Oct 22 2024
How Page Performance Hurts UX & How You Can Fix It via @sejournal, @DebugBear

This post was sponsored by DebugBear. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

From a user’s perspective, a slow website can be incredibly frustrating, creating a poor experience. But the impact of sluggish load times goes deeper than just user frustration.

Poor page performance affects search rankings, overall site engagement, E-E-A-T, and conversion rates that results in abandoned sessions, lost sales, and damaged trust.

Even if Google’s Core Web Vitals (CWV) Report is all green.

Sure, Chrome UX (CrUX) and Google’s CWV reports can indicate there’s an issue, but that’s it. They don’t provide you with enough details to identify, troubleshoot, and fix the issue.

And fixing these issues are vital to your digital success.

Core Web Vitals - DebugBear Page Performance ToolImage from DebugBear, October 2024

This article explores why slow websites are bad for user experience (UX), the challenges that cause them, and how advanced page performance tools can help fix these issues in ways that basic tools can’t.

UX, Brand Perception & Beyond

While often at the bottom of a technical SEO checklist, site speed is critical for UX. Sites that load in once second convert 2.5 to 3 times more than sites that require five seconds to load.

And yet, today, an estimated 14% of B2C ecommerce websites require five seconds or more to load.

These numbers become even more pronounced for mobile users, for whom pages load 70.9% slower. Mobile users have 31% fewer pageviews and an average of 4.8% higher bounce rate per session.

According to a recent Google study, 53% of mobile users will abandon a page if it takes more than three seconds to load.

Poor page experience can negatively other aspects of your site, too:

  • Search Rankings – Google includes page experience, of which CWV and page performance is a factor, when ranking web pages.
  • User Trust – Poor performing pages fail to meet a potential customer’s expectations. They are often perceived by users as the brand inconveniencing them, introducing stress, negative emotions, and a loss of a sense of control to the buying process. Slower pages can also cause users to forget information gained from previous pages, reducing the effectiveness of advertising, copy, and branding campaigns between clicks.
  • User Retention – Site visitors who experience slow load times may never return, reducing retention rates and customer loyalty.

Why Basic Page Performance Tools Don’t Fully Solve The Problem

Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse give valuable insights into how your website performs, but they can often be limited. They tell you that there’s an issue but often fall short of explaining what caused it or how to fix it.

Google’s Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) and Core Web Vitals have become essential in tracking website performance and user experience.

These metrics—Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)—offer valuable insights into how users perceive a website’s speed and stability.

However, CrUX and Core Web Vitals only tell part of the story. They indicate that a problem exists but don’t show the root cause or offer an immediate path for improvement.

For instance, your LCP might be poor, but without deeper page speed analysis, you wouldn’t know whether it’s due to an unoptimized image, a slow server response, or third-party scripts.

Page Performance Broken Down By Geolocation - DebugBearImage from DebugBear, October 2024

Here’s where DebugBear stands out. DebugBear digs deeper, offering more granular data and unique features that basic tools don’t provide.

Continuous Monitoring and Historical Data – Many speed testing tools only offer snapshots of performance data. DebugBear, on the other hand, allows for continuous monitoring over time, providing an ongoing view of your site’s performance. This is crucial for detecting issues that crop up unexpectedly or tracking the effectiveness of your optimizations.

Granular Breakdown by Device, Location, and Browser – Basic tools often provide aggregated data, which hides the differences between user experiences across various devices, countries, and network conditions. DebugBear lets you drill down to see how performance varies, allowing you to optimize for specific user segments.

Pinpointing Content Elements Causing Delays – One of DebugBear’s standout features is its ability to show exactly which content elements—images, scripts, or third-party code—are slowing down your website. Rather than wasting hours digging through code and experimenting with trial and error, DebugBear highlights the specific elements causing delays, allowing for targeted, efficient fixes.

Why You Need Continuous Page Speed Testing

One of the biggest pitfalls in web performance optimization is relying on single-point speed tests.

Page Performance Breakdown - Content Elements in DebugBearImage from DebugBear, October 2024

Running a one-time test may give you a snapshot of performance at that moment, but it doesn’t account for fluctuations caused by different factors, such as traffic spikes, varying user devices, or changes to site content.

Without continuous testing, you risk spending hours (or even days) trying to identify the root cause of performance issues.

DebugBear solves this problem by continuously tracking page speed across different devices and geographies, offering detailed reports that can be easily shared with team members or stakeholders.

If a performance dip occurs, DebugBear provides the data necessary to quickly identify and rectify the issue, saving you from the endless trial-and-error process of manual debugging.

Without tools like DebugBear, you’re left with only a high-level view of your website’s performance.

This means hours of trying to guess the underlying issues based on broad metrics, with no real insight into what’s dragging a site down.

Different Users Experience Performance Differently

Not all users experience your website’s performance in the same way.

Device type, geographic location, and network speed can significantly affect load times and interaction delays.

For example, a user on a fast fiberoptic connection in the U.S. may have a completely different experience than someone on a slower mobile network in India.

This variance in user experience can be hidden in aggregate data, leading you to believe your site is performing well when a significant portion of your audience is actually struggling with slow speeds.

Here’s why breaking down performance data by device, country, and browser matters:

  • Device-Specific Optimizations – Some elements, like large images or animations, may perform well on desktop but drag down speeds on mobile.
  • Geographic Performance Variations – International users may experience slower speeds due to server location or network conditions. DebugBear can highlight these differences and help you optimize your content delivery network (CDN) strategy.
  • Browser Differences – Different browsers may handle elements like JavaScript and CSS in different ways, impacting performance. DebugBear’s breakdown by browser ensures you’re not overlooking these subtleties.

Without this granular insight, you risk alienating segments of your audience and overlooking key areas for optimization.

And troubleshooting these issues becomes and expensive nightmare.

Just ask SiteCare.

WordPress web development and optimization service provider SiteCare uses DebugBear to quickly troubleshoot a full range of WordPress sites, solve performance issues faster, and monitor them for changes, providing high quality service to its clients, saving thousands of hours and dollars every year.

DebugBear offers these breakdowns, providing a clear view of how your website performs for all users, not just a select few.

Real User Monitoring: The Key To Accurate Performance Insights

In addition to synthetic testing (which mimics user interactions), real user monitoring (RUM) is another powerful feature technical SEOs and marketing teams will find valuable.

While synthetic tests offer valuable controlled insights, they don’t always reflect the real-world experiences of your users.

RUM captures data from actual users as they interact with your site, providing real-time, accurate insights into what’s working and what isn’t.

For instance, real user monitoring can help you:

  • Identify performance issues unique to specific user segments.
  • Detect trends that may not be visible in synthetic tests, such as network issues or slow third-party scripts.
  • Measure the actual experience users are having on your website, not just the theoretical one.

Without real user monitoring, you might miss critical issues that only surface under specific conditions, like a heavy user load or slow mobile networks.

If you’re not using continuous page speed testing and in-depth reports, you’re flying blind.

You may see an overall decline in performance without understanding why, or you could miss opportunities for optimization that only reveal themselves under specific conditions.

The result?

Wasted time, frustrated users, lost conversions, and a website that doesn’t perform up to its potential.

DebugBear solves this by offering both continuous monitoring and granular breakdowns, making it easier to troubleshoot issues quickly and accurately.

With detailed reports, you’ll know exactly what to fix and where to focus your optimization efforts, significantly cutting down on the time spent searching for problems.

Explore DebugBear’s innovative page performance solutions

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by Shutterstock. Used with permission.

In-Post Images: Images by DebugBear. Used with permission.

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Oct 21 2024
12 Essential Steps In Building A Winning SEO Strategy via @sejournal, @lorenbaker

SEO is not just about optimizing for search engine rankings. It’s also about understanding your audience’s needs and providing solutions through your website or landing page.

Google alone processes over 100 billion searches a month. So, if you get your strategy right, the potential to reach new customers through search is immense.

But here’s the catch: Search algorithms are always changing. The recent introduction of generative AI directly in search has shaken up how users interact with search engines.

