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Turning data into actionable insights: a data-driven SEO strategy

Modern SEO is all about data. Rankings can change overnight, user behavior as well, and search engines increasingly use AI to power the search results. To be able to respond, your decisions should be dictated by real, measurable insights. This article offers a practical way to turn SEO data into actionable insights.

The role of data in modern SEO

The search landscape is more complex than ever, so you need all the help you can get. By analyzing data, SEOs and business owners can learn and understand what works and what doesn’t. Metrics from tools like Google Analytics and Search Console provide glimpses of how visitors behave, keyword usage, and page performance. Using data to make decisions takes the guesswork out of the SEO work.

Good data gives you a clear picture of user engagement. For instance, tracking engagement time, engagement rates, and click-through rates will reveal whether content meets audience needs. These are crucial data insights that uncover gaps that might hinder performance. Data-driven insights help you understand what to focus on and what to prioritize.

Data doesn’t just identify issues, but also opportunities. Trends in keyword performance or a shift in traffic sources can lead to new content ideas or a new market to target. This is data-driven marketing, as you are making decisions based on evidence instead of hunches. These insights will lead to strategies focused on real user behaviors, which should lead to better results.


The goal isn’t to find interesting stats — it’s to find what you can do next. In SEO and AI-driven search, the data that matters is the data that leads to action: fix this page, shift that content, change how you’re showing up. If your insights don’t lead to decisions, they’re just noise.

Carolyn Shelby – Principal SEO at Yoast


A Yoast example

Let’s take a simple example from Yoast. We noticed one of our articles (What is SEO?) was gradually losing traffic and slipping in the rankings for key terms. The content hadn’t been updated for a while, so we took a closer look. We analyzed the search results and compared our article with those from competitors. We looked at intent, structures, relevance, and freshness. It was easy to see that our article lacked depth and context in key areas.

We wrote a good brief for the article and detailed the work needed. Then, we rewrote sections, updated examples, improved internal linking, and made it generally easier to read. We also added new custom graphics and on-topic expert quotes from our in-house Principal SEO, Alex Moss.

After republishing, the article quickly regained visibility. Plus, it climbed back towards the top of the search results, which brought in extra traffic. This was a clear reminder for us; when data shows a drop, improving the quality of the content backed by a good analysis can still win.

And an example of going from data to actionable insights to results

Turning data into insights

You need a process to quickly and systematically turn raw data into valuable insights. Eventually, you’ll get these insights once you ask the right SEO questions, gather the data, analyze it, and plan accordingly. 


Start with your goals, then ask: what’s holding us back? Actionable insights live in the gap between where you are and where you’re trying to go. That gap is different for every site and that’s what makes good analysis so powerful.

Carolyn Shelby – Principal SEO at Yoast


Step 1: What do you want to know?

Start by writing down the SEO questions you want answered. Do you want to improve performance, get more organic traffic, or better engagement? Analyze a traffic drop? For instance, an online store owner might want to understand why certain product pages don’t convert as well as expected. Thinking these things through before you start digging into the data makes it easier to focus on the metrics that matter.

Step 2: Gather the relevant data

Collect the data you need using tools like Google Analytics, Semrush, Wincher, Ahrefs, or other platforms that can power your data-driven SEO strategy. If you’d like to investigate a product page with subpar performance, you’ll look at page views, click-through rates, average engagement times, and engagement rates in GA4. Data like this should give you an idea to find and address the issues. 

Step 3: Analyze and spot trends

Dive into the data and try to spot patterns and trends. For example, an educational site might notice that articles on a particular topic get a lot of traffic but low engagement. Digging deeper might find that the titles of the articles attract visitors, but for some reason, the content doesn’t keep them interested. Trends like these help turn that data into insights that you can act upon. You can also use things like segmentation to find differences between groups of people from specific regions, who could engage wildly differently with your content. 

Step 4: Turn findings into actions

Once you’ve pinpointed the issues, it’s time to decide what you want to do. For instance, if you’ve found that an article has a low engagement rate because of the time it takes to load the page, you could fix the images and scripts on the page. Or, if you find that some keywords get traffic, but no conversions, you might need to improve the CTA on the page. Or it might be a search intent mismatch to fix. This is the thing that turns the insights from data into actionable insights.  

This is a nicely structured way of getting the insights needed to inform your data-driven SEO strategy. You can use every piece of information you find to improve your work as you go. This will not only help you understand the data but also make it easier to make the improvements needed to reach your SEO and business goals. 

An example: Addressing brand performance in LLMs

For this example, think of a tech publisher named Digital Mosaic. It’s a reputable source for in-depth news from the tech industry. Recently, their marketing team noticed something off. Users interacting with AI search engines and large language models (LLMs) like Google Gemini or ChatGPT rarely saw mentions of the Digital Mosaic brand. In other words, even when asked for the latest tech insights, the AI-driven sources and answers often omitted Digital Mosaic in favor of other options. 

After finding the issue, the team started analyzing data from various analytics platforms, brand mention trackers, and user surveys. They found their SEO and content work was pretty good, but the content was not properly optimized to help LLMs surface it. The data showed that their content lacked the language and brand signals needed to help LLMs understand the brand’s authority. 

When they found this, the teams got to work to improve how LLMs perceive their content:

Improving brand signals

The content team added clearer brand signals to their content, and each post received better metadata and structured data. The goal was to clearly tie the brand to the content to help LLMs recognize the sources. 

Changes in content

Next, the team restructured certain articles to include branded segments, such as “Digital Mosaic Exclusive Analysis” or “Today’s Tech Insights by Digital Mosaic”. This makes the brand more visible to users and gives LLMs a chance to associate the content with the brand, coming from a trusted source.

Investing in partnerships and collaboration 

The publisher set up a series of collaborations with well-known tech influencers and other outlets. They made co-branded content and were mentioned in many podcasts and webinars. This helped improve the brand’s presence in online conversations. LLMs love to look for what’s available on third-party sites about brands while generating responses. 

Rinse and repeat 

The team reviewed the changes’ performance to see if the LLMs would improve brand mentions. They used AI tools, like AI brand monitoring tools, to monitor and simulate the LLM outputs to see if the work was effective. Based on their findings, they would fine-tune their work and continue to improve performance. 

Within a few months, the results were encouraging. LLMs were increasingly showing content from and mentioning Digital Mosaic, and the brand’s footprint in LLMs was steadily improving. This did not just help visibility and increase the brand’s authority in the industry, but also led to a new source of traffic from AI search interfaces.

This fictional example shows how a publisher can use data insights to overcome a very specific challenge. Mixing traditional SEO solutions with new technologies helped Digital Mosaic turn data into actionable insights. Not only did it help the brand’s visibility right now, but it also prepared it for the AI-powered future.

Read more: How to optimize content for AI LLM comprehension using Yoast’s tools. 

Tools and techniques to get data insights

You need the right tools to turn data into actionable insights. This will be a mix of the tools we all know and love, and more specific ones to understand user behavior and site performance. 

We all start with Google Analytics 4 and Search Console. GA4 tracks many metrics, including user engagement, event counts, and traffic sources. Properly set up, it gives you a good overview of how users use your site. Search Console shows how your site performs in the SERPs, including keyword rankings, indexing status, and crawl errors. 

Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush provide information about backlinks, rankings, and search trends. These search marketing tools also have many features for competitive analysis and keyword research. You’ll get a big database of historical data, so you can spot and interpret trends over time. This data helps you with your data-driven marketing on all fronts. 

Looker Studio is a great tool to tie various data sources together and build dashboards
Looker Studio is a great tool to tie various data sources together and build dashboards

Advanced techniques and technologies

The are so many options to dive ever-deeper into your data to find the insights you need. Beyond the basics, you can use:

  • Segmentation: It could help to break up your data into specific audience segments. For instance, you could look at visitor behavior based on demographics, location, or the type of device they use. Segmenting data helps you understand why certain groups behave differently. For instance, if mobile users show lower engagement than desktop users, there might be something wrong with your mobile site.  
  • Trend analysis: Don’t just focus on looking at data for a specific day. It’s often better to look at metrics over different time periods. Look at the monthly or quarterly performance. This gives you an idea of the long-term impact of changes. 
  • Build dashboards to visualize data: Make a dashboard with data from various sources. Use tools like Looker Studio to combine Google data with SEO tools like Semrush and Ahrefs. This will give you reports that will show all key data at a glance. A dashboard makes it easier to understand data and communicate it with other team members or management. 
  • Big data: Big data is becoming increasingly important for data-driven SEO. Huge data sets can provide insights that smaller sets can overlook. They allow you to examine user behavior, search trends, and site performance at scale. With machine learning and automation, you can use big data to get better and faster results to inform your SEO strategy.

Iterative optimization and reporting

SEO is an ongoing process, and you’ll have to adjust course regularly. Don’t treat your site’s performance as a snapshot, but as something dynamic that evolves over time. Regularly looking at your data keeps you on top of things, from changes in user behavior to emerging search trends. 

Make it a routine

Schedule when you review data. This might be daily checks for urgent work or weekly to track short-term changes. For long-term trends, do monthly or quarterly deep dives. Route analysis helps you spot patterns that might not be so obvious at first glance. 

Test and experiment

With an iterative optimization approach, you test what works. For example, you could A/B test different page layouts, CTA buttons, or various meta titles. You might also try different content formats to see what gets more engagement. These tests will get you the data and insights needed to make the most of your SEO work.   

Feedback loop

A true feedback loop helps validate your improvements. After turning data into actionable insights, implement the changes in your content or technical SEO work. Keep updating your data to see if you need to refine your strategy. If a new tactic works, adopt it as a standard practice. But if it doesn’t work as intended, find out why and try a variation of it. Measuring trial and error and adopting your tactics makes you flexible and responsive.

Internet marketing tools like Wincher give key data points about your content's performance, like rankings
Internet marketing tools like Wincher give key data points about your content’s performance

Towards a data-driven SEO strategy

Using the knowledge you gain from turning data into actionable insights can greatly improve your SEO performance. Be sure to structure the data-gathering process: ask the right questions, collect the right data, analyze the trends, and create a system that turns those insights into action. 

What you change on your site isn’t even that important; it might be updating metadata, improving content, or diving into technical SEO aspects. If only what you do is the correct answer to the questions you wanted to have answered. 

Every insight can lead to big improvements in rankings and user engagement. Use this data-driven marketing approach to make the right decisions that will keep your SEO strategy effective in the future.

The post Turning data into actionable insights: a data-driven SEO strategy appeared first on Yoast.

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How to track website traffic: how many people are visiting your site?

Just like most other website owners, you want your website to attract customers. But how can you see who visits your website? And how can you use this knowledge to increase website traffic over time? Luckily, there are loads of tools that can help you. Let’s get you started with the right one for your website without the need to become a data expert!

What is website traffic?

The term website traffic refers to the number of internet users visiting your website. Traffic can arrive from wide-ranging sources, such as directly typing in your website address, through other websites that link to your site, organic traffic (meaning they come to your site from the search results), paid traffic (people who click on your online ads), through your social media, and other channels. The total number of these users visiting your website combined is what we call website traffic.

How to check how many people enter a website

There are online tools that can help you make sense of your website traffic. These tools provide you with lots of different metrics, but we’ll go into the most important ones when it comes to website traffic.

Tools to track website visits

Numerous tools can help you track your website traffic. We’ll look at a few well-known tools that provide you with the insights you need.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is the go-to tool for a lot of website owners when it comes to getting insights into their audience and website performance. What’s great about Analytics is that you can use it for free and it gives you loads of detailed insights. All the metrics mentioned above can be found in Analytics and give you the possibility to dive into visitor behavior and page performance. It allows you to mark key events, to track if people are performing the actions you want them to. 

The homepage gives an overview of data that Analytics deems relevant to you, based on your behavior in the tool. Some reports provide the metrics mentioned and much more, all focused on understanding your audience. Explorations allows you to create your own ‘reports’ to dive into one specific question you have or element you want a deeper understanding of. When you have Google Ads running, Analytics also provides insights into your ads and what actions to take there.

Screenshot Google Analytics 4
Screenshot of Google Analytics 4, found on Google’s blog

You will have to connect Analytics to your website, but luckily, there are tools out there that help you with that. Also, Google explains how to do this properly in their guide for beginners, which also gives you more information on this tool. One downside of Analytics, if you can call it that, is that all the information provided there can be overwhelming for some. They do expect you to find your way and figure out what data is relevant for your website. This makes it difficult to stay focused on the right things and not get lost in the woods.

Google Search Console

Another tool provided by Google, free of charge, is Google Search Console. Although there is some overlap with Analytics, this tool is focused more on showing your visibility in different parts of the Google ecosystem. Similar to Semrush, it’s very helpful when working on the performance of your pages and increasing website traffic. So if increasing organic traffic to your website is a big part of your marketing strategy, make sure to add this tool to your favorites. 

We have a beginner’s guide to Search Console, that goes into the details and explains how to set up an account. 

