As 2023 draws to a close, website and business owners alike should prepare their new SEO strategy for 2024. While indeed, SEO is an ongoing process, with the new year coming - evaluating past SEO strategies and finding room for improvement to plan the complete SEO checklist for 2024 can be really helpful to ensure future success. With search engines such as Google consistently updating their algorithm, doing this to keep up with the latest SEO trends is crucial. If you want to get a higher Google ranking in 2024, following the complete checklist that we have curated below will be very helpful!
What Are the SEO Trends in 2024?
Every year, new SEO trends will emerge as an answer to the search engine updating their algorithms, or due to technological advancement. Being aware of these new SEO trends is the key to staying competitive in the dynamic digital landscape of 2024! Here are some of the ultimate SEO trends in 2024:
- Voice Search Optimization
- Mobile-first Indexing
- E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
- Video SEO
- AI-Powered Optimization
- Proper Keyword Research
Want to learn more about each of these? Check out our comprehensive guide for the SEO trends in 2024 here.
Ultimate Checklist to Get You Started with SEO in 2024
- Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research helps to understand the search volume for specific keywords, discover new keyword ideas, and ensure alignment with user search intent. With proper keyword research, you will be able to craft content based on what potential customers are looking for. This will help improve visibility within SERPs and better targeting of the intended audience. Keyword research usually involves using various tools to identify search terms and phrases that customers input to the search engine.
- Optimize Heading Tag
Heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc) are used to structure the content on the web pages. Optimizing each of these tags involves strategically placing relevant keywords, to provide a clear and concise understanding of the content to the search engine. By using primary keywords in headings, you will be able to better convey the page’s main topic to engine crawlers. This, in turn, will help contribute to better indexing and ranking with the search results.
- Include a Keyword in the URL
Incorporating relevant keywords into a URL indicates the subject or theme of a web page. This practice will help to communicate the content’s relevance to search engines and users even before they enter the page. URLs containing keywords are more descriptive and able to provide concise context, thus making it easier for search engines to determine the page’s content and relevance. This can positively impact a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results.
- Write Descriptive ALT Text for Images
ALT text (alternative text) serves as a textual description for the image on a webpage. Writing descriptive ALT text can provide content about the image content to search engine crawlers and visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. By including relevant keywords in ALT text, you can improve the chances of images appearing in search results for the specific keywords you use. This will overall enhance the SEO performance of the web page, and drive traffic through image searches.
- Prioritize E-E.A.T for Content
As previously mentioned, Google consistently updates its search algorithms. Recently they have been focusing on authority and quality content. This is where E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) becomes crucial.
- Experience: Does the page creator of the post have hands-on experience in the subject?
- Expertise: Does the page creator exhibit credibility in their domain through quality or specific knowledge?
- Authoritativeness: Is the content the site posts reliable or accurate within its niche?
- Trustworthiness: Does the content appear impartial or disclose any biases due to affiliate association?
Given the surge in SEO practices that are not adhering to Google’s guidelines, this search engine platform has placed a stronger emphasis on the credibility of content by prioritizing E-E-A-T. Content that is not focusing on this, will be at risk of being lost in the sea of search engines.
- Create an Internal Linking Strategy
An internal linking strategy involves linking one page of your website to another page within the same domain. Leveraging this strategically for SEO can greatly enhance the site ranking performance.
- Understand Basic Link-Building Concepts
Link-building encompasses the process of acquiring links from other websites to your own - indicating credibility and authority to search engines. By understanding basic link-building concepts, it will be easier to optimize your SEO campaigns.
- Research Competitors’ Backlink Profiles
Analyzing the competitor’s backlink profiles is an initial step before formulating a backlinking strategy. By evaluating their acquired links, you can gain insight into effective linking strategies and opportunities for improvement.
- Analyze and Remove Toxic Backlinks
Regularly examining your backlinks is also important to identify and eliminate toxic or harmful links. Keeping this link in place can put you at risk of being penalized.
