WebCEO Platform loved by in-house SEO teams and Digital Agencies

Move Your SEO

to the Next Level
with 15 professional Internet Marketing tools
driven by the hottest SEO trends

Sign Up Free
and join 1,280,000+ happy businesses

webceo.com
 CONTENT
INTRODUCTION On-Page SEO: Everything You Need to Know
By Anna Crowe

CHAPTER 1 E-A-T & YMYL: How to Boost Your On-Page SEO

By Alex Valencia

CHAPTER 2 Title Tag Optimization: A Complete How-to Guide

By Corey Morris

CHAPTER 3 SEO Best Practices: How to Create Awesome Meta Descriptions

By Brian Harnish

CHAPTER 4 11 Headline Writing Tips to Drive Traffic & Clicks

By Kristi Kellogg

How to Use Header Tags: SEO

CHAPTER 5 Best Practices
By Amelia Willson

CHAPTER 6
SEO Writing: Top 47 Tips to
Master a Combined Art
By Ron Lieback
 --
Page Optim1zat1on Score

e0
Rank higher for your target keywords
and drive more qualified traffic
·- -�
----
o
0
.' AG�

Contentsu99est1
onsmayhe
1p You ran .. •

.
r..>it k higher.

to your website.

Start your 30-day free trial

Perform instant analysis of your See how your landing pages

on-page SEO stack up against the competition

Get a prioritized list of on-page Understand the on-page SEO

SEO recommendations to help factors that are helping or
you boost rankings hurting your rankings

Explore content suggestions to Get scored on how well your

help your pages rank higher in landing pages are optimized for
search results target keywords

Create presentation-ready Comprehensive onboarding and

custom reports friendly 24/7 support

'' Moz gives us the data we need to justify our projects and
strategies. It helps us track the ROI of our efforts and
brings significant transparency to our industry.
11 Jason Nurmi
Marketing Manager
Zillow

37,000+ customers trust Moz to give them the

SEO insights they need to grow their business.

99designs azillow·
 CONTENTHow to Identify & Eliminate Keyword Cannibalization to
CHAPTER 7 Boost Your SEO
By Aleh Barysevich

CHAPTER 8 How to Do a Content Audit: The Ulitmate Checklist

By Ashley Ward

CHAPTER 9 11 Important Image SEO Tips You Need to Know

By Anna Crowe

CHAPTER 10
SPONSORED
15 Ways to Optimize Your Site for User Engagement
By Brian Gareth, Internet Marketer and Editor-in-Chief, WebCEO

CHAPTER 11
SPONSORED
7 Common On-Page SEO Mistakes & How to Fix Them
Kameron Jenkins, SEO Wordsmith, Moz
Introduction
On-Page SEO:
Everything You Need
to Know

Written By
Anna Crowe
Assistant Editor, Search Engine Journal
 ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW
Succeeding in organic search
today requires optimizing
for a combination of factors
that search engines consider
important – technical, on-page
and off-page.

Over the years, we’ve seen increased focus toward off-page techniques –
such as link building – and other technical elements.

But the reality is, off-page SEO won’t do much good if you don’t pay
attention to the fundamentals – on-page SEO.
 S mart SEO practitioners know that on-page optimization should be
constantly prioritized.

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

And because the search landscape is ever evolving, it’s important to
make sure your on-page SEO knowledge is up to date.

In this post, we will cover what on-page SEO is, why it matters, and 10
of the most important on-page SEO considerations today.

What Is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO (also known as on-site SEO) refers to the practice of
optimizing web pages to improve a website’s search engine rankings
and earn organic traffic.

In addition to publishing relevant, high-quality content, on-page SEO

includes optimizing your headlines, HTML tags (title, meta, and
header), and images. It also means making sure
you website has a high level of expertise,
authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

It takes into account various

aspects of the web page that,
when added together,
will improve your
website’s visibility
in the search
results.
Why On-Page SEO Is Important

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

On-page SEO is important because it helps search engines
understand your website and its content, as well as identify whether
it is relevant to a searcher’s query.

As search engines become more sophisticated, there is a greater

focus toward relevance and semantics in search engine results
pages (SERPs).

Google, with its plethora of complex algorithms, is now

much better at:

Understanding what users are actually searching for when they

type a query.
Delivering search results that meet user intent (informational,
shopping, navigational).

Adapting to this development is essential, and you can do it by

ensuring that your website and its content – both what is visible
to users on your webpages (i.e., text, images, video, or audio) and
elements that are only visible to search engines (i.e., HTML tags,
structured data) – are well-optimized according to the latest best
practices.

Additionally, you can’t simply ignore on-page SEO because you have
more control when optimizing for on-site elements – as opposed to
off-page SEO that consists of external signals (i.e., backlinks).
 If you put effort into on-page strategies, you’ll see a boost in traffic
and a rise in your search presence.

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

This guide will walk you through the most important elements of
on-page SEO.

Paying close attention to these 10 areas will help improve your

content and authority – and increase your rankings, traffic, and
conversions.

1. E-A-T
E-A-T, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and
Trustworthiness, is the framework that Google raters use to assess
content creators, webpages, and websites as a whole.

Google has always put a premium on high-quality content. It wants

to make sure that sites producing high-quality content are rewarded
with better rankings and sites that create low-quality content get less
visibility.

There is a clear relationship between what Google considers high-

quality content and what appears in the search results.

Call it correlation or causation – whatever it is, E-A-T is somehow

playing a role in Google’s organic search results. Which means E-A-T
must be a consideration in your SEO strategy.
2. Title Tag

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

The title tag, an HTML tag that exists in the head section of each
webpage, provides an initial cue or context as to what the topical
subject matter is of the respective page it is on.

It is featured prominently in the search engine results pages (typically

used as the clickable link) as well as in the browser window.

The title tag by itself has little impact on organic rankings, this why it’s
sometimes overlooked.

That said, missing, duplicate, and poorly written title tags can all
negatively impact your SEO results, so make sure you’re optimizing
for this element.
3. Meta Description

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

Since the early days of SEO, meta descriptions have been an
important optimization point.

Meta descriptions, meta tags that provide a description of what the

page is about, are often displayed in the SERPs underneath the title
of the page.

While Google maintains that meta descriptions don’t help with

rankings, there is anecdotal evidence that indirect attributes of better
descriptions do help.

Optimizing meta description correctly can help

improve:

Click-through rate (CTR).

Perception of the quality of the result.
Perception of what your website offers all change.
4. Headlines

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

Want your website content to perform well on search? Then start
writing compelling headlines.

Coming up with a title for a blog post might seem too basic, but
a great headline can mean the difference between a click and an
impression – that’s why it’s important to create them strategically.

Your headlines need to spark interest for it to stand out on the SERPs
– enticing users to click through and continue reading the rest of the
content.

5. Header Tags
Header tags are HTML elements (H1-H6) used to identify headings
and subheadings within your content from other types of text (e.g.,
paragraph text).

Header tags aren’t as critically important for your site rankings as

they used to be, but these tags still serve an important function – for
your users and your SEO.

They can indirectly impact your rankings by:

Making your content easier and more enjoyable for visitors to

read.
Providing keyword-rich context about your content for the
search engines.
6. SEO Writing

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

SEO writing in 2019 means writing content with both search engines
and users in mind.

There is a strategy behind writing solid SEO content – and it is more

than just keyword research and fill in the blanks.

Simply producing content for the sake of it won’t do. Remember that
you’re writing content for people – therefore that content must be
high-quality, substantial and relevant.

7. Keyword Cannibalization
True or false? The more pages you have targeting a keyword, the
better you’ll rank for that keyword.

False!

Targeting a specific term across multiple pages will cause

“keyword cannibalization” which has some potentially disastrous
consequences for your SEO.

When you have multiple pages ranking for the same keyword, you’re
actually competing with yourself.

It’s important to identify whether keyword cannibalization exists on

your website and resolve it right away.
8. Content Audit

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

Most content creators are focused on creating new content that they
forget to audit their existing content. And this is a mistake.

Auditing your existing content is crucial because it

helps you:

Evaluate whether your existing content is achieving its goals

and gaining ROI.
Identify whether the information in your content is still accurate
or has become stale (or even outdated).
Determine what types of content are working for you.

Content audits can greatly help your SEO strategy and they should
be done on a regular basis.
9. Image Optimization

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

Adding images is a good way to make your web pages more
appealing. But not all images are created equal – some can even
slow down your website.

If you’re not optimizing images properly, then you’re wasting a

valuable SEO asset.

Image optimization creates many advantages such as:

Additional ranking opportunities (show up on Google Image

Search!).
Better user experience.
Faster page load times.

Images should not be considered as an afterthought. Make sure to

incorporate images that support your content and use descriptive
titles and alt text.
10. User Engagement

ON- PAGE SEO : EVERYTH I NG YOU NEED TO KN OW

Enhancing your website’s on-page SEO elements is only half the
battle.

The other half lies in making sure that users will not bounce – but
instead, they’ll continue viewing your content, interacting with it, and
keep coming back for more.

Retaining engaged users is a great challenge in itself, but it’s certainly

doable. To increase user engagement, focus on aspects such as site
speed, user experience, and content optimization, among others.

Get More On-Page SEO

Insights & Techniques
We’ve only just scratched the
surface. Ready to go much
deeper?

Read on and learn more

actionable on-page SEO
techniques from our 10
information-packed chapters,
written by some of the smartest
practitioners in the industry.
 1
Chapter 1
E-A-T & YMYL: How to
Boost Your On-Page
SEO

Written By
Alex Valencia
Co-Owner, We Do Web Content
 1

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

Some people believe that
E-A-T is one of the most
important SEO success
factors today.

Others believe the importance of E-A-T is massively overblown.

Is it a direct ranking factor? Is it an indirect ranking factor? Or is E-A-T not

a factor at all in Google’s ever-evolving algorithms?
 1
T he debate over the importance of E-A-T – an acronym for
Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, made famous

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

by its inclusion in Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines –
will likely rage on for a while to come.

However, many took this whitepaper as confirmation that E-A-T is

an important ranking signal.

Here is what some consider the “smoking gun” from the

whitepaper:

“Our ranking system … is specifically designed to identify sites with

high indicia of expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.”

Does that mean E-A-T is a ranking factor? It could be. But not
necessarily.

It’s important to not overlook this sentence from the

whitepaper:

“Google’s algorithms identify signals about pages that correlate with

trustworthiness and authoritativeness.”

This certainly makes it sound like more of an indirect relationship.

But really, this is nothing new. Google has been trying to make its
algorithm as “human” as possible.
 1
If you were doing SEO before E-A-T even existed, you probably
remember the concept of Authority, Relevance, and Trust.

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

Google has been using identity, authority, and trust signals in its
ranking system for a long time.

But Google’s algorithms have never been perfect. Plus user behavior
and technology is always evolving.

That’s where search quality evaluators come in.

Google collects E-A-T scores from these search quality evaluators

(the human raters Google employs to test the quality of its search
results).

But to be clear: the actual E-A-T ratings given by search quality

evaluators are NOT ranking factors.

Google said the data it collects from its human raters does not
directly impact the ranking of any individual website.

So even if E-A-T isn’t a direct ranking factor, it can still help you rank.

Why?

To understand that, it’s important to understand exactly what E-A-T is

and why it matters for on-page SEO.

This post will explain E-A-T, as well as YMYL, and offer actionable
tips for how you can use these concepts to boost your on-page SEO.
 1
What Is Google’s E-A-T,

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

Really?
E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Google raters use this framework to assess content creators,
webpages, and websites as a whole.

This all makes perfect sense, right?

Google wants to make sure that sites producing high-quality content

are rewarded with better rankings and sites that create low-quality
content get less visibility.

Now let’s look at each of these factors individually.

Expertise
Are subject matter experts creating your content?

These are people who possess the necessary knowledge and

understanding of your field to talk deeply about a specific topic. This
can be general knowledge or highly specialized.

Google also is OK with something called “everyday expertise.” What is

that?
 1
“Some topics require less formal expertise. Many people write
extremely detailed, helpful reviews of products or restaurants. Many

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

people share tips and life experiences on forums, blogs, etc. These
ordinary people may be considered experts in topics where they
have life experience. If it seems as if the person creating the content
has the type and amount of life experience to make him or her an
‘expert’ on the topic, we will value this ‘everyday expertise’ and
not penalize the person/webpage/website for not having ‘formal’
education or training in the field.”

Basically, Google wants to provide links to websites that have

published helpful content that is useful, comprehensive,
relevant, and accurate.

Demonstrating your expertise is especially important

in certain niches (e.g., legal, financial, medical).

People are coming to your website to find answers to

important questions.

Providing inaccurate, unhelpful, or outdated

content is a recipe for SEO disaster.

Google doesn’t want to send its users

to incorrect content or websites that
deliberately mislead users.

So make sure the people who create

your content possess subject matter
expertise and do the necessary
research and fact checking.
 1
Authoritativeness
As noted in the above-mentioned whitepaper, Google has used

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

PageRank to understand authoritativeness since the very beginning.
It’s what made Google Google!

That means one signal of authoritativeness has been links.

Links – especially the quality of those links – continue to be a top

ranking factor. This is no secret.

For years, we’ve heard links compared to votes, where the more votes
you get, the more authoritative (or popular) you are.

So where expertise is having certain knowledge or skills,

authoritativeness is what happens when others (inside and outside of
your industry) recognize that expertise.

That recognition can come in the form of links, mentions, shares,

reviews, or any other type of citation.

It kind of sounds like authoritativeness is like your online reputation,

right?

That’s because, in a way, it is.

The best way to build that authoritativeness online is to create that

useful content we talked about in the last section.
 1
Trustworthiness
You have to put in a ton of hard work to earn the trust of people and

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

search engines.

