Top 10 SEO Tactics to rank #1 in ChatGPT, Bard, and General SEO
If there’s one thing we love more than a fresh cup of coffee here at Estes Media, it’s talking about SEO. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t? In today’s digital world, SEO is crucial for online success. But with so many best practices to consider, prioritizing what to focus on can be a daunting task. Worry not, dear reader! We’ve got you covered. In this blog post, we’re going to take you on a fantastic voyage through the top 10 best practices you should stack rank for improving your SEO. Buckle up, and let’s dive in!
0. Keyword Research
As the old saying goes, “Keywords are the lifeblood of SEO.” Okay, maybe that’s not an old saying, but it should be! Selecting the right keywords is vital for driving targeted traffic to your website. The keyword research shows you what your customers are asking to find answers to their problems (1). If you have bad research, then everything else you do when attacking your SEO will be wrong. To find those precious gems, you can use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords. Don’t forget the power of long-tail keywords, either; they can drive 70% of web traffic and often have a higher conversion rate (2).
I. On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization is like laying the foundation for a beautiful SEO house. No On-Page Optimization, and your pretty house will collapse into the back pages of search engines instead of being showcased on the first page. What is On-page Optimization? It includes the basics like title tags, meta descriptions, header tags (H1, H2, H3), alt tags for images, and internal and external linking strategies (3). Ensure your URLs are short, sweet, and keyword-rich, along with these other best practices (4). In the words of our SEO-loving forefathers, “A well-optimized page is a happy page.”
II. Content Quality and Relevance
Creating valuable, relevant content is essential for engaging your audience and keeping the Google (& Bing) gods smiling down in your favor. Remember, content is king, and you, as a writer, are the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury! To ensure your content stays fresh and up-to-date, consider updating older blog posts or adding new information as needed. Focus on readability and structure, and don’t be shy about incorporating multimedia best practices like images, videos, and infographics (5).
III. Mobile Optimization
With over half of all web traffic coming from mobile devices (6), it’s no wonder that mobile optimization is a top priority. Make sure your website is responsive so it looks great on all screen sizes. You can check this by using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Google Chromes Inspect tool to simulate various mobile views. Also, consider implementing Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to ensure lightning-fast load times on mobile devices (7). Bonus: keep CTA’s at the top of mobile, fewer mobile users scroll to the bottom.
IV. Page Speed Optimization
Slow and steady may win the race in Aesop’s fables, but in the world of SEO, speed is king. A one-second delay in page load time can lead to a 7% decrease in conversions (8). Test your site’s speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix, and follow their recommendations for improvement. With gigabit internet speeds and 5g everywhere, everyone expects a quick site. No one has time for a slow site, not even your Nana.
V. User Experience (UX) and Usability
User experience and SEO go together like peanut butter and jelly. Or like cats and the internet. You want it to be simple for your visitors to find what they are looking for on your site, be it content, products, or a specific CTA. To provide a stellar UX, focus on intuitive navigation and site structure. Encourage user engagement and interaction by including calls-to-action, internal links to relevant content, expandable content, videos, images, animation, comments sections, or social sharing buttons (9).
VI. Social Media
Social signals play a significant role in SEO (10). Integrating social sharing buttons and leveraging social media platforms can help boost your content’s visibility and reach. Social shared with your backlinks helps boost your traffic and brand reach. Social also allows you to build community and create a space to showcase your customers as they share images/videos of your work/products. Remember, like mom said, sharing is caring!
VII. Backlink Building
Backlinks are like a big, warm hug from other websites, telling search engines that your content is valuable and worth linking to. It is a chain of authority. Quite literally, one website that is more quality than yours is sharing its credible link juice with your site there by boosting your notoriety with search engines. Aim for high-quality backlinks from authoritative sources, and monitor your backlink profile to ensure it stays healthy (11). Dont by garbage links from spammy agencies, folks in your inbox offering you awesome links, or strangers on Fiverr selling 500 links for 10 bucks. Google’s Latest Spam Brain update will pummel you for this.
