Here are some advanced SEO tactics I use in 2023:
- Deindex unneeded pages. Also known as content pruning, this shares link equity (authority you earn from links) across fewer pages.
- Reduce click depth. If you want a great blog to rank as well as possible, create a header or footer area titled ‘Popular Articles’ and link to it from there, instead of having to click into the blog then pagination as well.
- Add links to new content. Everyone thinks to internally link FROM a new piece but rarely TO it. When a page goes live, search engines are trying to figure out where it should rank. Links from existing pages give an initial boost.
- Add links to popular pages. While a site connects its pages via navigational links, direct links within body tags carry more weight. Add these from pages with many backlinks (say a B2B SaaS login page) to key pages. Use keywords in anchor text and not “Learn More.”
- Add keywords to external copy. Google patents tell us that surrounding text, not just keywords in anchor text, establish relevance. Apply this insight to company descriptions on third-party sites and even local reviews.
- Add schema to key pages. This is the most opportunistic, ever-changing aspect of SEO. For example, FAQ rich results have recently been downsized across search results. However, structured data & organized content still enable more comprehensive & expansive search results that improve clickthrough rates.
- Be more specific. This may not seem like a superpower, but once you truly understand how incredibly competitive search results are, it makes total sense. Always create highly-specific titles, pages, and so forth. This also better targets visitors most likely to convert.
In terms of strategy, I’m always thinking on how to use keywords best, link more often, develop SERP real estate, and finally ensure it all is accessible by search engines. I’m finding mostly basic, sometimes creative, ways to apply these whitehat SEO principles for my clients.
EXTRA TIP: Since few absolutes exist in SEO, test every change you can by comparing results across similar page types.