Contents
In today’s turbulent SEO landscape, the techniques we use to rank higher in organic search constantly changes. Just because certain SEO tricks have helped you rank higher in the past doesn’t mean they will work for you in 2019 and beyond.
To avoid lagging behind your competition, you need to stay on top of the latest trends and be mindful of the direction in which search engine algorithms are heading.
I’ve outlined a few powerful SEO tactics that will help you drive more customers to your website this year.
1. Focus on Intent-Based Keyword Research
Google’s search engine result pages (SERPs) are highly user-centric. To provide user searchers with the most relevant results, Google’s RankBrain goes beyond your keywords – it also assesses the quality and relevancy of your content. According to the OMG digital marketing company, getting to know your target audience and understanding keyword intent is a hidden SEO opportunity most of your competitors are not aware of.
Now, there are many keyword research tools you’re probably already using, including Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer, Moz’s Keyword Explorer, or Google Keyword Planner. However, there are many untapped keywords that you could discover using some alternative resources, including:
- Buzzsumo
- Answer the Public
- Google Trends
- Social media features like Facebook Trends or Twitter Trends
- Q&A sites like Reddit and Quora
- Google’s SERPs features like its Autocomplete, People Also Ask, or Answer Boxes
Remember that Google also understands topics now, which helps it ensure that your post is valuable to audiences, which is where LSI keywords step in. These are phrases related to your keyword. For example, if you’re writing about content marketing, using phrases like “SEO copywriting,” “blog posts,” “social media marketing,” “online marketing tips,” or “content marketing plan” will tell Google that your post is definitely about content marketing. Using LSI Graph, a free LSI keyword generator, you will identify dozens of relevant LSI phrases faster.
2. Revamp your Old Blog Posts to Maximise Exposure
Creating high-quality content takes time. Sometimes, it’s difficult to maintain a consistency of publishing and, at the same time, the quality of your posts. To solve this problem, many marketers decide to upgrade older content to extend its lifespan.
Now, there are numerous ways to do so.
Start by upgrading your old blog posts that are only collecting dust on your blog. Optimise for more relevant keywords, remove all broken links, link to newer external resources, link internally to your more recently published content, and replace older stats and tips with more relevant ones.
You could also change the format of your content. Convert an article into an infographic, turn your blog post into a podcast, use your best-performing content as email newsletters, break up your long-form guides into series of smaller articles or merge more topically-related content into one comprehensive piece.
3. Publish Magnetic Content that Attracts Clicks and Links
Writing generic articles that don’t bring any value to a reader won’t help you increase your SEO efforts. To maximise your traffic and rankings, you need to create share and link-worthy content that informs and educates your target audiences.
Your content strategy needs to address different stages of the buyer journey. For example, explainer videos and blog posts are a great option for people that have just landed on your website for the first time. Comprehensive guides and how-to articles are a great source of information for your potential customers that want to know how your products work. Finally, case studies, customer testimonials, and other user-generated content (UGC) go a long way in getting conversions.
Here are a few additional tips that will help you increase the traffic to your content:
- Create catchy titles that grab people’s attention and entice them to click on your link. In addition to implementing your keywords naturally and using power words. Backlinko also suggests that we use Google Ads as inspiration for title keywords. Namely, they are usually a result of thorough keyword research and split tests and are specifically designed to drive more clicks.
- Pack your content with lots of visual elements like images, animations, charts, or videos. Every time someone uses your image on their blog or social, they will link back to you.
- Add “Click to Tweet.” Find the wisest quotes, statistics, tips, or facts in your blog post and make them tweetable. When people start tweeting it, your online exposure and traffic will grow.
- Promote your killer content on a content curation platform like, Quuu. This is one of the easiest ways to increase your credibility, fast. This is where you republish your top-quality content and the platform will ask influencers in your niche to repost it on their social accounts.
- When promoting content on social networks, add valuable descriptions to it instead of just copying the link. This will significantly improve your followers’ engagement and skyrocket your CTR.
4. Diversify your Link Building Tactics
Backlinks remain Google’s major ranking factor. To increase your rankings and drive highly link qualified leads to your website, your goal is to gain backlinks from highly reputable websites in your niche.
Now, there are numerous ways to identify the top players in your niche. You’re probably familiar with some of them, such as using Google’s search operators, investing in a link prospecting tool, or using hashtag research platforms, such as Flippa – a platform where website owners sell their sites. In addition to this, users often provide detailed information about their site, including their backlink sources. So, all you need to do is search for the sites in your niche and see whether their description includes a list of backlinks.
Now, once you have a list of your link building prospects, here are a few ways to reach out to them:
- Guest blogging – find sites that accept guest posts, come up with a topic that resonates with their audiences, and send it via an outreach email.
- Broken link building – use tools like Broken Link Checker or Dead Link Checker for external links on your target website that don’t work and offer your resource as a replacement.
- Identify your unlinked content or brand mentions using tools like Buzzstream and then reach out to a blogger, asking them to provide a link to your website.
- Syndicate your content on a website like Medium to increase its exposure. Still, never copy your entire blog post. Remember, your goal is to provide a link to your website and convince a reader to click through.
Over to You
As new algorithm updates are emerging and Google keeps updating their webmaster guidelines, you need to constantly test and update your SEO tactics constantly. It may seem a bit overwhelming initially, but this is the only way to stay competitive and avoid lagging behind your rivals.
Also, keep in mind that your job doesn’t end when a searcher lands on your website. Your goal is to provide exceptional content and user experiences in order to build trust with them and turn them into leads and, ultimately, paying customers.
What SEO tactics do you use to drive customers to your site in 2019?
“The opinions expressed by BizWitty Contributors are their own, not those of BizCover and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Please read our full disclaimer."
