SEO FAQ: 50 SEO Questions and Answers All in One Place

SEO FAQs About Google's Ranking System. #10: Why Doesn't My Website Rank on Google? With millions of websites all fighting for the first few positions on ... SkiptocontentContactUs(44) 203 769 7710+61284841116800 250 6106SEOFAQ:50SEOQuestionsandAnswersAllinOnePlaceItamarGero|20minsreadShare:CopyLinkSEO.It’snotnew,butit’sincreasinginbothpopularityandneed. But,withsomuchconflictinginformationontheinternetandwithGoogleconstantlyupdatingitsrankingfactors,it’snowonderyouhavequestions. SEOisasclearasmud—wegetit.Thepurposeofthispostistoprovideyouwiththemostup-to-dateguidethatanswerseveryquestionyouhaveaboutSEOandhowyoucanimproveyouronlinevisibilitystartingtoday.Readonfor50commonSEOquestionsandtheiranswers.TableofContentsFrequentlyAskedQuestionsAboutSEOSEOFAQsAboutGoogle’sRankingSystemSEOFAQsAboutTechnicalSEOOff-pageSEOincludeseverythingyoucanimproveoutsideofyoursitetohelpyourankbetterinsearchresultsandincludes:SEOFAQsComparingSEOtoOtherStrategiesSEOFAQsAboutLocalSEOSEOFAQsAboutSEOToolsSEOFAQsAboutCreatingContentSEOFAQsAboutLinkBuildingSEOFAQsAboutImplementinganSEOStrategySEOReseller:WhiteLabelSEOSolutionsforAnyBusinessorAgencyFrequentlyAskedQuestionsAboutSEO#1:WhatIsSEO?SEO,shortforsearchengineoptimization,istheprocessofoptimizingorimprovingyourwebsitetoincreasevisibilityandorganicvisits. Thismayinclude:ConductingasiteaudittodeterminethehealthofyoursiteAnalyzingyourcompetitors’sitesOptimizingyourGoogleMyBusinessCreatinglandingpagesBuildingcontent,suchasablogOptimizingyourlocalSEOAndmoreWhendonecorrectly,SEOwillnotonlyincreasetheamountoftraffictoyourwebsite,butitimprovesthequalityofthetraffic.#2:WhoNeedsSEO?AnybusinesswithaproductorservicetooffercanbenefitfromSEO.WithoutSEO,yourwebsitewon’tbevisibletoyourpotentialcustomersevenaftertheyenterrelevanttermsinsearchengines.Morespecifically,thereareafewindustriesthatcantrulybenefitfromSEO,suchas:MedicalpracticesorMedispasMulti-locationbusinessesOnlinebusinessesProfessionalservices(accounting,legal,IT,financial,etc.)HomerenovationsorrepairsRestaurantsPetservicesRealestateMostpeopleturntotheinternetfortheseandotherservices,and93%ofinternetusershaveadmittedthatonlinereviewshaveinfluencedtheirpurchasingdecisions.Ifyouownabusinesswithcustomers—SEOisdefinitelyforyou.#3:HowDoesSEOWork?Googleandothersearchengineshavecrawlersthatcollectinformationaboutthepagesthatexistonyoursite,whichhelpsthemdetermineifyourwebsitecontainstheinformationtheinternetuserislookingfor.Withmorethan200rankingfactorsinGoogle’salgorithm,anSEOstrategyisnecessaryifyouwanttogetnoticedamongmillionsofwebsitescompetingforthesamesearchterms.Googleandothersearchenginesarelookingforspecificinformation,suchas:QualityandquantityofyourcontentPagespeedTitletagsandmetadescriptionsSocialsharesBacklinksandinternallinksAndmoreAqualitySEOstrategywillensurethatyoursiteisfullyoptimizedtoshowonthefirstpageofthesearchresultsforvariousrelevantkeywords(searchterms).#4:IsSEODead?TherearemanyclaimsthatSEOisdead,afteronetoomanyalgorithmupdatesthatleftsomeSEOsstumped,Googlechanginghowpaidadslookcomparedtoorganic(theylookquitethesame!confusing)andmanyfeaturedsnippetsthatpushedtheorganicresultstothebottomofthepage,manyask“isSEOdead?”Thesimpleanswerisno.Aslongastheinternetexists,SEOwillcontinuetoberelevant.Theindustryiscurrentlyworth$80billionintheU.S.alone,so,whileSEOisever-changing,it’scertainlynotgoingaway.