Generative AI is everywhere right now. It dominates conference agendas, fills LinkedIn feeds, and is reshaping how many businesses think about organic search.
Brands are racing to optimize for AI Overviews, build vector embeddings, map semantic clusters, and rework content models around LLMs.
What gets far less attention is a basic reality: for most websites, AI platforms still drive a small share of overall traffic.
AI search is growing, no question.
But in most cases, total referral sessions from all LLM platforms combined amount to only about 2% to 3% of the organic traffic Google alone delivers.
Despite that gap, many teams are spending more time chasing AI strategies than fixing simple, high-impact SEO fundamentals that continue to drive measurable results.
Instead of improving what matters most today, they are overinvesting in the future while underperforming in the present.
This article examines how a narrow focus on AI can obscure proven SEO tactics and highlights practical examples and real-world data showing how those fundamentals still move the needle today.
1. Quick SEO wins are still delivering outsized gains
In an era where everyone is obsessed with things like vector embeddings and semantic relationships, it’s easy to forget that small updates can have a big impact.
For example, title tags are still one of the simplest and most effective SEO levers to pull.
And they are often one of the on-page elements that most websites get wrong, either by targeting the wrong keywords, not including variations, or targeting nothing at all.
Just a few weeks ago, a client saw a win by simply adding “& [keyword]” to the existing title tag on their homepage. Nothing else was changed.
Keyword rankings shot up, as did clicks and impressions for queries containing that keyword.
This was all achieved simply by changing the title tag on one page.
Couple that with other tactics, such as on-page copy edits, internal linking, and backlinking across multiple pages, and growth will continue.
It may seem basic, but it still works.
And if you only focus on advanced GEO strategies, you may overlook simple tactics that provide immediate, observable impact.
2. Content freshness and authority still matter for competitive keywords
Another tactic that has faded from view with the rise of AI is what’s often called the skyscraper technique.
It involves identifying a set of keywords and the pages that already rank for them, then publishing a materially stronger version designed to outperform the existing results.
It’s true that the web is saturated with content on similar topics, especially for keywords visible in most research tools.
But when a site has sufficient authority, a clear right to win, and content freshness, this approach can still be highly effective.
I’ve seen this work repeatedly.
Here’s Google Search Console data from a recent article we published for a client on a popular, long-standing topic with many competing pages already ranking.
The post climbed to No. 2 almost immediately and began generating net-new clicks and impressions.
Why did it work?
The site has strong authority, and much of the content ranking ahead of it was outdated and stale.
If you’re hesitant to publish the thousandth article on an established topic, that hesitation is understandable.
This approach won’t work for every site. But ignoring it entirely can mean passing up clear, high-confidence wins like these.
3. User experience remains a critical conversion lever
Hype around AI-driven shopping experiences has led some teams to believe traditional website optimization is becoming obsolete.
There is a growing assumption that AI assistants will soon handle most interactions or that users will convert directly within AI platforms without ever reaching a website.
Some of that future is beginning to take shape, particularly for ecommerce brands experimenting with features like Instant Checkout in ChatGPT.
But many websites are not selling products.
And even for those that are, most brands still receive a significant volume of traffic from traditional search and continue to rely on calls to action and on-page signals to drive conversions.
It also makes little difference how a user arrives – via organic search, paid search, AI referrals, or direct visits.
A fast site, a strong user experience, and a clear conversion funnel remain essential.
There are also clear performance gains tied to optimizing these elements.
Here are the results we recently achieved for a client following a simple CTR test:
Brands that continue to invest in user experience and conversion rate optimization will outperform those that do not.
That gap is likely to widen the longer teams wait for AI to fully replace the conversion funnel.
AI is reshaping search, but what works still matters
There is no dispute that AI is reshaping the search landscape.
It’s changing user behavior, influencing SERPs, and complicating attribution models.
The bigger risk for many businesses, however, is not underestimating AI but overcorrecting for it.
Traditional organic search remains the primary traffic source for most websites, and SEO fundamentals still deliver when executed well.
Quick wins are real.
Higher-quality content continues to be rewarded.
User experience optimization shows no signs of becoming irrelevant.
These are just a few examples of tactics that remain effective today.
Importantly, these efforts do not operate in isolation.
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AI-referral-sessions-vs-Google-organic-clicks-3cpFkz.webp?fit=1128%2C438&ssl=14381128http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-12-22 18:13:042025-12-22 18:13:04AI search is growing, but SEO fundamentals still drive most traffic
Increased enforcement against incentivized reviews.
Local regulatory pressure.
Together, these forces have significant implications for businesses and local search visibility.
Review deletions are on the up globally
Data collected from tens of thousands of Google Business Profile listings across multiple countries by GMBapi.com show a sharp increase in deleted reviews between January and July 2025.
The surge began accelerating toward the end of Q1 and gained momentum mid-year, with a growing share of monitored locations experiencing at least one review removal in a given week.
This is not limited to negative feedback.
While one-star reviews continue to be taken down, five-star reviews now account for a sizable share of deletions.
That pattern suggests Google is applying stricter enforcement, including on positive reviews, as it works to maintain authenticity and trust.
More recently, Google has begun asking members of its Local Guide community whether businesses are incentivizing reviews, likely in response to AI-driven flags for suspicious activity.
Review deletion patterns vary significantly by business category.
Restaurants account for the highest volume of deleted reviews, followed by home services, brick-and-mortar retail, and construction.
These categories generate large volumes of reviews, and removals occur across both recent and older submissions.
That distribution points to ongoing enforcement, not isolated cleanup efforts.
By contrast, medical services, beauty, and professional services see fewer deletions overall.
However, closer analysis reveals distinct and consistent patterns within those categories.
What review ratings reveal about industry bias
Looking at deleted reviews as a share of total removals within each category reveals distinct moderation patterns.
In restaurants and general retail, deleted reviews are relatively evenly distributed across one- to five-star ratings.
By contrast, medical services and home services show a strong skew toward five-star review deletions, with far fewer removals in the middle of the rating spectrum.
That imbalance suggests positive reviews in higher-risk or regulated categories face closer scrutiny, likely tied to concerns around trust, safety, and compliance.
These differences do not appear to stem from manual, category-specific policy decisions.
Instead, they reflect how Google’s automated systems adjust enforcement based on perceived industry risk.
The age of a review plays a significant role in when it is removed.
In medical and home services, a large share of deleted reviews disappear within the first six months after posting.
That timing points to early intervention by automated systems evaluating language, reviewer behavior, and other risk signals.
Restaurants and brick-and-mortar retail show a different pattern.
Many deleted reviews in these categories are more than two years old, suggesting retroactive enforcement as detection systems improve or new suspicious patterns emerge.
It may also reflect efforts to refresh older review profiles.
For businesses, this means reviews can disappear long after they are posted, often without warning.
Geography adds further complexity
Industry alone does not tell the full story. Location matters.
In English-speaking markets such as the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia, deleted reviews skew heavily toward five-star ratings.
That trend aligns with increased AI-driven moderation aimed at reducing review spam and incentivized positive feedback.
Germany stands apart.
Analysis of thousands of German business listings shows a higher share of deleted reviews are low-rated, and most are removed within weeks of posting.
This pattern aligns with Germany’s strict defamation laws, which permit businesses to legally challenge negative reviews and require platforms to take prompt action upon notification.
In short:
AI-driven enforcement dominates in many English-speaking markets.
Legal takedowns play a much larger role in Germany.
What this means for local SEO and small business owners
The rise in review deletions creates two primary challenges.
Trust erosion: When legitimate reviews, whether positive or negative, disappear without explanation, confidence in review platforms begins to weaken.
Data distortion: Deleted reviews affect star ratings, performance benchmarks, and conversion signals that businesses rely on for local SEO and reputation management.
For SEO practitioners, small businesses, and multi-location brands, review monitoring is no longer optional.
Understanding when, where, and which reviews are removed is now as important as generating them.
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Weekly-deleted-reviews-Jan-to-Jul-2025-2tRgZt.webp?fit=512%2C256&ssl=1256512http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-12-22 15:00:002025-12-22 15:00:00Why Google is deleting reviews at record levels
Discovery now happens before search demand is visible in Google.
In 2026, interest forms across social feeds, communities, and AI-generated answers – long before it shows up as keyword search volume.
By the time demand appears in SEO tools, the opportunity to shape how a concept is understood has already passed.
This creates a problem for how search marketing research is typically done.
Keyword tools, search volume, and Google Trends are lagging indicators.
They reveal what people cared about yesterday, not what they are starting to explore now.
In a landscape shaped by AI Overviews, social SERPs, and shrinking organic real estate, arriving late means competing inside narratives already defined by someone else.
It helps surface emerging themes, behaviors, and conversations while they are still forming – before they harden into keywords, content clusters, and product categories.
Used properly, it is not just a trend tool. It is a way to plan SEO, content, digital PR, and social-led search proactively.
This article breaks down how to use Exploding Topics to identify future entities, validate them through social search, and build search visibility before demand peaks.
Use Exploding Topics Trend Analytics to identify future entities – not just topics
Most marketers who use Exploding Topics already understand its value for content ideation, and we will cover that.
But its bigger opportunity is identifying future entities – concepts that search engines and AI systems will soon recognize as distinct “things,” not just keyword variations.
This matters because modern search no longer operates purely on keywords.
Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and other LLM-powered systems organize information around entities and relationships.
Once an entity is established, the narrative around it hardens.
Arrive late, and you are competing inside a story that has already been defined.
Exploding Topics gives you visibility early enough to act before that happens.
Example: Weighted sleep masks
In Exploding Topics, you might notice “weighted sleep mask” rising steadily.
Search volume remains low, and most keyword tools understate its importance.
At a glance, it looks like a niche product trend that is easy to ignore.
Look closer, and the signals are stronger:
The phrase is consistent and repeatable.
Adjacent topics are rising alongside it, including deep pressure sleep, anxiety sleep tools, and vagus nerve stimulation.
Questions that signal intent are increasing.
Early discussion focuses on understanding the concept, not just buying a product.
This is the point where something shifts from being a product with an adjective to a named solution. In other words, it is becoming an entity.
The traditional play
Most brands wait until:
Search demand becomes obvious, acting in December 2025 rather than July 2025.
Competitors launch dedicated product pages.
Affiliates and publishers surface “best” and “vs.” content.
Only then do they create:
A category page.
A “What is a weighted sleep mask?” article or social-search activation.
SEO content designed to chase presence, such as FAQs, SERP features, and rankings.
By this point, the entity already exists, and the story around it has largely been written by someone else.
In this case, NodPod is clearly dominating the entity.
Acting earlier, while the entity is forming
Using Exploding Topics well means acting earlier, while the entity is still being defined. Instead of starting with a product page, you:
Publish a clear, authoritative explanation of what a weighted sleep mask is.
Explain why deep pressure can help with sleep and anxiety.
Address who it is for – and who it is not.
Create supporting content that adds context, such as comparisons with weighted blankets or safety considerations.
This work can be done quickly and at scale through reactive PR and social search activations.
You are not optimizing for keywords yet.
You are teaching social algorithms, search engines, and AI systems what the concept means and associating your brand with that explanation from the start.
This is how brands can win at search in 2026 and beyond.
This early, proactive approach:
Helps search systems understand new concepts faster.
Increases the chance your framing is reused in AI-generated answers.
Positions your brand as the authority on the entity – not just a seller within the conversation.
Identifying an emerging entity is only the first step.
The real risk is not being early to a conversation. It is being early to something that never takes off.
This is where many SEO teams stall.
They wait for search volume and arrive too late, publish on instinct and hope demand follows, or freeze under uncertainty and do nothing.
There is a better middle ground: validate emerging entities through social search research and activation tests before scaling them into owned SEO and on-site experiences.
Exploding Topics is straightforward. It shows what might matter. Social platforms tell you whether your audience actually cares.
How social search becomes your validation layer
Once Exploding Topics surfaces a potential emerging entity, the next step is not Keyword Planner.
It is native search across platforms such as TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube, using either built-in trend tools or basic platform search.
You are looking for signals like:
Multiple creators independently explaining the same concept.
Comment sections filled with questions such as “Does this actually work?” or “Is this safe?”.
Repeated framing, metaphors, or demonstrations.
Early how-to or comparison content, even if production quality is low.
These signals point to intent.
Curiosity is turning into understanding.
Historically, this phase has always preceded measurable search demand.
Revisiting the weighted sleep mask example
After spotting “weighted sleep mask” in Exploding Topics, you might search for it on TikTok.
What you want to see is a lack of heavy brand advertising.
Mature ecommerce pushes or TikTok Shop funnels suggest the market is already established.