You want people to trust in your brand or business and are willing to
endorse or buy from you.

One way to increase your trustworthiness is by highlighting the

credentials of your content creators and the website.

Think awards, testimonials, endorsements,

and other trust factors.

People have to feel they can trust all the

information they find on your website.

Likewise, Google wants to rank websites

and content that it can trust.

Trust also ties into Google’s

YMYL concept.
 1
What Is YMYL?
Websites that sell products or provide services or information that can

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

impact the happiness, health, financial stability, or safety of users are
categorized by Google as YMYL – which stands for “Your Money or
Your Life”.

Google holds these types of sites to the highest standard because

the stakes are incredibly high when it comes to this type of content.

Some industries that fall under YMYL include ecommerce, financial

services, healthcare, and legal.

Bottom line when it comes to YMYL: make sure that any content
on your website will help, not hurt, the people who consume your
content.

Make your users feel safe.

Take great care of your users and Google should take great care of
you.
 1
Why Is E-A-T Important for
Your SEO?

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

Since as long as I can remember, Google has been telling us to create
great content.

So it’s no surprise that Google values high-quality content.

There is a clear relationship between what Google considers high-

quality content and what appears in the search results.

Call it correlation or causation – whatever it is, E-A-T is somehow

playing a role in Google’s organic search results. Which means E-A-T
must be a consideration in your SEO strategy.

What Is High-Quality Content?

Whatever content you create must have a purpose. Your content must
benefit your clients, customers, users, or readers.

According to the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines,

high quality pages are those that have:

Additional ranking opportunities (show up on Google Image

High level of Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness
(E-A-T).
A satisfying amount of high quality main content, including a
descriptive or helpful title.
 1
Satisfying website information and/or information about who is

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

responsible for the website. If the page is primarily for shopping
or includes financial transactions, then it should have satisfying
customer service information.
Positive website reputation for a website that is responsible for
the main content on the page. Positive reputation of the creator
of the main content, if different from that of the website.

The highest quality pages (and YMYL pages) will have a very high
level of E-A-T, according to Google’s guidelines.

But Google noted that E-A-T applies to all types of sites (e.g., gossip
websites, fashion websites, humor websites, and forum and Q&A).

So that means it applies to YOUR site.

Your top priority should be creating content that your target audience
wants or needs and offers true value.

In short, creating more high-quality pages for your website should

help your website perform better in Google’s search results.

And, yes, this is much easier said than done.

 1
What Is Low-Quality Content?
Low-quality content is, as you’d expect, the exact opposite of high-

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

quality content. As Google puts it:

“Websites or pages without some sort of beneficial purpose,

including pages that are created with no attempt to help users, or
pages that potentially spread hate, cause harm, or misinform or
deceive users, should receive the Lowest rating.”

Here are the characteristics of a low-quality page,

according to Google’s guidelines:

An inadequate level of Expertise, Authoritativeness, and

Trustworthiness (E-A-T).
The quality of the MC is low.
There is an unsatisfying amount of MC for the purpose of the
page.
The title of the MC is exaggerated or shocking.
The Ads or SC distracts from the MC.
There is an unsatisfying amount of website information or
information about the creator of the MC for the purpose of the
page (no good reason for anonymity).
A mildly negative reputation for a website or creator of the MC,
based on extensive reputation research.
 1
If high-quality content helps your site rank higher, then logically it
makes sense that low-quality pages could hurt your Google rankings.

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

If your content is inaccurate, has no purpose, or includes elements
that hurt the user experience, it’s unlikely that Google will feature your
website prominently in the SERPs.

In short, low E-A-T means bad content. Bad content means bad
SEO. And bad SEO means you’re missing out on valuable traffic and
conversions due to low rankings.

How to Improve Your

Website’s E-A-T
Hopefully you now fully understand the E-A-T concept and why it’s
important.

So how can you make sure your website

content is high quality and also boost
your on-page SEO efforts?

Here are some best practices to

follow when creating new content
heading forward.
 1
1. Identify Your Authors with a Byline & Bio
Have you ever landed on a blog where some content was published

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

by “Admin” or some random guy with no last name?

Did you trust that site? Was the content amazing? No and no.

Google’s guidelines advise creating articles with “journalistic

professionalism.”

Part of that professionalism means every piece of content you publish

should have the writer’s name – their byline – attached to it.

Here’s how Search Engine Journal highlights the bylines of its articles:
 1
Ideally, you should highlight the biographical details of every person

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

who creates content for you – whether that’s blog posts, articles, or
question and answer pages.

Is the author of your content a recognized expert in your field? Then

you definitely want to highlight that.

You can do so on a separate bio page that also contains the author’s
past content, or even at the bottom of the article.

Search Engine Journal does both. At the bottom of any SEJ article
you’ll see an author’s box like this:
 1
Clicking on [Read full bio] leads to my full bio page with information
that establishes who I am and what I do:

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

Here are some essential elements of a good bio page

Full name
Headshot
Title/position
A detailed bio
Contact information (e.g., email form, social media)

Doing all of this makes it easy for users (and Google) to know who
created the content and assess their individual E-A-T.
 1
2. Make Your Contact Info Easy to Find
When visitors arrive on your landing pages, is it easy to find your

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

contact information? Or details on how to get customer support?

Remember, E-A-T evaluates your website as a whole.

The easiest solution?

Make sure you link to your About Us and/or Contact Us page in

either your main or footer navigation.

And if you don’t have those pages on your website? Make them now!
 1
3. Remove or Improve Your Low Quality
Content

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

As Search Engine Journal’s Executive Editor Danny Goodwin puts it:
you have to decide whether you can improve or remove your old
or outdated content.

SEJ has been going through this process for over a year now and it
has increased their traffic by 2x, according to Goodwin.

If you have content that is no longer useful – or is just so terrible

that it’s not worth the time investment to update or improve it – then
pruning that content is one quick way to improve your E-A-T.

Removing content should always be your last resort. But if it needs to

be done, do it without hesitation.

Ideally, you want to identify any content that looks like it has low E-A-T
and figure out ways you can reverse that.

Some ways you could increase E-A-T:

Have a more authoritative person write it.

Add quotes from experts, data, sources, or citations.
Make some simple edits to improve the readability, grammar,
spelling, and structure.
Add more information to make it more comprehensive.
Write a new and better title.
 1
Add some visual appeal, as photos, charts, screenshots (and

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

make sure to optimize those images).
Add a video for people who prefer that format vs. text only (this
has the added benefit of potentially keep visitors on your site
longer).

The process of elevating content definitely takes longer, but it too

will greatly improve your website’s E-A-T and performance. And this
process is especially crucial for any YMYL pages.
 1
4. Create a Positive Brand Reputation

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

A positive brand reputation is key to both growing your business and
your E-A-T.

One way you can do this is through thought leadership.

If you can share insights that your target audience truly finds valuable,
this can push them down the path to conversion.

High-quality thought leadership content is good for winning, keeping,

and growing business.

This will also help you build authority in your niche, and help Google
trust you.

Thought leadership is incredibly powerful when done right. So make

sure you aren’t underwhelming your audience!

For more on how thought leadership delivers real ROI, check out the
Edelman-LinkedIn Thought Leadership Impact study.
 1
Summary

E-A-T & YMYL : H OW TO BO O ST YOU R ON - PAG E S EO

Is E-A-T a ranking factor?

This is the wrong question to ask, in my opinion.

Let’s forget about ranking factors for a moment and instead think
about your audience.

If you’re doing everything outlined in Google’s E-A-T guidelines, then

you’re creating informative, useful, high-quality content that your
audience wants and helping them accomplish a task (e.g., acquiring
knowledge, buying a product).

In other words, you’re providing a satisfying user experience.

And anything that is good for users is good for helping you rank in
Google – and driving the traffic and conversions you really want.
 2
Chapter 2
Title Tag Optimization:
A Complete How-to
Guide

Written By
Corey Morris
Vice President of Marketing, Voltage
 2
The <title> tag is crucial for

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

any SEO strategy to succeed.

Missing, duplicate, and poorly written title tags can all negatively impact
your SEO results.

Don’t let this happen to you.

This chapter will help you understand what goes into writing and
optimizing a great title tag.
 2
What Is a Title Tag?

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

The title tag is an HTML tag that exists in the head section of each
webpage. It provides an initial cue or context as to what the topical
subject matter is of the respective page it is on.

The title tag is featured prominently in the search engine results

pages (typically it is used as the clickable link) as well as in the
browser window.

Other than those two places, it isn’t as visible as other web content
on a given page (e.g., body copy, image content, and other aspects)
that a user will see immediately when landing on the page.

Title tags aren’t a visual element users will see on a webpage, so the
title tag can sometimes be overlooked.

At the same time, the title tag by itself has little impact on
organic rankings. No one item alone is magical or
powerful – especially if your content is
low-quality or you’ve neglected
technical SEO.

Here are eight

important aspects
to consider when
optimizing your title
tags for search.
 2
1. The Page’s Context Within
the Site

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

Before you can write an optimized title tag, you need to know where
the page fits into the overall hierarchy of the website.

A home page title tag is going to be much different than a blog post
or product page.
For websites that have a lot of pages, it can be challenging to come
up with tags that are different from page to page. That’s why mapping
out your site and knowing where each page fits into the context of
your subject matter is important.

Each page deeper you get into the site, the more specific you can
and should be.

You can repeat words and phrases but should be more detailed each
step down into the site you go.

An ecommerce example of title tags at different levels

of the site that have appropriate context:

Home Page: Groomsmen gifts and unique men’s gifts by The

Man Registry
Product Category Page: BBQ sets and utensil gifts for
groomsmen by The Man Registry
Product Page: 5-Piece Customized BBQ utensil set by The
Man Registry
 2
2. Topical Relevance Within
the Page

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

The next step of understanding where the page fits in the hierarchy of
the website overall is to evaluate the content on the page.

The title tag is most impactful for search engines and users when it
introduces the topic of the page and the same important keywords
are used in body copy, image alt attribute, the meta description, URL,
and other aspects of the page.

It is a wasted exercise to ignore the page content when writing the

title tag if it contributes to a higher bounce rate and can’t lend more
relevance to the topic of the page.

You should use words in the title

tag that are also used in other
parts of the page to tie the
topic together.
 2
3. Unique Tags

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

Duplicate title tags are not helpful to searchers or search engines.

If you have duplicate tags you’ll see them in Google Search

Console or Bing Webmaster Tools reports and you’ll often find that
the search engines have chosen to ignore your title tag and use other
content it found on your page for the blue link text in the SERP.

When multiple pages have the same tag, those tags are useless to
the search engine.

You can use the data provided in Google Search Console and Bing
Webmaster Tools to find where you have issues as well as run your
own tests through any number of on-page auditors and crawling
tools.

If you have duplicate tags within your site, add writing custom tags to
your SEO action plan.
 2
4. Use Dynamic Options When
Possible

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

If you have a large website, or one that features a large amount
of dynamic data – like an ecommerce website – find ways to
semantically code your tags.

Most content management systems and website platforms will

automatically generate the title tag to start with.

If you want to override or customize the default title tag at scale, work
with your developer or within your website platform settings to find
ways to add more detail and customize at different levels.

The more you can scale and not have to manually manage hundreds
or thousands of tags, the better.

An example of a dynamic structure could include some standard text

in all product page tags but with the specific name of the product
populated from the database.

For example, it could be “[product_name] groomsmen gifts from The

Man Registry.” The bracketed “product_name” would be a variable
that would populate that part of the title with the actual product name
in the database.

In this case, you wouldn’t have to manually write all product title tags
and can ensure they are unique. For cases where you have the same
products with variations or attributes like different colors – you can
also look at ways to add more variables from the database.
 2
5. Searcher Intent Keyword
Use

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

We can all relate to times we really want to find an answer to
something specific, yet the top ranking sites are answering a different
question. The same goes for great content that gets unnoticed.

Knowing what your audience is searching for, and how they are
searching, is critical for title tag optimization.

If you don’t know what words and phrases people are using when
they are searching, then you’re at risk of guessing wrong.

Don’t skip keyword research or ignore it when you

are optimizing title tags.

You don’t have to worry about every literal

version of a keyword or phrase in the
current context-based era of SEO, but you
also can’t ignore the searcher and their
intent.

Your goal for an

optimized title tag is to
match the wording that
you use with what is being
searched for as long as the
perceived intent is the focus of the
content of the page.
 2
6. Call to Action in SERP

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

Remember that the title tag will be shown as the text in the blue link
in the search results page (SERP).

This is prominent real estate and the message featured here greatly
impacts the searcher’s decision on whether to click through to your
site or move on to the next search result.

Your focus must be on answering the question, need, or desire of the

searcher.

Having a clear vision of what your page is about and what the desired
outcome is for you and your visitor are critical.

If you’re trying to accomplish too many business goals on a single

page, it can be hard to focus clearly enough on what the call to action
(CTA) should be. If you find this to be the case, consider breaking your
content out into more topics and pages.

Much like the art of writing a solid PPC text ad headline, the title tag
needs to match the intent of the searcher to earn their click.

When writing your title tag, keep in mind that the tag is truncated by
Google at 70-71 characters. The user won’t see any word past that
character count.
 2
Get your important words and phrases in there. Be concise, be

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

direct, and prioritize the important words to appear as early in your
title tags as possible.

For example, you might have the average sounding home page
title tag of: “Groomsmen gifts and unique men’s gifts by The Man
Registry”.

You could test out more actionable language like “Shop the best
groomsmen & unique men’s gifts at The Man Registry”.
 2
7. Don’t Try Too Hard

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

Avoid repetitive and spammy looking titles.

Resist the temptation of overdoing it with your title tag.

The search engines are focused on context – not literal keyword use,
frequency, and density.

Pick words that are clear to the topic of the page and intent and stick
with them in the title tag.

