The Most Important Reasons to Use a 302 Redirect

The Most Important Reasons to Use a 302 Redirect

Jan 14, 2021 | Seo

Not sure what a 302 redirect is or when to use them? Are you curious about the impact on your SEO efforts?

I’ve got good news: 302 redirects are actually pretty simple. At its core, a 302 redirect is a way to tell search engines and users that a page has moved temporarily and to direct them to a new page for a short period.

Simple enough, right?

The problem is using the wrong redirect can significantly impact SEO and user experience. This is why getting the redirect right is crucial to your overall digital marketing strategy.

So what’s the difference between the types of redirects, and when should you use a 302? Here’s what you need to know.

What’s the Difference Between a 302 Redirect and 301 Redirect?

A 302 redirect is an HTTP response status code that tells search engines a page has moved, but only temporarily. It then directs users (and search engines) to the new, temporary page.

A 301 redirect is a server-side HTTP response status code that tells users and search engines a page has permanently moved, and it won’t be coming back.

For users, there’s little difference between the two types of redirects. They get sent to a new (hopefully more useful) page regardless of the redirect type.

The core difference between a 302 redirect and a 301 redirect is the amount of time the redirect is in place, but a 302 also leaves something important behind: link equity and page rank.

When you use a 302 redirect, the original page usually maintains its Google ranking, so it shouldn’t impact your SEO efforts. However, a 301 redirect causes the original page to lose ranking and can cause it to be deindexed by search engines.

According to Google, the main reasons to use a 301 (permanent) redirect are:

  • You’ve changed domains
  • People access your site through multiple URLs
  • You are merging two websites or pages

You might also use a 301 redirect when switching from HTTP to HTTPS or when you merge two related pages. Any time you move a page and have no intentions of bringing it back, use a 301.

When you use a 301 redirect, the original page is no longer considered by Google, which is the main reason you want to ensure you use the correct type of redirect.

Say you’ve spent years establishing a pillar content page to rank for a key term in your industry. You decide to take the page down for a few days to redesign and update the page. If you use a 301 redirect, Google thinks the page is gone forever and removes the page from indexing.

Ouch.

Use a 302 and Google knows the page is coming back.

The type of redirect you use severely impacts your SEO, so make sure you always use the correct type for the situation.

Four Reasons to Use a 302 Redirect

So, what are the exact benefits of using a 302 redirect? Not all redirects are created equal, and using the wrong redirect can have a severe impact on your site’s SEO, as we’ve already covered.

Remember, a 301 redirect is permanent. You are telling Google and users that the page is gone and will never return. If the change is not permanent, you’ll want to use a 302 redirect.

Here are a few benefits of using a 302 over a 301 redirect.

302 Redirects Improve UX

Few things are more frustrating than clicking on a link and not finding the content you expect. It’s enough to send most users back to the search results (and to a competitor).

A 302 redirect makes sure users and search engines always find the content they are looking for. For example, if a product is temporarily out of stock, you might use a 302 redirect to send customers to a related product page or a page letting them know when the product is likely to be back in stock. You might also use a 302 to send users to related content while you redesign a pillar content page.

302 Redirects Are Temporary

Unlike 301 pages, 302 redirects are temporary, which means you can switch back at any time. This provides a lot of flexibility for site owners. For example, you could temporarily send site users to a related page while you redesign a landing page.

Because the switch is temporary, Google won’t remove the page from search results or otherwise devalue the page in its ranking.

302 Redirects Shouldn’t Hurt Your SEO

A 302 redirect tells Google (and all other search engines) that the move is temporary and preserves the page’s ranking and link equity. As a result, implementing the redirect shouldn’t impact your SEO. That means all your hard work won’t be in vain!

When the page no longer needs to be redirected, simply remove the redirect, and your SEO shouldn’t be affected.

302 Redirects Are Easier to Implement

Creating a 301 redirect requires access to your server, which means most digital marketers and site owners have to enlist the help of a developer to implement a 301 redirect. 302 redirects, however, can be created relatively easily using meta tags or a WordPress plugin. That means you can quickly implement them and easily take them down.

