Do you want to outrank your competitors? But struggling with low traffic? You're not alone. In this situation, the right thing for you is to implement the best SEO practices.
So, today, I’ll share the 14 SEO best practices based on my experience in website optimization. These powerful practices will help you boost your brand awareness and increase organic traffic.
What are SEO Best Practices?
SEO best practices are guidelines that help improve a website's visibility in search engines. They include optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, and images, using relevant keywords, creating high-quality content, building internal links, improving site speed, and earning high-quality backlinks to boost rankings and traffic.
Once you've got these fundamentals down, you can move on to more advanced SEO techniques to boost your ranking even further. This solid foundation is essential for growing your site's presence on search engines.
14 Best SEO Practices to Follow in 2024
Following the right SEO practices is essential to boost your website's visibility and ranking. With that in mind, here are the 14 best SEO practices to keep your site at the forefront in 2024.
-
Start with Proper Keyword Research
-
Identify and Match Content with Search Intent
-
Use Your Primary Keyword in Four Places
-
Optimize Your Content for Secondary Keywords
-
Write Compelling Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
-
Optimize Content for Different SERP Features
-
Optimize Images for SEO
-
Add Relevant Internal Links
-
Use Short and Descriptive URLs
-
Publish Quality Content
-
Build High Quality Backlinks
-
Improve Pagespeed
-
Provide Good User Experience
-
Follow Google’s E-E-A-T Guidelines
Looks like you need to do a lot of work to get your SEO right. Well, to be honest, managing SEO can be time-consuming and complex, but Dorik, the best website builder for SEO, makes it effortless.
With built-in tools like auto-sitemap, custom schema, and image optimization, you don’t need plugins or coding. Everything is automated to help you rank better and faster.
From meta titles to fast, responsive design, it’s all handled—no extra work for you.
Now, let's dive deep into SEO best practices and get your content on the first page of Google.
1. Start with Proper Keyword Research
Keywords (queries) help Google understand your content and match it to relevant searches.
To rank your content higher, focus on identifying relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition. Prioritize long-tail keywords, which are easier to rank for and target specific audiences. Place your primary keyword in the first 25-100 words of your content for better ranking, and use SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify untapped opportunities.
Take the keyword "how to get backlinks," for example.
It's a popular term with a Keyword Difficulty (KD) score of 69 and attracts monthly searches of about 1,000. This means it's not easy to rank for, but it's worthwhile because many people are searching for it.
For example, if you're writing an article that uses this keyword, you would want to include helpful, practical advice about earning backlinks. This approach not only targets the keyword but also provides valuable content, boosting your website's visibility and increasing traffic.
Related Reads:
-
Get answers to 60+ Important SEO questions
-
Stay updated with the latest seo trends
2. Identify and Match Content with Search Intent
Ensure your content matches the user's search intent for better search engine ranking. Analyze the top search results to understand what users are expecting. Once you grasp their search intent, ensure that your content delivers that information clearly. Finally, align your content format and structure accordingly for better engagement and rankings.
This approach involves recognizing the four main types of search intent. Each requires a different approach.
-
Informational Intent: Users are searching for a particular information. Here, you should create valuable content that answers their questions and solves their problems.
-
Navigational Intent: Users want to reach a particular website or page. If your site is what they're looking for, make sure your content helps them get there quickly and easily.
-
Transactional Intent: Users want to make a purchase or perform another specific transaction. Here, your content should guide them smoothly through the buying process, making it as easy as possible.
-
Commercial Investigation: Users are looking to purchase and compare options. Here, you should provide them with comparative insights or helpful buying guides.
Let’s understand it with an example: When someone searches for "buy a website domain," he/she has transactional intent and expects to see purchase options and domain registration services like GoDaddy or Hostinger.
On the other hand, a query like "how to create a website with AI" indicates informational intent, calling for educational content, step-by-step guides, or video tutorials to help users start building their website.
Additionally, addressing search intent is about more than content creation; it's also about choosing the right format and angle to truly engage and inform your audience.
3. Use Your Primary Keyword in Four Places
Place your main keyword in these four places for better search engine ranking.
-
First, include it in your title tag—this shows search engines and users what your page is about.