You can use longer form areas of the page to elaborate and build on
that context.

An example of a dangerous title tag would be: “Groomsmen gifts,

Groomsman Gifts, Gifts for Men, Unique Gifts”.

Overplaying and repeating words is a quick way to find trouble.

 2
8. Keep Perspective of the
Title Tag’s Impact

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

Don’t overemphasize the importance or impact of the title tag alone.

While you might see a small bump from optimizing all the title tags on
your site, you can’t expect that the title tag alone is your key to SEO
success.

Holistic search optimization is much more important.

In many cases, title tag optimization is just the start or an entry point
until you are at the top of the SERPs – making small adjustments
and have the luxury of spending time obsessing over minor wording
changes to see how they impact rankings one position at a time.
 2
Conclusion

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

The title tag is just one of many elements that are part of a thorough
SEO plan.

In a vacuum, the title tag is not a significant detail, but working in

context and conjunction with all other on-page factors within a single
page, and in concert with all pages of a website, can factor into the
success of gaining more traffic.

Through the direct impact of CTAs in SERPs to signaling what the

page is about, the title tag can be helpful.

Title tag issues on a website including tags that are missing, too
short, duplicate, stuffed full of
too many repetitive words, or are otherwise not helpful can signal bad
SEO and a bad user experience overall.

So make sure that title tags always have the proper place in your
optimization plan.
 3
Chapter 3
SEO Best Practices:
How to Create
Awesome Meta
Descriptions

Written By
Brian Harnish
SEO Director, Site Objective
 3
Since the early days of SEO,

TITL E TAG OP TI M I Z ATI ON: A C OM P L ETE H OW-TO GU ID E

meta descriptions have been
an important optimization
point.

Google continues to maintain that meta descriptions don’t help with

rankings whatsoever.

But, as an indirect signal, there is anecdotal evidence that indirect

attributes of better descriptions do help.

Things like click-through rate (CTR), perception of the quality of the result,
and perception of what your website offers all change when you optimize
the meta description correctly.

Our latest deep dive takes a look into how to craft awesome meta
descriptions, and how to apply these steps to your site.
 3
What Is a Meta
Description?

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
Quite simply, the meta description is a meta tag that provides a
description of what the page is about. This meta description is
displayed in the SERPs underneath the title of the page.

Why Are Meta Descriptions

Important for SEO?
In the olden days of SEO, meta descriptions were important parts of
optimization to get right.

Did they help rankings back then? Google has said and continues
to maintain that they do not help ranking, and that they are not a
ranking signal.

According to a recent in-depth study, performed by

Yoast:

Google automatically creates many of the meta descriptions on

their own, regardless of the ones they wrote and regardless of
whether or not the page appeared in the segmented groups
they created for the study.
It did not matter that Yoast created long or short meta
descriptions, and whether a high or low keyword density was
implemented for them.
 3
In two-thirds of cases that they examined, Google used

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
sentences from the first paragraph. Of course, this particular
ascertation is not a guarantee Google will do the same for
your site, but the indication is there that an article introduction
should be completed with the meta description as a focus.

Be that as it may, there are other important considerations for meta

descriptions beyond their SEO value.

In addition to SEO, meta descriptions can drive clicks,

traffic, potential conversions, and revenue by:

Increasing a site’s CTR in the SERPs: There is evidence

that meta descriptions that have been well-written and properly
optimized are directly responsible for increased “website curb
appeal”.
Traffic: By increasing a site’s CTR through proper optimization,
increased rankings can result in more traffic to the site.
Potential conversions: Crafting a well-written meta
description that is closely related to the topic of the page, is
interesting to users, and is highly optimized for user intent can
increase conversions significantly. In addition, when you do
this, there is anecdotal evidence to support that the increased
traffic and CTRs will cause Google promote your site.It is worth
noting, that the head of Google Brain in Canada has recently
confirmed dwell time as a ranking factor, per Brian Dean’s
Definitive Guide to SEO in 2018.
 3
Meta Descriptions vs. SERP
Snippets

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
Some people mistakenly use the terms “meta description” and
“search snippet” interchangeably. But meta descriptions and search
snippets are two different things.

The meta description is an HTML tag that you control. You can create
and optimize your own meta descriptions.

Search snippets are the descriptions Google shows for your

webpages. It could either be the meta description you have created,
or it could be something completely different. Google controls this.

Why wouldn’t Google use your meta description? Depending on the

search query, Google may generate a description for your webpage
that is entirely different from the meta description you created.

This is nothing new. Google automated this process many years ago.

The distinction between

meta descriptions and search
snippets is an important one,
especially when Google makes
announcements – such as
when Google expanded the
length of search snippets
(only to shorten snippets
about six months later).
 3
What Is the Recommended/
Ideal Meta Description

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
Length?
It has been considered a standard SEO best practice for years to
keep meta descriptions at around 160-165 characters maximum (or
156-160 characters, depending on who you talk to).

The reasoning behind this is that this optimization helps to avoid the
truncation of the meta description in the SERPs and as a result, helps
to avoid high bounce rates.

Late last year, Google announced a change to the SERP snippets,

taking them up to 300 characters, more than double the usual 150-
165 character limits that are recommended.

Moz performed an in-depth study that determined that writing 300

character long meta descriptions should be observed as a new limit.
Then, Google quickly changed back to the standard word count
character limit.

What does this mean for SEO?

Continue to experiment and assess results, and make changes based
on those findings.

Listen to what Google and their spokespersons have to say about

what should and should not be implemented, but also do your own
testing. Test what they say and test what they don’t say.

Find out exactly what works for your site.

 3
Research the SERPs

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
Regardless of your industry, you should be performing research first
and foremost. This research consists mostly of SERP research.

Figure out what your competitors are doing. Monitor their SERPs over
the next several days, weeks, and months.

You will be able to assess exactly what meta descriptions they are
sticking with and which ones they are not.

To do SERP research effectively consists of the following steps:

Step 1: Research the SERPs for Your

Targeted Keyword
Easier said than done, I know. It can be time-consuming to manually
go through every search result and identify what, exactly, is your
competition’s kryptonite.

The reason why we ware looking at the competition is because

usually, the competition implements techniques that are currently
working.

Step 2: Research the SERPs for Your

Competition & What They Are Doing
Here, you take a look at your competition and figure out exactly what
they are doing for their brands.
 3
Step 3: Put Them Together in a
Spreadsheet, and Track Them

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
Using the SEO Quake Google Chrome extension, it is possible
to export Google SERPs to an Excel Spreadsheet quite quickly and
efficiently. This will let you keep a running tally of your competition
and track them easily and efficiently on a monthly basis, without
ginormous monthly costs.

Research Your Clients

Identify your target audience’s optimal buying journey, and what
happens at each stage of the marketing funnel.

The marketing funnel can be different

depending on your target market, so
sharing an exact funnel to follow here
would be fruitless.

Target and tailor your meta

descriptions according to your
findings.
 3
Set a Tone of Voice That’s
Consistent With Your Brand

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
Every brand has a unique tone of voice that is consistent with their
brand identity. The brand identity is how that brand appears online to
users.

Each meta description should be uniquely crafted and tailored

according to how that tone of voice amplifies itself across the brand’s
ecosystem.

You wouldn’t use a tone of voice for a website that sells shoes that’s
more consistent with a tone of voice on a website that sells hardware,
would you?

So why would you use a tone of voice that’s exactly the same from
page to page?

The main benefit of tone of voice is that it reaches different personas

who may be targeting certain keywords.

By targeting personas with user intent and combining keywords with

this research, it is possible to reach your target audience with a level
of sophistication and optimization that they have not seen before.

The key is to make sure that this optimization doesn’t stick out like
a sore thumb, and that it actually resonates with your site’s target
audience.
 3
Keywords Your Audience Is
Searching for Should Appear

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
in the Meta Description
Google continues to maintain that they don’t use keywords in the
meta description for ranking purposes. But, when you perform SERP
research, what is it that you see? Highlighted keywords in the meta
description.

This is not conclusive evidence that Google uses it, but it is

something that can draw your reader into the most relevant result that
will satisfy their query.

Why?

Because the reader is looking for search results that nail their query.
If their query is personal injury lawyers, they may go to that result over
others.

BUT – it depends on whether that result satisfies their intent and what
they really are searching for.

If your meta description satisfies their intent better than any other
result that appears, then you have just won the battle to attaining their
attention enough to click on that result.

Part of that battle includes adding keywords that Google is most likely
to highlight when displaying your results for that search query.
 3
Take Advantage of Trending
Social Headlines to Craft

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
Your Description
As a connoisseur of social media, you’re most likely on the up and up
in your industry when it comes to identifying exactly what’s trending,
and what isn’t passing muster for your audience.

Following influencer accounts and industry firms should already be a

part of your strategy.

Taking it a step further, assessing what’s currently trending in terms of

topics, and basing your meta description’s phrasing on that can help
nail down what may be best for your brand.

Don’t fall into a rut.

When you write meta descriptions for a living, it can be easy to fall into
a rut. You know the kind – the kind of rut that causes you to write the
same meta descriptions day in and day out.

The best way to cure this kind of rut is to practice your ABCs on a
daily, weekly, or monthly (for some industries) basis:

Always Be Crafting.

Also, the ABRs:

Always Be Researching.
 3
Research new industry trends, research what’s working and what’s
not, and above all – practice, practice, practice.

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
Make Your Meta
Description Specific
Generalized meta descriptions and hollow phrases such as “best
widgets” and other sales speak is usually something that can turn off
prospecting customers.

It is important to inspire confidence, the confidence that your result is

something that will satisfy their user intent for the query.

You want to speak about what your readers are really after, not
attempting to persuade them into your own sales funnel.

Refreshing Your Meta

Descriptions on Older Content
When you have stale content on a website, it can be a boon for the
site if you refresh your meta descriptions. This can be a great way to
get new traction on older pages.

Also, by refreshing your meta descriptions, it is possible to get more

traction from social media as a result. You can re-share and grab
more visibility from older posts if you perform a systematic refresh of
all of your meta descriptions.
 3
Examples of Great Meta
Descriptions

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
So what does a great meta description look like?

Here are a few examples:

“Did you know that pain and suffering are very real to the victim
in a personal injury case? Learn more from our personal injury
attorneys in this latest blog post.”
“By thinking clearly about your needs, it is possible to find a
computer that will help you do all the things you currently love,
and more. Our technicians explain.”
“When you are looking for the right widget, we can help. Our
widget technicians can help you with anything. These are the
things you should look out for in widgets.”

Not every meta description type will work well for each industry. This
is where testing, assessing your results, and making changes based
on those results come in.

Tailor your meta description to the website, and down to the page
that is designed for your users. And always keep in mind user intent
while integrating the above-discussed optimizations.
 3
Optimizing Meta Descriptions
Requires Striking a Balance

SEO B EST P R ACTI C ES: H OW TO C R EATE AWES O M E M ETA DES C RIP TIO N S
All of this has to be done while also observing character limits,
including power calls to action in the meta description, observing
proper branding and tone of voice, and also including targeted
optimizations for specific pages.

It is a delicate balance that must be maintained while also

interweaving common SEO elements.

Go forth, our young padawan, and make us proud with your meta
descriptions.
 4
Chapter 4
11 Headline Writing
Tips to Drive Traffic &
Clicks

Written By
Kristi Kellogg
Founder, Dazzling Digital
 4
Wondering how to write a

1 1 H EADL I NE WR ITI NG TI P S TO DR IVE TR AF F IC & C L IC KS

headline that drives traffic and
clicks?

The best headlines are:

Extremely relevant to the content

Contain a keyword
Generate interests

There’s plenty of room to be creative and demonstrate value, right off

the bat.

Read on to discover 11 useful tips to help you write good headlines.

 4
1. Let Keywords Drive You

1 1 H EADL I NE WR ITI NG TI P S TO DR IVE TR AF F IC & C L IC KS

If you’re writing a piece of evergreen content, always do keyword
research to find out what people are actually searching for.

A slight difference in wording can make a huge impact on traffic.

Let’s take this content, for example.

As with all content, I did keyword research beforehand to pinpoint

what people are actually searching for.

I narrowed it down to these keyword phrases, based on

their monthly search volume:

Headline writing tips: 360

How to write a headline: 360
Good headlines: 390
How to write a good headline: 170

By choosing a relevant keyword phrase with the most search volume,

I can boost the ROI of the content.

Accordingly, I chose “headline writing tips” as my main keyword (and,

of course, I can use the others as supporting keywords).

As you can see, the headline on this content is “12 Headline Writing
Tips to Drive Traffic and Clicks.”

It’s keyword-rich, relevant and (hopefully) demonstrates value.

 4
2. Come up with Multiple
Headlines

1 1 H EADL I NE WR ITI NG TI P S TO DR IVE TR AF F IC & C L IC KS

If you find yourself with a bout of writer’s block and can’t come up
with a headline that really strikes your fancy, try writing a bunch!

The act of brainstorming multiple headlines will really get your

creative juices flowing, and you’ll land on something great eventually.

3. Know that
Sometimes Short
and Sweet is A-OK
Sometimes we need to get straight to the point.

Not every headline needs to be lengthy –

sometimes being punchy and
straightforward is a better approach,
so don’t automatically discount a
potential headline just because it’s
short.
 4
4. Pull a Quote from the Article

1 1 H EADL I NE WR ITI NG TI P S TO DR IVE TR AF F IC & C L IC KS

Another option for coming up with a good headline is pulling a quote
from the content.

A quote, especially from a celebrity or influencer, can be excellent

fodder for a headline.

The quote, of course, should be on-topic with the article as a whole.

Here’s one technical issue to keep in mind: unlike body copy, quotes
in headlines should always appear in single quotations, according to
Associated Press Style.