Instead, look for creators – not brand channels – testing products, discussing solutions, and exploring the underlying problem.
Focus on videos that explain pains, needs, and motivations, such as why pressure may help with anxiety.
Check the comments for comparisons to other solutions.
Look for questions raised in videos and comment threads.
Tools like Buzzabout.AI can help do this at scale through topic analysis and AI-assisted research.
These signals answer two critical questions:
Are people actively trying to understand this concept?
What language, framing, and objections are forming before SEO data exists?
That is validation.
Rethinking how SEO strategy gets built
This is where search strategy shifts.
Instead of asking, “Is there enough volume to justify content creation?” the better question is, “Is there enough curiosity to justify building authority early?”
If social signals are weak:
Pause.
De-risk by testing with creators outside your owned channels.
Avoid heavy investment in content that takes months to rank.
If signals are strong:
Scale with confidence.
Work with creators and activate brand channels.
Invest in entity pages, hubs, FAQs, comparisons, and PLP optimization.
In this model, fast-moving social platforms become the testing layer.
SEO is not the experiment, it’is the compounding layer.
Editorial digital PR that earns links and LLM citations
Most digital PR still works backward.
A trend reaches mainstream awareness.
Journalists write about it.
Brands scramble to comment.
PR teams try to extract links from a story that already exists.
The result is short-term coverage, diluted impact, and little lasting search advantage.
Exploding Topics makes it possible to reverse that dynamic by surfacing editorial narratives before they are obvious and positioning your brand as one of the sources that helps define them.
In 2026, this matters more than ever.
Links still matter, but they are no longer the only outcome that counts.
Brand mentions, explanations, and citations increasingly feed the systems behind AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other LLM-driven discovery experiences.
Why early narratives outperform reactive PR
When a topic is everywhere, journalists are aggregating. When a topic is emerging, they are still asking questions.
Exploding Topics surfaces concepts at the stage where:
There is no consensus narrative.
Definitions are inconsistent.
Journalists are looking for clarity, not quotes.
“What is this?” stories have not yet been written.
This is the point where brands can move from commenting on a conversation to shaping it.
From trend-jacker to narrative owner
Instead of pitching “our brand’s take on X,” you lead with early signals you are seeing, why a concept is emerging now, and what it suggests about consumer behavior or the market.
The difference is subtle but important.
You are no longer reacting to coverage that already exists.
You are creating the framing that journalists, publishers, and, eventually, AI systems reuse.
LLMs do not learn from rankings alone.
They learn from editorial context, repeated explanations, and how trusted publications describe and define emerging concepts over time.
Done consistently, this approach compounds.
As your brand becomes associated with spotting and explaining emerging narratives early, you move from reactive commentary to trusted source.
Journalists begin to recognize where useful insight comes from, and that trust carries into more established coverage later on. You are no longer pitching for inclusion.
Your perspective is actively sought out.
The result is early narrative ownership and stronger access when mainstream coverage follows.
An editorial window before mainstream coverage
Before “weighted sleep mask” became a crowded ecommerce term in early 2025, there was a clear editorial window.
Journalists had not yet published stories asking:
“What is a weighted sleep mask?”
“Are weighted sleep masks safe?”
“Do they actually work for anxiety?”
That was the opportunity.
A PR-led approach at this stage includes:
Supplying journalists with expert explanations of deep pressure and sleep.
Sharing early insight into why the product category is emerging.
Contextualizing it alongside weighted blankets and other anxiety tools.
The result is not just coverage. It connects PR to search, curiosity, and discovery by helping define the concept itself.
That earns links, builds brand mentions, and signals authority around emerging entities that LLMs are more likely to cite and summarize over time.
Content roadmaps and briefs that don’t rely on search volume
Search volume is a poor starting point for content briefing.
It reflects interest only after a topic is established, language has stabilized, and the SERP is already crowded.
Used as a primary input, it pushes teams to chase demand instead of building authority.
That is why so many brands end up rewriting the same “What is X?” post year after year.
Better briefs start upstream.
They use Exploding Topics to spot what is forming and social search to understand how people are trying to make sense of it.
Reframing the briefing process
The core shift is moving away from briefs built around keywords and volumes and toward briefs built around audience intent.
That means focusing on three things:
Problems people are beginning to articulate.
Concepts that are not yet clearly defined or are actively debated.
Language that is inconsistent, emotional, or exploratory.
When content is approached this way, the objective changes.
It is no longer “create X to rank for Y.”
It becomes “explain X so the audience does not experience Y.”
That shift matters.
Designing content that compounds instead of expiring
The goal for SEO content teams in 2026 and beyond should be to brief content that defines a concept clearly. That includes:
Connecting it to adjacent ideas.
Comparing it to established solutions.
Answering questions within conversations that are still forming.
This does not always require written content.
The same work can happen through social search activations or digital PR.
Approached this way, content grows into demand rather than chasing it.
Instead of being rewritten every time search volume changes, it evolves through updates, expansion, and, where possible, stronger internal linking.
As interest grows, the content does not need replacing. It needs refining.
This is the type of material AI and LLMs tend to reference – timely, clear, explanatory, and grounded in real questions.
Publication isn’t the end
Publishing and waiting for content to rank is no longer the end of the brief.
Teams need a clear plan for distribution and reuse.
For emerging topics, that means contributing insight in relevant Reddit threads, Discord communities, niche forums, and creator comment sections.
Not to drop links, but to answer questions, share explanations, and test framing in public.
Those conversations feed back into the content itself, improving clarity and increasing the likelihood that your explanation is the one others repeat.
With a social search activation approach, brands can scale messaging quickly by working with partners who interpret and distribute the brief in their own voice.
When this works, SEO content stops being static and starts acting like a living reference point – one that contributes to culture and builds lasting brand recognition.
It develops across social platforms, communities, and AI-driven discovery long before it registers as keyword volume.
Exploding Topics helps surface what is emerging.
Social search shows whether people are trying to understand it.
Digital PR shapes how those ideas are defined and cited.
SEO compounds that work by reinforcing narratives that are already taking shape, rather than trying to test or invent them after the fact.
In this model, SEO is the layer that turns early insight and clear explanation into durable visibility across Google, social platforms, and AI-generated answers.
Search no longer starts on Google. The teams that act on that reality will influence what people search for next.
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Ever clicked a link and landed on a “Page Not Found” error? Redirects prevent that. They send visitors and search engines to the right page automatically. Redirects are crucial for both SEO and user experience. For SEO, they preserve link equity and keep your rankings intact. Additionally, it enhances the user experience, as no one likes dead ends.
A redirect automatically sends users and search engines from one URL to another, preventing errors like ‘Page Not Found.’
Redirects are crucial for SEO and user experience, preserving link equity and maintaining rankings.
Different types of redirects exist: 301 for permanent moves and 302 for temporary ones.
Avoid client-side redirects, such as meta refresh or JavaScript, as they can harm SEO.
Use Yoast SEO Premium to easily set up and manage redirects on your site.
What is a redirect?
A redirect is a method that automatically sends users and search engines from one URL to another. For example, if you delete a page, a redirect can send visitors to a new or related page instead of a 404 error.
How redirects work
A user or search engine requests a URL (e.g., yoursite.com/page-old).
The server responds with a redirect instruction.
The browser or search engine follows the redirect to the new URL (e.g., yoursite.com/page-new).
Redirects can point to any URL, even on a different domain.
Why redirects matter
Redirects keep your website running smoothly. Without them, visitors hit dead ends, links break, and search engines get lost. They’re not just technical fixes, because they protect your traffic, preserve rankings, and make sure users land where they’re supposed to. Whether you’re moving a page, fixing a typo in a URL, or removing old content, redirects make sure that nothing gets left behind.
When to use a redirect
Use redirects in these scenarios:
Deleted pages: Redirect to a similar page to preserve traffic.
Domain changes: Redirect the old domain to the new one.
HTTP→HTTPS: Redirect insecure URLs to secure ones.
URL restructuring: Redirect old URLs to new ones (e.g., /blog/post → /articles/post).
Temporary changes: Use a 302 for A/B tests or maintenance pages.
Types of redirects
There are various types of redirects, each serving a distinct purpose. Some are permanent, some are temporary, and some you should avoid altogether. Here’s what you need to know to pick the right one.
Not all redirects work the same way. A 301 redirect tells search engines a page has moved permanently, while a 302 redirect signals a temporary change. Client-side redirects, like meta refresh or JavaScript, exist because they’re sometimes the only option on restrictive hosting platforms or static sites, but they often create more problems than they solve. Below, we break down each type, explain when to use it, and discuss its implications for your SEO.
Redirect types at a glance
Redirect type
Use case
When to use
Browser impact
SEO impact
SEO risk
301
Permanent move
Deleted pages, domain changes, HTTP→HTTPS
Cached forever
Passes (almost) all link equity
None if used correctly
302
Temporary move
A/B testing, maintenance pages
Not cached
May not pass link equity
Can dilute SEO if used long-term
307
Temporary move (strict)
API calls, temporary content shifts
Not cached
Search engines may ignore
High if misused
308
Permanent move (strict)
Rare; use 301 instead
Cached forever
Passes link equity
None
Meta Refresh
Client-side redirect
Avoid where possible
Slow, not cached
Unreliable
High (hurts UX/SEO)
JavaScript
Client-side redirect
Avoid where possible
Slow, not cached
Unreliable
High (hurts UX/SEO)
301 redirects: Permanent moves
A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that a page has moved permanently. Use it when:
You delete a page and want to send visitors to a similar one.
You change your domain name.
You switch from HTTP to HTTPS.
SEO impact: 301 redirects pass virtually all link equity to the new URL. But be sure to never redirect to irrelevant pages, as this can confuse users and hurt SEO. For example, redirecting a deleted blog post about “best running shoes” to your homepage, instead of a similar post about running gear. This wastes link equity and frustrates visitors.
A 302 redirect tells browsers and search engines that a move is temporary. Use it for:
A/B testing different versions of a page.
Temporary promotions or sales pages.
Maintenance pages.
SEO impact: 302 redirects typically don’t pass ranking power like 301s. Google treats them as temporary, so they may not preserve SEO value. For permanent moves, always use a 301 to ensure link equity transfers smoothly.
Examples of when to use a 301 and 302 redirect:
Example 1: Temporary out-of-stock product (302): An online store redirects example.com/red-sneakers to example.com/blue-sneakers while red sneakers are restocked. A 302 redirect keeps the original URL alive for future use.
Example 2: A permanent domain change (301): A company moves from old-site.com to new-site.com. A 301 redirect makes sure visitors and search engines land on the new domain while preserving SEO rankings.
307 and 308 redirects: Strict rules
These redirects follow HTTP rules more strictly than 301 or 302:
Same method: If a browser sends a POST request, the redirect must also use POST.
Caching:
307: Never cached (temporary).
308: Always cached (permanent).
When to use them:
307: For temporary redirects where you must keep the same HTTP method (e.g., forms or API calls).
308: Almost never, use a 301 instead.
For most sites: Stick with 301 (permanent) or 302 (temporary). These are for specific technical cases only.
What to know about client-side redirects:
Client-side redirects, such as meta refresh or JavaScript, execute within the browser instead of on the server. They’re rarely the right choice, but here’s why you might encounter them:
Meta refresh: A HTML tag that redirects after a delay (e.g., “You’ll be redirected in 5 seconds…”).
JavaScript redirects: Code that changes the URL after the page loads.
Why should you avoid them?
Slow: The browser must load the page first, then redirect.
Unreliable: Search engines may ignore them, hurting SEO.
Bad UX: Users see a flash of the original page before redirecting.
Security risks: JavaScript redirects can be exploited for phishing.
When they’re used (despite the risks):
Shared hosting with no server access.
Legacy systems or static HTML sites.
Ad tracking or A/B testing tools.
Stick with server-side redirects (301/302) whenever possible. If you must use a client-side redirect, test it thoroughly and monitor for SEO issues.
How redirects impact SEO
Redirects do more than just send users to a new URL. They shape how search engines crawl, index, and rank your site. A well-planned redirect preserves traffic and rankings. A sloppy one can break both. Here’s what you need to know about their impact.
Ranking power
301 redirects pass most of the link equity from the old URL to the new one. This helps maintain your rankings. 302 redirects may not pass ranking power, especially if used long-term.
Crawl budget
Too many redirects can slow down how quickly search engines crawl your site. Avoid redirect chains (A→B→C) to save crawl budget.
User experience
Redirects prevent 404 errors and keep users engaged. A smooth redirect experience can reduce bounce rates.
Common redirect mistakes
Redirects seem simple, but small errors can cause big problems. Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Redirect chains
A redirect chain happens when one URL redirects to another, which redirects to another, and so on. For example:
old-page → new-page → updated-page → final-page
Why it’s bad:
Slows down the user experience.