-
Second, add it to your H1 heading to clearly define your content’s main topic. The title tag often acts as the H1 heading in most popular website builders.
-
Third, make sure it’s in the URL to help both users and Google understand your page’s focus.
-
Lastly, include the primary keyword in the meta description to help search engines and readers understand the content quickly.
While placing keywords is important, your goal should always be to create helpful content. Keywords simply help search engines and users know your topic. Always prioritize writing for the reader. Answer their questions clearly, and the rankings will follow.
Extra Tips:
-
Use your keyword in the first 100 words for more impact.
-
Avoid stuffing the keyword—use natural variations to keep the content readable.
4. Optimize Your Content for Secondary Keywords
Secondary keywords help Google understand your content's depth and relevance. These related terms provide context and allow your page to rank for a broader range of search queries.
Use secondary keywords naturally throughout your content to cover subtopics and address related questions. This boosts your chances of appearing for various related searches.
How to Optimize Secondary Keywords Effectively:
Find Relevant Secondary Keywords:
-
Think from the reader’s perspective: Consider what related questions or subtopics they might search for.
-
Use Google’s autocomplete, People Also Ask, and Related Searches to find common secondary keywords.
-
Analyze competitor content to see which additional terms they’re ranking for.
Cluster Secondary Keywords:
-
Group secondary keywords by search intent (informational, transactional, navigational) to ensure each keyword fits naturally into your content.
-
Look for SERP similarity. Keywords that lead to similar results often signal related subtopics.
-
Use AI tools to cluster and clean up secondary keywords quickly, ensuring no duplicates or irrelevant terms.
Incorporate Secondary Keywords:
-
Add these keywords to headings, subheadings, and within paragraphs to create comprehensive coverage of the topic.
-
Use variations and synonyms to keep the content engaging and avoid keyword stuffing.
-
Address common subtopics identified through content gap analysis to make your content more complete and useful.
5. Write Compelling Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Optimizing your titles and meta descriptions are important to get more people to see your website in search results. These parts of your website are important because they're often the first thing someone sees about your page.
Optimizing title tags and meta descriptions boosts your page’s visibility and increases clicks from search results. The title grabs attention, while the meta description gives a quick overview.
Well-optimized titles and descriptions lead to higher CTRs, which signals search engines to rank your content better.
These parts of your content are important because they're the first thing someone sees about your page in the search result page.
How to Optimize Title Tags:
Here are some helpful tips to optimize your title tags:
-
Keep titles between 50-60 characters to avoid truncation.
-
Place your primary keyword at the beginning for better relevance.
-
Include power words like "Best," "New," or "How to" to grab attention.
-
Use numbers or brackets to make titles more clickable.
-
Create unique titles for each page to avoid duplication.
Related Read: Best AI Title Generators
How to Optimize Meta Descriptions:
Meta descriptions are short descriptions under the titles in search results. To improve meta descriptions:
-
Keep meta descriptions under 160 characters to ensure they display fully.
-
Incorporate the primary keyword early in the description.
-
Align the description with user intent by summarizing the content accurately.
-
Use action-oriented phrases like “Learn more” or “Get started” to encourage clicks.
-
Highlight key benefits, such as offers or useful guides, to draw interest.
Now, If you are searching for the easiest way to optimize your title and meta tags, Give Dorik AI a try. It's the best AI website builder in the market that lets you customize your Titles and meta descriptions at ease.
6. Optimize Content for Different SERP Features
To optimize for SERP features and get those spots, focus on answering user queries clearly and providing well-structured, valuable content. Target natural language keywords and format your content with headers, lists, and schema markup for better chances of appearing in featured snippets or AI overviews.
Win More Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are an excellent way to increase your visibility by appearing at the top of Google’s search results.
To appear in featured snippets:
-
Structure content to answer specific questions directly.
-
Use clear headers and concise answers, preferably under 40-50 words.
-
Format data into lists, tables, or short paragraphs.
-
Focus on ranking in the top 10, as snippets often pull from these results.
-
Target question-based, long-tail keywords that reflect how users search, especially for “how-to” and “what is” queries.
-
Check "People Also Ask" Section: Find related queries and answer them directly in your content.
Get Those Rich Snippets
Rich snippets display extra information, such as star ratings or prices, that help to improve click-through rates.