Note: Do not use 302 redirects when permanently moving a page just because they are easier. If a page move is permanent, always use a 301 redirect. Depending on your site, 301 redirects might be easy enough to create. If you aren’t sure where to start, head to your host’s knowledge base or look for a WordPress plugin.

When Should You Use a 302 Redirect?

Remember, the core difference between 301 and 302 redirects is the permanency of the move. If you are moving a page for a short time, you’ll want to use a 302 redirect to preserve the original page’s integrity (and ranking).

Let’s look at a few examples of when you’d want to use a 302.

When a Page Is Moved Temporarily

A 302 redirect makes no practical difference for users. They still get sent to the new page regardless. For search engines, however, the temporary nature of the switch is crucial.

Essentially, you are telling search engines, “Hey, don’t worry about this page right now; the other page will be back soon.”

If you are confident the move is temporary, 302 is the way to go. For example, you might move a page temporarily because:

  • You are updating the page, but the new page isn’t live yet
  • You’re looking to get feedback about a new page before moving permanently
  • You’re running a time-sensitive promotion and want to redirect visitors to the page for a short time

When a Page Is Under Development

Another reason to use a temporary redirect is when a page (or website) is under development. Extensive redesigns might require taking your site offline, which can be frustrating for users and confusing for search engines.

Rather than leaving users hanging, a temporary redirect lets them know the page or site will be back very soon.

In this situation, you might send users to an email sign-up page or to offer a countdown clock so they know when the site will be back. Here’s an example of a countdown page from Themeforest with a countdown clock:

The page also offers links to social media accounts to help build a social media presence.

When the Content Is Inactive or the Page Broken

You might also use a 302 redirect when a page is broken or inactive. You don’t want users to land on a blank page (or get a 404 error), so a temporary redirect may be the way to go. Remember, only use a 302 if you plan to bring the page back.

For example, the content might be inactive because you run a semi-annual sign-up period for a membership site or you have a landing page for a recurring webinar that’s currently unavailable. A 302 should ensure the site maintains its SEO ranking and is ready to go when you want to reactivate the page.

When a Product Is Unavailable

Think about the last time you tried to order an item online, only to find out the product was no longer in stock. You were so close to having that item in your hands, only to find out it’s gone, and you have no idea when it might be available again.

It’s frustrating, and you’re likely to head to a competitor to complete your purchase. This is why stockouts (when a product is out of stock or unavailable) can hurt overall revenue and impact brand trust.

The reality is, items will sometimes go out of stock. It’s just part of doing business. A manufacturer might run out, or the supply chain might otherwise be impacted by something out of your control.

While you might not always be able to control stockouts, you can use redirects to preserve user experience. For example, you might use a 302 redirect to send users to a waitlist page, like this one:

You could also send users to a related product (just be sure to let them know!). When the product is back in stock, you can reactivate the original page and preserve all that SEO you worked so hard for.

When A/B Testing Content or Design

Whether you are in e-commerce, the service industry, or run a local business, A/B testing is crucial to your bottom line. A/B testing allows you to test two different versions of the same page to see which version drives conversions, sales, or any other behavior you want users to take.

For example, I used A/B testing to figure out which CTAs to use in the sidebar of my website.

It turns out, the orange button converted much better than other colors.

Here’s another example of the power of A/B testing: WallMonkeys, a company offering wall decals and murals, increased conversions by 550% by using A/B testing to figure out what site users were more likely to respond to.

So where do 302 redirects come into play?

Well, you don’t want to permanently redirect your page because you might find out the original page was the best! Instead, use a 302 redirect to temporarily send a portion of your users to the adjusted page without losing your ranking. When the test is over, you can remove the redirect and go right back to normal.

If you are struggling with A/B testing, check out this guide for creating a winning A/B testing strategy.

To Redirect to the Desktop or Mobile Version of Your Site

If you aren’t already offering a mobile-friendly website, it is past time to do so. Seriously. Google moved to mobile-first indexing in the summer of 2019.

Your site should already work well on both mobile and desktop, but there are some reasons why you might still have a mobile version of a website.