What that means for SEO is that you can’t just set it and forget it – your SEO strategy needs to adapt to these changes to stay competitive.

You need to regularly analyze and course-correct to ensure you’re taking advantage of the latest best practices and strategies.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps for creating an effective SEO strategy that aligns with both search engine algorithms and user expectations.

1. Align SEO With Business Goals & Define KPIs

It’s crucial to align your SEO strategy with your overall business goals and define the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you measure success.

Knowing where you want to go and how you’ll measure progress ensures that your SEO efforts are focused and effective.

Your SEO goals should support your business objectives, whether that’s increasing brand awareness, driving more traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales.

During this planning phase, you’ll want to define your KPIs.

This is how you’ll measure the success of your implementations and figure out what’s working for you and where you need to make adjustments.

Some of the SEO KPIs you should be tracking are:

  • Visibility in search (segmented by search features such as AI Overviews, featured snippets, Local Packs, etc.).
  • Traffic from search (organic traffic).
  • Keyword rankings.
  • Branded searches.
  • Quality backlinks.
  • New and returning users.
  • Leads and conversions.
  • ROI from organic channel.
  • Pages per session.
  • Average engagement time on page and bounce rate. (Bounce rate is not a universal metric for everyone, but is 100% dependent upon the events you set up).
  • Core Web Vitals.
  • Crawl errors.

Keep in mind that these are internal SEO KPIs that you can track in analytics.

Higher-level executives may be more interested in overall business impact, such as SEO-supported attribution and how SEO contributes to the customer journey.

It’s also important to convey that SEO is a long-term strategy that may take time to show significant results.

2. Set Realistic Expectations

One of the most common mistakes people unfamiliar with SEO make is expecting overnight results.

SEO is not a direct response style of marketing, and not all SEO strategies result in an immediate outcome.

Because of the variables involved with competition, inbound links, and the content itself, it’s nearly impossible to provide a definite timeframe.

You need to go into the process with an understanding that SEO takes time, and the more competitive the keywords you’re going after, the longer it will take to climb to the top.

This needs to be conveyed to stakeholders from the start to ensure expectations are realistic and to establish consistent, accurate data that earns trust.

SEO can be part of the entire customer journey.

Someone might find your site via organic search, then later see a paid ad, and finally make a purchase. Or they might see an ad first, then search for your brand and find you organically.

This is where multi-touch attribution comes into play. Using multi-touch attribution tracking tools like Triple Whale can help you understand how different channels contribute to conversions.

3. Conduct SEO Audit

Now that you’ve aligned your SEO strategy with your business goals and set the right expectations, it’s time to understand where you currently stand.

You’ll want to begin by performing an SEO audit.

An SEO audit serves as the roadmap that will guide you throughout the entire optimization process and allows you to benchmark against your current site.

You need to examine a variety of aspects, including:

  • Domain name, age, history, etc.
  • On-page SEO factors like headlines, keyword & topical targeting, and user engagement.
  • Content organization, content quality, and the quality of your images (no one trusts stock photography).
  • Duplicate content.
  • Backlink profile quality.
  • Website architecture.
  • Technical SEO factors like sitemaps, image optimization, and robots.txt.
  • Implementation of hreflang tags for multilingual sites.

For a step-by-step guide on how to perform this audit, we have an excellent series that will guide you through it.

Once you have a clear understanding of your current SEO status, it’s time to plan your timeframe and allocate budgets and resources.

This is yet another area of life where you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for fast and cheap, you’re not going to get the results you would by investing more time and money.

Obviously, your budget and timeframe will depend on your company’s unique situation, but if you want good results, be prepared to invest accordingly.

For an idea of how much you should be spending, consult this article.

4. Perform Keyword Research

Search engine rankings are determined by an algorithm that evaluates a variety of factors to decide how well a website answers a particular search query. And a huge part of that is the use of keywords.

From single words to complex phrases, keywords tell search engines what your content is about. But adding keywords isn’t quite as simple as just plugging in the name of the product or service you want to sell.

You need to do research to ensure keyword optimization and avoid cannibalization, and that means considering the following:

Search Intent

Words often have multiple meanings, which makes it crucial to consider search intent, so you don’t attract an audience that was searching for something else.

For example, if you sell hats, ranking highly for ‘bowler’ will attract users looking for 10-pin bowling in the U.S., or in the UK about cricket and not someone shopping for a bowler hat.

Relevant Keywords

Once you’ve identified the search intent of your target audience, you can determine which keywords are relevant to them.

By aligning your keywords with search intent, you can produce relevant content and increase your chances of ranking higher in SERPs. Besides ranking high, it will also improve user satisfaction and increase conversion rate.

Keyword Research Tools

The brainstorming process is a great place to start keyword research, but to ensure you’re attracting the right audience and proving your value to search engines, you should utilize a research tool.

They can provide valuable data, such as search volume and competition level, and suggest related keywords you might not have considered.

Search Volume

By using keyword research tools, one of the most important metrics to look for is the search volume.

Ideally, you should target relevant keywords with the highest search volumes. However, it is important to assess the competition around that search term.

If you are going to compete with large and well-established brands and you are just starting, perhaps it is a better idea to choose long-tail keywords with less search volume but less competition.

Long-Tail Keywords

These are specific search terms consisting of more than one word.

They tend to be longer and are more likely to be used by people with specific stages in the conversion funnel, helping you reach users who are ready to convert.

An example of this would be [vegetarian restaurants in San Antonio], which would most likely be used by someone with a craving for a plant-based meal.

Lastly, remember that tools provide aggregate data of the same search terms with measurable search volumes, which they obtain from different data providers.

Often, there are long-tail searches that users perform, which are the same but formulated differently, and tools may report them as zero search volume due to negligible search volumes.

This phenomenon is likely to increase as highly intelligent AI assistants are integrated into mobile phones, and users are more likely to perform unique voice searches on the same issue.

If a certain problem is relevant to your specific industry and you know it, but tools report zero search volume, it is worth covering it and offering a solution.

You may find you have decent and highly targeted traffic that converts.

5. Define Your Most Valuable Pages

Every team needs an MVP, and in the case of your website, that’s your most valuable pages.

These pages are the ones that do the bulk of the heavy lifting for you.

For non-ecommerce sites, these are usually things like your home page, your services pages, or any pages with demos or other offers.

These pages are also likely MVPs for ecommerce sites, but will also be joined by category and/or product-level pages.

To find which pages are your site’s most important ones, you should consider what your organization is known for.

What verticals do you compete in? What pain points do you solve? Define these or add more based on the high-level keywords you came up with in the previous step.

Once you’ve identified the category and product pages that bring in the most visitors, you’ll be able to focus your strategy on improving them and increasing your organic traffic.

Read more about how to find your MVPs here.

6. Keep Content Up To Date

Your MVP pages become stale over time while search engines aim to surface for users the most relevant and up-to-date content.

Content decay is a natural process; you should set up a process to keep content up to date constantly.

Here is an example from one of the websites I work on, showing how it looks and highlighting the importance of updating outdated content.

An example of content decay: updating content helped regain organic traffic.An example of content decay: updating content helped regain organic traffic.

Please note that you should refrain from using automatic updates with AI chatbots, as it is one of the most dangerous, spammy SEO tactics that can result in a complete loss of organic traffic.

Read our guide to learn content decay strategies you can implement to keep your organic traffic growing.

7. Optimize For User Experience

Don’t overlook the importance of how your site is structured, both technically and in terms of how users interface with it.

The best content and keyword strategy in the world won’t lead to a single sale if your site is constantly broken or is so frustrating to use that people close your page in disappointment.

You should carefully consider your site’s architecture and user experiences to ensure people are taking the desired actions.

With mobile traffic being 62.15% of total web traffic (and 77% of retail website traffic), optimizing for mobile is even more critical.

Read our guide UX & SEO Guide to learn more.

8. Conduct A Competitive Analysis

If you didn’t have any competition, there would be no need for SEO. But as long as other companies are manufacturing refrigerators, Frigidaire needs to find ways to differentiate itself.