Here’s how to optimize for Rich Snippets:
-
Implement schema markup to make your content eligible for rich snippets like reviews, products, and recipes.
-
Use structured data to help search engines understand your content better.
-
Focus on schema types that align with your page content, ensuring it is detailed, clear, and useful for the user.
Optimize for AI Overviews
AI Overviews (AIO) are concise summaries generated by AI. Google is now showing AIO even to the signed-out users in the US.
AI overviews prioritize top-ranking content, so aim to rank in the top 10 results for your target keyword. Ensure your content is comprehensive, using natural language and authoritative references.
Google's AI overviews are often pulled from the same high-ranking sources. So, focus on producing content that answers queries thoroughly and matches user intent.
Optimize for Voice Search
Voice Search has a significant impact on how Google's Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are displayed.
To optimize for voice search:
-
Focus on natural, conversational keywords and aim for featured snippets, which are often used in voice results.
-
Write content in a Q&A format, using concise answers to questions.
-
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and fast, as voice searches are frequently done on mobile devices.
-
Local SEO is also crucial, especially for location-based queries.
7. Optimize Images for SEO
Optimizing your images is important for faster loading times and better SEO, aligning with Google image SEO best practices. Here’s a quick guide to make your images work harder for your site:
Here’s a quick guide to make your images work harder for your site:
-
Choose the Right Format: Use JPEG for photos and PNG for graphics with limited colors. Use WebP for high-quality and small file sizes.
-
Compress Images: Lower file sizes with tools like Adobe Photoshop or TinyPNG to speed up loading without losing quality.
-
Descriptive Filenames: Make sure to give your files clear and relevant names so that search engines can understand and index them more effectively.
-
Use Alt Text: Include alt text for each image. This makes it easier for people with visual impairments to access the content and boosts SEO as search engines read this text.
-
Responsive Images: Make sure your images look good on any device by using responsive design and adjusting image sizes based on the device viewing them.
Here's the good news: Dorik automatically compresses and optimizes your images for faster load times that help to improve both user experience and SEO without needing additional plugins or manual effort.
If you're looking for AI tools to create stunning images, check out our blog post that lists the best tools to generate AI images.
9. Optimize Your Site with Effective Internal Linking
Internal links connect pages within your website. They help search engines understand your content and guide users through related topics.
Start by linking from older, relevant pages to newer ones with low authority. This helps boost the visibility of new content. Then, link from new pages to existing ones to build a logical structure for readers and search engines.
Optimizing your site with effective internal linking is a simple but powerful SEO technique. It improves SEO by signaling which pages are important and how different topics on your site relate to each other.
Here’s how to optimize internal linking:
Link from Other Relevant Pages: When you publish new content, link to it from older, related pages that already have authority.
For example, if you have a blog post on "content marketing strategies," link from existing articles about "SEO best practices" or "email marketing tips." This boosts the new page’s visibility and passes authority. Eventually, it makes it easier for search engines to find and rank the page.
Link to Other Relevant Pages: Similarly, your new content should link to relevant existing pages on your site. These links create a natural flow for users to explore more content and improve user engagement and experience.
For instance, in a post about "improving page speed," link to articles on "technical SEO" or "image optimization" to provide further resources.
Build a Topical Cluster: A topical cluster is a group of interlinked pages centered around a main topic (the pillar page).
For example, if your pillar page is about "digital marketing," the cluster might include subtopics like "social media marketing," "PPC advertising," and "SEO tools."
By linking these subpages to the main pillar and to each other, you create a structured content hub. This signals to search engines that your site is authoritative on the topic and improves your overall ranking for related keywords.
Best Practices for Internal Linking:
-
Use Descriptive Anchor Text: Ensure the anchor text accurately describes the linked content. For example, use “keyword research guide” instead of “click here.”
-
Maintain Relevance: Only link pages that are topically related to provide value to users and strengthen the content structure.
-
Limit the Number of Links: Avoid excessive linking within a single page, as too many links can dilute the authority passed to each page.
-
Update Old Content: Regularly add internal links from older authoritative pages to newer, less established ones.
-
Link Deep, Not Just to Top-Level Pages: Avoid linking only to your homepage or category pages—link to deeper, specific content to guide users.