For example, a banking app might offer a streamlined version of their website for mobile users, or they might find most mobile users are looking for a branch location. A 302 can send those users to the most useful page. You might also use a streamlined navigation bar for mobile and allow desktop users to access the complete version.

In both cases, a 302 redirect ensures every user lands on the site most useful to them.

Conclusion

Redirects can get confusing: 301s, 302s, plus 404 errors for when pages are broken.

Navigating these can be a pain if you are not a developer or a technical SEO expert. Hopefully, I’ve helped you better understand when and why you’d want to use 302 redirects on your site.

Here’s the TL;DR version: 302 redirects are temporary and generally preserve the SEO of the original page. 301 pages are permanent and tell search engines to disregard the old page in favor of the new page.

Now that you understand the difference, make sure to implement the right one on your site.

Have you used a temporary redirect before? What challenges did you face?

What Is a Blog Category and Why Are They Important for Your Blog?

What Is a Blog Category and Why Are They Important for Your Blog?

Jan 10, 2021 | Blogging

Do you read every post on a blog? If you’re like me, you visit sites for a specific reason — be it the New York Times crossword puzzle or the latest gear roundup from Outside. You know what you’re looking for when you click. That frame of mind is why blog categories help readers navigate your site.

But what categories should you choose? How do you name them? And what’s the difference between categories and tags?

→ Download Now: 6 Free Blog Post Templates

Let’s cut the confusion with blog category best practices that keep readers combing through your content.

What is a blog category?

Blog categories organize your site and allow readers to find the information they want. They’re high-level topics that make it easy for people to understand what your blog is about and navigate to the content that interests them. Think of it like a table of contents. The categories provide structure to your site by organizing individual posts and sub-topics under several main topics.

For example, imagine you run a food blog. You create recipes, write reviews for appliances, and share photography tips. These main topics (recipes, reviews, photography) are your blog categories. But within each topic fall a handful of sub-topics like bread and pastry recipes, small appliance and tool reviews, and low lighting and stop-motion photography tutorials.

If I’m visiting your site for dinner inspiration, I should be able to quickly click your recipes category to view all of the tasty options you have to offer.

No matter what kind of blog you run, the content you create needs to fall under one of your chosen categories.

Why Blog Categories Are Important

You put hours of work into each blog post, and you don’t want it to disappear into the black hole of your archives. Without defined blog categories, your content quickly sinks out of view — only to be found by endless scrolling. Preventing this from happening is only one benefit of categories.

1. Blog categories provide simple site navigation.

A visually appealing site is incredibly important for visitors. 90% of people have left a website due to poor design. Blog categories group content under a handful of topics, so people get to where they want to be, fast. Some website themes limit the number of categories you can create, so make sure to consider that before grouping your content.

2. Blog categories improve site SEO.

Categories give you a leg up in the blog SEO game by adding hierarchy to your pages. This helps search engines better understand what each page is about and rank accordingly.

If you create a category page, for instance, and continue adding and linking posts that are relevant to that category, it will become increasingly optimized. Search engines will recognize this and bump up the ranking, which makes it easier for people to find your site.

3. Blog categories make blog content strategy easier.

Planning an editorial calendar is no easy feat. But with well-defined blog categories, you have a guide for what to write about. Your strategy can touch on each category to avoid stacking one with all the content. This rounds out your blog and prevents you from falling into single-category chaos.

If that’s not enough to sway you, know that 65% of the most successful North American bloggers have a well-documented content marketing strategy. Among the least successful bloggers, 39% admit they don’t have any strategy and 14% actually write down a strategy.

Blog Category Examples

Every blog is unique, but it’s worthwhile to look at others for inspiration. Here are a few examples of how different sites sort their content into blog categories.

1. HubSpot

Since you’re already here, let’s take a look at how this blog is organized. The main categories are Marketing, Sales, Service, and Website. But within the Marketing category, for example, are sub-topics like social media, branding, SEO, and digital marketing.

HubSpot Blog Category example

Image source

2. Patagonia

Outside of their product website, Patagonia runs a blog called The Cleanest Line. It’s broken down into the following categories: Stories, Films, Books, and Activism. You can search deeper by clicking on sub-topics organized by sports like kitesurfing, climbing, and trail running.

