building: Google sees high-quality backlinks from industry authorities as votes of confidence for the quality of your site and content. Crank up your SEO game in this arena by partnering with influencers and personalizing your outreach approach.
- Social media optimization (SMO): Like backlinks, social signals like shares and likes help improve SEO by showing it resonates with your audience. Focus on creating engaging, shareable content that stops audiences in their tracks and encourages them to interact. Master platform-specific optimization techniques (like Reddit SEO) to boost visibility on sites Google trusts and returns often on SERPs.
Local SEO
If you manage a local brand or otherwise need to target audiences from specific locations, mastering local SEO is a must. Keep the following in mind:
- Google My Business: Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business profile is a game-changer when it comes to improving your SEO ranking. Among other things, it helps boost your Google Maps SEO and makes your business easier to find. Keep yours up to date, add photos and videos, and ensure all contact information is correct.
- Local citations: Accumulating, curating, and responding to local citations and reviews helps maximize your rankings, as well, especially in localized searches.
Mobile SEO
According to Google, your site’s mobile version is the primary version used for indexing and ranking. This phenomenon is known as mobile-first indexing, and it’s an essential part of mastering how to improve Google search ranking.
Ensure your site is well-optimized for a variety of different mobile devices by improving load speeds, using responsive web design, simplifying your site design, and optimizing images.
SEO Tools and Resources
Keeping your marketing toolbox full of incredible resources that streamline the process of improving SEO and reaching an audience is a solid way to stay ahead of the game in 2024.
- AI and automation tools: Modern marketers have a multitude of AI-powered and automation-focused SEO tools at their disposal these days. Make good use of established essentials like Ahrefs and SEMRush, and explore additional options like WriterAccess, BuzzSumo, and Screaming Frog.
- Monitoring and analytics: Use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Backlink Checker to monitor your site’s functionality and quickly identify potential issues. For best results, perform audits quarterly for large sites and twice yearly for small business sites.
Video SEO
Google isn’t the only search engine in town. YouTube boasts one of the world’s largest, most widely used search engines, so including YouTube SEO in your efforts to improve SEO is key.
Optimize your video descriptions and dialogue with best SEO practices in mind. Help your videos stand out with features like eye-catching thumbnails, savvy descriptions, and title cards as well.
Create Higher Quality Content to Boost SEO with the Help of WriterAccess
Knowing how to improve SEO ranking now shouldn’t be your only concern. It’s just as important to understand how to improve website SEO for the foreseeable future.
Ensure you have the right expertise and help in your corner, as well, by assembling a team of SEO-savvy professional content creators from a trusted platform like WriterAccess. Try it for free today when you sign up for your free 14-day WriterAccess trial!