#5:HowHasSEOChangedOvertheYears?Overthelastdecadeorso,searchenginessuchasGooglehavechangedthefaceofSEObyeffectivelyeliminatingpreviouspracticesthatmadeinternetsearcheslessthanenjoyable.Gonearethedaysofkeyword-stuffedcontentandscammylinkschemesthankstothechangesmadebyGoogleovertheyears,makingSEOrewardingforbusinesseswithwebsites.Someofthepracticesthathavechangedoverthepastdecadeinclude:FutilekeywordstuffingLocation-specificsearches,suchas“nearme”searchesFaster,optimizedSERPsthatfavorqualitycontentRewardingmobile-friendlywebsitesSemanticsearchresultsthatmatchuserintentanddon’trelysolelyonkeywordsContinualupdatesthatfocusonimprovinguserexperience#6:WhatAreSEOBestPractices?SEObestpracticesrefertothetasksthathavebeencreatedtoimprovethesearchenginerankingsofawebsite,including:Onandoff-pageoptimizationKeywordresearchBuildingabacklinkstrategyCreatingnewcontentEtc.Onafoundationallevel,thefirsttaskthatshouldbecompletedismakingsureyourcurrentwebsiteisfollowingtheabovebestpracticesbeforeaddinganythingnew.#7:HowLongWillItTaketoSeetheEffectsofSEO?Simplyput,themorefocusyouputintoyourSEOstrategy,thesooneryou’llseetheeffects. Withasolidstrategy,resultscanbeseeninaslittleas3months,andasyoucontinuetoinvestinyourstrategy,you’llcontinuetoseetheeffectsforyearstocome.BelowisanexampleofacompanywhoseSEOcampaignbeganinJune2020.Theyhadalmostnoorganictrafficatthattime,butwithasolidSEOstrategy,theynowhavecloseto50,000organicvisitorspermonthinjustoneyear.That’sHUGE!Wetrytosettherightexpectations,dependingonthecurrentperformance,theauthorityofthewebsiteinquestion,andhowmuchbudgetisbeingput,youshouldstartseeingresultswithinthefirsttwomonths,giventhatallourrecommendationsforon-pagewillbeimplemented(thesoonerthebetter!)andafter3-6monthsrankingswillstartclimbingandstabilizing.#8:CanIDoMyOwnSEO?Thisisnotacut-and-drysituation,andwhileyoucanfixyourowncar,stitchyourownwoodsandbuildyourownstore’sfurniture,manyofthesethingsarebetterleftoutsourced.WhileitmightbetemptingtoreadsomeSEOblogsandtrytacklingyourwebsiteoptimizationsonyourown,thetruthisthattheseDIYstrategiesusuallyfizzleoutprettyquickly.SEOisaninvestmentintimeandrequiresknowledge,whichiswhywerecommendenlistingtheservicesofaprofessionalSEOcompany. #9:WhereCanILearnHowtoDoSEO?SEOcanbelearnedovertimethroughthoroughresearch,oryoucaninvestinacrashcourse,manyofwhichcanbefoundontheinternet.Remember,therearemanyprofessionalsintheindustry,andyou’llbecompetingwithyearsofexperienceandknowledgewhentryingtotakeonyourownSEOstrategy.SEOFAQsAboutGoogle’sRankingSystem#10:WhyDoesn’tMyWebsiteRankonGoogle?WithmillionsofwebsitesallfightingforthefirstfewpositionsonGoogle’sSERPs,it’snowonderyourpagesmightnotbemakingthecut.WithoutinvestinginSEO,itwouldbenearlyimpossibletorankinthetop10spots.But,maybeyouhavemadeaninvestmentinSEO,andyou’restillnotseeingresults.Whatthen?Notallprofessionalsarecreatedequal,soit’spossibleyourSEOteamhasmissedsomekeyfactorsthatcankillyourchanceofranking,forexample:NothavingaGoogleMyBusinesspageAwebsitethat’snotmobile-friendlyAsitecontainingduplicatecontentInconsistentlyupdatingcontentSlowsitespeedsIgnoringsocialsignalsNotindexingyoursite#11:WhyHasMyOrganicTrafficDropped?Maybeyoursitewasrankingwellatonepointbutsuddenlysawadropinorganictraffic.Thiscanbecausedbyseveralfactors,including:GoogleupdatesChangesmadetoyoursiteIrrelevantcontentLosinglinksonyoursiteSiteerrorsAndmore#12:WhatAreGoogle’sKeyRankingFactors?Googleisfamousformakingconstantupdates,sostayingintunewiththeserankingfactorsisanimportantpartofanySEOstrategy.Herearesomeofthekeyrankingfactorsthatcanhelpimproveyourrank:Theloadingspeedofyourwebsite’spagesYourwebsitebeingmobile-friendlyPageslinkedinternallytorelevantcontentonyoursiteLeveragingrelevantkeywordsIncludingtitletags,headers,andmetadescriptionsonallofyourpagesAwell-structuredURLAddingmedia,suchasimagesandvideos,toyourwebpagesEvergreencontentBacklinks #13:HowOftenDoSearchEnginesMakeUpdatesThatAffectSEO?EveryyearsincetheinceptionofGoogle,they’vemadeupdatesandchangestotheiralgorithm.Andeveryyearthenumberofupdatesincreasessubstantially.Whilemostoftenthesechangesgoundetected,everyonceinawhileGooglewillannounceamajorupdate—likethepageexperienceupdateimplementedinMay2021. ThisupdatemadewavesbecauseGoogleannounceditaheadoftime,givingSEOprofessionalsanopportunitytoshifttheirstrategy.