A screenshot of the ‘performance on search results’ section in Google Search Console

I wanted to mention this tool as it can help you boost your website traffic when used correctly. But if you’re mainly looking for a tool that provides you insights into your current website traffic, I would recommend investing your time in another tool first (f.e. Analytics). Search Console is great for figuring out what parts of your website you should work on, but if you want to take a step back and get familiar with your website stats first, then this might be for a later time.

Semrush

Semrush is another online tool that shows you how many people visit your site.e. This platform is used by a lot of people working on their website visibility. To give an idea, you can use Semrush to get data on your site’s performance, but it also allows you to do keyword research and compare yourself to competitors. 

Like Analytics, it provides a lot of information. But it does depend on your subscription on how extensively you can use this tool. There is a free version that may get you the data you need when starting out. It offers a site audit (of 100 pages), position tracking (for 10 keywords), personal recommendations, and traffic data such as visits, conversion, and bounce rate.

Semrush SEO dashboard
A screenshot of the ‘SEO Dashboard’ section in Semrush, from Semrush’s knowledge base

If you want to give Semrush a try, simply create a free account and fill in your website where the tool asks for your main domain. This will give you insights right away. You will notice that not all the data is available, and getting access to some more detailed stats will require an upgrade. But especially when you want to work on your SEO, Semrush gives you a lot of relevant information.

Metrics on website traffic

Every tool comes with different data, but there are a few relevant metrics that you will find in most of them. I’ll explain a few of them that will help you figure out who’s visiting your website and what they’re doing while on your pages.

Number of users

First of all, there’s the number of users. The number of total users tells you how many people have visited your website or a specific page in the selected period. In addition to the total number, you might also see the following metrics: active users, new users and/or returning users. 

Active users are the number of people who engaged with your page in that date range. Then there’s the difference between new users (the number of people who are first-time visitors of your site) and returning users (the number of people who have visited your site before).

Number of sessions

When a user opens your website, they start a new session. All the interactions that take place during the time they spend on your website are part of that one session. There’s no limit to how long a session can last, but it typically ends after 30 minutes of inactivity. If the user interacts with the website after that time or comes back at a later time, this will count as a different session.

Pageviews

When you encounter the metric pageviews, it tells you how many times a page is loaded or reloaded in a browser. Each time a user visits a page, it counts as one pageview—even if they refresh the page or navigate back to it multiple times. This metric helps measure how often your content is being viewed, regardless of how many unique users are visiting.

Source/medium

Source/medium tells you how users arrive at your website. The source is the specific origin of your traffic (e.g., Google, Facebook.com), while medium describes the general category of that source (e.g., organic, cpc, referral). Together, they give you insight into what channels are driving the most traffic and which ones could do better.

Engagement and events

Engagement rate is the percentage of sessions that were actively engaged, meaning users spent at least 10 seconds on the site, had a conversion event, or viewed two or more pages. It helps measure how meaningful or valuable a user’s interaction is. 

Events, on the other hand, track specific user actions—like clicks, downloads, video plays, or form submissions—providing detailed insight into how users interact with your content. Metrics related to engagement and events give you an idea of whether people are engaging with your pages and taking the actions you want them to take.

Other interesting metrics

Those metrics give you a lot of information about your website traffic, but of course, most tools offer you other interesting metrics as well. You could also look at the bounce rate, which tells you the percentage of users that leave after viewing just one page. The average session duration shows you how much time users spend on your site. Traffic by device gives an overview of how many of your users visit your website through desktop, mobile and/or tablet. Finally, top (performing) pages tells you which pages get the most visits.

Why you should know who visits your website

As I touched on in the previous paragraphs, data on your website traffic gives you insight into the behavior of your website visitors. Understanding who visits your website, and how they interact with it, helps you make more informed decisions about your website. It’s not just about counting clicks or visitors. It’s about uncovering trends, identifying growth opportunities, and optimizing the user experience to increase conversions, engagement, or other goals.

Are you visible on the right channels?

Knowing where your visitors come from, whether that’s organic search, social media, direct traffic, referrals, or paid ads, helps you measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. For example, if you’re investing heavily in social media campaigns but see little traffic from those platforms, that might mean it’s time to reevaluate your social strategy. On the other hand, high traffic from a specific channel might indicate a strong presence you can build on. This insight allows you to allocate your time and resources more strategically.

Pages that perform (or don’t)

Website data shows you how people are interacting with your pages, which tells you what your top-performing pages are and what pages need improving. Your top-performing pages might show high engagement, conversions, or time on site, indicating content that resonates with visitors. Pages that underperform can show you where users are dropping off or losing interest. This insight is invaluable for identifying what content needs updating, restructuring, or even retiring to improve your overall site performance.

Website performance over time

Tracking your traffic trends over days, weeks, or months allows you to assess the health of your online presence. Are you seeing growth? Seasonal spikes? Or sudden drops in traffic to your website? These patterns help you understand what’s working, what’s not, and how external factors might be affecting you. It also gives you a baseline to measure the success of any changes you’ve made to your website or other marketing activities.

Understanding your audience

Essentially, looking at the data that tells you who is visiting your website helps you get a deeper understanding of your audience and how your website is doing. This doesn’t mean you should be obsessing over these numbers daily, but having a monthly evaluation to go over everything helps you make informed decisions. Decisions that will improve your (online) presence and attract more people to your website.

Which tool is the best choice for you?

These tools are just the tip of the iceberg, but they are a great starting point when you want to keep track of your website visits over time. So, which one should you start using? If you’re looking for one tool that provides you with detailed insights into your website traffic (and therefore audience), I would recommend setting up Google Analytics first. It is the tool that’s focused on tracking website traffic and has the biggest variety of data.

To conclude

In this blog post, we discussed the importance of gaining insight into your website traffic. This can help you understand your audience and their behaviour and it helps you make improvements to your website. There are loads of tools out there, but the ones mentioned above are a great starting point. So make sure to choose one and get a grip on your website traffic!

Read more: How to measure the success of your content SEO strategy? »

The post How to track website traffic: how many people are visiting your site? appeared first on Yoast.

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Web Design and Development San Diego

Top ways to ensure your content performs well in Google’s AI experiences on Search

As a site owner, publisher or creator, you may be wondering how to best succeed in our AI search
experiences, such as AI Overviews and our new AI Mode.
The underpinnings of what Google has long advised carries across to these new experiences. Focus
on your visitors and provide them with unique, satisfying content. Then you should be well
positioned as Google Search evolves, as our core goal remains the same: to help people find
outstanding, original content that adds unique value. With that in mind, here are some things to
consider for success in Google Search all around, including our AI experiences.

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How to Change Location on Google 🌍 Tips & Tricks

Have you ever wondered how to trick Google into thinking that you’re somewhere else? 🌎 Changing your location in Google Search can be incredibly useful, especially for performing SEO…

The post How to Change Location on Google 🌍 Tips & Tricks appeared first on Mangools.

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What is Site Kit by Google? A guide for WordPress users

Site Kit by Google is a free WordPress plugin that connects your site to important tools like Analytics, Search Console, and Ads. After installing, it’s easy to verify your accounts, after which you see data in your dashboard. That data is nice to have, but it has limits, especially if you need detailed reports.

What is Site Kit by Google and why use it?

Site Kit by Google is a fundamental analytics tool that helps you answer questions like:

  • How many people are visiting your site?
  • What page do they land on first?
  • Which keywords did they search to find you?
  • Are your ads earning clicks?

With Site Kit, Google puts the data right into WordPress, so you don’t need to go digging around different platforms to seek your data. The tool gets its data straight from each service, and shows the most important data in clear graphs, tables, and a flexible, customizable Key Metrics widget. 

Who is it for? (and when it’s not enough)

But Site Kit is not the analytics tool to rule them all in WordPress land. It covers the basics well, but it won’t work for everyone’s goals. What it does do is make it incredibly easy to set up and run various Google Analytics accounts. 

Site Kit by Google works well for:

  • WordPress users who want to track basic performance
  • People who prefer not to use extra plugins or code
  • Site owners who manage everything themselves

But it may feel limited if you:

  • Run ads at scale and need conversion-level insight
  • Use custom events or eCommerce tracking
  • Want to control every aspect of your website’s scripts and tags

It covers the basics well, but it’s not built for advanced setups.

What does it look like?

After installing and connecting Site Kit, you’ll find a new menu item in your WordPress dashboard. Clicking this will lead you to the dashboard where most of the statistics and settings live. You’ll also notice a new drop-down menu when you visit posts on your site. Thanks to this drop-down, you can quickly see statistics for this specific article without having to open Analytics.

Overview dashboard

The Dashboard gives you an overview of how your site is performing. Of course, depending on what services you connect your site to, you might see something like this:

  • Traffic and engagement insights from Google Analytics 
  • Clicks and impressions from search traffic provided by Search Console
  • An overview of the top-performing pages
  • Earnings from Ads or AdSense, if you run ads, that is
  • Site speed performance powered by PageSpeed Insights 
  • An overview of how different groups compare, for instance, new vs. returning visitors

Some sections also show trend indicators like arrows or percentage changes compared to the previous period. This will help you spot trends and act upon them. Click on any source to open a more detailed view in the corresponding Google tool.

Part of the Site Kit dashboard showing various stats and the Key Metrics widget at the top
Part of the Site Kit dashboard showing various stats and the Key Metrics widget at the top

Key Metrics widget

You can set up the Key Metrics section the way you want. Site Kit will ask you a couple of questions about your site’s goals and what you want to focus on. Then, it will suggest metrics to show at the top of the dashboard. You can choose which blocks you want to see, such as top converting traffic sources, new visitors, recent trending pages, and much more. 

Admin bar stats

After Site Kit is active, you’ll also see a small dropdown at the top of your WordPress admin bar when you’re viewing your site. Click it, and you’ll get a mini-report showing page-specific stats, including search impressions, clicks, and traffic over time.

Site Kit will help you quickly find out how your content is doing, straight from the WordPress admin bar
Site Kit will help you quickly find out how your content is doing, straight from the WordPress admin bar

What Google services can you connect?

Once installed, you can connect the following tools. Two of them — Search Console and Google Analytics 4 — are enabled during the initial setup. You can connect:

  • Google Analytics 4
  • Search Console
  • AdSense 
  • Reader Revenue Manager
  • Google Ads
  • Tag Manager

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Site Kit will add your GA4 tag automatically, after which it shows data such as:

  • The number of visitors
  • Sources of sessions (organic search, direct, referral)
  • Average engagement rate
  • Session durations

The data shown is summarized, so if you want custom reports or event tracking, you need to open GA4. 

a new dashoard in site kit showing the difference in interaction between various visitor groups
Visitor grouping is the newest addition to Site Kit by Google

Google Search Console

After installing and connecting, you’ll get some key data from Search Console right inside your WordPress dashboard:

  • The queries people searched to find your site
  • Number of clicks and impressions
  • Unique visitors from search
  • Page-level performance in search

This kind of data is very helpful for content optimization purposes and to inform your SEO strategy. 

AdSense/Ads (monetization)

If you use Google’s systems to run ads, Site Kit can show data on ad impressions, top-earning pages, and estimated revenue from auto ads, for instance. Simply connect the services to see the data. Remember that it doesn’t replace the AdSense dashboards, but it does give you quick insights.

Reader Revenue Manager

Reader Revenue Manager is a Google tool for adding subscription and contribution options to your website. It’s designed for publishers and content creators who want to monetize their content through reader support, such as recurring memberships or one-time donations.

With Site Kit, you can connect Reader Revenue Manager to your WordPress site in just a few clicks. Once linked, it adds the necessary code to your site automatically, so you don’t need to add tags or install it manually. This feature is optional in Site Kit and is mostly used by publishers offering paywalled or premium content.

PageSpeed Insights

Site Kit runs a PageSpeed test directly inside WordPress. In the PageSpeed Insights section, you’ll see both lab data and field data. Lab data is based on simulated testing in a controlled environment and helps you identify performance issues during development. Field data, on the other hand, reflects how real users experience your site across different devices and network conditions. Together, they provide a balanced view of how your pages perform.

The report shows load performance scores, data on Core Web Vitals (like LCP and CLS). It also gives suggestions for improving speed. But it only tests your homepage and doesn’t include custom settings. For full reports, you can still visit PageSpeed Insights separately.

Tag Manager

You can link a Google Tag Manager container through Site Kit. This lets you manage third-party scripts (like Facebook Pixel or custom tracking tags) from one place. The plugin doesn’t give you a full interface for editing tags — you’ll do that inside the Tag Manager platform.

Managing Analytics in Site Kit by Google

For most site owners or managers, Analytics and Search Console are the most important Google tools. Site Kit makes it easy to set those two services up properly. Of course, you can also use existing accounts.

Enhanced measurement support

GA4 also has Enhanced Measurement, which tracks scrolls, outbound links, file downloads, and other actions automatically. If you activate these in your GA4 property, Site Kit can track them. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to choose which ones to turn on from inside WordPress; you need to go into your GA4 settings for that. 

Event tracking and tag insertion

Site Kit doesn’t support event setup or tracking reports inside the WordPress dashboard. If you need full control over events, you have to use GA4 directly or use Tag Manager to set up the custom events.

Limitations of Analytics in Site Kit

You’ll probably understand by now that Site Kit is not a replacement for GA4 — it’s a neat tool that gives quick insights and nothing more. You don’t get access to funnel reports, attribution models, or filters. You can’t edit events or see predictive metrics, and there’s no support for GA4 audiences or Google Analytics 360.

What’s Enhanced Conversion tracking?

With Enhanced Conversions, you can connect Google Ads clicks to leads or form submissions. This improves the reporting of these events when users are on different devices or block cookies. After setting this up, Site Kit will detect form submissions and pass the data to Google Ads.

Site Kit currently supports some of the most popular WordPress contact form plugins, such as Contact Form 7, WPForms, and Ninja Forms. However, if you use an unsupported custom form, Site Kit can’t automatically add enhanced conversions. 

Again, Site Kit has many limitations in this area. For instance, it doesn’t support purchase-based eCommerce conversions or offline conversions. It also doesn’t support pixel-level tracking, third-party forms, popups, and embedded forms. So, it’s specifically designed for simple lead form submissions. 

Key Metrics widget for quick performance insights

Key Metrics are a very valuable addition as they give quick insights into data of your choosing. They’re quick to understand but not very in-depth. For key strategy decisions, you’re going to need more data.

This widget pulls together important GA4 and Search Console data into a block on your dashboard. You can choose which metrics to show and reorder them. To change your selection, click the Change metrics button in the corner of the Key Metrics section. You can also rerun the question from the Site Kit admin settings.

Each metric includes a figure and a trend comparison from the previous period. For example, you may see engagement is “up 6%” compared to the last 28 days. Click any of them to open the full source report in GA4 or Search Console.

The widget has limitations. It doesn’t show custom events or real-time reporting, campaign attribution breakdowns, or GA4-specific collections like audiences or conversions. The widget and Site Kit, in general, are for broad insights, not advanced analytics. 

The Site Kit Key Metrics widget shows various data that you can tailor to your needs and goals
The Site Kit Key Metrics widget shows various data that you can tailor to your needs and goals

Is Site Kit by Google enough for your goals?

Site Kit is a good starting point for most WordPress users. It brings together valuable Google data without having to do much work. But whether it’s enough depends on whether you need to get from your analytics and tracking tools. 

SEO and content insights

Site Kit is not an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO. However, you can get data from Search Console that will help you understand how people find your website in the search results. With this, you’ll form an understanding of which content works well and how your site performs in the search results. 

However, as mentioned, it’s not an SEO plugin, so you need to install a tool like Yoast SEO to do much of the heavy lifting. Plugins like these help with most SEO tasks, like fixing technical issues, adding structured data, and improving your content. 

Monetization

If you’re running ads, Site Kit shows basic ad metrics like impressions, estimated earnings, and top-earning pages. It helps you monitor your ads without having to log into another app. 

It doesn’t support advanced ad setups, and you can’t manually place ads. It’s also not possible to optimize layouts based on behavior or run A/B tests to find the best ad format. If you’re working with multiple ad networks, you’ll need a tool that can do a lot more than Site Kit.

Marketing analytics

For reporting basics, Site Kit will do just fine. You can see trends in users, sessions, referral sources, and engagement time — all brought to you by Google Analytics 4. 

However, Site Kit doesn’t give access to campaign statistics, UTM tracking, or event-based funnels. It also doesn’t offer the option to set goals or segment traffic by behavior. For these kinds of insights, you need to dive straight into GA4 or use a more in-depth reporting tool. If you run marketing campaigns, track conversions, or use CRM tools, Site Kit won’t provide enough data. 

eCommerce and advanced use cases

For eCommerce, Site Kit won’t cut it. It doesn’t integrate with WooCommerce and doesn’t offer a revenue tracking option. It also doesn’t have access to carts, products, transactions, or customer behavior. There’s no way to measure things like average order value or conversion rates. 

For advanced eCommerce tracking, you need to set this up in GA4 directly or use other methods to access this data. Site Kit doesn’t support this at all. 

Should you use Site Kit by Google?

Site Kit is a good option if you want a free tool to view traffic, search, and performance statistics without having to set up a bunch of tools. It’s very easy to use and useful enough for small websites. 

If you’re running a huge publication or an online store, need to track custom campaigns, or manage a large number of ad accounts, Site Kit won’t cut it. That’s not to say it’s useless for those cases. One of its biggest draws is that it makes setting up GA4, Search Console, Ads, and Tag Manager accounts incredibly easy. It’s a great starting point to build your analytic toolkit upon.

The post What is Site Kit by Google? A guide for WordPress users appeared first on Yoast.

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Title Tags: How to Write Them (+ Steal Our Formulas)

You can create the most helpful, well-optimized content on the web.

But if you mess up the title tag, none of that will matter.

The title tag is the blue, clickable headline that shows up in search results.

It’s also your one shot at convincing a reader to choose your content over everyone else’s.

A subtle tweak to the title tag can make all the difference.

Take this example from the Backlinko blog: rain

Original title tag: “17 Ways to Get More Views on YouTube in 2025”

Position: 4th in search results

Keyword Overview – How to increase views on YouTube – SERP Analysis

Improved title tag: “17 Powerful Tactics To Get More YouTube Views in 2025″

Position: 1st in search results and the featured snippet

Google SERP – How to increase views on YouTube – Featured snippet

Same topic, same content. Wildly different result.

But, why did that second title tag work better?

And how can you get the same results?

In this guide, I’ll break down what makes a title tag work.

I’ll cover real examples, a simple framework for writing them, and tools you can use to improve your title tags — and search results — today.

Free resources + AI Prompt

Ready to start improving your title tags right away? Download our:

Prompt:

Help me write a title tag for [YOUR KEYWORD] using the Backlinko formulas and checklist I’ve attached.


What Is a Title Tag?

A title tag is a line of HTML code that tells search engines (and searchers) the title of your webpage.

Think of it as your content’s elevator pitch — your chance to convince a searcher that you have the answer to their questions.

A title tag isn’t something that readers will see on the webpage itself. It’s the text that appears:

  • As the blue hyperlink in search engine results

    Google SERP – SEO Strategy – Title

  • As the text on a browser tab m

    Backlinko – Text on browser tab

  • In some social media previews of your web content

    LinkedIn – Preview of web content

Behind the scenes, it looks like this in your website code:

<title>How to Create an Effective SEO Strategy in 2025</title>

Why Title Tags Matter

Google’s guide says title tags are key for both readers and search rankings.

“It’s often the primary piece of information people use to decide which result to click, so it’s important to use high-quality title text on your web pages.”


Our research backs that up.

We analyzed 11.8 million Google search results and found that most first-page results include some or most of their target keyword in the title tag.

In other words, a clear title tag that uses the keyword is your ticket to the first page.

Most Titles Contain 65 to 85 % of the Keyword

But simply ranking isn’t enough.

Even if your page shows up in the search results, it won’t matter unless people actually choose to visit it.

That’s why your title tag also needs to be human-friendly. It’s your one chance to win the click.

And that click really matters.

The No. 1 result in Google gets an average click-through rate (CTR) of 27.6%.

The result in position 10? Just 2.4%.

That’s more than 10x fewer clicks and a massive difference in traffic.

So, a strong title tag doesn’t just help your page show up in search results.

It also encourages more people to click on your link, which can help your page move even higher in the rankings.

Google organic CTR breakdown by position

Side note: Our CTR study was conducted in 2019. With the introduction of AI Overviews and other SERP changes, click patterns have evolved. However, the core principle remains: higher positions still attract significantly more clicks than lower ones. For the latest on how search is changing, see Semrush’s 2025 AI Overviews Study.


There’s one more reason title tags in SEO are so important:

If you get the title wrong, Google might just rewrite it.

Studies show Google rewrites around 61% of title tags in search results.

Usually because they’re too long, vague, or overloaded with keywords.

And when that happens, you lose control over what shows up in the search engine results page (SERP).

Sometimes Google will just grab the heading (H1) of the page.

Other times, it’ll generate something entirely new. And not always better.

If you want to make sure your pages look polished in the search results, writing a solid, search-optimized title tag is non-negotiable.

Title Tags vs H1 Tags

Personally, I used to muddle these up. So if you’re confused about the difference between title tags and H1s, you’re not alone.

Element Title Tag H1 Tag
Where it appears In SERPs and the browser tab At the top of the webpage where people can read it (e.g., the title of a blog post)
What it looks like (HTML code) <title>Your Page Title</title> <h1>Your Page Heading</h1>
Who is it for? Mainly for search engines and clicks Mainly for readers
What does it do for SEO? Improves rankings and CTR Supports on-page structure and confirms your page is relevant to the search query

Your title tags and H1 tags should both convey the same information.

They don’t need to be word-for-word the same, though.

For instance, we’ve written an article with the heading “What is Content Marketing?”

Backlinko – What is Content Marketing

That’s the H1 tag.

But our title tag is “What Is Content Marketing? Complete Beginner’s Guide.”

What is Content Marketing – Title tag

Different, but clearly covering the same information.

Write Better Title Tags With the 3C Framework

Your title tag has one job: get more clicks.

The 3C Framework gives you a simple way to create titles that rank well AND get clicked more than your competitors.

The 3C Framework for Better Title Tags 

Clear

The title should tell people what your page is about. No need to guess.

Bad:

“Solutions That Work for the Modern Business”

What does that even mean?

Better:

“CRM Software for Small Businesses | Free Trial Available”

It tells Google what the page is. And it tells humans why they should click.

Clickable

Ranking is only half the battle. The other half? Getting the click.

To do that, your title needs to stand out and make people want to learn more.

Bad:

“Marketing Strategy Guide”

It’s fine, but a bit blah.

Better:

“Marketing Strategy Guide: Get Explosive Growth in 7 Days”

It’s actionable, shows value, and uses an emotional power word (“explosive”).

Want some ideas for turning bland language into more clickable titles?

Generic Word Power Word Replacement Why It’s Better
Improve Boost / Transform Suggests dramatic results
Learn Master / Discover Suggests success, not progress
Guide Blueprint / Playbook Feels actionable
Increase Explode / Multiply Implies faster, bigger gains
Tips Hacks / Secrets Feels exclusive
Info Insider Info / Must-Know Draws on FOMO
Get Grab More action-oriented

Contextual

You need to give readers (and search engines) context — and that means keywords.

But tread carefully. No stuffing allowed.

Bad:

“Email, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Email Tips”

Likely to get rewritten. Also just annoying for readers.

Better:

“Email Marketing Guide for Beginners (2025 Edition)”

Front-loaded keyword, used once, in a natural way.

Want to try it out yourself?

Here’s an AI prompt you can use to incorporate these rules when writing your title tag:

You are a digital marketing specialist focusing on SEO and content strategy.

Your task is to craft a title tag that is clear, clickable, and offers context to enhance search engine ranking and user engagement.

Approach this step-by-step:

1. Determine the primary topic or keyword of the page to ensure the title is clear and relevant.

2. Use power words or emotional triggers to enhance the clickability and engagement of the title.

3. Naturally integrate the primary keyword to provide context, avoiding keyword stuffing.

Adhere to these guidelines:

1. Keep the title concise and between 50–60 characters.
2. Avoid vague or generic language that fails to clearly convey the page’s content.
3. Balance keyword usage with readability and natural language.

Keyword is: [INSERT YOUR KEYWORD HERE]


For example, for the keyword “marketing strategy,” ChatGPT gave me:

  • Marketing Strategy Guide: Build a Plan That Gets Results
  • Proven Marketing Strategy Tips to Grow Your Business
  • How to Create a Marketing Strategy That Works
  • Effective Marketing Strategy Examples + How to Use Them
  • Marketing Strategy Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Approach

Not bad for a few seconds of work, right?

Optimize Your Title Tags for Search Engines

You need titles that both Google and humans love.

These optimization tips help search engines understand and rank your content higher.

1. Match Your Title to What People Are Searching for

Before you write your title tag, look at what’s already showing up in Google for your keyword.

This helps you understand what searchers want and what kind of content Google is rewarding.

Here’s how to do it:

Google Your Keyword

Type your keyword into Google and look at the top 5–10 results.

Look for Patterns

Are most of the results lists?

That usually means people are exploring or comparing their options. Try a title like “Top 10…” or “Best Tools for…”

Google SERP – Top 10 CRM

Do they include the current year?

People want the latest updates. Add the year to your title to show it’s fresh.

Year in title shows it's fresh

Are the pages explaining a concept?

People are looking for information or education. A title like “What Is X? [+ Examples]” works well.

Explaining – The concept what is x

Do you see a lot of tutorials?

People want a walkthrough. Go with a how-to title like “How to Do X Step-by-Step”.

How to do x – Step by step

When your title matches what people are looking for, they’re more likely to click. And Google is more likely to show your page.

2. Keep It Short

If you go too long, you risk Google rewriting it.

If you go too short, you miss an opportunity to engage your readers.

When we analyzed 4 million search results, we found that titles between 40-60 characters have the best click-through rate.

Titles in this range get 8.9% more clicks on average.

Title tags between 40 to 60 characters have the highest CTR

So, that’s a good starting point. But here’s what really matters:

Google truncates title tags based on pixels (the actual width of the letters), not characters.

Google truncates title tags based on pixels

Around 580–600 pixels is the max width before your title gets cut off.

And on mobile, titles often get truncated even earlier.

So while ~40–60 characters works most of the time, it’s not guaranteed.

Want to check your title before hitting publish?

Use a free tool like the Mangools SERP Simulator. Just make sure to switch it to mobile view first.

Mangools – Google SERP Simulator – Mobile

3. Use Keywords First

This helps in two ways:

One exception here:

For listicles, it’s often better to lead with the number.

Think “5 Powerful AI Tools for Content Creation” rather than “Content Creation Tools: 5 Powerful Options.”

It gives readers a clear idea of what to expect.

Backlinko – Number in headline

4. Give Each Page a Unique Title Tag

Google doesn’t like duplicate or boilerplate titles:

“Titling every page on a commerce site “Cheap products for sale”, for example, makes it impossible for users to distinguish between two pages.

Long text in the <title> element that varies by only a single piece of information (“boilerplate” titles) is also bad.”


So if you duplicate your SEO title tags (or just change a single word), you’re more likely to have them rewritten.

Instead, take a moment to craft a unique title tag for every page.

One that accurately reflects the content and intent of that specific URL.

Pro tip: Skip your brand name in most title tags. It often shows up anyway and can count as duplicate content. If you include it, add it at the end with a dash, colon, or pipe.

Brand name in title tag


5. Match the Title to the Content

Simple, but important.

Your title has to accurately reflect what’s on the page.

If you’ve promised “The 17 Most Important SEO Tips,” there had better be seventeen juicy bits of SEO wisdom there.

Google might rewrite your title if it doesn’t match your content.

More importantly, you’ll annoy your readers, and they’ll bounce right off the page.

Also, remember to be specific, not vague.

Generic titles like “Home” or “Services” don’t help readers know what they’ll see if they click.

6. Vary Your Title and H1 Tags

If your title and H1 are identical, you’re missing an opportunity to hit additional keywords.

Plus, you’ll typically want to use the title tag to say what the page is about, and the H1 to get more detailed or conversational.

For example:

Backlinko – How to Create a Website

vs.

Backlinko – 10 Steps to Create a Website

  • The title tag is contextual and clickable. It includes a number, a benefit, and a clear topic.
  • The H1 tag is more conversational and reader-friendly. It’s aimed at people who already know what’s on the page.

You can also include multiple variations of your keywords (e.g., “email marketing tips,” “email campaigns,” “email marketing”) without repeating yourself.

Start optimizing your title tags today with our title tag checklist.


Compare Good vs. Bad Title Tags (Across Industries)

Great title tags don’t just follow best practices. They match intent, highlight value, and stand out in crowded search results.

Let’s break down a few real examples (good and bad) to show what works — and what to avoid.

SaaS

Keyword: “project management for small businesses”

The first result we get is from Zapier:

Zapier – Keyword in title

Why it works:

  • It matches why someone would be searching and shows the benefit they’ll get from reading
  • It includes the keywords so the reader knows they’ll get exactly what they’re looking for
  • It includes the power word “best”

Compare that with this result from Scoro, way back on page 10.

Scoro – Google result from tenth page

Why it doesn’t work:

  • It’s too vague. The reader doesn’t know what they’ll get if they click.
  • It doesn’t match what the reader is looking for
  • It’s jargon-heavy. It assumes we’ll know what PSA Software is.

Ecommerce

Keyword: “buy leather backpack”

Here’s the first result:

Kodiak Leather – Buy leather backpack

Why it works:

  • Hits both “leather” and “backpack”
  • Addresses searcher needs — includes both genders, links backpacks to travel
  • “Best” works as a power word

And here’s one from page 10:

Mina Baie – Buy leather backpack

Why it doesn’t work:

  • Leading with “MINA BAIE” wastes valuable space (this isn’t a household name)
  • A diaper bag isn’t obviously the same as a backpack, so it misses search intent
  • “Modern” is vague and lacks emotional punch

Local Business

Keyword: “coffee shops in Austin”

Here’s a result from the top of the SERPS:

Do512 – Coffee shops in Austin

Why it works:

  • Matches exactly what this searcher might be looking for
  • “Awesome” is an appealing emotional power word
  • Location-based

And here’s one from page 10:

Switchyards – Coffee shops in Austin

Why it doesn’t work:

  • Too much brand, not enough benefit
  • Doesn’t match search intent
  • Jargon-heavy — what is a neighborhood work club anyway?

Landing Page

Keyword: “seo strategy template”

Backlinko – SEO strategy template

Why it works:

  • Clearly stated benefit — you get what you were looking for
  • Hits all three keywords
  • “High-level” sets an expectation about scope — if that’s what you need, you’ll find it here

Google breaking its own rules here:

Looker Studio – SEO strategy template

Why it doesn’t work:

  • Doesn’t clearly communicate that the page offers SEO strategy templates
  • Lacks a compelling reason to click
  • Overly branded — many searchers won’t recognize or be looking for Looker Studio

How to Analyze and Improve Your Title Tags

Got title tags already? Let’s find the ones losing you clicks.

These simple analysis methods show which titles need fixing ASAP for quick traffic wins.

Check Your Current Title Tags

Audit your existing title tags to spot issues like:

  • Titles that are too long, too short, or duplicated
  • Titles that don’t clearly describe the page
  • Titles that don’t match what people are searching for

A few tools you can use:

Google Search Console

First, open Google Search Console and select your website property.

If you’ve never used it before, or you have a new website, take a look at our Guide to Google Search Console to get started.

On the left-hand menu, under “Performance“, click on “Search results.” This report shows how your site appears in Google Search.

GSC – Performance – Search results

Click on the “Pages” tab.

This shows performance data for individual pages on your site.

Google Search Console – Backlinko – Performance – Pages

Look for pages with high impressions but low clicks.

Google Search Console – Backlinko – High impressions low clicks

High impressions + low clicks = your page is showing up but not convincing people to click.

These are the pages where improving your title tag could make a big difference.

Semrush On Page SEO Checker

Use Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker to make sure your title tags include your target keywords, without keyword stuffing.

First, configure the tool to crawl your site and collect data.

Then, head to the “Optimization Ideas” tab to see a list of your pages along with the number of suggestions for each one.

Click on the “# ideas” next to any page.

On Page SEO Checker – Techcrunch – Optimization Ideas

In the “Content” section, you’ll see whether your title tag uses your target keywords appropriately.

Content section – Title keywords in title tag

Semrush Site Audit

Use Semrush Site Audit to spot duplicate or missing title tags.

Set up the Site Audit from your Project dashboard.


Once the audit is complete, go to the “Issues” tab and type “title tag” into the search box.

The tool will show you a list of issues related to title tags — like duplicates, titles that are too long, or ones that match the H1 exactly.

Site Audit – Backlinko – Issues – Title tag

Click on the issue to see the list of affected pages.

Site Audit – Backlinko – Issues – Too much text within the title tags

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

You can also use Screaming Frog to spot title tag issues.

Download the free version of the app (available for Windows, Mac, or Linux). Then, follow the installation steps.

Open the tool, type your homepage URL into the search bar at the top, and click “Start.”

Screaming Frog – Backlinko

Screaming Frog will begin crawling your site. This can take a minute or two.

Once the crawl is done, click “Page Titles” to see a full list of your website’s title tags.

Screaming Frog – Backlinko – Page Titles

Use the filter dropdown or look at the “Issues” column to find problems.

Screaming Frog – Backlinko – Problems

Watch the Right Metrics

Here are the numbers to keep track of:

  • CTR: If you update a title and your CTR jumps, it’s probably working. You can check this in your Pages report in Google Search Console.
  • Impressions without clicks
    This means you’re showing up in search results, but nobody’s clicking. Go back to the 3Cs. Is it clear, clickable, and contextual?
  • Ranking changes
    If a page drops in search rankings after a title change, maybe Google doesn’t like the new version.

Or, maybe you’ve missed the user intent this time round.

Try this: Want to see if your new title works better? Pick one underperforming page, change the title tag, and track the CTR in Google Search Console over the next few weeks.

If clicks go up (and rankings stay steady), the new title is probably stronger.


Steal These Winning Title Tag Formulas

Writing title tags from scratch every time? No, thank you.

Below are three proven formulas that we use at Backlinko to craft headlines that stand out.

List or Number Formula

  • Formula: X [Unique Adjective] [Topic]
  • Why it works: Lists provide clarity and set expectations but need unique adjectives to grab attention.

    Backlinko – List or Number Formula – Title tag

The Keyword-Colon Formula

  • Formula: [Content Topic]: [Actionable promise]
  • Why it works: Directly addresses the topic and hooks the reader with an actionable promise.

    Backlinko – The Keyword-Colon Formula – Title tag

The Keyword-Question Formula

  • Formula: [Keyword Question]? [Promise]
  • Rationale: Answers the reader’s question head-on and draws them in with a clear benefit.

    Backlinko – The Keyword-Question Formula – Title tag

Need More Ideas?

We analyzed 150+ real title tags from top-ranking SEO content and combined that with AI-trained insights from thousands more.

The result?

Over 50 proven, plug-and-play formulas you can use to boost clicks and match search intent — no guesswork required.

Download our file of 50+ title tag formulas.


Time to Fix Those Title Tags

Your title tag is more than just metadata. It’s your best shot at earning the click.

So, don’t let it go to waste.

Pick your top three pages, apply what you learned here to improve your title tag SEO, and track the results.

Want to keep leveling up?

Head over to our On-Page SEO Guide for more ways to boost traffic, rankings, and engagement.

The post Title Tags: How to Write Them <br>(+ Steal Our Formulas) appeared first on Backlinko.

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How to Do Realistic SEO Forecasting Step-by-Step (+ Template)

You’re setting goals. Publishing content. Reporting on growth.

But deep down, you’re still asking: “Are we aiming too high? Too low? Are we even on track?”

That uncertainty is normal — but it’s also a signal that you need an SEO forecast.

At Backlinko, we do SEO forecasting throughout the year. We use it to map planned content, track production costs, and project traffic and revenue gains.

This approach lets us prioritize effectively. Pivot when content underperforms. And build lasting trust with our stakeholders.

As Leigh McKenzie, our Head of SEO puts it:

“Forecasting is hard, and imperfect, but it’s essential. It forces you to tie effort to outcome. And to build trust, we always present a range (best case, expected case, and failure case), not just a single optimistic projection. That honesty helps us make better decisions — and earn buy-in.”


This guide gives you two proven forecasting methods.

Plus, a spreadsheet to project SEO traffic in minutes, right now.

Just upload your site’s performance data from Google Search Console (GSC), and this SEO forecasting tool will do the calculation for you:

Linear Regression Forecasting by Backlinko – Dashboard

If you’re the kind of person who learns best by doing, you don’t have to wait. Jump right in with our forecasting template.

Download the FREE SEO Forecasting tool now.

Follow along step by step as we break down each method, or just punch in your GSC data and start forecasting right away.


Quick Overview of SEO Forecasting Methods

There are two ways to predict your SEO growth:

But, which one should you choose?

Here’s a brief overview:

Scenario Keyword-Based Forecasting Statistical Trend Analysis
Your website has steady traffic (24+ months of data)
Your website is fairly new (limited data)
You want to target new/trending keywords
Your business is seasonal

Let’s go through both approaches step by step, starting with the simplest option:

Approach #1: Keyword-Based Forecasting

Forecasting SEO traffic based on keywords means predicting how much organic traffic you could earn from specific search terms.


You can make an SEO forecast based on keyword data manually or with an SEO keyword tool.

Calculate Forecasted Traffic Manually

You can calculate your potential traffic with this simple formula:

Estimated Monthly Traffic

Let’s break this down with an example.

Imagine you’re creating a page targeting the keyword “best hiking boots for women.”

The keyword has a search volume of 10,000 monthly searches

Your current content ranks around position 10, but you’re aiming to improve it to position six after optimizations.

Based on your historical data, you know that pages ranking at position six typically get about 2% CTR.

Using the formula:

10,000 × 2% = 200 estimated monthly visits for that keyword

While this is a simple formula, it comes with limitations.

It doesn’t account for seasonal variations, competition changes, or CTR shifts over time.

If you want to make more sophisticated keyword-based predictions, use tools like Semrush.

Its algorithms are built to provide more nuanced forecasts that account for various factors influencing SEO performance.

Here’s how:

Estimate Keyword-Based Traffic with Semrush

Open Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool. Enter your target keyword and your domain, and click “Search.”

Let’s say you’re planning to target a new topic cluster, “memory foam mattress” on a mattress brand website, Casper:

Keyword Overview – Memory foam mattress – Search

After analyzing the keyword and your website, the tool will provide predictions in three areas:

  • Potential traffic: Estimated monthly visits you could earn from a specific keyword, based on your website authority and expected ranking
  • Potential topic traffic: Total monthly traffic potential from all keyword variations related to the topic
  • Potential position: Where your page is likely to rank in the search engine results page (SERPs), compared to competitors in the top 10

Keyword Overview – Memory foam mattress – Potential stats

So, Semrush predicts that you’ll potentially get 750 visitors per month if you target the keyword “memory foam mattress.”

But there’s four times more traffic opportunity if you write high-quality content and cover the topic in more depth.

To identify related keyword opportunities, click “See topic details.” It’ll give you a broader list of related search terms:

Keyword Overview – Memory foam mattress – See Topic Details

When analyzing these keywords, pay attention to the following metrics:

  • Trend: Is the search volume growing or declining over time
  • Potential traffic: Estimated visitors for each keyword based on your site’s authority
  • Personal keyword difficulty (PKD%): How challenging it would be for your specific domain to rank in the top 10

Note: A free Semrush account gives you 10 searches in this tool per day. Or, you can use this link to access a 14-day trial on a Semrush Pro subscription.


Approach #2: Statistical Trend Analysis

If your site has at least 16-24 months of traffic data, statistical trend analysis is the most reliable way to forecast growth.

Why?

Statistical trend analysis relies on your actual traffic data. Not guesswork, not keyword volume projections, but how your site has performed over time.


It’s also the most technical method.

Normally, this kind of forecasting would require time series modeling or scraping in Python.

But to make it more accessible, we’ve built a custom SEO forecasting spreadsheet that handles the math for you.

We created this template in partnership with Andrew Charlton from Crawl Consultancy to help you run statistical forecasts in just a few clicks.

You don’t need any coding or advanced modeling skills (I’ll guide you exactly how to use it in a bit).

All you need is to import your site’s past performance data. The spreadsheet will show your forecast summary, growth scenarios, and monthly breakdown.

Here’s a preview of the dashboard you’ll be working with:

Linear Regression Forecasting by Backlinko – Dashboard

Simple, right?

Here’s how to use this SEO forecasting tool, step by step:

Step 1: Export Your Google Search Console Data

First, get your raw data from GSC. You’ll need the last 16 months of site performance to feed into the model.

Why 16 months of data?

That’s the most historical data available in Google Search Console. It’s enough to see seasonal trends and growth patterns.

To get the data from GSC:

  1. Open Google Search Console
  2. Select your property and go to the “Performance” tab
  3. Set the date range to cover the last 16 months
  4. Click “Export” and choose “Download CSV
  5. Unzip the file — you’ll see one named Dates.csv

Google Search Console – Backlinko – Download CSV

Step 2: Import the CSV File Into the Spreadsheet

Now, plug that GSC data into the spreadsheet:

  1. Go to the [2] Google Search Console Import tab
  2. Click on the marked cell (usually the top-left of the table)
  3. In Google Sheets, navigate to “File” > “Import” and upload your Dates.csv file
  4. Under “Import location,” choose “Replace data at selected cell” and click “Import data

Import the CSV file into the spreadsheet

The sheet will clean and structure your click data, group it by month, and feed it into the forecasting model.

Step 3: Review Your 12-Month Forecast

Once the data’s in, head to the “Dashboard” tab.

Here, you’ll see:

  • Your total forecast for the next 12 months
  • A comparison against your previous 12 months
  • The year-over-year (YOY) change in clicks and %
  • A line chart visualizing your predicted traffic over time

Forecast Summary & Line Chart

Note: This forecasting is based on a simple linear regression, making it easy to explain the forecast. Even to non-SEO folks.


Step 4: Adjust Growth Scenarios

SEO traffic rarely grows in a straight line. That’s why forecasting different scenarios helps you stay realistic and better prepared.

In the “Forecast Adjustments” box, you’ll find two fields:

  • Conservative Adjustment (%): E.g., -10% for a cautious projection
  • Aggressive Adjustment (%): E.g., +30% for a stretch goal

Conservative & Aggressive Adjustment fields for user

Once you enter values, everything updates automatically — scenario totals, YOY change, graph lines.

Note: This lets you test “what if” outcomes, which is perfect for stakeholder reporting or planning quarterly targets.


But, why do we do this?

Let’s say your site has been growing at ~5% per month. However, next quarter, you’re planning to:

Based on similar past campaigns, you estimate this could boost your organic traffic by 20-30%.

So, you enter +30% in the Aggressive Adjustment field.

Now imagine the opposite:

Budget cuts slow down content production, or your writer’s on leave.

You’d weigh that in and enter, let’s say, -15% in the Conservative Adjustment to reflect that slowdown.

If you’re not sure what numbers to put in these fields, here are some places to start:

  • Past internal data: Look at traffic lift from similar initiatives (e.g., “last time we launched 10 blog posts, traffic increased by 18% in two months”)
  • Operational inputs: Fewer resources, delayed launches, or technical issues? Model that in with a -10% to -20% dip.
  • External benchmarks: Use data from tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or industry studies to inform your assumptions (e.g., “content updates to your competitors’ sites led to +15% traffic on average”)

Even if your percentages aren’t perfect, the act of modeling a range makes your forecast stronger and way more reliable.

How to Present Your SEO Forecast

A clear presentation turns your traffic projections into a strategic tool. One that you can use to align your team, make a case for investment, or guide quarterly planning.

Here’s how to present it effectively:

1. Start with a Visual Overview

Begin with a chart that shows your traffic forecast over time — whether that’s based on keyword data or historical trends.

Why lead with a visual?

Charts turn raw numbers into a clear story. They show trends, dips, and momentum at a glance. Like this:

Traffic Forecast – Chart

And this helps stakeholders understand where you’re headed without having to dig into spreadsheets or data tables.

The goal is to answer this question at a glance: “What kind of growth are we expecting, and how confident are we in that number?”

If you’re using our spreadsheet template, the built-in dashboard does this for you:

Forecast Summary & Line Chart

You can:

  • Share your screen and walk through the forecast live
  • Take a screenshot of the chart and summary and paste it into a report or slide deck
  • Export the chart as an image to use in a strategy doc

Pro tip: If you need something more advanced or reusable, you can recreate the chart in Google Looker Studio — a free tool for building custom reporting dashboards.


If you’re using Semrush to estimate traffic potential for new content, you can still visualize it.

Let’s say you’re targeting the “memory foam mattress” topic and want to target the following keywords:

  • “memory foam mattress” — 750 potential visits/month
  • “queen memory foam mattress” — 119 potential visits/month
  • “king size memory foam mattress” — 33 potential visits/month

Keyword Overview – Memory foam mattress – Targeting keywords

Create a new Sheet and enter your keywords and potential monthly visits. A simple one, like this:

Chart for KW-based forecasting – Data

Then, insert a bar chart to show estimated traffic per topic with potential traffic on the x-axis and each keyword (or topic cluster) on the y-axis.

Like this:

Chart for KW-based forecasting – Chart

Note: This gives you and your stakeholders a quick way to see which topics are worth prioritizing. And how much they might contribute to your organic growth.


2. Frame It Around Business Outcomes

Don’t just show how traffic might grow.

Show why it matters, too.

In your presentation, lead with:

  • The expected growth potential
  • What content or actions will drive that growth
  • How it supports high-level goals like lead generation, revenue, or product visibility

The clearer the link between SEO activity and business outcomes, the easier it is to get support and alignment.

3. Connect Your Forecast to Potential Revenue

While traffic forecasts are powerful, tying them to business results makes them even more persuasive.

If you want to show potential ROI, you can estimate how much revenue your forecasted traffic might drive using a simple formula:

Forecasted Monthly Traffic × Conversion Rate × Revenue per Conversion = Estimated Monthly Revenue

Let’s say your forecasted traffic is 10,000 visits per month. Your site’s average conversion rate is 2% and each conversion gets you $150.

Using this formula, your estimated monthly revenue would be:

10,000 × 0.02 × 150 = $30,000/month

4. Be Transparent About Your Assumptions

A good forecast is grounded in clear logic, and people are more likely to trust it when they understand how you built it.

So, share:

  • Where your data came from (e.g., GSC, keyword tools)
  • The method you used (trend analysis, keyword-based, or both)
  • What each scenario assumes and how flexible it is

You don’t need to walk through every formula. Just show that your projections are based on real data and thoughtful decisions.

Why it matters: When your process is transparent, your forecast becomes easier to trust, easier to defend, and more valuable for making decisions.


How to Keep Your Forecast Accurate

A forecast is most valuable when it evolves with your strategy. Regular check-ins help you stay aligned, catch changes early, and refine the strategy.

Here’s how to keep your forecast accurate and useful over time:

Review Your Forecast Monthly

Check in at the end of each month to compare projected vs. actual traffic.

To do so, go to your forecast dashboard and add your actual monthly clicks (from GSC) in a separate column:

Forecast Dashboard – Monthly clicks from GSC

Then, compare the difference between forecasted and actual performance. Make quick notes on anything that influenced the results.

For example, a major content launch, slower publishing, or an unexpected spike.

This helps you understand whether you’re on track or not. Plus, spot the reasons why you’re ahead or behind.

Adjust Your Assumptions When Things Shift

Forecasts are based on what you expect to happen. As your content strategy evolves, your assumptions likely do, too.

How to do it:

  • Revisit your growth rate or scenario modifiers in the spreadsheet (e.g., change +30% aggressive to +20%)
  • If your traffic consistently trends above or below expectations, update the baseline data or adjust your model
  • Rerun keyword opportunity analysis if SERPs or seasonality have shifted

Note: Think of it as recalibrating — not correcting. These adjustments keep your forecast aligned with the current situation.


Ready to Turn Your Forecast Into a Strategy?

Now that you know how much organic traffic you can realistically drive, the next step is planning how to get there.

With the right content, priorities, and execution.

Use your forecast to:

  • Decide which pages you need to create, update, or expand
  • Double down on topics and clusters that can move the needle
  • Set clear KPIs tied to traffic growth, rankings, or business goals

And if you’re ready to build the strategy to drive your numbers, check out our guide: How to Create an Effective SEO Strategy in 2025.


The post How to Do Realistic SEO Forecasting Step-by-Step (+ Template) appeared first on Backlinko.

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Google Looker Studio connector – Integration guide

Google Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) is a free, online tool that allows users to transform their data into informative, visual, and easy-to-read reports and dashboards. This helps marketers…

The post Google Looker Studio connector – Integration guide appeared first on Mangools.

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How to Create .htaccess Redirects (Most Common Use Cases)

Whenever you move content, change domain names, or simply tweak a page’s URL, you’ll likely use a redirect. This ensures your users (and Google) get to the right page, and it preserves the SEO value from your backlinks.

You can use .htaccess redirects specifically to do this.

But I get that messing with your site’s server files can sound daunting.

So the goal of this guide is to make .htaccess redirects as accessible as possible.

To help, there are two free resources you’ll find in this post:

  1. A simple spreadsheet to automatically generate rules for the most common scenarios
  2. An .htaccess redirect cheat sheet that explains all symbols and flags used in redirect rules

I’ll explain when to use these below. But if you want, you can download them now and follow along with the resources.


Here’s the plan:

  • We’ll start with a walkthrough to find your .htaccess file and get ready to make changes (feel free to skip this part if you have it ready to go)
  • We’ll then go through the most common .htaccess redirect use cases in detail
  • Then we’ll go through a cheat sheet of the symbols and flags you can use to build custom .htaccess rules
  • Finally, we’ll show you how to make sure everything is working properly and how to pinpoint issues

Sound good? Let’s go.

How to Set Up .htaccess Redirects

Before you can create redirects, you need to access your .htaccess file. This file lives on your server and controls various aspects of how your website behaves.

It looks something like this (for a WordPress site in particular):

htaccess – File Example

Note: You’ll only have an .htaccess file if your website runs on an Apache web server. If you’re not sure if your site does, get in touch with your developer.


There are two main ways to access and edit your .htaccess file:

  • Through your hosting provider’s control panel
  • Via an FTP client

I’d personally recommend the first option if you’re an absolute beginner. Or if you just want to keep the technical stuff to a minimum.

That’s not to say that using an FTP client is difficult (or that every hosting platform is a piece of cake to navigate). But generally, your file manager is going to be a bit more intuitive.

Important: Regardless of which method you use, always make a backup of your .htaccess file before editing it. One small mistake can bring your entire site down.


Editing .htaccess Through Your Hosting Control Panel

Most major hosting providers offer a file manager in their control panel that lets you edit files directly.

The general workflow looks something like this, although some of the specifics might vary between hosts:

  1. Log in to your hosting account
  2. Find the File Manager (usually in cPanel or a similar dashboard)
  3. Navigate to your website’s root directory (often called public_html)
  4. Find the .htaccess file

Note: Your .htaccess file might be hidden by default. If you don’t see it, look for an option to “Show Hidden Files” in your file manager settings.


Once you find it, you can usually right-click and select “Edit” to make changes.

As an example, here’s how the interface looks in the cPanel platform. First, I navigate to my domain’s website dashboard and find the file manager:

cPanel – File Manager

And in there I can see public_html:

cPanel – File Manager – Files

I then click my .htaccess file:

File Manager – htaccess

Simple.

Via FTP

You can also use an FTP client like FileZilla, Cyberduck, or WinSCP. These give you similar access, but you can do it directly rather than through your hosting provider.

To get started, download and install an FTP client. We’ll go with Cyberduck for the example below.

Then connect to your server using your FTP credentials (your host can provide these — mine were under Files > FTP Accounts):

FTP Protocol – Popup

Then, within the FTP client, navigate to your site’s root directory.

It’s probably named public_html, which may open automatically. Then, find and download your .htaccess file:

FTP – File Manager

Note: I had to go to View > Show hidden files to see mine. No matter which FTP client you’re using, there’s a good chance you’ll need to do the same.


Make your changes in a text editor, and then upload the modified file back to the server. You might be able to skip the download/upload step and make edits directly, depending on the tool you use:

FTP Protocol – Edit With

What About WordPress?

If you’re running a WordPress site, you usually don’t need to edit your .htaccess file to set up redirects.

Instead, you can use dedicated redirect plugins like Redirection or 301 Redirects.

301 Redirects – Redirect Rules

These plugins are perfect if you’re not comfortable editing server files or if you just need to set up a couple of redirects quickly. But they won’t help you much for more complex redirections or when you’re performing a full site migration.

Other SEO plugins, like Rank Math, offer redirect managers alongside options to edit your .htaccess file within the WordPress dashboard:

Rank Math – htaccess

Adding redirects directly to your .htaccess file (or indirectly via a plugin like Rank Math) often results in faster performance since it cuts out the middleman (the plugin). And once you know how to do it, it’s not all that technical anyway.

(It won’t always be the best option from a performance perspective. But generally it’s going to be faster.)

Other platforms like Shopify and Wix don’t give you direct access to .htaccess files. In these cases, you’ll need to use the platform’s built-in redirect tools instead.

The same may be true for WordPress site owners if your site runs on WordPress.com, rather than external hosting with a WordPress.org installation.

Before You Begin: Important Prerequisites

Before you start making changes to your .htaccess file, bear the following in mind:

  • You need to have an .htaccess file: If you don’t already have an .htaccess file, you can create one in your public_html folder (WordPress will often create one for you automatically).
  • It’s easy to make mistakes: Making changes to your .htaccess file without knowing what you’re doing can have major consequences for your site. Ideally consult with your developer before implementing .htaccess redirects, and make any major changes on a staging site if possible to make sure they work properly.
  • The rules below are just guides: I’ve included lots of examples of redirect rules below with explanations of what they do. But you may need to modify them to ensure they work properly on your site.
  • Enable mod_rewrite: Most modern hosting environments will enable the mod_rewrite module by default (which you want, and therefore likely don’t need to worry about). If your redirects aren’t working, reach out to your hosting provider to see if this is the problem.
  • Enable Options + FollowSymLinks: You may or may not need to enable this in your .htaccess file (usually you won’t need to worry about it). Again, reach out to your host if you’re not sure.

Now that you know how to actually get into and edit your .htaccess file, let’s look at how to create different types of redirects.

Free resource: Make your life even easier with our handy .htaccess redirect cheat sheet. Just add your domain or URLs to automatically generate rules you can copy and paste into your .htaccess file.


How to Redirect a Single URL

Redirecting a single URL to another is probably the most common redirect you’ll create. It’s perfect for when you’ve:

  • Changed a page’s URL structure
  • Merged two pages into one
  • Moved specific content to a new location

Merging two URLs

This type of redirect is straightforward and requires just one line of code in your .htaccess file.

Note: As with all the redirects I’ll discuss below, you need to make sure the new page is a live URL. Otherwise, the user or search engine will run into a 404 error as it’s a broken link. While a powerful file, .htaccess doesn’t automatically create the new pages for you.


Here’s the code you’ll need to add to your .htaccess file (swapping out the URL path and domain for your own):

Redirect 301 /old-page https://yoursite.com/new-page

Let’s break down what this means:

  • Redirect: Tells the server you want to create a redirect
  • 301: Specifies a permanent redirect (more on this below)
  • /old-page: The path of the original page (relative to your root directory)
  • https://yoursite.com/new-page: The full URL of the destination page

Important: For the first part (old page), you only need the path without your domain name. For the second part (new page), you need the complete URL, including https:// and your domain.


Single URL Redirect Example

Let’s say you have a page about dog training at:

https://yourpetsite.com/5-great-tips-for-training-dogs/

And you’ve moved it to:

https://yourpetsite.com/dog-training-tips/

Your redirect code would look like this:

Redirect 301 /5-great-tips-for-training-dogs/ https://yourpetsite.com/dog-training-tips/

Note: No matter which type of .htaccess redirect you use, make sure you stay consistent with regard to your site’s URL structure. Specifically, if you include a trailing slash at the end of your URLs (e.g., /page-1/), make sure you include that in your redirect rules.


Permanent vs. Temporary Redirects

The 301 in our example above indicates a permanent redirect. This tells search engines to update their index with the new URL and transfer the SEO value from the old page to the new one.

If you’re only redirecting temporarily (like for maintenance or a seasonal promotion), use 302 instead:

Redirect 302 /sale https://yoursite.com/spring-sale

If you’re trying to preserve SEO rankings (and your website’s authority), always use 301 redirects for permanent URL changes. Search engines treat 301s as permanent and 302s as temporary, which affects how they transfer link equity.

301 Redirect

How to Redirect a Subfolder

Sometimes you need to redirect an entire section of your website rather than just a single page. This is common when you are:

  • Reorganizing your site structure
  • Moving a blog or product category to a new location
  • Consolidating content from multiple sections

Redirecting a subfolder automatically handles all pages within that folder. So you don’t need to set up individual redirect rules for each one.

Here’s the code to add to your .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteRule ^old-folder/(.*)$ /new-folder/$1 [R=301,L]

Let’s break down the key parts:

  • RewriteEngine On: Activates Apache’s rewrite module (required for this type of redirect*)
  • ^old-folder/: Matches the beginning of URLs that start with your old folder
  • (.*)$: Captures everything after the folder name
  • /new-folder/$1: Sends visitors to the new folder, maintaining the rest of the URL path
  • [R=301,L]: Specifies a permanent redirect and tells the server to stop processing rules after this match

You don’t need to know what this means. But it’s an important line to include for some .htaccess redirect rules. You only need to include it once (unless you also have “RewriteEngine Off” in your file before a given rule).


Subfolder Redirect Example

Let’s say you have a blog at:

https://yoursite.com/blog/post-name

And you want to move it to:

https://yoursite.com/articles/post-name

Your redirect code would look like this:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^blog/(.*)$ /articles/$1  [R=301,L ]

This will redirect:

  • /blog/first-post to /articles/first-post
  • /blog/category/tech to /articles/category/tech
  • Any other path that starts with /blog/ to the relevant /articles/ path

Important: Order Matters

The order of your .htaccess rules matters. This isn’t going to be an issue if you’re just redirecting a single URL.

But if you want to redirect some parts of a subfolder to one place and others elsewhere, you need to be careful.

Let’s look at an example to make this clearer:

Imagine you have a blog subfolder with a special /featured/ section. You want to redirect your /blog/ content to an /articles/ subfolder, but the featured posts should go to /featured-content/.

Here’s the WRONG order:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^blog/(.*)$ /articles/$1 [R=301,L]
RewriteRule ^blog/featured/(.*)$ /featured-content/$1 [R=301,L]

Why is this incorrect?

Because any time a user (or Google) requests a URL on your site (say, your site.com/blog/featured/your-post/), Apache first checks if it matches the /blog/ structure.

In this case, it does. So it would redirect:

yoursite.com/blog/featured/your-post/

To:

yoursite.com/articles/your-post/

The URL no longer matches the /blog/featured/ structure, so the second rule would never apply to it. Meaning all your featured posts would just redirect to the new /articles/ subfolder.

Here’s the correct order:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^blog/featured/(.*)$ /featured-content/$1 [R=301,L] 
RewriteRule ^blog/(.*)$ /articles/$1 [R=301,L]

This first checks for the /blog/featured/ structure and redirects it to the new /featured-content/. So your post at:

yoursite.com/blog/featured/your-post/

Would redirect to:

yoursite.com/featured-content/your-post/

And then in this case it no longer matches the /blog/ structure, so the second rule wouldn’t apply. Which is what we want.

For any non-featured blog URLs, like yoursite.com/blog/post-2/, they’d redirect per the second rule to yoursite.com/articles/post-2/ (because the first rule wouldn’t apply to them without the /featured/ part of the URL).

Redirecting a Subfolder to a Different Domain

Before I show you how to redirect your entire site to a new domain, it’s worth noting that you can also redirect a subfolder to a completely different domain. This is useful if you’ve moved a section of your site to a new website.

Here’s the rule to use:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^old-folder/(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/folder/$1 [R=301,L]

For example, you could use this if you moved your support section to a dedicated support site:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^support/(.*)$ https://support.yourcompany.com/$1 [R=301,L]

How to Redirect to a New Domain

Moving to a new domain is a big step. Whether you’re rebranding, switching from a .org to a .com domain, or consolidating multiple websites, you need to make sure your visitors (and search engines) can find your new site.

A domain-wide redirect ensures anyone visiting your old domain automatically lands on your new one. This preserves both the user experience and authority you’ve built up through backlinks.

Here’s the code to add to your .htaccess file on your old domain:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www.)?olddomain.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]

Let’s break down what this does:

  • RewriteEngine On: Activates the rewrite module
  • RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www.)?olddomain.com$ [NC]: Checks if someone is trying to access your old domain, where:
    • ^(www.)?: Matches both www and non-www versions of your site
    • [NC]: Makes the match not case-sensitive (so OLDDOMAIN.com would also match)
  • RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]: Sets up a permanent redirect to the new domain, where:
    • ^(.*)$: Captures the entire URL path after the domain
    • https://newdomain.com/$1: Redirects to the same path on your new domain
    • [L,R=301]: Makes it a permanent redirect and stops processing other rules for that request

Remember: If you already have RewriteEngine On elsewhere in your .htaccess file (and you don’t also have RewriteEngine Off), you don’t need to add it again.


Domain Redirect Example

Let’s say you’re changing from:

https://pettraining.com/dog-care/grooming

To:

https://pawacademy.com/dog-care/grooming

The redirect will automatically maintain the same path structure. This means visitors to any page on your old domain will land on the corresponding page on your new domain. (You’ll obviously need to have corresponding URLs on the new domain.)

Important: You need to place this .htaccess rule on your old domain’s server, not the new one.


Domain migrations require careful planning. But when you do it properly, they can transfer most of your SEO value and ensure your audience can find your new online home. For more on how to do it right, check out our website migration checklist.

Redirect www to Non-www (or Vice Versa) on New Domain

If you’re also changing from www to non-www (or vice versa) during your domain migration, you can combine these redirects:

RewriteEngine On

# First redirect old domain to new domain
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www.)?olddomain.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]

# Then handle www to non-www on new domain
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.newdomain.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]

How to Redirect HTTP to HTTPS

Redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS isn’t just a good practice — it’s practically mandatory. HTTPS encrypts the connection between your visitors and your website. This protects sensitive information, while also being a light Google ranking factor.

(I’m not suggesting you redirect to HTTPS for a ranking boost. It really is just the default best practice nowadays more than anything else.)

HTTP redirect

If you’ve installed an SSL certificate but visitors can still access your site through unencrypted HTTP, you’ll want to set up a redirect to ensure everyone gets the secure version.

Here’s the code to add to your .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

This is what each part does:

  • RewriteEngine On: Activates the rewrite module
  • RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off: Checks if the connection is currently not using HTTPS
  • ^(.*)$: captures the entire URL path
  • https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI}: Redirects to the same URL but with https:// instead of http://
  • [L,R=301]: Makes it a permanent redirect and stops processing other rules

This redirect will change:

http://yourwebsite.com/products/item

To:

https://yourwebsite.com/products/item

The redirect preserves the entire URL structure — only the protocol changes from HTTP to HTTPS.

Unlike other redirects, you don’t need to customize this code with your domain name. The %{HTTP_HOST} variable automatically uses whatever domain the visitor is trying to access.

In other words: you can just copy and paste this in as is.

BUT:

Before adding this redirect, make sure:

  • You have a valid SSL certificate installed on your server
  • All site resources (images, scripts, etc.) are accessible via HTTPS
  • Your site functions properly when accessed via HTTPS
  • Your SSL certificate covers all subdomains if you’re redirecting them to HTTPS as well

And most importantly: make sure you don’t already have a method in place to force HTTPS, as this can cause redirect loops and other potential performance issues.

