There are many trends that come and go in the world of search engine optimization. But one thing remains constant – people’s reliance on search engines to find the information, products, and services they need. In fact, 68% of online experiences begin with a search, and a staggering 91% of those searches happen on Google.
Businesses that want to succeed online simply can’t afford to ignore SEO. In fact, 61% of B2B marketers say that SEO and organic traffic strategies are more effective at generating leads than any other marketing tactic. So if you want to get ahead of your competition and drive more qualified traffic to your website, you need to apply the SEO best practices 2024.
In this in-depth blog post, we are going to share 7 favorite SEO best practices that we’ve used time and time again to help our clients achieve outstanding results. These tactics have stood the test of time, and we are confident they can work for you too. Let’s dive in!
07 Best SEO practices For 2024
The following are the best practices we have implemented in the businesses of many of our clients, and these tactics have proven to be highly effective. We suggest you apply these SEO best practices for organic growth.
1. Choose Relevant Keywords
The foundation of any successful SEO strategy is keyword research. So, keyword research is one of the best SEO practices for content. You need to identify the right mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords that your target audience is actively searching for. This will not only help you create content that resonates with your ideal customers, but it will also improve your chances of ranking highly in the search results.
One of our go-to tools for keyword research is UberSuggest. There are many others like ahrefs, Semrush, etc. Here’s how we use it:
- Start by entering a seed keyword related to your industry or niche. For example, if you’re in the marketing space, you might try “digital marketing” or “performance marketing.”
- These tools will then show you a wealth of related keywords, including questions, prepositions, and long-tail variations.
- Such a tool provides valuable data on each keyword, such as search volume, competition level, and estimated traffic potential if you were to rank on the first page.
- They also analyze your website and tell you which keywords you have the best chance of ranking for on the first page of Google.
By using such tools, you can uncover a treasure trove of keyword ideas that you can then incorporate into your content strategy. This will help you attract the right kind of traffic to your website and improve your overall search engine visibility.
2. Optimize for Voice Search
Voice search is a rapidly growing trend that no business can afford to ignore. In fact, 58% of consumers use voice search to find information about local businesses online. And with the rise of smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, voice search is only going to become more prevalent in the years to come.
To optimize your website for voice search, you need to focus on creating content that answers the types of questions people are asking their voice assistants. A great tool for this is AnswerThePublic. Simply enter a keyword related to your business, and the tool will generate a wealth of question-based keywords that you can use to create targeted content.
For example, if you’re in the marketing industry, you might create a page of content that answers questions like:
- What is digital marketing?
- How can I improve my SEO?
- What are the best social media platforms for businesses?
- How do I create a successful email marketing campaign?
By creating this type of question-based content, you’ll not only improve your chances of ranking for voice searches, but you’ll also provide valuable information to your target audience. Add this tactic to your SEO best practices checklist to ensure your website’s success. And as we all know, providing value is key to building trust and authority in your industry.
3. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
In today’s mobile-first world, having a website that is optimized for mobile devices is absolutely essential. In fact, mobile accounts for a staggering 58% of all searches on Google. If your website doesn’t load quickly and look great on a smartphone or tablet, you’re going to lose a significant amount of potential traffic and conversions.
To ensure your website is mobile-friendly, there are a few key things you need to do:
- Implement a responsive design: Your website should automatically adjust its layout and content to provide an optimal viewing experience on any device.
- Optimize your site speed: Use tools like Ubersuggest or Semrush to identify and fix any issues that are slowing down your site’s load times, especially on mobile.
- Leverage a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN can help your website load faster by serving content from servers located around the world, rather than just from your primary hosting location.
By making your website mobile-friendly, you’ll not only improve the user experience for your visitors, but you’ll also boost your search engine rankings. This is the must-have SEO tactic for small businesses. After all, Google has made mobile-friendliness a key ranking factor in its algorithm.
4. Optimize Your Title Tags
Your title tags are one of the most important on-page SEO elements, as they directly influence how your content appears in the search results. In fact, title tags between 15 and 40 characters have an 8.6% higher click-through rate than longer ones.