#14:WhatIsaGooglePenalty?WhenGoogleissuesapenalty,itmeansthatyourwebsitewillnolongerbevisibleinsearchresults,meaningthatyourtargetaudiencewillnotbeabletofindyouinasearch.Penaltiescanhappentoanywebsiteandcouldbepromptedbyeffortstoimproveyoursite’soverallranking,butonceit’sreceived,it’snoteasytohaveapenaltyremoved,sobecareful! So,whywouldyoureceiveapenalty?AnythingthatgivesGoogle’scrawlersanindicationthatyou’vetriedtomanipulatethesearchresults—orthatyou’vebrokenGoogle’sQualityGuidelines—canharmyourrankings.Googletakesprideinitsabilitytoprovidethemostrelevantcontenttoitsusers(they’vebuiltanentirebrandaroundit),soanyonewhomesseswiththatwillbepromptlypenalized.SEOFAQsAboutTechnicalSEO#15:WhatIsOn-PageSEO?On-page(oron-site)SEOincludesoptimizingyourwebpagecontentforsearchengineresultsandincludes:AddingoroptimizingtitletagsCreatingcontentforyoursiteAddinginternallinkstoyourwebpages;andEnsuringyourURLisstructuredforoptimalresultsWeusedSEOMinion,aChromeextensionthatallowsyoutoseetheon-pageSEOofanywebpage.Havealook:Oneofthetop-rankingsitesforthekeyword“learntoplaychess”hasthekeywordorvariationsofthekeywordinthe:URLTitletagMetadescription;andHeader1#16:WhatIsOff-PageSEO?Off-pageSEOincludeseverythingyoucanimproveoutsideofyoursitetohelpyourankbetterinsearchresultsandincludes:LinkbuildingContentmarketingInfluenceroutreachForumsAndmoreOff-pageSEOpracticesgivesearchenginesinformationaboutwhatotherpeopleandbusinessesthinkaboutyourservices,products,orsite.#17:WhatIsTechnicalSEO?TechnicalSEOisrelatedtoon-pageSEOandreferstothetechnicalaspectsofyoursitethatwillhelpyourpagesrankinsearchengineresults.TheentirepointoftechnicalSEOistohelpsearchenginecrawlersnoticeyoursiteoverotherswhosetechnicalSEOisnotoptimizedandincludes:SitespeedQualityinternallinkingstructureEliminating404errorsAvoidingduplicatecontentWebsitesecurityStructureddataAnXMLsitemap#18:WhyIsTechnicalSEOImportant?TechnicalSEOisthefirstindicationofaqualitysite,sooptimizingyourtechnicalSEOwillincreaseyourvisibilitytosearchengines.#19:DoesMySiteSpeedAffectSEO?Sitespeedisimportantbecausenotonlyisitadirectrankingfactor,butpagesthattakelongerthan3secondshaveasubstantialbouncerate.#20:WhatIsPageRank?Google’sPageRankrelatesdirectlytothenumberoflinksyourpagehas,amongotherthings,andGoogledependsonthisaspectoftheirsoftwaretodeterminetheimportanceofawebsite.ThehigheryourPageRank,thebetteryoursitewillperforminsearchresults.It’simportanttonotethatwhilePageRankisametricGooglestillusesinternally,webmastersdon’thavevisibilitytotheirownsiteandpages’PageRank.#21:WhatIsDomainAuthority?OriginallydevelopedbyMoz,domainauthorityisascorerangingfrom1to100thatdeterminesthewebsite’sabilitytorankinsearchresultsandisusedbymanySEOtools.Severalfactors,suchasrootdomainsandinboundlinkprofile,determineyourdomainauthorityscore.Thehigheryournumber,thebetter.#22:WhatIsaCrawlError?Crawlerrorscanoccurwhenasearchenginecannotreachapageonyoursite.Well-structuredURLsensurethateverylinkonyoursiteleadsuserstoafunctioningpage.Crawlerrorsshouldbefixedtoavoidyourwebsitegettingflaggedforerrors.SEOFAQsComparingSEOtoOtherStrategies#23:WhatIsPPC?PPC,meaningpay-per-click,isonetypeofinternetmarketingthatinvolvespayingafeeeachtimeoneofyouradsgetsclickedon. It’samodelthathasadvertisersbuyingvisitsratherthanusingSEOstrategiestogetorganicvisits,forexample:#24:IsSEOBetterThanPPC?ProsandconsexistforbothSEOandPPC,anditcanbearguedthatagoodinternetmarketingplaninvolvesboth.However,whileitmaycostmoreupfront,SEOisultimatelymorecost-effectiveinthelongrunandwilldeliverconsistentresultsyearafteryear.