Wastes crawl budget, as search engines may stop following the chain before reaching the final URL.
When a page is deleted, some sites redirect all traffic to the homepage. For example:
Redirecting old-blog-post to example.com instead of a relevant blog post.
Why it’s bad:
Confuses users who expected specific content.
Search engines may see this as a “soft 404” and ignore the redirect.
Wastes ranking power that could have been passed to a relevant page.
How to fix it:
Redirect to the most relevant page available.
If no relevant page exists, return a 404 or 410 error.
Forgetting to update sitemaps
After setting up redirects, many sites forget to update their XML sitemaps. For example:
Keeping the old URL in the sitemap while redirecting it to a new URL.
Why it’s bad:
Sends mixed signals to search engines.
Wastes crawl budget on outdated URLs.
How to fix it:
Remove old URLs from the sitemap.
Add the new URLs to help search engines discover them faster.
Using redirects for thin or duplicate content
Some sites use redirects to hide thin or duplicate content. For example, redirecting multiple low-quality pages to a single high-quality page to “clean up” the site.
Why it’s bad:
Search engines may see this as manipulative.
Doesn’t address the root problem, which is low-quality content.
How to fix it:
Improve or consolidate content instead of redirecting.
Use canonical tags if duplicate content is unavoidable.
Not monitoring redirects over time
Redirects aren’t a set-it-and-forget-it task. For example:
Setting up a redirect and never checking if it’s still needed or working.
Why it’s bad:
Redirects can break over time (e.g., due to site updates or server changes).
Unnecessary redirects waste crawl budget.
How to fix it:
Audit redirects regularly (e.g., every 6 months).
Remove redirects that are no longer needed.
How to set up a redirect
Setting up redirects isn’t complicated, but the steps vary depending on your platform. Below, you’ll find straightforward instructions for the most common setups, whether you’re using WordPress, Apache, Nginx, or Cloudflare.
Pick the method that matches your setup and follow along. If you’re unsure which to use, start with the platform you’re most comfortable with.
WordPress (using Yoast SEO Premium)
Yoast SEO Premium makes it easy to set up redirects, especially when you delete or move content. Here’s how to do it:
Option 1: Manual redirects
Go to Yoast SEO → Redirects in your WordPress dashboard.
Enter the old URL (the one you want to redirect from).
Enter the new URL (the one you want to redirect to).
Select the redirect type:
301 (Permanent): For deleted or permanently moved pages.
302 (Found): For short-term changes.
Click Add Redirect.
Manually redirecting a URL in Yoast’s redirect manager
Option 2: Automatic redirects when deleting content
Yoast SEO can create redirects automatically when you delete a post or page. Here’s how:
Go to Posts or Pages in your WordPress dashboard.
Find the post or page you want to delete and click Trash.
Yoast SEO will show a pop-up asking what you’d like to do with the deleted content. You’ll see two options:
Redirect to another URL: Enter a new URL to send visitors to.
Return a 410 Content Deleted header: Inform search engines that the page is permanently deleted and should be removed from their index.
Select your preferred option and confirm.
This feature saves time and ensures visitors land on the right page. No manual setup required.
Need help with redirects? Try Yoast SEO Premium
No code, no hassle. Just smarter redirects and many other invaluable tools.
Apache uses the .htaccess file to manage redirects. If your site runs on Apache, this is the simplest way to set them up. Add the rules below to your .htaccess file, ensuring it is located in the root directory of your site.
Nginx handles redirects in the server configuration file. If your site runs on Nginx, add these rules to your server block and then reload the service to apply the changes.
Cloudflare allows you to set up redirects without modifying server files. Create a page rule to forward traffic from one URL to another, without requiring any coding. Simply enter the old and new URLs, select the redirect type, and click Save.
Redirects don’t always work as expected. A typo, a cached page, or a conflicting rule can break them, or worse, create loops that frustrate users and search engines. Below are the most common issues and how to fix them.
If something’s not working, start with the basics: check for errors, test thoroughly, and clear your cache. The solutions are usually simpler than they seem.
Why isn’t my redirect working?
Check for typos: Ensure the URLs are correct.
Clear your cache: Browsers cache 301 redirects aggressively.
Use Screaming Frog to crawl your site for 404s and redirects.
What’s the difference between a 301 and 308 redirect?
301: Most common for permanent moves. Broad browser support.
308: Strict permanent redirect. Rarely used. Same SEO impact as 301.
What is a proxy redirect?
A proxy redirect keeps the URL the same in the browser but fetches content from a different location. Used for load balancing or A/B testing. Avoid for SEO, as search engines may not follow them.
Conclusion about redirects
Redirects are a simple but powerful tool. A redirect automatically sends users and search engines from one URL to another. As a result, they keep your site running smoothly and preserve SEO value and ranking power. Remember:
Use 301 redirects for permanent moves.
Use 302 redirects for temporary changes.
Avoid client-side redirects, such as meta refresh or JavaScript.
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-12-19 15:00:012025-12-19 15:00:01What is a redirect? Types, how to set them up, and impact on SEO
Influencer marketing works because people trust people more than they trust brands.
When a creator shares a product they actually use, their audience pays attention and often takes action. That’s the core of effective influencer marketing.
Micro-influencer marketing takes that idea and runs with it.
Creators with smaller, focused followings tend to have stronger, more personal relationships with their audience. Because their content feels real, their recommendations feel trusted.
Consequently, their engagement rates often outperform even the largest accounts.
For brands, that means efficient ad spend and high-quality interactions for your brand, making campaign testing simple. Forget buying reach for the sake of reach. You’re tapping right into tight-knit communities that already trust the creator’s voice.
This guide breaks down how to find the right micro-influencers and turn those relationships into measurable results.
Key Takeaways
Micro-influencer marketing works because smaller creators have tight, trusting communities that take their recommendations seriously.
Partnering with micro-influencers gives brands a steady stream of authentic user-generated content (UGC) that fills your content pipeline.
Storytelling typically beats straight product promotion. When creators share a problem and naturally introduce your brand as the solution, engagement and credibility jump.
Sponsored posts perform best when creators stay in their own voice. Give them a clear angle and not a script.
Tools like CreatorIQ, Upfluence, and Instagram’s Creator Marketplace make it easier to find micro-influencers whose audiences match your target customer.
What Are Micro-Influencers, and Why Should You Use Them?
Micro-influencers are creators with a smaller but highly focused following, usually between 10,000 and 50,000 followers.
They sit in the sweet spot of influence.
They’re big enough to have reach but small enough to maintain real trust. Their audience knows them in a way that feels personal and believes in their recommendations.
This is where micro-influencer marketing stands apart from traditional social media marketing and celebrity partnerships. Instead of paying for broad visibility, you’re tapping into communities built on genuine connection.
Recent data backs this up. A study from HypeAuditor shows that micro-influencers consistently outperform larger creators in:
Engagement rate: About four times higher than branded accounts
Comment quality: More real conversations, fewer bots
Conversion intent: Followers view them as trusted peers, not spokespeople
Our own data backs up the value of micro-influencers, too.
In NP Digital’s analysis of 2,808 influencer campaigns, micro-influencers delivered the highest return on investment (ROI) of any tier, even though this dataset defines “micro” more broadly (1,000–100,000 followers).
The pattern is the same: Smaller, more connected creators are more than capable of outperforming larger accounts.
With micro-influencers, you’re not buying reach for vanity metrics. You’re investing in creators whose audiences take action.
Micro-influencers also bring niche expertise.
Be it fitness, skincare, gaming, parenting, or finance, they understand their community’s pain points and how to speak to them. That makes your partnership feel organic.
If you’re looking to build brand trust or reach niche audiences, micro-influencer marketing might be a better fit than chasing accounts with millions of followers.
You’re looking for creators whose audience matches your own. That means demographics, interests, tone, and the problems they help people solve.
Where to begin?
It starts with understanding your customer. Once you know who you’re trying to reach, you can identify creators who already have their attention.
Thankfully, there are several reliable platforms that turn influencer hunting into a science:
All-in-one powerhouses: Tools like Aspire, Upfluence, and CreatorIQ act as powerful search engines. They let you filter creators by niche, location, follower range, engagement rate, and detailed audience demographics.
Platform-specific: Don’t forget Instagram’s own Creator Marketplace. It’s especially valuable for campaigns tied to Reels or broader Instagram marketing efforts.
Upfluence streamlines the vetting process by showing how closely a creator matches your campaign criteria and letting you accept or reject applicants with a single click.
CreatorIQ makes discovery simple by letting you filter creators by platform, engagement rate, audience demographics, and content style so you can quickly spot micro-influencers who actually fit your brand.
If your audience spends time on multiple platforms, like YouTube Shorts or TikTok, try cross-platform tools like HypeAuditor or Influence.co. They let you compare creators across channels and keep your campaigns consistent. (If TikTok is part of your plan, here’s a deeper dive into TikTok marketing.)
When evaluating micro-influencers, look at more than follower count. Keep these metrics in mind, too:
Engagement quality: Comments, saves, and shares
Audience relevance: Do their followers match your target?
Content style: Does it align with your brand’s tone and values?
Consistency: Active creators deliver stronger results
After narrowing your list, reach out with a clear pitch. Be sure to leave space for creative freedom. Micro-influencer marketing works best when they can speak to their audience in their own authentic voice.
How Micro-Influencers Can Help Power Your Marketing Campaigns
Micro-influencers shine when you plug them into real campaigns vs. one-off posts. They do the heavy lifting, sparking awareness and directly driving product demand, keeping your brand in front of the right people. Their audiences trust them, and that trust moves fast.
The next sections break down how to use that momentum.
1. Use Campaign-Specific Hashtags
Campaign-specific hashtags make it easy for micro-influencers and their audiences to rally around your brand. They give you a single thread that connects posts and user-generated content (UGC) in one place.
Start by creating a hashtag that’s simple and tied to a clear idea, not just your brand name. Then invite a group of micro-influencers to use it in their posts, Reels, and Stories as they share your product in real-life settings.
A branded hashtag can work when real people actually use it, though.
LaCroix’s #livelacroix tag is a great example. Search it on Instagram or TikTok, and you’ll see the same pattern play out over and over again: micro-influencers showing how the product fits naturally into their routines.
On Instagram (above), the tag pulls up everything from fridge restocks to quick taste tests in the car.
These aren’t creators with crazy big audiences, but their engagement is strong because the posts feel personal.
Even better, the hashtag travels across platforms. Here’s what it looks like on TikTok.
Among those showing up in the grid is local food creator @zwhoeats (19,000 followers), who posts casual reviews and flavor rankings using the same tag. His videos pull in thousands of views because his audience trusts his take on everyday products.
This is the real power of a campaign-specific hashtag.
It gives micro-influencers a simple way to plug your brand into content they’re already making. And from it grows a discoverable trail of posts you can reshare and build upon.
2. Leverage User-Generated Content
User-generated content may be the “ace in the hole” for your next micro-influencer campaign.
Rather than rely only on polished brand assets, you show real people using your product in real situations. And that’s what convinces others to try it.
Micro-influencers are perfect UGC engines. They already create content that their followers trust, so you tap into a steady stream of authentic content when you partner with them.
A great example comes from I and Love and You, the pet food brand. Its open Influencer Ambassador Program is built specifically for micro-influencers—everyday pet owners and small creators who share honest moments with their pets.
The content all looks and feels like real life, because it is. There aren’t any studio shoots, no forced scripts. As you can see from the Instagram grid below, it’s just UGC created by people their audience already trusts.
This is the playbook. Collaborate with micro-influencers who already share the kind of content your customers want to see, let them create in their own style, and then amplify the best pieces.
UGC not only builds social proof but fills your content pipeline with assets that outperform polished brand creative.
3. Create Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts work well with micro-influencers because their audiences already trust them.
The key is letting creators build content that fits their tone and the way their audience naturally engages.
Instead of a polished product shot, the creator filmed a chaotic behind-the-counter moment with a joke about messing up a “skinny latte.” It’s tagged as a paid partnership, but the vibe is unmistakably them.
That’s the lesson: Sponsored posts feel credible when they look like the creator’s regular content.
Give micro-influencers room to shoot in their own style and let the authenticity do the heavy lifting.
When you do that, sponsored posts feel like genuine recommendations instead of ads competing for attention.
4. Tell a Story With Your Promotion
Storytelling is where micro-influencer marketing really shines.
Facts and features are forgettable. Stories, though? They stick.
When creators show why a product fits into their life (not just what it is), people pay attention.