While .htaccess is one way to implement HTTPS redirects, you may have other options (perhaps ones that are already doing this for you):

  • Hosting control panel: Many hosting providers offer one-click HTTPS enforcement through their control panel (maybe even doing it by default)
  • WordPress settings: If you’re using WordPress, check the “WordPress Address” and “Site Address” settings under Settings > General (both should start with https://)
  • Plugin solutions: WordPress plugins like Really Simple SSL can handle the redirect for you

How to Redirect WWW to Non-WWW

Should your website be www.yoursite.com or just yoursite.com? This seemingly small detail actually matters a lot for consistency, user experience, and SEO.

Having both versions accessible can create duplicate content issues. So you should pick one format and redirect the other to it.

In most cases, there’s no definitive technical advantage to either format.

But non-WWW is shorter, cleaner, and easier to say in conversation.

Most modern websites lean toward the non-www version, but either choice is fine as long as you’re consistent.

Let’s look at how to redirect the www version to the non-www version (then I’ll show you how to reverse this if you prefer www).

Here’s the code to add to your .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.(.*)$ [NC]

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1/$1 [L,R=301]

Breaking this down:

  • RewriteEngine On: Activates the rewrite module
  • RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.(.*)$ [NC]: Checks if the URL starts with “www” where:
    • (.*)$: Captures the domain name without the www
    • ^(.*)$: Captures the entire path after the domain
  • https://%1/$1: Redirects to the same URL without www where:
    • %1: Refers to the domain captured in the RewriteCond
    • $1: Refers to the page path
  • [L,R=301]: Makes it a permanent redirect and stops processing other rules

This redirect will change:

https://www.yourbusiness.com/about-us

To:

https://yourbusiness.com/about-us

What About Non-WWW to WWW?

If you prefer the www version instead, simply reverse the logic (you need an extra RewriteCond line as well):

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www. [NC]

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(.*)$ [NC]

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.%1/$1 [L,R=301]

This checks if the URL does NOT start with www and then adds it.

This is another rule you can simply copy and paste into your .htaccess file. But as with HTTP redirects, you need to make sure you’re not already redirecting via another method. Otherwise you might run into redirect loops and other issues.

Outside of your .htaccess file, you can force www/non-www via:

  • DNS settings: Some DNS providers let you set a preferred version when configuring your domain
  • Hosting control panel: Many hosts offer settings to enforce www or non-www
  • WordPress settings: In WordPress, check the “WordPress Address” and “Site Address” fields under Settings > General (both should use your preferred format)

Make sure to test all versions of your domain to ensure they all lead to your preferred version:

  • http://yoursite.com
  • http://www.yoursite.com
  • https://yoursite.com
  • https://www.yoursite.com

All four should ultimately end up at the same place (ideally https://yoursite.com if you’re going with non-www, or https://www.yoursite.com if you prefer www).

Other Types of .htaccess Redirect

While the above covers the most common .htaccess redirect scenarios, the file is incredibly versatile and can handle many other specialized redirect situations.

Let’s explore some other redirect types that might come in handy for specific use cases.

Note: As with any .htaccess rules, it’s easy to make small mistakes here that can have big consequences, and you may need to modify the examples below to work with your specific situation. So consult your developer if possible.


Redirect Based on Query Parameters

Sometimes you need to redirect based on what appears after the question mark in a URL. These are URL parameters, and they’re useful for tracking and organizing site content.

Here’s an example .htaccess redirect rule for managing URL parameters (also known as query strings):

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^product=widget$

RewriteRule ^products.php$ /widgets/? [L,R=301]

This redirects /products.php?product=widget to /widgets/ while removing the query string.

The question mark at the end of the destination URL tells the server to strip the original query parameters rather than passing them along.

Redirect to a Specific Port

If you need to redirect to a different port (like for a development environment), use this rule:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteRule ^dev/(.*)$ http://localhost:8080/$1 [L,R=301]

This would redirect requests for /dev/page to http://localhost:8080/page.

Custom Error Page Redirects

You can set up custom pages for various HTTP error codes.

For example, you can send users and search engines to dedicated error pages:

ErrorDocument 404 /custom-404

ErrorDocument 500 /server-error

While these aren’t technically redirects (they’re error handlers), they help provide a better user experience when things go wrong.

Temporary vs. Permanent Redirects

We’ve mostly covered 301 (permanent) redirects, but 302 (temporary) redirects are useful for:

  • Maintenance pages
  • Seasonal promotions
  • A/B testing

To create a temporary redirect, simply change the 301 to 302:

Redirect 302 /sale /summer-sale

When using temporary redirects for maintenance, you can create a rule that excludes your IP address so you can still access the original page:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{REMOTE_ADDR} !^123.456.789.0

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /maintenance [R=302,L]

Where 123.456.789.0 is your IP address.

Redirecting Specific File Types

You can also redirect requests for specific file types, like PDFs:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteRule ^(.*).pdf$ /documents/$1.pdf [L,R=301]

This moves all PDF files to a /documents/ folder.

Redirect to Force Trailing Slash

For consistency, you might want all URLs to either have or not have a trailing slash:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f

RewriteRule ^(.*[^])$ /$1/ [L,R=301]

This adds a trailing slash to all URLs that don’t represent actual files.

Htaccess Redirects Symbols Explained (+ Cheat Sheet)

The symbols in .htaccess redirects can look cryptic at first glance. Those carets, dollar signs, and brackets serve important purposes that aren’t immediately obvious.

Rather than trying to learn what they all do, below is a handy reference you can return to whenever you need to create or modify your redirects.

Common .htaccess Symbols

Symbol Name What It Does Example
^ Caret Matches the beginning of a string ^blog matches URLs that start with “blog”
$ Dollar sign Matches the end of a string .html$ matches URLs that end with “.html”
() Parentheses Groups patterns and captures matched content (.*?) captures content to be used later
$1, $2… Dollar sign with number References captured groups in RewriteRule /$1.html inserts the first captured group
%1, %2… Percent with number References captured groups in RewriteCond https://%1 uses the domain captured in a condition
. Period Matches any single character a.c matches “abc”, “adc”, etc.
* Asterisk Matches zero or more of the preceding character a* matches “”, “a”, “aa”, “aaa”, etc.
+ Plus Matches one or more of the preceding character a+ matches “a”, “aa”, “aaa”, etc. (but not “”)
? Question mark Makes the preceding character optional colou?r matches both “color” and “colour”
[ Square brackets Contains flags or defines a character set [L,R=301] sets flags; [a-z] matches lowercase letters
Backslash Escapes special characters . matches a literal period rather than any character
| Pipe Acts as OR operator cat|dog matches “cat” or “dog”

Flag Options

Flag Full Name Purpose
L Last Stops processing rules if this one matches
R=301 Redirect (301) Creates a permanent redirect
R=302 Redirect (302) Creates a temporary redirect
NC No Case Makes the match case-insensitive
QSA Query String Append Adds query parameters from the original URL
F Forbidden Returns a 403 Forbidden status
G Gone Returns a 410 Gone status (resource permanently removed)
PT Pass Through Passes the request to other modules for further processing

RewriteCond Variables

Variable What It Contains
%{HTTP_HOST} Domain name from the request (e.g., example.com)
%{REQUEST_URI} The path part of the URL (e.g., /folder/page/)
%{QUERY_STRING} Everything after the ? in a URL
%{REQUEST_FILENAME} The full path to the requested file
%{HTTP_USER_AGENT} Information about the visitor’s browser
%{HTTPS} “on” if the connection is secure, “off” otherwise
%{REMOTE_ADDR} The visitor’s IP address

Pattern Matching Examples

Here are a few examples of the kinds of rules you can set up once you get the hang of all the symbols, flags, and variables:

URL Paths

  • ^about$ matches ONLY the exact URL “/about” (not “/about-us” or “/about/team”)
  • ^about(.*) matches “/about” plus anything after it (“/about-us”, “/about/team”, etc.)

File Types

  • .(pdf|docx|xlsx)$ matches URLs ending in .pdf, .docx, or .xlsx (for specific file handling)
  • ^((?!.html).)*$ matches any URL that does NOT end with .html (for handling non-HTML requests)

Flag Variations

  • RewriteRule ^blog/(.*)$ /articles/$1 [R=301,L] creates a permanent (301) redirect that browsers and search engines will cache
  • RewriteRule ^blog/(.*)$ /articles/$1 [R=302,L] creates a temporary (302) redirect that won’t be permanently cached by browsers (useful during site testing)

Variable Conditions

  • RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} example.com matches requests specifically to example.com (case-sensitive, excludes www.example.com)
  • RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/blog/articles matches URLs with path exactly “/blog/articles” (this is case-sensitive on many servers)

Pro tip: When creating complex patterns, build them incrementally and test each step. It’s easier to debug a simple pattern than a complex one.


How to Check Your Redirects Are Working

You’ve done the hard work, so let’s now find out how to make sure you’ve set it all up correctly.

Below are a few ways to check your redirects. The best one depends on the nature of your redirects and how many you’ve set up.

Manual Testing

The simplest way to test your redirects is to manually check them in your browser.

Just enter the old URL you’ve redirected and watch the address bar to see if it changes to the new URL.

For a more detailed view of what’s happening, use your browser’s developer tools:

  1. Open developer tools (F12 in most browsers, or right click then “Inspect”) on the redirected page
  2. Go to the “Network” tab
  3. Reload the page and look for the redirect chain and status codes

In the example below, you can see it has redirected from the URL /position to /positioning:

Backlinko Hub – Positioning – Redirect

Online Redirect Checkers

Several free tools can test your redirects and provide more technical details. One example is HTTP Status Code Checker.

These tools show you the entire redirect path, status codes, and how long each redirect takes to process:

HTTP Status – URL status check

Testing Multiple URLs

If you’ve set up many redirects (like a subfolder or domain-wide redirect), testing every URL manually isn’t practical.

The HTTP Status Code Checker tool does let you test multiple URLs…

Httpstatus – Homepage

But this won’t be suitable for entire site redirects or when you have hundreds (or thousands) of redirects set up.

You could use a crawling tool and compare the crawl results to your sitemap, but that’s still going to be quite tedious.

Instead, consider using a tool like Semrush’s Site Audit.

Just pop your domain in, let the audit run, and then go to the “Issues” tab. Type in “redirect” to flag relevant issues.

Site Audit – Backlinko – Issues – Redirect

In particular, look out for:

  • # incorrect pages found in sitemap.xml: This will highlight any of your pages in your sitemap that are redirecting elsewhere
  • # pages have a WWW resolve issue: This will highlight issues if you haven’t specified which version (www or non-www) you prefer (e.g., via .htaccess redirects)
  • No redirect or canonical to HTTPS homepage from HTTP version: This checks if your homepage is set up to serve the secure HTTPS version
  • # redirect chains and loops: These create a bad user experience and can impact your SEO
  • # URLs with a temporary redirect: Double check these redirects are indeed meant to be temporary
  • # URLs with a permanent redirect: Check these URLs are supposed to redirect, and make sure they redirect to the correct place

Note: You can audit your site for free for up to 100 URLs. But for crawling more than that, try a Pro plan for free for 14 days with this link.


The post How to Create .htaccess Redirects (Most Common Use Cases) appeared first on Backlinko.

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What is Keyword Stuffing? How to Avoid Doing SEO Like It’s 2005

Back in the early 2000s, keyword stuffing actually worked.

All you had to do was repeat the same phrases, and you could rank pretty well.

(Readability be damned.)

I’m not exaggerating here — these sites were literally littered with keywords.

Like this one from 2005.

The Wayback Machine – Online Casinos

Yes, this is a real site I found on The Wayback Machine.

And yes, “online casinos” was used enough times to make your eyes burn.

But that game is over.

Today, keyword stuffing makes your content unreadable and unrankable.

Google’s smarter. Users are pickier. And spammy tactics? They get flagged fast.

So, if you’re still stuffing keywords, you’re not just stuck in the past — you’re tanking your chances of ranking.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

  • What keyword stuffing looks like
  • How it harms your SEO and credibility
  • How to use keywords naturally to boost rankings and readability

Let’s start by examining how this tactic works and its rise to popularity.

What Is Keyword Stuffing?

Keyword stuffing is the practice of overloading your content with target keywords in an unnatural way to manipulate search rankings.

It’s considered a black hat SEO tactic, meaning it goes against Google’s guidelines and puts your site at risk.

So, what does it look like?

Here’s a keyword stuffing example straight from Google:

Google Search Central – Keyword Stuffing

No one talks like that.

And no one wants to read it, either.

You might think that SEO keyword stuffing only happens in blog content or sales copy.

But it shows up in other places, too:

  • Headings and subheadings
  • Meta titles and descriptions
  • Anchor text
  • Navigation menus
  • Page footers
  • URLs

URLs – Keyword Stuffing

Wherever it appears, the result is the same: stiff, awkward content that adds no value for the reader.

Google also considers the following to be keyword stuffing:

  • Lists of phone numbers with no context or purpose
  • Blocks of cities or regions to manipulate local rankings

Like this:

“We serve New York, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island, Hoboken, Jersey City…”


Then, there’s invisible keyword stuffing — which is exactly what it sounds like.

You don’t see it, but search engines do.