-
Ensure All Pages Have Links: No page should be isolated. Link every important page so search engines can easily find and index them.
9. Use Short and Descriptive URLs
Use short, descriptive URLs to improve your page’s SEO and user experience. A clean URL tells both users and search engines what the page is about. Include your main keyword and avoid unnecessary words, symbols, or numbers.
So, here's how to create URLs that are both user-friendly and search engine-friendly:
-
Keep URLs Short: Shorter URLs tend to perform better in search engine results pages (SERPs). A study by Backlinko supports this, showing that concise URLs often rank higher.
-
Include Keywords: Always use your target keywords in your URLs. This helps improve your content’s visibility and relevance in search results.
-
Use Logical Structure: If your website has multiple categories or layers, use categories or subfolders in your URLs. For instance, if you have an online store, you might include a “/shop/” subfolder to help users navigate your site more easily. Use hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_) to separate words.
-
Make URLs Readable: A well-crafted URL should give a clear idea of what the page is about. Avoid long, confusing URLs that can deter users and complicate sharing. Aim for clarity and simplicity. Avoid full sentences, mixed cases, spaces, special characters, and unnecessary numbers.
10. Publish Quality Content
Quality content directly addresses user needs, answers their questions, and provides value. It should be informative, concise, and engaging.
Start by researching what your audience is looking for and create content that addresses their needs clearly. Avoid fluff—focus on delivering valuable information that helps readers achieve their goals. Structure your content to be easy to read with concise, actionable insights that keep users engaged. Make sure it’s original, well-written, and free from errors.
Quality Content = Helpful and Useful Content
When we talk about quality content, we're referring to content that’s helpful (addresses specific questions) and useful (offers actionable insights).
You need to understand your audience deeply to achieve this. What are they searching for? What are their pain points? Answer these questions with information that’s both insightful and practical.
Write for Readers, Not Search Engines
Content that genuinely helps people will naturally rank better. When your content is helpful, useful, and easy to read, you improve user experience and boost your chances of better rankings.
Avoid keyword stuffing or writing solely for the sake of rankings. Your content should flow naturally, making the reader feel like they’re learning from an expert who understands their needs.
To rank well on Google and capture your audience's attention, produce content that stands out and provides real value.
Here are some great strategies to create quality content:
-
Expert Insight: Ensure content is crafted or reviewed by experts to enhance credibility.
-
Stick to Your Strengths: Focus on topics you or your brand are experts in to establish authority.
-
Ensure Accuracy: Verify all facts and data to maintain current and accurate information.
-
Proofread: Keep your content free from spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
-
Use Visuals: Use charts, images, and videos to clarify and engage.
-
Organize Your Content: Organize content with subheadings and bullet points for easy readability.
-
SEO Optimization: Use SEO best practices, such as including relevant keywords and optimizing images.
With Dorik’s powerful blogging platform, you can easily create and publish stunning, SEO-optimized blogs without any coding. Take advantage of built-in SEO tools, post scheduling, and customizable templates to boost your content’s visibility and reach.
As you know, content is king, and optimizing it is essential. To learn how to optimize your content effectively, check out our insightful blog on content optimization.
12. Build High Quality Backlinks
High-quality backlinks are still one of the most important ranking factors in Google’s algorithm. They act as votes of confidence for your site. When authoritative websites link to your content, it signals to search engines that your page offers valuable information.
Here's how you can do it effectively:
Quality Over Quantity
Focus on earning links from high-authority, relevant websites. One backlink from a respected source is far more valuable than many from low-quality sites. Analyze your competitors' backlinks to see which strategies work for them, then identify gaps you can fill by creating superior content.
Create Link-Worthy Content
Certain types of content, like “Why” posts, “What” posts, and infographics, tend to attract more backlinks. Use data-driven insights or offer unique perspectives to create content with a “hook” that others will want to reference.
Use the Skyscraper Technique
Study top-ranking competitor content, improve upon it, and make it even better. Add depth, more data, or visuals to stand out. This technique, known as the “Skyscraper Technique,” helps your content attract backlinks by providing more value than what's already available.
Digital PR and Outreach
Build relationships with influencers, journalists, and industry sites through guest blogging, press releases, or HARO outreach. This not only earns backlinks but also builds your brand’s authority across the web.