I learned this firsthand years ago when I was growing my blog. My posts were solid, but traffic wasn’t moving. Once I started weaving in small stories—real struggles, lessons, wins—engagement spiked and readers stayed longer.
The content didn’t change much. But the connection did.
The same principle applies to micro-influencer marketing campaigns. Instead of asking for a straight product shot, encourage creators to wrap your brand into a moment that feels true to them.
Maybe it’s a “day in the life,” a behind-the-scenes routine, a quick before-and-after, or a personal challenge they’re solving.
For example, the TikTok post below works because the creator, @bianca.montalvo, sets up a relatable travel problem—pricy roaming fees. She then folds Airalo, an eSIM platform, in as the natural solution, turning her tip into a simple, effective story her audience can follow.
These are chapters from the creator’s life where your product naturally fits. And because micro-influencers are already tight with their followers, that story feels authentic.
How to Track Influencer Campaigns
Tracking your influencer marketing campaigns isn’t complicated once you know what to look for.
Start by measuring performance on the platform itself. Instagram’s Insights, TikTok’s Analytics, and YouTube’s Creator Studio all show reach, engagement, audience demographics, and which posts actually drove action.
These numbers help you understand which creators and formats are worth repeating.
For deeper reporting, some of the platforms we mentioned earlier—Aspire, Upfluence, and CreatorIQ—let you track creators, pull in content automatically, monitor hashtag performance, and calculate cost per engagement or cost per acquisition across campaigns.
If you’re running a mix of organic and paid micro-influencer content, these tools give you one place to compare everything.
The goal is to track the pieces that show real impact: saves, shares, comments, website clicks, and sales. That way, you know exactly which micro-influencers are moving the needle and where to invest next.
FAQs
What is a micro-influencer?
A micro-influencer is a creator with roughly 10,000 to 50,000 followers (though it’s sometimes defined as 10,000–100,000 or in other ranges). These creators tend to have highly focused, highly engaged audiences. They’re big enough to create impact but small enough to maintain real trust with their community.
Does micro-influencer marketing work?
Yes. Micro-influencers often outperform larger creators in engagement, conversions, and cost efficiency. Their followers view them as peers, which leads to stronger recommendations and higher intent.
Where to find micro-influencers?
You can find micro-influencers through platforms like Aspire, Upfluence, and Instagram’s own Creator Marketplace. If your audience is active across platforms, tools like HypeAuditor can help you compare creators on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Conclusion
Driving more sales and landing more customers is a grind.
That’s especially true in today’s world, where every niche and subset of that niche has a competitor.
There are countless businesses, just like mine and just like yours.
Investing in micro-influencer marketing can be a way to stand out. They get your brand in front of people who actually care.
Their audiences know them and pay attention when they recommend something.
Start small. Build a list of creators who already speak to your target customer.
Look for strong engagement and content that aligns with your brand. Then plug them into your broader influencer marketing strategy. UGC, sponsored posts, campaign hashtags, and simple storytelling all work well at the micro level.
If you stay consistent and treat these creators like true partners, you’ll see the impact quickly.
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Missed the final SEO Update by Yoast of 2025? Our in-house principal SEOs, Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss, broke down December’s biggest search shifts, from Gemini’s integration to Google’s publisher deals, and answered your burning questions. Don’t forget to watch the replay and sign up for the next edition!
Watch the full replay below (or read on for the highlights).
2025 in a nutshell: The three biggest SEO shifts
2025 was the year AI officially took over search. Here’s what mattered most:
From rankings to retrieval: AI overviews and chat interfaces made being cited more important than ranking #1.
EEAT became non-negotiable: Google (and users) demanded real expertise, not just keyword-stuffed content.
Publishers vs. AI: Lawsuits and deals reshaped how content is licensed and monetized.
Want the full breakdown? Our in-depth 2025 SEO recap post will be released next week. Also, hear Carolyn and Alex share their insights in the December SEO Update by Yoast on YouTube.
Google Ads in AI mode? Some users have reported seeing sponsored results in AI overviews, which occupy half the screen. Expect more tests in 2026.
OpenAI’s “Code Red”: After user feedback favored Gemini, OpenAI rushed out GPT-5.2. The takeaway? AI platforms are in a feature war, and your content needs to work across all of them.
Action: Audit your content for retrieval (not just rankings). Use tools like Yoast’s Brand Insights AI visibility tracker to see where you’re cited in AI responses in LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Google’s publisher deals: A band-aid or the future?
Our take: It’s low-effort, so why not? Yoast SEO’s free tool generates a valid llms.txt file in seconds.
Action: Add llms.txt if you’re curious, but don’t expect miracles.
Q&A highlights
Carolyn and Alex answered live questions during the webinar. Here are the top three:
1. Should we stop using background images to improve load speed?
Carolyn: “Optimize them, but don’t stress. Focus on non-blocking load times. If the image is lazy-loaded and doesn’t delay interactivity, it’s fine.”
Alex: “Test it. If your audience cares about visuals (e.g., fashion, design), keep them. If not, simplify.”
2. Can we make big changes during a Google core update?
Carolyn: “Act like there’s no update. If you need to make changes, make them. Google’s updates are continuous, so they’re not a deadline.”
Alex: “Worst case? You’ll see fluctuations. But if your site’s broken, fix it now.”
3. FAQ pages or FAQs on every page?
Alex: “Both. Put unique FAQs on product/service pages. Use a central FAQ for shared questions (e.g., shipping, returns).”
Carolyn: “Avoid hiding answers in toggles, because AI won’t read them.”
Stay ahead in 2026
The news in this December edition of the SEO Update by Yoast proves one thing: SEO is changing faster than ever. Whether it’s AI-driven search, publisher deals, or smarter tools, the rules are being rewritten at a rapid pace.
Here’s how to keep up:
Join us for the next SEO Update by Yoast on January 27, 2026. We’ll dive into the latest trends and explore their implications for your strategy. Sign up now.
Missed the 2025 recap? Our in-depth post will be released next week; don’t forget to read it!
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-12-18 14:03:402025-12-18 14:03:40The December 2025 edition of the SEO Update by Yoast: AI search, publisher deals & more
Search engines have become significantly more intelligent than they were in the past. You no longer need to repeat the same keyword a dozen times to be noticed. Google’s AI models, as well as large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini, now understand meaning, intent, and context. So, does that mean you don’t need to use synonyms and related keywords? Of course not, and to avoid any confusion, you should definitely. Using synonyms and related keywords isn’t just about improving your writing style. It also helps both people and search engines interpret what your page is about.
Search engines now understand context, making it essential to use synonyms and related keywords for improved clarity.
Using synonyms enhances readability and helps both people and search engines understand the content’s meaning more effectively.
Tools like Yoast SEO Premium can suggest related keywords, making the writing process easier.
Focus on natural language rather than keyword density to enhance your SEO strategy.
Writing for readers and AI involves selecting word choices that create engaging and informative content.
What are synonyms and related keyphrases?
A synonym is a word that shares the same or a very similar meaning as another. For example, “fast” and “quick” are synonyms.
A related keyphrase, on the other hand, isn’t necessarily a direct synonym; it’s a word or phrase connected to the same topic. If your main keyphrase is chocolate candy, then sweets, dessert, or sugary treats could all be related keyphrases.
When you use synonyms and related keywords, you make your writing more natural to read and more informative. You also help search engines understand your topic in greater depth, which improves your chances of appearing in relevant searches.
Why variation matters for SEO and readability
Modern SEO copywriting and readability are all about helping people and search engines understand the context of your writing. When you vary your word choice and use synonyms and related keywords, you make your text more engaging for readers and clearer for algorithms.
If you’ve ever read a page that repeats the same keyword endlessly, you know how mechanical it feels. Years ago, that might have worked. Today, it can frustrate readers and even harm your SEO.
Using synonyms and related keywords also improves your readability score, a ranking factor that reflects how easy your text is to follow. When your content is varied, visitors stay longer, bounce less, and gain a better understanding of you.
How search engines and AI understand language today
Search engines rely on natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to interpret meaning. Instead of simply counting keywords, they analyze how words relate to each other in context.
That’s why a post about AI copywriting tools can appear in searches for AI content writing software. Google understands those terms belong to the same topic. This is part of semantic SEO, which involves optimizing content so that search engines can grasp its overall context rather than just individual words.
By naturally incorporating synonyms and related keywords, you help Google recognize that your content addresses a broader range of questions related to your topic.
Understanding search intent is crucial here. Once you know what users expect to find, you can use language that naturally fits their intent while still covering your main keyphrases.
Keyword density versus natural language
In early SEO, keyword density, or the percentage of times a keyword appeared in your text, was seen as a signal of relevance. But search engines have outgrown that. Today, keyword density has little to no impact on search engine rankings.
Still, using your synonyms and related keywords naturally throughout your text can help clarify context. The key is balance: write as if you’re explaining the topic to a colleague or client.
Yoast SEO’s readability and SEO guidelines highlight why tone, pacing, and sentence length are now essential parts of optimization. The goal isn’t to count words, it’s to communicate clearly.
If you remember the candy shop analogy from before, let’s look at a real-world example. If you type in ‘best candy store New York’ on Google, the results will show pages about ‘candy stores’ and ‘candy shops’. Google understands that ‘store’ and ‘shop’ are synonyms and treats them as such.
Snippets from the search result page for the search ‘best candy store New York’
This doesn’t detract from the fact that you should still incorporate your focus keyword a few times throughout your post. After all, the focus keyword is still the word or phrase your audience was searching for. These are the words your audience uses and will expect to find in your text. That exact match remains important. However, to avoid using your keyword too many times, also known as keyword stuffing, you can use synonyms and related keywords to achieve a more natural flow of language. That way, you can rank on these keywords while keeping your text attractive and readable.
Find related keyphrases using our Semrush integration
Yoast SEO can help you find related keyphrases based on your focus keyword, saving you time and hassle. All you need to do is click the button to ‘Get related keyphrases’; you’ll find it right underneath your focus keyword in the Yoast SEO sidebar. You’ll see a list of related keywords and search trend data when you click that button.
This is how the related keyphrases feature looks in Yoast SEO
As a Yoast SEO Premium or Yoast SEO for Shopify user, you can add up to five related keyphrases to your SEO analysis. This lets you optimize your text for these additional terms similarly to your focus keyphrase. As always, you’ll see our familiar feedback bullets to guide you. If you’re a Yoast SEO Free user, you can explore related keyphrases using the tool, but you won’t be able to add these to your SEO analysis.
Yoast SEO can help you balance the use of your keywords, synonyms, and related keywords by recognizing word forms in different languages. If you want to know more, you can read about the related keywords feature in Yoast SEO for WordPress and the related keywords featured in Yoast SEO for Shopify.
How often should you use synonyms and related keywords?
The use of synonyms versus the use of focus keywords is not an exact science. The most important criterion is the way readers will experience your text. So, read and re-read it. Is it engaging and easy to read? Or are you getting annoyed by the constant use of a certain term? Be critical of your writing and ask others for feedback on your text.
As mentioned earlier, you can add your related keywords to the analysis in Yoast SEO Premium and Yoast SEO for Shopify. By adding these, the plugin can check whether you’re using them in your text. Your focus keyword remains the most important keyword, though, and that’s why the plugin is less strict in its analysis of your related keyphrases.
You can add keyphrases that are related to your focus keyphrase in Yoast SEO Premium and Yoast SEO for Shopify
You’ll also be able to add synonyms of your focus and related keywords when you use our Premium SEO analysis or Yoast SEO for Shopify. These analyses include checks to ensure you’ve used these synonyms in your text and your meta description, introduction, subheadings, or image alt text. Moreover, our keyphrase distribution check will reward you for alternately using your keyphrase and its synonyms throughout your text.
You can add multiple synonyms for your focus keyphrase in Yoast SEO Premium and Yoast SEO for Shopify
Make those related keyphrases and synonyms work for you
As we mentioned earlier, Google has come a long way since its early days in the field of SEO. It can understand texts, consider related concepts and synonyms, and recognize related entities. This enables it to serve its users with the best results. And part of being the best result is ensuring your texts are easy to read. Google wants to serve readable texts.
So make sure you deliver! Consider synonyms for your keyword or keyphrase and utilize them to your advantage. Take a moment to come up with a few alternatives for your keyword. Additionally, consider topics closely related to your keyword. You’ll notice that writing a naturally flowing text becomes much easier when you don’t have to use your focus keyword in every other sentence. Using synonyms and related key phrases helps Google understand the context of your text, which increases your chances of ranking.
In conclusion
Using synonyms and related keywords isn’t about tricking algorithms. It’s about writing naturally for humans while helping machines interpret meaning. When you vary your word choice, your writing becomes clearer, richer, and more engaging. That’s what today’s search engines reward: real content that genuinely helps users and shows topical depth.