You need to have an idea of what others in your industry are doing so you can position yourself for the best results.

You need to figure out where you’re being outranked and find ways to turn the tables.

You should know which keywords are most competitive and where you have opportunities by performing content gap analysis.

You should understand your competitor’s backlinking and site structure so that you can optimize your own site for the best possible search ranking.

And remember, AI chatbots are your competitor, too, where users can get answers directly without visiting a website.

This means that some of the traffic you might have received in the past could now be staying in the chatbot.

To compete, you need to offer something AI can’t: unique insights, personal experiences, and authoritative content that stands out.

Consider how AI presents information and find ways to differentiate your content. Focus on building your brand authority and providing value that AI chatbots can’t replicate.

Learn more about how to perform this analysis and develop a template for it by reading this piece.

9. Establishing Brand Authority And Link Building

All the points we covered so far are essential for success in SEO, but they are not enough.

You can achieve success by merely improving your website, and if you aim for your brand to exist only in Google Search, you will likely not be able to rank and achieve success.

That is why you need to work on your brand marketing tirelessly in order to build your brand authority, which, in turn, helps you earn natural backlinks as a recognized and trustworthy source.

It’s not such an easy thing to get right, and that is where most companies struggle and why SEO is hard.

To build brand authority, you need the following steps:

  • Build an email newsletter list.
  • Share valuable research and insights others want to link to.
  • Attend conferences relevant to your field and sponsor them if you have enough resources.
  • Seek opportunities for interviews or speak at conferences.
  • Host webinars or live sessions to share knowledge and interact with your audience in real time.
  • Participate in online discussions with your industry community on different platforms such as Linkedin, Twitter, Reddit, or other platforms specific to your industry.
  • Collaborate with experts in your industry to contribute to your content.
  • Invite influencers to try your products or services and share their experiences.
  • Offer effective support to your customers.

Even if you get unlinked brand mentions, it is a step forward in building brand awareness.

Think of for a moment if one reads your unlinked brand mention on a reputable website (or on a TV show) and performs a Google search to find your brand.

That could be considered as a branded search which is a ranking factor. It is important to note unlinked mentions are not a ranking factor as there is much misinformation out there, but when one performs a branded search on Google.

Of course, you can go ahead and try to convert an unlinked mention to a link, and it is always one of the natural ways to build a link.

However, in the age of AI, another benefit of unlinked brand mentions is that chatbots – which are trained on content across the web – may surface your brand name to users when they perform tasks or research.

10. Integrate SEO Into Your Workflows

SEO doesn’t exist in a vacuum – it impacts many other parts of your organization, including marketing, sales, and IT.

If you’re looking for the budget to perform SEO, you may find some of your employees are already well-qualified to help.

For example, your sales team probably knows which products people are most interested in.

Enlisting them in your SEO strategy development will help with lead generation and finding new targets who are already qualified.

Similarly, SEO can tell your marketing team what types of content resonate best, so they can fine-tune their campaigns. And your copywriters and graphic designers can develop the type of content that will help you shoot up the rankings.

Your IT team probably already has control over your website.

Your SEO strategy should be designed around their expertise, to ensure website design and structure, development cycles, data structure, and core principles are all aligned.

Evaluate your existing software, technology, and personnel, as there’s a good chance you have some of the pieces already in place.

If you need to scale production up, you may find the budget already in place in existing departments.

These are just a few ways to integrate SEO into your existing workflows.

If you’re an external SEO agency or consultant, it’s crucial to establish strong communication channels with the company’s personnel who are responsible for implementing SEO recommendations and making decisions.

Read our guide on best practices for establishing effective communication between SEO teams in enterprise companies.

11. Align Your SEO Strategy With Your Customer Funnel

At the end of the day, sales are the name of the game. Without customers, there’s no revenue, and that means no business.

To aid in the sales process, your SEO strategy should align with your customer funnel.

Sometimes described as the customer journey, your sales funnel is a summation of the touchpoints customers have with your company as they go from awareness to post-purchase.

SEO fits neatly with every stage of this cycle:

  • Awareness: In the modern world, many customers first hear about your business online through a Google search, for example. Well-written blog posts are a great way to increase your awareness and increase your brand recognition.
  • Interest: This is where customers start doing research. And what better place to do research than your website? In-depth guides and ebooks will be a great match for satisfying users’ interests.
  • Decision: The customer wants to buy and is deciding between you and the competition. Case studies or testimonials could be the thing that sways them.
  • Purchase: Having a search engine-optimized point of sale makes it easy for people to buy, and optimized product pages are what can move the needle.
  • Post-purchase: Once you’ve acquired customers, think of ways to retain them by publishing support articles or offering loyalty programs.

12. Report And Measure

Finally, you need to define what success looks like for each KPI measure and report the progress you’re making.

There are a variety of both paid and free tools available that you can use to measure and track conversions, and compare them weekly, monthly, or by another timeframe of your choosing.

Simply find one that works for your budget and needs.

For a guide on how to create impactful reports that generate quality insights, read our guide here.

Conclusion

No one ever said SEO was easy, at least not anyone who has done it. But it’s a vital part of any modern organization’s business plan.

However, with a solid strategy, a willingness to learn, and a little old-fashioned elbow grease, even a complete beginner can send their website to the top of the SERP.

In this piece, we’ve given you 12 steps to take to get your SEO strategy off the ground. But of course, this is just the start.

You need a unique plan that will work for your industry and your needs.

Luckily, Search Engine Journal can help with this, too.

Download our ebook on SEO strategy with a full-year blueprint for an easy-to-follow 12-month plan you can use to develop a solid strategy, track your progress, and adjust to changing situations.

More resources:

Featured Image: Ingenious buddy/Shutterstock

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Oct 17 2024
Google Warns Against Over-Reliance On SEO Tool Metrics via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

In a recent discussion on Reddit’s r/SEO forum, Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, cautioned against relying too heavily on third-party SEO metrics.

His comments came in response to a person’s concerns about dramatic changes in tool measurements and their perceived impact on search performance.

The conversation was sparked by a website owner who reported the following series of events:

  1. A 50% drop in their website’s Domain Authority (DA) score.
  2. A surge in spam backlinks, with 75% of all their website’s links acquired in the current year.
  3. An increase in spam comments, averaging 30 per day on a site receiving about 150 daily visits.
  4. A discrepancy between backlink data shown in different SEO tools.

The owner, who claimed never to have purchased links, is concerned about the impact of these spammy links on their site’s performance.

Mueller’s Perspective On Third-Party Metrics

Mueller addressed these concerns by highlighting the limitations of third-party SEO tools and their metrics.

He stated:

“Many SEO tools have their own metrics that are tempting to optimize for (because you see a number), but ultimately, there’s no shortcut.”

He cautioned against implementing quick fixes based on these metrics, describing many of these tactics as “smoke & mirrors.”

Mueller highlighted a crucial point: the metrics provided by SEO tools don’t directly correlate with how search engines evaluate websites.

He noted that actions like using disavow files don’t affect metrics from SEO tools, as these companies don’t have access to Google data.

This highlights the need to understand the sources and limitations of SEO tool data. Their metrics aren’t direct indicators of search engine rankings.

What To Focus On? Value, Not Numbers

Mueller suggested a holistic SEO approach, prioritizing unique value over specific metrics like Domain Authority or spam scores.

He advised:

“If you want to think about the long term, finding ways to add real value that’s unique and wanted by people on the web (together with all the usual SEO best practices as a foundation) is a good target.”

However, Mueller acknowledged that creating unique content isn’t easy, adding:

“Unique doesn’t mean a unique combination of words, but really something that nobody else is providing, and ideally, that others can’t easily provide themselves.

It’s hard, it takes a lot of work, and it can take a lot of time. If it were fast & easy, others would be – and probably are already – doing it and have more practice at it.”

Mueller’s insights encourage us to focus on what really matters: strategies that put users first.

This helps align content with Google’s goals and create lasting benefits.

