SEO Tips to Grow Traffic to Your Website

The Importance of SEO

An Ahrefs study revealed that a staggering 90.63% of pages receive no organic search traffic from Google, indicating a significant loss in potential visibility and engagement.

In the absence of organic search traffic, pages heavily rely on paid advertising for generating traffic, which can be costly.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) emerges as a powerful solution to drive substantial organic traffic, surpassing the effectiveness of organic social media, as indicated by a study conducted by BrightEdge.

SEO's Superiority in Driving Traffic

According to the study, SEO has the potential to generate over 1,000% more traffic compared to organic social media channels, emphasising the significant impact SEO can have on website visibility.

The study also claims that 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, further proving the power of SEO along with paid for advertising like Google Ads.

Unlike paid advertising, which requires continuous investment, SEO and Content Marketing allow you to create marketing assets that continue to yield results as long as the demand persists, while maintaining a competitive edge.

The Power of Search Intent

Without a solid understanding of SEO principles, relying solely on luck to earn traffic from search engines becomes highly unlikely. Creating content with search intent in mind ensures that it matches the needs and expectations of users, increasing the chances of ranking higher in search results and attracting relevant organic traffic.

Maximising Return on Investment (ROI)

With effective SEO strategies, your initial investment in creating optimised content continues to pay dividends over time, driving organic traffic and improving your website's visibility.

In contrast, paid advertising requires ongoing expenditures to maintain traffic levels, making SEO a more sustainable and cost-effective long-term investment.

SEO is crucial for gaining organic search traffic, outperforming organic social media and paid advertising in terms of effectiveness and long-term ROI.

Now that we know SEO is important in today's attention economy, let's look at some tips that can help you optimise your content to increase your chances of being in the 9.47% that qualify for almost free (earned) traffic.

This article provides a variety of SEO tips, starting with the most recent ones, and will be regularly updated. We recommend bookmarking this resource to conveniently apply the latest findings and enhance the growth of your website.

Time Specific SEO Tips for 2023

The Future of SEO with AI

AI is rapidly gaining significance and its adoption is poised to accelerate even further. However, what implications does this hold for SEO?

Many individuals are leveraging AI to generate complete articles, which can be an intriguing experiment. However, it presents significant risks for businesses. While AI can be employed to enhance and create article outlines, it remains crucial for humans to be the driving creative force.

Unique perspectives must be infused into the AI models; otherwise, there is a risk of homogeneity across content, leading to plagiarism concerns. In the short term, search engines like Google are also utilising AI to identify AI-generated content and devalue it, as it fails to offer novelty.

While leveraging AI to generate content may attract traffic initially, it is vital to be cautious as search engine algorithms will eventually catch up, potentially resulting in blacklisting.

This does not imply avoiding the use of AI; on the contrary, it is highly recommended as a powerful tool to enhance productivity. However, it is essential to ensure the presence of a unique perspective and adhere to the brand's distinctive tone of voice.

Google Updates Its Guidelines: E-E-A-T Is the New E-A-T

Discover Google's latest E-A-T guidelines, now known as Double-E-A-T. These guidelines act as a valuable framework for human quality raters to evaluate the effectiveness of Google's search ranking systems. Originally consisting of three essential factors (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), the concept underwent a significant revision in December 2022 when Google introduced the crucial criterion of "experience."

According to Google's perspective, generating specific types of content based on firsthand experience is essential for establishing credibility and trust. These updated guidelines have significant implications for SEO strategies, demanding a closer alignment with user experience and a focus on delivering reliable and authentic information.

How Google Understands Experience

Google's understanding of experience in the Double-E-A-T framework emphasises firsthand or life experience in a particular topic. This means that Google aims to prioritise pages where the author has personal experience with the subject they are writing about. For instance, an iPhone review should be written by someone who has actually used the product, and a guide on the best music venues in London should come from someone who has visited them.

It All Leads to Trustworthiness

Among the criteria in Double-E-A-T, trustworthiness holds the utmost importance. Expertise, authoritativeness, and experience serve as supporting factors to determine the overall trustworthiness of a page. The relevance of these criteria may vary depending on the topic, and one should consider the purpose, type, and subject of the page to assess the trustworthiness of the content creator.