5. Leverage a
Compelling
Statistic
Considering popping a powerful
statistic right into the headline.

That’s what Matt Southern did

in this article for SEJ: “91%
of Brands are Moving
Toward In-House Digital
Marketing.”
 4
6. Look at Competitors’
Headlines

1 1 H EADL I NE WR ITI NG TI P S TO DR IVE TR AF F IC & C L IC KS

If you’re stuck and can’t come up with a good headline, look to your
competitor’s content for inspiration.

You can never copy them, of course.

But you can look at what your successful competitors to get some
ideas and then you can create your own variations on that theme.

7. Put a Word in All Caps

Very occasionally, you can put a word in all caps.

This will immediately give your headline a sense of immediacy and

urgency.

I like to use this occasionally to punch a headline up.

Use this sparingly, however – it’s not for every article, every time.
 4
8. Use a Question

1 1 H EADL I NE WR ITI NG TI P S TO DR IVE TR AF F IC & C L IC KS

What questions does your article answer?

The question itself can sometimes make for a good headline.

If you’re writing a guide on the Facebook algorithm, a headline like

“What is the Facebook Algorithm? 10 Things You Need to Know”
would be perfect.

Potential readers will know, upfront, exactly what question your

content is going to answer, which is valuable.

9. Don’t Forget a Call to

Action
Whenever you can, add a call to action
in the headline.

Use terms like discover, learn, find

out, understand, etc. to make your
reader feel like they’re making an
empowered choice when they
click through to your content.
 4
10. Use a Number

1 1 H EADL I NE WR ITI NG TI P S TO DR IVE TR AF F IC & C L IC KS

Studies have shown including a number in your headline drives
clicks.

Note: the Associated Press states that headlines beginning with a

number should spell out the number.

You’re also supposed to spell out numbers one through nine,

including nine.

Online, however, where attention spans are short and space is

precious, numerals rather than spelled out numbers tend to perform
better.

It’s still good to know the rule, though, even if you’re going to break it.

11. Test Out the Headline –

Would You Click It?
Unsure of whether or not the headline is good?

Use this simple test: would you click it?

Put yourself in the readers’ shoes and consider whether or not you’d
be intrigued by your headline.

If you are, great – you’ve found a winner.

If not, keep brainstorming – get back to this list of headline writing tips
and consult it whenever you’re feeling stuck!
 5
Chapter 5
How to Use Header
Tags: SEO Best
Practices

Written By
Amelia Willson
Owner, AWCopywriting
 5
Like many SEO meat-and-

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

potatoes tactics, there’s no
denying that header tags
aren’t as critically important
for your site rankings as they
used to be.

However, there’s no denying that these tags still serve an important

function – for your users and your SEO.

They can indirectly influence your rankings by making your content

easier and more enjoyable for visitors to read, and by providing keyword-
rich context about your content for the search engines.

If you want to call yourself an SEO with a straight face, you can’t afford not
to optimize your header tags. Here are seven header tag best practices
for SEO.
 5
1. Use Headers to Provide
Structure

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

Your header tags provide structure and context for your article. Each
header should give the reader an idea of the information they can
glean from the paragraph text that follows below.

A helpful way to think of header tags is by comparing

them to a table of contents for a non-fiction book:

Your H1 introduces the topic your page is all about, just as a

title tells a reader what a book is all about.
The H2s are akin to book chapters, describing the main topics
you’ll cover in sections of the article.
Subsequent headers, H3s to H6s, serve as additional sub-
headings within each section, just as a book chapter may be
split up by multiple sub-topics.
 5
2. Use Headers to Break Up
Text

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

A scannable article is a readable article, and a readable article is one
that’s more likely to perform well in the search engines.

Scannability is so important to the success of an article, that

publications like Forbes have gone so far to call it “the most
overlooked factor of content marketing.”

The data backs up these claims. Only 16 percent of internet users

read an article word-for-word. The rest are scanning.

People simply like scannable content. According to the same

research, an article that’s scannable is 58 percent more likely to
perform better with readers.

When an article is scannable,

users might actually stick around
to read it, instead of bouncing
back to Google. Plus, they’ll
also be more likely to share it
with their friends.

While social signals aren’t

a direct ranking factor, the
more an article is shared, the
more likely it is to naturally earn
backlinks, which are a ranking
factor.
 5
3. Include Keywords in Your
Header Tags

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

While headers are not going to have as large an impact on your SEO
as a backlink from an authoritative site, Google still looks at them to
gather context for your page.

As with anything Google pays attention to, that means it’s worth
including keywords in your header tags.

This does not mean you should shoehorn keywords in at all costs. Be
judicious, not spammy.

You’ll note that many of the header tags in this article contain
keywords, but not all of them do.
Your page should be readable first and foremost, and naturally
include keywords.

Design for users, then make tweaks to optimize for Google – without
sacrificing the user experience.

Increasingly, SEO professionals are finding that good UX translates

to good SEO.
 5
4. Optimize for Featured
Snippets

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

One place where header tags do seem to make a
positive impact on SEO is with featured snippets – in
two particular ways:

The first is optimizing your header tag for a long-tail voice

search keyword, and then answering the query directly below
using text within <p> paragraph tags.
The second is using subsequent, smaller headings to outline
different list items. Google uses these headers to create its own
bulleted and numbered lists featured snippet results.

For example, Pear Analytics scored this featured snippet for “what is
a h1 tag?” when Google pulled the paragraph of text beneath their
keyword-optimized H1.
 5

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

And here’s an example for the list scenario.

Search for “best essential oil for first aid,” and Google creates a list of
answers using the H3s from the Natural Living Ideas blog.
5

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

 5
5. Only Use One H1

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

Let’s dispel a common SEO myth.

Google has said there is no problem with using multiple H1s.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s an SEO best practice to use multiple
H1s on a page.

Why not?

H1s are big, and they look like titles to readers. Use multiple H1s on
your page, and it starts to look a little out of control.

Want to make sure you don’t have any multiple H1s lingering on your
site?
 5
Run your domain through a crawler tool like Screaming Frog.

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

Toggle over to the H1 tab to see at-a-glance whether you have any
pages that are missing H1s entirely or have multiple H1s.

Then click the Filter drop-down menu to export the ones you care
about fixing.
 5
6. Keep Your Header Tags
Consistent

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

A good rule of thumb for UX is to maintain a consistent experience for
users.

When a site achieves that down to the finest detail, it’s impressive.

Aim to impress with consistent header tags.

If you choose to use title case format, stick with that across all your
pages (and vice versa if you choose sentence case).

Also, keep your headings on

the shorter side.

A header tag is not the place

to emphasize a block of
keyword-rich text for Google.

Treat it like a mini-title for the

following section of text.

For a good rule of thumb,

keep headers about the same
length as your title tags (70
characters or less).

The more you can set up expectations for your site visitors, and then
consistently meet them, the happier (and more engaged) they’ll be
with your site.
 5
7. Make Them Interesting

H OW TO U SE H EADER TAGS: SEO B EST P R ACTIC ES

This rule applies to all your copywriting, not just the headers.

Your initial draft may have bland headers that you use to create your
outline, but you should always review and revise them before
publishing to make them compelling for visitors.

Yes, your header tags make an article scannable. But ideally, they
don’t scan the whole way through.

Intriguing header tags encourage visitors to take a beat and read for a
while.

Place special importance on your H1 tag in particular. Users notice

H1s.

In large part, your H1 may dictate whether visitors bother to scroll

down the page at all.

Do your best to write one awesome H1 tag that answers the user’s
search intent, and gets them excited about reading your article.

Stay Ahead with Header Tags

Be an SEO all-star. Don’t ignore any task, no matter how small the
impact. Pay attention to how you use header tags. You won’t be
wasting your efforts.
 6
Chapter 6
SEO Writing: Top
47 Tips to Master a
Combined Art

Written By
Ron Lieback
Founder and CEO , ContentMender
 6
Many agencies continue

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

to believe that SEO writing
revolves around one process:
inserting keywords into page
tags and the body of the text
itself.

This belief remains strong, although today the quality and relevance of
content have more proverbial weight than a few keywords in the title or
heading tags.

According to a recent Searchmetrics General Ranking Factors study of

Google, overall content relevance was more of a ranking factor than word
count, or keywords in the text body, description title, or H1 tag.
 6
B ecause agencies are naturally focused on the art of SEO itself,
they forget about the art of writing.

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

True success – for search engine rankings, user experience, and the
brand overall, whether personal or business – occurs when both the
art of SEO and the art of writing are combined.

Neither can survive alone.

This concept is not as simple as many agencies perceive.

Writers are either trained in traditional discipline or the digital

discipline. Most agencies have one or the other; find one with both
and the proverbial Holy Grail happens.

From experience, I get it.

I’ve extensively worked and trained in both disciplines, from spending

endless evenings chasing stories as a news reporter back when
Google was in its infancy, to cranking out 25 blogs in a week that
were part of a keyword-themed strategy for a website.

Fast-forward to today, and I’ve ghostwritten nearly 500 articles for

multiple CEOs and helped build their personal and business brands
around keywords that were positive to their respective industries.

I’ve also written over 14,000 articles, stories, and product copy for
various online publications.
 6
Let’s reiterate – SEO is a must for any online writing, especially from
a keyword perspective, and correctly mapping those keywords to

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

pages/posts. I’d say “strategically,” but that word needs to go.

Strategy is more than just keyword research and fill in the blanks
with some content; strategy also needs to imply the creation of
quality content that is relevant to the audience.

Readers can recognize an authoritative voice immediately, and a

fake voice even quicker. This does zilch for conversions or brand
awareness, something I’ve learned during nearly two decades of
studying both the art of writing and the art of SEO.

With that said, here are the top 47 writing tips for any content writer
within any type of company, from billion-dollar software designers to
local pizza joints.

The focus weighs

more towards the art
of writing itself, which
will naturally lead to
the creation of quality
content that search
engines demand.
 6
Writing for SEO: The Essentials

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

1. Think Keywords First
Your writing must be found before you’ll have any impact.

No matter how intelligent they become, search engine algorithms

can’t recognize the best voice in a piece of writing…but if keywords
are there, you’ll have the opportunity of being heard.

2. Approach Keyword Research Like an Art

There are thousands of keyword research articles available;
research, discover and test what works best for you.

Make this process cyclical; I build content calendars out in three-

month segments, performing fresh keyword research at the
beginning of every cycle.

Industries change, and new keywords trend quicker than you’d know.

3. Study the Competition for Keywords

Multiple tools are available to find competitor keywords.

Warning: ONLY steal keywords; don’t study the actual writing of your
competitors. Once you do that, you sound like them, and struggle to
create anything original.

Study keywords – not actual content – of your competitors. Create an

original voice and you’ll be heard.
 6
4. Target 1 or 2 Keywords for Each Page or
Blog (Except Homepage)

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

Always focus on broader terms for you main “parent” pages and
longer term for the “child” pages below.

5. Use Keywords Where They Matter Most

To send search engines strong signals of the content’s

intent, it’s vital to use your keyword in the following
(prioritized of importance):

Title tag
Internal links within content
Alt attribute of image
Headline tags (always have an H1!)
Meta description

6. Use Bold & Bullet Points Wherever

Possible
Google pays attention to these, including when awarding featured
snippets.

So make sure to use target keywords in bold and bullet points when
possible.
 6
7. The Title Tag: Still the Most Powerful
Element

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

Make sure your target keyword is part of the title tag, ideally toward
the front.

Also, remember that title tags should be about 60 characters, so put

as much time into this as your actual content creation.

For the homepage title tag, target three of the most important
keywords that describe the business/website.

Always think about storytelling. Keep it simple. Speak the language of

your target audience.

8. Add Related Keywords

Don’t simply stuff keywords in after doing the writing.

If you’re well prepared with keyword

research, have the list of
semantically connected
keywords in view
as you write.

Insert related
keywords
naturally.
 6
9. Use Your Target Keyword in Your Meta
Description.

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

Google says it doesn’t use the meta description as a ranking factor.

However, if someone is searching for that target keyword or phrase,

those words will be bold:

Bolding attracts the eyes – and might entice a searcher to click rather
than scroll by.

Write your meta description like ad copy.

 6
Writing for SEO: Craft &
Routine

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

10. Write Drunk, Edit Sober
This sentiment is paraphrased from Hemingway.

This doesn’t mean you have to drink booze and edit a day (or so) later.
But you must create a mood to get words flowing in a natural way that
both readers and search engines crave.

Meditation works for some; simply riding around in a car or a

motorcycle works for others.

My thing personally – when motorcycles are garaged due to snow

– is when wifey and child head to sleep and I relax with music and a
glass of red (or three). It’s all up to writer preference.

The solution for everyone is simple: worry about writing and get
thoughts out before thinking.

Sounds weird? Try it. Then edit when fully focused.

11. Write. Rewrite. Then Rewrite Again.

Until It’s Right.
It’s all about a routine and process.

As William Zinsser says in “Writing to Learn”: “Only by repeated

applications of the process – writing and rewriting and pruning and
shaping – can we hammer out clear and simple product.”
 6
12. Outline and Plan
It’s much easier for a mind to think, and a search engine to read, in

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

chunks, and actually see those chunks coherently.

Most minds naturally want to write in a stream of consciousness style

like Jack Kerouac – but this isn’t novel writing; most of us are writing
for a business and that business’s success.

Organize headlines (for SEO with keywords!) and fill in the gaps.

Sometimes those headlines are more important than the words

beneath. Make those headlines scream thoughts, and the words
shout to support those screams.

13. Write Sentence by Sentence

Set up Word or Google Pages in landscape for the first draft, and
write sentence by sentence.

Don’t write any paragraphs until you do your first rounds of edits.

I learned this tip from Charles Euchner,

author of “The Elements of Writing”.