Key Takeaways

  1. While potentially useful, third-party SEO metrics shouldn’t be the primary focus of optimization efforts.
  2. Dramatic changes in these metrics don’t reflect changes in how search engines view your site.
  3. Focus on creating unique content rather than chasing tool-based metrics.
  4. Understand the limitations and sources of SEO tool data

Featured Image: JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Oct 9 2024
Optimizing For Google’s New Landscape And The Future Of Search [Webinar] via @sejournal, @lorenbaker

AI is rapidly changing how search engines like Google rank websites. To stay competitive, it’s essential to know which ranking signals matter most and how to optimize for them.

Join us for our upcoming webinar on October 16th, “Optimizing For Google’s New Landscape And The Future Of Search.”

We’ll explore how these changes are impacting SEO strategies and what you can do to succeed in 2024 and beyond.

You’ll leave with a collection of actionable insights that will help you craft a winning SEO strategy and navigate the disruption successfully, while getting optimal engagement and ROI.

Why This Webinar Is A Must-Attend Event

Google’s AI-driven algorithm is transforming search rankings, and this webinar will provide you with the expert insights and actionable strategies needed to stay ahead of the competition.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • The top ranking signals to optimize for increasing your search visibility.
  • Expert-level SEO strategies that will improve performance right now.
  • Insights on how to optimize your website to win rich search result types.

Expert Insights From Nathan Endres

Nathan Endres, Sr. SEO Analyst at Conductor, will walk you through the ranking signals that still matter, and how to fine-tune your content strategy to maximize engagement and ROI in an AI-first world.

Who Should Attend?

  • SEO professionals who want to understand Google’s AI-driven algorithm and the strategies to gain visibility in them.
  • In-house SEO and marketing professionals building strategies for the next year.
  • Agency professionals who want to prepare for the SERPs of 2025.

Live Q&A: Get Your Questions Answered

Got questions about Google’s future direction? Stick around for a live Q&A session where Nathan will answer your pressing SEO concerns and provide additional insights.

Can’t make it? No problem! Register now, and we’ll send you the recording after the event.

Don’t miss this opportunity to decode Google’s latest updates and gain a competitive edge.

Save your seat today!

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Oct 9 2024
SEO Strategy Guide: 14 Must-Do Things to Prepare for 2025 via @sejournal, @Brian_W_Gareth

1. Find The Best Keywords For Your Site

Keywords are the foundation of SEO. Although content is king, keywords come first: they decide what sorts of users will find you in search. And since you want to be found by the right users, you’d better choose your keywords wisely.

What kind of keywords are good for your site?

  • They have a high search volume.

In non-SEO terms, it means lots of people type those keywords into search bars. A few hundred searches per month is good, but going higher is always encouraged. The more, the better.

  • They accurately capture search intent.

The relationship between a site owner and the users works like any business transaction: if you don’t offer them what they want, they won’t take it.

It’s like buying new shoes. If you are an adult with a size 7.5, you are not going to buy children’s shoes (not for yourself, anyway). And looking for generic shoes without anything specific in mind will take you forever to find what you really need.

Keywords are much the same. If you have an online store where you sell shoes, then a product page optimized for the keyword “shoes for women size 7.5” will do a much better job than one saying “shoes for women” or even just “shoes.” Bottom line: use keywords which describe precisely what your target audience wants to find.

  • They aren’t too competitive.

High competition for a keyword means many other sites are already ranking for it – and beating them all won’t be easy. But pretty much every keyword has a less competitive version. You just need to find and use it.

How do you find keywords which match all these criteria?

For search intent, you must know your target audience and their needs really well, and then use your best judgment. Other factors can be represented in numbers, and that’s where SEO tools come in, such as WebCEO’s Keyword Suggestions tool.

Screenshot from WebCEO, September 2024

Do you have any keyword ideas of your own? Enter them in the field and press Search. The tool will generate a table of related keywords, and then you just pick the most promising ones.

2. Optimize Your Pages With Keywords

Got your keywords? Great. Now, you need to make sure you are using them well.

For maximum effectiveness, your site pages must have keywords in these places:

  • Page URL
  • Page title
  • Meta description
  • H1-H4 headings (even better if you have a table of contents)
  • Throughout the text itself
  • Image filenames and ALT texts (for Google Image Search)
  • Video transcripts (if you have videos)

Scan your site pages with WebCEO’s Landing Page SEO tool to check the state of your keyword placement.

Screenshot from WebCEO, September 2024

If the tool finds any spaces that could be filled with keywords, do it and run another scan afterward. Instant improvement before your eyes!

One more thing: while having keywords is a must, avoid going overboard with them. One set of related keywords per page, or even one keyword per page is usually enough. Then weave the keywords into your text in a natural-sounding way. The gold standard for content is normally written text with helpful information.

3. Optimize Your Site Structure

It’s easy to turn your website into a poorly interlinked mess if you don’t know what you are doing.

When you do know what you are doing, you can help your most important pages receive a significant ranking boost – just by placing links correctly.

Your users will appreciate it, too. Who doesn’t like having all the content they need at their fingertips?

So here’s the recipe for an optimal site structure:

  • Page hierarchy. Picture a tree: the home page as the root and the destination pages (i.e. landing pages, product pages, blog articles) at the ends of the branches.
Screenshot from IncreMentors.com, January 2024
  • Topic clusters. It’s good practice to interlink pages that are dedicated to related topics.
  • Navigation bar. A bar at the top (less usually on the left side) of the screen, containing links to the most important site pages (e.g. home page, About Us, Contact Us).
  • Footer bar. Another bar at the bottom of a page, containing the same links from the navigation plus some others, at your discretion. Often, the footer bar contains social media links.
  • Breadcrumbs. Have you ever seen a bunch of links in a row, something like Home » Category » Subcategory » Page? They are called breadcrumbs and they help users keep track of where exactly they are on a website.
  • Three-click rule. An unspoken rule says: users should be able to get from any page A to any other page B in three clicks or fewer.

But to use links on your site like a pro, you want to know exactly how much authority your web pages have. And you can find out with the right SEO tools.

Scan your site with WebCEO’s Internal Links tool to get this information.

Screenshot from WebCEO, September 2024

This tool will reveal the pages with the highest amount of link juice. Proceed to share it with your most valuable pages just by linking to them from those high-authority pages.

This practice is at its most effective when the interlinked pages are related to each other through their topics – in other words, when they form a topic cluster. For example, a page about the best toothbrushes and another about the best toothpastes. It’s natural to link the two together, so a slight ranking boost to both is guaranteed.

4. Max Out Your Loading Speed

How long is too long? Five seconds may not seem like much, but if that’s how long it takes your page to load, most users will have already left.

People hate slow loading pages. People hate waiting in general. Whatever the place or the website, everybody wants to be serviced without delay.

And Google concurs. That’s why site loading speed is a major ranking factor, one you absolutely must not neglect.

And it’s one of the easiest ones to improve, too!

First, scan your site with WebCEO’s Speed Optimization tool.

Screenshot from WebCEO, September 2024

Not only it measures your pages’ loading speed and Core Web Vitals, it also offers constructive criticism by detecting what’s slowing your website down. Just follow the tips from the report and watch your website soar.

And remember to be on constant alert for any slow loading site pages. Set the Speed Optimization tool to send you regular reports, and if you find a page that’s dragging its feet, help it take off.

Screenshot from WebCEO, September 2024

5. Audit Your Site For Errors — And Fix Them

Nothing is perfect, not even the best website in the world. Things break, errors appear. But no self-respecting site owner will let things stay broken – that’s recipe for losing your customers!

You are better than that, too. Scan your site for errors now with WebCEO’s Technical Audit tool.

Screenshot from WebCEO, September 2024

This tool detects all kinds of hiccups, from broken links to more serious issues like server errors. Look upon your report and do not despair. It’s merely a list of fixable things.

You can solve those problems yourself or send the report to your site admin and let them handle it. After the job is done, rescan your site and generate another report showing the drop in errors. Your client will love it.

And yes, the Technical Audit tool can also send automated scheduled reports.

Screenshot from WebCEO, September 2024

6. Check The Quality Of Your Backlinks

What do you think is the number one ranking factor? Which one of them can give you the highest ranking boost?

