The ROI of SEO: Why Startups Should Invest in Organic Search

The ROI of SEO: Why Startups Should Invest in Organic Search

Every dollar matters for startups navigating tight budgets and fierce competition. Scalable growth strategies like Search Optimization (SEO) build lasting value, ensuring your startup thrives not just today, but over the years to come. For startups ready to invest in long-term growth, SEO offers a sustainable path to compounding results that strengthen your competitive edge.

What is SEO, and Why Does it Matter for Startups

At its core, SEO ensures your brand and website are visible, credible, and easy to find where your audiences naturally go—on search engines and beyond. It starts with a strong content strategy, then optimizes that content so it resonates with your audience and scales your online presence.

This involves improving website structure, technical performance, and content quality to rank higher in Google’s search results. It also means understanding where your audience spends time online, building your brand’s reputation across those channels, and showing up as a trusted solution whenever they search. SEO is a long-term strategy that earns trust, builds authority, and keeps your brand top-of-mind, wherever your customers are.

Importantly, SEO isn’t a quick, one-time win. It’s a strategic asset that requires consistent effort, budget, trust, adaptability, and expertise. Although the initial results take time, the payoff compounds. When executed well, SEO helps you produce valuable content, increase site authority, and gain rankings that continue working for you. Sticking with it through early “incubation” periods, when ROI might not be obvious, is often the hardest but most crucial step.

Rankings: How high your site appears in search results for relevant terms.

Authority: Your site’s reputation for trustworthiness and relevance, built through quality content and credible links.

What is the ROI Timeline for SEO with Little to No Online Presence?

Answer: Typically 1 – 2 years for compounding returns and reduced acquisition costs.

SEO vs. SEM ROI comparison graph
SEO vs. SEM ROI: This 3-year comparison sample shows how SEO delivers compounding returns over time, surpassing SEM by Month 8 and continuing to scale significantly.

No sugar coating here: SEO takes time, effort, and budget. It’s a long-term investment that needs trust, expertise, and patience. Early on, it can feel difficult to invest for months without seeing returns. Low-expertise efforts lead to frustration, but with a strategic plan, realistic expectations, and the right guidance, you’ll see growth, like planting a tree. With careful nurturing, trust, and persistence, the returns begin to compound.

The potential payoff is substantial. Even as AI transforms the search landscape, long-term SEO efforts remain effective in generating compounding returns. If your team lacks capacity, consider hiring dedicated experts or partnering with specialists like Rank Beast so you can focus on growing your business while they develop your SEO foundations.

By investing in content strategy and consistent optimization, you’re building valuable long-term assets: authoritative content, a solid online reputation, and stable rankings. These assets keep delivering results well after the initial work is done.

Actual ROI will vary, but let’s consider some potential timelines and outcomes next.

How Long Does SEO Take to Deliver Results for Startups?

For instance, let’s assume a new Rank Beast website package that includes WordPress hosting, foundational SEO, ongoing support, and consistent content creation. Here’s how the timeline might unfold:

  • Months 1 – 3: Heavy foundational work (site setup, technical optimizations, initial content). Traffic and leads remain low or nonexistent, yielding negative ROI, but laying essential groundwork.
  • Months 4 – 6: Early rankings appear, more content is indexed, and initial leads begin trickling in. You may still hover around break-even or slightly negative ROI, but you’ll see promising trends and improvements.
  • Months 7 – 12: Organic traffic grows more noticeably. Leads and conversions increase as visibility strengthens. Monthly revenue from organic sources often begins to surpass costs, shifting ROI into positive territory.
  • Months 12+ Onward: With consistent effort, you’ve built a strong content library, stable rankings, and a predictable pipeline of leads. This is when the compounding ROI can become significant, scaling well beyond the initial outlay.

After a year of diligent work, you may scale back certain budget areas as your established rankings deliver steady returns. Unlike paid ads, which stop the moment you stop paying, your SEO-driven content and reputation continue to yield results month after month. Think of it as planting an orchard: once established, it produces fruit year after year with routine maintenance.

What Startups Need to Know About SEO to Succeed

Investing in ads is like renting a house, stop paying, and you have nothing left. SEO is like building a home. It demands upfront effort and patience, but ultimately, you own an asset that appreciates over time.

SEO and ads work together. Ads can provide quick wins, while SEO builds lasting foundations. At Rank Beast, we focus on SEO to develop assets that strengthen and complement your paid strategies. As AI changes how and where people search, proven SEO tactics still help you remain visible, trustworthy, and adaptable.

If your startup meets a genuine need, and you’re in a field where audiences actively search for solutions, proper SEO positioning ensures they find you. In competitive spaces, consider targeting less-saturated niches or producing truly standout content. By doing so, you meet your audience where they are and earn their trust with valuable information.

Without a clear value proposition, even the best SEO strategy will struggle. Take time to define what makes your startup unique and why customers should choose you, it’s the foundation of all your marketing efforts.

SEO captures existing demand. It doesn’t create it. To understand where people search, try SparkToro to see where your audience spends time. If Google still ranks high, building SEO foundations is smart. If AI-driven tools gain traction, proactively align your content for those channels.

At Rank Beast, we emphasize ethical, sustainable practices that build credibility and long-term growth. No shortcuts or gimmicks, just well-earned results.

Key Benefits of SEO for Startup Growth

  • Compounding Growth: Organic traffic grows cumulatively, with each new piece of content enhancing overall results.
  • Strategic Investment: Invest in content, optimization, and expertise to build lasting assets.
  • Scalable Growth: As content and authority build, growth accelerates.
  • Scalable Returns: Over time, returns outpace initial costs, increasing ROI.
  • Adaptable and Future-Proof: Solid SEO foundations help you adapt to evolving search engines, AI tools, and platforms.
  • Evolving Search Trends: By meeting user intent, whether on Google or emerging AI platforms, you remain resilient as search habits change.

When is SEO the Right Choice for Startups?

  • When there’s an unmet informational or navigational need your content can address
  • When competitors have weak SEO, allowing you to gain ground
  • When your audience researches online before converting, making visibility crucial
  • When you can invest consistently over 6 – 12 months, then scale back to maintenance as your ROI grows

How AI is Shaping the Future of SEO

AI can streamline aspects of SEO and influence how search results are displayed. It encourages users to find answers faster, often reducing the need to visit multiple sites. This especially affects informational queries (how-tos, guides, tutorials), meaning your content must be even more valuable and easy to surface.

While AI reshapes how people search, understanding your audience and delivering real value remain core to successful SEO. By staying flexible and proactive, you’ll adapt as trends evolve.

AI alone can’t deliver the human insight needed for truly compelling content. Combine AI’s efficiency with human creativity, strategy, and empathy to create content that resonates. Experienced professionals ensure that as tools and algorithms shift, your approach remains ethical, future-proof, and focused on building a strong reputation.

Ultimately, with a solid SEO foundation, your startup remains visible and resilient, no matter how the search landscape changes. Emerging AI tools may rewrite some rules, but the core principles of trust, credibility, and relevance still guide success.

Your strategy should structure content so that new platforms can understand and elevate it. This positioning prepares you for ongoing evolution in search and user behavior.

Building a Long-Term Search Optimization Strategy for Startup Success

Investing in Search Optimization is about playing the long game. Every dollar counts, so why invest time and trust in a strategy that takes months to show results? Because that investment builds enduring value.

1. Search Optimization is a Long-Term Asset, Not a Short-Term Gamble
Unlike paid ads that vanish when budgets end, SEO creates a sustainable foundation. Like an orchard, early investment eventually yields ongoing returns.

2. Search Optimization Evolves, but Its Core Value Remains
AI is changing how people search, but relevance, trustworthiness, and quality still matter most. A strong SEO foundation ensures your startup can adapt without losing visibility.

3. Search Optimization Captures Existing Demand
SEO works best when people are already searching for what you offer. It ensures your startup appears at the right moment, complementing other strategies that create demand.

4. Compounding ROI Outweighs Initial Costs
Over time, your content library grows, rankings improve, and organic traffic steadily increases. The effort you invest today keeps delivering returns tomorrow, making SEO cost-effective and self-sustaining.

5. SEO Builds Credibility in Crowded Markets
By targeting opportunities, creating high-quality content, and optimizing for user intent, you earn trust from search engines and audiences. Trust is priceless in competitive environments.

Making the Commitment with Trust
At Rank Beast, we focus on ethical, results-driven practices designed for long-term growth. By blending human creativity and strategic insight with AI-driven efficiencies, we help startups thrive in a changing digital world.

If your startup is ready to build a digital presence that endures, now is the time to start. While SEO takes patience, the resilience, visibility, and sustainable growth it delivers make it a wise long-term investment. Let us help you craft a strategy that positions your startup for lasting success.

How to Verify Google Search Console for Squarespace Sites in Under 1 Minute 

How to Verify Google Search Console for Squarespace Sites in Under 1 Minute 

How to Verify Google Search Console for Squarespace Sites in Under 1 Minute

The way people search online is changing, which means you are at a disadvantage if you are not keeping an eye on important data sources. One of the easiest things you can do is ensure you have access to and are actively using Google Search Console. I’ve recently started working with a few clients who run their websites on Squarespace. One of the first things I do when working with someone is set them up with tools that are simple to use and incredibly helpful for managing their SEO.

Today, I’ll walk you through how to quickly verify Google Search Console (GSC) for Squarespace websites. Just to show you that it’s fast, like under a minute fast. This process is quick and works for most site platforms, not just Squarespace. Adding your website to GSC takes little time at all, but the benefits are huge.  

Why You Need a Google Search Console Account

I briefly touched on using Google Search Console in my recent article about SEO’s low-hanging fruit. Think of GSC as your backstage pass to understanding how your website performs on Google. It’s free, and it offers tools to help you see how people find your site and identify any issues. 

Here’s why GSC is worth your time:

  • Get Free Insights: Unlike many SEO tools, GSC doesn’t cost a dime
  • See How People Find You: Discover the words and phrases people search for before landing on your site
  • Catch Issues: GSC helps you spot broken links, pages that don’t show up in search results, or parts of your site that aren’t mobile-friendly
  • Validate Fixes: Confirm that any problems you’ve resolved, like indexing errors, are fixed
  • Spot Low-Performing Content: Identify pages that could use optimization to attract more attention
  • Improve Page Speed: Use Core Web Vitals data to see how to make your site faster and improve user experience.