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-12-18 10:00:192025-12-18 10:00:19Why you should use synonyms and related keywords
People trust the creators they follow every day. That’s why influencer marketing has become such a big part of how brands grow.
The numbers back it up.
A staggering 92 percent of consumers trust recommendations from influencers more than traditional ads or celebrity endorsements.
That credibility is a big reason why influencer marketing keeps growing each year.
Brands also turn to influencers because people want authenticity. They want real voices and real experiences. They want content that feels personal.
What happens when you combine that with the massive reach creators have on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube? You get a marketing channel that can drive awareness, traffic, and sales faster than most alternatives. That includes standard social media marketing.
In this guide, you’ll learn what influencers do, how influencer marketing works, and how to find the right partners for your brand.
Key Takeaways
Influencer marketing is about tapping into creators who already have trust and attention with your ideal customers. You’re not just renting their reach for a single post.
Every tier has a role: Mega- and macro-influencers drive reach, while mid-tier, micro-, and nano-creators tend to deliver stronger engagement and conversions.
Almost any business can use influencer marketing, including B2B. The key is audience fit, not brand size or industry.
Costs range widely by platform and tier, so treat rate charts as benchmarks. Pay for impact you can measure, not just vanity metrics.
Strong programs follow a process: clear goals, the right creators, tight contracts, transparent FTC-compliant disclosure, and performance tracking with links, codes, and real business metrics.
What Is Influencer Marketing
An influencer is someone who can shape opinions or buying decisions because people trust their voice.
Social platforms made that influence accessible to almost anyone. Creators like Charli D’Amelio and Khaby Lame (pictured below) built massive audiences from scratch, while celebrities like Kylie Jenner amplify the reach they already have.
Influencer marketing uses that trust to promote products or services.
Brands work with influencers to create content that feels native to the platform:
Short-form videos
Product reviews
Tutorials
Unboxings
Livestreams
Some brands even build full campaign partnerships with influencers, bringing them into everything from creative planning to multi-post launches that run across several platforms.
These formats work because they blend into the creator’s everyday content instead of feeling like traditional ads.
The influencer industry keeps expanding. The global influencer marketing market topped $30 billion in 2025 and is on pace to surpass $120 billion by 2030. And brands are investing heavily, with 80 percent of them maintaining or increasing their influencer marketing budgets in 2025.
Who Can Use Influencer Marketing?
You’ll see these collaborations across every sector. Fashion, beauty, e-commerce, entertainment, you name it. Heck, even the World Health Organization used a virtual influencer to lead a COVID-19 prevention campaign.
Close to 90 percent of companies with more than 100 employees planned to use influencers in 2025, showing just how mainstream influencer marketing has become.
On the B2C side, creators drive real traction for e-commerce, food and beverage, fitness, home décor, travel, and entertainment. These industries benefit from how visual and fast-moving platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are.
Experts, analysts, and technical creators now build large followings on LinkedIn, X, and YouTube by teaching complex topics in simple ways. Brands tap these voices to explain products, review tools, share workflows, or demonstrate use cases. And it works because the creator already has trust and credibility with the exact audience you want.
If your customers spend time online (and they do), there’s an influencer with reach in your category.
Why Is Influencer Marketing Important?
Influencer marketing matters because people trust other people more than they trust brands. Your brand becomes more enticing and trustworthy just by association.
It makes sense if you think about it, particularly in a world where AI-generated content floods every corner of the internet.
When consumers aren’t sure what’s real, they lean on creators they already follow—people who show their faces and share their processes.
Think of it this way: You probably wouldn’t trust a person at a cocktail party who brags about themselves, trying to convince you to become their friend. But chances are you’ll believe the mutual friend who vouches for that person.
An influencer is that mutual friend.
Their credibility transfers to you. If a creator your audience respects talks about your product, it lands differently than a traditional ad or a brand-written post. It feels like a recommendation from someone they know.
A quick walkthrough, a tutorial, or a “day in the life” clip can show how your product works far better than a polished studio ad. It helps buyers understand what you do before they ever hit your site.
Influencers also give you reach you can’t get on your own. Their communities already exist. You tap into that attention instantly, instead of building it from scratch.
Why Is Influencer Marketing Effective?
There must be a reason so many brands are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into influencer marketing, right? Consider this staggering statistic: 94 percent of marketers say influencer marketing drives more return on investment (ROI) than traditional digital advertising.
But what makes it so effective?
The unstoppable rise of social media obviously plays a part. There are now well over 5 billion social media users around the world, equating to more than two-thirds of people on Earth. On average, users spend more than two hours per day on average on social media.
Then there’s the person-to-person connection.
It seems that a lot of consumers trust the opinions of influencers. In fact, research shows that a whopping 77 percent of consumers trust content from influencers over traditional ads.
There’s also a generational element to it. Younger buyers—Gen Z and millennials—tend to rely heavily on influencer guidance when making purchase decisions. In fact, Gen Z is twice as likely to trust influencers as baby boomers.
Influencers also explain products in ways people understand. A quick tutorial, demo, or “I use this every day” clip can communicate value faster than any static ad. It reduces uncertainty and helps potential customers visualize your product in their world.
What Are the Different Types of Influencers?
Influencers are typically grouped by audience size, not just by what they’re known for. Most brands work within five tiers:
Mega-influencers
Macro-influencers
Mid-tier influencers
Micro-influencers
Nano-influencers
Each group brings different reach and engagement levels (price points, too, but more on that later). And each plays a unique role in a campaign.
Mega-Influencers
Follower count: Typically more than 1 million
Mega-influencers are some of the biggest and most popular influencers.
Many are celebrities who became famous away from social media. Think movie stars, pop stars, sports stars, and TV personalities, like Ryan Reynolds or Kim Kardashian.
Others are creators who built massive audiences entirely online. Think people like Khaby Lame, Addison Rae, or MrBeast, whose platforms turned them into global names.
This tier works best when the goal is broad awareness. You’re paying for cultural reach, not deep engagement. That’s why they’re often used for major launches, national campaigns, product drops, or high-impact moments.
Brands need bigger budgets to work with mega-influencers, but the payoff is unmatched scale.
Macro-Influencers
Follower count: Typically between 100,000 and 1 million
Macro-influencers tend to be well-known creators, podcasters, YouTubers, or niche personalities. They’ve often built their fame online and not through traditional celebrity channels.
They hit a sweet spot for many brands: They offer high reach, but with more consistent engagement than mega-influencers. Their audiences tend to be more aligned with their niches, like travel, fitness, tech, gaming, beauty, and more. This gives brands stronger relevance and better targeting.
Think of creators like Taryn Truly, a body-positive fashion creator whose Instagram profile is pictured below, or Mina Le, a fashion and culture commentator.
Macro-influencers may not be household names to everyone, but they wield major influence in specific categories. Their endorsement carries real weight with fans.
This influencer tier works well for brands that want meaningful visibility without the mega-influencer price tag. They’re extra valuable for things like product launches, category education, or content series that need a consistent creator presence.
Mid-Tier Influencers
Follower count: Typically between 50,000 and 100,000
Mid-tier influencers are established creators who have proven they can grow and sustain an audience, but they aren’t yet operating at celebrity scale.
What makes mid-tier influencers valuable is the balance of reach and strong engagement. Their communities are still highly invested in their content, and their rates are more accessible than macro-level talent. That combination makes them ideal for performance-driven campaigns where you want conversions, affiliate sales, tutorials, or product demos that feel personal and trusted.
Maya Abdallah (wellness) is a great example of a mid-tier voice who consistently moves her audiences to action.
This tier is often the “workhorse” of influencer marketing, as they’re scalable and cost-efficient.
Micro-Influencers
Follower count: Typically between 10,000 and 50,000
Micro-influencers are known for having some of the most engaged communities online. Their audiences follow them for specific expertise, like fitness, wellness, tech tips, budgeting, parenting, home decor, you name it.
Because their followers trust them deeply, micro-influencers often outperform larger influencers on engagement rate and conversion rate. They’re perfect for brands that need authenticity or niche targeting.
A strong example is creators like Jen Lauren, who built a tight-knit community around self-care and women’s fitness. Partners in wellness, boutique fitness, and online coaching spaces often see better ROI with creators like this than with larger names.
Micro-influencers are especially helpful for small and mid-sized brands. They’re also a great place to start if you’re testing influencer marketing.
Nano-Influencers
Follower count: Typically between 1,000 and 10,000
Nano-influencers have extremely tight, loyal communities. Their audiences know them personally or feel like they do, which can drive high engagement rates.
This group is powerful for brands that want authentic word-of-mouth or hyper-local impact. They’re great for early-stage launches or local business marketing. With nano-influencers, it’s all about campaigns where credibility matters more than massive reach.
You’ll see nano-influencers thriving in categories like beauty, food, wellness, fashion basics, small business recommendations, and travel. An example is Marc Wanderlust, a nano travel creator whose tight-knit audience trusts his quick, practical destination tips.
Nano-influencers help brands show up in real conversations with audiences that actually care, making them one of the more cost-effective influencer tiers.
How Much Do Influencers Cost?
The short answer: It varies. Rates depend on audience size, engagement, niche, platform, and the type of content you need.
Mega: $10,000 or more per post; could be $1 million or more for some celebrities
TikTok
Nano: $5–$25 per post
Micro: $25–$125 per post
Mid-tier: $125–$1,250 per post
Macro: $1,250–$2,500 per post (or more)
Mega: $2,500–$20,000 per post (or more)
Most creators work on flat-fee pricing, but affiliate commissions, usage rights, content licensing, and whitelisting can add to the cost. Product-only compensation is usually limited to nano creators and early-stage campaigns.
Influencer campaigns can reach five or six figures depending on talent and scope, so the key is paying at a level where you can realistically drive ROI.
How to Get Started With Influencer Marketing
Ready to run your first influencer campaign? Here’s a clear, practical process you can follow from start to finish.
1. Set clear goals.
Decide what you want to achieve before you reach out to anyone. Maybe that’s brand awareness, traffic, lead generation, content creation, or sales. Whatever the case, your goal determines the type of creator you work with and how you measure success.
2. Understand your audience.
Look at what your customers actually watch and follow online. Pay attention to the platforms they prefer and the types of creators they already trust. If I wanted to promote Ubersuggest, for example, I might look for SEO educators and marketing YouTubers.
3. Build a shortlist of relevant influencers.
We’ll cover this in depth below, but use influencer-discovery tools, social search, hashtags, competitor research, or even your own follower lists to find creators who already reach your target audience. Relevance beats reach every time.
4. Make your pitch.
Keep outreach simple and personal. Explain why you chose them, what you’re proposing, and what they’d get in return. Bigger creators may prefer email or agency contact; smaller creators often respond quickly to DMs.
5. Negotiate the scope and contract.
Outline deliverables, deadlines, usage rights, exclusivity, compensation, and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) disclosure requirements (more on this later). A straightforward contract protects both sides and keeps the project on track.
6. Launch and measure performance.
Use trackable links, codes, or UTM parameters to see what each creator drives. Review engagement, traffic, reach, saves, comments, and sales—whatever aligns with your original goals.
Influencer marketing works best when you treat it like a repeatable process and not a one-off post. Each campaign gives you data you can use to refine the next.
How to Find Your Ideal Influencers
Once you know your goals and your audience, you can start identifying influencers who actually make sense for your brand. I like to use three simple criteria to find influencers:
Context: Does the creator naturally talk about topics related to your product or category?
Reach: Do they have enough visibility for the results you want? Bigger isn’t always better, but your goals should match their audience size.
Actionability: Can they inspire their followers to take action? Creators with the right niche and trust tend to perform best.
Use multiple discovery methods (not just one), and build a shortlist of creators who consistently show up in conversations your audience already cares about.
Social Media Monitoring
Brand advocates are the loudest influencers your brand can have. They’re already talking about you, and they’re reaching people who trust their recommendations.
You can find them by tuning in to your social media mentions and blog posts about your brand. Track who tags you, reviews your product, or mentions your name in posts or videos. Tools like Brandwatch, Sprout Social, Hootsuite Streams, and Mention make this easier by pulling all relevant mentions into one dashboard.
Social listening with tools like AnswerThePublic can also help you spot creators who consistently talk about your niche, even if they haven’t discovered your brand yet. For example, a skincare brand might find rising creators who frequently review moisturizers or post “routine” content that aligns with their audience.
Start by adding promising creators to a shortlist and tracking their engagement and niche fit.
Research Hashtags
Identify the hashtags that your target market is using. Tuning in to the conversations surrounding these hashtags won’t just show potential influencers, you can also use it to identify blog topics, too.