Single-line sentences keep

the mind fresh. They’ll help
corral thoughts as you begin
editing.

Think short for every sentence – like a

140-character tweet – and embrace short and
concise writing.
 6
14. Write Daily
A muscle grows when it has endless input combined with correlating

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

relaxing points.

Your mind works that same way; embrace it.

Again, write daily to work out the writing muscles, followed by some
relaxing.

Never stop the growth of writing muscles.

15. Shut Your Wi-Fi Off

This tip comes from Tim Ferriss, author of “The 4-Hour Workweek”.

This simple practice keeps focus in place and the mind from
answering anything that’s not in the mindset of your focus.

Distractions move a mood. Make those distractions non-existent.

16. Got Questions? Ask Your Digital

Assistant
The Wi-Fi may be off, but sometimes you need immediate answers
to questions that will nag you. Some can’t work without answering
questions.

The solution is simple: ask Siri or Alexa.

I keep an Amazon Echo Dot next to my desk and use it for quick
research. I have an Echo
 6
Show, but it doesn’t belong in the office where it can quickly jack your
focus due to the video factor. That one remains downstairs, out of the

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

office.

17. Read All You Can

Especially read the writers who simplify everything.

People may or may not love Hunter S. Thompson due to his politics
or mad lifestyle, but his prose is crisp and simple. I read “Fear and
Loathing in Las Vegas” in one sitting.

Not once, but maybe 10 times when I needed a push into something I
couldn’t possibly finish and needed a mind breath.

If you’re business minded, Michael Gerber’s “The E-Myth” is a one-

sitting read also. Simple and informative.

18. Stop Waiting for Inspiration

It’s useless.

There’s no such thing as inspiration unless you like to talk about

writing instead of writing.

True writers write every day and make it a lifestyle that helps develop
the “art.” Practice makes stuff happen and takes discipline.

Words simply flow better and easier after practice and discipline.
Nothing happens without the simplicity of practice.
 6
19. Read the Essentials
For traditional writing, read William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well”. Don’t

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

just read it once. Reread it once a year.

For the digital age of “short” writing that makes an impact, read Roy
Peter Clark’s “How to Write Short”.

20. Try Writing in Longhand

This article is based on notes I took while flying over the Atlantic
Ocean en route to Valencia, Spain.

Flying is a great time for thinking and using longhand. Plus, it keeps
your mind off the snoring passenger next to you.

Write in longhand in cabs, buses, middle of meetings, etc. Try it, and
revisit those notes before typing anything.

21. Write About What You Love

To truly master the craft of the
written word, embrace writing that
makes you happy – regardless if
it’ll make you money. The more you
write, the better you’ll become.

Take notes daily of things that make

you question intent, such as a “For
Sale” sign I say that said “Blue Ball
Living Has It All.”

Short writing provides inspiration

(regardless of how absurd sometimes!).
 6
22. Ask Questions Daily
Friends, family, wife, children, whoever. Continually ask questions.

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

The more you learn, the more you can provide readers (possible
prospects in business), regardless of your industry.

Questions are the highlights of learning. Let people talk.

Think 80/20 – let others talk 80 percent of the time as you listen, and
talk the other 20 percent of the time.

Your writing will thank you one day (and so will the clients you write
for).

23. Know Your Audience & Write for Them

Remember to keep your voice and style the same.

That’s how to set yourself apart from the zillions of other content
writers out there.

24. Work Better Under Deadline?

For some people, the pressure of a deadline forces the creativity out
of you.

If this is true for you, have project managers bump up your due dates.

I do this with my teams by sometimes as far ahead as four weeks.

 6
25. Think Like a Journalist
Ask the 5Ws – who, what, when, where, why – and, most importantly,

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

how.

Your client’s content depends on it.

26. Never Cram all 5Ws and How into One

Paragraph
Not only will this present clutter to the reader, but search engines can
see this as spammy and keyword stuffed. Write so the flow is natural.

27. Build Your Work Around Questions

Always ask what’s the problem and how do I clearly provide a
solution to that problem.

As importantly ask, will readers care?

This will help keep your voice trustworthy and

authoritative, keeping search engines
and readers happy.

28. Don’t Just Appeal

to Sight
Also try to appeal to other senses, such
as smell, sound, touch, and taste.

Try to appeal to all five senses in every

piece of content you create.
 6
29. When Writing, Think Like a Camera
Provide input from aerial views, up close, in the middle of it all, and

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

behind the scenes.

Let your audience experience the moment, and not just read about it.

30. Split Long Projects Into Short Tasks

Write all headlines first (remember to use target keywords in them),
and fill in each portion.

This works if you’re writing a 2,500-word piece on the craft of writing,

or a 750-piece for a client discussing technical aspects of a product.

31. Always Have an Ending in Mind

Knowing where your content is leading will keep your writing focus
sharp, and will help you more often achieve the ultimate goal of most
online writing – a conversion.

32. Check Your Spelling & Grammar

Misspell a name and the article immediately loses credibility.

Craft your content with sloppy grammar, and the article loses
credibility.

After you’ve checked for spelling and grammar errors, check again.
 6
33. Think of Credibility to Your Brand as a
Keyword to SEO

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

Without credibility, you’ll lose any chance of capturing an audience’s
attention.

Situations get worse if you spread false facts.

Take added time for research and fact-checking.

34. Edit With the 10-Second Rule in Mind

This goes for every single paragraph, especially for the first paragraph
and meta description.

You want to immediately

grab the reader’s
attention, and keep that
attention.

Also think – is this article

worthy of additional
conversation? If so, and
you have proper CTAs
within an article, this can
help move readers one
step closer to conversion.
 6
Writing for SEO: Form

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

35. Write Strong Sentences & Paragraphs
The strongest words should begin and end a sentence.

The strongest sentences should appear at the end and beginning of

a paragraph.

This helps keep the slower material in the middle of a sentence, and
the most important thoughts before the reader.

36. Become Obsessed About Clarity of

Voice
Clean writing reflects a clear mindset – something people (clients!)
need.

37. Keep Writing Free of Clutter

Keep it simple.

Get straight to what you’re saying.

Strip all useless words.

Get sentences into their simplest form.

38. Beware of Excess Adverbs & Adjectives

If the verb or noun can’t perform the explanation, that verb or noun
isn’t strong enough.
 6
39. Use a variety of long and short
sentences

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

A variety of sentence lengths helps your content to create some
rhythm.

Readers enjoy this.

40. Short Paragraphs Allow the Mind to

Breathe
Use short paragraphs often.

Space between paragraphs psychologically takes less energy to read,

saving that prospect’s energy for the sales/lead.

41. Always Use Active Verbs

This sentence was imperative with “Use.”

Without active verbs, the mind shifts.

The mind wanders.

You lose an audience…or sale.

42. Avoid Clichés

Um, like the plague.

You feel that one?

 6
Writing for SEO: Favorite Hacks

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

43. Listen to Your Favorite Music
Why not write to it? Some forms of music will bring drastically
different emotions out on the page before you’d realize it, so the more
the better.

While writing this, I went from Coltrane to Infected Mushroom to

Hendrix to SRV to G n’ R to Breaking Benjamin to Chopin.

For editing, Miles Davis was my go-to.

Music can help words flow, so embrace it all.

44. Commit to the Most Serious Writing in

the Morning
I’m typically up by 5:30 a.m. That’s when my brain is freshest.

I always block a few hours every morning for my most serious writing.

45. Carry a Tablet to Jot Down Ideas

If you think clearer in longhand, carry a small tablet for jotting down
ideas over using your phone.

Moleskin tablets are my favorite because they are thin and fit into
books, which I always have with me when traveling.

There’s only so much marginal space within a book for ideas; a tablet
takes care of this and keeps you off the phone.
 6
46. For Clients: Think 80/20 for the Initial
Few Engagements

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

Focus on the 20 percent of your writing that will produce 80 percent
results for the client’s sales. How?

Simple: always begin a content strategy around the top ROI products.
This shows value, and will help contribute to the overall qualified
keywords you want them to want to rank for.

47. Remember to Get Away from it All

The writers that have the true minds to create and provide value to
clients always need a break.

One of my process weekly tactics is “half-day Wednesday.” I detune

and either play guitar,
hike, ride motorcycles…
basically whatever is
needed.

This mid-week break

keeps the mind
fresh and clear,
which translates into
positive workflow
and, ultimately, happy
clients.
 6
Conclusion

SEO WR ITI NG: TOP 4 7 TI P S TO MASTER A C O M B IN E D ART

The perfect solution to create content that leads to conversion
involves deep studies not only in the art of SEO, but also in the art of
writing. Once both of these arts combine, digital organisms happen.

Embrace both if you’re serious about providing the most value to your
readers or your client’s readers, which you naturally want to turn from
prospects to customers.

Also remember if the content appeals, it will only compound online

over time.

Think of SEO writing to a business as compounding interest to an

investor – have the patience and discipline to do it correctly, and the
results should continually speak for themselves.
 7
Chapter 7
How to Identify &
Eliminate Keyword
Cannibalization to
Boost Your SEO

Written By
Aleh Barysevich
Founder and CMO, SEO PowerSuite
 7
There’s a common

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

misconception that the more
pages you have targeting a
keyword, the better you’ll rank
for that keyword.

After all, the more pages you have trumpeting your niche, the more likely
Google is to pick up on your keywords and elevate your SERPs ranking,
right?

Actually, no. That isn’t true.

 7
In fact, targeting a specific term across multiple pages almost always
has the exact opposite effect. You’ll probably end up doing more

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

harm than good to your SEO.

The reason is simple: when you have multiple pages ranking for the
same keyword, you’re actually competing with yourself.

Consequently, each page has a lower CTR, diminished authority, and

lower conversion rates than one consolidated page will have.

We call this SEO misstep keyword cannibalization.

 7
What Is Keyword
Cannibalization?

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

Keyword cannibalization is so called because you’re “cannibalizing”
your own results – you’re splitting CTR, links, content, and (often)
conversions between two pages that should be one.

When you do this, you aren’t showing Google the breadth or depth of
your knowledge, and you aren’t improving the authority of your site for
that query.

Instead, you’re asking Google to weigh your pages against each other
and choose which ones it thinks suits the matching keywords best.

For example, if
your website sells
shoes, and “shoes”
is the only keyword
you target, you’re
essentially telling
Google that every
page is about
“shoes” regardless
of whether they’re
hiking shoes, tennis
shoes, sneakers, etc.
 7
6 Negative Effects Keyword
Cannibalization Can Have

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

on Your SEO
Sadly, keyword cannibalization has some potentially disastrous
consequences for your SEO. Many people suffering from keyword
cannibalization aren’t even aware that anything’s wrong.

They might even be happy that one page is ranking in the fifth
and sixth slot for their targeted keyword, without realizing that one
authoritative page would probably rank higher and convert better.

The practical consequences are clear, however: lost site traffic,

queries leading to the wrong page, fluctuating SERP rankings, and
ultimately lost sales.

Why? Because:

1. You’re Diminishing the Authority of Your

Page
Instead of having one highly authoritative page, you’re splitting your
CTR to multiple moderately relevant pages.

Essentially, you’ve turned your pages into competitors and now you’re
fighting for pageviews and SERP ranks.
 7
2. You’re Diluting Your Links & Anchor Text
Backlinks that could have gone to one consolidated source of

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

information are now being split between two (or more) pages.

Similarly, your anchor text and internal links are leading visitors to
multiple different pages instead of one authoritative page on the
subject.

3. Google May Devalue the More Relevant

Page
Keywords are one of the main ways in which we help Google
understand what our pages are about.

If all of your keywords are the same, Google tries to understand which
page is the best fit – and if your content is too similar, it might get it
wrong.

4. You’re Squandering Your Crawl Budget

Your crawl budget is the number of times a search engine spider
crawls your website in a given time period.

Having multiple pages devoted to the same keyword results in the

crawling and indexing of pages that aren’t needed. (Note: small sites
probably won’t notice a difference or ever have to worry about their
crawl budget, but large ecommerce sites or vendors with multiple
products will notice a difference.)
 7
5. It’s a Sign of Poor Page Quality

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

Multiple pages targeting the same keyword tells your users that your
content is probably stretched thin, and it also signals Google that your
content may not match your keywords on each page.

6. Your Conversion Rate Will Suffer

Inevitably one of your pages will convert better than the rest.

Instead of directing new visitors to that page, and making it the most
authoritative page possible, you’re instead losing potential leads
when they land on less relevant pages.
 7
How to Identify Keyword
Cannibalization

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

Fortunately, once you’ve identified the problem, fixing keyword
cannibalization is easy.
Identifying keyword cannibalization is as easy as creating a keyword
matrix.

Simply create a spreadsheet that lists all of your site’s important URLs
and their associated keywords.

For example, if your site sells shoes, then your spreadsheet might
look like this:
 7
Alternatively, you can use a keyword mapping tool, which might look
like this:

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

When you’ve listed out your URLs and their keywords, run down the
list and look for any duplicate entries.

If you spot any – especially across core pages – you’re probably

suffering from keyword cannibalization.

Now it’s time to fix those pages!

Note that keyword cannibalization can even occur if the meta

information in your title tags seems to target the same keyword, so
double check those too.

If you’re using a rank tracking tool, you may also want to take this
opportunity to search for thin content and keywords mistakenly
applied to the wrong page.

It’s a good time to give your site a little TLC.

 7
How to Fix Keyword
Cannibalization

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

How you solve keyword cannibalization depends on the root of the
problem.

More often than not, the issue is simply one of organization, but
particularly stubborn cases may require you to break out the 301s or
new landing pages.

Here are five possible solutions.

1. Restructure Your Website

The simplest solution is often to take your most authoritative page
and turn it into a landing page that links to other unique variations
that fall under the
umbrella of your
targeted keywords.