#25:WhatIsSMO?SMOstandsforsocialmediaoptimizationandleveragessocialmedianetworkstogrowyourbusiness’sonlinepresence. Socialmediaoptimizationcanraiseawarenessofyourcompany’sproductsandservices,helpyouconnectwithpotentialcustomers,andmitigatepotentiallydamagingrumorsornewsaboutyourcompany.#26:IsSEOBetterThanSMO?BothSMOandSEOareeffectiveingeneratingleadsandorganictraffictoyourwebsite,butwhichoneisrightforyou?Inaperfectworld,we’dsuggestthatyouinvestinbothSMOandSEOforthebestpossibleresults,butbothofthesestrategiesrequireupfrontcoststhatnotallcompanieshavethefundstoforkout.Ifit’scheaperandfasterresultsyou’relookingfor,thenanSMOstrategymightbeabetterfitforyou,butifyou’relookingforamorelong-termstrategy,thenwesuggestyoumaketheinvestmentinasolidSEOplan.#27:WhatIsSEM?Searchenginemarketing(SEM)isatermusedtodescribebuyingadvertisements(likePPCs)thatwillappearontheSERP(searchengineresultspage)forrelevantqueries.Thesepaidadscanappearinthesearchresultsinavarietyofformats,suchastext-basedadsorPLAs(productlistingads). PLAsarealsoknownasshoppingadsthatallowpotentialconsumersgatherimportantinformationataglance,suchas:ProductimageProductprice;andCustomerreviewsSEOFAQsAboutLocalSEO#28:WhatIsLocalSEO?LocalSEOistheprocessofoptimizingabusinessforlocation-specificsearchqueries.BasedonanIPaddress(desktop)andgeolocation(mobile),Googleusesthelocationoftheusertodeterminewhichresultstorankinthetopspots. Forexample,ifyouwantedtolookforalocaldoctororcontractor,thesearchenginewoulddisplayonlylocalbusinesses.#29:WhatIsaLocalPack?Google’sLocalPackisliketheholygrailoflocalSEOandtheultimategoalforanylocalbusiness. TheLocalPackisafeaturethatappearsonthefirstpageoftheSERPforanylocalsearchqueryandfeaturesbothamapandthelistingsofthreebusinessesthatarelocaltothatsearch,forexample:Businessesfeaturedinthelocalpackaccountforalmost50%oftheclick-throughrate,soifyouhavealocalbusiness,thisiswhereyouwanttoendup.SEOFAQsAboutSEOTools#30:WhatAreSEOTools?SEOtoolsareusedtohelpbusinessownersandSEOcompaniesranktheirwebsiteshigherinSERPs.Thetoolsmakeiteasiertoanalyzecontent,backlinks,andotherimportantfactorsinSEO.Inadditiontotheanalysisandinsightsthesetoolsprovide,youcanalsogainaccesstotheSEOsuccessofyourcompetitors. Eachtoolvariesinthescopeofitsfunctionandwilldependonthetypeoftoolyouchoose. Thesetoolsareavailableinfourmodeltypes,including:Freeware–Thisisthebasiceditionofatoolwithlimitedusages.Onetimepayment–Sometoolsrequirealump-sumpaymentforlifetimeaccess.Monthlyorannualmembership–Thisisthemostcommonmodel,withdiscountsusuallyofferedforaminimumsubscriptionof12months.Pervolume–It’snotascommon,butsometoolschargepersearchorresultspage.#31:WhichSEOSoftwareIstheBest?TheSEOtoolyouchoosewilldependheavilyonwhatitisyouwishtoaccomplish.SEOtoolsaremostoftenusedbycontentmarketersandbloggers,buttheycanalsobeusedbymotivatedbusinessownersplanningtocreatetheirownSEOstrategy.Someofthetoptoolsusedonthemarkettodayinclude:SEMrushAhrefsMozProGoogleSearchConsoleUbersuggestSpyFuAndmanymore HereisanexampleoftheSEMrushdashboard:SEOFAQsAboutCreatingContent#32:WhatAreKeywords?AnytermenteredintothesearchbarofGoogle,oranyothersearchenginewitharesultspage,isconsideredakeyword.IntermsofSEO,keywordsareusedtooptimizethecontentonwebsitestomakethemmorevisibletosearchenginecrawlerswhichlookforrelevantcontenttomatcheachtermentered.Whenusedproperly,keywordshelpwebsiteownersorSEOprofessionalsachieveahigherrankinginSERPs.Here’sanexampleofakeywordthataninternetusermighttypeintothesearchbar:#33:WhereCanIFindtheBestKeywords?MostSEOtoolshaveakeywordfunctionthatallowsyoutofindthetopkeywordforaparticulartopicaswellasrelatedkeywordsthatcanbeusedinyourcontenttohelpimprovevisibility.Amongthetopkeywordtoolsare:SEMrushAhrefsUbersuggestSpyFuGoogleKeywordPlannerSerpstatAndmanymoreUsingtheSEMrushkeywordmagictool,let’sseehowpopularourkeywordaboveis: Asyoucansee,thiskeywordhasamonthlysearchvolumeof301,000(tempting,right?),butakeyworddifficultyofalmost92%,whichwouldmakeitverydifficulttorankforthisparticularkeyword.