But it’s not just about keeping your title tags concise – you also need to make sure your target keywords are included. If the keyword someone is searching for isn’t present in your title tag, you’re less likely to get those all-important clicks.
Another effective strategy is to craft title tags that evoke curiosity. For example, “The 5 Benefits of Green Tea – #3 Will Shock You!” This type of title tag is more likely to grab a user’s attention and encourage them to click through to your content.
Overall, this is one of the best practices for SEO. By optimizing your title tags for both keyword relevance and curiosity, you can significantly improve your click-through rates from the search results, which in turn can boost your overall search engine rankings and organic growth.
5. Improve Your Site Speed
Site speed is a critical factor in both the user experience and search engine optimization. Nearly 70% of consumers say that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer. And Google also uses site speed as a ranking factor in its algorithm, so faster-loading websites tend to outrank their slower counterparts.
There are a few key things you can do to improve your site’s speed:
- Use a content delivery network (CDN): As mentioned earlier, a CDN can help your website load faster by serving content from servers located around the world.
- Optimize your code and assets: Ensure your website’s code is clean and efficient, and optimize any images, videos, or other media files to reduce their file size.
- Leverage browser caching: Configure your website to store certain static assets in the user’s browser cache, so they don’t have to be downloaded again on subsequent visits.
- Monitor and address any issues: Use different tools to regularly audit your website’s performance and identify any areas that need improvement.
By making site speed a priority, you’ll not only provide a better user experience for your visitors, but you’ll also give your SEO efforts a significant boost.
6. Prioritize Backlinks
Backlinks, or links from other websites to your own, are one of the most important ranking factors in Google’s algorithm. In fact, 53% of SEO experts believe that backlinks will one day be as important as search itself.
The key is to focus on building high-quality, relevant backlinks from authoritative websites in your industry. One of the best ways to do this is by using a tool like Ubersuggest’s Backlink Opportunities feature.
Here’s how it works:
- Enter your website’s URL into the tool, as well as the URLs of your top 3 competitors.
- Ubersuggest will then show you a list of websites that are linking to your competitors, but not to you.
- These are potential backlink opportunities, as the sites have already demonstrated a willingness to link to similar businesses in your industry.
- Reach out to these websites and pitch them on why they should link to your content or resources instead of (or in addition to) your competitors.
By leveraging this strategy, you can quickly and effectively build high-quality backlinks that can have a significant impact on your search engine rankings.
7. Perform Regular Audits
Finally, one of the most important things you can do to ensure the long-term success of your SEO efforts is to regularly audit your website. This involves checking for any manual actions or penalties from Google, analyzing your organic traffic numbers, and addressing any technical issues that could be holding you back.
You can start by using any SEO analyzer tool. Simply enter your URL, and the tool will provide a comprehensive report on the overall health of your website, including:
- Potential manual actions or penalties from Google
- Issues with your website’s indexation or crawlability
- Technical problems that could be impacting your site speed or user experience
- Recommendations for improving your on-page SEO and content optimization
By addressing the issues identified in your audit, you can make significant improvements to your website’s search engine visibility and performance. And the best part is that the SEO Analyzer tool will even prioritize the fixes based on the potential impact they’ll have on your rankings.
These SEO best practices have delivered fantastic results for our clients, so give them a try yourself and see the difference. If you’re not getting the results you want, it might be worth reassessing your approach. For top-notch outcomes, consider hiring a PPC agency in Dubai—they really know their stuff and can work wonders for you.
Conclusion
Staying ahead in SEO requires keeping up with the latest best practices, and 2024 is no exception. By implementing the strategies we’ve covered, you’ll be better positioned to enhance your online presence and drive more traffic to your site. If you’re looking for expert help to navigate these changes and boost your SEO performance, consider partnering with a top digital marketing agency in UAE, Ecommerce Planner. Their experience in delivering the best SEO services in Dubai can make a real difference.
Ready to take your SEO to the next level? Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help!