Getting started with GSC might seem like a small step, but it’s one of the most impactful ways to set your site up for SEO success. To get started, you’ll first need to verify your site ownership in Google Search Console. Here’s how to do it step by step.

Step 1: Verifying Google Search Console

Follow these steps to verify your Squarespace website in Google Search Console:

In Google Search Console

  1. Go to Google Search Console and sign in
  2. Click the property selector in the top-left corner of the page (under the logo)
  3. Click on “Add Property.”
  4. Enter your website in the URL Prefix area
  5. Locate the HTML tag section and copy the provided tag.

In Squarespace

  1. Log in to Squarespace
  2. Navigate to your site’s settings and search for “Code Injector.”
  3. Paste the HTML tag into the Header section
  4. Click Save.

Google Search Console

  1. Return to Google Search Console and click “VERIFY” under the HTML tag section.

Tip: If it doesn’t verify right away, give it a moment and try again. To double-check, open your website, view the source code, and search for the tag. (If you’re on a Mac, use Command + Opt + U to view the source code.)

Step 2: Adding Your Sitemap to GSC

Once your site is verified, you might as well add your sitemap too. This quick step helps Google understand your website better:

  1. Check if your sitemap is live by visiting your website URL followed by /sitemap.xml
  2. In Google Search Console, go to Indexing > Sitemaps
  3. Paste your sitemap link (like sitemap.xml) into the field
  4. Click Submit.

Now That You’re Verified, Let’s Keep Growing Your Search Strategy

Setting up Google Search Console and submitting your sitemap isn’t rocket science, but it’s a smart move that’ll pay off down the line when you need answers. These tools help you keep tabs on how your site is performing, fix what’s needs attention, and make sure you’re heading in the right direction.

Take a few minutes today to knock it out. you’ll thank yourself later. 

How This Fits Into Your SEO Strategy

C: Create & Refresh Quality Content
O: Optimize Your Site (On-Page, UX, Technical, Local) ← YOU’RE HERE
A: Acquire Authority & Off-Page Presence
L: Learn from Data (Track, Stay Consistent & Adapt to Trends)

Verifying Google Search Console and submitting your sitemap might seem like small steps, but they are a big part of getting your site crawlable, indexed, and set up for success. These foundational tasks make everything else, like creating awesome content, building authority, and learning from your performance, work better.

You’ve completed a solid first step, so you are already ahead of the game. Keep going, refine what works, and stay on top of your progress. SEO takes time, but every move you make builds a stronger foundation for long-term success.

Stand Out in Search Results with Schema Markup

Stand Out in Search Results with Schema Markup

When you’re on Google, have you noticed how some websites have extra details, like FAQs, star ratings, or recipe times in search results? That’s not random, it’s the result of schema markup, also known as structured data, added to website content. 

In an AI-developing world, structured data ensures your content is machine-readable, making it more likely to surface in tools like virtual assistants or AI-generated responses. By making your content easy to understand for emerging technologies, you increase the chances they showcase your offers, products, services, or other valuable information to people using tools like ChatGPT. Structured data helps these tools interpret your content correctly, making it easier for them to provide accurate answers in voice searches, featured snippets, or personalized recommendations.

Jump ahead to see how to add schema to your site.

Here’s what we’re covering in today’s article:

  1. What’s schema markup
  2. Common schema types
  3. How to generate schema markup with ChatGPT
  4. Validate Schema Markup with Rich Results Test
  5. Adding Schema Markup to your content.

Worried this sounds too technical or time-consuming? Most schema markup is surprisingly quick to generate and easy to implement. Even if you’re adding it directly into your content’s HTML, the process is simpler than you might think.

Now, let’s start by breaking down what schema markup is and why it matters.

What’s Schema Markup

Schema markup, also called structured data, labels your content so search engines and emerging technologies quickly recognize its purpose. This helps technologies quickly understand and showcase your content. Here’s Google’s documentation about how it works.

Schema markup powers the eye-catching details you see in search engine results. These include FAQs, recipe cards, or review stars. For example, a recipe with a star rating and cooking time draws attention, while a plain link is easy to overlook. People are more likely to click content that stands out visually and provides useful information right away.

Here’s another example, if you have an FAQ section, schema markup tells search engines it’s a list of questions and answers, making it eligible to show up as an FAQ snippet in search results. These enhancements give your content more visibility and engagement potential.

Adding schema markup to your website is done with JSON code. If “JSON” sounds intimidating, and your thought is “Oh, hell no”. Don’t worry, it’s simpler than you think. Later in this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to create and add it to your site without needing to be a coding expert.

What makes your content stand out as a featured result in Search Engines or AI searches? It starts with the basics: authority and quality. When your content outshines the competition, schema markup can give it the visibility it deserves.

How Schema Markup Gives Your Content an Edge in Search:

  • Makes it easier for search engines to understand your content
  • Unlocks rich snippets that help your content stand out visually
  • Gives you an advantage over competitors who don’t use schema.

Where Structured Data is Used Outside of Search

Structured data goes beyond search engines. It’s versatile, organizing and displaying content precisely across various platforms. In an era of emerging technologies, its applications are continually expanding. Here are some common examples:

  • Voice Assistants: Platforms like Alexa and Google Assistant use it to deliver quick answers, like recipes, calendar updates, or FAQs
  • E-commerce Platforms: Ensures product details like price, availability, and categories are consistent across platforms like Amazon and Shopify
  • Social Media Platforms: Used to create rich link previews with the correct image, title, and description on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn
  • Healthcare: Organizes doctor profiles, health records, and treatment details for better accuracy and accessibility
  • Education: Lists courses, credentials, and events, helping students find relevant programs quickly
  • Media and Entertainment: Helps platforms like Netflix or Spotify recommend and categorize shows, movies, or music
  • Smart Devices and Accessibility: Enables smart tools to interpret and present information, like schedules for smart thermostats or navigation for accessibility tools.

Structured data’s versatility makes it essential for ensuring your content is understood and displayed effectively across a variety of platforms, far beyond traditional search engines.

Common Schema Types You Can Use

Schema markup comes in many shapes and sizes, tailored to fit different types of content. Knowing which type to use for your site can make a huge difference in how your pages appear in search results. Below are some of the most commonly used schema types. I’ve included examples and screenshots of the final result on Google to help you understand how each one works and why it matters.

Article Schema

If you’re running a blog or publishing news content, the Article schema is essential.

Article schema markup helps Google recognize key details like the headline, author, and publication date. This schema can make your article eligible for features like Top Stories or improved mobile visibility.

FAQ Pages & Q&A Schema Markup

Have a section of frequently asked questions or Q&A content? The FAQPage and QAPage schema types let search engines format your questions and answers directly in search results.

These schema types makes your page stand out with collapsible FAQs or Q&A formats, helping people find quick answers.

Local Business & Organization Schema

If you manage a brick-and-mortar business or an organization with a physical location, LocalBusiness or Organization schema highlights critical details.

LocalBusiness schema features your address, phone number, and hours of operation directly in search results, improving your visibility when people search near your physical location.

Recipe Schema Markup

Recipe websites benefit from Recipe schema.

Recipe markup highlights ingredients, cooking time, images, and even user ratings right in search results, making your recipes more engaging and clickable. Tools like Anylist also rely on Recipe schema to import recipes into their app directly from a recipe webpage.

Product Schema

If you sell products online, Product schema makes sure people see important details like price, availability, and reviews directly in search results.

This helps your individual products stand out.

Review Schema

Have reviews or testimonials? The Review schema highlights star ratings and feedback in search results.

Featuring review content not only builds trust but also encourages more people to click through to your website.

Video Schema

For video content, the VideoObject schema can make your videos stand out with thumbnails, descriptions, durations, and even key moments in search results.

VideoObject increases the likelihood of people clicking on your videos, especially when it’s eye-catching.

These are just a few of the most common types of schema markup. There are many others you can explore to match your specific content needs. Visit schema.org for a complete list, or check out Google’s supported schema types here

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding Schema Markup to your Content

If you prefer a hands-on approach or need more control, this guide is for you. I’ll walk you through how to manually add JSON code to your WordPress site, including placing it directly in the <body> element of your HTML. That said, the website platform you use may already have built-in schema capabilities to simplify the process. Here’s what popular platforms offer:

  • WordPress: Yoast SEO’s plugin automatically adds schema markup for posts, pages, articles, FAQs, and more. However, it has limited customization. For example, WooCommerce integrates schema for products
  • Squarespace: Includes built-in schema for articles, products, events, and profiles. For additional customization, you can use code blocks or inject schema into the header
  • Shopify: Many themes include schema capabilities for products, offers, and reviews. For more customization, you’ll need knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Shopify’s Liquid templating language
  • Drupal: Offers modules that allow you to add custom schema markup. It’s highly customizable, but you’ll need some of the technical know-how required.

While these built-in tools are convenient, there are times when manually creating and adding schema markup is the better option:

  1. For multiple schema types on a single page: For example, combining FAQ, How-To, and Product schema on one page
  2. To optimize speed: Manual schema doesn’t add unnecessary load time, which is ideal for high-traffic sites if you’re keeping them lean and fast
  3. To ensure compliance and reduce errors: Dynamically created schema might miss required fields or produce incomplete markup
  4. For products with unique features: If you need to include custom attributes or options not covered by default schema tools.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of schema markup and the tools available, let’s dive into a practical example. I’ll show you how to create and configure FAQ schema and add it directly to your WordPress setup. This step-by-step guide will make the process clear and easy, even if you’ve never worked with JSON before.

How to Add Schema Markup for FAQ Content

This works great for blog articles or pages with detailed FAQ sections that answer common questions.

I recently published an article about common-low hanging fruit in SEO and added an FAQ section based on the content. Now, I want to include FAQ schema markup so search engines recognize this section and display it as a rich snippet. To do this, I’ll use ChatGPT to generate the JSON code and manually add it to the <body> element of my WordPress page, right where the FAQ content lives.