Hashtags are one of the fastest ways to find creators your audience already follows. Search for hashtags related to your niche or customer interests and not just your brand name. This is especially effective on Instagram and TikTok, where creators tag content by topic, format, or trend.
For example, if you sell running shoes, hashtags like #runnersofinstagram or #runtok will surface creators who post content your customers care about. You’ll quickly spot who gets real engagement versus who’s posting generic or low-quality content.
Scroll the TikTok grid for #runtok, and you’ll see it’s packed with running creators your audience already follows.
Once you identify potential influencers, follow them for a while. Note their engagement rate, tone and the types of products they naturally feature.
Save strong candidates to a spreadsheet so you can compare them later.
Dedicated Influencer Platforms
Influencer platforms make discovery much easier by giving you searchable databases of creators, complete with audience insights, engagement metrics, and pricing estimates. Many also include campaign management tools.
Some of the most widely used platforms include:
Aspire
Upfluence
GRIN
Tagger
CreatorIQ
Impact.com
These tools let you filter by niche, location, platform, follower count, demographics, and brand affinity. That way, you can build a targeted shortlist in minutes instead of hours.
They’re especially useful if you want to scale your influencer program or track ROI more accurately.
Even if you’re running a small pilot, using a platform can help you confirm whether an influencer’s audience is real and aligned with your ideal customer.
Influencers and Disclosure
Influencer marketing only works when it’s transparent. The FTC has made that crystal clear. If a creator is paid, receives free products, earns affiliate commissions, or has any kind of material connection to your brand, they must disclose it clearly and up front.
That means no buried hashtags, no vague captions, and no “implied” relationships. The FTC expects disclosures like “#ad,” “#paidpartner,” or “Sponsored by…” to appear where viewers will actually see them. They can’t be hidden at the end of a long caption or inside a collapsed list of hashtags.
On video platforms, disclosures need to be spoken and written on screen, not just added in the description.
As a brand, you’re on the hook, too. Put disclosure requirements in your contracts, then actually enforce them by reviewing posts before they go live and saving copies of what was approved. That paper trail and clear labeling aren’t just to keep regulators off your back. They also signal to your audience that you’re being straight with them.
If your creator partnerships are transparent, everybody wins. That includes your customers.
FAQs
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is a strategy where brands partner with creators who have built trust and attention with a specific audience, then collaborate on content that features the brand or product. Instead of running a traditional ad, you tap into the influencer’s relationship with their followers through things like reviews, tutorials, “day in the life” videos, or sponsored posts.
Do influencers get paid?
Yes! In fact, many influencers make a full-time living out of their social media presence. Brands pay them to promote their products or services to their followers.
Does influencer marketing work?
Influencers have a loyal following of people who trust their opinions and recommendations. By partnering with an influencer, brands can tap into this trust and reach a wider audience than ever before. Plus, influencers often create visually appealing and engaging content that can help capture viewers’ attention.
How do you create an influencer marketing strategy?
Start with a clear goal (awareness, leads, or sales), then pick the platforms your audience actually uses. Set a budget, choose the right influencer tier, and shortlist creators who fit your niche. Agree on deliverables, timelines, and success metrics before you sign anything.
How do you track influencer marketing?
Give each creator unique links or codes, then watch what they drive—traffic, sign-ups, and sales, not just likes. Use your analytics tools to compare creators and content types. Double down on the partnerships that move real numbers and drop the ones that don’t.
Conclusion
The internet has changed, but the idea behind influencer marketing hasn’t.
Brands still want their products in the hands of people who can shape opinions. Today, influencer marketing is simply a faster, more targeted way to do it.
You might partner with a celebrity who can put your brand in front of millions, or build a roster of micro-influencers with smaller but highly engaged communities.
Both approaches can work when they match your goals and budget. If you’re serious about doing this at scale, check out our guide on using ChatGPT to automate parts of the influencer marketing process.
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-12-17 20:00:002025-12-17 20:00:00What Is an Influencer? A Guide to Influencer Marketing
Some product types just naturally fit Reddit’s community culture, including:
Technical or complex tools: SaaS, software, or tools where users want support and feature breakdowns
Niche ecommerce brands: Mattresses, supplements, and other high-consideration DTC products people love to compare and review
Finance and service tools: Banks, brokers, and budgeting apps where transparency matters
Gaming and entertainment: Games or media with built-in fandoms
Consumer tech: Gadgets and devices that need troubleshooting and setup discussions
News and media brands: Outlets and publishers where audiences already debate coverage and breaking stories
Are You Committed to Building a Community?
If your only goal is to “control the narrative,” stop right here.
(I can already hear the Reddit mob sharpening their pitchforks.)
Yes, a brand subreddit can absolutely strengthen your reputation. But only as a byproduct of serving your community first.
Your reason for being should be to create a space where users can connect and feel heard.
For example, r/fidelityinvestments is a customer care channel with official Fidelity associates.
But it’s also a community.
Where members troubleshoot for each other, share feedback, and even defend the brand when criticisms pop up.
Do You Have an Assigned Moderator?
Someone has to own your brand subreddit.
And they need to be there every day:
Sparking conversations and posting prompts. Plus, modelling the tone you want until the community naturally mirrors it.
That takes a rare mix of skills:
Technical familiarity with your product
Context across marketing, support, and PR
Sharp community instinct and tone awareness
Without that person, keeping your subreddit healthy will always feel like a grind.
Are You Cool with Public Scrutiny?
Even the best teams take hits on Reddit.
The question is: Can you handle it?
Because you will get complaints, and you will get called out.
Sometimes, it’s a full-blown PR storm. Like when REI’s CEO hosted an AMA and got flooded with employee complaints about wages, hours, and sales quotas.
Other times, it’s smaller.
Like when a Sonos marketing email revealed someone’s password.
Big or small, the spotlight’s the same.
And the internet expects one thing:
That you stand there, take it, and handle it in stride.
(To their credit, both the REI CEO and u/keithfromSonos did just that.)
So, ask yourself:
“Do we have a team that can handle that pressure and keep the tone steady?”
If not, skip the brand subreddit rather than lose your cool in public for everyone to screenshot.
Alternatives to a Brand Subreddit
If you don’t meet the above conditions, it doesn’t mean you can’t be on Reddit.
You can still build visibility without launching an official community.
Start by getting active in existing unofficial brand-related subreddits.
GoPro, for example, doesn’t run r/gopro.
Yet, it’s one of the most vibrant product spaces on the platform.
Another option is to create a non-branded subreddit around your niche.
For example, if you sell hiking gear, launch r/TrailTips or r/UltralightKit.
You still get visibility without the pressure of running an official branded space.
Another alternative is using your user account as your brand’s central presence.
Many media companies do this well. Like The Washington Post at u/washingtonpost/ and Drop.com at u/drop_official/.
How to Create a Company Subreddit (5 Steps)
Think a company subreddit fits your brand?
Perfect! When done right, it can deliver real results, including:
Deeper customer insights
A self-sustaining community
More visibility in SEO and large language models (LLMs)
“Our share of voice has definitely improved. Two months ago, Reddit Answers didn’t even mention Favikon when I searched for the best influencer marketing platforms. Now, it’s up there in Reddit’s search results.”
– Olena Bomko
Ready to build yours? Let’s get into it.
Step 0: Meet the Minimum Requirements
Before creating a subreddit, become a Redditor first.
Spend time on the platform and learn the culture.
Observe how conversations flow, how moderators maintain order, and what earns trust.
(We’ll talk about cadence, staffing, and moderation in later steps.)
Plus, when everyone knows the “why,” every post naturally lines up with it.
Side note: Your community can support other goals. But your primary goal should define how you measure success. That’s what makes it easier to see whether it’s actually working.
For example, a support-first subreddit focuses on speed, accuracy, and trust.
It needs moderators who know the product and can solve problems publicly.
r/fidelityinvestments is an example of this.
Verified associates answer customer questions, while pinned announcements guide users through service updates.
And, if they were tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), they’d likely focus on response time and resolution rate.
Now, compare that to a community-first subreddit.
It usually thrives on curation, conversation, and peer support.
Moderators act more like hosts, encouraging user-generated content (UGC) and keeping discussions flowing.
r/LifeOnPurple runs this way.
The mattress brand posts lightly, shares occasional updates, and lets UGC drive momentum.
Their key metrics probably include:
Percentage of UGC
Active users
Returning posters
Common Brand Subreddit Goals
Here are the top three core goals most brand subreddits serve.
Choose one, commit to it, and let the rest orbit naturally to keep your subreddit focused.
Goal Type
Main Tasks
Typical Post Types
Brand Presence & Awareness
Customer Care
Reduce support load and create a searchable archive
FAQs, tutorials, outage updates, support megathreads
UGC ratio, non-brand posts/week, returning posters
Engagement rate, sentiment, referral traffic
Step 2: Put People (and Rules) in Place
Once you’ve set your goals, decide who’ll run the subreddit. And how.
The right person (or team) makes sure that:
Questions get answered quickly
Moderation feels fair
Brand messaging stays consistent
Start by assigning one primary moderator.
They’ll be accountable for growth, moderation quality, and reporting insights.
In most teams, that’s your community manager, social media lead, or support head.
Preferably, someone who knows the product and understands community dynamics.
But a great subreddit is rarely a one-person show.
So, make sure your moderator has access to others in the company.
Here’s how that can look depending on your subreddit type:
Support-heavy subreddits: Include a product specialist or customer service rep who can jump in fast
Community-first spaces: Bring in someone from marketing or content to spark conversations or highlight great posts
Developer or technical subs: Involve a product manager or engineer who can step in when discussions get technical
For example, r/SEMrush is run by Semrush employees who actively join conversations and clarify product questions when needed.
In contrast, r/hubspot’s moderators are a combination of members from the HubSpot support team and a power user.
Bring Key People to Your Subreddit
You should also have a few “guest stars” lined up.
These are your execs, product managers (PMs), or team leads.
They don’t need to be available all the time.
But, having them join conversations signals two things: access and accountability.
For example, as Favikon builds its company subreddit in its early stages, the team regularly runs AMAs with leaders and associates.
Define Your Ground Rules
Everyone who represents your brand on Reddit should know exactly how to show up.
So, create an internal guide — like a company subreddit playbook — outlining how your brand speaks and behaves on Reddit.
At a minimum, cover these areas:
Brand tone: How your company sounds when it speaks
Disclosure: Make it clear you’re speaking for the brand. Use verified handles or flairs like “Official Response” or “From the CEO.”
Confidentiality: Define what can be shared publicly vs. what stays internal
Escalation: Outline how moderators flag issues to support, PR, or product teams
Response guidelines: When to jump in, when to step back, and when to let the community self-resolve
Moderation scenarios: How to handle misinformation, conflict, or spam consistently and fairly
Crisis protocols: Who leads if a post goes viral, a complaint snowballs, or a product issue surfaces
Reality check: You don’t need an extensive playbook on day one. Start with the essentials that help moderators act confidently. Then, evolve it as your subreddit — and your instincts — mature.
Step 3: Set Up Your Subreddit
With your moderators and rules ready, it’s time to build the actual space.
To set it up, use a desktop. It’s much smoother than mobile.
Start by clicking “Start a ccommunity” in the left-hand sidebar.
You’ll see a pop-up window that walks you through setup.
Here’s what matters most in each step.
Pick the Right 3 Topics
First, you’ll be asked to choose three topics your community belongs to.
These help Reddit’s discovery algorithm surface your subreddit to the right users.
So, your topic choice could affect who finds you.
In other words:
Treat topic selection like SEO for community discovery.
Choose Your Community Type
Next, decide how open your subreddit will be:
Public: Best for most brand launches
Restricted: Useful for soft launches
Private: Good for internal pilots or early betas
Mature (18+): Only if your content genuinely requires age restriction.
Most brands should go “Public” for organic reach.
But there are also situations where “Private” or “Restricted” makes sense.
For example, if you want to keep everything hidden while you build, set it to “Private.”
And, if you’re not launching yet — but you want to own the URL before someone else grabs it — go “Restricted.”
Just remember, switching later requires Reddit’s approval.
Name Your Subreddit
Next comes naming your community.
This one’s permanent. So, check spelling and capitalization.
Stick with r/YourBrand or r/yourbrand when possible.
If it’s taken, use a clear variant such as r/YourBrandOfficial, r/YourProduct, or r/YourBrandSupport.
Here are a few examples:
r/0xPolygon (Polygon Labs)
r/SEMrush (Semrush)
r/LifeOnPurple (Purple Mattress)
Next, add a short description in the field below the subreddit name.
You can update this anytime.
