As you may have already noticed, the digital space is getting increasingly cluttered every day with content being pushed out at a breakneck speed. Search engines such as Google keep updating the algorithm used behind the scenes to rank every piece of content to ensure quality and that the users get what they are looking for as quickly as possible. This is where the ‘optimization’ part of Search engine optimization (SEO) comes in – so that we as content publishers can optimize our content for better ranking by search engines.
This article will cover the factors that search engines use at this time to rank content in 2024, which you can use to optimize the content you publish.
1. Focus on Search Intent
Search intent is essentially understanding what the user wants and with search engines getting better at understanding what users want, the content needs to be tailored to address this intent.
Search intent can generally be categorized into four types:
- Informational: Users are looking for answers to specific questions.
- Navigational: Users are trying to find a specific site or page.
- Transactional: Users want to make a purchase or perform an action.
- Commercial Investigation: Users are comparing products before buying.
Search engines put satisfying user queries as the number 1 goal and they do so by ranking content that satisfies the intent as the first result the user sees. Therefore, any content you publish should be created with the user intent in mind.
For example: If the user query is “Weekend trip destinations’ and the content covers trips that are longer than a weekend, the user is not going to stay on that content and move to a different one. Search engines don’t like this and will rank that content lower.
2. Prioritize Content Quality
This is a no-brainer. If the content is not of good quality, the user is not going to like it and find a different one. This action of the user is a red-signal for search engines and your content is ranked lower. What makes a content good quality? – Easy to read, offers helpful and valuable information, and satisfies the user query.
Here are a few simple ways to enhance your content quality:
- Research: Well researched content backed with claims from credible sources is an easy way to create quality content. This also builds trust.
- Presentation: Present the content in a well structured manner. Use sub-headings and keep the language simple.
- Relevancy: Provide information that is core to the content being built. Unnecessary content to fill gaps is just going to hurt the content quality.
Helpful and engaging content published regularly should help improve your content ranking.
3. Mobile Optimization
As per a recent report, 58.67% of all organic search comes from mobile devices. What this means is that having your content not optimized for mobile devices is a complete no-no. Search engines have something called the Mobile-first indexing, which prioritizes the mobile version of a website when determining search rankings.
Make sure your content is mobile-friendly by:
- Using a responsive design.
- Reducing the loading time of your pages.
- Simple navigation for smaller screens.
Seamless user experience on mobile devices will directly impact your search rankings.
4. Optimize for Voice Search
58% of all searches by users between the ages of 25 – 34 perform voice searches every day. With smart phone usage at an all time high, it is imperative that you optimize for voice search.
focusing on more natural, conversational language and answering common questions succinctly.
Here’s how you can optimize for voice search:
- Using long-tail keywords.
- Create FAQ-style content that answers common queries.
- Using conversational language into your content.
5. E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Another factor or set of factors that matter to Google is E-A-T—expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. These are the criterias that Google uses to rank websites/content. Websites with high E-A-T scores are shown prominently by Google as Google considers them to be trustworthy sources of information. This score becomes even more important when the content being served belongs to the YMYL category of content. YMYL stands for Your Money or Your Life, and it refers to websites that provide users with information that could potentially have a major impact on their finances, health, and safety.
To improve E-A-T in your content:
- Include author bios with credentials.
- Link to authoritative sources.
- Regularly update your content to ensure accuracy.
Regularly updating the content also brings in the need of keeping a track of all content versions. One easy way to manage content versions is to convert the chrome html document to pdf and save them with proper labels for easy identification and future reference. Utilizing PDF conversion tools can also be advantageous, as they help maintain the original layout and design of your documents during conversion.
6. Optimize Visual Content
Let’s be honest, walls of text are not attractive even though the information being provided is of the highest quality. Including images, videos, and infographics into your content can enhance user engagement which in-turn increases your SEO and improves your ranking.
Optimize visual content by:
- Using descriptive alt text for images.
- Compressing images to improve page speed.
- Including relevant keywords in image file names.
Videos can also be optimized with transcripts and subtitles to enhance search engine visibility.
7. Keep Up With Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are the measurement of user experience based on loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. These metrics directly impact your search engine rankings.
To become more user-friendly and improve SEO, remember to:
- Improve your site’s loading times.
- Ensure pages are interactive quickly.
- Avoid layout shifts as pages load.
8. Use Structured Data
Structured data, or schema markup, have one purpose – helping the search engine understand your content better. Essentially, you are telling search engines what your content is about rather than the search engine having to make an educated ‘guess’. Structured data also allows your content to show as rich snippets on the search results page improving visibility and click through rates.
You can apply schema for various content types such as products, reviews, recipes, and FAQs, which increases the chances of your content standing out in search results.
9. Internal Linking
Internal linking is linking a page in your website to or from another page in the same website. Strategically linking between pages on your site can improve your site’s navigation and help search engines crawl and discover your content more efficiently.
A good internal linking structure will ensure that:
- Users spend more time on your site.
- Search engines understand your site’s hierarchy.
- Relevant pages receive more link equity.
Including links to your most important pages also helps build their authority and improve your ranking.
10. Leverage AI Tools
AI tools are becoming increasingly common and can be of great help in your optimization efforts. AI tools can analyze user behavior, track keyword performance, and even suggest content ideas based on current trends.
Some great AI tools you can use are ChatGPT, Semrush, Market Muse, and Frase.
Conclusion
No matter what you do, content is the king of it all. There is no defeating good, quality content that satisfies the user query. This article aims to provide you with an overview of the different factors you should consider while optimizing for SEO. Remember that SEO efforts are not do-it-once and forget kind of a deal but require constant and regular improvements to be on top of the ever changing digital world.