If we return to
our shoe-product
example, it might
make sense to make
“shoes” our canonical
source page and
link all of the more
specific variations
back to it.
 7
2. Create New Landing Pages
Alternatively, you might lack a landing page that consolidates all of

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

your product pages in one place.

In this case, you’d benefit from creating a unique landing page

to serve as your authoritative source page and link to all of your
variations from there.

In our example, we might create a page called “hiking shoes” and

another called “sneakers for men.”

3. Consolidate Your Content

If your pages aren’t unique enough to warrant having multiple pages
targeting the same keyword, consider combining them into one page.

This is a chance to take two underperforming pages and turn them

into a more authoritative source. It may also solve thin content issues.

4. Find New Keywords

Finally, if you’re already blessed with highly diverse, content-rich
pages, and the only thing your website is suffering from is a poorly
planned keyword strategy, maybe all you need to do is find new
keywords.

Just make sure your keywords accurately describe your page’s

content.
 7
5. Use 301 Redirects
While I generally advise against using too many 301s (see my list

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

of the 10 Most Harmful Mobile SEO Mistakes), they might be
necessary if you already have multiple pages ranking for the same
terms.

Using 301s allows you to consolidate your cannibalized content by

linking all of the less relevant pages to a single, more authoritative
version.

Mind though that this tactic is suitable only for pages with similar
content and those matching specific keyword queries.

These five solutions will fix most cases of keyword cannibalization,

but if you manage an ecommerce website, you should be particularly
careful to note how your CMS separates products with variable sizes
and colors. Some CMS programs create separate pages for every
product variation.

If your CMS is organizing products

like this, you should either restrict
duplicate pages from being indexed
using robots.txt or <meta name=”robots”
content=”noindex”> tags, or you should
use canonical URLs to consolidate
link signals for the duplicate
content.
 7
Conclusion

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

Keyword cannibalization is more prevalent today than ever before.

Ironically, its victims are usually webmasters who recognize the

importance of SEO for their business, but while they intend to
optimize their site, they don’t fully understand how to ‘speak’ Google’s
language.

Fortunately, if your website is cannibalizing its own target keywords,

solutions aren’t hard to come by, and the damage isn’t permanent.

With the right tools and a ‘can-do’ attitude, you can give your SEO a
well-deserved boost.
 8
Chapter 8
How to Do a Content
Audit: The Ultimate
Checklist

Written By
Ashley Ward
CEO and Digital Marketing
Specialist, Madhouse Marketing
 8
When was the last time you

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

ran performed a content
audit?

Can’t remember?

You aren’t alone.

Most content creators are so focused on creating new content that they
forget to audit their existing content.
 8

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

Here are a few reasons why you need to audit your
content:

Goals: Is your content achieving its goals? Are you gaining any
ROI from the content you’ve produced? You won’t know unless
you measure your content’s performance and track it through
regular audits.

Staleness: Your content can become stale or even outdated

over time. Don’t beat yourself up, though. Stale content isn’t
always your fault. What was relevant two years ago may not be
as relevant now. On the bright side, you may just need to add a
little extra spice to it to adapt to the times.

Wrong Information: As your content ages, facts and data

that once were accurate can become inaccurate. Running an
audit through your content regularly will ensure your post’s
accuracy and protect your brand’s reputation.

Know What’s Working: How will you ever know what type of
content or which blog post is your most successful if you never
go back to audit all of your content pieces? Perhaps pumping
out three blog posts a week is really just tiring, and not actually
producing any results. You’ll never know if you don’t go back
and do a content audit to see which pieces perform best, and
which were the worst.
 8
Hopefully one, if not all, of those bullets spoke to you and you now
understand why it’s so important to audit your content regularly.

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

Now, let’s get into the audit breakdown.
 8
Content Details Audit

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

The first part of a content audit is dissecting the basics on the content
piece and is a one-time entry on your audit.

Looks at how the content was created, how many people it took to
create the content, and the basic publishing information.

You’ll want to track the following for each piece

of content in a separate content details audit
spreadsheet:

URL
Author
Team Produced (content team, social team, SEO team, etc.)
Total Time (how long did it take to produce the content in its
entirety)
Title
Date
 8
Content Type (is it a blog post, infographic, case study, etc.)

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

Content Goal (what was the point of producing the content:
backlinks, traffic, conversions, etc.)
Word count
Comments
Shares (break this down by social network and total)
 8
Content Data Audit

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

Here comes the fun part.

The content data portion of your audit needs to come with its own
handy dandy excel doc, just like this one I created for you guys and
gals.

Perform a Past Audit

Before we get into the data, you need to backtrack and audit your past
produced content.

Knowing how the content you’ve already published performed will

help you gauge what kind of content you need to create in the future,
and what kind to not create.

This part of your content audit is going to be very in-depth and time-
consuming in the beginning.

You’ll need to decide how far back you want to begin your content
audit and then gather all of the content URLs for that time period.

I recommend going back at least 1 year and gathering data for how
your content performed the year before.

Collecting all of your past content URLs doesn’t have to be a manual

process, though.
 8
Luckily, there’s plenty of website analytics tool like Google Analytics
or SEMrush’s Content Audit (disclosure: I work for SEMrush) tool

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

that can quickly audit your content based on your sitemap data and
provide you with the list of content pages.

Prepare Yourself For Ongoing Audits

Once you’ve caught up and added all of last year’s content into your
Excel doc, you’ll want to repeat this audit activity for new content on a
weekly basis.

It will be much easier to keep track of your content and audit it

regularly when you’re only having to go back one week to input data.

Add the following to your Excel doc and upload the most recent
numbers and stats on a weekly basis.
 8
Over time, if you see any drastic changes take note.

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

Sometimes content, especially evergreen content, can take months
before it really takes off.
 8
Metrics to Track

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

Here are the metrics you’ll want to track for your content data audit:

Organic Traffic
Ideally, our content would be receiving a lot of organic traffic.

We wouldn’t have to put any extra dollars towards advertising, people

would just organically come across our content, love it, and engage.

If you aren’t getting a lot of organic traffic to your content that could
be a potential red flag.

Perhaps there is something wrong with:

Your content strategy.

How you’re distributing the content.
The content type.
The content itself.

By evaluating the organic traffic metrics regularly in your audit, you’ll

know when you can pat yourself on the back or when you need to
start over.
 8
Bounce Rate
Are users bouncing right off your content page without viewing any

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

other pages on your website?

If so, that’s a sign of bad content.

Ideally, your content is just a gateway that leads a user from a search
to your website, entertains or informs them, and then guides them to
tour the rest of your site for their needs.

Unsure of what a good bounce rate is?

Rocket Fuel put together this graphic to describe the variety of

percentages:
 8
Backlinks
Bring on the backlinks – but only the good backlinks that give us a lot

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

of boost and credibility, please!

Perhaps there is something wrong with:You need to

track the backlinks that your content produces on a
regular basis for two big reasons:

Your backlinks will change over time. The first day you
publish a new piece of content you may gain 2-3 backlinks. Let
a week go by and now 10-12 backlinks have appeared. A year
down the road and now you have 589 backlinks to one piece of
content.

Not all backlinks are good. Sure, 589 backlinks might

sound like a good thing, but not if 500 of those backlinks
are potentially dangerous to your website and lead to spam.
Those 500 links need to be removed ASAP or your website
and rankings could take a hit. If you don’t monitor all of your
backlinks by auditing your content regularly, you’ll miss out on
the opportunity to remove dangerous backlinks before they
begin to affect your rankings.
 8
Time on Page
If your content is a long-form blog post of 2,500 words and the

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

average time on page is 18 seconds, something is wrong.

This metric will inform you if your content just isn’t right for your
audience, or if it is and you need to create more content focusing on
topics just like it.

Unique Visitors
We want lots of unique visitors viewing our content and increasing
the amount of views the piece of content gets.

The more views, the more chances of ROI from content like
conversions, engagement, shares, and backlinks.

Pages Per Session

How many pages is the user looking at after they have viewed your
content?

What pages are they going to?

A blog post about the best winter coats to have can encourage a user
to then click on links within the blog post and shop around on your
website for different coats. Heck, maybe they’ll even make a purchase
(<-- goal!).
 8
New vs. Returning Users
Are you attracting a new audience with this piece of content?

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

Returning users are great. Returning customers are even better.

But we also need to aim to attract new users with our content.

Traffic Sources
Learn where your traffic is coming from by defining your main traffic
sources.

If a majority of your content’s traffic is coming from Facebook, post

more of your content on your Facebook page.

If hardly any is coming from your email newsletters, it may be time to

restructure your emails.

Conversions
If your goal for a new piece of content is to generate 100 conversions
in the first quarter, let’s say email opt-ins for your email newsletter, you
need to add a column and track the number of conversions coming in
from that piece of content.

The first week your conversions could be as little as 2 and you start to
doubt the content entirely.

Let two months go by, and continue to audit each week, and notice
that now the content has produced 140 total conversions, not only
hitting your goal but surpassing it.
 8
Measure Results

H OW TO D O A C ONTENT AU DIT: TH E U LTI MATE C H EC KL IST

Based on what your original content goals are, you need to decide
whether your content is working for you.

Each piece of content you audit will have several data metrics
attached to it. These metrics will tell you if you’re hitting the mark or
missing it drastically.

For the content that does well, take note of the content details audit.
Analyze what type of content it was, the topic, who produced it, and
when it published.

Repeating your successes can help you create similarly high-

performing content.

For the content pieces that don’t hit your goals, take extra note of
their metrics.

Sometimes it’s the channels the

content was published on. Other
times it’s a mixture of things
such as the author, timeframe of
publication, and/or the content
type.

Don’t be afraid to try new

content types as long as
you’re willing to measure its
effectiveness through regular
auditing.
 9
Chapter 9
11 Important Image
SEO Tips You Need to
Know

Written By
Anna Crowe
Assistant Editor, Search Engine Journal
 9
Think about the last time you

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

uploaded an image to your
website.

Chances are you downloaded it from a stock photography site, uploaded

it to the backend of your site, and then inserted it to the page.

This makes a shining example of image optimization, right? Not quite.

 9
Y ou’ve added a giant bowling ball weight to your site that’s
slowing down the page speed. And, search engines can’t read

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

your images without alt text.

Let’s change that.

Over 20% of all U.S. web searches happen on Google Images,

according to 2018 data from Jumpshot.

SEO amateurs and pros alike know that optimizing images for your
website is notoriously worth the time spent.

Dan Morgan at WebSpection got one of his photos to rank #1 in

Google Images for “best person in Cardiff” in less than four days by
optimizing his image.

And, Robbie Richards generated 150,732 visits by adding image alt

tags, compressing images, and a few other SEO tricks.

Without proper image optimization, you’re wasting a valuable SEO

asset.

It’s like the search engines are giving away Oreos and milk for free.
But, you only take the Oreo. When in reality, the Oreo is way better
dunked in milk.
Image optimization creates many advantages such as better
user experience, faster page load times, and additional ranking
opportunities. And, it’s becoming an increasingly more important role.

As Matt Southern pointed out, Gary Illyes’ statement on image

search in a recent Reddit chat:
 9
“We simply know that media search is way too ignored for what it’s
capable doing for publishers so we’re throwing more engineers at it

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

as well as more outreach.”

But which factors are most important to ensure your images are
findable and don’t slow down your site?

Here are 11 important image optimization tips you need to know.

 9
1. Choose the Right Format

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

Decoding all the various image format can feel like your first time
ordering at Taco Bell. But, before you can start adding images to your
site, you want to make sure you’ve chosen the best file type.

While there are many image formats to choose from,

the PNG and JPEG are the most common for the web.

PNG: Produces better quality images, but comes with a larger

file size.

JPEG: You may lose image quality, but you can adjust the
quality level to find a good balance.

For me, PNG is the unsung hero of image formatting. Typically,

I only use JPEGs for bigger, more visual images taken by a true
photographer. But, for my daily use, PNG is the way to go.
 9
2. Compress Your Images

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

Yep, hell hath no fury like a bloated web page after uploading an
image that’s not compressed.

Search engines will look at your web page like you might look at a big
vat of Crisco: You can’t seriously be considering putting that on you
your website, right?

According to HTTP Archive, images make up on average 21% of a

total webpage’s weight.

That’s why I highly recommend compressing your images before

uploading to your site. You can do this in Photoshop or you can use a
tool like TinyPNG. TingPNG also has a WordPress plugin you can
use too.

However, I prefer WP Smush as my WordPress plugin. It reduces

the image file size without removing the quality. Whatever plugin you
use, make sure to find one that compresses the images externally on
their servers. It reduces the load on your own site.

Increasingly.com improved website speed by 33% / 2 seconds by

compressing images.

I mean, there’s just something sexy about faster page speed when
after you compress your images.

If you’re unsure how your images are affecting your page speed, I
recommend using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.
 9
3. Create Unique Images

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

You want your photos to pop on your site. If you fill your website with
stock imagery, you’ll look unoriginal – like thousands of other sites
that don’t stand out.

Too many websites are cluttered with the same generic stock photos.

Think about a corporate website, a consulting firm, a business that

prides itself on customer service. All these websites use virtually the
same looking stock image of a businessman smiling.

I’m sure you’ve seen one that looks like this:

While you may have your stock images perfectly optimized, it won’t
have the same impact or potential SEO benefits as an original, high-
quality image.

The more original pictures you have, the better experience for the
user and the better your odds are of ranking on relevant searches.
 9
4. Beware of Copyright

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

Regardless of the image files you choose to use, make sure there’s no
copyright conflict.

The Postal Service is paying $3.5 million in an image copyright

lawsuit. And, Sketchers got sued for $2.5 million.