Patagonia blog categories

Image source

3. The New Yorker

Personally, I go for the cartoons. But The New Yorker has a lot to offer, which is why they sort content into 10 categories: News, Books & Culture, Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Cartoons, Magazine, Crossword, Video, Podcasts, Archive, Goings On.

blog categories on The New Yorker

Image source

4. Joy the Baker

I could scroll through this site all day, but it’s easy to navigate thanks to five categories: Recipes, Cookbooks, The BakeHouse, Drake on Cake, and Workshops. Joy infuses her personality into the names while still making it clear what she’s all about: delicious baked goods.

Joy the Baker blog organization tags

Image source

Blog Categories vs. Tags

Maybe you’ve grouped all your posts under one category and gone tag crazy to create some sort of structure. You’re not the only one. The world of tags and categories can be confusing. But now is the time to learn the difference between the two so you know when to use one versus the other.

While categories and tags help organize your site, you already know categories are the high-level topics to guide readers where they want to go. Categories usually make up your navigation bar or are displayed on a sidebar for people to see. The fewer categories you have, the better. This is especially important if you’re running a niche blog, because it helps you stand out from the other sites in the space.

There’s no hard and fast rule for the right number of categories, but most niche blogs have between three to five, while larger sites have around five to ten categories. The New York Times has 19 categories, but this is definitely too many for most businesses. The larger the number, the more difficult it is to stay organized.

On the other hand, a tag is an indicator of what a particular post is about. It’s one to three words that sort your post into a particular archive. It’s not typically shown on your site, but helps search engines find your posts.

For instance, this post falls under the Marketing category, but it’s also organized with a tag for Blogging so that you can easily navigate to other posts on the topic at the very bottom of this post. With tags like this, our post now pops up when you’re looking for information about naming blog categories.

Choosing tags is simple — start with the keywords you already plan to use for a post. If you’re using a pillar/cluster model like we do, you might even consider naming the tags after the pillar or cluster your piece(s) will sit under.

Or, simply use existing words people may type into search that relate to your post. Avoid tags with the same names as your categories to prevent overlap. Aim for less than 10 tags per post. And don’t make up words unless it’s a strategic part of your blog or brand strategy.

Now that you have a better understanding of tags and categories, it’s time for strategic fun: choosing category names.

Naming Your Blog Categories

1. Use analytics to help name your blog categories.

Choosing names for your categories starts with one major factor: analytics. Yes, really. Even if your site is whimsical or totally unique, creating strong categories requires data.

What articles are getting the most views, comments, likes, or shares? If you know what people love about your blog, you’ll have a better idea of where to focus. It also helps to look at what topics aren’t resonating with your readers, especially if you had considered them a priority in the past.

2. Narrow down the topics you cover.

It’s time to whittle down your topics. There’s no ideal number, but between three to five categories gives you enough breadth without being too overwhelming to manage. Some bloggers prefer five to eight categories, while news sites may have around eight to ten. The number is up to you. Just consider your content, your strategy, and your time. Blog categories are meant to make writing easier, not more complicated.

3. Get specific with your blog categories.

For some people, choosing names will be easy. Of course, food blogs always have a Recipes category. But this is the time to think about your unique brand and what you want to present to people.

For instance, the food blog Kitchn has categories for Recipes, Holidays, Meal Planning, Learn, Shop, and People. This site is mainly for an audience who cooks often, plans ahead, hosts holiday meals, invests in quality cooking tools, and is inspired by famous chefs. Know your readers, and cater to what they want. Just don’t get so creative that people have no idea what your content is about.

4. Be consistent in your blog category naming.

Be consistent in style and structure. Remember how bad design scares away readers? Inconsistent categories play a part in the overall look and feel of your blog, so keep them as similar as possible. This includes capitalization and use of nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Not every category has to be exactly the same, but you don’t want one to be a six-word question while another is a one-word noun.

If your blog has been around for a few years, you may have some serious organization to do. Blog categories are a great way to start sorting. Consider what categories your readers enjoy best, and get rid of any with only a few posts. Trimming down categories isn’t always easy. But it’s definitely worth the effort for a site that’s simple to navigate and build a strong content strategy around.