The hint is right there in the heading above. That’s right: backlinks.

Links from other sites pointing to yours. If your site isn’t on Google’s #1 page, then lack of good backlinks is most likely why (assuming everything else is okay).

To see if you have a backlink problem, you need to check the current state of your link profile.

How can you do that? Scan your site with WebCEO’s Backlink Checker.

Screenshot from WebCEO, September 2024

What should you be looking for there?

  • Total backlinks and linking domains. The ratio between them can give you a rough idea about how many links each domain gives you on average. If that ratio is too high (e.g. 1000 backlinks per domain), then most of those backlinks are probably of poor quality.
  • Loss of backlinks. Sometimes sites stop linking to you. Maybe they found someone with better content than yours, maybe they took down the page with the backlink, or maybe even their site died. Whatever the reason, it can affect you rankings negatively.
  • Backlink texts. A good anchor text tells users what they are going to find on the other side of the link. If it fails to do that, fewer people will click on the link. Look for non-descriptive anchor texts (such as “click here”) that are keeping your rankings down – changing those texts can be just what you need.
  • Harmful backlinks. Spammy links from low-quality sites will do you no favor. If you have too many toxic backlinks, you will have to take them down.

Knowing the state of your link profile opens two different paths to improving it: link building and link detoxification. Let’s start with the former.

7. Revise And Expand Your Link Building

If you want to gain new backlinks and increase your site rankings, you’ll want to do some link building.

Which sites give the best backlinks?

  1. They are highly authoritative;
  2. They are topically related to your site.

And the closer they fit these criteria, the harder it will be to land your backlinks there. Those sites have high standards.

Link building is a whole challenge of its own – but there are plenty of good strategies for that.

To name but a few:

  • Have high-quality (and ideally unique) content on your site that others will want to link to;
  • Find broken links on other sites and offer those sites’ owners to link to your content instead;
  • Find unlinked mentions of your site or brand and offer to add a backlink;

And we strongly encourage you to try out even more. You may find some of the link building strategies easier or more effective than others.

What About Steps 8-14?

You bet it’s just the beginning. Do you want to take up even more SEO techniques to start preparing for 2025?

Good news: the full SEO guide is exclusively available to WebCEO users in PDF format, and it’s completely free. Download it now and get a head start on your competitors!

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Jun 25 2024
Data-Driven Content Strategy: Boost Google Rankings With Real Audience Insights via @sejournal, @CallRail

Now, what about the content of the actual calls? Well, you can use that, too.

Let dive into how you can use call analysis to further inform your strategy.

How To Analyze Your Call Data

The insights you collect from customer phone interactions can have a game-changing impact on your business.

But you want to make sure the effort required to dig into those calls is worth it for your team.

This is where AI and machine learning technology can be utilized effectively to streamline your process and save time.

For example, Conversation Intelligence is an AI-powered tool by CallRail that constantly records, transcribes, and analyzes each inbound and outbound call.

With transcriptions that have near-human level accuracy, Conversation Intelligence goes a step further by spotting keywords, tagging calls automatically, and qualifying leads with powerful automation rules.

Plus, with multi-conversation insights, you can easily transform countless conversations into actionable insights at scale.

Not only does this analysis unlock deeper insights to help you catch customer trends and spot long-term shifts, but it also tells you what you should focus on in your content.

2. Website Form Submissions

Another effective way to gather essential audience insights is through website form tracking.

Online forms allow you to collect valuable data directly from users, such as their contact information, preferences, and interests.

When this data is paired with deeper analytics, you can gain a clear understanding of what drives the most qualified leads for your business.

With Form Tracking, you can find out exactly which ad or keyword made someone click “submit” on your form.

Launched last year by CallRail, this tool allows you to build custom forms or integrate existing ones, pairing the data with inbound call conversions for a holistic view of your marketing efforts.

Combining Call Tracking And Form Tracking

Leads often connect with businesses through multiple channels, so focusing on just one source isn’t really enough.

By using Call Tracking and Form Tracking together, you get a comprehensive overview of your leads’ entire customer journey.

Both of these tools essentially work by installing a single line of JavaScript code on your site, which captures and relays information about each of your leads back to CallRail.

You can easily evaluate the various campaigns that you’re running, like paid ads, social media posts, email nurture campaigns, etc. – all of which could be opportunities to incorporate tracking numbers and links to your forms.

Using both a tracking number and a form tracking link gives your leads the option to choose how they prefer to contact your business.

And as they reach out, you’ll be able to measure which campaigns and which conversion type – calls or forms – is getting the best results.

3. Customer Feedback & Surveys

If you really want a deep dive into the minds of your customers, surveys are an incredibly effective way to get feedback directly from the source.

Surveys allow you to ask your users targeted questions and receive precise answers about their preferences, pain points, and expectations.

You can then leverage this comprehensive data to guide your marketing strategy and fill any content gaps you may have.

Discover the type of content your customers prefer, the topics they are most interested in, and how they like to consume information.

Once they point out areas where they feel your content is lacking or what they would like to see more of, you can then fill the gaps in your strategy to give them what they want.

Integrating Customer Feedback Into Your Content

Understanding your audience can help you tailor your content to better meet their needs and preferences.

Here are some tips for how you can effectively integrate customer feedback into your content creation process:

  • Create a Feedback Loop: Ask your audience to rate the usefulness, quality, and relevance of your content to gain a clear picture of where you can improve. Then establish a system where their feedback continuously informs your content. Regularly conduct surveys and update your strategy based on the latest insights.
  • Prioritize High-Impact Content: Identify the topics and formats that resonate most with your audience and prioritize them in your content calendar. For example, if customers indicate a preference for video tutorials over written guides, focus more on creating video content. This ensures that you’re always aligned with what your audience finds most valuable.
  • Test and Iterate: After publishing content based on customer feedback, monitor its performance to see if it meets the intended goals. Use analytics to track engagement, shares, and other metrics. Be prepared to refine your content based on ongoing feedback and performance data.
  • Communicate Changes: Let your audience know that their feedback has been heard and implemented. This not only builds trust but also encourages more customers to participate in future surveys.

Unlock Higher Search Rankings With CallRail’s Data Solutions

Google is constantly changing its algorithms to produce higher quality search results for users, which presents numerous challenges for marketers and website owners.

Between the upcoming phase-out of third-party cookies and the recent core update, the search engine is cracking down heavily on content it deems as unhelpful.

That’s why it’s time to take a user-first approach to your content strategy.

By leveraging first- and zero-party data through methods like call tracking, form submissions, and customer surveys, you can create high-quality, relevant content that meets your audience’s needs and boosts your Google rankings.

CallRail’s suite of tools makes it easier to gather and analyze this data, helping you refine your marketing strategy and drive sustainable growth.

Ready to see the impact for yourself?

Try CallRail free for 14 days and start transforming your data into actionable strategies for higher ranking content.

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Jun 17 2024
Boost Your Visibility Now: A Local Search Guide For Multi-Location Businesses via @sejournal, @lorenbaker

If you’re a multi-location brand looking to boost your local visibility and gain a competitive edge in the market, look no further.

On June 26, we’re hosting a live webinar with SOCi where we’ll dive into the latest insights and best practices to help you enhance your local SEO strategy. 

Consumers increasingly rely on local search results to find products and services near them – whether it’s a nearby restaurant, a fitness center, or a retail store.

That’s why staying visible in local search results is crucial to the success of your business. 

But achieving and maintaining high local search visibility is no easy feat, especially with the rapid developments in search algorithms and digital marketing trends.

So if your goal is to stay ahead in this constantly evolving search landscape, join us and learn how to scale the visibility of your business. 

In this insightful session, you’ll discover: 

  • Expert insights from Local SEO experts and industry leaders: Gain valuable insights and future predictions for local search from leading experts in the field. Learn about the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in local SEO.
  • Actionable recommendations on how to form a winning SEO strategy: Our SEO experts will provide practical tips and strategies that you can implement immediately to boost your local search visibility and drive growth.
  • An exclusive look at Genius Search: Learn how this groundbreaking new product can have a remarkable impact on your multi-location business. With Genius Search, you can revolutionize your strategy and achieve greater visibility and engagement across multiple locations.