VIII. Technical SEO
The nitty-gritty of technical SEO includes site architecture, XML sitemaps, structured data, schema markup, canonicalization, and avoiding duplicate content (12). While it might not be as glamorous as other aspects of SEO, technical SEO is the unsung hero, quietly ensuring your site runs smoothly and is easily understood by search engines.Technical SEO, the unsung hero of search engine optimization, these elements live behind the scenes to spruce up your website’s infrastructure, performance, and security. By giving your site’s technical elements a little TLC, you’re laying down a red carpet for search engines to crawl, index, and rank your content with ease. By ensuring your website loads quickly, has a mobile-friendly design, and follows a clear structure, you make it easier for search engines to identify and showcase your content as valuable snippets. The result? You’ll enjoy increased visibility, authority, and traffic without breaking a sweat.
IX. Local SEO
For small businesses and brick-and-mortar locations, local SEO is the key to getting found by nearby customers. Optimize your Google My Business listing to ensure it’s accurate and complete, and don’t forget to gather and manage online reviews (13). After all, 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses before making a decision (14).
X. Voice Search Optimization
With the growing popularity of voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, optimizing your content for voice search is becoming increasingly important. To stay ahead of the curve, use conversational language, answer common questions, and implement schema markup to help voice assistants understand your content (15).
Conclusion
And there you have it, folks! The top 10 best practices you should stack rank for SEO success. By focusing on these aspects, you’ll be well on your way to a stronger online presence and improved search engine rankings. So grab that cup of coffee, channel your inner SEO superhero, and start optimizing today. Remember, the journey to SEO success is a marathon, not a sprint—so keep monitoring and refining your strategies. Happy optimizing!
Bonus Section: Ensuring Your Content Ranks Better and is Discoverable for AI Tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard
In the age of AI, tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard are revolutionizing the way people interact with content. By ensuring your content is discoverable and referenceable for these platforms, you’ll stay ahead of the curve and maximize your reach. Here are some tips to optimize your content for AI tools and rank well for keywords like “how to rank for ChatGPT,” “how to rank for Bard,” “SEO for AI,” “SEO for ChatGPT,” “SEO for Google Bard,” and “how to be referenced by ChatGPT”:
XII. Write for Natural Language Understanding (NLU)
Keep in mind that writing for NLU is essential when optimizing your content if you want to be referenced by ChatGPT rank for Bard. AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard rely on natural language understanding to process and reference content. Write in clear, concise sentences with proper grammar, and avoid jargon (like the ones used in this paragraph) or overly complex language. This makes it easier for AI tools to understand and accurately reference your content (16).
XIII. Use Structured Data and Schema Markup
Structured data helps AI tools understand the context and relationships within your content. Implement schema markup to provide additional information about your content, such as author, publish date, and content type. This will make it easier for AI tools to index and reference your content accurately (17).
XIV. Focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness)
AI tools are designed to prioritize high-quality content. By focusing on E-A-T, and no, my friends, I dont mean ordering from Gubhub while your write. I mean focusing on Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness by doing so you’ll not only improve your SEO but also make your content more appealing to AI tools. Showcase your expertise by providing well-researched, accurate, and insightful information. Establish authority by earning high-quality backlinks and building your online presence. Lastly, build trustworthiness by being transparent, providing accurate contact information, and addressing user concerns (18).
XV. Optimize for Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are like the VIP section in the search results club, and AI tools often pull information from them. Plus, they’re the perfect spot to showcase your content’s charm – because who said SEO can’t be both professional and entertaining? Featured snippets are prime real estate in search results, and AI tools often pull information from them. To optimize your content for featured snippets, answer common questions concisely, use header tags to structure your content, and include relevant keywords (19). And if you can channel your inner Estes Media spirit to add a dash of humor (nothing too outrageous, of course), even better! Remember, the goal is to be informative, and engaging and to make your content more attractive to both humans and our soon-to-be AI overlords like ChatGPT and Google Bard. Plus, we can all search results a little more enjoyable, one snippet at a time
XVI. Keep Your Content Fresh and Up-to-Date
In the breakneck world of SEO and AI, keeping your content fresh is like keeping up with the latest dance moves – you’ve got to stay in the groove to remain relevant. AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Google Bard, have a soft spot for content that’s current and up-to-date. By regularly updating your content, you’ll ensure it remains accurate, engaging, and on par with the latest industry developments – because nobody wants to be caught doing the Macarena in a sea of TikTok dancers.
This consistent refresh will not only improve your SEO but also make your content more attractive to AI tools. As our pals at Estes Media demonstrate, aim to strike the perfect balance between professional and captivating, with just a hint of humor to keep things interesting. That way, you’ll keep both human users and AI tools coming back for more – and maybe even crack a smile or two along the way.
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