The 10 Most Important SEO Tips You Need to Know

The 10 Most Important SEO Tips You Need to Know

Jan 7, 2021 | Seo

A lot has changed in the world of search engine optimization – and there’s a lot of SEO tips out there.

However, certain fundamental principles remain unchanged.

For example, targeting keywords with the sole intent of improving organic rankings no longer works with search engines but choosing the right keywords is still an important piece to the puzzle.

Beyond getting SEO juice, keywords reveal a lot more about users and what they’re struggling with.

With so many SEO techniques, it’s become almost impossible to determine which ones to stick to and which you can safely ignore.

Is link building a thing of the past? Should you devote your time and energy to on-page SEO? How can you write a title tag to drive your rankings with search engines? Where do SEO and social media intersect?

And, seriously, what are the truly best SEO tips that’ll lead to results? 

Both B2B and B2C marketers want more search leads, because they result in 8.5X more clicks than paid search results.

Brian Dean did a fabulous job when he created a post showcasing 200 Google ranking factors. The post went on to become extremely popular and generated thousands of new leads from organic search for Brian.

This article may not be as in-depth as Brian’s, nor will I be answering all of the questions raised above. Instead, I want to show you the 10 most important SEO tips you need to know to help your site rank right now.

If you focus on these techniques alone, you’ll definitely drive more organic traffic to your blog and improve your search rankings without risking a Google penalty.

Let’s get started: 

1. Remove Anything that Slows Down Your Site

Page speed is a critical factor in SEO.

In the past, you could get away with a slow-loading site. I recall when I had to wait for about five minutes before a popular news site fully loaded.

I’m sure you can relate to that.

That’s never a good experience but it’s the kiss of death in today’s marketplace.

A slow page frustrates users and ultimately discourage people from buying your product.

Data from Strange Loop shows that a mere one-second delay in page load time can yield a whopping 7% loss in conversions.

In the mind of potential buyers, a slow site is an untrustworthy site. Period.

Page speed is vital to search engines, too. According to eConsultancy, “40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load.”

As businesses become more aware of the opportunities to generate targeted leads and increase revenue through search engine optimization, there is a huge demand for speed.

10 years ago on April 9, 2010, Google included site speed as one of the all-important ranking factors.

This means that if your pages are slow, you’re fighting a losing battle for top organic listings, regardless of the quality of your content or your professional website design.

Get rid of non-essential elements that slow down your site. If you’re a WordPress user, consider deactivating plugins you don’t actually need.

Also, declutter your sidebar and put only essential widgets there.

To learn how to get more out of search engines by improving your page speed, visit Ubersuggest.

Step #1: Enter Your Domain and Click Search

Step #2: Click Site Audit in the Left Sidebar

Step #3: Scroll Down to Site Speed

This shows how quickly your site loads and how quickly key elements become available to users.

My desktop loading time is one second and my mobile loading time is two seconds. Both of these fall within the “excellent” range. As a general rule of thumb, if your site speed doesn’t score as “excellent”, you should make changes to improve it.

Review the advanced breakdown for additional guidance. For example, “speed index” shows how quickly the content of a page is visibly populated. If your website is lagging behind here, there’s a good chance visitors are leaving because they don’t want to wait for your content to load.

Every additional 0.5s it takes to load your site drastically increases the number of visitors that will leave your site. So, even an improvement of 0.5 seconds will increase traffic to your website.

2. Link to Other Websites with Relevant Content

Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger Media says:

Linking out to other blogs is critical to growth.

Some people think, linking out to relevant and authoritative content pages is bad because it takes people off your page.

But, I don’t think so. Link building remains a fundamental part of smart search engine optimization strategy. I link out to tons of high-quality sites and sources, including my direct competition.

Why? Because it helps you, my reader.

According to Rand Fishkin, founder of Moz,

Linking out sends trackable traffic, it makes your site a more valuable and scalable resource.

If you’ve been reading my blogs, you’ll notice that I regularly link out to different sites. Whenever I write a new post, I reference other trustworthy sites, where appropriate.

You can’t expect to get from others if you’re unwilling to give first. For example, if you’re looking to get inbound links from authoritative blogs, one of the easiest ways to do that is to show your willingness to link out to those blogs from your own content.

Of course, you should only link out to content pages that offer tremendous value. It’s a good SEO practice.

More important, you can notify an influencer when you link out to them, and, if your post is valuable, they can link back to you, share the post, or even email it to their huge email subscriber list.

Link building is also all about quality, not quantity. You’ll build more trust in your niche if you have a few authoritative links rather than a dozen poor quality links.

3. Write for Humans First, Search Engines Second

Lately, I’ve noticed that more and more bloggers and content creators are going back to the old method of SEO, where keywords meant to drive search results surpassed the real qualities of engaging, valuable content. If that’s you, it’s absolutely time to change your mindset.

Many people still aren’t capitalizing on long-tail keywords, preferring instead to attempt to manipulate search engines.

That’s the wrong approach.

Don’t prioritize search engines over the actual humans reading your work. Instead, write content for the user, people who have eyes to read and credit cards to purchase your product.

Search spiders are just scripts — they don’t buy products, they don’t engage with you on social media, and they won’t become a loyal customer. 

Copyblogger is my #1 go-to site when it comes to putting readers first. No wonder Brian Clark is so successful at content marketing. He’s even turned Copyblogger into a multi-million dollar digital marketing company.

It all happened because a marketer like you was passionate about helping people. That’s what drives me, too — and maybe you, as well.

So, what does it mean to write for users first, before search engines?

Well, it’s simple.

Forget that Google and other search engines exist when you’re writing. Instead, create content that will help someone. This is known as SEO copywriting.

Funny enough, when you put users first, you’ll actually write helpful content that search engines reward because search engines follow users. It’s not the other way round. At the same time, you’ll be enhancing the user experience and building trust with your audience.

4. Encourage Other Trustworthy Sites to Link to You

To a large extent, inbound links are still the lifeblood of search engine rankings.

When you combine dofollow and nofollow links, you get a natural link profile that even Google will reward.

Content marketing is all about creating high-quality, engaging content that drives people to link to you and share your content on social media.

Do you know why so many bloggers link to my posts?

The major factor in my success is that I invest a lot of time, money, and resources into creating a single post or other piece of content.

How much effort do you suppose when in to creating, “The Complete Guide to Building Your Personal Brand”?

This wasn’t a post we threw together in an hour — it took several hours over several days to create this content.

When you’re at the forefront of your industry, creating useful content and linking to authoritative blogs, you’ll find that more people will link to you naturally. This is the essence of effective link building.

5. Have Web Analytics in Place at the Start

After defining your search engine optimization goals clearly, you need software to track what’s working and what’s not.

Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and other private web analytics software solutions can help you track your success.

Tools like Crazy Egg also show you where your site visitors are clicking and how they navigate away from your site.

You should have these web analytics in place, even before you send the first visitor to your site or landing page.

6. Write Unique and Relevant Meta Descriptions for Every Page

One of the most important SEO tips that most people neglect is the well-crafted meta description.

The meta description is the first section that people see when Google serves up your page to search users.

Generally, the search engine giant doesn’t like duplicate content. Yes, there are times when there is a need to cite a paragraph or sentence from another site (and link back to the source), but if publishing duplicate content becomes your way of life, you will find it nearly impossible to become a long-term success.

In the same vein, duplicate meta descriptions could get you into trouble. But, even if you don’t get penalized straight away, you’re still not providing a great user experience. 

You can’t have the same meta description for a page that talks about email marketing and a page on making sales. There’s a big difference in those topics and your meta descriptions should communicate that fact.

If you’re a WordPress user, you can fix duplicate meta descriptions by installing the All-In-One-SEO Pack or Yoast plugins.

Then, in your WordPress editor, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and add a unique title tag and meta description.

7. Use a Simple, Readable URL Structure

If users can’t read or understand your URL, then search engines may be confused as well. 

Just check out the URL of this article: https://neilpatel.com/blog/10-most-important-seo-tips-you-need-to-know/.

Granted, the URL above is long, but it’s easy to understand, for both users and search engines. There are no numbers or characters, other than the words and dashes.

Stay away from page URLs like this:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/272531

Those numbers don’t tell users anything about what to expect from the content.

Remember, search engines follow search users.

Brian Clark once said that Google bots are like infants who need to be spoon-fed regularly. And, he’s right.

Even in this age of search evolution, including RankBrain, search spiders are still programs, not humans. You need to guide them accordingly.

Brian Dean’s structure is what people should be doing and what I do, as well. He ensures that only two to four words are included in any URL.

This makes the URL memorable to the user, search engine-friendly, and easy to type. Copyblogger does the same thing:

Also, avoid stop words like a, an, the, but, or in.

You can learn more about optimizing your page URLs from this infographic:

8. Build Momentum with Social Signals

Social media is an integral part of SEO strategy and social signals are important. You’ve got to focus on increasing yours.

It’s true that Google hasn’t added social signals into their ranking algorithm factors, but I’ve personally seen that social signals do impact search engine rankings.

Don’t believe me?

Well, several case studies have proven the impact of social shares, likes, tweets, and pins on search engine rankings.

As an example, Moz started to rank on Google for “Beginner’s Guide” after Smashing Magazine tweeted out the guide. Shrushti’s search rankings improved from page 400 to page one of Google due to social media.

If you want to get more social signals, the rules haven’t changed. Here’s the summary:

  • Create useful content that’s share-worthy across your social media platforms.
  • Add share buttons to your post and make them visible.
  • Encourage people to share, by asking them to.
  • Host a social media contest to get more shares.
  • Mention and link to social media influencers/power users in your post and notify them.

Social media is at your disposal. Use it, and use it well.

9. Use the Right Keywords in Images

Images are important in search engine optimization.

Google dedicated an entire section of its search results to images. This should tell you how concerned the search engine giant is with pictures.

When users are looking for a particular image, what do they search with?

Keywords.

For this reason, you should use the right keywords in your image names and accompanying text (like the caption). Of course, this is not permission to engage in keyword stuffing.

However, if your image is of a “blue women’s hat,” don’t name your image “click here to buy hat.”

Always remember that in image search engine optimization, relevance is more important than creativity or cleverness.

10. Publish Unique Content Consistently to Improve SEO

According to the Content Marketing Institute, producing unique and engaging content is a challenge for most marketers.

Whether you’re a B2B or B2C marketer, you need to be disciplined, when it comes to content creation.

It’s even more important than you might think, due to something called the “fresh factor.”

Unique content is one of the factors that affect this freshness score, and, consequently, the search engine rankings for that specific page.

If you’re not Brian Dean, who’s mastered the art of content promotion and can regularly get tens of thousands of users to read a new post and share it with others on social media, the easiest way to optimize your freshness score is by creating content consistently.

If you’ve chosen to market your business online, then creating unique and helpful blog posts isn’t an option — it’s a must.

Bonus SEO Tip: Don’t Change Your Domain Name Regularly

The age of a domain or web page is also one of the top SEO tips you should keep in mind. Indeed, it’s crucial for your success.

For this reason, don’t constantly change your domain name. Pick one and stick with it, unless there’s a very good reason to change.

That does happen — just don’t make it a regular practice.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve found these SEO tips helpful. If you follow the tips above, you’ll be on your way to higher rankings and more traffic.

Here’s a few final tips to help you reach your target audience:

If you’ve published a post in the past that’s no longer relevant to users, especially due to the recent Google changes, work to update that page. Or worst-case scenario, 301 redirect it to a newer, fresher piece of content on your site.

That way, you can retain the backlinks, social media shares, and other on-site engagement metrics it’s already earned.

Finally, learn to focus on and create content around long-tail search phrases (e.g., social media marketing techniques), and not head keywords (e.g., social media).

When link building, think quality, not quantity. And, don’t forget to make your web pages mobile-friendly.

If you’d like help with your SEO, reach out to my team.

Which other search engine optimization tips or techniques do you think are most crucial for improving search rankings? Are there any SEO tips that have worked against you?