- Look for Guest Posting Opportunities
In 2024, guest posting remains a prominent method to generate valuable backlinks. Collaborating with authoritative websites and crafting relevant, high-quality content contributes to establishing credibility and authority among readers. Therefore, it will help to strengthen a website’s overall backlink profile.
- Get the Website Verified on GSC
Website verification in Google Search Console (GSC) is crucial as it helps confirm ownership and allows access to valuable data about website performance, indexing status, search queries, and more. This will help to facilitate effective SEO management and optimization.
To survey your website GSC, first, you need to access the GSC and sign in with your Google account. Afterward just follow through the step-by-step provided, such as adding property by entering your site URL, and utilizing one of the verification methods options available on the site.
- Set Up a Google Analytics Account
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that can provide comprehensive insights into website traffic, user behavior, conversions, and audience demographics. The data gathered from Google Analytics can aid in making informed decisions to enhance website performance and user experience.
- Check Site Regularly for Penalties
Websites can incur penalties due to violations of search engine guidelines, resulting in a drop in rankings or even removal from search results. Ensuring that you have regular checks to identify penalties and take necessary corrective actions to restore rankings is a must to be included in your 2024 SEO checklist.
- Optimize Site Structure To Be SEO Friendly
An SEO-friendly site structure ensures better crawlability and understanding by search engines. To optimize site structure, these are some of the things that should be done, organizing URLs, creating a logical page hierarchy, enhancing internal linking, and improving navigation.
- Optimize Website’s XML Sitemap
An XML sitemap outlines a website’s structure and assists search engine crawlers in indexing web pages efficiently. Optimizing the sitemap ensures that all important pages are included, aiding in improved crawlability and visibility.
- Check and Improve the Loading Speed of the Website
Page loading speed is critical for both user experience and SEO ranking. Faster-loading pages will effectively enhance user satisfaction and reduce bounce rates. Optimizing images, reducing unnecessary scripts, and utilizing caching mechanisms are some ultimate ways to enhance loading speed.
- Mobile-Friendly and User Experience Optimization
The widespread use of mobile devices for internet browsing has made mobile-friendliness a critical factor in website design. In fact, nearly 60% of all online searches are carried out through mobile devices. Thus, ensuring a website is mobile-friendly is crucial because it directly impacts user experience. If a website isn't optimized for mobile, users may leave quickly, leading to higher bounce rates and lower rankings on search engines.
- Set Up Google My Business (GMB)
Google My Business is a powerful tool for local businesses to establish their business presence in Google's search results and maps. Creating and managing a GMB listing enables businesses to display essential information, such as address, phone number, business hours, reviews, and images, prominently in search results. This information helps local customers find and learn about your business quickly.
- Encourage Reviews and Respond to Them
Reviews play a significant role in influencing potential customers' decisions. Authentic and positive reviews act as social proof, indicating the credibility and quality of a business. Encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews not only helps build trust but also enhances your website's visibility in search results.
- Local Link-Building Strategies
Local link building involves acquiring backlinks from other reputable local websites or directories. These backlinks signal to search engines that your business is relevant within a specific geographical area. This strategy will help enhance the credibility and authority of your website within the local community, potentially leading to higher rankings in local search results. Getting mentioned or linked by local influencers, industry-related sites, local news outlets, or community directories can significantly impact your local SEO efforts!
Elevate SEO Game with Cardinal Digital!
Preparing your complete SEO checklist for 2024 is crucial if you want to achieve business success in the new year to come. Following the comprehensive guidelines above will help you to take your search visibility to new levels!
Elevate your online presence with our top SEO services in Singapore. At Cardinal Digital, we specialize in optimizing websites for superior rankings and increased visibility. Our expert team tailors strategies to make your brand stand out, ensuring success for startups and established businesses alike. Transform your website into a digital powerhouse by partnering with us. Contact us now for a consultation and take the reins of your online success.