Experience vs Expertise

Experience and expertise are distinct concepts. Expertise is about knowledge and skills, which are often gained through experience. However, experience alone does not make someone an expert, and expertise does not necessarily require extensive experience.

The inclusion of experience in Double-E-A-T is applicable to a wide range of topics, including YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics. It is worth noting that personal experience is valued in establishing trust, even if the author is not an expert.

A quick driving example: You may have driven a car for 20 years, making your an experienced driver, yet Lewis Hamilton is more of an expert driver than most.

Surgeon example: You may have had several surgeries (experience) yet it doesn't make you a surgeon (expert).

Being an experienced driver for 20 years is valuable and can provide valuable insights for others who want to learn without needing expert-level skills like Lewis Hamilton. Similarly, having personal experience with multiple surgeries does not make someone a surgeon, but their firsthand knowledge can still be valuable to those seeking information or support in that context.

In both cases, the experienced individuals can share their practical knowledge, tips, and perspectives, catering to the needs of an audience who may not necessarily require expert-level guidance. Their experiences offer relatability and a unique perspective that can be valuable to others in similar situations.

Pro Tip: When creating content, make sure to incorporate Experience, Expertise, and Authority wherever relevant. By doing so, you can enhance the Trustworthiness and credibility of your content, leaving a lasting impression on your audience with the valuable insights you provide.

By sharing your firsthand Experience in the topic, you establish authenticity and relatability, connecting with your audience on a deeper level. Additionally, highlighting your Expertise showcases your knowledge and skills, positioning you as a credible source of information. Demonstrating Authority in your content solidifies your position as a trusted voice in your field.

Integrating Experience, Expertise, and Authority not only adds depth to your content but also builds a foundation of Trustworthiness with your audience. When your readers perceive you as trustworthy, they are more likely to engage with your content, share it with others, and even become loyal followers or customers.

Remember, the value you provide through your content goes beyond just conveying information. It's about establishing a strong connection with your audience, earning their trust, and positioning yourself as a reliable source of expertise. Incorporate Experience, Expertise, and Authority into your content strategy, and witness the positive impact it has on your audience's perception and engagement levels.

SEO Recommendations Change

Over the years, Google has altered it's Search Engines Results Page (SERPs) User Interface (UI) which means, things change often resulting in old out-dated information littered across the internet.

For example, the max length Meta Description used to be a hard 140 characters, then Google experimented with showing more lines. Since then, this upper limit is much more flexible. Occasionally Google decides to show more if it helps their users.

Evergreen SEO Tips

Below discover SEO Tips that don't change

1. Keyword Research Tips
2. On-Page Optimisation Techniques
3. Technical SEO Best Practices
4. Off-Page Optimisation Strategies
5. Local SEO Tips
6. Monitoring and Analytics

SEO Tips for Optimising Your Content and Driving Organic Traffic

1. Use relevant keywords throughout your content.
2. Structure and format your content in a way that is easy to read and scan.
3. Use images and videos to break up your text and make it more visually appealing.
4. Stay Updated with Algorithm Changes: Keeping up with search engine algorithm updates ensures that you align your strategies with the latest SEO practices. Stay informed through reputable industry sources and search engine announcements.
5. Create High-Quality, Optimised Content: Craft valuable, engaging, and well-optimised content that aligns with your target keywords. Focus on providing informative, unique, and comprehensive content that satisfies user intent.
6. Optimise Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Write compelling and concise title tags that accurately reflect the content of each page. Craft enticing meta descriptions that encourage users to click through to your website from search results.

Keyword Research Tips

As mentioned earlier, generating traffic can be challenging. However, an essential approach to guarantee worthwhile content investments is to engage in keyword research. This ensures that there is a demand for your chosen topic and enables you to incorporate the words your target audience uses.

We undertake this process for two primary reasons. Firstly, it assists you in achieving higher rankings and attracting traffic from user queries on search engines. Secondly, it helps you establish a connection with your users, ultimately leading to an increase in leads.