If Getty, Shutterstock, DepositFiles, or some other stock photo

provider owns an image you use, and you don’t have a license to use
it, then you’re risking an expensive lawsuit.

Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), you could

be issued a notice if you have violated any copyright issues. If the
owner of a piece of content sees their content on your website, they
can issue a DMCA Takedown which you must comply with.

Google Images allows you to

filter results based on those
available for reuse. And,
Mindy Weinstein shares 41
different websites to
find free images.
 9
5. Customize Image File Names

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

When it comes to SEO, creating descriptive, keyword-rich file names
is absolutely crucial.

Not customizing your image file name is like getting a burrito with
nothing in it. It just plain sucks.

Image file names alert Google and other search engine crawlers as to
the subject matter of the image.

Typically, file names will look like “IMG_722019” or something similar.

That’s like ordering from a menu in a different language. It doesn’t
help Google.

Change the file name from the default to help the search engines
understand your image and improve your SEO value.

This involves a bit of work, depending on how extensive your media

library is, but
changing the
default image name
is always a good
idea. Let’s take this
image of chocolate
for example:
 9
I could name it simply “chocolate” but if you sell chocolate on your
website, potentially every image can be named “chocolate-1,”

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

“chocolate-2,” and so on.

I named this image “dark-chocolate-coffee” to let users and search

engines understand the image.
 9
6. Write SEO-Friendly Alt Text

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

Alt tags are a text alternative to images when a browser can’t properly
render them. Similar to the title, the alt attribute is used to describe
the contents of an image file.

When the image won’t load, you’ll get an image box with the alt tag
present in the top left corner. Make sure they fit with the image and
make the picture relevant.

Paying attention to alt tags is also beneficial to the overall on-page

SEO strategy. You want to make sure that all other optimization
areas are in place, but if the image fails to load for any reason, users
will see what the image is supposed to be.

Plus, adding appropriate alt tags to the images on your website can
help your website achieve better rankings in the search engines by
associating keywords with images. Even Google has remarked on
the value of alt text in images:

It provides Google with useful information about the subject matter of

the image. We use this information to help determine the best image
to return for a user’s query.

Alt text is required under the American Disabilities Act for

individuals who are unable to view images themselves. A descriptive
alt text can alert users exactly what is in the photo. For example, say
you have a picture of chocolate on your website.
 9
The alt text could read:
<img src=”chocolate-1.jpg” alt=”chocolate”/>

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

However, a better alternative text that describes the image would
read:
<img src=”chocolate-1.jpg” alt=”dark chocolate coffee flavored
bar”/>

Alt text is viewable in the cached text version of the page, aiding in its
benefit to both users and the search engines. For further SEO value,
the alt text can act as the anchor text of an internal link when the
image links to a different page on the site.

7. Think About the Image File

Structure
In 2018, Google updated its Image Guidelines.
One of the major updates they revealed was that
they use the file path and file name to rank
images.

Repeat: The file path and file name is an

actual ranking factor.

For example, if you’re an ecommerce brand

with multiple products, instead of placing all
your product images into a generic /media/
folder, I would recommend structuring your
subfolders to more category related topics like
/shorts/ or /denim/.
 9
8. Make Your Page Title &
Description

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

Google also revealed that it uses your page title and description as
part of its image search algorithm.

The Google support page states:

“Google Images automatically generates a title and snippet to best
explain each result and how it relates to the user query… We use a
number of different sources for this information, including descriptive
information in the title, and meta tags.”

All of your basic on-page SEO factors like meta data, header tags,
copy on the page, structured data, etc. affects the way Google
ranks your images.

It’s like putting all your toppings on your burrito. It tastes way better
with guac. So, make sure to add the guac for improving image
rankings.

9. Define Your Dimensions

If you’re using AMP or PWA’s, you are required to define your image
dimensions in the source code.

However, if you’re not using either, it’s still a best practice to define the
width and height. It provides a better user experience.

Plus, it allows the browsers to size the image before the CSS is
loaded. This stops the page from jumping when it loads.
 9
10. Make Your Images
Mobile-Friendly

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

Oh, mobile SEO. At its worst, it can give you a high bounce rate and
low conversions. But, at its best, it can give you more ranking power
and better user engagement.

Problem is, how do you optimize your images for the mobile-first
index?

You create responsive images. This means the image will scale with
the size of the site whether the user is using desktop or mobile. It
adjusts to the size of the device.

11. Add Images to Your Sitemap

Whether you’re adding your images to your sitemap or creating a new
sitemap for images, you want images somewhere in your sitemaps.

Having your images in a sitemap greatly increases the chances of

search engines crawling and indexing your images. Thus, results in
more site traffic.

If you’re using WordPress, Yoast offers a sitemap solution in their

plugin.
 9
Image Optimization Key
Takeaways

1 1 I MP ORTANT I MAGE SEO TI P S YOU N EED TO KN OW

So, before you begin uploading your image to your site, make sure to
follow the image optimization rituals from above.

The most important thing is to make sure the image

and alternative text are relevant to the page. Other key
takeaways:

Choose the right file format. PNGs are my favorite for

screenshots.
Reduce file size for faster page load speed.
Make sure your on-page SEO elements (meta data, structured
data, etc.) pair with your image.
For crawlability, create an image sitemap or make sure your
images are featured in your sitemap.

Optimizing images are no joke. With advancements in voice search

technology, media is a growing importance and your entire site will
benefit from taking the steps above.

Happy optimizing!
 10
Chapter 10
15 Ways to Optimize
Your Site for User
Engagement

Written By
Brian Gareth
Internet Marketer and
Editor-in-Chief, WebCEO
 10
Placing your site at the top of

H OW TO I DENTI F Y & EL I M I NATE KEYWO R D CAN N IBAL IZ ATIO N TO BO O ST YO U R S EO

Google search is only half the
battle.

Traffic boosts should come with conversion boosts. You will want to see
your engagement rates grow.

But optimizing sites for user engagement is not quite the same as
optimizing them for search engines – there are differences between the
two, even though they do intersect. And those differences will never go
away.
 10
O n the one hand, you have Google tirelessly updating its algorithm
and trying to match the interests of its users. These interests

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

change faster than Google can keep up.

Then you have websites competing with each other, finding new
ways to please their users and outdo one another every day.

The result: a rift between site optimization and engagement

optimization that never closes.

What is the challenge in creating an engaging website?

For one, humans have short attention spans. We easily get distracted
and tend to ignore the information around us (which, let’s be honest,
is a necessary defense mechanism in our digital age).

A user whose attention you haven’t caught is a user

you’ve lost. Yet some websites manage to beat
the odds and make users not only view their
content but also interact with it and even keep
coming back for more.

Don’t you want to be like them?

It’s certainly doable. The “how” is a bit

tricky and will take a while to explain. Make
yourself comfortable; this read will help you
join the cool kids club.
 10
1. Site Speed

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

When you think about online engagement, you’d expect it to be fast.
You’d picture a website that doesn’t take its sweet time to load, and
you’d be absolutely right.

Rule number one of engagement: slow loading speeds are your

enemy!

Work to improve your page load time so your users will actually want
to stay and interact with your site. Here’s what you can do.

Optimize Your Images

The goal is to find the perfect balance between beauty and kilobytes.

Set your images’ height and width to what you actually need instead
of leaving them untouched; save images in the format that yields the
lowest file size; compress images to further reduce the size.

However, remember that image quality is a vital engagement factor.

Be careful not to sacrifice it!

Simplify Your Page Code

For this step, you need sufficient knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript
and other types of code that are used to generate site pages.

Optimized code takes less time to execute; therefore, optimized

pages load faster.
 10
Host Your Site on a Fast Server
Self-explanatory. Good servers are usually expensive, but if your site is

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

meant to make money, this is something you definitely want to invest
in.

Host Your Site on a Content Delivery

Network
Hosting your site on one server is great, but hosting it on several at
once is even better.

What’s more, if one of the servers from the bunch fails, the rest will
immediately back it up.

Enable Browser Caching

Make your site tell the users’ browsers
to cache its elements. That way, when
the users visit your site again, it will load
much faster – since the elements are
already there on their computers.

You can manually set the expiry times

in your .htaccess file, or you can use a
plugin like WP Rocket if you don’t fancy
yourself a guru.

Enable Compression
Use compression software for websites
such as Gzip to reduce the file sizes of
your website’s elements.
 10
Minimize Your Redirects
Ideally, you should be able to make your site work without any page

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

redirects. Try to use them only when there’s no better alternative.

Use a www Domain for Your Site

Unlike sites without www in their names, www sites don’t send
cookies to their subdomains by default.

This prevents problems with accessing static content on the

subdomains as well as caching.

Minimize the Number of Elements on Your

Pages
The more elements you have on a page, the more requests the page
sends to the server and the longer it takes to process those requests.

You can just use as few elements as possible, or you can also merge
certain elements into a single element.

For example, if you have two images displayed one right after another,
you can use image editing software to merge them into one image.
If you have two CSS files, you can put their content into one file... You
get the idea.

Host Large Files on External Platforms

Reduce the strain made on your site by large files.

For example, it’s always better to embed YouTube videos on your

pages instead of using your own domain to host videos.
 10
2. User Experience

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that user experience directly affects
the users’ willingness to engage with your site.

Give users a good time on your site, and they’ll gladly return the favor.
How do you ensure users have a positive experience?

Make Your Site Load Quickly

Make Your Site Load Quickly

Give Your Site a Good Design

You won’t find two identical opinions on what counts

as ‘good’ design. Still, most will agree that a well-
designed site can, at the very least, be described as
such:

Easy to understand and use

Has readable text
Has high-quality visuals
Follows the principle “less is more”
 10
Fix All Technical Errors as Soon as They
Appear

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Chances are, your users will have much more luck at finding errors on
your site than you. And that’s not a good thing at all.

Audit your site for errors at least once a week to preserve the quality
of your UX.

SEO tools like WebCEO are pretty good at finding technical errors.
Fixing them is up to you.

Minimize the Amount of Popups

Some users might be okay with a popup that asks them to subscribe
or presents a special offer, but most will simply be displeased that
something extraneous just blocked their view.

Advertisements’ approval rating is even lower.

Bottom line: users don’t like popups.

The few exceptions may

include popups that verify
the visitors’ age and
inform them about using
cookies.
 10
3. Mobile Optimization

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Each passing year, the mobile Internet takes more and more online
traffic away from its desktop counterpart.

If your site isn’t optimized to work well on mobile devices, consider

your user engagement goals to have automatically failed.

If you prefer success over failure, then here’s your recipe for creating
a mobile-friendly website:

Responsive Design
With just a little HTML code, any website can be made to
automatically adapt to any screen, no matter its
size and resolution. Add this line before your
<body> tag:

<meta name=”viewport”
content=”width=device-width,
initial-scale=1.0”>

Large Text
Anything smaller than 16px will force
users to zoom in on your content,
but they’ll be more likely to just
leave.
 10
Optimize for a Big Finger
Most people (including myself) don’t have thin fingers which would let

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

them press buttons on the screen with precision.

If the interactive elements on your site are placed too close to each
other, it becomes way too easy to press something you didn’t actually
want to touch. This could cause all sorts of problems.

Take pity on us fat-fingered folks. Leave some space between your

page elements.

Site Speed
Mobile users don’t like to wait for
websites to load, even more so than
desktop users.

Studies show that, on average, mobile

users close tabs after a mere 10
seconds of waiting. This means your
site needs to load even faster than that.

Don’t Use Software

Unsupported on Mobile
Devices
Such as Adobe Flash.
 10
4. Content Optimization

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

No, not for SEO (although it certainly helps).

The goal is to make your content easy to digest and make it so your
users have no trouble understanding what you’ve put on your site.

How exactly it’s done depends on the kind of content

you use:

Text: I’s much easier to digest when you break it into short
paragraphs. Spacing between lines and paragraphs prevents
text from turning into a cluttered, unreadable mess, too.
Images: Use only high-quality ones. Captions help a lot; in
some cases, so does filling out the <alt> attributes.
Videos: Subtitles do wonders, and background music can
greatly improve your videos’ quality.

Additionally, you need to put some thought into how users are going
to behave on your site.

Guide them carefully through your content and present them with
call-to-actions where it makes the most sense in context.

Naturally, you’ll need to research the best spots to place CTAs, first.

It’s also great to make your content available in multiple languages.

If your audience is multilingual, be sure to give them an option to

switch to their preferred language.
 10
5. Link Between Relevant
Pages

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Engagement is when users interact with your site, and clicking on
links certainly qualifies.

Sometimes, it’s your end goal in and of itself.

For example, you may want your users to create an account or to

download something, and that’s usually done through clicking on a
link.

The tricky part is making users click, so how do you go

about doing that?

Place links on your site (obviously). Nothing will get done if

you skip this part.
Link to relevant pages. You can do it by choosing where
to put links in your content, or you can also have your site
automatically display relevant content in a sidebar.
Design your content to lead users to the links.
Consuming content is a mostly passive activity; clicking, on the
other hand, is active. Put some thinking into how you mix the
two. The best results are achieved when users see the links
coming and are mentally prepared to click on them.
Motivate users to click on the links. Users will be more
willing to take action if it benefits them in some way. Make it
clear that on the other side of that link lies a solution to their
problem.
 10
6. Easy-To-Use Navigation &
Search

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Since engagement is directly tied to user experience, here’s another
one of the core principles of UX for you: users should never struggle
to find the content they need. However, it inevitably becomes more
difficult with each new page you add to your site. It’s a problem
that needs solving, and fortunately, two powerful solutions exist: a
navigation bar and a search bar.