Kaci McBride, Director of Local Marketing and Analytics at SOCi, and Mike Snow, Search Engine Optimization Analyst at SOCi, will walk you through ways to utilize the tools at your disposal to outperform your competition.

As a highlight, our presenters will also introduce their groundbreaking new product, Genius Search, and demonstrate how it can elevate your local SEO efforts.

And be sure to join us live so you can engage with Kaci and Mike, and ask them your most burning questions about local SEO. 

Can’t make the live event? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. Simply register here and we’ll send you a recording after the webinar. 

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Jun 4 2024
How To Increase Website Traffic After The Google Update: 5 Blogger-Tested Tips via @sejournal, @getStay22

This post was sponsored by Stay22. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

The latest Google update hit our partners – travel bloggers – hard. Despite the challenges presented by this update, we are amazed by their resilience.

Although we cannot influence Google, we can definitely take charge of the things within our reach.

Here are five travel blogger-tested ways to increase website traffic after the latest Google update.

Get the most out of each visitor. Check out our guide, Ten Tips for Maximizing Revenue for Travel Bloggers.

1. Use Pinterest As An Additional Search Engine

Many people think of Pinterest as a social media platform, but it functions much more as a search engine.

Pinterest’s tools make it a fantastic way to get visitors to your website.

How To Get Started With Pinterest

  1. Create a new business account or link/convert a personal account to gain access to business tools like Pinterest Business Hub and Pinterest Analytics, which allow you to monitor searches and keywords.
  2. Write a catchy bio for your profile. If you have niche keywords you use on your website, include them here.
  3. Claim your website, allowing you to track whenever someone shares your website content on Pinterest. Additionally, it will automatically include your Pinterest profile and a follow button so you can attract more visitors.

How To Use Pinterest Like A Pro

Pinterest is built around pictures, so having great visuals is critical. You want to make yours stand out on the page.

  1. When you travel, snap many pictures and pick the best ones later.
  2. Use design tools like Canva to add text, create interesting layouts, and add branding elements.
  3. Create boards to organize your content into categories, such as by destination or blog post type.
  4. Just like any other search engine, keyword research is necessary on Pinterest. Use business tools like Pinterest Trends, which lets you see keyword search volume and which pins are most popular for them.
  5. Use your selected keywords everywhere possible, including pin titles, pin descriptions, and board descriptions.
Screenshot from Pinterest Trends, June 2024

Before you start pinning, optimize your blog posts to maximize revenue to ensure every visitor counts. See how to do that in our guide Ten Tips for Maximizing Revenue for Travel Bloggers.

2. Keep Visitors Engaged With Email Marketing

Email marketing is important because you own it. Instagram could ban your account, Google can derank you, but your email list is always yours.

Use this strategy to build less volatile, consistent traffic instead of new traffic.

How To Get Started With Email Marketing

  1. Select an email marketing provider. Travel bloggers love MailerLite and MailChimp because they are low-cost and simple.
  2. Start collecting email addresses. Create a mailing list signup form with your website host and insert it at the end of posts to collect your readers’ information.

How To Use Email Marketing Like A Pro

  1. Create a lead magnet that entices readers to share their information in exchange for it. Popular lead magnets in the travel blogging community are travel guides, ebooks, and itineraries.
  2. The goal of email is to get your reader onto your site. Keep your emails short and include impressive pictures and a clear link to your website. Leave them wanting more so that they click through.
  3. Before sending an email directing traffic to one of your pages, ensure the page is set up to maximize revenue. See how in our guide, Ten Tips for Maximizing Revenue for Travel Bloggers.

“While SEO is often touted as the king of traffic, good email marketing is the absolute queen. We regularly see spikes in our web analytics when we email our audience, but those spikes aren’t just temporary. They help our users build habits. We simply wouldn’t have nearly the business we have today without activating our email list.”

Beth Stanos, Wanderful CEO & Founder

    3. Add Your Content To Flipboard To Grab More Website Visits

    Flipboard is an article curation website that lets users flip through articles from different publications, like magazines.

    How To Get Started With Flipboard

    1. Download the Flipboard app on mobile and create an account and profile.
    2. Create Flipboard magazines. These are topic categories that group your content (much like Pinterest boards).
    3. Add your blog posts to them from the magazine page on Flipboard or the Flipit Chrome bookmark.
    Screenshot taken from Flipboard, June 2024

    How To Use Flipboard Like A Pro

    1. Add your fresh blog posts to Flipboard right after publishing.
    2. Add relevant content to your magazines that isn’t your own. Engaging with other bloggers’ content and maintaining new content in your magazines helps your reach.
    3. Include your target keywords in your magazine descriptions, post captions, and profile.

    “Flipboard has become a major traffic source for all 3 of my websites. They have fantastic tools for creators, like storyboards, scheduling, and RSS feeds for magazines, making creating and sharing compelling content easy.”

    Amanda O’Brien, theboutiqueadventurer.com Founder

    4. Get Discovered With Short-Form Videos On Social Media

    Did you know 77% of travelers use social media when planning their trips? Get their eyes on your content with short-form videos on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube shorts.

    These platforms have algorithms to serve your content to people who don’t follow you, making them ideal for readers to discover you.

    How To Get Started Making Videos

    1. Create your accounts on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
    2. Download Capcut, a free mobile app for video editing. It’s better than the in-app editing functionality, with pre-installed templates and effects.
    3. Create a Linktree account or an alternative. All three platforms make it difficult for users to leave and visit your site, so a place where users can go for all your links is necessary.
    “PLACES ON EARTH WITH THE BLUEST WATER” by @thetravelshack, June 2024

    How To Make Short Video Content Like A Pro

    1. While traveling, keep video creation in the back of your mind. When you see eye-catching scenery or an interesting environment, be ready to capture it in video. Your video’s “wow” factor differentiates between a mediocre and a fantastic video.
    2. On Instagram, write detailed captions. On YouTube and TikTok, keep captions as brief as possible.
    3. Voice-over, on-screen text, and music are crucial to your engagement rate. You can add these with Capcut or in-app.
    4. Pick your video thumbnails carefully. Make sure they stand out in a grid of other videos.
    5. Finally, keep your short video short. The ideal length for a Reel is seven to eleven seconds, a TikTok 21 to 34 seconds, and a YouTube Short 25 to 35 seconds.

    “TikTok helped us to get our second blog on Mediavine. We shared detailed videos about “how to do something” and always included a call to action, directing viewers to our blog for more information. In recent years, we’ve had videos go viral while encouraging followers to visit the link in our bio. This has resulted in thousands of clicks to our websites.”

    Natasha Alden, theworldpursuit.com Co-Founder

    5. Expose Yourself To New Audiences With Guest Posting

    Having your writing published on another website gives you access to a whole new audience, making it an excellent strategy for attracting new readers.

    How To Start Guest Posting

    1. Find places that accept guest posts. Many publications have open submissions that you can submit to.
    2. If you see a site that has guest posts but no open submissions, find their contact information and send an inquiry email.
    3. Create a pitch by explaining your travel expertise and provide writing samples.

    How To Guest Post Like A Pro

    1. When creating your pitch, understand the site’s needs. What content gaps do they have? Focus your pitch there.
    2. Organic guest posting opportunities arise if you take the time to network. Meeting and developing friendships with travel bloggers is a great way to share audiences. You can network on social media, as well as in-person events like TBEX, TravelCon, and Traverse.
    3. Create a clear link back to your blog and include a catchy description so readers will be enticed to read more of your content.
    4. Strategize by monitoring the traffic of potential sites with tools like SEMRush and pick the best option.
    Screenshot from japan.travel, June 2024

    “Creating content for another publication to share as a standalone article allows you to share new expertise about a certain area. Whether through the article itself or subsequent social shares, a new audience gets exposure to you as a writer.”