Here’s the step-by-step process and video walkthrough on how to create and implement FAQ schema markup in WordPress:

  1. Create the Schema Markup Code: I opened ChatGPT and used the following prompt to generate the JSON code:

I have a blog that includes an FAQ section based on the content below. Please generate JSON schema markup for the FAQ section that I can add to the body HTML of my page: [paste your FAQ content]

This prompt works well, but feel free to phrase it your own way. ChatGPT will still produce accurate schema markup.

  1. Review and Validate the Code: After ChatGPT provides the JSON, I review it to ensure everything aligns with the FAQ content. Then, I test the code using Google’s Rich Results Test to confirm it works properly.
  2. Add the Code to My Page: Once validated, I copy the schema code and paste it into the <body> section of my HTML, placing it near the FAQ content on the page.
  3. Update and Publish: I save the changes and update my page, ensuring the schema markup is now live.
  4. Test the Live Page: Finally, I test the published page again using the same Rich Results Test to make sure the schema is working as expected.

By following these steps, your FAQ content will be eligible to appear as rich snippets in search results, helping your page stand out and providing valuable information to people at a glance.

How to Add Local Business & Organization Structured Data Markup

Let’s walk through an example of how to create LocalBusiness schema for a venue in my neighborhood, the Bluebird Theatre. Their site currently doesn’t include any schema markup, not even event schema for their shows. For simplicity, let’s focus on adding LocalBusiness schema to their “Venue Info” page. This same process applies if you’re adding schema to a home page, contact page, or location-specific page.

  1. Gather and Collect Information

You’ll want to grab the following details:
*indicates required

  • *Business name
  • *Address
  • *Phone number
  • *Website URL
  • Opening hours
  • Images
  • Geo-coordinates (latitude and longitude)
  • Social profile URLs (sameAs)
  • Email address.
  1. Create LocalBusiness Schema JSON Code: Using ChatGPT (such as our Rank Beast Optimization Pro GPT), you can generate LocalBusiness schema markup quickly. Here’s an example prompt:

GPT Prompt: “Please create LocalBusiness schema markup in JSON for the following business information: [paste your content].”

After reviewing and validating it, the schema includes all key details:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "MusicVenue",
  "name": "Bluebird Theater",
  "image": "https://aegwebprod.blob.core.windows.net/content/logo_images/449/fji9bjVdDbNdSua425mDzWAoM3e0vAVRp1hqtGDQ.png",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "3317 East Colfax Avenue",
    "addressLocality": "Denver",
    "addressRegion": "CO",
    "postalCode": "80206",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 39.7405,
    "longitude": -104.9498
  },
  "url": "https://www.bluebirdtheater.net/",
  "telephone": "+1-303-377-1666",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/bluebirdtheater",
    "https://www.instagram.com/bluebirdtheater",
    "https://x.com/bluebirddenver"
  ]
}
  1. Test the Schema Markup: Use Google’s Rich Results Test to confirm the schema is valid and complete. This ensures the markup meets structured data guidelines.
  1. Publish the Schema: Add the validated JSON code to the correct page on the business’s website. This could be the home page, contact page, or a specific page like “Venue Info.”
  1. Test the Live Page: After publishing, test the live page using the Rich Results Test again to confirm everything is working as expected.

By taking these steps, you’ll ensure your LocalBusiness schema highlights important details about the business, making it easier for people to engage with you with attention-grabbing information in search results.

How to Add Product Schema

When it comes to product schema, I recommend leveraging tools that dynamically create it for you. This approach saves time and ensures your schema is consistently accurate across all product pages. Especially when you make changes to existing products. For example, WooCommerce paired with WordPress offers built-in schema markup for products right out of the box. I have this exact setup for selling my coffee on this site. It’s a great solution for e-commerce sites with a lot of products.

Manually updating product schema for every item in your catalog just isn’t practical. That’s why using plugins or platforms with built-in schema functionality is so important. These tools handle the heavy lifting and automatically generate schema for products, offers, and reviews.

  • WooCommerce: Includes default product schema, making it easy to manage without extra coding
  • Yoast WooCommerce SEO Add-On: Offers more advanced schema features, like structured data for offers, variations, and reviews.

Here’s schema validation for my coffee product managed with WooCommerce in my wordpress setup:

Using these schema-ready tools ensures your markup stays up-to-date. If configured well, your products will display rich details in search results, such as price, availability, and customer ratings.

(You’ll notice it’s missing recommended but not required fields. I need reviews!)

These features not only make your listings stand out but also help people make informed decisions faster.

Pro Tip: Regularly spot check product pages and test them with Rich Results Testing to ensure schema is configured properly, especially when adding new products or features.

How to Create Article Schema

Article schema helps search engines understand the structure of your long-form content, including details like the headline, author, publication date, and it’s featured image. These may show up as enhanced titles or placements in the “Top Stories” carousel of search results.

For WordPress, tools like Yoast SEO automatically generate article schema for your posts and pages. This means you don’t need to write JSON code manually unless you want additional customization. The same recommendation as products applies here. Use tools that create schema markup dynamically. If not, create schema with ChatGPT and manually add JSON code to the article’s html.

Adding article schema improves how your content appears in search results by:

  • Highlighting key information like the article headline, publication date, and author
  • Making your content eligible for rich features like “Top Stories” or Google News results
  • Enhancing visibility, especially on mobile search, where rich results stand out more prominently.

How to Ensure Article Schema is Configured Properly

  1. Use a Schema-Friendly SEO Plugin: If you’re on WordPress, plugins like Yoast SEO automatically include article schema when you create a blog post or page. Configure accordingly
  2. Double-Check the Metadata: Ensure details like the headline, publication date, and author are correctly filled out in your content editor. This information feeds directly into the schema
  3. Test the Schema Markup: After publishing your article, use Google’s Rich Results Test to verify that the schema markup is valid and complete.

Pro Tip: If your content covers time-sensitive topics, like news or events, ensure the publication date is accurate. Freshness often plays a role in whether your article appears in features like “Top Stories.”

With article schema in place, combined with authority and rcommonelevance, your content is set to stand out in search results through rich snippets or placements in Google News.

Tips to Avoid Schema Errors and Misuses

One of the biggest problems with schema markup is misusing it. I’ve seen this firsthand while working in the agency world. We were collaborating with an SEO contractor who added review schema to a product page that had no reviews, just to trigger the review star feature in search results. It slipped past the client, the team, and even the initial checks. While it might have worked temporarily, it was a clear violation of guidelines and could have resulted in penalties. The key lesson from that experience was:

If you’re misleading people, you’re already off-track.

To help you avoid common mistakes and stay within guidelines, here are some practical tips:

  1. Always validate your schema: Use trusted tools like Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema.org Validator. These tools catch errors before they cause issues and ensure your schema meets guidelines
  2. Stick to schema types that match your content: Use schema markup that accurately represents the content on your page. For example, don’t add FAQ schema to a page without questions and answers, or review schema to a product with no reviews. Taking shortcuts could harm your site’s reputation in the long run
  3. Double-check dynamically generated schema: If you’re using plugins or automated tools, review the schema they generate to ensure it’s accurate. Default settings can sometimes miss important details, so always double-check.

Search Optimization Tip: Keep your optimizations true to the actual content on your pages. When you’re working on titles, descriptions, headings, or even social posts, make sure they reflect what’s really there. Don’t force keywords that don’t fit or use tactics to grab attention that mislead people. Consistency builds trust, and trust drives results.

Common Errors to Watch For

  • Missing required fields: Each schema type has specific fields that are mandatory. Leaving these out can cause errors or prevent search engines from recognizing the schema
  • Incorrect field formatting: Ensure fields like dates, URLs, and structured data types are formatted correctly according to schema guidelines. Formatting mistakes are a common cause of validation errors
  • Outdated or mismatched schema: If your page content changes, update the schema to reflect these updates. Mismatched schema and content confuse search engines and could hurt your rankings
  • Overusing schema: Adding too many schema types to a single page can dilute its focus. Use only the schema types that are relevant to the content on the page
  • Using the wrong schema type: Be precise when selecting a schema type. For example, don’t use “LocalBusiness” schema for an online-only business with no physical location
  • Duplicate or conflicting schema: Ensure your schema doesn’t overlap or conflict. Using multiple plugins or custom scripts to generate schema can create redundancies or errors
  • Schema on non-indexable pages: Avoid adding schema to pages with “noindex” tags or low-priority pages like admin or thank-you pages. Focus your efforts on high-value, indexable content
  • Ignoring Search Console warnings: Regularly review Google Search Console reports for schema-related warnings or errors. Fixing these issues promptly helps maintain your schema’s effectiveness and ensures compliance with guidelines.

Staying consistent and accurate with your schema ensures it benefits your site without causing unintended problems. When in doubt, test and validate at every step. Schema markup is a powerful tool, but only when used responsibly and ethically.

Why Schema Markup Matters for Your Content’s Future

Schema markup is a tool to amplify visibility and relevance in a world increasingly driven by AI and emerging technologies. Implementing structured data makes it easier for search engines and advanced tools to interpret and showcase your products, insights, or services.

Embracing new technologies gives you a competitive edge. Schema markup is not just about staying current, it’s about staying ahead.

Getting started doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Focus on a single schema type that aligns with your goals, like FAQ or Product schema. Test its impact on one page and iterate from there. For those looking to take things further, dive into more complex types like How-To schema or Event schema to expand your reach.

Remember: The real goal isn’t just to optimize for algorithms. It’s to create something valuable for people and make it easy for them to find you.

Adapting SEO for a Changing Web: Human-Centric Tactics Amid AI Evolution

Adapting SEO for a Changing Web: Human-Centric Tactics Amid AI Evolution

I’ve observed a decline in organic search over the past decade. Search engines, notably Google, have introduced features like People Also Ask, lists, paragraphs, and video snippets that push naturally ranking website listing further down the page. Search engine optimization professionals (SEOs) coined the term “Zero-Click Searches” to describe how users get what they need without visiting the websites businesses have worked hard to create and maintain. In response, SEOs adapted by optimizing content to feature in these coveted spots, aligning with Google’s ideal ranking signals.

However, Google has made numerous updates, including many core algorithm adjustments in recent years, another core algorithm update rolled out this month (November 2024). This volatility raises questions about whether search engines are providing the best results for people and if the generated traffic maintains the high quality we once expected. For instance, a customer’s concept of brand authority may differ from Google’s understanding, especially regarding smaller, niche websites. This creates a discrepancy in what’s actually available to people when we’re over-reliant on search engines.