Keyword Research Tools

Here we'll discuss what tools can help you conduct keyword research. There are a ton of tools that can help with crucial data to uncover the volume (usually monthly searches) per query and how how tough it is to earn a strong ranking presence for this keyword phrase, often called Keyword Difficulty.

1. Ahrefs
2. Semrush
3. Google Trends
4. Google Search
5. Google Search Console
6. Moz
7. SpyFu
8. AnswerThePublic
9. Serpstat
10. Seodity.com

How to Select High-Value Keywords

When using these tools, the objective is to identify keywords that exhibit high demand yet face low competition. Additionally, when selecting keywords, it is crucial to take into account your domain's ranking power in relation to the keyword difficulty metric provided by these tools.

For instance, if your website is relatively small and lacks authority within your industry, it will be challenging to rank for broad, general terms (head terms). In contrast, targeting longer and more specific phrases (long-tail phrases) may yield better results.

A head term refers to a broad topic, such as "SEO" in the context of this article. Since numerous websites discuss this topic and include the term on their pages, it becomes exceptionally difficult to achieve a high ranking for most websites.

On the other hand, as you narrow down your focus to more specific topics, the phrases become longer and typically face less competition. An example of a longer term could be joining your topic with you location, such as "SEO for businesses in East Grinstead".

These tools not only reveal the long-tail terms that people actively search for on search engines but also assist you in choosing the most strategic battles at the opportune moments. As you consistently produce and enhance your published content, you gradually accumulate domain authority, consequently strengthening your ranking power. This, in turn, enhances your prospects of ranking for broader topics that typically generate substantial traffic.

On-Page Optimisation Techniques

Page Title

• What is a Page Title? The page title is what you see in the browser to signify what the page is. More importantly it's what users see in Search Engines.
• Why: It's important because it's your opportunity to encourage the user to click on your page instead of a competitor. With the majority (68%) of digital experiences starting with a search engine, it's most likely the introduction to your brand, some of these people may be interested in what you offer
• How: To optimise your page title of your page, ensure they aren't too short, longer is better yet the sweet spot is between 40 to 60 characters or 4 to 9 words. These page titles have the best Click-Through Rate (CTR) according to a study by Backlinko.

Meta Description

The primary purpose of the Meta Description is to provide search engine users with information about your page and specifically why they should be interested in visiting it.

While much has been discussed regarding the ideal length of the Meta Description, it's important to note that search engines frequently update their user interface. Therefore, it is advisable to focus on using persuasive language that explains the benefits of clicking on your organic ad rather than a competitor's. To achieve this, it may be necessary to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience when crafting the Meta Description effectively.

Another consideration is to prioritise the main benefit by front-loading it, rather than focusing solely on the length. By ensuring that the key message is displayed prominently, you can accommodate the varying character limits imposed by search engines. Sometimes Google may truncate the Meta Description after 140 characters, while other times it may display more than 200 characters. However, if your key point is conveyed early on, it becomes less critical if the entire well-crafted Meta Description is not fully displayed.

Headings and Subheadings

Headings and subheadings play a crucial role in organising and structuring your content effectively. They not only aid readers in understanding your article's flow but also provide valuable signals to search engines regarding the importance and hierarchy of your content. Follow these best practices when using headings and subheadings:

1. Main Headline (H1): The main headline or article title should be marked as the H1 element. It represents the primary focus of your content and should be used only once on each page. The H1 element should accurately summarise the main topic or purpose of the page. Incorporate relevant keywords naturally within the H1 tag to provide search engines with context and improve the page's visibility.
2. Section Headings (H2): Section headings are used to divide your content into logical sections. They should be marked with the H2 element, indicating their significance and hierarchy. Section headings serve as anchor points for readers, allowing them to navigate through your content easily. Include keywords naturally within the H2 tags to provide both users and search engines with a clear understanding of the content covered in each section.
3. Subheadings (H3, H4, H5, H6): Additional heading elements (H3, H4, H5, H6) help create a hierarchical structure within your content. Each subsequent heading level should be used as a subheading for the preceding level. For example, an H3 element should be used as a subheading for an H2 section heading. This cascading structure enhances the organisation and readability of your content. Remember to use these subheadings sparingly and ensure they are relevant and meaningful for both users and search engines.

