Of all the off-page, on-page, technical, local, video, and voice search engine optimization (SEO) strategies used in years past, there are some that can still give your site a lot of traction in 2024.
In this blog, the digital marketing specialists at LinkNow help you explore the four pillars of SEO that still generate the best return on investment—even after all this time.
We examine how user experience (UX), technical SEO, impactful content, and authority work to bring more of your preferred visitors to your site and explain how understanding search intent can help you make sure search engines serve up your site in the right place at the right time.
1. Focus on Creating the Best User Experience
Your focus on creating the ideal user experience for your site visitors will pay off when your readers remain on your page instead of bouncing away out of sheer frustration and getting the information they need elsewhere.
To overcome this, you want to connect your visitors with the information they need to answer their questions or solve their problems in as little time and with as little hassle as possible.
Here’s how to do it:
Improve Your Page Speed
Optimizing UX involves removing barriers that interfere with your page’s loading speeds. This can include compressing images, minimizing HTTP requests, leveraging browser caching, and optimizing your site’s code.
You aim to create a seamless user journey that keeps your visitors engaged and encourages them to explore your site further, so prioritizing your site’s speed and responsiveness makes sense. It lets your users know you value and appreciate their time.
Pay Attention to Your Site’s Mobile-Friendliness
People want answers on the go. That’s why more than half of all web searches occur on devices small enough for people to take with them everywhere. If your site doesn’t scale to fit all screen sizes, you’re missing out on opportunities to connect with people who are searching for what you provide.
Make sure your site is mobile-friendly so you can connect with internet users looking for information they can use in real time about your business, services, or products.
Implement a Flat Site Structure and Intuitive Navigation
Navigating a site with many pages but no clear structure can be frustrating. Don’t invite your visitors to get tangled up in a confusing maze of buried pages that lead nowhere. Instead, implement a flat site structure to make navigating your site intuitive and easy.
A flat site structure works by minimizing the number of clicks required to reach any page from your homepage. You achieve this by organizing content into a shallow hierarchy with minimal subcategories. Instead of burying information in multiple layers of menus, a flat structure presents all your business’s main categories and sections directly from your homepage, allowing visitors to quickly find what they need.
2. Use Technical SEO to Your Advantage
In 2024, technical SEO remains the unsung hero of increasing your brand’s online visibility. It’s the process of optimizing your website’s backend infrastructure to ensure search engines can efficiently crawl, index, and understand its content. In an era dominated by AI and complex algorithms, technical SEO remains a useful strategy for setting yourself apart from your competitors.
When you lay a solid foundation of website health, speed, and accessibility, your content can reach its full potential. Think of it as building a high-performance engine for your online car—it might not be glamorous, but it’s essential for a smooth ride to the top of search results.
Let’s take a look at how it works:
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure your website’s performance from a user’s perspective. These metrics evaluate your site’s loading speed, responsiveness, and visual stability.
They include:
- •Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures how long it takes for your page’s largest element of content to load.
- •Interactive (INP): Measures how long it takes for your users to be able to interact with your page.
- •Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures your page’s visual stability, preventing unexpected layout shifts that detract from your user’s experience.
Optimizing Core Web Vitals remains crucial in 2024 because they directly impact user experience, which is a top priority for search engines. Improving these metrics enhances user satisfaction, reduces bounce rates, and boosts your site’s search engine rankings.
With Google’s emphasis on providing the best possible user experience, prioritizing Core Web Vitals is essential for staying competitive.
Why Is Secure HTTPS Protection Important?
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. It’s essentially a lock for your online communications. When your visitors see “https://” at the beginning of your website’s URLs, they know it means the data sent between their computer and your site is encrypted.
This encryption is a shield that protects sensitive information, including passwords, credit card numbers, and personal messages, from being intercepted. Even though this is an essential trust-building strategy, many businesses still don’t take this step. Set yourself apart by offering your users a secure browsing experience.
Voice-Search Optimization
Voice search is on the rise. Don’t get left behind. Even though it’s usually classified as a local and on-page SEO element, voice search optimization is closely intertwined with technical SEO. While not a direct component, it relies heavily on a solid technical foundation.
Optimizing for voice search involves enhancing your website’s speed, mobile-friendliness, and structured data—all of which are core elements of technical SEO.
A well-optimized website, with fast loading times and a clear content structure, is more likely to appear in voice search results. While not a standalone category, technical SEO provides the essential groundwork for successful voice search optimization.
3. Quality-Rich Content (Visual and Text) Remains King
Quality-rich content continues to reign supreme because it directly addresses the core of search engine philosophy: providing value to users. Search engines prioritize content that accurately answers user queries, offering relevant information and engaging visuals. This is where understanding search intent becomes paramount.
What Is Search Intent?
Search intent is the underlying reason why someone performs a specific search. It’s the unspoken goal or purpose behind the keywords they enter into a search engine. Understanding search intent is crucial for effective SEO as it allows you to tailor your content precisely to meet your searcher’s needs.
Whether someone is looking for information, seeking to make a purchase, or navigating to a specific website, search engines strive to deliver results that align with that intent. By grasping the nuances of search intent, you can create content that ranks well and drives conversions and user satisfaction.
Aim to fill your website with relevant content that fulfills your searcher’s purpose. This will help boost your website’s visibility and cultivate trust and loyalty among your audience.
How Does Your Content’s Freshness Factor In?
Searches and search engines value the newest, most relevant, and up-to-date information. That’s why, in 2024, it’s still a good idea to update your web pages with fresh content as often as possible.
You can achieve this by:
- •Implementing a consistent content update schedule
- •Repurposing older content into new formats like infographics or videos
- •Leveraging user-generated content and feedback to identify areas for improvements and fresh topics
- •Regularly auditing your content’s performance using analytics tools and adjusting your content strategy
4. Backlinks and Authority
In the past, building a large inventory of backlinks (a link on another site that links back to your website) was the best way to gain external authority in the eyes of search engines and drive organic traffic to your site. While backlinks remain a cornerstone of off-page SEO, the strategy and focus have evolved significantly over time.
Here’s a deeper look into the components of backlinks and authority:
Backlink Quality
A single backlink from a reputable, high-authority site (like a major news outlet or a respected industry blog) is more valuable than numerous backlinks from low-quality sites. High-quality backlinks signal to search engines that your content is trustworthy and authoritative.
Backlink Relevance
Links from websites related to your industry or niche carry more weight. For example, a backlink from a prominent landscaping blog is more valuable for a lawn care company than a link from an unrelated site.
Natural Link Building
Earning backlinks organically through high-quality content, outreach, and relationship building is preferred over manipulative practices like buying links. It’s essential to keep in mind that search engines penalize sites that engage in link schemes.
Does the Diversity of Your Link Sources Matter?
Yes. A varied backlink profile with links from different domains, types of websites (blogs, news sites, directories), and geographic locations gives search engines the signal that your site has broad authority and appeal.
How Do Internal Links Work to Boost Your Brand’s Online Authority?
Internal links connect one page of your website to another page on your site.
While they’re primarily an on-page SEO element, they also contribute to authority and overall SEO performance in the following ways:
Improved Site Navigation
Internal links help users navigate your website, leading them to relevant content and encouraging them to explore more pages.
Link Equity Distribution
Internal links distribute the “link juice” or authority that your page receives from external backlinks throughout your website, enhancing the SEO value of your linked pages.
Hierarchical Structure
A well-organized internal linking structure helps search engines understand the hierarchy and importance of pages within your website, improving the ranking of your key pages.
User Engagement
Internal links encourage users to spend more time on your site by guiding them to related articles or resources, which can reduce bounce rates and increase engagement metrics that influence SEO.
How Do Brand Mentions and Social Signals Enhance Your Linking Strategy?
In addition to backlinks, brand mentions, and social signals are increasingly important in establishing authority and influencing SEO performance.
Brand Mentions
Even when a website doesn’t provide a direct backlink, a mention of your brand or business name in online content can contribute to your authority. Search engines increasingly recognize and value unlinked brand mentions as signals of credibility and influence.
Social Signals
While the direct impact of social media on SEO is debated, there’s evidence that social signals, including likes, shares, and comments, indirectly influence search engine rankings. Social engagement increases visibility, drives traffic, and leads to more organic backlinks as people discover and link to your content.
Reputation Management
Monitoring and responding to brand mentions and social interactions helps you maintain a positive online reputation, which can enhance trust and authority in the eyes of users and search engines.
Content Amplification
Leveraging social media platforms to promote your content can increase its reach and your likelihood of earning backlinks from diverse sources.
What Is the Future of SEO Beyond 2024?
How we optimize websites for the best web visibility is constantly changing as trends move toward zero search clicks and answer engine optimization (AEO). In 2024, some SEO best practices still help your company gain a competitive edge. Now that you know more about them, you can take steps to focus your digital marketing budget on areas that will make a noticeable difference.
Would you like more information about establishing or improving your web presence? LinkNow is ready to help with a full suite of cost-effective resources tailored to your preferences. We’ll help you prioritize authenticity and reach more people who need what you offer.
Connect with our online marketing specialists to learn more about our services and the tools and techniques we use to get your site ranking in major search engines. Our number is 1 (888) 667-7186. Give us a call at your earliest convenience.