Now, we’re living in an AI revolution that’s fundamentally changing how people and businesses interact with digital technologies. In mid-May 2024, Google introduced AI Overviews (AIO), which occupy the very top of search results, the most valuable real estate on results pages. Even pushing ads further down. Utilizing their AI model, Gemini, AI Overviews provides generative responses on the fly, offering high-level information taken from various sources, including your websites. If AI cites a website, people often need to click on a sources link within the generated response, making search generated traffic to your site less likely.

Now, Google has integrated advertising into AI Overviews as well. These ads appear underneath AI Overviews as typical shopping ads in the generative result with a “Sponsored” label, pushing other search features and organic results further down the page to places where people don’t go as often.

Most people don’t scroll past a certain point if they do scroll at all. Another general rule is:

If an action needs more input from a person, the less likely they’ll interact with it or see it.

People want things fast, immediately, without having to do much more than they already did to get to where they are.

The Recent Declines of Organic Traffic

I’ve seen the impact in real-time with clients and through conversations with other marketing professionals, especially SEOs. Dramatic decreases in organic search traffic, like 50% decreases year over year, are not uncommon. This trend suggests that relying soley on traditional SEO tactics is no longer sufficient.

In response, major trends are emerging:

  • Learning and implementing different measurement metrics
  • Earning the trust of real people
  • Connecting by actually knowing and meeting customer/community needs and wants

Unfortunately, there’s growing concern that Google is clamping down on the concept of the open web. With zero-click searches and even removing complete websites from their search pages, they’re affecting the livelihoods of content creators and businesses. The ethical implications are concerning at best.

How should we respond to this? What’s the approach if these are indeed possible realities of the technological giants?

For starters, I’m seeing talk around building brand awareness and trust rather than working to rank content around related topics and themes. 

I see potential positive impact from creating your own ecosystem of community. It’s still about quality over quantity, even though we’re seeing and experiencing more and more quantity over quality. It doesn’t mean it’s the most effective approach.

We could adapt by focusing on building direct relationships with our audience, diversifying our digital presence, and emphasizing authentic engagement over reliance on traditional SEO tactics alone. Exploring alternative platforms and creating unique, high-quality content can help mitigate the impact of changes imposed by major tech companies.

For me, it’s still about responding with an approach by humans and for humans.

Are people visiting websites less?

It’s a valid concern. With the rise of social media networks and community platforms like Discord, Reddit, and Substack, there’s a noticeable shift in where people seek information and engage with content. While managing an inbound marketing website has been the norm, considered The Foundation of your online presence, this standard is evolving.

Websites still allow people to dive deeper into your offerings, take action, and interact with you. They’re also where other platforms direct interested users. However, recognizing that search engines are not the only places people go is crucial. Adapting involves embracing other platforms where your audience spends time and ensuring you’re present and active there.

We’re going to cover some long-held best practices that will have you covered, no matter what, and ensure you’re set up well for the evolving shifts within the search industry.

What’s Still Important on Websites?

Even if people are beginning to explore external areas for your content and community, websites remain a crucial element of your online presence. At least for today.

I’ve intentionally left out some of the tried and true SEO techniques for the different technical and content aspects of optimizing for search engines (i.e., Technical and On-Page SEO). My philosophy is to create for people first, and then search engines and crawlers ideally would follow suit. And, that may not be the case. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t. 

What matters more than how I optimize page titles for SEO? Ensuring the content is already high-quality, informative, helps, and serves its purpose well. I need to make sure that my content is easy to understand and well laid out on the places where I manage digital content. I also want to make it easier for various technologies to semantically understand content without having to read through it all. 

Allowing or Disallowing AI Bots

Now, if you do not want AI bots to crawl and scrape your content and websites, I recommend that you block them in your robots.txt file for site-wide directives and use meta-robots tags for individual pages or sections that you want to block from crawling and scraping technologies. For instance, The New York Times updated their robots.txt file to block most AI bots, citing concerns over content usage without proper compensation.

There are implications for allowing and disallowing bots and crawlers. I see it in two ways:

  1. Protecting Your Content: Allowing search engines and AI technologies might lead to them potentially stealing your content.
  2. Limiting Visibility: Blocking bots might limit your potential to show up for your customers. I believe it’s important to ensure you allow the scraping of your sites, at least for products and services. The same goes if you have one or more locations

Here’s an example of a robots.txt file that blocks some bots and not others:

# Block OpenAI's GPTBot
User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /

# Block OpenAI's User Bot used by plugins
User-agent: GPTBot-User
Disallow: /

# Block Google’s Generative AI bots
User-agent: Google-Extended
Disallow: /

# Block Perplexity AI's Crawler on a section and allow on another
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /directory-1/
Disallow: /directory-2/

# Allow all other bots full access
User-agent: *
Disallow:

Manage your crawler directives based on your own discretion. Let’s talk about what else you can do to make sure you’re focusing on impactful digital marketing efforts.

Creating High-Quality Tailored Content

High-quality content remains the cornerstone of engaging your audience. In this section, we’ll discuss what constitutes exceptional content and how tailoring it to specific platforms can enhance engagement and reach.

Well-written, high-quality content is key. But, what exactly does that entail? It requires:

  • Originality
  • Genuine value for your audience
  • Sufficient depth and substance
  • Prioritizing quality over quantity
  • Being informed and honest

Understanding when to offer high-level, easy-to-understand pieces versus deeper, more advanced content is crucial. Tailoring your content to each platform enhances engagement. For instance:

  • Provide long-form written content to your literary audiences on platforms like Substack.
  • Offer quick tips and insights on visual platforms like Instagram or TikTok.

By meeting your audience where they are and delivering content in the format they prefer, you increase the likelihood of meaningful engagement.

Standing Out in the Age of AI

AI technologies have made accessing general information easier than ever, often directly within search results or through chatbots. This shift means that to capture your audience’s attention, you must hone in on the specific problems your customers face and address them uniquely. It’s more important than ever to differentiate your content. Here, we’ll explore strategies to highlight your unique value proposition and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Ask yourself:

  • Why would someone choose you over another?
  • What’s your unique perspective and experience?
  • How do you stand out and why?

By focusing on your unique experiences and the real pain points of your audience, you provide value that generic AI-generated content cannot. An essential touch for resonating with those who need what you offer.

What unique experiences and trends can you point out that truly resonate with your audience? Think about their real challenges. Addressing these pain points helps you tailor your offerings to meet their needs effectively.

Sharing relatable stories or examples that show how your expertise solves these issues builds trust. It demonstrates you understand their struggles on a deeper level, something generic AI-generated content often misses.

We need content that doesn’t just inform but truly engages. Provide value by tackling problems AI can’t solve (yet) or delivering insights with the nuance only a human can offer. This approach keeps your audience interested and sets you apart.

We also want to ask, What do people value? I follow the Marketing Accountability Council (MAC) and Jay Mendel, the founder posted a recently mentioned an article that I thought was very insightful into a more human approach to marketing. The BBC put together research around understanding their audiences values. They identified 14 core values that are underpinned by psychological needs based around developing human values tools that have a human focus.  These include how people value achieving goals, belonging to a group, expression, having autonomy, receiving recognition, and others. I encourage you to review it. The concept here is not to take advantage or tool. But to understand. To listen. To connect.

Enhancing User Experience to Engage Audiences

User experience (UX) plays a pivotal role in retaining and engaging your audience. This section delves into key aspects of UX design that make your content more accessible and enjoyable across different platforms. Good design involves:

  • Formatting and spacing your content
  • Ensuring no obstacles or unwanted distractions
  • Adapting to the media’s formatting, length, and appropriate depth

Ease of use extends to how your content appears on other platforms. Similarly, Structured Data Markup (covered below) plays a vital role in how technologies understand your content. By categorizing your content effectively, you make it easier for search engines and AI technologies to grasp what you’re offering, giving you an edge over others.

My philosophy is to make it easy and effortless for people to consume our creations. People are best served when we provide straightforward ways to interact with our digital stuff. If you need people to pay you to access it, give them a sample and then provide easy and effortless ways to pay for it. It’s empathy in design that doesn’t ignore or neglect the places that people go often.

UX is also the concept behind how some websites place “Sign Up” front and center and keep “Login” hidden away within some navigational element. The sign-up is a bright color button, and the login link is a non-assuming text link that’s harder to locate.

This tells me that these businesses are:

  • Sales/exponential growth focused
  • Not paying customer focused

I see you, and I wish you’d just make your login links easier to get to, and with a secondary color that’s not as bright. A contrasting color with your website theme works great. But please, at least make it a button.

Improving user experience is just one side of the coin. Ensuring that search engines and AI can effectively interpret your content is equally important. This is where structured data markup comes into play.

Leveraging Structured Data Markup for Better Visibility

To improve how search engines and AI understand your content, implementing structured data markup is essential. We’ll explain what schema markup is and how it can boost your content’s visibility in search results.

Structured data markup (or Schema markup) is a universally agreed-upon set of simple code that comes in a variety of types. Put simply, schema markup is extra code that easily categorizes the type of content on any given page. 

The most commonly used markup types include:

  • Local Business
  • Articles
  • FAQs
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Calendar events

Schema markup exists so that advanced crawling technologies quickly understand what your content is at a high level without needing to analyze the content itself. It gives your content a leg up, making it easier for technologies like Google and other emerging crawlers to quickly grasp what your stuff is about.

So, if you have an FAQ section or blogs with mini FAQ sections, you can collaborate with ChatGPT on this one:

  1. Throw that information into ChatGPT.
  2. Let it know what schema type it is.
  3. Have it output JSON code that you’ll put within the body HTML of any given page.

You can even paste in the copy text and have it evaluate which types it can provide. Just double-check everything any AI tool outputs. As we all know, it’s prone to make errors. As well as hallucinate. Or create time-traveling bot assassins.

Creating schema JSON code with GPT is actually really straightforward once you get the gist of it, and it’s good practice to make sure to update this code as your content changes. You don’t want it to mismatch. If you have an automated tool that does this automatically, great. If not, keep your eye on any updates that you need to make to the JSON code too when you update any page with schema markup already on it.

At this point, it’s clear that while general content may hold less importance on websites, the real focus should be on the value you provide. Communicating the value through your services, products, or expertise. What truly matters is how you stand out in your field and communicate your unique perspective.

You’ll still need to establish authority and credibility. Evidence of your expertise, like testimonials, case studies, or a strong reputation, remains essential. At the same time, ensuring technologies like AI and search engines understand what you offer is equally important.

Schema markup plays a key role here. By categorizing your content effectively, it allows these technologies to interpret your offerings more quickly and accurately—giving you a clear advantage over competitors who neglect it.

What About the Other Places People Are Going To?

As I mentioned before, we may be living in a real-time shift, observing changes in where people go to find things, learn things, buy things, see things… you get the idea. There’s a real possibility that this will impact your inbound marketing website. People may visit your website less overtime and begin to go to other sites instead to engage with you, like social media networks, community platforms (like Discord, Reddit, or Substack).

So, what are areas of focus to ensure you’re engaging with people where they are when it’s not on your website? Focus on platforms where your audience spends time, such as social media networks, podcasts, or community forums. Tailor your content to suit each platform’s format and audience preferences, and engage actively by responding to comments, participating in discussions, and providing valuable insights.

Create Multimedia Content & Distribution Across Different Platforms

Producing high-quality content is essential, but just as important is ensuring it provides genuine value and connects with your audience. A smart approach to content marketing involves repurposing your ideas into different formats and distributing them across platforms where you audience spends time.

Diversifying content types not only broadens your reach but also engages people in ways they prefer to consume information. Here are some strategies for tailoring multimedia content to different audiences and platforms:

  • Creating a video for your blog article: When repurposing a blog post into a YouTube video, outline the main points as a script, add visual elements, and include captions for accessibility.
  • Having a podcast interview about one of your main areas of expertise: When participating in a podcast interview, prepare key talking points and real-life examples that highlight your expertise. Engage in a conversational tone to make the discussion lively and relatable. After the episode airs, share it on your platforms and encourage your audience to listen and share their thoughts.
  • Writing a blog about the visualization you created: If you’ve developed a unique data visualization, write a blog post explaining the insights it reveals, the tools you used, and the process behind creating it. Include screenshots or interactive elements so readers can engage directly with the visualization. This not only showcases your expertise but also provides valuable learning for your audience.
  • Creating short snippets of quick takeaways for Instagram and TikTok: Transform key points from your content into engaging short videos for Instagram Reels or TikTok. Use eye-catching visuals and concise messaging to capture attention within the first few seconds. Incorporate trending music or sounds to increase visibility, and add captions or text overlays to make your content accessible to all viewers.

Catered to each. Designed for the format that engages best with each platform.

Your people are in some, not all, and they probably behave a little differently on places like Instagram compared to Reddit. As you can imagine, this can look quite daunting for content creators or even business owners like me.

I recommend taking it one step at a time and starting somewhere. Do not think you can do it all or should do it all. There are specific areas where you will shine and others where the audience just won’t respond well. This is part of the dance.

It’s important to track your engagement metrics to ensure you’re putting your time investments where it’s at least building the engagement and visibility that you need. Ideally, you have tracking into revenue metrics that are tested and free of bugs or errors. 

I also recommend not doing what everyone else is doing. Especially when we’re talking about engagement and visitor metrics. The ultimate goal here is to engage and connect with your customers. So, this is part of doing the things that work best for you that work best with your audiences. Not to do everything everywhere all-the-time.

You don’t need super short content or super long content. The metrics and people will tell you that you need to have more and more. It’s the way of technology. It’s never full. Always hungry.

So, create what works for you and then diversify the content types. Explore. Hell, have fun with it. Whatever that means for you.

Community Engagement

Building and participating in online communities fosters trust and establishes you as an authority in your field. We’ll explore effective ways to engage with communities authentically and build lasting relationships. Your presence in these spaces must provide genuine value, establishing yourself as trusted and helpful. Here’s the hard thing for businesses to understand:

Communities do not want promotional content. They’re tired of it.

They value genuine interaction over visibility, and building trust requires a long-term commitment.

Focus on contributing meaningful insights and engaging in conversations that matter to the community. Answer questions, share your expertise, and be there to help without the expectation of receiving anything in return. Participating in the community is about building relationships, not pushing products or services. While many still attempt these tactics, people have become wary of them. Such approaches are often off-putting and can even repel potential clients. Let your audience speak well of you.

Authenticity goes a long way, and people can absolutely tell when you’re genuinely interested versus just looking to make a sale.

You might consider creating your own community spaces by:

  • Starting a discussion group
  • Hosting webinars
  • Launching a newsletter
  • Creating a Discord server

In essence, these provide a platform for others to share and engage to build and connect with community. It takes time, patience, and a willingness to embrace the process with imperfections and all.

Here are examples of community platforms and what engagement or management can look like for each. I want to re-emphasize that offering legitimate value and engaging with people is the goal. Not to overtly sell your stuff. There’s implications for each if you do. Likely, banning and losing trust of your customers and audiences:

  • Substack – Create a newsletter where subscribers can comment on your posts and engage in discussions. Engage with readers by replying to comments, asking for feedback, and hosting subscriber-only Q&A sessions.
  • Discord – Build a Discord server dedicated to your niche where members can chat in real-time. Moderate channels, organize events like live discussions or AMAs (Ask Me Anything), and foster a welcoming environment.
  • Subreddit – Participate in or create a subreddit focused on your industry where people share content, ask questions, and discuss relevant topics. Contribute to threads by answering questions, posting informative content, and upholding community guidelines.
  • Community Features on a Website – Implement forums or comment sections on your website where visitors can start discussions and interact with each other. Initiate topics, respond to posts, moderate comments to maintain respectful dialogue, and provide helpful resources.

Optimizing for AI Search and Overviews: Strategies to Increase Your Content’s Reach

It’s important to optimize your content for people, and also consider how AI configures information. No matter if it’s on your website, social media, community forums, or content-sharing sites. AI-powered search tools like Google’s AI Overviews (AIO), ChatGPT Search, and other large language models pull information from across the internet to answer people’s questions. They crawl blogs, social media posts, forums, and other online content to find the best answers.

Imagine you’re a fitness coach. By structuring your workout tips in clear headings and bullet points, AI tools can easily extract and present your content to users asking for fitness advice.

In this strategy, we want to increase the likelihood that AI systems will feature your content when people seek information related to your expertise. Keep in mind the need for differentiation and building trust/authority. Also, that high-level information that AI provides is best left to them.

So, how do you optimize for AI search?

The shift to people turning to AI-driven search engines means your content needs to be structured in a way that AI systems can easily process, understand, and deliver to people. But with all things SEO… don’t force it. It’ll be too obvious.

Here are some tried and true techniques:

  1. Clearly Written Content: Write in straightforward language. Incorporate concise and informative paragraphs that directly answer specific questions. On the other hand, In-depth, accurate information increases the authoritative signals that people and technology value.
  2. Answer Questions: Address specific questions and weave them naturally into your content. Think about what your audience is asking and provide clear answers. AI bots often pull information from these sources to respond to people’s queries.
  3. Format Content: Use clear headings, subheadings, bullet points, and lists to organize your content. Break up the text so it’s visually appealing and doesn’t all run together. Incorporate transcripts for videos. Add alt-text to images. This makes it easier for AI models to understand, increasing the likelihood that your content will appear in AI Overviews (AIO).
  4. Naturally Incorporate Relevant Phrases: Aka, keyword research. Check to see what people are actually searching for by using tools like Google Search Console, analyzing Google’s own results, seeing how others are targeting these phrases, and utilizing SEO tools. Then, naturally incorporate these phrases into your content. It doesn’t have to be an exact match. Remember, your creations are for people. We work to match around what they’re actually searching for rather than what we think they’re searching for.
  5. Do Not Keyword Stuff: For the love of God, please resist the urge to overload your content with keywords. Overusing keywords is lazy, and it’s really off-putting. Focus on writing naturally and ensure targeted keywords serve the content and the reader.

You’re not only optimizing for AI search and established search engines but enhancing the overall quality and accessibility of your content. The goal is to make your content valuable for people. AI and search engines are said to be designed to recognize and promote content that best serves people’s needs. And they sometimes don’t. So, priority is people. 

Embracing the Evolution of SEO and Digital Marketing

The landscape of digital marketing is shifting beneath our feet. While traditional SEO tactics are evolving, the core principle remains: connecting and building relationships with your customers. Your website is still a crucial hub, but it’s essential to meet your audience where they are. Even if it’s on social media, community platforms, or AI-driven tools.

Focus on:

  • Offering genuine value without constant selling
  • Building trust over time
  • Leveraging platforms that align with your strengths

As technology advances, the fundamental need for authentic connection and valuable information stays the same. Embrace change with curiosity and flexibility, and continue creating content that resonates and fosters community.

Tracking Visitors from AI-Generated Searches: A Complete Guide

Tracking Visitors from AI-Generated Searches: A Complete Guide

AI is changing how people search, making it more important than ever to understand how to track traffic from AI-generated searches. This article will explore how to identify and analyze organic traffic from traditional search engines like Google, as well as AI-driven search activity. We’ll break down the importance of these metrics, how to view them across various analytics tools, and what to look for to make strategic decisions.

For years, Google has maintained its position as the dominant force in search, alongside other established engines like Bing and Yahoo. But, the search world isn’t what it used to be. Companies like OpenAI and Meta are now challenging Google’s stronghold with innovative AI-powered search tools. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search and Meta’s developing AI-driven platform mark the first significant competition in years, ushering in a new era of search experiences focused on summaries and generative responses.

Google is responding with its own AI-enhanced search called Gemini, but the changes don’t stop there. People are increasingly turning to social media and community-based sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Substack for information, highlighting a broader evolution in search behavior. This movement underscores the importance of adapting to how people find and consume content in the age of AI.

Here’s what you’ll gain from this article:

  • Understanding the difference between organic and AI-generated traffic
  • How to track these traffic sources in analytics tools
  • The importance of monitoring these data points for strategic insights
  • Step-by-step guides for navigating website platforms and their analytics.

Organic Search vs. AI-Generated Search Traffic: Key Differences

In the SEO world, we talk about “organic” traffic, such as visitors who land on your site through search engines without you paying for placement. This traffic results from dedicated work on content and optimization strategies to rank well on search results pages. I recently read an article referring to this as “Organic Search Optimization,” which aligns closely with how I see SEO and marketing. It’s not just about ranking; it’s about understanding where people go when they want to learn, buy, research, or explore. From the yellow pages of the past to Reddit posts of today.

We are in an AI revolution that is redefining what “organic” really means. It’s not just search engines anymore. People go to social media, forums, search engines, and emerging AI tools to find what they need. At its core, SEO has always been about understanding people, knowing their behavior, what they search for, and optimizing content to meet them where they are. Often, we get wrapped up in tactics and ranking, forgetting that the true goal of marketing is connecting with people where they are. These places are changing.

Right now, there isn’t an out-of-the-box solution for tracking AI-generated traffic in analytics tools. So, it’s a good idea to refresh your understanding of source/medium data and how analytics categorize different traffic channels. For today, we’re focusing on Organic and Referral traffic: visitors coming from search engines and people arriving by clicking links from other sites, particularly those driven by generative AI platforms. Like ChatGPT, Claude AI, Perplexity, Midjourney, Arc Search, Ask AI, Bard, and Google Gemini.

Tools like Google Analytics have traditionally provided a straightforward way to look at organic traffic data. But things are shifting. With the rise of privacy initiatives, we’ve moved from cookie-based tracking to cookieless solutions, making data capture a little trickier. While metrics have adjusted, we can still see when people come to our sites from social media, ads, emails (assuming you utilize UTM links), directly, and from organic searches. But, there’s more than ever to have context around when we analyze marketing data.

I’ve spent countless hours teaching employees and clients about these traffic sources. Now, we’re adding a new channel: Generative AI (or whatever it is that we’re going to call it). Right now, AI traffic shows up under referral data in your reports, unless you fine-tune your channel filter settings. This AI-generated traffic appears individually in your referral data, and that’s where you can spot visits from platforms.

The AI boom is real, with major players in the field, but we haven’t seen one definitive leader emerge yet.

Why Tracking Both Organic and AI Traffic Matters

So, why does this matter? Organic search traffic will likely decline as Google and other platforms ramp up their AI-powered answers and summaries. This shift means people will often get what they need without ever clicking through individual sites, blogs, or articles. Developers design AI-generated responses to provide concise, relevant information right up front. Sure, they’ll sometimes include sources or links for those who want to dive deeper or take further action, but that’s after AI has already delivered the main takeaway.

Historically, traffic from search engines has been some of the best, offering high quality, healthy visitors and often leading to the most conversions. That’s why it’s crucial to understand changes to our organic traffic.

The fast-paced advancements in search technology reshapes how people use which tools to find what they want. Google has layered its AI-powered overviews on top of zero-click pages, delivering information upfront and pushing individual site links further down. This shift impacts how many people visit individual websites, as more people find answers directly on search results pages without clicking through. We’ve experienced an overall decline in organic traffic data and makes tracking visitor engagement more challenging in recent years.

Now, with platforms like ChatGPT Search, people can explore the web in new, AI-driven ways. These platforms pull together resources, cite them, and give concise responses. We don’t yet know exactly how this will impact the industry, so staying on top of your data and watching these changes as they unfold is key.

In the sections that follow, I’ll show you where to find your organic traffic data in Google Analytics and other popular platforms, and how to spot traffic coming from AI sources.

Key Analytics Metrics That Matter

In analytics, conversions should be your top priority (in most if not all cases). While traffic metrics are useful for understanding reach, conversions show real impact, translating directly to revenue. Often, there are two categories: hard (primary) and soft (secondary) metrics. Think of primary as form submissions or purchases, and secondary as PDF downloads or clicks to get driving direction. SEOs often focus on positions, impressions, and click-through rates, but these softer metrics don’t always translate into direct impact. It’s easy to overemphasize them or overlook them entirely. The key? Monitor all metrics, track fluctuations, and remember that SEOs may rely on softer data when hard metrics are limited.

We won’t cover a full analytics deep-dive here, but let’s go over the high-level metrics that count: Conversions and Visitors.

Organic and AI Search Conversions

Common Primary Conversions: You set up these conversions manually in your analytics, and they reflect the most valuable actions, such as moving a prospect to a customer. They align with your business goals and indicate qualified interactions within your sales cycle:

  • Purchase: Completed sales on your platform
  • Form Submission & Booked Meeting: Form completions and scheduled appointments
  • Newsletter Sign-ups: Subscription to your regular email updates
  • Downloads: Resource downloads like PDFs, white papers, or software
  • Account Creation: New user accounts created
  • App Installation: App downloads and installations.

Other examples include calls, video views, or successful interactions with chatbots.

Visitors from Search Engines and AI Platforms

Visitors represent the people coming to your website. While conversions reveal actions users have taken, visitor data helps you understand who these people are and how they navigate your site. This traffic data tells the story of engagement, frequency, and behavior. Key metrics include:

  • Users: Unique individuals visiting your website
  • Sessions: A single user can have multiple sessions. GA4 defaults session duration to 30 minutes, and logs a new session when a user revisits or reloads after that timeframe.

What to Look for When Analyzing Traffic Trends

Analyzing traffic data can feel overwhelming, but understanding trends in organic and AI-generated traffic helps you navigate changes effectively. Here’s what to monitor when evaluating your data:

  • Trend Patterns: Track whether your traffic shows a steady increase, decline, or fluctuating spikes. This helps determine if your current strategies are effective or need adjustment
  • Desired Outcomes: Traffic growth is great, but what counts is the quality. Are AI-generated visitors engaging with or converting on your site?
  • Quality Over Quantity: Numbers alone don’t guarantee success. Prioritize whether visitors are exploring your site, spending time on it, or taking meaningful actions
  • Contextual Shifts: Account for external influences like seasonality, industry trends, or algorithm updates. These insights help explain unexpected fluctuations
  • Natural Fluctuations: Not all traffic changes signal issues or successes. Focus on long-term trends over daily variations for an accurate performance picture.

Recognize that Google’s zero-click pages have impacted organic traffic by providing direct answers on the search results page. Combined with the rise of AI sources, this makes monitoring data even more crucial. Stay informed, track trends, and adapt your strategy as needed.

With these insights in mind, I’ll guide you through finding search engine and AI-driven visitors in Google Analytics and other popular website platforms.

Viewing Organic and AI Referral Traffic in Google Analytics

We’re going to focus on the Acquisition area in Google Analytics. Here’s how to navigate to it (see the left side of the screenshot in the first image provided below):

  1. Open Google Analytics and select your account
  2. Go to Reports
  3. Under Life cycle, expand Acquisition.

Within Acquisition, you’ll have two options. Either works for this purpose:

  1. User Acquisition (shows user data)
  2. Traffic Acquisition (shows session data).

Now, you’ll see a breakdown of traffic channels, such as Direct, Organic Search, Referral, and more. Here’s how to filter for only organic traffic:

Organic Traffic Reports in GA4:

I’m showing you two easy ways to view Organic search traffic in Google Analytics 4. The first method involves using the search bar in the default channel group for a high-level view. The second dives into source/medium to pinpoint which search engines are bringing people to your site.

  1. Filter Organic Search via Session Primary Channel Group


    Type “organic search” into the search bar above the data chart and press Enter. This filters the view to show only traffic coming from search engines.
  2. Filter Organic Search with Source/Medium


    Click on the Dimension dropdown, change it from “Session Primary Channel Group,” and select Session source/medium. Search for “organic” to see which individual search engines (e.g., Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo) are driving traffic to your site.

Adjusting the Date Range for a Broader View

To see a higher-level view of your traffic, adjust the date range. Click the date selector at the top right of the screen, just below the toolbar. For example, you might select the last 90 days and compare it to the previous 90 days. Click Apply and explore different time spans to spot trends and fluctuations.

Common Reporting Periods to Review

You can also change the time category from Days to Weeks or Months using the dropdown at the top right of the line graph. This helps you correlate seasonal data. For instance, it’s typical to see lower traffic in November and December if your business isn’t focused on e-commerce, as people shift to holiday and end-of-year activities. On the other hand, industries like residential real estate might experience spikes in spring and summer.

  1. Month-over-month
    • w/ Month Prior: Compare the previous month to the month before it
    • w/ Year Prior: Compare the same month from the prior year
  2. Previous quarter or 90 days: Compare the current quarter with the previous quarter or the same quarter from the prior year
  3. Year-over-year: Compare the current year to date with last year, or any given year to another, such as last year with two or five years ago.

Adjusting these timeframes provides deeper insights into seasonal trends and shifts. This analysis helps shape your strategic decisions and informs your overall understanding of traffic patterns.

Next, let’s walk through how to filter referral traffic to specifically show visits from a list of AI platforms.

Viewing AI-Generated Traffic in GA4: A Step-by-Step Guide

Finding data on AI-generated search traffic in GA4 isn’t straightforward yet. We’ll need to look at source/medium and apply a regex filter to isolate traffic from specific AI platforms. Here’s how to set it up with a regex sample at the end to get you started:

  1. Open Google Analytics and select your account
  2. Go to Reports
  3. Under Life cycle, expand Acquisition
  4. Click on either User Acquisition or Traffic Acquisition.
  1. Click the Dimension dropdown (like we chose for viewing Organic traffic)
  2. Find and select Session source/medium
  3. Click on Add filter at the top left of the screen, just below the report title
  4. On the right of the screen, under “Dimension”, select “Session Source/Medium
  5. Set Match Type to “Matches Regex”
  6. Copy and paste the following regex line into the “Value” field:

Regex code for your filter:

(?i).*(.ai|.openai|copilot|gpt|chatgpt|claude|perplexity|midjourney|arcsearch|askai|google.*bard|bard.*google|gemini|edgeservices).*

EXAMPLE: AI Generated Search Traffic in GA4 Referral Reports

Tracking Organic and AI Traffic on Popular CMS Platforms

Viewing organic search traffic within built-in analytics tools on platforms like Squarespace and Shopify is generally more straightforward than tracking AI-generated traffic. Some tools let you use filters or search features, while others may lack them. I’m going to walk you through how to view both Organic Search and Referral traffic for each platform. Keep in mind that when analyzing referral data, you’ll need to manually look for AI-related traffic alongside other sources unless you export and segment the data yourself.