It's essential to strike a balance between optimisation and user experience when incorporating keywords into headings. Keywords should be used naturally and contextually, focusing on providing value to the reader rather than attempting to deceive search engines. Avoid keyword stuffing or over-optimisation, as search engines now prioritise user-centric content and penalise manipulative practices.

By following these best practices for headings and subheadings, you can create a well-structured and optimised content hierarchy that enhances both user experience and search engine visibility.

Internal Links

Boost page authority with internal links...

Internal links have a powerful role in optimising websites and can have a positive impact on a page's rankings by leveraging the concept of PageRank. PageRank serves as a measure of a web page's importance and authority as perceived by search engines, particularly Google. This metric is influenced by both the quantity and quality of links pointing to a specific page.

When a page within a website establishes a link to another page within the same site, an internal link is created. These internal links provide a pathway for search engine crawlers to explore and navigate through various pages within the website. Additionally, they foster connections and associations between related pieces of content.

Strategic implementation of internal links offers an opportunity to shape the flow of PageRank from one page to another. The PageRank value held by a page can be transferred, to some extent, to the linked page when a higher-ranked page links to it. Consequently, this distribution of PageRank can contribute to elevating the rankings of the linked page in search engine result pages (SERPs).

The significance of internal links lies in their ability to distribute the accumulated authority and relevance of a website's pages throughout its structure. By employing internal links effectively, website owners can prioritise specific pages and signal their importance to search engines. This, in turn, enhances the crawlability, indexation, and visibility of targeted pages, ultimately leading to improved rankings in search engine results.

However, it is important to bear in mind that the impact of internal links on rankings should not be viewed in isolation. While they are indeed valuable, other critical factors such as high-quality content, a seamless user experience, and comprehensive SEO strategies also contribute significantly to a page's overall ranking potential. Therefore, a holistic approach to website optimisation is essential for achieving optimal results.

Best Practice to implementing Internal Links

Implementing internal links effectively is crucial for maximising their impact and optimising your website. Here are some best practices to consider:

1. Use relevant anchor text: Choose descriptive and keyword-rich anchor text for your internal links. This helps both search engines and users understand the context and destination of the link.

2. Link to relevant and related content: Ensure that your internal links connect pages that are thematically related. This helps search engines establish semantic connections and provides users with a seamless navigation experience.

3. Prioritise user experience: Internal links should enhance the user experience by offering additional valuable information or guiding users to relevant resources. Consider the user's intent and how the internal link can provide them with further insights or assistance.

4. Utilise hierarchical structure: Organise your internal links in a logical and hierarchical structure. This allows search engines to understand the importance and relationship between different pages on your website. Important pages should have more internal links pointing to them.

5. Be mindful of the quantity and placement of links: Avoid excessive internal linking, as it may dilute the impact of each link. Focus on providing meaningful and strategic links rather than overwhelming users with numerous links on a single page.

6. Regularly audit and update links: Perform periodic audits to ensure all internal links are functional and pointing to the correct destinations. Update or remove broken or outdated links to maintain a positive user experience and ensure search engines can crawl your site effectively.

7. Consider site architecture: Design your website's structure to facilitate easy navigation and discoverability. Categorise and group related content together, making it intuitive for users and search engines to find relevant information.

By following these best practices, you can optimise your internal linking strategy to improve user engagement, enhance search engine visibility, and ultimately boost the rankings and overall performance of your website.

Technical SEO Best Practices

Technical SEO plays a vital role in optimising your website's technical elements to enhance its performance in search engine results.

By implementing the following best practices, you can significantly improve your website's technical SEO, leading to higher rankings, increased traffic, and improved conversion rates.

1. Optimise your website's code and structure: Ensure that your website is designed to be mobile-friendly, incorporating responsive design principles. Conduct keyword research and strategically integrate relevant keywords into your website's code, meta tags, headers, and URLs. Creating an XML sitemap helps search engines crawl and understand your website's structure more efficiently.

2. Resolve crawl errors: Crawl errors hinder search engine bots from properly indexing your website. Utilise tools like Google Search Console to identify and rectify any crawl errors promptly. Regularly monitor your website for broken links, missing pages, and other issues that can negatively impact your search engine rankings.

3. Enhance User Experience and Website Speed: Fast-loading websites not only provide a better user experience but also contribute to higher search engine rankings. Conduct regular speed tests using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to identify areas for improvement. Optimise images, leverage browser caching, minimise HTTP requests, and consider utilising content delivery networks (CDNs) to enhance your website's loading speed.

4. Optimise site content: Your website's content should be relevant, engaging, and high quality. Perform comprehensive keyword research to identify the most valuable and relevant keywords for your target audience. Incorporate these keywords naturally throughout your content, including headings, paragraphs, and image alt tags. Develop a content strategy that focuses on providing value to users and answering their search queries effectively.

5. Build authoritative backlinks: Backlinks from reputable websites are crucial for improving your search engine rankings. Create high-quality, shareable content that naturally attracts backlinks from other websites. Guest blogging on relevant platforms, participating in industry-related forums and communities, and reaching out to influencers and thought leaders in your niche are effective strategies for building valuable backlinks.

By implementing these technical SEO best practices, you can enhance your website's visibility, attract more organic traffic, and ultimately achieve better results in search engine rankings.

Effective Off-Page Optimisation Strategies to Improve Website Ranking

Off-page optimisation plays a crucial role in enhancing your website's ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

It's important to understand that achieving noticeable results requires time and consistent effort. However, with dedication, you can witness significant improvements in your website's visibility. Alongside the aforementioned factors, here are some additional off-page optimisation strategies you can employ:

• Press Releases: Utilise press releases to create and distribute newsworthy content about your website or business. This can help generate buzz, attract attention, and earn valuable backlinks from reputable sources.

• Social Bookmarking: Submit your website to social bookmarking platforms to increase its visibility and reach a wider audience. This strategy can drive traffic to your site and improve its overall authority.

• Article Marketing: Compose informative and valuable articles related to your niche and publish them on your own website. Then, submit these articles to reputable article directories, including a link back to your site. This can enhance your website's visibility, establish credibility, and generate inbound links.

• Video Marketing: Capitalise on the popularity of video content by creating and sharing engaging videos about your website or business. Host these videos on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, optimising them with relevant keywords and linking back to your website.

• Podcast Marketing: Harness the power of podcasts by creating audio content that is informative, entertaining, or educational. Share your podcasts on platforms like iTunes or Spotify, including links and references to your website in the show notes.

Local SEO Tips

Local SEO has emerged as an essential component of digital marketing, especially in the United Kingdom, where businesses strive to connect with customers in their specific regions.

While traditional SEO focuses on optimising websites for broader online visibility, Local SEO aims to enhance visibility within a specific geographical area, such as cities or towns.

With the integration of Google Maps data into Google Search, Local SEO has gained prominence. Imagine you're exploring a new city in the UK and suddenly crave Italian cuisine. You turn to Google Search/Maps, searching for "Italian restaurants near me," and instantly receive a curated list of nearby options complete with reviews, distance, and other relevant details. This seamless experience is the result of effective Local SEO implementation.

By focusing on local signals like business location, customer reviews, and geographic relevance, Local SEO enables businesses to appear prominently in search results when potential customers search for products or services in their vicinity. This targeted approach enhances user experience and boosts the visibility of local businesses, making it a valuable strategy in today's digital landscape.

As businesses in the UK continue to adapt to the evolving digital ecosystem, understanding and leveraging Local SEO best practices becomes increasingly crucial. By optimising your online presence for local searches, you can effectively reach and engage with customers who are actively seeking products or services in specific locations, ultimately driving more foot traffic, online conversions, and business growth.

To enhance your local search visibility and attract more customers to your business, implementing the following local SEO tips can make a significant difference:

• Optimise your website for local search: Ensure your website includes your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on all pages. Additionally, incorporate relevant local keywords throughout your content to increase its relevance to local searches.
• Claim your Google My Business listing: Utilise the free tool, Google My Business, to create a comprehensive profile for your business. This will enable your business to appear in Google Maps and search results, increasing your local visibility and providing essential information to potential customers.
• Get listed in other local directories: Expand your online presence by listing your business on various local directories, such as Yelp and Bing Places for Business. These platforms offer free business listings that can enhance your local search visibility and provide additional avenues for potential customers to find your business.
• Create high-quality local content: Develop valuable and relevant content that specifically caters to your local audience. Consider creating blog posts, articles, or videos that focus on local events, news, or tips related to your industry. This not only establishes you as a local authority but also improves your website's visibility for location-specific searches.
• Promote your business on social media: Utilise social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote your business locally. Share your content, engage with potential customers, and run targeted ads to reach your local audience effectively. Leverage social media's geo-targeting capabilities to connect with users in your specific location.
• Utilise local SEO plugins and tools: Take advantage of dedicated local SEO plugins and tools, such as Yoast SEO, Bright Local and SEMrush, to optimise your website for local search. These tools can assist in keyword optimisation, content analysis, and monitoring your local SEO performance.
• Monitor and analyse your local SEO performance: Regularly track your local SEO efforts using tools like Google Analytics. Monitor website traffic, user engagement, and conversion rates to evaluate the effectiveness of your local SEO strategies. Adjust your approach as needed to continuously improve your local search visibility.
• Google Reviews: Ensure you have plenty of 5 star Google Reviews as they help users pick you above local competitors and is a small factor in Google's Local Pack ranking algorithm.

By implementing these local SEO tips, you can enhance your online presence, attract more local customers, and boost your business's visibility in local search results.

Local SEO is a great opportunity, especially for smaller businesses because there are less businesses to compete with, so you have more chance of competing for otherwise unrealistic search terms on a national or even global level.

Monitoring and Analytics

Monitoring and analytics play crucial roles in the success of any business. Monitoring enables you to track your progress and identify potential issues, while analytics empowers you to comprehend your data and make informed decisions.

There are numerous methods available for monitoring and analysing data, ranging from software and spreadsheets to more traditional approaches like pen and paper. The key is to select a method that aligns with your business and works effectively for you.

Once you establish a suitable system, you can begin monitoring your data and identifying trends. This valuable information enables you to make data-driven decisions to improve your business. For instance, if you observe a decline in sales, analytics can help pinpoint the cause and guide you in taking corrective measures.

Monitoring and analytics are essential for business success. By tracking progress and understanding your data, you can make informed decisions that foster growth. Additionally, here are some additional benefits associated with monitoring and analytics:

1. Early identification of problems for timely corrective action.
2. Tracking progress and assessing performance.
3. Making better decisions based on comprehensive data analysis.
4. Enhancing efficiency and productivity.
5. Boosting sales and profitability.
6. Staying ahead of the competition.

If you have not yet implemented monitoring and analysis practices for your business, now is the opportune time to begin. It is one of the most beneficial actions you can take to drive the growth and prosperity of your business.

Conclusion

In conclusion, search engine optimisation (SEO) is a multifaceted discipline that involves both on-page and off-page optimisation strategies to improve website ranking and visibility.

By focusing on factors such as keyword research, quality content creation, website structure, user experience, and off-page optimisation techniques like press releases, social bookmarking, article marketing, video marketing, and podcast marketing, you can enhance your website's visibility and attract more organic traffic.

Additionally, local SEO has become increasingly important for businesses targeting specific geographical areas. By optimising your online presence for local searches, claiming your Google My Business listing, getting listed in local directories, creating high-quality local content, promoting your business on social media, utilising local SEO plugins and tools, and monitoring your local SEO performance, you can effectively reach and engage with customers who are actively seeking products or services in your specific location.

Furthermore, monitoring and analytics play a vital role in the success of any business. By implementing a suitable monitoring and analytics system, you can track your progress, identify potential issues, understand your data, and make informed decisions to drive growth and profitability.

Remember, achieving significant results in SEO takes time, dedication, and consistent effort. It's important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and algorithms to adapt your strategies accordingly. By implementing the best practices outlined in this guide and continuously optimising your website and online presence, you can improve your website's ranking and visibility, attract more organic traffic, and ultimately drive the growth and prosperity of your business.