So, keep it simple for now. (Unless you’ve already got a strong one.)
An effective subreddit description should:
Say who it’s for
Say what members can do
Set expectations
For example, Favikon’s description clearly states what the community is for and what the brand will provide.
It’s obvious that the space serves both the community (creators) and the brand’s updates.
Fidelity’s description, on the other hand, is clear that it’s a customer care channel. With Fidelity associates answering product-related questions.
It also clarifies that they don’t handle account-specific issues:
A small but crucial detail that manages expectations early.
Add Visuals to Make It Look Official
After writing your description, it’s time to add visuals:
Specifically, your icon and banner.
For your icon, upload a recognizable asset, such as your logo.
This helps users instantly see that the subreddit is official.
Next, add your banner.
A 1920 x 384 pixel image works best, though Reddit also allows slimmer options like 1920 x 256 or 1920 x 128.
Your banner should reflect your brand identity without feeling like an ad.
The r/LifeOnPurple subreddit, for example, uses the Purple Mattress logo and a clean purple banner consistent with its brand design.
But r/MobileLegendsGame uses detailed artwork that fits its gaming audience.
Once you’ve uploaded your logo and banner, click “Create Community.”
And voila! That’s your subreddit live.
Step 4: Personalize and Prepare for Launch
Once your subreddit exists, the next step is to make it feel alive.
Do these four things to make it feel welcoming:
Add clear community rules
Write and pin a welcome post
Add a few starter threads
Set up sticky highlights
Let’s walk through each.
Define Community Rules
Every subreddit needs community rules.
They define the kind of space you’re building.
You don’t need a long list, especially at the start. Four to six guidelines are enough to set expectations and boundaries.
Cover the basics first:
No spam
Be respectful
Don’t share personal information
Then, add one or two brand-specific rules.
For example, r/mintmobile, a community with heavy customer engagement, adds a rule against spreading false information.
Plus, a reminder not to post personal details.
While r/hubspot, a fairly new subreddit, has only three rules.
To add rules, click “Mod Tools” at the top right sidebar of your subreddit page.
Then, scroll down to the “MODERATION” section in the left sidebar.
Click “Rules” > “Create Rule.”
Pro tip: Spend time exploring Mod Tools. That’s where you customize your subreddit’s look, rules, and automation. The more familiar you are with that panel, the smoother your moderation as the community grows.
Write the Welcome Post
A welcome post helps new visitors understand what the subreddit’s for and how to participate.
There’s no single right format.
Just make it clear and approachable.
r/reolinkcam, for example, uses a pinned “Please Read This Before Posting” thread.
It starts with short, practical guidance, followed by a quick intro, links to product setup guides, and an FAQ section.
r/Comcast_Xfinity takes a different approach.
Its welcome post lays out the community code of conduct, explains how to use flairs, and summarizes key rules.
To create your first post, click “Create Post.”
It’s at the top right corner of your subreddit page.
Post Conversation Starters
Once your welcome post is live, add a few early posts to make your community feel active.
Some threads you can write include:
FAQ: Answer common support or sales questions your team already gets
Product updates or announcements: Share new releases to keep people in the loop
Community guidelines: Restate the rules and add context, like where to report bugs or how to tag posts
How to/tutorial: Solve a top recurring problem. It reduces tickets and becomes a reusable resource.
Pin Community Highlights
Sticky posts are the first thing visitors see when they land on your subreddit.
They’re pinned to the top of your feed.
When used well, they double as trust signals. A kind of proof that your brand is active and organized.
Start by pinning your “Welcome Post,” then layer in others as your community grows.
For example, r/SEMrush keeps its biggest updates (like the AI Visibility Toolkit launch) and company news pinned.
This way, new visitors instantly see what’s new.
Meanwhile, r/fidelityinvestments often features
Engagement prompts
Weekly Q&As
Official announcements
To make any post sticky, open the post, scroll down, and click the shield icon.
Then, select “Add to highlights.”
That post will now appear at the top of your subreddit.
Step 5: Launch Your Subreddit
Now that everything’s in place, it’s time to spark the first lights of community.
Invite Founding Members
Founding members help set the tone and the tempo of your brand subreddit.
Ideally, they’re your superfans. People who already share your enthusiasm.
They’re usually:
Power users who love your product
Loyal customers who actively engage
Industry peers who enjoy sharing what they know
These voices bring authenticity and fill your first threads with real conversation.
They’ll also help define your culture.
So, treat them like subreddit co-founders, not just early users.
How do you get them?
Start with a simple, genuine invitation.
A one-on-one message always beats a mass announcement.
“Hey [name],We’re launching a small community on Reddit. It’s going to be a place to share ideas, ask questions, and help shape how our products evolve. You’ve been one of the most insightful voices in our space. I would love for you to be part of it from the start.”
[Your name]
Announce It Publicly (But Frame It Right)
Once you’ve got a few active members and threads, announce your subreddit in your owned channels, including:
Frame it as a shared space where your team and users exchange insights, solve problems, and showcase projects.
You can also invite followers from other platforms when there’s something happening — like an AMA or live discussion.
The way Olena does it on X, for example.
This approach builds awareness and attracts people who genuinely want to be part of your community.
Cross-Promote in Related Subreddits (Carefully)
If you or your team already participates in related subreddits, mention your new community when it genuinely adds value to a discussion.
Side note: Always check each subreddit’s rules first. Many ban self-promotion.
This tactic works best when your user account already has credibility in that subreddit.
If people recognize your username from your past helpful comments, the subreddit mention feels natural, not sneaky.
Pro tip: NEVER ask employees to pose as independent users to promote your brand. That’s called astroturfing — and it’s one of the fastest ways to destroy credibility on Reddit.
How to Keep Your Brand Subreddit Alive
Once your founding members are active, the real work begins:
Keeping your subreddit alive and thriving.
You don’t need dozens of posts a day, but you do need steady participation.
Moderate and Engage Consistently
How often you show up depends on your subreddit’s purpose, but the principle stays the same:
Be present.
Respond quickly: Aim to reply within 24 hours
Enforce rules fairly: Remove spam and toxic behavior, but don’t over-police
Check in daily (or at least on weekdays): Even 15–20 minutes a day keeps threads from going unanswered
For example, moderators in r/Comcast_Xfinity regularly pin troubleshooting threads and reply to outage questions.
From their flairs alone, you can tell they’re listening and available.
Side note: A flair is a small label that appears next to a username or post title. It adds instant context to every interaction. You can customize flairs in Mod Tools.
Start Meaningful Rituals and Events
Rituals keep communities alive and give people a reason to come back.
Some easy ones to start include:
Weekly or monthly megathreads for support or feedback
Recurring posts like “Feedback Friday” or “Tutorial Tuesday”
Regular AMAs with your CEO or product team
Community contests or creative prompts
Keep these rituals going long enough, and people start showing up out of habit.
It becomes a place where regulars connect through shared threads and interests.
And that’s how your subreddit turns from just another space into a familiar home.
Not sure where to start?
Look at non-brand subreddits for inspiration.
For example, r/bullcity — Durham, North Carolina’s official subreddit — has a biweekly anything goes thread.
This is where people can add any posts that “would otherwise be considered spam” into the thread.
It’s pinned in the community highlights and keeps local conversations active and open.
Encourage User Contributions
Invite members to share their own tips, advice, and projects.
Then, amplify their participation:
Make a special flair for “Top Contributor”
Highlight the most useful tips
Feature a “Member of the Month”
These small bits of recognition let people know their voice matters. And can turn a casual user into a loyal regular.
Pro tip: Reddit’s spam filter can be overzealous. Keep an eye on auto-removed posts so real users don’t lose motivation.
Handle Criticism Transparently (and With Grace)
Negative posts are inevitable, and deleting them is the worst move you can make.
Instead, respond honestly. Acknowledge the issue, and explain what’s being done about it.
Even if your answer isn’t perfect, that transparency helps build credibility.
To see how it’s done well, look at how other brands handle criticism or answer tough questions.
For example, Beardbrand owner, u/bandholz, once replied to the question:
“Is Beardbrand just not great anymore?” in a calm and factual way.
This turned a critical post into a constructive discussion.
Track Your Subreddit Engagement and Growth
To grow your subreddit, think less about control and more about connection.
And always watch the engagement:
Are members helping each other? Are discussions happening without you prompting them?
When activity dips, nudge it with a new prompt or AMA.
When it grows, resist the urge to overmanage.
Then, use Reddit Analytics to see whether the community is growing or slowing.
This helps you quickly gauge what’s working.
“I spend time in Reddit’s native analytics tools. They’re not super detailed, but I can track member growth and weekly contributions. I can also see daily numbers for posts, comments, and unique users. For what I do — and what I need to track right now — that’s more than enough.”
Make Your Brand Subreddit the Hub
Your brand subreddit works best as part of a complete Reddit presence, not in isolation.
Once it’s well-established, blend it with smart Reddit marketing, including ads, partnerships, and organic participation.
That’s when Reddit stops being just another forum and becomes an ecosystem that grows your visibility and your credibility at the same time.
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-12-17 14:53:022025-12-17 14:53:02How to Build a Brand Subreddit: Full Setup Guide (+ Examples)
If you’re planning to build a website or publish a blog post, you’ve probably heard the word permalink pop up. But what is a permalink, really? In simple words, it’s the permanent link to a page on your website, like the official street address of your house. No matter how many times you update your content, this link remains the same and tells people (and Google) exactly where that page is located. In this blog, we’ll break down what a permalink is, why it matters, how to pick the right permalink structure, and how Yoast SEO helps you manage everything easily.
Quick note: If your website is already established, changing existing permalinks can cause broken links and SEO issues. Don’t worry, we’ll show you how to do it safely later in this guide.
A permalink is a permanent link to a specific page on your website, ensuring a stable URL even when content updates occur
Choosing the right permalink structure improves SEO by creating clean, readable, and memorable URLs
Changing existing permalinks can result in broken links; always set up redirects when updating them to maintain SEO value
Best practices include keeping permalinks short, using hyphens, and avoiding dates unless necessary for clarity
Tools like Yoast SEO help manage permalinks effectively and prevent 404 errors during changes
What is a permalink?
Before we go any deeper, let’s start with the basics: what is a permalink? A permalink (short for “permanent link”) is the stable URL that points to a specific page or post on your website. Think of it as the forever address of a piece of content. Even if you update the page, the permalink remains the same, ensuring that people and search engines can always find it.
Fun fact:
Permalinks gained popularity around the early 2000s, when bloggers sought clean, permanent URLs instead of long, messy links filled with numbers and symbols. The idea quickly spread across blogging platforms, and that’s how permalinks became a standard part of the web.
The slug, which is the last part of the URL, tells people what the page is about
So a clean permalink might look like:
→ https://yourdomain.com/sponsored-tweets-guide
And it will always lead to that exact guide.
Compare that to a messy, auto-generated URL like:
→ https://yourdomain.com/post-id?=5726fjwenfkd
The first one is easier to read, easier to remember, more suitable for sharing, and more beneficial for SEO. That’s precisely why understanding what the permalink in WordPress is so important, especially when your site grows, and you want your content to be easy to find.
Permalinks can also include categories or subfolders depending on your structure. For example:
→ https://yourdomain.com/blog/best-yoga-poses
No matter how your website changes on the backend, a permalink should always point to the same page. However, if you ever update your URL structure or change the slug, you’ll need to set up redirects; otherwise, the original permalink won’t work. We will discuss it further later in this blog post.
Clear, simple permalinks make your content easier to read, index, and trust. That’s why choosing a proper permalink structure early on matters so much.
A brief overview of permalink anatomy
Now that you know what a permalink is, let’s quickly break down what it’s actually made of. A permalink may seem simple on the outside, but each part of it has a specific purpose. Think of it like a small puzzle; every piece helps your browser understand exactly where to take you.
Let’s use a sample URL to make things easy:
Here’s a brief overview of each element in a permalink:
Protocol (or scheme)
This is the beginning of every URL, the http:// or https:// part. It tells your browser how to connect to a website.
→ http:// is the old, not-so-secure version → https:// is the secure, modern version that protects your data
Today, https:// is a must, especially if you care about trust, SEO, and safety.
Subdomain
This is the little prefix that comes before your main domain. In our example, it’s www. You can also use subdomains like shop.example.com or blog.example.com when you want to separate different sections of your website.
Root domain (or hostname)
This is your main website address, the part you buy, like example.com.
It has two pieces:
→ The name you choose (example) → The extension that follows (.com, .org, .net, etc.)
Together, they form the foundation of your website’s identity.
Path (or slug)
Everything that comes after the domain is usually the part WordPress users think of as the permalink.