    William Tang, goingawesomeplaces.com Founder

    See how William Tang made travel blogging his full-time job with the help of Stay22’s revenue-boosting tools. Read the case study.

    Compensate For Traffic Dips By Maximizing Your Revenue.

    Maximize your conversions with strategic CTA placement and Stay22’s cutting-edge AI-powered affiliate tools! Skyrocket your affiliate sales with these proven tips:

    DOWNLOAD OUR GUIDE: Ten Tips for Maximizing Revenue for Travel Bloggers.

    DOWNLOAD GUIDE

    Image Credits

    Featured Image: Image by Shutterstock. Used with permission.

    Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
    May 30 2024
    How To Find Competitors’ Keywords: Tips & Tools

    This post was sponsored by SE Ranking. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

    Wondering why your competitors rank higher than you?

    The secret to your competitors’ SEO success might be as simple as targeting the appropriate keywords.

    Since these keywords are successful for your competitors, there’s a good chance they could be valuable for you as well.

    In this article, we’ll explore the most effective yet simple ways to find competitors’ keywords so that you can guide your own SEO strategy and potentially outperform your competitors in SERPs.

    Benefits Of Competitor Keyword Analysis

    Competitor keywords are the search terms your competitors target within their content to rank high in SERPs, either organically or through paid ads.

    Collecting search terms that your competitors rely on can help you:

    1. Identify & Close Keyword Gaps.

    The list of high-ranking keywords driving traffic to your competitors may include valuable search terms you’re currently missing out on.

    To close these keyword gaps, you can either optimize your existing content with these keywords or use them as inspiration for creating new content with high traffic potential.

    2. Adapt To Market Trends & Customer Needs.

    You may notice a shift in the keywords your competitors optimize content for. This could be a sign that market trends or customer expectations are changing.

    Keep track of these keywords to jump on emerging trends and align your content strategy accordingly.

    3. Enhance Visibility & Rankings.

    Analyzing your competitors’ high-ranking keywords and pages can help you identify their winning patterns (e.g., content format, user intent focus, update frequency, etc).

    Study what works for your rivals (and why) to learn how to adapt these tactics to your website and achieve higher SERP positions.

    How To Identify Your Competitors’ Keywords

    There are many ways to find keywords used by competitors within their content. Let’s weigh the pros and cons of the most popular options.

    Use SE Ranking

    SE Ranking is a complete toolkit that delivers unique data insights. These insights help SEO pros build and maintain successful SEO campaigns.

    Here’s the list of pros that the platform offers for agency and in-house SEO professionals:

    1. Huge databases. SE Ranking has one of the web’s largest keyword databases. It features over 5 billion keywords across 188 regions. Also, the number of keywords in their database is constantly growing, with a 30% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year.
    2. Reliable data. SE Ranking collects keyword data, analyzes it, and computes core SEO metrics directly from its proprietary algorithm. The platform also relies on AI-powered traffic estimations that have up to a 100% match with GSC data.

    Thanks to SE Ranking’s recent major data quality update, the platform boasts even fresher and more accurate information on backlinks and referring domains (both new and lost).

    As a result, by considering the website’s backlink profile, authority, and SERP competitiveness, SE Ranking now makes highly accurate calculations of keyword difficulty. This makes it easy to see how likely your own website or page is to rank at the top of the SERPs for a particular query.

    1. Broad feature set. Beyond conducting competitive (& keyword) research, you can also use this tool to track keyword rankings, perform website audits, handle all aspects of on-page optimization, manage local SEO campaigns, optimize your content for search, and much more.
    2. Great value for money. The tool offers premium features with generous data limits at a fair price. This eliminates the need to choose between functionality and affordability.

    Let’s now review how to use SE Ranking to discover the keywords your competitors are targeting for both organic search and paid advertising.

    First, open the Competitive Research Tool and input your competitor’s domain name into the search bar. Select a region and click Analyze to initiate analysis of this website.

    Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

    Depending on your goal, go either to the Organic Traffic Research or Paid Traffic Research tab on the left-hand navigation menu.

    Here, you’ll be able to see data on estimated organic clicks, total number of keywords, traffic cost, and backlinks.

    Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

    Upon scrolling this page down, you’ll see a table with all the keywords the website ranks for, along with data on search volume, keyword difficulty, user intent, SERP features triggered by keywords, ranking position, URLs ranking for the analyzed keyword, and more.

    Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

    What’s more, the tool allows you to find keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t.

    To do this, head to the Competitor Comparison tab and add up to two websites for comparison.

    Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

    Within the Missing tab, you’ll be able to see existing keyword gaps.

    Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

    While the platform offers many benefits, there are also some downsides to be aware of, such as:

    1. Higher-priced plans are required for some features. For instance, historical data on keywords is only available to Pro and Business plan users.
    2. Data is limited to Google only. SE Ranking’s Competitor Research Tool only provides data for Google.

    Use Google Keyword Planner

    Google Keyword Planner is a free Google service, which you can use to find competitors’ paid keywords.

    Here’s the list of benefits this tool offers in terms of competitive keyword analysis:

    1. Free access. Keyword Planner is completely free to use, which makes it a great option for SEO newbies and businesses with limited budgets.
    2. Core keyword data. The tool shows core SEO metrics like search volume, competition, and suggested bid prices for each identified keyword.
    3. Keyword categorization. Keyword Planner allows you to organize keywords into different groups, which may be helpful for creating targeted ad campaigns.
    4. Historical data. The tool has four years of historical data available.

    Once you log into your  Google Ads account, navigate to the Tools section and select Keyword Planner.

    Screenshot from Google Ads, May 2024

    Now, click on the Discover new keywords option.

    Screenshot from Google Ads, May 2024

    Choose Start with a website option, enter your competitor’s website domain, region, and language, then choose to analyze the whole site (recommended for deeper insights) or a specific URL.

    Screenshot from Google Ads, May 2024

    And there you have it — a table with all keywords that your analyzed website uses in its Google Ads campaigns.

    Screenshot from Google Ads, May 2024

    Although Keyword Planner can be helpful, it’s not the most effective and data-rich tool for finding competitors’ keywords. Its main drawbacks are the following:

    1. No organic data. The tool offers data on paid keywords, which is mainly suitable for advertising campaigns.
    2. Broad search volume data. Since it’s displayed in ranges rather than exact numbers, it might be difficult to precisely assess the demand for identified keywords.
    3. No keyword gap feature. Using this tool, you cannot compare your and your competitors’ keywords side-by-side and, therefore, find missing keyword options.

    So, if you want to access more reliable and in-depth data on competitors’ keywords, you’ll most likely need to consider other dedicated SEO tools.

    Use SpyFu

    SpyFu is a comprehensive SEO and PPC analysis tool created with the idea of “spying” on competitors.

    Its main pros in terms of competitor keyword analysis are the following:

    1. Database with 10+ years of historical data. Although available only in a Professional plan, SpyFu offers long-term insights to monitor industry trends and adapt accordingly.
    2. Keyword gap analysis. Using this tool, you can easily compare your keywords to those of your competitors using metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, organic clicks, etc.
    3. Affordability. It’s suitable for businesses on a tight budget.

    To explore competitor data, simply visit their website and enter your competitor’s domain in the search bar.

    You’ll be presented with valuable insights into their SEO performance, from estimated traffic to the list of their top-performing pages and keywords. Navigate to the Top Keywords section and click the View All Organic Keywords button to see the search terms they rank for.

    Screenshot of SpyFu, May 2024

    Yet, this free version provides an overview of just the top 5 keywords for a domain along with metrics like search volume, rank change, SEO clicks, and so on. To perform a more comprehensive analysis, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.

    When it comes to the tool’s cons, it would be worth mentioning:

    1. Keyword data may be outdated. On average, SpyFu updates data on keyword rankings once a month.
    2. Limited number of target regions. Keyword data is available for just 14 countries.

    Wrapping Up

    There’s no doubt that finding competitors’ keywords is a great way to optimize your own content strategy and outperform your rivals in SERPs.