Brand Mentions and Authority
Backlinks are crucial, but brand mentions (even without links) play a significant role in Google’s ranking system.
Google's algorithm values brand authority, with high branded search volume acting as a safeguard against algorithm penalties like the Helpful Content Update (HCU). Building brand visibility through digital PR, mentions in high-authority publications, and increasing branded searches can reinforce your backlink profile and protect your site from negative Google actions.
Aim for both link-based and no-link mentions to boost your brand's authority in the eyes of Google.
13. Improve Pagespeed
Improving your site's loading speed is essential since it's a major ranking factor for Google, particularly for mobile searches. Here’s how to get your website to load faster, enhancing both user experience and SEO:
-
Benchmark Your Speed: Start by checking your current site speed with Google's PageSpeed Insights tool. This gives you a clear starting point and specific advice from Google on what to improve.
-
Compress Images: Since images often consume a lot of data, use tools like Kraken.io to reduce their file size without losing quality. This can significantly cut down loading times.
-
Implement Lazy Loading: Lazy loading defers the loading of images until they are needed as users scroll, which can improve initial load times by up to 50%. Keep in mind, this might affect user experience as images will load on-demand rather than all at once.
-
Use a CDN: A Content Delivery Network (CDN) stores copies of your site's media on servers around the world. This means your content is delivered from a server nearest to each user, speeding up load times.
If you want a user-friendly website that loads fast, look no further than Dorik. With lightweight, optimized templates and efficient code, Dorik ensures your site loads quickly. Plus, built-in image optimization and unlimited free global CDN hosting ensure fast loading times to keep everything running smoothly.
14. Provide Good User Experience
Improving your site's user experience (UX) is crucial for both keeping visitors happy and boosting your SEO. Here's why and how good UX makes a difference:
-
Reduce Pogo Sticking: Google notices if visitors quickly leave your site to return to search results, a behavior known as "pogo sticking." This can signal to Google that your site might not be providing what searchers are looking for, potentially lowering your rankings.
-
Monitor Bounce Rates: High bounce rates on Google Analytics can indicate that users aren’t finding what they expect on your pages. This is a useful indicator that your UX might need improvements.
-
Encourage Shares and Links: A user-friendly site is more likely to be shared and linked to by visitors. Simple navigation, minimal pop-ups, and working links all contribute to a better user experience.
-
Focus on User-Friendly Design: Ensure your site is easy to use. Avoid elements that can frustrate visitors, like intrusive ads or complicated layouts.
15. Follow Google’s E-E-A-T Guidelines
Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines are all about making sure your content shows real experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
Here’s how you can use it to improve rankings:
-
Experience: Share your personal insights and firsthand knowledge to show you're genuinely engaged with the topic.
-
Expertise: Make sure your content is created by people who really know the subject inside out.
-
Authoritativeness: Build authority by linking to trusted resources and showing recognition in your field.
-
Trustworthiness: Be open about who creates your content, and always ensure it's honest and accurate. That's how you can build trust with both your audience and Google.
FAQs on SEO Best Practices, Answered
1. What are backlinks in SEO?
Backlinks are links from one website to another. They are important for SEO because they act like recommendations. When reliable sites link to yours, it signals the search engine that your website is trustworthy. This can improve your site's visibility and increase traffic.
2. What is the SEO first approach?
The SEO-first approach means prioritizing search engine optimization from the start when building a website. This strategy ensures that every part of the site, like its layout, content, and technical setup, is designed to perform well in search results. By focusing on SEO early, your website can attract more visitors and offer a better user experience.
3. What are 3 main areas of SEO?
The three main areas of SEO are Content, Technical, and Links. Technical SEO improves your website's structure so search engines can easily understand and index it. Content SEO focuses on creating and optimizing quality content that targets your audience's needs and keywords. Link Building is about obtaining links from other websites, boosting your site's authority and ranking. which boosts your site's authority and ranking in search results. Focusing on these areas helps your website perform well in SEO.
Your Turn to Boost SEO!
Now it's your turn to boost your SEO. Just use these simple tips to make your website better and watch your rankings improve. Remember, SEO takes continuous effort, so keep adjusting and improving. Start today and see how your site does.
