New SEO Strategies to Implement in 2024
Search engine optimization (SEO) has been essential to digital marketing for years. Businesses that use SEO techniques are rewarded with more web traffic, higher website rankings, and, ultimately, increased revenue. An increase in revenue is attainable through the effective implementation of SEO, as it facilitates directing individuals to your website, enabling them to discover the solutions they seek and subsequently convert.
Like all things in digital marketing, the world of SEO is constantly evolving. New technologies and algorithms mean that marketers and businesses must stay updated with the latest changes and trends if they want to remain competitive. In this blog post, we'll discuss the big SEO changes for 2024 that marketers should consider for their strategy moving forward.
Move Away from Using Domain Authority Metrics
Domain authority (DA) is a metric that predicts how likely a domain is to appear on the search engine results page (SERP) compared to its competitors. However, Google does not use DA as a ranking factor. So, it isn't a metric that will improve your ranking in SERPs.
This year, marketers and SEO experts can move away from trying to achieve domain authority. While you can still use domain authority as a guide and compare against competitors, there are better steps you can take to improve a website's ranking. Instead, Google pulls sources they consider to answer a person's query the best. Knowing this, it's best to tailor keywords appropriately instead of focusing on DA metrics.
Focus on Long-Tail, Zero-Traffic Keywords
In 2024, a singular keyword won't cut it anymore. The best way to get a website to rank highly in the coming months is to focus on long-tail, zero-traffic keywords. A zero-traffic keyword is a search query with little to no search volume. This means that people are searching for a topic, but no one in the industry has content written on it. These keywords provide businesses with ample opportunity to reach their target audience. The sooner you jump on these kinds of focus keywords and phrases, the sooner you can start ranking on page one of SERPs.
Optimize for Humans, Not Machines
For a long time, content writers wrote blogs and website content to fit into Google Algorithms, which were heavily machine-based systems. But their algorithm is changing to be more personable. Because of this, you must optimize for the human reader, not the machine. Pay attention to what your target audience desires and work within that.
Leverage Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) shook our world in 2023, and several people refused to use it for a long time. But AI is here to stay. A recent study found that roughly 65% of current AI users believe AI will soon replace search engines like Google for online searches. The possibilities for AI are endless, and we are sure to see more use cases for it this year. Instead of fearing AI, marketers must embrace it to enhance their workflows, produce stand-out content, and have a competitive edge.
Clean Up Your Websites Back-End
This topic has been important for several years but is becoming more significant this year. If the back end of your website has excess JavaScript and CSS code that doesn't serve a purpose, it's best to remove it. Cleaning up your website can improve page speed and reduce bounce rate.
Another thing you can do to enhance web performance is to ensure your schema is up to code. You can do this by:
- Making sure that all the information is correct.
- Checking that you have the correct schematic markups on your site.
- Fixing any broken or missing schematic code.
Be Uniform Across All Marketing Efforts
Uniformity is going to be more important than ever this year. So don't forget about your other marketing efforts! Take time to review and ensure that your messaging, branding, and intent are uniform across all your omnichannel efforts. The more uniform the marketing efforts, the more likely a consumer is to trust the brand, convert, and recommend it to others.
Stand Out in 2024 with Refreshed SEO Strategies
By implementing these new SEO strategies, marketers and businesses can stay competitive and continue attracting high-quality website traffic. Don't wait until it's too late – start planning your SEO strategy now and get ahead of the competition! Darwill's SEO experts have been working with these strategies and know how to implement them for any business. If you need help, contact us, and we'll get you on the right path to stand out amongst your competitors.