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    Apr 25 2024
    Google Universal Analytics 360 Sunsetting Soon: Migration Tips & Top Alternative Inside via @sejournal, @PiwikPro

    This post was sponsored by Piwik PRO. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

    This year, Google will finally phase out Universal Analytics 360, requiring paid users to switch to Google Analytics 360.

    This is not something you can skip or postpone, and the clock is ticking.

    The new analytics differ significantly from the previous version, and you can’t migrate data between them, so the transition can be challenging for organizations.

    Since you’ll be starting from scratch, now is a good time to explore other options and determine if there are better solutions for your needs.

    The three main areas to consider when deciding if you want to stay with Google or move to another platform are: the migration process, privacy and compliance, and ease of use.

    When Is Google Universal Analytics 360 Sunsetting?

    July 1, 2024 is when Google will phase out Universal Analytics 360.

    What Should I Do Next?

    Google encourages you to migrate to Google Analytics 360 as quickly as possible.

    If you don’t, you could:

    • Lose critical advertising capabilities.
    • Lose the ability to export historical data.
    • Face delays in setting up Google Analytics 360.

      How To Migrate To Your Next Analytics Platform

      Moving to a new platform is much more than just implementation; it is vital to plan your migration properly. Below are five steps to help you through the entire process.

      Step 1. Evaluate Your Stack & Resources

      Before you switch analytics tools, take the time to evaluate your entire stack, not just the tool you’re changing. Ensure that your stack is up-to-date and meets your current business needs. Migrating to a new analytics vendor almost always requires more people and more time than originally estimated. It’s a good occasion to remove redundant tools from your stack; it might also allow you to integrate with new ones that can help you run your analytics and collect data more comprehensively.

      Step 2. Tidy Your Data

      Over time, data collection may get messy, and you find yourself tracking data that isn’t relevant to your business. A migration gives you a chance to clean up your data taxonomy. Ensure that your new tool allows you to use the same categories of data as the previous one. Pay close attention to any data that needs to be collected automatically, like location data (country, region, city), and device details (device type, browser). Finally, make sure the SDKs you need are supported by your new tool.

      Step 3. Implement A New Platform

      This step involves setting up the tracking code that collects data about visitors to your website or app and making any necessary modifications. Remember to set up tags to gather more detailed data through events or connect third-party tools.

      Speed Up The Transition: If you switch to Piwik PRO, you can use a migration tool to easily transfer your settings from Universal Analytics (GA3) and Google Tag Manager.

      Step 4. Evaluate Tour New Data

      Once you’re done implementing your new platform, you should run it parallel to your existing tool for a few months before finalizing the migration. During this time, you can audit your new data and correct any errors. In this manner, you can retain your historical data while simultaneously generating new data segments on the new platform.

      Step 5. Provide Training For Your Team

      All end users need training to comprehend the platform’s operations, retrieve necessary data, and generate reports. This step is frequently missed as it falls at the end of the project.

      Upon finishing this step, you will be set to switch to your new platform fully. If you find the migration process challenging, consider getting help from outside sources. Some analytics vendors offer hands-on onboarding and user training, which accelerates product adoption.

      Is Switching To Google Analytics 360 Worth The Hassle?

      You might be thinking, “Migrating to the successor of UA 360 won’t be a walk in the park,” especially if you work for a large organization.

      In addition to subscription and data migration costs, you may also need to train your staff or increase fees for external marketing agencies that will face new challenges.

      While Analytics 360 has incredible use cases, there may be other tools that better suit your needs.

      Switching to alternative solutions may be a good option for you.

      How To Pick A Replacement For Universal Analytics 360

      To decide whether to choose a new platform or stick with Google, consider a few important factors:

      1. Because GA 360 is a different software, your marketing and analytics departments will need to allocate extra resources to learn the new platform. You will also need the support of analysts, developers, and data architects to help you reconstruct reports based on the data architecture of the chosen platform. Choosing a solution with similar features and user experience to UA 360 can be a good option, because it saves resources, making onboarding faster and easier.
      2. You will also need to redesign your entire customer journey, because the data model in GA360 has changed from sessions to events. This process can be more challenging and costly than choosing a session-based platform or one that offers you freedom of choice.
      3. Another important consideration is the level of support offered by the vendor. This can greatly affect the quality of the migration and onboarding to a new platform. Although Google Analytics is currently the most popular tool for analyzing web traffic, the level of support it provides is limited. Other companies like Piwik PRO can offer more in this area, including personalized onboarding, product implementation, training, and dedicated customer support at every step.

      Consideration 1: Think About Privacy & Compliance

      Organizations around the world are increasingly concerned with data privacy and compliance. A 2023 Thomson survey found that 80% of business professionals acknowledge the importance of compliance as a crucial advisory function for their organizations. Gartner, on the other hand, predicts that, by 2025, 60% of large enterprises will use at least one privacy-enhancing computing (PEC) technique in analytics, business intelligence, and/or cloud computing.

      This is due to a growing number of new regulations that place greater control over personal data at the forefront. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) are two of the most prominent examples. The landscape has been further complicated by events such as the Schrems II case, Brexit, and China’s Personal Data Protection Law. Data protection is also increasingly important in some sectors, such as healthcare, where regulations like HIPAA are mandatory.

      If your company operates globally or has ambitions to do so, the first thing to consider is who has full ownership of the data, where the servers hosting the data are located, and who owns them. Google Analytics 360 only offers cloud deployment in an unknown location, which means that data might be transferred between data centers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This makes it difficult to know exactly where the data is stored and ownership is unclear. For now, the issue of data transfers between the US and the EU has been resolved by the EU-US Privacy Shield framework agreement, but the future stays unclear. Last year, NOYB, led by Max Schrems, announced that it would soon appeal this decision to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

      To meet privacy and compliance requirements in different countries and industries, choose a platform that allows you to customize your hosting plan and set specific parameters for data collection and analysis. Platforms like Piwik PRO Analytics Suite enable you to store your data on servers in Europe, the US, and Asia, based on your preferences. This translates into flexibility and security of your data.

      Consideration 2: Ease Of Use & Integration

      This may sound counterintuitive, but the new GA 360 might be too complex for many. While it offers numerous advanced functions for data analysts, it lacks features specifically designed for marketers. As a result, marketers may need help in configuring the system to efficiently use the data.

      On the other hand, in GA 360, the data model shifts from session-based to event-based. This is especially important if your teams depend on UA 360 behavioral reporting, benchmarking, and e-commerce flow reports, as these features are unavailable in the new release. You also need to revise all the reports for all the stakeholders.

      Conversely, Piwik PRO strongly emphasizes simplicity and enables marketers to quickly access the necessary data. Additionally, the data model combines both session-based and event-based structures. This approach ensures that you can start working with the data faster and deliver the reports that stakeholders are used to. Another big advantage of Piwik PRO is its model for working with raw data, which is a valuable source of knowledge about users and provides richer reporting in more contexts. Google Analytics does not provide raw data exports, so you have to use various services and tools to accomplish this. To be fair, however, exporting large raw data packets with Piwik PRO software may take longer than with Google solutions.

      The new GA 360 is most effective when used mainly with products from the Google ecosystem. When considering data activation, Google Ads is the most suitable option. When it comes to Piwik PRO, you still have this option, but integrating with other solutions is much easier. The platform offers four modules: Analytics, Tag Manager, Consent Manager and Customer Data Platform (CDP). The CDP module, available in the paid plan, lets you create detailed customer profiles and categorize your data into various audience segments. You can activate them to provide a personalized experience and run effective campaigns across multiple channels.

      The landscape of modern analytics is constantly changing. On the one hand, there are ongoing discussions about privacy and compliance regulations, while on the other, companies are trying out various methods to collect and analyze data. In the end, your choice of analytics platform will impact the performance of your marketing and sales efforts. So take the time to explore, and you may find other solutions that better suit your organization’s needs.

      Piwik PRO is a solid choice to explore for your next primary analytics solution. Book a personalized demo of the Enterprise version and see the benefits of introducing Piwik PRO Analytics Suite in your organization.

      REQUEST A DEMO

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      Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments