HOW TO BUILD AN SEO STRATEGY IN 2024

It is no secret that search engine developers regularly update site ranking algorithms in order to turn the results into the most comfortable, profitable and safe space. In addition, the preferences and requirements of the users themselves are constantly changing.  The SEO promotion strategy for the year must take into account any changes in the needs of the target audience and the search engine evaluation system. Otherwise, focusing on outdated standards and optimization features, you can forget about high positions in search results. Let’s figure out what needs to be taken into account first when developing the best SEO services in 2024.

Current SEO strategies and a new look at optimization

If you read the search engine promotion trends of this year , which we have collected in a separate article, you will probably notice that there is nothing fundamentally new here from a technical point of view. The main changes are related to the updating and refinement of those areas that had previously taken place in the ranking system, but did not play such a noticeable role. Now, when working on website promotion, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the specifics of the subject matter and closely interact with the business as a whole . This integration process did not start today, but in 2024 its influence becomes most noticeable. So, when wondering which SEO strategy to choose this year, first of all, familiarise yourself with the directions of business development.

Stages of developing an SEO promotion strategy in 2024

Let’s look at the main steps that a good SEO promotion strategy should include in 2024.

1. Priority of promotion

It is impossible to complete all tasks at once. That is why the development of an SEO strategy should begin with setting priorities . Determine which areas of business are most important for promotion. These may be those categories of goods or services that: bring you the greatest profit; require the least amount of labour; are your main specialisation. From these pages, it will be necessary to begin compiling the semantic core , writing texts, preparing visual content, etc.

2. Search for competitor sites

If you want to get to the TOP of search engine results, you need to assess the current situation and understand what sites are there now . By analysing competitors and comparing them with your resource, you will be able to find out what actions you need to take first and correctly build your own SEO promotion strategy.   In incognito mode, enter queries for your priority categories into the Google search bar and make a list of sites competing with you.

3. Development of the semantic core of the site

The semantic core is the foundation on which the future SEO promotion strategy is built. It allows you to assess the competitiveness of the topic, the interests of the target audience and the priority of the work. Based on it: the structure of the site is being created ; new sections are added; landing pages are optimised; a content plan is developed and texts are written; An anchor list is compiled for internal linking and external links. Many website owners mistakenly assume that the most effective strategy is to promote only high-frequency queries, because they are more popular among users.H

However, this is not true. We recommend using all types of keywords and when compiling a semantic core, focus on their intent , that is, meaning, and not any other indicators. In addition, as practice shows, low-frequency queries : move faster and easier; in total they bring up to 70% of traffic; used by interested users, which improves behavioural factors and conversion. This means that they should definitely be used in your SEO strategy in 2024. It would also be useful to analyse what queries your competitors are promoting and what pages they are optimising them on. This will allow you to take into account their successful experience and use it when promoting your site.

4. Building the site structure

The next step is to analyse the existing site structure. Make sure it : was logical, consistent and user-friendly; covered all previously collected groups of queries; contained links to all promoted pages, taking into account their nesting level and priority. Compare your site structure with your competitors. This will allow you to find new ideas and apply them to your promotion strategy.

5. Usability analysis

In 2024, special attention should be paid to website usability . To understand how convenient your website is for users: Install Google Analytics counters. Set up  heatmaps to track visitor behaviour. If they were added earlier, check the session time, number of pages viewed, page depth , bounce rate and other analytical data. This will allow you to find possible problems on the site and fix them. Additionally, go through the usability checklist that we have prepared for you.

Conduct a competitor audit and evaluate: how pleasant the design is and the harmoniously chosen colour scheme, is the structure and navigation clear, how fast do pages load ; correct display of the site on different devices and browsers; elements located in the footer and header; appearance of the 404 error page ; font legibility and image quality; what forms of capture and means of communication are used. At the same time, look for the most successful solutions that could be adopted to improve the quality and convenience of your site.  This way you can understand how to influence : behavioural factors ; positions in search results; conversion percentage ; user satisfaction level.

6. Creating high-quality and diverse content

Google specialists work tirelessly to bring to the top of search results not just those sites on whose pages phrases similar to the user’s request are found. They “teach” their systems to understand the deep essence of the request and the need of a person , as well as to analyse texts in terms of their meaning, usefulness and relevance.

We described the stages of developing a content strategy in a separate article, but here we will highlight the main rules that should be followed in 2024 : the content should be informative, concise and without fluff; the requests are organically integrated into the text and are not conspicuous when reading; Old articles are updated periodically with the date of changes indicated;   Not only unique texts are posted , but also images; work on creating new content is carried out regularly and without interruption; All information articles have an author listed.

We are fighting plagiarism: protection against theft has been installed and plagiarist sites are monitored;   different types of visual content are used: videos, photos, pictures, infographics , banners, etc.; the number of content distribution channels is increasing: reposts on social networks, newsletters, push notifications, advertising with opinion leaders and in the media. Useful lead magnets are used for clients: checklists, templates, collections, master classes , small e-books or videos.

 As you can see, the diversity of forms and directions, comprehensive coverage of topics, and regular updating of publications now play a much more important role in promotion. Therefore, in 2024, you need to not just create content, but work on marketing and business in general . Be sure to take this into account when developing your promotion strategy.

7. Technical optimization of the site

Your site may have useful and search-optimised content. But if it’s impossible to interact with for technical reasons or doesn’t show up in search results at all , users will never know. So in 2024, your promotion strategy should prioritise the following work: Setting up robots.txt and sitemap.xml files for correct site indexing; Checking the adaptability of the site and making changes if some element is inconvenient, incorrectly displayed or completely absent when viewed from different types of devices. Checking the loading speed and Core Web Vitals indicators in the Google PageSpeed ​​Insights tool. Maximum possible implementation of the service’s recommendations for speeding up the site.

Transition to secure HTTPS protocol to protect users’ personal data. Installing special plugins or modules to prevent virus attacks. Finding and eliminating duplicate pages , setting up the main mirror. In parallel with this, we need to work on improving the navigation and appearance of the site in search results . It is necessary: write Title  and  Description  in accordance with the selected queries; configure Schema.org and Open Graph micro-markup for each page type; create cross-links between pages; remove outgoing links or close them with noindex and nofollow tags; find and fix broken links . These are just a few tasks for internal website optimization. In our Knowledge Base you will find a list of recommendations for improving these and other equally important indicators.

8. Link profile as a brand development tool

External links and even just mentions are necessary for both effective SEO promotion and for attracting a new audience, developing a brand and improving the company’s reputation on the Internet . They must be used in your SEO strategy. To begin, evaluate the existing external link mass of your site, namely the following data: number of donors; the ratio of anchor and non-anchor links ; quality of referring sites; variety of link types; the number of user clicks on them; dynamics of link mass growth.

Next, check your competitors’ external links using Ahrefs, Semrush or Serpstat . This way you can: determine the number of donors you need; build a smooth and gradual plan for increasing link mass ; find options for placing your own external links. At the same time, in 2024, special attention should be paid not to the quantity, but to the quality of external links . This way, they will gain new life and become an effective tool for brand development and work on company recognition.

Quality links are designed to increase traffic flows and make them more diverse , tell about the company and its products, and provide useful information for users. As a result, many site evaluation parameters, behavioural factors, and brand recognition are improved. All this will have a beneficial effect on the site’s position in search results.

Conclusions

The changes taking place in the ranking system change the view on SEO in general and on the role of the site in the life of the project, in particular. As a result, the work of the optimizer becomes more complex and much more interesting. Now it is not enough to go through the list of the standard set of technical works and perform approximately the same optimization actions for all sites. Search engines require maximum immersion in the specifics of the business niche , the nature of the target audience, the properties of the product (whether it is a product or information).

As a result, all this speaks of the need for personal involvement in the promotion of the site owner or assigning this role to a single performer who devotes all his attention to one project. What changes do you plan to start with when refining the site, adjusting SEO to the new realities of search engine promotion?  In the course ” SEO Breakthrough ” you will learn not only the current methods of SEO promotion, but also learn how to apply them taking into account the specifics of your project. And the support of the best specialists will help you understand all the subtleties and nuances of the work.