#34:HowDoIEffectivelyUseKeywords?AswithanythingSEO-related,therearespecificdosanddon’ts,andkeywordusageisnodifferent.Thefirstthingyouneedtodoisdeterminewhatyourmainkeywordwillbeandtrytousethatkeywordinthe…TitletagMetadescriptionH1header;andFirstparagraph…ofyourcontent.Ifyourkeyworddoesn’tseemtofitnaturallywithineachofthesecomponentsthentryusingarelevantkeywordvariationfoundwithinyourkeywordtool.Usingthekeyword“howtoloseweight”,wecheckedtheon-pageSEOforoneofthetop-rankingsites,andthisiswhatwefound:Asyoucansee,thekeywordisusedintheURL,titletags,andfirsttwoheaders,andavariationisusedinthemetadescription.Themaingoalistohavenatural-soundingcontentandtoavoid“stuffing”yourkeywordsinwheretheydon’tmakesenseornegativelyimpactthereadabilityorflowofthecontent.Thisiswhatourkeyword“howtoloseweight”wouldlooklikeifitwerestuffedintothecontent:“Youwanttoknowhowtoloseweightfast,butyoudon’tknowhowtoloseweightandneedexpertadvice.We’llteachyouhowtoloseweightandhowtoloseweightfastwithouramazingHowToLoseWeightin5DaysProgram,broughttoyoubytheexpertswhoknowhowtoloseweightquickly.”Notonlydoesthecontentsoundveryroboticandunnatural,butGoogle’swebcrawlerswillseethisaskeywordstuffingandanattempttotrickyourwayintoatopspot.Andtrustus,they’rewaysmarterthanthat.Quitesimply,keywordsareonlyeffectiveiftheymakeyourcontentvisibletosearchenginesbutalsoaddvaluetoyourreader.#35:DoesBloggingImproveSEO?Theshortanswerisyes.Bloggingisvaluable,butonlyifit’sdonewithafocusonimprovingtheoverallvalueofyourwebsiteandwithSEOrankingfactorsinmind.Here’showaddingahigh-qualityandrelevantblogtoyourwebsitecanimproveyourSEO:Itkeepsyourcontentrelevantandcurrent.Blogscreateanopportunityforinternallinking.Ablogconnectspotentialcustomerstoyourbusiness.Blogsincreasetheamountoftimespentonyourwebsite.Youbecomeanauthorityandincreaseyourbacklinks.Youcantargetlongtailandlowdifficultykeywords.Bloggingdoesn’thavetobecomplicated,andyoudon’tneedtowriteacollegeessaywitheverypost. Themostimportantelementtoanyblogiswhetherornotitaddsvaluetoyourreaders.Next,factorinsomeoftheSEOtipsandtrickslearnedonthispage,orhireanSEOmarketingcompany,andyoushouldstarttoseeyourSERPrankingsimproveovertime.#36:HowManyBlogPostsDoesMyBusinessNeed?Whilequantityisn’tasimportantasquality,itdefinitelyplaysaroleinhowwellyouranknexttoyourcompetitors.Let’ssayyouownaroofingandsidingbusinessinHouston,andyouwanttoincreasetheorganictraffictoyourwebsiteandgeneratenewleads. First,youshouldlookatyourcompetitorstodeterminehowwelltheyarerankingandwhatkeywordstheyarerankingfor.Next,youshoulddeveloparealisticcontentcalendarbasedonhowmuchcontentyoucanpersonallycreateorhowmuchyourcompanycanaffordtopaytohavecontentcreatedforyou.Finally,youshoulddeterminewhichkeywordsaremostvaluabletoyourcustomerstodrivethemosttraffictoyoursiteandstartbuildingcontentaroundthose.Thereisnomagicnumberforhowmanyblogpostsyoushouldhave,butwerecommendthatyoualwayskeepyourcontentcurrentandneverstopaddingcontentifyouwanttoremainvisibleinSERPs. #37:HowCanIWriteSEO-FriendlyContent?Youmayhaveheardtheexpression,“contentisking”,andwhereSEOisconcernedthisisstillverytrue. Youcanspendtoomuchtimeworryingabouthowmanyblogpostsyoushouldbewriting,butitsimplywon’tmatterhowmuchyouwriteifyourcontent:Doesn’tusekeywordsthatmatchthesearchintentIsn’trelatableorgearedtowardyouraudienceLacksheadersandsubheadersIsn’toriginal;andDoesn’tkeepyourreaderonthepageGoogleisn’tlookingsolelyathowmanyblogpostsyoucreate—morethananything,Google’squalityratersarelookingforjustthat—quality.QualitycontentisalsooneofthebestwaystoearnyourselfafeaturedsnippetonGoogle. Seeoursearchbelow: Succinctlyansweringtheuser’squestionin50wordsorlesscanearnyouthiscovetedspotatthetopoftheSERP.Followthese9stepstocreatingrankablecontentforSEOthatGooglewilllove: Analyzeyourcompetitor’spagesandaimtodobetter.Writeinawaythatmatchesthesearchintentofyourtargetaudience.Yourcontentshouldbecomprehensiveandwrittenforpeople,notsearchengines.Yourtitletagsandmetadescriptionshouldattractyouraudience’sattention.Makeyourcontenteasytoreadbyusingshorterparagraphs,bullets,andnumberedlistswheneverpossible.Linktohigh-authoritywebsitestobackanystatsorclaimsmadeinyourcontent.Addrelatedinternallinkstoallofyourcontent.Keywordsshouldbeusednaturally,ratherthan“stuffed”intoyourcontent.Incorporateimages,videos,andothermediaforinterest.Attheendoftheday,ifyourcontentisn’tcomprehensiveanddoesn’taddvaluetoyourreader,thenyoulikelywon’tfindyourselfonthefirstpageoftheSERP. #38:DoYouTubeVideosImproveSEO?GoogleownsYouTube,soiffornootherreasonthanthis,youshouldconsideraddingrelevantvideocontenttoyoursite.Butaboveandbeyondthemostobviousreasonforincludingvideoinyourcontent,hereareafewotherwaysYouTubevideoscanimproveyourSEO:Theygeneratemoretraffic.Peoplewillstayonyoursitelonger.Videosgetmorelinks,andbacklinksareessentialtoSEO.Customersaremorelikelytomakeapurchaseafterviewingaproductvideo.Videosgeneratemoresocialsharesthancontentalone.YouTubehasoneofthehighestDomainAuthorityScoresasperSEMrushandalsohasaridiculousamountofbacklinks,asyoucanseefromtheimagebelow. BacklinksarealsocriticaltoSEOsuccess.We’lltalkmoreaboutthatbelow.SEOFAQsAboutLinkBuilding#39:WhatAreSEOBacklinks?Quitesimply,abacklinkisalinkfromonesitetoanotherandactsasarankingsignalforGoogleandothersearchengines. Whenonewebsitelinkstoyourcontent,thatmeanstheybelieveyourcontentisnoteworthy,andifthewebsiteisseenaslegitimatethenthesebacklinkscanincreaseyourvisibilityandrankingpositioninSERPs.#40:WhatIsLinkBuilding?Linkbuildingistheprocessofgatheringlinksfromotherwebsitestoyourownwebsite.Basically,it’sawayforuserstohopbetweenpagesontheweb.Itisalsoreferredtoas:Off-pageorGuestblogposts,BloggerOutreachetc.Searchenginecrawlersmovearoundtheinternetusinglinks,sothemorewebsitesthatlinkbacktoyourown,themoreyouwillbeseenasanauthoritativesourceandthebetteryou’llrank.Linksareacquiredbyaskingforthem(frombloggersorinfluencers,forexample)orbyearningthemorganicallybymakingyourcontentlink-worthy.#41:WhatIsBrokenLinkBuilding?We’veallcomeacrossabroken(ordead)linkonawebsite.Youclicktheanchortextandgetdirectedtoapagethatsays“404errornotfound”. Annoying,right?Thisiswherebrokenlinkbuildingcomesin. SEOmarketersorprofessionalbloggersmightusethistacticoffindingdeadlinksonwebsites.They’llthenrecreatethecontentandsuggesttothewebsiteownerthattheyreplacetheirbrokenlinkwithyourworkinglink.Thiscanbeatime-consumingtask,butit’salsoeffectivebecauseanyonewhounderstandsSEOknowsthatbrokenlinkscanharmyourranking.#42:WhyAreBacklinksImportant?Googlehasmadethousandsofchangestoitsalgorithmsovertheyears,butonerankingfactorthatremainsconsistentistheneedforbacklinks.Backlinksarelikeavoteofconfidencefromanotherwebsitethatsays,“Webelieveinthiscontentandthinkit’susefultoourreaders”. Themorebacklinksyouhave,thehigheryou’llrankonGoogleandothersearchengines.Backlinkoconductedastudy(below)thatprovedthatbacklinksremainoneofGoogle’skeyrankingfactors.#43:HowCanIGetMoreLinkstoMySite?Attractingorganiclinkscomesdowntocreatinglink-worthy,valuablecontentsuchasstudies,referencecontent,orskyscrapercontentthatprovidesdatatobackupothers’arguments.Butthiscantakeyears,andyou’reupagainstalotofcompetition.Another(moreeffective)strategyforacquiringlinkstoyoursite,especiallywhenyou’rejuststartingout,istoaskforthem.Thismightseemlikeanoverwhelmingproposition.Askingforlinks?Wherewouldyouevenstart?Onewaytostartisbybuildingrelationshipswithbloggersandinfluencerswithanexpressinterestinyourindustry. Ifyouhavecontentthatyouthinkwouldbevaluabletotheirreadership,don’tbeafraidtoreachoutwithafriendlyemaillettingthemknow:Youreadandenjoytheirblog/advice.Youreadaspecificblogthatstoodouttoyou(andwhy).Youhaveapost,infographic,ore-bookthatcoversthetopicandcouldaddvaluetotheirreaders.You’llbekeepingupwiththeirpostsand/orfollowingthemonsocialmedia.Outreachinvolveseffort,butitworks—whynotgiveitatry?#44:CanIBuyLinks?Youcan—butyoushouldproceedwithcaution. WhileGooglemightdiscouragethispractice,itthasalwaysbeenthecatandmousegamebetweenSEOsandGoogle’sAlgorithm.Giventhatyourwebsitefunctionswell,andhasgreatcontent,theonedifferentiatorremainingbetweenyouandyourcompetitoris,howmanysitesouttherearediscussingyourproduct,servicesorbrand.Linkshouldbeofhighquality,fromrelevantthematicwebsites,contentofthelinkingarticleshouldberesearchedandofhighquality.Onewaytocheckifasiteisauthoritativeistocheckforit’sDA(DomainAuthority)butabetterwayis,tocheckifthelinkingsitehasrankingsandtrafficfromGoogle(usingSEMRush),thissignifiesthatGoogletruststhiswebsiteandissendinguserstoit(signofgoodbacklinksandcontentonthelinkingwebsite)WhenitcomestobuyingSEOlinks,youshouldchooseyourvendorcarefully.#45:WhatIsanInternalLinkvs.anExternalLink?UsingbothinternalandexternallinksinyourcontentisrecommendedforSEOpurposes,butwhat’sthedifferencebetweenthetwo?Internallinksarehyperlinksthattakereadersfromthecurrentpageontoadifferent(butrelated)pageonyourwebsite.Externallinksarehyperlinksthatwilldirectyourreadertoapageonawebsitethatdoesn’tbelongtoyou. It’srecommendedthatexternallinksarefrombothareputableandnon-competitorsite.SEOFAQsAboutImplementinganSEOStrategy#46:WhereShouldIStartMySEOStrategy?ThebeststarttoyourSEOstrategyshouldbeginwithhiringanSEOmarketingcompanytodothedirtyworkforyou,butweknownoteverywebsiteownerhasthedisposableincometodothis.SohereareafewstepstogettingyourSEOstrategyofftheground:UsinganSEOtool,makealistofkeywordsthatcouldaddvaluetoyourwebsite.EntereachofyourkeywordsintoGoogleandanalyzethetopwebsitestoseewhattheircontenthastooffer.Createmorecomprehensivecontentthataddsvaluetoyourreader.Optimizeyouron-pageSEO(seeourtipsaboveabouttechnicalSEO).Makesurethatyourcontentishyper-relevanttoyourkeywordsandmatchesthesearchintentofyourpotentialreaders.Beautifyyourcontentwithvisualizationsandgraphics.Buildlinkstoyourcontent.Keepyourcontentupdatedandoptimized.#47:CanIAnalyzeMyCompetitor’sSEO?Youcan—andyoushould. Analyzingyourcompetitor’swebsites,especiallythecontentthat’srankingwell,isyourfirststeptodeterminingwhatyouneedtodotorankwellinSERPs. Toobtainthemostvaluableinformationaboutyourcompetitors,suchas…Top-rankingkeywordsWebtrafficVisitorengagementDomainscoreOn-pageSEONumberofbacklinksAndmore…youcanutilizeapaidSEOtoolorhireanSEOmarketingfirmtoconductafullcompetitoranalysisforyou.Forexample,asmalltomidsizemassagetherapychainwithnoSEOstrategyshouldanalyzetheSEOofamuchbiggerchain,likeMassageEnvy,toseewhatkeywordsthey’rerankinginthetop10positionsfor,forexample:TheorganicresearchtoolinSEMrushwilllist… Everykeywordthey’rerankingforTheirpositionThesearchvolumeThekeyworddifficultyAndmore …makingiteasyforthesmallerchaintocherry-pickafewkeywordsthatmightbeeasytorankfornexttocompetitorswhoalreadyhaveanSEOstrategyinplace.