Find Organic & AI Metrics in Squarespace

Viewing organic and referral traffic in Squarespace analytics is straightforward, but tracking AI-related traffic might require more manual checks. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Sign in to your Squarespace account
  2. Navigate to your Website section
  3. Click Analytics on the left side menu
  4. At the top left area of the page, click on Traffic
  5. View the Search section for organic traffic insights
  6. Review the Referral section and manually identify traffic from AI sources mentioned earlier.

SEO and AI Analytics in Shopify

Tracking organic search and referral traffic in Shopify is simple once you know where to look. Shopify’s built-in analytics tools provide a clear breakdown of traffic sources, helping you monitor visitor behavior and identify potential traffic from AI sources alongside your organic data:

  1. Log in to your Shopify account
  2. Navigate to Analytics > Reports
  3. Locate the “Sessions by referrer” report to view the breakdown of Search and Referral traffic. “Search” covers organic traffic from search engines. Select “Sessions by referrer” to review visits from referrals and identify potential AI sources.

Analyzing Organic and Referral Traffic in HubSpot CMS Hub

HubSpot’s CMS Hub provides intuitive tools to track organic and referral traffic. Here’s how to navigate the platform and find the data you need:

  1. Log in to your HubSpot account
  2. Navigate to Reporting > Reports
  3. Click on “Traffic” under the Analytics suite on the left navigation panel
  4. Review data for Organic and Referral traffic. Click into each section to explore further details
  5. Select the Referral category and look for traffic sources related to AI platforms

Tracking Organic and Referral Traffic in Wix Analytics

Wix Analytics makes it easy to view your organic and referral traffic. For more detailed guidance, you can refer directly to Wix’s support page for step-by-step instructions and visual aids:

  1. Log in to your Wix account and click on Analytics & Reports from the left menu
  2. Select “Traffic Overview”
  3. Review the Sessions by Source and Category section to see data for Organic and Referral traffic
  4. Click on the Referral category to identify visits coming from AI sources alongside other referral traffic.

Viewing Organic and Referring Traffic in Sitecore Experience Analytics

To effectively track Organic search traffic and identify Referring Sites data in Sitecore, follow these steps. This walkthrough will help you navigate Sitecore’s analytics and pinpoint the sources driving traffic to your site. For additional details and visual references, check out the official Sitecore support page:

  1. Log in to your Sitecore instance
  2. Navigate to the “Experience Analytics” section
  3. Go to the Acquisition tab
  4. View the Channels report to find Organic search traffic and Referring Sites for referral data
  5. Click on Referring Sites to identify external sources, including AI platforms, that are driving traffic.

Final Thoughts on Tracking Traffic in the Age of AI

As the landscape of web traffic changes, I wouldn’t bet on AI-generated traffic fully compensating for potential declines in organic traffic from traditional search engines. However, I do anticipate an increase in visits from emerging, cutting-edge AI search platforms.

For years, Google has been the leader in search, supported by platforms like Bing and Yahoo. Now, the landscape is evolving as players like OpenAI and Meta introduce AI-driven tools that challenge Google’s dominance. With innovations like ChatGPT Search and Meta’s forthcoming platform, the world of search is shifting toward more interactive, summary-based responses.

Google’s response, including its AI-powered Gemini, shows that even established giants must adapt. Meanwhile, people are turning to other places beyond the traditional website, relying on social media and community hubs like Facebook, Reddit, and Substack for information. This shift signals a broader transformation in search behavior. The rise of AI is also redefining how and where we engages with content. Perhaps nudging us to rethink search strategy.

Common Low Hanging Fruit in SEO

Common Low Hanging Fruit in SEO

Throughout the many clients I’ve served over the years, I’ve found most websites have at least two or three areas of opportunity that are easy and quick to implement. Among these are some of the most vital areas of SEO, ensuring your website is available, crawlable, and shows up on search engines like Google. Like ensuring you have a published sitemap.xml, referenced in the robots.txt file, and submitted to Google Search Console, which I’ll walk you through in this article. This is particularly important if you have a lot of pages on your website. These are also some of the more accessible opportunities that are easier to implement.

As a general concept, I like to keep in mind that websites are for people. Search engines crawl these websites and offer them up for people. Sometimes, we forget the context of the individual and end up over-focusing on the technology—especially when covering the more technical aspects of SEO. So now, let’s take a look at some of the practical quick wins of SEO.

What You’ll Learn

  • Quick Wins for SEO: Discover low-hanging opportunities to improve your site’s SEO performance with minimal effort.
  • How to Configure and Optimize Your Sitemap.xml: Learn to ensure your sitemap is live, accurate, and correctly submitted to search engines on the popular website management platforms.
  • Using Google Search Console for SEO Hygiene: Understand how GSC helps monitor your site’s performance, submit sitemaps, and identify crawl issues.
  • Best Practices for Configuring Your Robots.txt File: Properly reference your sitemap for better crawling.
  • Enhancing H1 Tags for Clarity and SEO Impact: Find out how to write clear, effective H1s that improve both search visibility and people engagement.
  • Identifying and Resolving 404 Errors: Use tools like Google Analytics and Screaming Frog to detect and fix broken pages on your site.
  • How to Implement Redirects the Right Way: Learn to set up 301 redirects correctly to maintain SEO value and ensure smooth user navigation across platforms.

Sitemap.xml Essentials and Configuration

Think of the sitemap.xml as a roadmap for search engines. It tells them what content exists on your site and what should be indexed. A sitemap ensures everything you want crawled and indexed is available to people on search engines like Google. You’ll submit it to tools like Google Search Console (more on this later) to make sure search engines know how to access your content.

Best practices for sitemaps boil down to a few key points:

  • Ensure your sitemap is live and published
  • Only include pages that load without issues
  • Make sure the pages listed are ones you want to appear in search engine results

What about AI? Even with Generative AI-powered search engines, a sitemap remains essential for effective crawling. AI is changing search capabilities, but there’s not a change in the fundamentals of structured data at this point. AI still relies on data input and sitemaps are one of those inputs.

Creating and Configuring Your Sitemap

In many cases, your website will already have a dynamic sitemap that updates automatically. Platforms like Squarespace and Shopify publish sitemaps by default. However, with some CMS platforms, you may need to activate and verify the sitemap yourself. For example, WordPress users can use the Yoast SEO plugin to generate one easily.

Here’s how to check if your sitemap is published:

  1. Visit: https://[yourwebsite]/sitemap.xml
    • If this redirects to /sitemap-index.xml, that’s perfectly fine!
  2. Example from Squarespace: https://www.guineydesign.com/sitemap.xml

If the sitemap loads and displays in a coded format, great! That means it’s live. If you see a “page not found” message or something similar, you’ll need to configure your sitemap. Here’s how to generate or activate the sitemap on popular website platforms:

  1. WordPress: Use the Yoast SEO plugin to create a sitemap.
  2. Squarespace: Automatically created and published (Learn more).
  3. Shopify: Automatically generated and published (Learn more).
  4. HubSpot CMS Hub: View and edit your sitemap here.
  5. Wix: Automatically created if you complete the SEO setup checklist.
  6. Drupal: Use the Simple XML Sitemap module to configure your sitemap.
  7. Sitecore: Configure the sitemap here.

Once you’ve verified that your sitemap is active, it’s time to follow a few best practices to keep it optimized.

Best Practices for Sitemap.xml

Structuring your sitemap correctly ensures that search engines can efficiently crawl your site and improve your visibility in search results. Keep it clean by following these tips:

  • Use Full URLs: Each entry should include the full URL (e.g., https://www.example.com/shop) rather than just the path (/shop).
  • Only Include Live Pages: All URLs should lead to published pages that load without errors. You can:
    • Resolve 404 (Not Found) or 500 (Server Error) pages.
    • Remove or update any 301/302 redirects listed in the sitemap.
  • Remove ‘noindex’ Pages: Avoid including pages with ‘noindex’ directives in your sitemap, as they tell search engines not to index them. Use Google Search Console or Screaming Frog to identify and remove these pages.

Utilizing Search Engine Console

Once you’ve created a sitemap, the next step is to submit it to Google via Google Search Console (GSC). Think of GSC as a surveillance tool for your website’s SEO health, specifically for Google. It provides insights into your site’s performance and highlights potential issues that might be holding you back in search results.

As for other search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo, the SEO hygiene you perform for Google will usually benefit them as well. If you’re curious or want to explore further data, you can sign up for Bing Webmaster Tools. It’s optional, but I personally enjoy knowing which search engines are crawling and indexing my content. Each tool offers unique features that might benefit you, but if you’re pressed for time, focusing on GSC alone will do just fine.

Setting Up and Navigating Search Console

If you haven’t set up Google Search Console yet, head over to https://search.google.com/search-console and follow the instructions to validate your site. Once that’s done, take some time to explore the various features. Pay special attention to these key sections to track performance and catch issues early:

  • Performance Reports (Search Results, Discover):
    This section shows which search queries are bringing people to your site. Track key metrics like clicks, impressions, and your average ranking position.
  • Indexing Reports (Pages, Sitemaps):
    Find out which pages Google has indexed and identify any issues. Use the Sitemaps report to submit your sitemap (see the next section) and monitor for errors.
  • Enhancements:
    This section highlights areas like mobile usability and AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) improvements. It’s crucial to ensure your site works smoothly across devices.
  • Security Issues:
    If Google detects any security threats on your site, you’ll find them here. Address these issues as soon as possible to protect both your visitors and your search rankings.

Submitting Your Sitemap to Google Search Console

Submitting your sitemap helps Google understand which pages to prioritize when crawling your site.

  1. Log into Google Search Console and navigate to the Sitemaps section under “Indexing”.
  2. Enter your sitemap URL without the domain (e.g., sitemap.xml or sitemap_index.xml) and click ‘Submit’.

Essentials of robots.txt Configuration

The robots.txt file controls how search engines access your site. Crawlers read this simple text file to understand which areas of your site should be crawled and which should be ignored. SEO best practices include referencing your sitemap within the robots.txt file to ensure search engines can find it easily. However, incorrect configuration can affect your site’s visibility, so it’s important to proceed with care. Don’t go overboard tweaking it if you’re unsure of what to allow or disallow—I’ve seen this happen time and time again!

