7 SEO Strategies That Always Work

The Always-Working SEO Strategies Your Website Needs in 2024

In a digital world awash in AI-generated content and ever-evolving search engine algorithms, achieving prominent organic search visibility can feel like chasing a moving target. While it’s true that the landscape is constantly shifting, certain fundamental SEO principles remain steadfastly effective. Just like Google’s search liaison, Danny Sullivan, assures us that website traffic continues to grow year after year, certain SEO strategies continue to yield reliable results.

This article delves into seven such evergreen SEO techniques that remain relevant and impactful, even amidst the rise of AI and changing search patterns. Backed by research, data, and insights from industry leaders like Neil Patel, these strategies can help future-proof your website and boost its organic visibility.

1. Content Pruning and Cropping: Less is More

The age-old adage “quality over quantity” rings truer than ever in the current SEO landscape. Google’s emphasis on helpful, user-centric content means that low-quality, outdated, or irrelevant pages can actively harm your site’s overall performance.

• Identify and Remove Underperforming Content: Utilize SEO tools like Ubersuggest to pinpoint pages with minimal traffic and backlinks. These often signal content that fails to resonate with users or search engines.
• Understand Google’s Stance: Google’s helpful content update penalizes sites with a high volume of unhelpful content. Removing this dead weight can actually boost the ranking potential of your remaining, higher-quality pages.

Think of it like tending a garden – regular pruning and removal of dead leaves and branches allows the healthy parts to flourish.

2. Content Merging: Consolidating Strength

Keyword cannibalization, where multiple pages on your website target the same keywords, can confuse search engines and dilute your ranking potential. Content merging offers a solution by consolidating related pages into a single, comprehensive resource.

• Identify Cannibalization: Use SEO tools like SEMrush or Google Search Operators (site:yourwebsite.com “keyword”) to find pages competing for the same keyword and user intent.
• Merge and Redirect: Consolidate valuable content from multiple pages into one authoritative piece, ideally using the highest-ranking URL. Redirect the other URLs to this merged page to avoid confusing search engines.

Content merging streamlines your website architecture, consolidates ranking signals, and offers users a more valuable and in-depth resource.

3. Meta Tag A/B Testing: Small Tweaks, Big Impact

Meta tags, including title tags and meta descriptions, remain crucial for attracting clicks from search engine results pages (SERPs), even if their direct impact on rankings has diminished.

• Optimize for Humans: Craft compelling meta titles and descriptions that entice users to click. Integrate relevant keywords, but prioritize clear and engaging language that speaks directly to the user’s search intent.
• Character Limits Matter: Adhere to character limits for title tags (50-65 characters) and meta descriptions (155-160 characters) to avoid truncation on SERPs.
• A/B Test for Optimization: Utilize tools like SearchPilot to A/B test different versions of your meta tags, identifying those that drive the highest click-through rates and improve your organic performance.

4. Updating Old Content: Breathing New Life into Existing Assets

The internet is a dynamic space, and even evergreen content can benefit from regular updates to maintain its relevance and freshness.

• Don’t Underestimate the Power of Updates: A study by HubSpot found that updating old content can lead to a staggering 106% increase in organic traffic.
• Prioritize Updating Over New Content: Research by NP Digital revealed that top-ranking websites dedicate almost 70% of their content marketing time to updating existing content, highlighting its significant ROI.
• Refresh and Revitalize:
  • Update outdated information, statistics, and visuals.
  • Remove time-sensitive references.
  • Incorporate new keywords based on current search trends.
  • Improve readability with visual content and clear formatting.
  • Re-promote updated content across your channels.

5. Link Building in 2024: Quality Trumps Quantity

Despite algorithm updates and the rise of AI, backlinks remain a core ranking factor for Google, signaling a website’s authority and trustworthiness. However, the emphasis now lies squarely on quality over quantity.

• Focus on Authoritative Links: Prioritize earning links from reputable, high-domain authority websites within your niche.
• Relevance is Key: Ensure that backlinks are relevant to the content they link to, creating a natural and valuable flow of information for users.
• Content is King, But Tools Can Be Kingmakers: Developing free, valuable tools like Ubersuggest can attract a high volume of organic, high-quality backlinks, significantly boosting your site’s authority.

6. User Experience (UX) as a Ranking Factor: The Rise of User Signals

Google’s increasing reliance on user signals indicates that a positive user experience is no longer just good practice – it’s a ranking factor.

• Understand the User Journey: Think beyond individual pages and consider the entire user journey from search query to interaction with your content.
• Fulfill Search Intent: Ensure your content delivers on the user’s search intent, providing the information they are looking for in an accessible and engaging format.
• Optimize for Dwell Time: Aim to keep users on your page longer by providing valuable, relevant, and engaging content that satisfies their needs.
• Prioritize Technical SEO:
  
  • Page Speed: Optimize for fast loading times, particularly on mobile devices.
  • Navigation and Architecture: Ensure intuitive site navigation and a logical website architecture.
  • Mobile-Friendliness: Provide a seamless experience across all devices, prioritizing the mobile-first approach.

Tools like Crazy Egg, which offer heatmaps and user behavior analysis, can offer insights to further enhance your website’s UX.

7. Keyword Research: The Foundation of SEO Success

Keyword research remains the bedrock of any successful SEO strategy, acting as the bridge between what users are searching for and the content you create to meet their needs.

• Understanding User Intent is Paramount: Delve deeper into your target audience’s needs and pain points to understand the “why” behind their searches.
• Long-Tail Keywords for the Win: Focus on longer, more specific keyword phrases (long-tail keywords) that often have less competition and higher conversion rates.
• Leverage Question-Based Keywords: Utilize tools like AnswerThePublic to identify commonly asked questions within your niche and create content that directly addresses those queries.

Don’t solely focus on search volume. Targeting less competitive, lower-volume keywords with high user intent can result in more qualified traffic and higher conversion rates.

SEO Success in a Changing Landscape

While the SEO landscape may appear to be in constant flux, these seven strategies, grounded in providing value, understanding user behavior, and adapting to evolving search patterns, offer a path to sustainable organic growth. By embracing these timeless SEO principles and consistently optimizing your website with the user in mind, you can navigate the ever-changing digital terrain and achieve lasting visibility in the search results.