A navigation bar can have just links or, if you want to link to many
pages from there, collapsible menus with links. The most ideal form
of navigation is a horizontal bar at the top of a page. Some websites
use a vertical bar on the left side of a page instead, but this form of
navigation is very mobile-unfriendly and not recommended (unless
you are absolutely confident you can make it work). If your site puts
individual pages into categories and subcategories, a navigation bar
is a must to help your users get around. An example of such a site is
an online store.
 10
A search bar is indispensable when you have no idea where to start
looking for the content you want (or just don’t have the time).

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Even better is when you can implement search filters – they will
greatly enhance your site’s search feature. Online stores in particular
often use filters in their search.
 10
7. Content That Provokes
Reaction & Discussion

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Here’s a fun fact about humans: we enjoy thinking about problems
even more than solving them. It’s why informative content doesn’t
encourage much engagement from users.

There’s no need to stay on a site once you have a solution to your

problem (maybe you already bought a solution from the site owners),
and you probably won’t come back until you have the same problem
again.

On the other hand, users can’t get enough of content that sparks
emotion. Fun stories, interesting anecdotes, tragic accounts,
controversial topics – all of these
are among the most powerful
engagement generators.

There’s a reason clickbait

articles earned their name:
because they actually do their
main job, which isn’t necessarily
always stating facts.

If it’s appropriate for your site,

create provocative, even risky
content that your users will love
(or maybe hate). Be careful not
to damage your own reputation
in the process, though.
 10
8. Interactive Content

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Want to know the second easiest way to make users engage with
your site?

Here it is: give users content that requires them to interact with
directly.

You know what I’m talking about; you probably love

most of these things, too.

Audio
Video
Quizzes
Games
Surveys
Slideshows
Chats
Interactive animation
 10
9. Social Media

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Promoting your site in social media is a powerful way to grow and
engage with your audience.

But there’s only so much you can do yourself, even if you create the
best content and post it on your pages every day. Get even better
results by involving your users.

It’s especially easy if you have made your site on a

platform like WordPress. There are plugins that will
accomplish these tasks in the blink of an eye:

Add buttons for sharing your content in social media

Add widgets or links leading to your social media pages
Enable posting in your comment section using social media
accounts
Automate the posting of your new content in social media
when appropriate
 10
10. Ask Users to Engage

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

This is literally the easiest way to generate
engagement: ask users directly and clearly.

Do you want them to leave a comment?

Do you want them to like and share your update?
Do you want them to subscribe to your channel or create an
account?

Just ask.

If your content is in text form, you can ask users to engage at the end
of it. It’s also common to place a call-to-action before the first H2 tag,
too.

For videos, you will normally address users in the beginning (within
the first minute).

Successful YouTubers will introduce their topic and then say “but first,
please take a moment to subscribe to this channel and hit the bell to
be notified whenever new great videos come out.”
 10
11. Heat Maps

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Have you ever looked at your
bounce and conversion rates
and wondered, “What is going
so damn wrong?”

At times like this, you start

seeing flaws with your site
literally everywhere and have no
idea what you should change.

Well, you aren’t the only one.

And there is software for people
like you who need help with this
kind of problem.

Let me introduce to you heat

map generators.

This software shows exactly

how users interact with your site.
Heat maps come in different
forms for displaying different
types of interactions.
 10
For example, they can show individual mouse clicks as dots on
the screen, or they can highlight separate elements on the screen

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

depending on how many clicks they get.

They can also show how users scroll through your website and point
out the parts they never even reach – and, therefore, don’t interact
with no matter what you put there.

Heat maps pretty much help you see your website through the eyes
of your users.

When your site struggles to unleash its full engagement potential, this
is the exact sort of data you need to find out why.
 10
12. A/B Testing

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Every now and then, you’ll want to create a new page that’s really
important for your business goals. Or maybe you’ll decide to overhaul
your entire site’s design.

Either way, you’ll want the new thing to bring results and convert
really well (otherwise, why make the effort at all?).

But there’s an obvious problem: it’s a gamble. No matter how much

thought you put into it, it still might fail.

Is there a way to increase your chances of winning? Yes, there is: A/B
testing.

Just like you can simply buy more lottery tickets, you can also create
more of the new pages – or rather, different versions of the same
page.

Then you can

show them
to your users,
see which one
gets the most
engagement and
stick with that
one.
 10
13. Collect User Emails for
Re-Engagement

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

As much as we’d all like to enjoy our users’ company forever, that’s
just not realistic.

Users have many other important things that demand their attention.
It’s inevitable that they will eventually stop coming to your site. But
that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it.

All you need to do is send them an email.

You see it everywhere all the time. Nearly every site asks for your
email address and offers to keep you updated with new content.

Your own mailbox is probably filled

with emails from blogs you’re
subscribed to and stores you’ve
shopped at, and you might even
read some of those emails. This
strategy works!

So don’t miss out on this. You can

bring back many of your old users if
you have their emails.
 10
14. Google Analytics

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

You can’t imagine optimizing your site for engagement (or for
anything, for that matter) without using Google Analytics.

Really, it’s nothing short of amazing how such a must-have tool

is completely free. It provides tons of data on user behavior that
you need to measure the quality of your UX and correct it when
necessary.

Connect your site to a Google Analytics account and

start receiving this information:

Page views: both total number and unique views

Pages per visit: how many pages users go through before
leaving your site
Dwell time: how long users stay on your site before leaving
Bounce rates: percentage of users leaving your site right away
and not engaging
Conversion rates: percentage of users who engage with your
site in the way you want
Returning visitors: percentage of users who come again

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

 10
15. Develop a Writing Style
That Works Best with Your

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Audience
Every user is unique, and no two audiences are the same. However,
users are able to form audiences because they have things in
common.

And if you want to resonate with your audience, you need to know
what those things are – or, better yet, have them yourself.

In simpler words: you have users who are interested

in what you post, users who want to buy products
you sell, users from a specific age group or
demographic and so on.

For example, you who are reading this are

probably interested in optimizing your
site. Therefore, you need content
that will help you get things done,
which is why you came to
SearchEngineJournal in the first
place.
 10
Now, what kind of content do your users need? How do you sell it to
them?

1 5 WAYS TO OP TI M I Z E YOU R SITE F OR U S ER E N G AG E M E NT

Aside from preparing content in general (i.e. what to write), you will
also need to figure out how to write.
For every audience out there, the most optimal writing style exists
that will make your content convert and maximize your engagement
rates.

If you haven’t found your style yet, try looking at who’s the most
successful in your niche – they wouldn’t be influencers if they didn’t
do at least something right.
 11
Chapter 11
7 Common On-Page
SEO Mistakes & How
to Fix Them

Written By
Kameron Jenkins
SEO Wordsmith, Moz
 11
If you want to rank highly in

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

search engines, you can’t
ignore on-page SEO.

Optimizing your content and code for search engines is nothing new, but
as Google’s algorithm has matured, so have on-page SEO best practices.

While it’s still important to get the basics right, Google’s emphasis on
providing an exceptional searcher experience means that SEOs must go
deeper.
 11
T oday, on-page SEO is all about creating pages that are optimal for
both search engines and the searchers themselves.

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

In your quest for top placement in Google’s search results, make sure
that you don’t fall victim to these common on-page SEO mistakes.
 11
1. Content That Doesn’t Match
the Searcher’s Intent

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

What can we infer about what the searcher wanted from the words
they typed in the search bar? We’re talking about searcher intent, and
it’s often not considered in many pages.

Sometimes it’s difficult to infer the searcher’s intent from the keyword
itself. For example, does the query “pizza” indicate that the searcher
wants to order a pizza, make a pizza, or learn about pizza?

To better understand what your audience wants to see on your

pages, look to the search engine results page (SERP).

Google extensively tests for searcher satisfaction, so what they place

on each SERP is a great indicator of what real searchers want for that
query.

Say, for example, you had a page that was optimized for the phrase
“running shoes.” The page is informational in nature, going into detail
about the different types of running shoes, how to pick running
shoes, and when to replace your running shoes.

Upon typing “running shoes” into Google, you notice that Google is
primarily showing paid ad results and results for local shoe stores.
 11

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

This is a good sign that Google considers the query intent
transactional — someone who searches “running shoes” likely wants
to buy running shoes, not learn about them.

Use this method to help you determine when your pages may be
missing the mark when it comes to determining what the searcher
wanted to see and use that information to create more satisfying
pages.
 11
2. Leaning on Keyword
Repetition for Ranking

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

Before Google’s algorithm was as mature as it is today, it was easy to
achieve page-1 rankings through tactics such as repeating a keyword
in the body content at a certain density.

Even though Google’s algorithm has matured, many pages have not,
and are still using repetition-based keyword rules.

One way to identify keyword stuffing on your pages is via the

MozBar, Moz’s free Chrome extension.

If you’re repeating your

target phrase on your
page too much, it may
indicate that your page
is less about satisfying
searcher intent and
more about keyword
repetition.

Use this warning to

identify where you can
better answer the query,
rather than just repeat it.
 11

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

It’s important to note that keyword repetition may still work better
than it should in some situations, but because Google is constantly
working on promoting high-quality pages, it’s best to err on the side of
providing exceptional content that answers the searcher’s question.
 11
3. Forgetting to Optimize Your
Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

Title tags and meta descriptions are still important components of on-
page SEO.

Title tags can affect the page’s ranking for a particular query, and
both title tags and meta descriptions have an effect on how many
searchers click on your page from search results.

Although title tags and meta descriptions have been known on-page
SEO factors for years, they’re often neglected in favor of more visible
on-page SEO elements like the body content.

Google provides us with some guidelines on how our

title tags and meta descriptions should be optimized.
For example:

Make sure you include a title tag and meta description on every
page.

Include descriptive words, but avoid keyword stuffing.

Avoid using repetitive or generic text.

Be descriptive, providing the searcher with accurate

information about the page’s contents.
 11
To check for title tag and meta description issues on your website,
you can use the Moz On-Page Grader.

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

Pop in the URL of the page you want to evaluate, as well as the
keyword you’re optimizing for, and the tool will give you suggestions
for improvement.

You can also use Site Crawl or On-Demand Crawl to evaluate title
tags and meta descriptions across your entire site, as well as view
recommendations for how to fix.
 11

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

You can potentially improve your page’s rankings by making your title
tag more relevant to that keyword, and you can use both title tags and
meta descriptions to entice more searchers to click on your results.

You can get higher rankings and organic traffic from focusing on
these elements, so make sure you don’t neglect them!
 11
4. Not Including Related Topics
& Concepts

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

Google wants to rank pages that comprehensively address the topic.

One way to do that is by including words and phrases that are

semantically and logically related to the main keyword you’re
targeting.

Without addressing these connected concepts, Google may not view

your page as relevant for that query.

Think about it. Wouldn’t it be strange to have a page targeting “New

York City boroughs” if your page didn’t mention Queens, The Bronx,
Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island?

This common on-page

SEO mistake is often a
result of hyper-focusing
on a singular keyword,
rather than taking a
step back to assess that
keyword in context.

To fix this, you can use a

keyword research tool like
Moz Keyword Explorer
to view keyword phrases
that are related to your
main keyword.
 11

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

Or get related keyword suggestions on the page itself using MozBar.
 11
5. Including Tags That Prevent
Indexing

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

If you want a page to rank, you need to be sending the right signals to
Google!

One of the most common on-page SEO mistakes involves adding (or
forgetting to remove) tags on your page that tell Google not to index
them.

For example, a noindex meta tag could be instructing Google to leave

your page out of its index.

Your content won’t have a chance to rank if your code is telling

Google to ignore it, so make sure you check your site for these tags
and remove them if you want Google to crawl and index it.

Moz’s Site Crawl and On-Demand Crawl are great for this. Scan
your site and see all the issues, including things like noindex tags.

If there are no issues of a particular type, it’ll be greyed out.

11

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

 11
6. Neglecting Your Mobile
Experience

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

Most of us work on our websites from a desktop, so a common on-
page SEO mistake is forgetting to check our websites on mobile.

Mobile friendliness is a Google ranking factor on both desktop and

mobile, so make sure each of your pages is mobile-friendly.

Google’s preferred option for mobile friendliness is responsive

design, although you can opt for dynamic serving or separate mobile
URLs.

To check if your page is mobile-friendly, use Google’s mobile-

friendly test.
 11
Since Google started switching to mobile-first indexing, it’s also
become critical that website owners maintain parity between their

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

desktop and mobile versions.

Google is now using the mobile versions of pages for indexing and
ranking, so make sure you’re not omitting critical content on the
mobile versions of your pages.

Make sure you have a proper mobile version for all your web pages
and that it contains your most important content.
 11
7. Forgetting to Optimize Your
Images

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

Images can make your content more relevant and engaging, but
forgetting certain image optimizations can do more harm than good.

For example, images are the single biggest contributor to slow page
load times. Images should be properly sized and compressed to
avoid bloat.

To check if images are causing slow load times, you can use
Google’s PageSpeed Insights or Chrome Lighthouse Audits.

If your page includes large images, use a tool like Squoosh,

developed by Google Chrome Labs, to compress and reformat your
images.
 11
Additionally, make sure your images have:

7 C OMMON ON- PAGE SEO M I STAKES & H OW TO F IX TH E M

Descriptive file names: For example, brown-dog.jpg is more
descriptive than 73418923.jpg
Descriptive, not keyword stuffed, alt text: For example,
alt= “brown dog jumping” is more helpful for understanding
what the image depicts than alt= “brown dog, brown dogs,
brown puppies”
Proper formats: Use GIF for animations, JPEG if high
resolution isn’t necessary, and PNG for images requiring high
resolution.

The visual nature of images makes it easy to forget the less visible
properties like size and file names, but these optimizations are a
critical component of on-page SEO.

Summary
On-page SEO can make or break your performance in search
engines, so optimize with care!

Make sure you avoid these common mistakes and adhere to other
on-page SEO best practices to increase the likelihood that Google
will serve up your pages to searchers.