Understanding Robots.txt Basics

The robots.txt file gives search engines instructions on what they should or should not access. You can find it at:

In most cases, your website manager will generate a default robots.txt file automatically. But remember: search engines might not always follow the instructions if they believe ignoring them improves user experience. Think of robots.txt as a “do not enter” sign for search engines—it’s a suggestion, not a command. A basic WordPress configuration looks like this:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
Sitemap: https://rankbeast.com/sitemap_index.xml

Be careful not to block search engines from accessing important pages. If your site is already being indexed and showing up in search results, it’s often best to leave the robots.txt file as is. I’ve seen people accidentally block their entire site just by making small changes to the file—so tread carefully.

Adding a Sitemap Reference to Your Robots.txt File

Notice the sitemap reference in the example above?

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
Sitemap: https://rankbeast.com/sitemap_index.xml

Including your sitemap’s location in the robots.txt file makes it easier for search engines to find and crawl it early. This helps search engines understand your site’s architecture, especially for large websites. While it’s not essential for small sites, adding the sitemap reference can still be helpful.

Here’s how to edit and add the sitemap reference to your robots.txt file on different platforms:

  1. WordPress – Use the Yoast SEO plugin: Edit the robots.txt file through Yoast. Note that Yoast may automatically add the sitemap reference for you.
  2. Squarespace: Automatically configured—no manual changes needed.
  3. Shopify: Managed automatically—no need to adjust it.
  4. HubSpot CMS Hub: See the “Use robots.txt files” section.
  5. Wix: How to edit your site’s robots.txt file.
  6. Drupal: Learn where to replace the robots.txt file in Drupal.
  7. Sitecore: Configure your robots.txt file in Sitecore.

Enhancing H1 Tags for Better Clarity

Webpage content is organized hierarchically within the HTML, using headings and paragraphs to structure information. Titles, subtitles, sections, and subsections are all considered headings. These headings follow a clear hierarchy:

  • H1: The top heading, often the title of the page or article.
  • H2: Subheadings that organize major sections under the H1.
  • H3: Subheadings nested within H2s, and so on.

Since the H1 is often the first thing both people and search engines see, it plays an important role in conveying the core message of the page. H1s help people and search engines understand the content at a high level. Well-written H1s are simple, direct, and specific to the page’s topic, offering quick SEO benefits when optimized effectively.

What about AI? It’s more important than ever to ensure your H1 reflects what people are looking for. AI systems analyze both the content of your page and search behavior. So, it’s important to have Clear, intent-driven headings to help AI match content with the right queries

Crafting Informative and Concise H1s

If people can’t quickly determine what the page is about from the H1, they are less likely to stay and engage. Confusing H1s at the top of the page can deter individuals from investing their time in your content. A clear, well-structured H1 sets expectations and guides both humans and search engines.

While keywords are important, they shouldn’t dominate the H1. The focus should be on the broader topics and themes that resonate with your audience. Writing naturally for people is always the best approach. Keywords should flow into the H1 organically without sounding forced.

Your H1 should reflect the core message of the page and provide a clear preview of the content. It can follow simple formats like:

  • “[WHAT] Services” – Example: “SEO Consulting Services”
  • “[WHAT] Products” – Example: “Eco-Friendly Office Supplies”
  • “[What] Services [WHERE]” – Example: “Plumbing Services in Austin”

Here are a few key practices to follow when writing effective H1 tags:

  • Keep H1s simple and clear: The H1 should convey exactly what the page is about in just a few words.
  • Use one H1 per page: Each page should have one clear H1 tag to avoid confusing both people and search engines. Search engines can distinguish between H1s based on size and placement, but it’s best practice to use only one H1 per page. Avoid duplicate H1s across multiple pages.
  • Align the H1 with page content: Make sure the H1 accurately reflects the main topic or service covered on the page. A misleading or poorly aligned H1 will cause people to leave quickly.
  • Incorporate keywords naturally: Use relevant keywords in the H1 where appropriate, but ensure the phrasing is natural and easy to read. The goal is to make the content readable for people first.
  • Keep it short and concise: Aim for H1s to be around 60 characters or fewer. This length ensures readability on both the page and in search results.
  • Avoid keyword stuffing: Stuffing H1s with keywords is outdated and ineffective. Search engines and humans prioritize clarity and quality content over excessive keyword use. Focus on creating meaningful, well-phrased H1s.

Identifying and Resolving 404 Errors

A 404 Not Found error occurs when someone tries to access a page on your website that no longer exists. Think of 404s like potholes on a road—they disrupt the user experience and prevent smooth navigation. These errors stop both visitors and search engine crawlers in their tracks. From a visitor’s perspective, it’s frustrating. They expect to land on the page they were looking for, only to see a “Page not found” message. This can happen for several reasons: the page may have been deleted, the link is broken, or the URL was mistyped. If people can’t find what they need, they’ll likely leave and search elsewhere.

Additionally, too many 404 errors send negative signals to search engines. This can impact how your site ranks in search engine results. Fixing 404s is a quick and effective way to improve your website’s SEO. Regularly monitoring and resolving errors like these is essential for maintaining good website hygiene.

Using Tools to Find 404 Errors

Identifying 404 errors is easy if you know which tools to use. Many tools offer free versions with some limitations, but they’re still effective for finding broken links, deleted pages, and incorrect URLs. Regularly scanning your site for errors ensures that your website stays in good health. Here are some tools I’ve found helpful:

  • Google Search Console: Use the “Coverage” section to find 404 errors and other crawl issues. You’ll see a list of broken URLs that need fixing.
  • Google Analytics: To find 404 pages, create a random invalid page (e.g., https://[yourwebsite]/randopageurlfornotfound) and note the page title (e.g., “Page not found”). In GA4, go to Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens, filter by “Page title”, and search for the 404 title to identify broken URLs causing this error.
  • Screaming Frog SEO Spider: This powerful crawler scans websites for errors, including 404s. The free version lets you crawl up to 500 pages—perfect for smaller sites.
  • Ahrefs Site Audit: A premium tool with free capabilities when connected to Google Search Console. It helps identify 404 errors while also providing insights into site health and SEO performance.
  • SEMrush Site Audit: SEMrush offers a comprehensive set of SEO tools, including crawlers that find 404 errors and other site health insights. Useful for larger websites with more complex SEO needs.

Implementing Redirects Correctly

Once you’ve identified 404 errors, the next step is to set up 301 redirects. A 301 redirect tells search engines and people that the original page has been moved permanently, ensuring SEO value transfers to the new destination. Follow these steps to implement redirects effectively:

  1. Select a relevant page: Redirect people to a page that closely matches the original content. For example, if a blog post has been removed, redirect it to a similar post—not just the main blog page.
  2. Set up the redirect: Use the appropriate tools or plugins to create the 301 redirect.
  3. Test the redirect: Verify that the redirect works as expected. You can use the same tools mentioned above (e.g., Screaming Frog) to confirm it’s functioning correctly.

While redirects are essential, using too many can negatively impact your site. Redirect chains (multiple redirects linking one after another) can slow down page loading times and confuse crawlers. Aim to resolve 404 errors at their source by updating internal links instead of relying solely on redirects. Good website hygiene means identifying and fixing broken links proactively, rather than constantly adding new redirects.

Here are platform-specific suggestions for setting up redirects:

  • WordPress: Use a plugin like Redirection to manage redirects. It also tracks 404s and simplifies redirect management compared to using .htaccess files.
  • Squarespace: Add redirects via Settings > Developer Tools > URL Mapping. Enter the old and new URLs following the provided syntax to activate the 301 redirect.
  • Shopify: Navigate to Online Store > Navigation > View URL Redirects and enter the old and new paths. Simple as that!
  • HubSpot CMS Hub: Create and manage redirects via Settings > Website > Domains & URLs > URL Redirects. Add both the old and new URLs to create a 301 redirect. Learn more.
  • Wix: Add redirects using the Settings > SEO Dashboard > URL Redirect Manager. Learn more here.
  • Drupal: Install the Redirect module to manage redirects directly within the backend.
  • Sitecore: Use the content editor to create a redirect within the platform.

Wrapping It Up: Staying on Top of SEO Basics

SEO doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It’s often the small, simple things—like optimizing H1 tags, setting up redirects, and maintaining a clean sitemap—that have the most immediate impact. By focusing on these low-hanging fruits, you’re already making strides toward better visibility and user experience.

The key is consistency. Regularly checking for 404 errors, monitoring Search Console, and keeping an eye on redirects will ensure your site stays in good health. SEO isn’t a “set it and forget it” kind of task—it’s more like tending a garden. A little attention here and there goes a long way, and before you know it, you’ll start seeing the results. As long as you also have solid content.

So, as you move forward, remember: Keep things clear, keep things simple, and most importantly, keep your audience in mind. Search engines follow the breadcrumbs we leave behind, but it’s the people who matter most. Optimize for them, and you’ll find that SEO success naturally follows.

What are common low-hanging fruit in SEO?

Quick SEO wins include:

  • Implementing 301 redirects correctly.
  • Ensuring your sitemap.xml is live and submitted to search engines.
  • Properly configuring your robots.txt file.
  • Optimizing H1 tags for clarity.
  • Identifying and resolving 404 errors.

A sitemap.xml is a file that lists all the pages on your website, serving as a roadmap for search engines. It ensures that search engines can find and index your content effectively, which is crucial for your site’s visibility in search results.

To verify your sitemap:

  • Visit https://[yourwebsite]/sitemap.xml.
  • If it loads correctly, your sitemap is active.
  • If you encounter a “page not found” error, you may need to generate or activate your sitemap using your website’s CMS or a plugin.

To submit your sitemap:

  • Log in to Google Search Console.
  • Select your website property.
  • Navigate to the “Sitemaps” section.
  • Enter your sitemap URL (e.g., /sitemap.xml) and click “Submit.”

The robots.txt file instructs search engine crawlers on which pages to crawl or avoid. Properly configuring this file ensures that search engines can access the pages you want indexed while preventing them from accessing sensitive or irrelevant content.

Use tools like Google Analytics or Screaming Frog to detect 404 errors. Once identified, you can fix these errors by restoring the missing pages or setting up 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the correct pages.

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirection from one URL to another. It’s essential for maintaining SEO value when a page’s URL changes, ensuring that both users and search engines are directed to the correct page without losing ranking authority.