#48:WhatIsWhiteHatSEO?WhitehatSEOreferstoSEOtacticsthatareethicalandfollowGoogle’s(andothersearchengines’)bestpractices.SomeinstancesofwhitehatSEOinclude:MakingyoursitemobilefriendlyIncreasingyoursitespeedsCreatingcomprehensiveandhigh-qualitycontentImprovingyouron-pageSEOMakingsureyoursiteiseasytonavigateCreatingwell-structuredURLsIfyou’renotengaginginwhitehatSEOtactics,thenyouruntheriskofbeingpenalized—andevenbanned—fromsearchengines.#49:WhatIsBlackHatSEO?BlackhatSEOistheoppositeofwhitehatSEOandincludesdamagingtactics,suchas:KeywordstuffingContentSpinningCloaking LinkschemesSneakyredirects AndmoreEngaginginblackhatSEOisneveragoodidea. AsGoogleandothersearchenginescontinuetomakealgorithmupdates,theircrawlersgetsmarter,andtheblackhattacticsaremorelikelytogetyouintrouble.#50:AreSEOCompaniesWorthIt?Inanutshell,thequickestandmosteffectivewaytoincreasevisibilityandorganictrafficistoimproveyourSEO.Handsdown,thebestwaytodothisisbyhiringaprofessionalSEOmarketingcompany.SEOprofessionalshavetheexpertisetoquicklyandeffectively:OptimizeyourtechnicalSEOCreatemeaningfulcontentBuildlinksImproveyourlocalSEODriveorganictraffic;andIncreasevisibilityPuttingyourSEOstrategyintothehandsofaprofessionalwillyieldbetterresultsthanattemptingtodothejobyourself—everytime.SEOReseller:WhiteLabelSEOSolutionsforAnyBusinessorAgencyWhetheryou’re…AbusinessownerwhoknowsthevalueofaqualitySEOstrategybutdoesn’tknowwheretobeginORAnSEOagencywithyourownclientsandyouneedhelpincreasingyourbandwidthandscalingyourbusiness…SEOResellercanassistyouwithyourSEOgoals. UsingonlywhitehatSEOstrategiesandservices,wecansupplyyouwiththeessentialstodriveorganictraffictoyourwebsiteandincreaseyouronlinevisibility,including:AcompletewebsiteauditKeywordresearchOnandoff-pageoptimizationContentcreationLinkbuildingAnalyticstrackingAndmuchmoreYoucantrustourcapablespecialistswithallofyourSEOneeds.ContactustodaytospeakwithoneofourSEOprofessionals.⭐GetacomprehensivewebsiteperformanceanalysiswithourfreeSEOaudittoolunder2minsBlogCategoriesAllCategoriesContentMarketingAgencyGrowthLocalSEOWebDevelopmentEcommerceSmallBusinessRunninganagency?Getthetoolsandsupportyouneed.SignUpForFreeMostPopularArticlesHowWeGrewAnAgencyto$1.2M/yearSEOProposalsThatWinClientsHowToSellSEOStartAnSEOBusinessExpertGamePlanForSellingWebDesignGuidelinesWhatisSEO:Your2021GuidetoSearchEngineOptimizationTheBestSEOToolsforYourAgencyToolkitin2020HowtoDoanSEOAudit:A10-PointChecklisttoImproveRankings14SEOOptimizationBestPracticesfor202111StepsEasy-To-ImplementB2BSEOStrategyin2021SubscribetoournewsletterformorepracticalSEOtips.SubscribeTagsAgencyAhrefsAuditBlogPostsBloggingBlogsBusinessClientsContentContentMarketingDashboardDigitalMarketingFreeGoogleGoogleMyBusinessHowToImproveLeadsLearnLinkBuildingLinksLocalLocalSEOOutreachPPCRankingsResellSemrushSEOagencySEOCompanySEOEducationSEOtipsSERPSSnippetssocialSocialMediaStrategyTechnicalSEOTipsToolsWhiteHatSEOWhiteLabelWritingItamarGeroIconnectedtotheinternetintheearly90swhenitwasstillIRC,Telnet,andFTP-whentheinternetwasstillinblackandwhite(orgreen).Self-studiedprogrammingandstarteddevelopingwebsitesin1995.In2009ImovedfromIsraeltothePhilippinesandstartedSEOReseller.comtoprovideROI-driven,affordablewholesaleSEOtoagenciesandbusinesses.MorefromItamarGoogleMapsSEO–WhatisItandHowDoesitRankYourBusinessesHigher?TechnicalSEO101ComparingSEOvs.SEM:Differences,Benefits,andMoreWordPressSEO:AComprehensiveGuidetoSetYouUpForSuccessSEOFAQ:50SEOQuestionsandAnswersAllinOnePlaceMulti-LocationSEOStrategiesforBusinessesWithMoreThanOneLocationLookingtooutsourcedigitalservices?TailoredWhiteLabelSolutionsforAgencies&FreelancersFREECONSULTATIONLookingtogrowyourbusinessonline?Moreleads.Moresales.Morerevenue.Letsdiscussstrategiestogrowyourbusiness.FREECONSULTATION