Some common examples:

  • White text on a white background
  • Text hidden behind an image
  • Fonts set to 1px or less
  • Keywords in HTML comments
  • Hyperlinking just one character (like a period or dash)
  • Alt text loaded with unrelated keywords

    Alt text with unrelated keywords

So, how did keyword stuffing become so widespread in the first place?

Let’s take a quick look back.

History of Keyword Stuffing

Back when E-E-A-T was just a gleam in Google’s eye, keyword stuffing reigned supreme.

Why?

Because early search engine algorithms relied heavily on keyword density to determine relevance.

The more times a keyword appeared on a page, the more relevant that page seemed to search engines.

For example, here’s another site I found on the Wayback Machine — this one from 2002.

As you can see, they used various tactics to manipulate their rankings.

The Wayback Machine – WeightLossGuide

Like blatantly adding a bunch of keywords into content blocks on their homepage.

I’m guessing this site sold “weight loss diet pills,” but I can’t be sure.

WeightLossGuide – A bunch of keywords in content

They also loaded their product pages with back-to-back keywords.

Like “antidepressants and antiaging supplements.”

(And made a bunch of bold medical claims without citing or linking to reputable sources.)

No E-E-A-T here, that’s for sure.

Content with no E-E-A-T

Thankfully, Google got smarter — and more serious about quality.

Over time, it rolled out various updates to detect manipulative tactics.

And rewarded content that actually helped users and met search intent.

This made it harder to cheat the system and easier for Google to flag spammy, keyword-packed content.

But it hasn’t stopped all site owners from engaging in this practice.

So, if your content reads like it was written for bots, don’t be surprised when Google treats it like spam.

How Keyword Stuffing Hurts Your Site

Using keywords is important for relevance.

But overusing them?

It carries more risk than you might realize.

Google Penalties

If Google detects keyword stuffing, it may lower your rankings or trigger a manual action.

Even worse, you may be wiped off the SERPs completely.

Google warns about this in its spam policies:

Google Search Central – Spam policies

Recovery can take months of hard work.

And some sites never fully recover their rankings.

Poor User Experience

Even if you escape Google’s penalties, keyword-stuffed content creates a terrible user experience.

Users who land on these pages typically:

  • Leave immediately (increasing bounce rate)
  • Spend less time on page
  • Rarely convert
  • Never return

GA – Average engagement time per active user

These negative engagement signals harm your overall site performance, too.

Damaged Brand Reputation

Keyword-heavy content can make your site appear spammy and unprofessional.

It signals to users that you’re more concerned with manipulating search engines than providing value.

Cheap Affordable Airfare

This damages trust – the foundation of any successful brand.

Once users and search engines label your site as “spammy,” rebuilding that trust becomes difficult.

Lower Rankings

The ultimate irony of keyword stuffing?

It’s likely to achieve the opposite of its intended purpose.

Instead of boosting your rankings, it can make them plummet.

Today’s search algorithms prioritize:

  • Relevant, natural content
  • Positive user engagement signals
  • Valuable information that satisfies search intent

As Google says:

While there is no guarantee that any particular site will be added to Google’s index, sites that follow the Search Essentials guidelines are more likely to appear in Google’s search results.


How to Identify Keyword Stuffing on Your Site

Not sure if your content crosses the line from optimized to overkill?

Here’s how to spot keyword stuffing before Google and your readers do.

Manual Calculation

Old-school, but it works:

Keyword Density

  1. Count how many times your target keyword appears in your content
  2. Divide by your total word count
  3. Multiply by 100 to get the percentage

Side note: AI tools can help you calculate keyword density, but their results may not be entirely accurate. I tested ChatGPT against a manual calculation and found it was off by 28%. After prompting it to recheck its work, ChatGPT was able to provide the correct answer. But this process actually took longer than just calculating it myself.


So, how do you know if your percentage is “good” or “bad”?

Keep in mind that the ideal keyword density doesn’t exist.

As Leigh McKenzie, Backlinko’s head of SEO, says:

You can’t fake relevance by jamming your target phrase into every heading. A natural, readable flow matters more. As a general rule, if your keyword density creeps above 2–3%, it’s worth taking a second look.

Use keywords intentionally. But write like you’re talking to real people, not search engines. That’s what both the algorithm and AI actually reward.


Manual Assessment

One of the most effective ways to identify keyword-heavy content is to read it aloud.

If something feels stiff, repetitive, or robotic, your readers will feel it, too.

Ask yourself:

  • Would I write this way if SEO wasn’t a factor?
  • Does this content feel valuable and informative?
  • Would real people enjoy reading this?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” it’s time to revise.

WordPress Plugins

Using WordPress?

Plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math can help flag potential keyword stuffing.

These tools provide readability scores and keyword density calculations.

Rank Math – High Keyword Density

But keep in mind that these tools may miss subtle issues.

And typically won’t flag anything until it’s really obvious.

So, it’s best to use them as a guide rather than a final verdict.

On Page SEO Checker

Want a smarter, more in-depth look at keyword usage on your pages?

Use Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker.

Instead of manually scanning your content, this tool benchmarks your keyword usage against top-ranking competitors.

Here’s how to use it:

Side note: A free Semrush account gives you limited access to the On Page SEO Checker. Or you can use this link to access a 14-day trial on a Semrush Pro subscription.


Enter your domain into the tool and press “Get ideas.”

On Page SEO Checker – Scrappygardeners – Get ideas

Next, configure your settings.

(It’ll ask you to choose your location and preferred pages to analyze.)

When your report is ready, scroll to the “Top pages to optimize” section.

On Page SEO Checker – Scrappygardeners – Top pages to optimize

Click the blue “# Ideas” button next to any page to view detailed recommendations.

If keyword stuffing is detected, the On Page SEO Checker will call it out.

And show you exactly where the issue is.

Including the body content, meta tags, or headings.

On Page SEO Checker – Scrappygardeners – Optimization ideas

If your keyword usage is clean, you’ll see notes like:

“No keyword stuffing detected in <h1> tag.”

On Page SEO Checker – Scrappygardeners – No keyword stuffing

You’ll also get recommendations for:

On Page SEO Checker – Scrappygardeners – Backlink Ideas

Use the recommendations to create higher-ranking content that search engines and readers love.

6 Keyword Optimization Best Practices

So, how do you avoid keyword stuffing?

And still optimize your content without sounding like a broken record?

Here are some do’s (and a few don’ts) to help you strike the right balance.

1. Write for Humans, Not Search Engines

Keyword density isn’t a ranking factor.

So, don’t worry about hitting a specific number.

Focus on creating helpful content instead.

Answer your audience’s questions. Solve their problems. And satisfy their search intent.

The 4 types of search intent

Google calls this people-first content — content made for readers, not algorithms.

Google Search Central – Focus on people-first content

Yes, you should use your target keywords.

But if you’re covering the topic thoroughly, they’ll appear naturally.

For example, if you’re writing about meal prep for beginners, you’ll probably mention:

  • Easy meal prep
  • Weekly food planning
  • Healthy lunch ideas

No keyword stuffing required.

Bottom line: If your content reads well out loud and actually helps someone, you’re on the right track.

2. Include Keywords in Key Elements

You don’t need to repeat your keyword 55 times.

But placing it in a few prominent spots helps Google (and readers) understand what your page is about:

  • URL
  • H1
  • First paragraph
  • Subheadings (minimally — mix it up with keyword variations)
  • Title tag
  • Meta description
  • Alt text

Always prioritize natural language over forced keyword insertion.

3. Use Secondary and Semantic Keywords

Secondary and semantic keywords make your content more engaging.

They also make it easier for Google to understand what your content is about.

Secondary keywords are terms that are closely related to your primary keyword.

They help your content rank for a broader range of relevant searches.

For example, if your primary keyword is “vegetarian recipes,” secondary keywords would include:

  • Vegetarian meal ideas
  • Meatless recipes
  • Vegetarian dinner recipes

Keyword research tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, and others let you find secondary keywords.

Keyword Magic Tool – Vegetarian recipes – Keywords

Semantic keywords are contextually related words and phrases that help search engines understand the meaning behind your content.

These terms aren’t direct matches or synonyms.

For a vegetarian recipe article, semantic keywords would be “veggie burgers,” “tofu,” and “vegetarian chili.”

You’re likely to include these terms naturally.

But Google can also help.

Conduct a search for your primary keyword and check “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches” for ideas.

People also search for – Vegetarian recipes

4. Avoid Irrelevant Keywords

Targeting irrelevant keywords won’t trick Google.

It’ll just confuse your audience — and dilute your topical authority.

For example, if your blog niche is fitness, don’t target irrelevant keywords like “top vacuum cleaners” or “best mattress.”

Keyword Overview – Best mattress – Overview

Even if you’re actually able to rank for these terms, it’s unlikely to do you any good past a bump in vanity metrics.

Aka — you might get clicks, but you won’t get conversions.

Plus, you’ll send confusing signals to Google about your site’s core purpose.

5. Don’t Use Grammatically Incorrect Keywords

During keyword research, you’ll inevitably run into terms that are misspelled yet somehow still get thousands of searches.

For example, “morgage calculator” gets 27,100 searches per month.

And “best morgage rates” gets 14,800.

Keyword Magic Tool – Morgage – Keywords

But using misspelled keywords isn’t worth the risk.

They make your writing less credible and can make your site look spammy.

Search engines are smart enough to know what users actually mean when they search for “morgage” instead of “mortgage.”

As Google says:

Our natural language understanding models look at a search in context, like the relationship that words and letters within the query have to each other. Our systems start by deciphering or trying to understand your entire search query first. From there, we generate the best replacements for the misspelled words in the query based on our overall understanding of what you’re looking for. For example, we can tell from the other words in the query “average home coast” that you’re probably looking for information on “average home cost.


Same goes for grammatically incorrect or just plain awkward keyword phrasing like:

  • “Running shoes cheap”
  • “How to train dog fast”

Yes, people search like this:

Keyword Overview – Running shoes cheap – Overview

But you shouldn’t mirror that phrasing word-for-word.

Or you risk lowering the readability and trustworthiness of your content.

6. Spread Out Keyword Usage

Don’t use a bunch of keywords in a single paragraph or section.

Keyword stuffing example

Distribute them naturally throughout your content, from the introduction to the conclusion.

This creates a more cohesive piece that flows naturally while still signaling relevance to search engines.

How to Recover from Keyword Stuffing Penalties

Worried your rankings declined from excessive keyword usage? Don’t panic.

Recovery is possible with the right approach.

Check for a Manual Penalty in Google Search Console

First things first: confirm whether you’ve received a manual penalty.

Log into Google Search Console (GSC) and follow this path:

Security & Manual Actions” > “Manual Actions.”

GSC – Security & Manual Actions

If you don’t have any manual actions, you’ll see this message:

GSC – Manual actions – No issues detected

If you have a manual action, you’ll see a report with the number of issues detected.

And a description of each one.

Like unnatural links, cloaking, thin content, and — you guessed it — keyword stuffing.

GSC – Manual actions – Issues detected

If you received a penalty, you’ll need to address the issues and submit a reconsideration request.

Fix the Issues

Once you’ve identified the problem pages, it’s time for cleanup.

But this isn’t just about fixing one page. It’s about showing Google you’ve changed your approach.

Here’s what to focus on:

  • Rewrite keyword-stuffed content: Focus on clarity, depth, and user intent. Cut repetition and use natural phrasing and keyword variations.
  • Remove hidden keywords: If you used any black hat tactics, such as white text on white backgrounds, keyword-stuffed alt tags, or hidden links, remove them from your site
  • Upgrade the content: Check that each page meets search intent, thoroughly covers the topic, has meaningful information gain, and includes E-E-A-T signals. Like high-quality sources, author expertise, and expert insights.
  • Audit your site: For best results, consider following the above steps for every page on your site (if possible) — not just the ones Google flagged. This may improve your chances of getting the penalty removed.

What is E-E-A-T

Request a Review

Once your content is cleaned up, go back to Search Console and follow these steps:

Open the “Manual Actions” section and click “Request Review.”

GSC – Manual actions – Request review button

Next, you’ll be asked to check a box confirming you fixed all of the issues.

You’ll also need to explain what you fixed and how you did it.

GSC – Manual actions – Request review

Don’t copy and paste generic language. Be honest, transparent, and direct in your answer.

Explain the following:

  • What caused the issue
  • The exact steps you took to fix it
  • The outcome of your efforts

Expect to wait anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for a response.

You’ll get an email with Google’s decision when the review is complete.

If your first request is denied, you can try again.

Stop Stuffing. Start Optimizing.

Google doesn’t count keywords anymore.

Why should you?

Ranking in 2025 isn’t about gaming the algorithm — it’s about creating content that actually helps people.

So, leave the keyword stuffing to 2005 and focus on what modern readers and search engines want:

Helpful, trustworthy content.

Ready to write content that reads and ranks well?

Check out our SEO best practices guide. It’s packed with proven strategies for writing high-performing content without sacrificing quality or user experience.


The post What is Keyword Stuffing? How to Avoid Doing SEO Like It’s 2005 appeared first on Backlinko.

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