In our example: /blog/my-first-post
→ The path (/blog/) shows the section or folder → The slug (my-first-post) is the unique part that describes the page
In WordPress, you can easily edit the slug for every post or page to make your permalink clean and SEO-friendly.
Parameters and anchors (optional extras)
These parts don’t appear in every permalink, but when they do, they provide additional information.
Parameters come after a question mark, like ?page=2 or tracking codes like ?utm_source=email
Anchors are denoted by a hash (#), such as #comments, and direct the visitor to a specific section on the same page
Difference between permalinks and URLs
You may wonder how a URL differs from a permalink. They look similar, they point to web pages, and they both live in your browser’s address bar, so what sets them apart? The easiest way to understand it is this: every permalink is a URL, but not every URL is a permalink.
To understand the difference better, URLs can be split into two types:
Static URLs:
These remain the same and always direct you to the same page. Example: yourdomain.com/blog/how-to-bake-sourdough. This is a static URL, and yes, it’s also a permalink.
Dynamic URLs:
These changes depend on user actions and typically include additional parameters, such as ?page=2 or ?color=blue. Example: yourdomain.com/products/shirt?color=blue&size=large. Dynamic URLs are not considered permalinks because search engines treat each version with different parameters as separate pages.
Examples of URLs that are not permalinks
Not every URL qualifies as a permalink. Here’s why:
Dynamic URLs containing parameters
These URLs load content, but the added parameters make them temporary and subject to change. For example, yourdomain.com/blog?page=2 and yourdomain.com/best-yoga-poses?source=email.
Static URLs that don’t point to a specific page
These are still URLs, but they direct you to the homepage, root domain, or a general section, rather than a specific piece of content. So they aren’t considered permalinks. For example, yourdomain.com, www.yourdomain.com, and shop.yourdomain.com.
The importance of permalinks in your digital presence
Now that you know what a permalink is and how it’s built, let’s talk about why it actually matters. Many people think permalinks are just tiny technical settings inside a content management system CMS, but they play a much bigger role in how your website looks, feels, and performs on the SERPs.
Search engines, such as Google, pay close attention to your URLs. A clean permalink clearly indicates what your page is about, making it easier for your content to rank high on Google.
For example: yourdomain.com/blog/what-is-a-permalink vs. yourdomain.com/?p=123. The first one clearly explains the topic. The second one tells Google nothing.
A strong permalink structure helps with:
Keywords: If your slug includes your main keyword, Google gets instant context
Crawlability: Clear folders, such as /services/web-design/, help search engines understand your site’s hierarchy
Link equity: People are far more likely to link to clean URLs than long, confusing ones. More links = stronger SEO
How permalinks shape the user experience
Permalinks aren’t just for search engines; they also affect how real people feel when they visit your website.
Clean, readable URLs make your site look professional and trustworthy. When someone sees a link like /contact-us/ or /shop/, they instantly know where they’re going. However, when they encounter something like /c/post?id=72, it appears suspicious and difficult to understand.
Good permalinks help with:
Clarity: Users can guess the topic from just the URL
Confidence: A neat URL feels more trustworthy than a random string of numbers
Memorability: Simple slugs are easy to remember or type again later
In short, clean permalinks create a smoother, friendlier experience for every visitor.
How permalinks support your site structure
Your permalink structure is basically the map of your website. It shows how your content fits together, and it helps both users and search engines move around your site easily.
For example, a URL like: yourdomain.com/services/web-design/.
Immediately tells someone:
They’re in the Services section
They’re looking at the Web Design page
This clear parent–child relationship makes your site feel more organized. And when your site structure is clean, Google can crawl and understand your content much faster.
Choosing the right permalink structure early on keeps your website simple, safe, and easy to manage as it grows.
Configuring permalinks in WordPress
When you publish a new page or post in WordPress, the platform automatically creates a permalink for you. The problem? The default permalink isn’t great for SEO or user experience. The good news is that WordPress makes it super easy to change your permalink settings and choose a structure that works better for your website.
Step 1: Log in to your WordPress dashboard and look for the Settings option on the left-hand menu
Step 2: Click on the ‘Permalinks.’ option to open the page permalink settings.
Lastly, select your desired permalink format as per your needs.
WordPress permalink options
Recommendations for each WordPress configuration
Each structure has its own purpose, so the best one for you depends on your SEO goals and the kind of content you publish. Here’s a quick and friendly breakdown:
Permalink settings
Setting recommendations
Day and name [https://example.com/2025/10/27/sample-post/]
Good for news-heavy sites.
Ideal for publishers who post multiple updates daily. However, for most websites, adding the full date makes your content appear outdated too quickly.
Month and name [https://example.com/2025/10/sample-post/]
The verdict is the same as above. Slightly shorter, but it still adds a timestamp that most businesses might not need.
Numeric [https://example.com/archives/123]
Skip this one.
Just another version of an unclear, non-descriptive link. It provides readers and search engines with no indication of what the page is about.
Post name [https://example.com/sample-post/]
The best option for 99% of websites.
Clean. Short. Easy to read. Keyword-friendly. Perfect for SEO. If you’ve ever searched for ‘what is a permalink in WordPress’ or ‘what is a WordPress permalink’, this is the recommended format.
Custom structure
This allows you to create your own format using tags like /%category%/, /%postname%/, or /%author%/.
Changing permalinks without ending up in 404
Although we refer to them as permalinks or permanent links, there may be instances when you need to update them. Maybe a page title has changed, maybe you’re fixing your site structure, or maybe you’re cleaning up old URLs. Whatever the reason, changing a permalink isn’t something you should do casually; one wrong move can lead to 404 errors.
So before we talk about how to change a permalink in WordPress, it’s important to understand when you should change it, why it matters, and what the possible impact might be.
When should you change a permalink?
Even though permalinks are meant to stay the same, there are situations where changing them makes sense. Here are the most common use cases where updating a permalink is not only acceptable, but sometimes necessary.
When your current permalink isn’t SEO-friendly
If your site started with WordPress’s default “plain” URLs (like /?p=123), you’ll quickly realize they don’t describe the content, which makes ranking harder. Switching to a clean, keyword-rich structure helps search engines better understand your page.
Example:
yourdomain.com/?p=245
yourdomain.com/how-to-start-a-blog
If your permalink doesn’t reflect your topic, fixing it may be a smart move.
When you’re improving user experience
Sometimes, older permalink formats are confusing or too long. Updating them to something short and clear makes URLs easier for people to read, remember, and share.
Users are much happier to click something like yourdomain.com/blue-dress instead of yourdomain.com/products/?id=blue&ref=123.
Clean permalinks help establish trust, which in turn leads to more clicks.
When your content feels “dated” because of the URL
If your permalink includes the year or full date (like news-style URLs), users may assume the content is outdated, even if the blog post remains relevant. Switching to a timeless structure can improve click-through rates; for example, use yourdomain.com/best-seo-tips/ instead of yourdomain.com/best-seo-tips-2025/.
When you’re rebranding or restructuring your site
If you are rebuilding your website, changing domain names, or reorganizing categories, ensure that your permalinks align with your new structure. This keeps your content consistent and prevents confusion.
When you’re moving to HTTPS
Switching from HTTP to HTTPS is a major security upgrade, and it affects your permalinks. It requires redirects to make sure your old links still work.
If the previous owner used messy or unclear permalinks, updating them can help you improve SEO, rebuild trust, and create a more organised structure.
The impact of changing permalinks (and why you must be careful)
Changing permalinks without a plan can cause serious problems, especially for SEO. Since permalinks function like permanent addresses, updating them incorrectly can break links throughout your entire website.
Here’s what can go wrong:
You may trigger 404 errors: This happens when the old URL no longer exists, and you haven’t added a redirect. Too many 404s hurt both user experience and SEO
You can lose rankings: If you change a permalink without a 301 redirect, Google treats the new URL as a brand-new page, causing drops in traffic and lost link value
Internal links can break: Any links inside your own site that point to the old URL will stop working unless they’re updated or redirected
External links stop sending traffic: Backlinks from other websites, emails, or social posts will lead to broken pages if redirects aren’t in place
How to safely change permalinks in WordPress (without breaking your site)
If you ever need to update a permalink, you shouldn’t jump straight in. There’s a simple three-step process that keeps your website safe, your rankings stable, and your visitors away from 404 errors. Think of it as your mini checklist for making permalink changes the right way.
Step 1: Back up your website (just to be safe)
Before touching your URL structure, always create a full backup. If anything goes wrong, you can restore your site in seconds, rather than trying to fix broken links one by one.
Step 2: Set up a 301 redirect for the old URL
This is the most important step. A 301 redirect informs Google and your visitors that your page has been permanently moved. It redirects everyone to the new permalink and retains nearly all of your SEO value.
Without a 301 redirect
With a 301 redirect
Your old link becomes a 404
Your traffic stays safe
Your new link loses rankings
Your SEO strength moves with the new URL
Any backlinks pointing to the old URL lose their power
Google updates the new permalink over time
You can set up redirects manually, but this usually requires knowledge of databases or cPanel. Thankfully, WordPress plugins make it easy, and this is where Yoast SEO Premium becomes incredibly helpful.
The plugin’s redirect manager feature automatically creates a 301 redirect every time you change a URL or move/delete a page. So even if you forget to set up a redirect, Yoast handles it for you and protects your SEO behind the scenes.
Here’s how the Yoast SEO Premium plugin takes the stress out of the process:
Automatically creates redirects when you change or delete a URL
Prevents 404 errors by forwarding visitors to the correct page
Let you choose the right redirect type (301, 302, 307, 410, etc.)
Organises all redirects in one clean dashboard
Supports advanced options like REGEX redirects and import/export
With Yoast SEO Premium, you don’t have to remember any of these steps. You change the permalink, and the plugin handles the redirect instantly, keeping your SEO, structure, and user experience intact.
A smarter analysis in Yoast SEO Premium
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Once your redirects are ready, you can safely update your permalink in the WordPress editor or change the global permalink settings. At this point, you won’t break any links because your redirects are already in place.
Permalink best practices to prevent frequent changes
A well-structured permalink saves you from future headaches. Here are the best practices to follow every time you create a new permalink on your WordPress site.
Keep your permalink short, simple, and descriptive
A slug should not look like a full sentence. It should act like an address that clearly tells users and search engines what the page is about. Shorter permalinks are easier to read, share, and understand. For example, /improve-seo-2025/
Use your target keyword naturally
Your main keyword should appear in the slug, but only once. This helps search engines identify the topic without making your URL look spammy. For example, /what-is-a-permalink/.
Use hyphens to separate words
Hyphens are the correct standard for URLs. Search engines read them as natural separators between words.
Avoid:
Underscores (my_post)
Spaces (my%20post)
Words combined without separation (mypost)
Always write them like this: yourdomain.com/chocolate-cake
Use dates with care
As mentioned earlier, dates can be particularly helpful for news sites or when covering strictly time-sensitive topics. However, for most blogs and business websites, dates in permalinks can make your content appear outdated, even when it remains relevant. Therefore, when possible, choose evergreen URLs, such as /best-yoga-poses/.
Use lowercase letters in all URLs
Since URLs can be case-sensitive, uppercase and lowercase versions of the same slug may be treated as distinct pages. This can cause duplicate content issues. Always stick to lowercase, such as: yourdomain.com/types-of-tea.
Encode special characters and emojis
If your slug includes accented characters (ä, å, ö) or emojis (which you should avoid using), they must be encoded using UTF-8. Without encoding, browsers may break the URL or cause crawl errors.
Encoding ensures the permalink displays correctly and remains accessible to search engines.
Stay consistent with your permalink structure
Whether you are using /blog/%postname%/ or placing all service pages under /services/%postname%/, choose one approach and follow it for the entire site; consistency improves navigation, user experience, and SEO.
Your permalinks are your digital foundation
Your permalink structure may appear simple on the surface, but it silently supports the way users and search engines interact with your site. A clear and consistent URL helps readers understand your content, builds trust, reduces confusion, and prevents the need for constant changes later. It also provides search engines with a clear path to follow, which enhances your overall SEO performance.
By keeping permalinks short, descriptive, and keyword-focused, avoiding unnecessary stop words, choosing hyphens, maintaining consistency in formats, and using lowercase letters, you create a structure designed to last. These small choices make your URLs easy to share, maintain, and understand by Google.
With the right permalink strategy and the help of tools like Yoast SEO for managing redirects and site structure, you can build a solid foundation that supports your content for years to come.
Your URLs are not just technical details. They are part of your site’s identity. Treat them with care, and they will continue to guide search engines and users to the right place every time.
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-12-17 13:43:492025-12-17 13:43:49What are permalinks? How to optimize them for SEO
Fun fact:
