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The latest jobs in search marketing

February 7, 2025/0 Comments/in Search Engine Land, Web Design News/by

Looking to take the next step in your search marketing career?

Below, you will find the latest SEO, PPC, and digital marketing jobs at brands and agencies. We also include positions from previous weeks that are still open.

Newest jobs in SEO, PPC and digital marketing

Sr. SEO Strategist/Account Manager, PureSEM (Remote)

Salary: $70,000 – $100,000
You’ll be responsible for driving strategy and communications for 5-7 clients and will manage a team of SEO specialists to deliver the work driving their continued success.
Your growing team will include a technical analyst, content manager, tracking specialist, multiple writers, and link developers.

SEO Lead, Fella Health (Remote)

Salary: $50,000 – $80,000
You’ll work closely with our Head of Growth to pioneer an AI-enhanced SEO strategy that drives exponential organic growth across our brands (Fella and Delilah).
You’ll take full ownership of our SEO function, using AI tools and automation to supercharge our capabilities across technical audits, content creation, and link building.

SEO Associate, Merkle | Cardinal Path (Remote)

Salary: $65,000 – $80,000
Lead SEO team tasks to fulfill client audits and ongoing SEO monitoring.
Manage a roster of clients using best practices for client and project management.

SEO Director, Constant Contact (Remote)

Salary: $137,200 – $171,500
Develop and execute a comprehensive global SEO strategy to increase organic traffic, user engagement, and conversions across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Identify and prioritize opportunities to target SMBs in each region based on market trends, verticals, search behavior, and competitive analysis.

SEO Manager, Cars.com (Remote)

Salary: $90,500 – $110,800
Conduct a monthly review of Accounts KPIs, strategies and deliverables to ensure they’re up to the highest possible standards of excellence, providing feedback to Strategists on areas of growth or opportunities.
Serve as second escalation step for client issues, concerns or other account-related critical situations, exercising sound judgement in communication, response and escalation.

Search Engine Marketing Manager, Edmunds (Santa Monica, CA)

Salary: $111,000 – $114,000
Responsible for revenue growth while maximizing ROI through paid search (GoogleAds, BingAds) and display advertising programs
Develop, test and implement digital marketing strategies to drive revenue growth individually and as a team

Director of Performance Marketing, Primis (Remote)

Salary: $160,000 – $170,000
Own paid user acquisition strategy across channels (Meta, TikTok, Google, Apple Search Ads).
Drive organic growth through ASO, content optimization, and referral programs.

Performance Marketing Lead (Mobile-App Growth), Storm4 (Remote)

Salary: $130,000 – $160,000
Develop and execute mobile app marketing campaigns aimed at driving installs, user engagement, and app usage.
Implement targeted campaigns on platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, and other mobile ad networks to grow the app user base.

VP of Digital Marketing, Onward Search (Hybrid, San Diego County, CA)

Salary: $170,000 – $210,000
Leverage research and data analytics to define, execute, and evaluate both strategic and tactical marketing and public relations plans.
Identify growth opportunities within franchisees and customer segments to drive acquisition, conversion, and retention efforts.

Sr. Marketing Manager, Paid Advertising, Pilot (Remote)

Salary: $127,000 – $215,000
Own Paid Media Strategy: Develop and execute a comprehensive paid advertising strategy across platforms like Google and Bing Ads, LinkedIn, Meta and Reddit to drive leads and revenue.
Campaign Management & Optimization: Launch, monitor, and optimize campaigns to hit performance goals, staying within budget and maximizing ROI.

More SEO jobs

Sr. SEO Manager, Okta (Remote)

Salary: $250,000 – $224,000
Report directly to the Director of Digital Acquisition within our Digital Team
Create and communicate SEO strategy roadmaps with stakeholders and marketing leadership

Sr. SEO Director, Ignite Visibility (Remote)

Salary: $100,000 – $140,000
SEO Director will be responsible for input on initial high-level SEO strategy recommendations for client campaigns.
Director will be responsible for quarterly reviews of campaign progress via ranking reports, Google Search Console, and analytics data.

SEO Manager, Black & White Zebra (Remote)

Salary: $90,000 – $110,000
Meticulously plan and prioritize the cluster development for specific publications
Develop, execute and map keyword plans for those clusters that map to our internal customer journeys (factoring potential and business impact).

Sr. SEO Content Strategist, Smartsheet (Remote)

Salary: $120,000 – $157,000
Help to define and execute Smartsheet’s global SEO strategy.
Conduct comprehensive opportunity analyses, including keyword research, query intent mapping, competitive assessments, and SERP landscape evaluations, to prioritize initiatives that drive traffic and conversions.

SEO Consultant, Botify (Remote)

Salary: $130,000
Engage in discovery sessions to learn about customers’ businesses, their strategic initiatives, goals, and progress towards achieving the goals
Carry out detailed site audits and propose and present SEO strategies and roadmaps

Sr. SEO/CRO Strategist, Orbit Media Studios (Remote)

Salary: $75,000 – $90,000
Lead an overall SEO and CRO strategy for up to six great brands
Act as a trusted advisor, partner, and friend in these relationships

Sr. SEO Specialist, Tinuiti (Remote)

Salary: $70,000 – $80,000
Lead the development, execution, and optimization of sophisticated SEO campaigns, from initial research and strategy through implementation and analysis.
Oversee all aspects of on-page, off-page, and technical SEO to achieve and exceed client objectives.

Sr. SEO Product Manager, Redfin (Remote)

Salary: $156,200 – $234,000
Set our technical SEO roadmap by conducting thorough audits and evaluations of our website relative to competitors
Work directly with other product managers and engineers to maintain SEO hygiene, implement changes, and ensure new features meet requirements

SEO Content Manager, Modernize (Remote)

Salary: $60,000 – $70,000
Support content publication and optimization across organic domains with a sharp focus on search engine performance and propelling channel growth.
Implement AI-driven solutions to streamline SEO processes, scale content opportunities, and enhance efficiency.

Search Marketing Manager, Gainor Staff (Remote)

Salary: $90,000 – $115,000
Develop, ideate and optimize high performing Paid Search campaigns across platforms (Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Microsoft Ads, SA360, Optmyzr).
Communicate paid search performance, industry trends, and answering client questions with expertise.

SEO Strategist, RicketyRoo (Remote)

Salary: $72,000 – $84,000
SEO analysis and strategy. You excel at transforming raw data into actionable insights that align with both short- and long-term goals.
Report on client strategy. You’ll report on results to your clients regularly.

SEO Specialist, Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys (Remote)

Salary: $85,000 – $95,000
Develop and execute comprehensive SEO strategies across technical, on-page, and off-page optimization
Lead technical SEO initiatives including site architecture, schema markup, and structured data implementation

Principal SEO Manager, Tenable (Remote)

Salary: £136,500 – $181,800
Develop and execute a comprehensive SEO strategy that aligns with business goals across multiple products, regions and languages.
Establish a shared SEO-driven growth strategy by collaborating with company stakeholders to build a consensus on priorities

Sr. SEO Product Manager, Upwork (Remote)

Salary: $151,500 – $183,000
Develop and execute a global SEO strategy that balances user experience with traffic growth objectives.
Lead PRD (Product Requirements Document) creation and management for SEO initiatives, ensuring clarity and alignment with cross-functional teams.

SEO Tech Lead, Tripadvisor (Remote)

Salary: $150,000 – $215,000
Build and drive a technical roadmap for our SEO platform
Design solutions to business problems by building new tools and/or processes

More PPC jobs

Vice President , Paid Search, MODCO Media (Remote)

Salary: $150,000 – $200,000
Defines the go-to market performance strategy cross-channel to drive accelerated growth and how we implement a rigorous test & learn agenda to refine and enhance media
Define how we stay abreast of the latest trends & advancements to maintain a competitive edge

Senior SEM Specialist, Canva (San Francisco, CA)

Salary: $113,000 – $172,000
Campaign Management & Optimisation: Manage and optimize SEM campaigns—analyzing performance data, writing ad copy, reviewing search term reports, and more.
Take ownership of global SEM projects in close collaboration with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and external partners.

Paid Advertising & Performance, Robert Half (Howell, NJ)

Salary: $100,000 – $120,000
Oversee and manage all paid media efforts across Meta, TikTok, and Google platforms to drive customer acquisition and revenue growth. Ensure efficient allocation of budget across channels.
Lead and manage the overall paid media content strategy, collaborating with internal production teams and external content agencies

Manager, Paid Search (eCommerce), Kinesso (Remote)

Salary: $90,000 – $95,000
Manage eCommerce Associates on the team and take ownership / drive their career development
Cross-Brand oversight of all eCommerce campaigns, including coordination of planning, activation, and reporting

Performance Marketing Manager, Sigma Computing (New York, NY)

Salary: $130,000 – $155,000
Manage our digital advertising platforms such as Google Ads, Linkedin, 6Sense, and more: Includes in-platform management and optimization such as keyword research, ad copy writing, campaign creation, budgeting, pacing, optimization, assistance in tagging management and more
Collaborate with the organic content team to build and evolve the keyword strategy for both paid and organic

Senior Growth Manager, Paid Acquisition, Stepful (New York, NY)

Salary: $120,000 – $160,000
Drive Paid Acquisition growth and efficiency through creative testing and effective budget management.
Run experiments across the sign-up funnel to increase web page visitors to lead & lead to signup conversion rates.

Sr. Marketing Manager, Paid Advertising, Pilot.com (Remote)

Salary: £127,000 – $215,000
Own Paid Media Strategy: Develop and execute a comprehensive paid advertising strategy across platforms like Google and Bing Ads, LinkedIn, Meta and Reddit to drive leads and revenue.
Campaign Management & Optimization: Launch, monitor, and optimize campaigns to hit performance goals, staying within budget and maximizing ROI.

Search Marketing Manager, Gainor Staffing (Remote)

Salary: $90,000 – $115,000
Develop, ideate and optimize high performing Paid Search campaigns across platforms (Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Microsoft Ads, SA360, Optmyzr).
Communicate paid search performance, industry trends, and answering client questions with expertise.

Sr Director, Head of Paid Search, PHD (Hybrid, New York, NY)

Salary: $180,000 – $250,000
Paid Search Strategic Planning: Develop long-term execution plans that align with client business and agency objectives. Implement these plans and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success.
Paid Search Data Analysis: Demonstrate analytical skills to extract meaningful insights from data. Relate these insights back to business goals and identify actionable recommendations.

Manager, Paid Search, Gainor Staffing (Remote)

Salary: $90,000 – $115,000
Develop, ideate and optimize high performing Paid Search campaigns across platforms (Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Microsoft Ads, SA360, Optmyzr).
Communicate paid search performance, industry trends, and answering client questions with expertise.

Paid Media Manager, 10X Health System (Aventura, Fla.)

Salary: $75,000 – $95,000
Oversee the entire paid media campaign process, from concept development, creative ideation, and audience targeting, to execution, launch, and proactive optimization.
Monitor campaign spending and performance metrics to ensure campaigns meet or exceed key metrics such as ROAS, CPA, and conversion rates.

Manager, Paid Search, Gainor Staffing (New York City area)

Salary: $90,000 – $115,000
Develop, ideate and optimize high performing Paid Search campaigns across platforms (Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Microsoft Ads, SA360, Optmyzr).
Communicate paid search performance, industry trends, and answering client questions with expertise.

Director, Paid Search, Digital Matter (New York City)

Salary: $136,000 to $165,000 (annual)
Manage execution and performance of search, shopping, display, and video advertising campaigns through the full account management life cycle
Serve as the key player in kick-off meetings, client relationship management, ad-serving, tech stack implementation, campaign optimization, and quarterly business planning.

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How to Build a Competitive Intelligence Strategy from Scratch

February 7, 2025/0 Comments/in Web Design News/by

Competitive intelligence (CI) gives you the clarity to make the right moves for your business—whether that’s meeting customer needs, finding new opportunities, or outsmarting competitors.

Marketing agency Thrive proves this perfectly.

I spoke to Aaron Whittaker, the VP of Demand Gen and Marketing at Thrive, to understand how they use CI.

His team gathered intel to solve a specific challenge. Prospects were choosing AI marketing solutions over traditional agencies.

“We monitored our competitors’ customer reviews and social media mentions. Our takeaway was that clients often felt disconnected with AI-based marketing strategies. This insight led us to develop what we call “Transparent Strategy Sessions.” This is unique to us since we combine AI efficiency with human strategic oversight.”

The team used these insights to create battlecards, increasing the win rate by 35%.

In this article, I’ll explain the key components of a competitive intelligence framework.

I’ll also break down four phases for conducting competitive intelligence research.

Download our competitive intelligence research checklist to follow along.

What Is Competitive Intelligence?

Competitive intelligence is the process of turning raw competitor data into actionable insights.

This helps your business make strategic decisions and stay ahead in the market.

A competitive intelligence report helps you answer three critical questions:

Where are your competitors heading?
Why and how are they making these moves?
How can you respond effectively to stay ahead?

CI research works on two levels: tactical and strategic.

Tactical intel focuses on improving your short-term strategy.

This includes decisions related to new launches, marketing campaigns, and more.

Strategic intel shapes your overall business strategy.

It helps you understand your market better, so you can make smart choices about where to focus and how to stand out.

Competitive Intelligence vs. Market Research

Competitive intelligence and market research are both important methods of gathering data to make smarter business decisions. But they work in different ways and have unique goals.

CI research tracks your competitors to find growth opportunities and predict market shifts.

The goal?

To strategically gain an advantage and stay ahead in a rapidly changing market.

On the other hand, market research studies:

Consumer behavior
Market conditions
Demand patterns
Growth trends

It analyzes the current market to discover gaps you can fulfill.

These insights support tactical decisions in product development, marketing, and other goals.

Here’s how competitive intelligence differs from market research:

3 Key Components of a Competitive Intelligence Framework

A strong competitive intelligence framework boils down to three essentials: find the right data, analyze it effectively, and put it into action.

Let’s discuss each component in detail.

Data

Collecting relevant, targeted data is the first step in CI research.

Start with secondary sources to get a broader view of the competitive landscape.

Check out competitor websites, help portals, and industry reports.

I chatted with Stanislav Khilobochenko, the VP of Customer Services at Clario, about CI data sources.

He explains how he uses platforms like G2 and Trustpilot to capture the voice of the customer:

“Monitoring customer reviews highlighted how a competitor’s customers complained about hidden subscription fees. This insight led us to emphasize transparent pricing in our marketing campaigns. We saw an increase in our new customer acquisition rate.”

Analysis

Look closely at your data to extract meaningful insights and find growth opportunities. This can help you confidently choose the right next steps for your business.

The real value is in analyzing multiple data sources in parallel. Think web research, customer feedback, and sales conversations.

Each source provides a different perspective, and combining them creates a fuller picture.

Here’s how the process might look if you own a project management platform:

Goal: Help sales reps close more deals
Analytical insight: Customer reviews reveal a need for niche integrations, while sales conversations highlight lost deals due to limited integrations
Business decision: Plan your product roadmap to build more integrations

So, your sellers can use this information to attract more customers. Information they wouldn’t be able to use without analyzing the right data.

Activation

Once you complete your analysis, share your findings with relevant stakeholders.

You can choose different formats, such as battle cards, competitor profiles, and meetings. More on that later.

The activation phase is all about using competitive intel to plan ahead.

I wanted to understand this phase better, so I spoke to Federico Jorge, the founder of Stack Against. He creates search-optimized comparison pages for SaaS companies based on in-depth competitive intel.

In one of his projects, he helped a client gather intel on a small competitor that was acquired by a large company.

Overnight, this competitor went from being an ankle biter to a huge threat that started to go after his client’s share of the market.

“One of the main assets we built was a battlecard to arm sales with new talk tracks whenever they went against this competitor in a new deal or a renewal project. The battlecard proved effective to position my client’s product in a more favorable light, after the acquisition. It also increased seller confidence by giving account executives an updated understanding of the competitor’s strengths and weaknesses.”

How to Collect Competitive Intelligence in 4 Phases

Fast-moving markets. Evolving customer preferences. Unexpected competitor moves.

You need competitive intel to survive and thrive in the face of these challenges.

Let’s cover a 4-phase framework for conducting competitive intelligence research based on experts’ advice.

Phase 1: Goal Setting and Preparation

In the first phase, you have to prepare the groundwork for your competitive intelligence research.

This involves outlining why you need this intel and who you’re competing against.

Define Why You Need Competitive Intelligence

Without a defined purpose and scope, competitive intelligence data is just noise.

Setting a clear “why” saves you from wasting time on irrelevant information.

The result?

You get insights directly aligned with your business goals to guide your decisions.

So, start by outlining your core problem or growth opportunity.

Do you want to:

Enter a new market?
Find key differentiators?
Improve your brand positioning?
Make product enhancements?

Along with your goals, think of specific questions you want to answer with this data. Also define the key stakeholders who will use this intel.

For example, let’s say you want to finalize a new pricing structure for your software product.

Poor goal-setting:

“We need to know how our competitors are pricing their products.”

Good goal-setting:

Goal: Build a well-informed pricing strategy
Questions: How have our top three competitors priced their enterprise plans? What changes have they made to their plans in terms of price point and capabilities?
Stakeholders: Product and sales leadership

Map Your Competitive Landscape

With your goals in place, you now need to identify:

Direct competitors: Businesses offering the same products or services as you
Indirect competitors: Businesses offering products or services that act as a substitute for yours

Start with a simple Google search to find your direct competitors.

Let’s say you run a local bakery.

Search for keywords like “custom cakes near me,” “wedding cake shops,” or “best bakeries in [your city].”

You’ll find direct competitors ranking well in organic search, like the ones visible here:

Then, go a step further with a tool like Semrush’s Organic Research to find more competitors.

Add your domain (or a competitor’s website) and hit “Search.”

In the “Competitors” tab, you’ll find the Competitive Positioning Map.

It highlights your biggest competitors based on traffic volume and number of keywords.

Organic Research – Sugar and Salt RVA – Competitors

Scroll down to see a more extensive list of organic competitors.

You can analyze competitors with metrics like competition level, shared keywords, and organic traffic.

Organic Research – Sugar and Salt RVA – Organic Competitors

Use this exercise to prepare and maintain an active list of your primary competitors.

Expand this database with indirect competitors and create these tiers:

Primary: Direct head-to-head competitors
Secondary: Occasional overlap in market/customers
Tertiary: Indirect competitors with substitute solutions

Identify competitors for competitive intelligence

Phase 2: Collect Data Systematically in Stages

Once you have locked in your list of competitors, it’s time to collect data.

Here are some of the most popular data sources you can use:

Data sources for competitive intelligence research

But random data won’t cut it.

I chatted with experts, and they recommend collecting data systematically in four stages.

Stage 1: Analyze Online Presence

Start with the easiest layer—your competitors’ online presence.

You can use tools to see exactly what’s working for your competitors online, from their top pages to their content strategy.

Edward White, Beehiiv’s Head of Growth, shared how he used Semrush to perform an SEO competitive analysis:

“We undertook an initiative to analyze 3,000 articles from 9 competitor blogs. We aimed to reverse-engineer the SEO strategy within a competitive mature market. I used Semrush to dig deeper into these competitors and evaluate each blog.”

24 months later, Beehiiv’s website went from ~0 to 1 million clicks/year.

To get started with your own similar analysis, go to Semrush’s Domain Overview and add one of your competitors’ websites.

(I’ll use the furniture rental site Fernish as an example.)

The Domain Overview report shows this site has an authority score of 31 and nearly 12K backlinks.

The tool also reveals Fernish’s organic and paid traffic over the past two years.

It also shows me that the majority of Fernish’s traffic comes from the U.S., followed by Indonesia and Canada.

Lots of useful data, but we want to go deeper.

The “Compare domains” tab provides a deeper analysis of Fernish’s top four competitors.

I compared three competitors on their authority score, traffic, and backlinks.

The report also showed the traffic share among the four brands, with Fernish getting 13% of the total traffic.

Domain Overview – Fernish – Compare domains

Once you’ve identified your top competitors in organic search, go to the Organic Research tool to find more information about each competitor.

I focused on this report for Inhabitr, one of Fernish’s top competitors.

This report tells me the keywords where Inhabitr is ranking well and attracting organic traffic.

It also categorizes these keywords by search intent to help me understand Inhabitr’s SEO strategy.

I can see the top pages driving the most traffic to this site.

This report also shows the type of keywords each page targets and how much traffic it gets.

Looking at the SERP Features Trend report, I realized that Inhabitr’s content strategy focused mostly on local SEO.

However, the brand now also seems to be leveraging image SEO to improve its organic search performance.

Organic Research – Inhabitr – SERP Features

These kinds of competitive insights can help you adapt your own strategies based on what’s working well for your rivals.

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

Stage 2: Understand Market Context

Learn how the market perceives your competitors with:

Social listening tools: to monitor brand mentions and perform a social media competitor analysis
Analyst reports: to understand how competitors fit into the broader competitive landscape
Review platforms: to collect customer feedback and discover their challenges and unmet needs

For public companies, annual reports provide valuable insights into operations and financials.

Aaron Whittaker of Thrive Internet Marketing Agency shared an interesting insight to expand your research scope.

He explained how his team went beyond visible metrics (like pricing and features) to gain an edge over competitors.

“Our breakthrough came when we started mapping less obvious patterns. For example, we tracked a competitor’s job postings over six months. It revealed they were quietly building an AI team. This gave us early insight into their future direction.”

Stage 3: Conduct Field Research

Use hands-on research to find insights that aren’t available through external analysis.

Pay attention to your competitors’ sales process, customer support, and overall user experience.

This is where you’ll find opportunities for differentiation.

Stage 4: Gather Network Intelligence

Collect data through a network of buyers, employees, and vendors.

Check your win/loss reports or sales calls. They’ll show you the competitors you’re losing to.

Interview these buyers to find out why they chose a competitor over you.

Sam Niro, Senior Manager of Competitive Intelligence at Talkdesk, shares her best practice:

“I review press release feeds, social media, and industry media outlets to keep up with bigger storylines. However, my “secret weapon” is buyer interviews. They show the customer’s unfiltered voice. Use them to validate your differentiators, pricing, and sales process.”

Consider historical context throughout your data collection process.

Pro tip: Look at your competitors’ performance when they were at the same stage as your company.

If you’re a two-year-old company competing with a five-year-old brand, check their metrics from three years ago.

This provides more relevant benchmarks for your growth trajectory than their current performance might suggest.

Phase 3: Analyze Data and Extract Meaningful Insights

Now, you’re ready to dig into the data and connect the dots to find actionable insights about your competitors.

Data Organization

Raw data alone doesn’t drive decisions—analysis does.

You have to clean, organize, and validate data before extracting actionable insights.

I asked Federico Jorge, the founder of Stack Against, to share his best advice for this phase of CI research.

He emphasized the importance of keeping the bigger picture in mind during analysis:

“It’s critical to see through individual intel to form a bigger idea that’s sustainable for your product in the long-term. Before acting on any piece of intel, evaluate how it fits into your broader market strategy and customer needs.”

Data Analysis

Let’s break down three methods to analyze data:

Trends Analysis

Analyze your competitors’ actions over time to find patterns in their behavior. Like product launches, pricing changes, positioning changes, and more.

As trends emerge, you can predict your competitors’ next moves and adapt your strategy.

It also allows you to spot gaps and undiscovered opportunities in the market.

Picture this:

You run a meal-delivery business.

Trend analysis tells you:

Two competitors added plant-based options in the last quarter
Five of them started a weekend-only delivery service
Many highlight “locally sourced” in their content

These patterns indicate customers prefer plant-based options and care about food sourcing. There’s also a demand for weekend-only plans.

You can use this information to add to or improve your own services. And reduce the risks of being left behind in the market.

Strategic Group Analysis

Use strategic group analysis to understand the competitive landscape at a macro level.

In other words: don’t view each competitor in isolation.

Instead, find the challenges and opportunities for each group.

It reveals what makes each competing group successful or vulnerable.

For example, the analysis below covers different types of competitors for the coffee brand, Starbucks.

I analyzed each group’s varying tactics, strengths, and vulnerabilities.

Group	Competitors	Key Tactics	Strengths	Vulnerabilities
Premium Cafes	Starbucks, Blue Bottle	High-quality beans, customized drinks	Brand recognition, customer loyalty	High prices limit customer base
Fast Food Coffee	McDonald’s, Dunkin’	Convenient locations, low prices	Speed, affordability	Lower perceived quality
Local Independent Cafes	John’s Cafe, The Bean Lounge	Community focus, unique atmosphere	Personal service, local loyalty	Limited resources for growth

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis adds more depth by examining a company’s:

Strengths: What they do well
Weaknesses: Where they struggle
Opportunities: External factors they could use to grow
Threats: External factors that could harm them

Here are some questions to consider for applying this method (you can perform this on your own business/website and on your competitors):

This approach gives you a complete picture of your competitors’ positions.

Use these insights to make smart decisions for investing your resources.

Here’s an example SWOT analysis of automotive brands:

Brand	Strengths	Weaknesses	Opportunities	Threats
Toyota	Strong global presence; Leader in hybrid technology	Dependent on global supply chains	Increasing demand for EVs	Intense competition in EV market
Ford	Strong brand recognition in America; Investments in autonomous vehicles	Struggles with profitability internationally	Growth in EV and autonomous vehicle sectors	Competition from traditional and new auto manufacturers
Volkswagen	Strong focus on R&D; Significant global footprint	Emissions scandal has damaged reputation	Growth opportunities in new markets like Africa	Regulatory challenges and fines

The real value comes from connecting these analyses to action.

This phase should tell you where competitors are today and where they’re heading.

Phase 4: Activation and Implementation

In the final phase, you have to convert insights into meaningful resources for all stakeholders.

You also need to plan the way forward and decide the next steps to update this intel.

Create Useful Deliverables

Here are a few deliverables to create to share your CI findings with relevant stakeholders:

Battle Cards

Prepare visual one-pagers to emphasize areas where you outshine the competition.

Add talking points to counter each competitor and help sellers confidently handle objections.

Here’s a battle card template to follow:

Centralized Hub

Document all of your CI findings on platforms like Notion or Confluence.

Categorize the resources by teams and make this hub searchable for easy access.

Competitor profiles

Create in-depth profiles analyzing a competitor from all aspects.

Marketing and product teams can use them to plan their campaigns and plan the roadmap.

Here’s an example of the beauty brand Glossier’s competitive profile:

Implement a Distribution Plan

Create a dedicated Slack channel to share real-time insights. It helps in quickly sending updates about competitor moves to plan ahead.

Here are a few other ways to effectively distribute your research insights:

Weekly messages with updates from social media and your competitors’ latest campaigns
Monthly emails reviewing intel related to changes in pricing, features, and more
Quarterly meetings with each department to discuss key intel and reassess key competitors

You can also set up alerts about significant events, like acquisitions, leadership changes, and more.

Monitor and Update Your Strategy

Remember that markets and competitors constantly evolve.

Don’t take a one-and-done approach to competitive intelligence research.

Instead, you need workflows to regularly monitor and update your intel.

Schedule regular check-ins with your sales, marketing, and customer success teams to get constant feedback about your competitors.

Key Applications of Competitive Intelligence

Ready to see competitive intelligence in action?

Here’s how different teams can use competitive intelligence research.

Sales Enablement

Sales teams use CI to study competitors’ sales tactics and buying experience.

78% of CI pros translate these insights into battle cards.

As a result, sellers can deliver a strong pitch, handle objections effectively, and present social proof.

This intel also highlights key differentiators against every competitor.

Product Development

CI data helps product teams keep tabs on competitors’ new launches. It also collects customer feedback to map user expectations.

These insights help teams prioritize new features to outpace the competition.

You can also use this data to plan your product roadmap based on unmet customer needs.

Aaron Whittaker (Thrive) shared a great example of using CI data for product development:

“Competitive intelligence helped us spot a gap in the market. As competitors rushed to add AI features, we saw a demand for simpler, human-readable reports. This led us to develop streamlined dashboards that became a major selling point.”

Market Positioning and Strategy

Competitive intelligence research examines a competitor’s positioning, target audience, and overall marketing strategy.

You can learn how competitors position and differentiate themselves in the market.

Use this analysis to take a fresh approach in your messaging and resonate with your buyers.

It also helps identify underserved markets that you should target.

Pricing and Revenue Optimization

Pricing intelligence data goes a long way in building your pricing strategy.

Collect intel about competitors’ pricing models to optimize your pricing structure.

Check this data against factors like perceived value and customer loyalty. Then, plan your pricing model to maximize revenue.

Use Competitive Intelligence to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Competitor intelligence turns data about your competitors into strategic decisions for business growth.

As you build your CI research process, keep three principles in mind:

Set clear goals before collecting data
Focus on actionable insights rather than random data
Share findings in relevant and easily accessible deliverables

The real value of competitive intelligence comes from studying the right competitors.

Before diving into research, do a thorough market analysis to find which brands impact your market.

Use our full guide to learn how to conduct market analysis to build a strong foundation for your CI efforts.

The post How to Build a Competitive Intelligence Strategy from Scratch appeared first on Backlinko.

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Top 5 YouTube Keyword Tools (Field-Tested For Growth)

February 6, 2025/0 Comments/in Web Design News/by

The difference between getting discovered on YouTube search and being invisible?

Strategic keyword research.

By optimizing videos with the right terms, you can dramatically increase your organic traffic.

Take YouTuber Caren Magill’s ADHD coaching channel, for example.

With 4.95M lifetime views and 116K subscribers, it’s safe to say Caren has found a successful niche.

But this wasn’t luck.

Caren optimizes her video’s titles, descriptions, and tags with terms that attract her target audience.

The good news?

You can do it, too—all you need is a reliable keyword research tool.

To help you with this task, I evaluated five of the most popular YouTube keyword tools.

And gave each one a “Best for” rating based on its standout features and overall value.

Before I dive into the reviews, let’s explore why keyword research is crucial for your channel’s success.

YouTube Keyword Tools at a Glance

YouTube Keyword Tool	Best For	Starting Price (Monthly)
VidIQ	Deep keyword intelligence	$19/month; 7-day free trial
Keyword Analytics for YouTube	Finding popular seed keywords	7-day free trial; $10/month; unsubscribe anytime
TubeBuddy	In-browser keyword research and channel optimization	$7.50/month; limited free plan
Keywords Everywhere	Analyzing competitors’ keywords	$2.25 per month; limited free plan
Google Trends	Real-time keyword trend tracking	Free

Why YouTube Keyword Research Matters

Keyword research reveals what your audience wants to watch and helps your videos appear in search results.

This is why it’s a vital step in growing your channel’s reach and engagement.

Decode Audience Search Intent

On YouTube (and search engines), people search with different goals in mind. They might want to learn something, compare options, or find entertainment. This is called search intent.

Keyword research lets you match your content to your audience’s search intent to attract engaged viewers that turn into subscribers.

For example, informational searches like “how to deadlift” show viewers want to learn specific skills, while commercial searches like “best home gym equipment” indicate they’re comparing different options.

Matching your content to these search patterns helps you attract more engaged viewers.

Keyword Magic Tool – Fitness workouts – Intent

Find High-Performing Keywords

Smart keyword research helps you discover topics with high search volume but low keyword difficulty—the sweet spot for growing channels.

For example, instead of competing for overcrowded terms like “gardening tips,” more specific searches like “apartment gardening” can be easier to rank for but still drive significant traffic.

Keyword Overview – Apartment gardening – Overview

Identify Trends to Maximize Discoverability

Popular YouTubers anticipate viewer demand—and keyword tools reveal exactly when that demand is building.

Using keyword research tools helps you:

Spot rising topics before they peak
Create timely content when search interest is growing
Build momentum from trending searches

For example, when the TV show “Squid Game” announced its second season, keyword tools showed surging searches for “squid game season 2” and “squid game season 3″—revealing perfect opportunities to create videos before peak interest.

Now that you know why keyword research is important, let’s explore the best tools for it.

5 Best YouTube Keyword Tools (Free & Paid)

I tested the most popular YouTube keyword tools to see which ones performed best at keyword analysis, competitive intelligence, and trend spotting.

Here’s what I discovered.

1. VidIQ: Best for Deep Keyword Intelligence

VidIQ helps YouTube creators find content ideas and maximize their reach organically.

Its helpful browser extension lets you perform keyword research, audit your channel, track competitors, and more.

Conduct Keyword Research

VidIQ’s keyword analysis stands out as the most detailed of the tools I reviewed.

It provides:

An overview with key metrics
Related keywords
Matching terms
Trending videos

For example, when I searched for “affiliate marketing,” I could see its SEO score, search volume, and competition level, along with multiple other helpful metrics.

This includes long-tail keywords, relevant questions, and variations containing my primary keyword.

This information will allow me to focus on niche topics that tend to attract smaller but highly engaged audiences.

Like “Amazon affiliate marketing,” which gets fewer searches than “affiliate marketing” but has lower competition, too.

VidIQ – Related keywords / Matching items / Questions – Collage

When you search for a keyword, VidIQ highlights the top 10 trending videos for that term so you know what you’re up against.

It also tells you how many views each one has and its engagement rate.

For example, I clicked on one of these videos, and the tool revealed it was performing 15 times better than this channel’s average video engagement.

This tells me I should investigate further to find out why it’s doing so well—whether it’s niche keywords, quality content, a trending topic, eye-catching visuals, or something else.

I recommend repeating this process for five or so competitor videos to gain valuable insights you can use to improve your own video’s optimization and performance.

Create and Track Keyword Trends

Trends move fast on YouTube—what’s viral today might be forgotten tomorrow.

VidIQ’s real-time trend tracking keeps you ahead of the competition.

Set up custom trend alerts to discover hot topics in your niche before they explode.

Here’s how:

Give your alert a relevant name
Add target keywords and competitors
Set a views-per-hour (VPH) threshold as your benchmark
Choose how often you want to receive email notifications
Click “Update alert” to go live

Outperform the Competition

Use VidIQ’s competitor analysis tools to find keywords and content types that drive the highest traction in your niche.

Track your competitors’ content performance through:

Engagement rate
Views per hour
View velocity

For example, I noticed a competitor’s video gained over 400,000 views with a 3.9% engagement rate and over 100 views per hour.

VidIQ – Top Videos From Your Competitors

So, I exported its keywords to see which terms the YouTuber used to drive this impressive traffic and growth.

I also learned when the video was published and how many subscribers it attracted.

Data like this reveals exactly which topics and search terms drive the most views in your niche, giving you a clear strategy for your own videos.

VidIQ Pricing

Free: 7-day free trial
Boost: $19/month
Coaching: $199/month

Further reading: SEO and Content Marketing: A Complete Guide

2. Keyword Analytics for YouTube: Best for Finding Popular Seed Keywords

Keyword Analytics for YouTube is a Semrush app (available without a subscription) that lets you research seed keywords, top-ranking videos, and trends in your niche.

Fine-tune your search by time period and location to zero in on the most relevant data for your content strategy.

Identify Popular, Low-Competition Keywords

Search any term in Keyword Analytics for YouTube to learn its search volume and competition.

For example, I searched “learn Spanish.”

This keyword gets 140K monthly searches and has a 67 competitive rate in YouTube search.

Keyword Analytics for YouTube – Learn Spanish

Hover over the competitive rate for any term for more context.

For instance, “learn spanish” has an “average” level of competition in YouTube search.

This means it’s ideal for channels with 1M+ subscribers.

To find less-competitive keywords, scroll through the list.

This helped me find terms like:

“Learn spanish for beginners”: 13K search volume; 56 competitive rate
“How to learn spanish fast”: 194 search volume; 31 competitive rate
“Best free way to learn Spanish”: 65 search volume; 24 competitive rate

Best free way to learn Spanish – Level of competition

How can you use these lower-competition keywords?

Create a series of videos targeting these terms to improve your visibility in YouTube search
Add them to your video’s description to attract more viewers

Find Top-Ranking Videos

Need a little creative inspiration?

Go to the “Most viewed videos” tab in Keyword Analytics to find the most popular YouTube videos in your preferred country.

Filter by the last 24 hours, week, or month to find trending topics you can turn into popular videos.

Keyword Analytics for YouTube – Most viewed videos

Want to see the top-ranking videos for a specific keyword?

Switch back to the “Top Keywords” tab and search for your desired term.

For example, I searched “spanish for beginners,” and the app revealed the top YouTube videos for this term.

Keyword Analytics for YouTube – Spanish for beginners

Hover over the video to see its full title (take note of the keywords) and how many subscribers the channel has.

This gives you a decent idea of the competition you’ll be up against when deciding which terms to target.

Keyword Analytics for YouTube – Video name

Get Trending Keyword Data

If you target viewers in a particular region, you’ll find the “Fast-growing keywords” feature particularly helpful.

This is because it tells you trending topics that will help you attract a local audience.

For example, I learned the top keyword in Italy (at the time of my search) was “Sinner,” the last name of a popular Italian tennis player.

Keyword Analytics for YouTube – Fast growing keywords

The tool also shows the overall change in keyword performance for each term.

Hover over the trend graph to see how monthly search volume fluctuates.

Use this data to create timely, relevant YouTube content when search interest is at its peak.

Pro tip: Want deeper keyword insights? Use Semrush’s all-in-one SEO toolkit to perform more advanced keyword research.

Keyword Analytics for YouTube Pricing

Free: 7-day free trial
Monthly: $10/month; unsubscribe anytime

3. TubeBuddy: Best for in-Browser Keyword Research and Optimization

TubeBuddy is a YouTube browser extension designed to optimize and grow your channel.

Some of its key SEO features include:

Find and analyze keywords for your channel
Create thumbnails and upload videos in bulk
Generate optimized titles, descriptions, and tags

Even better?

The tool integrates directly into your YouTube dashboard.

So, you can take advantage of its features without leaving your channel.

Get Actionable Keyword Insights

Analyze any keyword in TubeBuddy’s Keyword Explorer to see important metrics like search volume and keyword difficulty.

For example, I searched “how to make pasta” in the tool and learned this keyword gets 782K monthly searches but is surprisingly not overly competitive.

It also revealed videos currently ranking on YouTube for this topic have “excellent” optimization.

This tells me something crucial: I’ll need to focus heavily on optimization to give my video a good shot at ranking.

Another cool feature is the overall SEO score, which factors in multiple ranking signals.

This helps you gauge the potential of a keyword.

Not sure which keyword to use? The tool lets you compare two options.

To test this out, I evaluated “how to make pasta” and “homemade pasta recipe.”

Keyword Explorer shows that “homemade pasta recipe” has an SEO score of “Good” and a “Very Good” search volume of 156K.

It’s also a fairly low-competition keyword, making this term promising.

TubeBuddy – Search Explorer – Homemade pasta recipe

In comparison, “how to make pasta” has a much higher search volume (782K), a “Very Good” SEO score, and a “Fair” competition level.

This indicates even stronger potential—voilà, I’ve found a winner!

TubeBuddy – Search Explorer – How to make pasta

Generate and Optimize Titles and Descriptions

TubeBuddy’s SEO Studio lets you instantly generate AI-powered titles and descriptions for your videos.

Improve your SEO score by following the tool’s optimization recommendations, such as “include your target keyword naturally in the title.”

Spy on Your Competitors

Next, I used TubeBuddy’s Videolytics tool to evaluate competing videos and identify keyword opportunities.

This powerful tool shows you why videos succeed or struggle by revealing:

Performance metrics: Views, likes, comments, and social shares
SEO insights: Optimization scores and which tags drive traffic
Competitor strategies: What top channels do differently
Improvement tips: Recommendations to boost your video’s visibility

This data helps you create better content and get more views by understanding exactly what works in your niche.

TubeBuddy Pricing

Free: Limited free plan available
Pro: $7.50/month
Legend: $32.99/month
Enterprise: Contact for pricing

Further reading: Video SEO: The Definitive Guide

4. Keywords Everywhere: Best for Analyzing Competitors’ Keywords

Keywords Everywhere is a handy browser extension and keyword tool for YouTube.

It lets you analyze every keyword through data-packed widgets like trend charts, popular tags, and engagement scores.

Get Detailed Keyword Insights

Keywords Everywhere taps into Google Keyword Planner data to show you real-time search volume, competition, and cost-per-click (CPC).

For example, when I searched “weight loss,” the tool suggested related terms like “weight loss diet” that had lower competition.

This instant insight helps you pick keywords that will rank higher and attract more views.

Keywords Everywhere also breaks down exactly what makes videos successful.

For example, I found that videos about “weight loss” have 3.35 million views on average.

60% of these videos contain “weight loss” in the title, and 50% contain the keyword in the description.

This data shows you how to optimize your content by strategically placing keywords where they matter most to boost your visibility.

Analyze Top-Ranking Competitors

Keywords Everywhere also tells you what’s working for your competitors.

I looked at an in-depth breakdown of the top 20 videos for the keyword “weight loss.”

And learned metrics like view count, views per day, ranking difficulty, and SEO score.

But the one that stood out to me the most was “Age.”

This metric tells you how long ago a video was published.

For example, most of the videos for my keyword are at least a year old (and likely outdated).

So, now I know there’s a good chance I can outrank the existing content by sharing fresh perspectives.

Besides this detailed top-20 breakdown, you’ll also find a summarized analysis of all search results for a given keyword.

This overview tells you helpful info, like how many subscribers and views each video has.

But it also analyzes video titles and descriptions for length and quality.

Generate Keywords in Bulk

I also experimented with the Bulk Keywords Data Tool to expand my initial keyword list.

A bulk keyword tool saves hours by analyzing hundreds of terms instantly instead of one by one.

Seeing all keywords together also reveals valuable patterns in viewer search behavior.

Once you add your seed keywords, the tool suggests related terms.

Use these insights to naturally weave relevant keywords into your video description and transcript—helping YouTube better understand and recommend your content to interested viewers.

Keywords Everywhere Pricing

Bronze: $2.25/month
Silver: $6/month
Gold: $25/month
Platinum: $80/month

5. Google Trends: Best for Real-Time Keyword Trend Tracking

Google Trends reveals real-time search patterns across web, image, and YouTube searches, helping you spot opportunities others miss.

Compare keywords, track trends, and discover what’s hot in specific regions—all for free.

Google Trends – Sports movies – Explore – YouTube Search

Find Keywords for Specific Locations

Want to know where your content will resonate the most?

Google Trends can show you.

For example, when I searched for “travel destinations,” it revealed unexpected hotspots in Idaho, Connecticut, and Kansas.

Google Trends – Travel destinations – Filters

I can turn this insight into targeted content like “Best travel destinations in Idaho” to reach a local audience.

Google Trends – Travel destinations – Interest over time / by subregion

Discover Related and Trending Topics

Google Trends shows you related topics for every search, so you can add relevant keywords and subtopics to your videos.

But it doesn’t just show you what’s popular—it reveals what’s about to be big.

For example, a search for “coffee makers” uncovers emerging trends like “coffee makers that use k cups,” which recently increased in interest by 350%.

Google Trends – Coffee makers – Related topics

For each trending term, you’ll learn:

Search volume
When the term started trending
Specific queries fueling its popularity

Create content around these rising topics, and you’ll catch viewer interest at the perfect moment.

Compare Keywords to Find the Best Opportunities

Google Trends lets you compare keywords head-to-head to see which ones truly resonate with viewers.

When I compared “vegan meal prep” versus “quick vegan recipes,” the data revealed “vegan meal prep” consistently attracts more interest.

These direct comparisons help you focus your efforts on topics viewers are actively searching for rather than guessing what might work.

Google Trends Pricing

Google Trends is free to use.

Fast-Track Your YouTube Channel’s Growth

Want your YouTube channel to get more views and subscribers?

You need to target the right keywords.

And to find those keywords, you need the right Youtube keyword tools.

Whether you use TubeBuddy to optimize videos or Semrush for deeper analysis (or both), keyword research can set your channel up for long-term growth and success.

For best results, combine keyword research with a strong promotion strategy.

Read our guide: 21 Ways to Promote Your YouTube Videos to maximize your reach and build stronger brand awareness.

The post Top 5 YouTube Keyword Tools <br>(Field-Tested For Growth) appeared first on Backlinko.

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SEO vs. Pay-per-click advertising: Which one should you choose?

February 5, 2025/0 Comments/in Web Design News, Yoast SEO/by

SEO and PPC are two of the most important strategies for increasing your website’s visibility. While they both aim to attract more traffic, they operate differently. They also serve different purposes. Here, we’ll discuss SEO vs. Pay-per-click advertising and how to choose the best option for you.

Understanding SEO and PPC

As we all know, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It consists of everything you do to get your site higher rankings in the original search results. Those tactics are thoroughly researching which keywords to target, writing high-quality content, and making sure that your site is structurally and technically sound. The goal is to get the organic traffic you want by making your site relevant and authoritative.

Pay-per-click (PPC), on the other hand, is all about paying for ads — the sponsored listings — that appear at the top of search results. So, every time someone clicks your ad, it costs you money. As it lets you target advertising based on user demographics, this model can lead to immediate results.

An example of PPC ads vs organic results for the search term crm for startups in Google showing sponsored listings on top and organic below — An example of PPC ads vs organic results for a search term in Google

What’s the difference between SEO and PPC?

SEO and pay-per-click advertising are both popular options to get traffic to your site. However, both options have their advantages to help you reach those goals.

Cost structure

For SEO, the costs mostly lie in the initial work and ongoing maintenance. You have to invest in creating high-quality content, optimizing your site, and reaching out to build good links and relationships. With SEO, there are no direct costs per click, but it does require consistent effort and resources to get results.

With PPC, you pay every time someone clicks your sponsored listing. To make it manageable, you set a budget; when this budget runs out, your ads will no longer be visible. PPC gives you control over budget, but costs can quickly ramp up — especially in high-demand markets or for competitive keywords.

Time to results

We always say that SEO is a marathon and not a sprint. Building authority takes time, so it can take months to see rankings go up. But the wait is worth it, as it leads to better and more stable results in the long run.

PPC is more direct and to the point. Launch a campaign, and the visitors should come in straight away. As such, this is a great tool for time-sensitive stuff like promotions and launches or when you need instant visibility and reach.

Sustainability and impact

SEO is the more sustainable option. With your initial work done, you can reap the rewards for a long time. Of course, there’s always more to do with your SEO tasks, but that’s normal. Building a brand is something that will pay off big time. With PPC, you get an incredible boost for a short period — the time you pay for the sponsored listings.

Targeting capabilities

SEO targets users based on content and keywords. You can target your content on different search intents, but the options are not as direct as with PPC. This offers more precise options, allowing you to publish ads to specific demographics, locations, times, and user behavior.

Flexibility and control

With SEO, you do put yourself in the hands of search engine algorithms. Algorithm updates could harm your rankings. As a result, you should reevaluate your strategy. You have control over everything on your site, but not search engines. PPC, though, does give full control over your ads. It makes it easier to adapt to changes and needs.

Measurement and analytics

It’s important to measure your success. For SEO, you are looking at a longer period and need to keep track of traffic and keyword rankings. It can be difficult to get usable insights from data. With PPC, you get detailed insights that show you how your campaigns are doing. You’ll also get the tools to adjust instantly.

SEO and PPC, while different channels that require different skills and have different goals, can really complement each other in the long term. To me, PPC is considered more of a science than the art of SEO. The great thing about PPC for SEOs is that it not only attracts quicker returns (that can also be calculated with more precision) but also provides the same accurate and actionable data for SEOs. I have always found data from PPC extremely useful in directing an SEO strategy.

Alex Moss – Principal SEO expert at Yoast

Pros and cons of SEO

Both SEO and PPC have their pros and cons. Let’s go over these.

Pros of SEO

SEO is cost-effective in the long run. Once you have a strategy and an optimized site, it can continue attracting traffic without additional costs, leading to a sustainable traffic source.

Ranking well gives your site a sense of trust and credibility, as people trust sponsored listings less than organic search results. High rankings can boost your brand. Of course, higher rankings lead to a high CTR, and many users simply skip ads because they don’t like them.

As SEO improves the general user experience of the website, it will become a better investment for your money overall. Investing in SEO can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.

Cons of SEO

Of course, SEO isn’t the end-all solution to everything. For one, building up authority and higher rankings takes a lot of time. It’s not the solution if you want quick results. You must also work on your strategy, content, and site quality. The more work you put in, the better your results can be. And as search engines keep evolving, you must evolve as well.

SEO operates in a highly competitive landscape. For some markets, it’s almost impossible to break into the top ten of the results. Plus, it might take a ton of money to do that. And that’s another con for SEO: the results are uncertain due to algorithm changes, competition, and market conditions.

Pros and cons of PPC

Pay-per-click advertising also has its own good points and bad points, as you’ll read below:

Pros of PPC

The biggest benefit of PPC is getting immediate results for your money. You can set up campaigns quickly and get results going without much hassle. You also have full control over the budget, so you only pay for what you want to pay for.

PPC is also flexible and precise. You have much control over who you target and when, leading to more precise results. And if your strategy needs adjustments, you can update your sponsored listings quickly. Pay-per-click ad systems give you all the data you need to make the proper decisions.

Cons of PPC

One of the main drawbacks of pay-per-click is that costs could rise quickly. Another main drawback is that you’ll only get results as long as you pay — no money, no results. This makes PPC a viable option only for specific campaigns.

How well ads perform also depends on how users perceive them — ad fatigue is a thing. You must experiment with placements and forms to see what works best. For this, you should adhere to the rules of the platforms on which you’re running your ads.

Conclusion SEO vs Pay-per-click

Whether you choose between SEO and PPC depends on your needs, strategy, and timeline. SEO is amazing for long-term results, while PPC can quickly produce results. Most businesses will probably use a combination of both. You can use the strength of both strategic tools in your toolset to get the results your business is looking for.

The post SEO vs. Pay-per-click advertising: Which one should you choose? appeared first on Yoast.

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Google Merchant Center Next fixes product download frustration

February 3, 2025/0 Comments/in Search Engine Land, Web Design News/by

Google resolved a six-month-long headache for online merchants by restoring filtered product download capabilities in Merchant Center Next, bringing the platform’s functionality back in line with its classic version.

The context. In digital commerce, precision matters. Merchants often need to:

Troubleshoot specific product listings.
Optimize particular product categories.
Analyze subsets of their inventory.

The previous limitation essentially forced merchants to sift through massive, unwieldy files — like finding a specific book in an entire library by dumping all books on the floor.

Why we care. The update allows merchants to export specific product subsets instead of being forced to download entire product feeds, a critical feature for businesses managing large, complex inventories.

First seen. This fix was first brought to our attention by Emmanuel Flossie on his blog.

Bottom line. A seemingly small technical fix can represent a significant operational improvement for digital businesses, underscoring how platform features directly impact merchant efficiency.

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Product studio now available within Google Business Profiles

February 3, 2025/0 Comments/in Search Engine Land, Web Design News/by

Google Product Studio is now available within Google Business Profiles. This allows you to edit the background scenes of your products within your local listing using Google’s AI features. Product studio is already available within Google services including Google Merchant Center and Google Ads, and is now available within Google Business Profiles.

More details. Google community manager, Kara, posted about this news in the Google Business Profile forums and wrote:

“We’re excited to announce that you can now change the background scene of your product with Product Studio, a generative AI tool which helps you create engaging imagery to showcase your products.”

Here is what the feature looks like in my account – it says “Transform your product images with Al Quickly generate lifestyle scenes. To get started, upload a product image and select a theme.”

How it works. Google has a more detailed help document on this feature over here but here is how to quickly access this feature in your Business Profile.

Go to your Business Profile. Learn how to find your profile.
To generate a scene for your product, click Edit products Get started.
Select the image you want to edit.
- Wait until the background from your image is removed.
Select a theme for your product.
- Choose a generated image from the editor.
If you’re satisfied with the image, click Add image to product.
You’ll receive a confirmation to save the image, click OK.

Once you saved the generated image for your product, from the product editor:

Fill out the fields in the form.
To submit your product, click Publish.

US only. Google did not that “Only merchants in the US can use scene generation in product editor.” Google added, “When you use Product Studio, you agree to the Terms of Service (TOS).”

Why we care. If you manage products within your Google Business Profile account, quickly being able to make those products look more appealing to searchers might be a great thing to increase conversions and sales. Of course, you want to make sure you are happy with how Google’s AI improves your images and only accept changes that you feel will make a positive change to those images.

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10 SEO tips for your Valentine’s Day sale

January 28, 2025/0 Comments/in Web Design News, Yoast SEO/by

Valentine’s Day is an interesting shopping event for ecommerce stores. Customers are looking for gifts that help express their love for one another, with flowers, jewelry, and other interesting options. It’s a great opportunity to attract and convert online shoppers. Here are some SEO tips to help make the most of your Valentine’s Day sale!

Start preparing early

As with most sales, you need to plan ahead. Begin planning your Valentine’s Day SEO strategy as early as possible. Ideally, you’d start several months in advance. Research keywords related to Valentine’s Day and your industry to see what comes up. When the sale comes, you’ll be inspired and have new ways to promote your products. If you set up gift guide pages, do so in advance so search engines have enough time to index your pages. This increases your chance to rank when the shopping rush begins.

Create a landing page specifically for your Valentine’s Day sale. Use it to highlight your best deals and popular items that make great gifts. Keep the URL simple and undated so that you can update and reuse it yearly. This approach helps you build SEO value over time while keeping backlinks intact. It also makes your seasonal campaigns easier to manage in the future.

an example of an ecommerce store for tea using seo to boost a valentines day sale — It doesn’t have to be just jewelry or flowers; there are plenty of interesting gift options, like tea

Optimize your product pages

Your product pages will probably see the most traffic and conversions, so be sure to optimize them. Use proper related keywords in the places where they make sense, but don’t overdo it. For example, instead of “Rose bouquet,” try “Classic rose bouquet for Valentine’s Day.” Yoast SEO for Shopify or WooCommerce SEO can help you do this.

Consider conveying that your products are made with a good heart without relying on traditional red heart symbolism. This could involve creative descriptions, imagery, or design elements that convey a sense of warmth, kindness, and generosity without being overtly literal.

As always, add high-quality images to your sales pages with descriptive alt-text, such as “red roses for Valentine’s Day delivery.” This will make your product pages more accessible and understandable for search engines. If you sell jewelry, create specific pages with phrases like “Valentine’s Day jewelry sale.”

When you have options to deliver your product, include the final delivery date in your communication to build trust and ensure customers receive their items on time.

an valentines day seo example from a lego gift guide featuring a bouquet build — Lego published a great gift guide on its site, including great images and content

Create gift guides and seasonal content

Content marketing drives traffic to your site. Good content can help shoppers find the perfect gift. For SEO purposes, Valentine’s Day gift guides can serve well. Make guides like “Top 10 gifts for her” or “Romantic ideas for Valentine’s Day.” In these guides, link to the proper product pages to make it easy for shoppers to buy the listed products.

Keywords like “Unique Valentine’s Day gift” or “Valentine’s Day flower delivery” work well in blog content. There are plenty of relevant content ideas. For instance, you could create themed infographics or videos to share on social media.

Focus on local SEO for delivery or pick-up

Is your business locally oriented, and do you offer local delivery or in-store pick-up? Optimize your sales for local searches! Edit your Google Business Profile and add details about your Valentine’s Day sales, opening hours, and local delivery options. Don’t forget to use location-specific keywords in your content.

Build a bond with your customers and encourage them to leave reviews. Positive reviews are an important part of building your local business. Use local SEO properly to attract customers needing last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts or same-day delivery.

Use social media and influencers

Social media is a great tool for promoting your Valentine’s Day deals. Remember to post appealing images of your products, such as flower arrangements, gift boxes, or jewelry. Depending on your business, Instagram and Facebook are especially good for showcasing your Valentine’s gifts. You might even try TikTok if you’re good at video content. TikTok even published a guide to help you with your Valentine’s Day sale.

Remember to think about influencers who like your brand. Influencers can create authentic content to drive traffic to your site. Be sure to include special offers to make them actionable.

Use user-generated content

Social media is also a great place to encourage customers to share their Valentine’s Day experiences with your products. Ask them to post photos of the gifts they purchased, the stories of how they were received, or even a review of the experience of buying from your store. You could even create a branded hashtag and promote it in your social media and email campaigns.

As your website is the focal point, remember to add these posts to it. User-generated content helps build trust and acts as social proof. It’s great for potential customers to see that other customers have had an excellent experience with your business. Seeing happy customers share photos of their Valentine’s Day flower arrangements or jewelry gifts can help others do the same. In addition, you are creating a human connection with your customers.

Run exclusive Valentine’s Day promotions

It’s not just about inspiring customers to want to buy but also about getting them to buy it. Special offers help shoppers complete that last step. Create urgency with limited-time deals, such as “20% off Valentine’s Day gifts for 48 hours.” You can also offer free shipping or discounts on bundles for couples.

Don’t forget to use your email newsletters to announce these promotions. Write subject lines like “Valentine’s Day sale — Shop the perfect gift now” to grab attention and get clicks to your site.

an example of a jewelry store using seo to build rankings and good pages — For a jewelry store, this is always a busy time, so it needs to come prepared

Add festive details to your website

A subtle way to get shoppers in the mood for Valentine’s Day is to add small festive design elements to your store. For example, you can update banners, landing pages, and CTA buttons with a subtle Valentine’s theme, such as hearts or pink and red color schemes. But be sure to keep it subtle.

You can directly link your Valentine’s Day landing page or related content from your website’s header navigation during the sale to improve your SEO. Many ecommerce stores use dynamic navigation to feature seasonal categories like “New In,” “Back to School,” or “Holiday Deals.” Adding a Valentine’s section makes it easy for shoppers to find your offers quickly.

Offer last-minute shopping options

Some people like to shop at the last moment, so please also cater to them. You can always offer digital gift cards and same-day delivery services. Highlight these offers prominently on your website with phrases like “Still looking? Get it today!” or “Instant Valentine’s Day gifts.”

PPC ads like “last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts” in search or on social media help target people needing an urgent solution. It’s a quick and easy solution to get sales from customers running out of time.

an seo example of a last-minute valentine's day sale at harry and david — You won’t be the only one looking for last-minute Valentine’s gifts!

Track and adjust your strategy

Last but not least, monitor the campaign’s performance. Use analytics and internet marketing tools to track keyword rankings, traffic, and conversions. Find out which products or pages perform well and adjust your strategy where needed. For example, if certain keywords like “Valentine’s Day exclusive jewelry sale” drive traffic, create more content around those topics.

Keep an eye on your competitors, too. If they offer something unique, consider how you might adapt your approach.

That’s it for Valentine’s Day SEO

Planning and great content are the most important things to make your Valentine’s Day sale successful. A targeted campaign can attract more shoppers to your store. Optimize your product pages, create engaging content, and promote your offers via social media and email campaigns. Now, you’ll be ready to turn the season of love into a successful sales season.

The post 10 SEO tips for your Valentine’s Day sale appeared first on Yoast.

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6 Steps to Win at Real Estate SEO

January 23, 2025/0 Comments/in Web Design News/by

Want more buyers and sellers from Google without relying on Zillow or Redfin?

Or more leads for listings that support your cold-calling and door-knocking efforts?

Then, become skilled at real estate SEO.

SEO is about ranking your site in search engine results pages (SERPs). This will attract qualified buyers and sellers to your agency.

Just look at Campion & Company, a small real estate agency in Boston. They outrank Zillow for high-value property searches like “Burrage Mansion.”

And that’s just one keyword.

This agency ranks for 19K different search terms on Google—all driving potential buyers directly to their listings.

Organic Research – Campionre – Positions

All thanks to SEO.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to conduct keyword research for high-intent terms, create lead-generating content, and dominate the local SERPs.

But first, let’s take a closer look at the benefits of SEO.

Why Is SEO Important for Real Estate Sites?

Real estate SEO helps your listings show up in search results when people look for homes online.

This includes Google Maps when people search for things like “realtor” in your area.

Why does this matter?

According to a study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 100% of Americans who bought a house in 2024 used the internet to search for a home.

And more than half (52%) of recent buyers found the home they ultimately purchased online.

SEO lets you reach these buyers when they’re actively looking to buy.

But it’s also a cost-effective way of capturing online demand.

For example, the cost-per-click of a Google ad for the keyphrase “real estate companies in West Palm Beach Florida” is $5.67.

Keyword Overview – Real estate companies in West Palm Beach Florida – CPC

But SEO can get your business to appear directly under those ads without spending a dime.

This puts you in direct control of lead generation. Which means no more relying on expensive ads or third-party directory sites.

Sounds ideal, right?

Now that you’ve seen what real estate SEO can do for your business, let’s start with the most important first step:

Conducting a quick technical audit to see if Google can actually find your website.

(Because if it can’t, other SEO strategies don’t matter.)

Step 1: Make Sure Google Can Find Your Property Listings

The best way to check if Google knows your site exists?

The Index Coverage report in Google Search Console.

This will tell you which pages from your site are in Google’s index, which aren’t, and why.

Some red flags to watch out for:

Your indexed pages WAY outnumber your actual pages (this usually means Google’s finding pages it shouldn’t)
Google’s only indexed a fraction of your pages (meaning potential clients can’t find most of your listings and services)
Important pages show up under “Error,’” “Valid with warnings,” or “Excluded”

Not sure why Google isn’t indexing your pages?

The “Why pages aren’t indexed” report is your friend here.

It’ll tell you exactly what’s wrong—like a redirect error or improper canonical tags—and how to fix it.

If you have unindexed pages, you can manually request indexing.

This is super helpful for new listings you want to appear ASAP.

Pro tip: Don’t have the time or desire to handle SEO issues? Delegate them to a pro. A skilled website manager can tackle indexing issues, implement fixes fast, and keep your site climbing the rankings—while you focus on closing deals.

Step 2: Find Keywords That Drive Leads

To increase leads, you need to show up on Google for the terms homebuyers search for in your area.

But it’ll take a strategic plan to beat the big real estate directory sites.

For example, here’s what the search results look like for “Raleigh homes.”

Directory sites dominate the SERPs, including Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin.

This means the chances of ranking on the SERP for that keyword are slim.

But there’s a way around this—long-tail keywords.

Research Valuable Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are highly specific terms that get fewer searches per month and have less competition. These keywords also tend to be longer.

The lower difficulty of these terms makes them easier to rank for on your property pages than broad terms like “raleigh homes.”

The key is finding long-tail keywords that have decent search volume and low difficulty.

Here’s how:

First, make a list of all the neighborhoods where you have property listings.

Then, use a keyword tool like Semrush’s Keyword Magic to research terms.

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

Enter a neighborhood into the search bar and click “Search.”

Keyword Magic Tool – Boylan heights – Search

The tool will return a list of keywords and important metrics for each one.

This includes:

Search volume: The average number of monthly searches for a specific keyword in Google
Keyword difficulty (KD): A score from 0-100 that estimates how hard it would be to rank on the first page of Google for that keyword
Search intent: The primary purpose or goal behind a user’s search query—informational (learn), commercial (compare/buy), navigational (find site), or transactional (take action)

Keyword Magic Tool – Boylan heights – Keywords

While the list will typically include some long-tail keywords already, you can add filters to narrow it even further.

Here’s how:

Select the “KD %” filter and type “0-50” in the custom range.

Then, click the “Intent” filter and select “Transactional” and “Commercial.”

Filtering this list for “Commercial” and “Transactional” will limit the list to terms people search when they’re looking to buy a home.

Keyword Magic Tool – Boylan heights KD & Intent filters

Now, you have a list of long-tail keywords you can use to optimize your property page.

For example, “boylan heights raleigh homes for sale” receives 40 searches a month and has a keyword difficulty score of 3, meaning it should be super easy to rank for.

It also has transactional intent, which tells you these searchers are ready to buy.

Keyword Overview – Boylan heights Raleigh homes for sale

Even better?

The SERP for this keyword is a mix of directory sites and local realtors, so you know you’ve got a shot at ranking.

Google SERP – Boylan heights Raleigh homes for sale

Now that you’ve got your target keywords, it’s time to use them strategically on your property pages.

Step 3: Optimize Your Property Pages for Conversions

Landing qualified leads starts with on-page optimization.

Your title tags, meta descriptions, and page structure tell Google and potential buyers exactly what they’ll find on your site.

Getting these elements right puts you in control of your lead generation.

Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

These on-page elements tell searchers and search engines what each page on your site is about.

They can also help you get more clicks from the SERPs.

A title tag is the clickable blue text that appears in Google search results.

It should be 50 to 60 characters total since long title tags may be truncated or rewritten by Google.

And it needs to feature your target keyword.

Otherwise, Google might struggle to understand what the page is about—and what searches to rank it for.

Not sure how to write a title tag? Take inspiration from the big directory sites.

Many follow the exact same pattern—”[Place name] Real Estate & Homes For Sale”:

This format is popular because it hits both variations of the typical search people will use to find homes for sale in an area:

[Place name] houses for sale
[Place name] real estate

Google SERP – Waveland woods houses for sale

A meta description is a snippet of text that appears under the title tag in the SERPs.

This on-page element tells searchers what the page is about and entices them to click through to read your content.

Zillow – Homes for sale – Meta description

While meta descriptions don’t directly impact where a page ranks in Google, it’s still helpful to include your target keyword in them.

Doing this reinforces what the page is about when readers are scanning the search results.

And can drive more clicks to your site.

Keep your meta description under 155 characters to prevent it from getting cut off.

Add Page Headings

A H1 tag is the headline or title of a webpage.

It should describe the page’s contents and include the main keyword.

It doesn’t have to be the exact keyphrase—you can use a variation of your target keyword in your H1 like We Know Boise Real Estate did.

H2s are the main subheadings that go underneath your H1 to organize your content and make it easy for readers to find what they’re looking for.

Include the location name in some of your page’s H2’s as well:

This makes it crystal clear to search engines exactly what this page is about, which increases your chances of ranking.

Just ensure your page headings read naturally and avoid keyword stuffing.

Include Internal Links

Internal linking connects your location pages together, helping you rank higher in search results.

It also keeps website visitors engaged longer as they explore other pages on your site.

For example, We Know Boise’s Barber Valley page includes hyperlinks to every other neighborhood in East Boise:

When you click a neighborhood, it takes you to a dedicated page on We Know Boise’s site for that location.

This lets Google understand the relationship between these pages on your site.

Which will help you rank for your target keywords—and ultimately land more leads.

Pro tip: Don’t gate your content. Requiring visitors to provide personal details to view property listings can negatively impact your SEO efforts. Many potential clients will hit the “back” button and head to one of your competitor’s sites instead, reducing your chances of ranking.

Create Detailed Listing Pages That Convert Browsers into Buyers

The more information you provide on your property pages, the more likely visitors are to book a viewing.

It also helps with lead qualification, as they’ll know upfront if the listing is likely to be a fit.

Include:

A detailed description of the property
A description of the local amenities
High-quality images of the entire property
A map showing the property’s location

Look at the big directory sites for inspiration when creating your listings.

For example, Trulia includes high-quality images and essential information like address and price prominently at the top of the listing.

Trulia – High quality images & essential information

They follow this up with a “Local Information” section that includes a map, description of the area, and information on local restaurants, shopping, and schools.

Trulia – Local Information & Description

Next, comes the “Home Highlights” at a glance, such as the HOA fee, price per square foot, and how long the property has been listed.

Then, an expandable drop-down menu with even more details like the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and more:

Trulia also showcases what locals say about the area to give prospective buyers an inside look into the area:

Notably, they also include an interactive mortgage calculator set to the home’s listed price.

Trulia – Interactive mortgage calculator

Doing something similar will help you get more leads from your property pages.

Step 4: Dominate Local Search Results with Your Google Business Profile

Search “[your location] real estate agents” in Google.

The top organic result is almost certain to be a Google Local Pack—a SERP feature that appears for location-specific searches—featuring three local realtors:

Google SERP – New Orleans real estate agents – Local

It goes without saying that you should prioritize landing in one of those three spots through your real estate SEO strategy.

This is especially vital for a local realtor since the rest of the organic results are likely to be dominated by directory sites:

Google SERP – New Orleans real estate agents – Organic

Here’s how to optimize your site to appear in the Local Pack for your area:

Create a Google Business Profile

First things first: Create a Google Business Profile (if you haven’t already).

Here’s how:

Sign into a Google account (if you’re not already logged into one)
Head to the Google Business Profile Manager and click the “Manage now” button
Enter your business name, category, location, and contact information
Verify your business by the method offered to you by Google (usually by a phone call or a postcard sent to your business’s address)

Fill Out and Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Once your Google Business Profile is verified, fill it out with as much information as possible—including all the areas you have listings:

Add plenty of high-quality photos of your team, current listings, and properties sold.

Do this regularly to show Google you’re a legitimate business worthy of ranking at the top of the Local Pack.

Plus, it’ll help sell your company to potential clients—and agents who might be looking for a new agency.

You also have the option of writing a brief description of your business, which will appear under the heading “From [your business’s name]’:

Include target keywords in this section.

Things like:

[Your area] real estate
[Your area] homes for sale
[Your area] real estate agent
[Your area] realtor

Encourage and Respond to Customer Reviews

It’s good practice to ask all your customers to leave you a review on Google.

After all, 35% of people say a real estate agent’s reputation is the most important factor when they’re choosing a realtor to sell their home, according to NAR’s study.

Plus, the more positive reviews you receive on Google, the more likely you are to appear in the Local Pack for relevant searches.

Your business’s overall rating and review highlights will appear on your Google Business listing:

Galiano Realty – Business's overall rating

As a best practice, respond to every review you receive on Google.

This includes the positive ones:

And the not-so-positive ones:

Galiano Realty – Respond to negative review

This will show potential clients that you care what people have to say about your business and respond to their feedback.

It’s also another signal to Google that you’re a well-run business that deserves to sit at the top of its local results.

Get as Many NAP Citations as You Can

NAP (name, address, and phone number) citations are a huge deal when it comes to local SEO.

The more websites that list your company’s NAP correctly, the more confident Google is that those details are correct—and that you’re a legitimate business worth sending searchers to.

But manually adding and updating citations isn’t a good use of anyone’s time.

Instead, use a tool like Semrush’s Listing Management, which automates the process.

By connecting your Google Business Profile, the tool will automatically distribute your details to vital directories for your industry.

Search your business to find out how many correct NAP citations it has online:

The tool will show you where your NAP details are listed incorrectly—or not at all to help you improve and expand your presence.

Listing Management – Galiano Realty – Results

Use Google Posts to Advertise Property Listings

Google Posts are updates that appear at the bottom of your Google Business Profile.

They’re the perfect place for you to advertise your latest listings.

Plus, Google is less likely to display your Business Profile at the top of local search results if it’s inactive. Which means making a Google Post about each of your new listings will help you rank in the Local Pack.

Create a Google Post by clicking “Add update” in your dashboard:

Step 5: Start a Blog to Establish Your Agency as an Industry Leader

Rank for more keywords and strengthen your site’s authority by creating a blog.

Write High-Quality Blog Content

Blog content can drive highly relevant traffic to your site.

The key is finding topics homebuyers are actively searching for online.

Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool is great for this purpose.

Here’s how it works:

Search for your service area in the tool, such as “Cambridge MA.”

You’ll see an Overview report with keyword data.

Click “View all keywords” under the “Questions” report.

Keyword Overview – Cambridge ma – Questions

Now, you’ll see a list of questions people ask Google about this area.

Including the search volume for each term, intent, and keyword difficulty.

Keyword Magic Tool – Cambridge ma – Keywords

Review the list to find questions that would make great blog post topics.

Ensure they’re relevant and aim for low difficulty and moderate search volume.

For example, “What is there to do in cambridge ma” gets 320 searches per month and has a low keyword difficulty score of 20.

Redfin Blog – Low KD & moderate search volume

This means it should be fairly easy to rank for, which is especially important if you have a new site or one that lacks authority.

Create Neighborhood Guides

Neighborhood guides are a tried-and-true way to rank in the SERPs. (Note: these can work well as site pages or blog content.)

For example, Trulia created a neighborhood guide for every neighborhood where they have listings.

That subfolder drives 611.2K visits to the Trulia site each month.

And it has 11K backlinks:

These pages work.

And your content marketing strategy should revolve around them.

But how can you compete with Trulia, Zillow, and Redfin’s neighborhood pages?

With high-quality, comprehensive content that highlights your local expertise.

For example, New Orleans real estate agency Crescent City Living has a neighborhood guide that outranks all the directory sites for “Seventh Ward New Orleans”:

How’d they do it?

Well, compare Crescent City Living’s guide to Trulia’s, and you’ll see significant differences:

Crescent Living’s page was clearly written by someone who knows the area.

It describes Seventh Ward’s colorful Creole cottages and beloved Marching 100 band.

Trulia’s page, on the other hand, is a programmatically generated list of stats.

Which site would you trust to give you the best information about the neighborhood?

Step 6: Track Your Success with Key Performance Metrics

There are literally hundreds of SEO metrics you could track.

And while you’ll want to keep an eye on traffic, rankings, time on page, and more, inquiries and leads are what really matter.

Use Google Analytics (GA4) to see how many site visitors complete a “Key event” on your site.

This could be filling out a form or requesting a property viewing.

Pro tip: Not sure how to set up tracking? Read this guide to get started: Google Analytics 4 Events Guide.

Ready to Launch Your Real Estate SEO Strategy?

Optimizing your real estate site can bring in leads year-round.

It can also help you compete with the likes of Zillow and Redfin in the SERPs.

While understanding SEO is half the battle, having the right tools makes implementation faster and more effective.

Check out our guide to the 5 Best Local SEO Tools to secure your spot in Google’s Map Pack and outrank local realtors.

The post 6 Steps to Win at Real Estate SEO appeared first on Backlinko.

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How To Improve Your Travel SEO In 10 Steps

January 23, 2025/0 Comments/in Web Design News/by

Travel SEO is about turning strangers into guests.

But it’s no small task competing with major sites like Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia.

With so many players in the market, standing out in search engine results can feel impossible.

Yet, small players can still succeed.

Live Oak Lake, a boutique resort in Texas built a strong direct booking website that ranks No. 1 for search terms like “waco cabins.”

They made $1.1 million in their first year and sold the business for $7 million in 2024.

In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to implement an effective travel SEO strategy, including:

How to optimize for travel-specific search intent
10 proven strategies to outrank major OTAs
Technical fixes that boost rankings fast

No generic tips. Just proven strategies you can use to increase organic traffic and bookings.

The Travel SEO Playing Field

In the travel industry, the SEO landscape is crowded.

Online travel agents (OTAs), airline websites, and meta-travel platforms dominate search results.

You also have travel blogs, tourism boards, accommodation sites, and tourist attraction websites.

All are fighting for visibility among millions of travel-related searches.

Just look at the 89.3 million monthly searches for keywords containing the word “flights” in the U.S. alone:

Keyword Magic Tool – Flights – Phrase Match – Keywords

But that’s not the only challenge—the playing field itself is constantly evolving.

SERP features for travel-related searches are more diverse than ever. This includes Google’s recent addition: AI Overviews.

These new features reduce clicks on traditional blue links.

As a result, click-through rates (CTRs) drop each year.

Here are key SERP features to keep in mind:

AI Overviews: Concise summaries from Google’s AI for research-based queries

Featured Snippets: Quick answers for informational or question-based searches

Google SERP – Best time to visit Mexico City – Featured snippet

Google Flights & Hotels: Direct flight and hotel listings within the search page

Top Sights, Top Experiences, & Popular Destinations: Popular attractions based on reviews and Google Maps data

Top sights – Experiences – Popular destinations – Collage

People Also Ask & People Also Search For: Related questions to your query

People also ask / People also search for – Collage

Forums: Discussions from trusted sources like Reddit, TripAdvisor, and Quora

Some features, like People Also Ask, offer ways to capture organic traffic.

Others, like Google Flights and Google Hotels, keep users within Google’s ecosystem. These limit opportunities for third-party sites.

As these features evolve, staying ahead of the curve is key.

Navigating this shifting landscape requires expertise. Much like guiding travelers through new destinations.

Here’s how to take control of your travel SEO strategy.

Step 1: Define Your Travel SEO Strategy

Creating a solid strategy is essential when tackling SEO for the travel industry.

It helps identify challenges, set clear guidelines, and outline actionable steps.

Diagnose the Challenge

Every website faces unique SEO challenges.

Start by analyzing the current performance of your travel website.

How?

By checking your key metrics.

These include organic search traffic, revenue, and user engagement.

Also, examine mobile usability, loading speed, keyword rankings, and your backlinks.

Next, analyze the competition in the SERPs.

Identify competing websites by evaluating which sites rank for the keywords you’re targeting.

You can also use Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool.

It finds keywords your competition ranks for, but you don’t.

Here’s how to do it:

Add your website and the URLs of up to four competitors to the tool. Click “Compare.”

Click the “Missing” tab.

It shows terms that Expedia, Trivago, and Tripadvisor rank for, but your site doesn’t.

Keyword Gap – Booking – Details for – Missing filter

Once you know your competitors’ performance, it’s time to take the next step—keyword research.

Step 2: Conduct Keyword Research

Google advises creating content for users, not solely to rank for keywords.

But if your content isn’t based on keyword research, it won’t rank well or drive SEO traffic and bookings.

Start Broad

Your keyword research will be the base of your SEO content strategy for the coming year(s). So, aim to make it as comprehensive as possible.

Search trends in travel do evolve. But core keywords stay consistent.

If you’re selling a destination like The Bahamas, use all related keywords with its name.

One of the most effective approaches is to use paid tools like Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.

It provides data and insights that will help you target the right keywords for your audience.

Keyword Magic Tool – The Bahamas – Keywords

More data isn’t always better.

So, focus on the key metrics: search volume, keyword difficulty, and search intent.

Search Volume: The average monthly searches for a keyword
Keyword Difficulty (KD%): A measure of how hard it is to rank for a keyword. It’s based on the link profiles of the top 10 ranking pages.
Search Intent: The purpose behind a user’s search query. It’s categorized as transactional, informational, commercial, or navigational.

Stick to these essentials to guide your keyword strategy effectively.

Define Commercial Opportunities

The commercial value of a keyword varies for each business.

What may be a high-value commercial keyword for a competitor might not be for you.

For example, let’s say you have top-rated resorts in Mexico. You might see “all-inclusive resorts in Mexico” as a valuable keyword.

Now, imagine you manage one outdated, overpriced resort there. Your chance to profit from this keyword is likely much weaker.

When evaluating a commercial opportunity, ask: Will this page convert visitors?

Categorize each keyword into the following:

0. Not Likely: We don’t offer anything related to the user’s intent
1. Unlikely: We offer something related to the user’s intent, but it doesn’t directly address the user’s needs
2. Potential: We offer a solution that could meet the user’s intent
3. Likely: We provide the best solution for the user’s intent

This approach helps focus your efforts on the most commercially valuable keywords.

Pro tip: Before using a keyword, check its intent. Analyze the top-ranking content in the search results. A keyword like “Mexico vs. Ecuador” might seem perfect for a travel site selling flights to both. However, a quick Google search may reveal that the user intent is related to soccer, not travel.

By knowing what users want, you can avoid irrelevant keywords. This will ensure your content matches user intent.

It also increases your chances of ranking and converting.

Step 3: Create a Keyword Map

Once you’ve gathered your keywords, the next step is to build an SEO keyword map.

Here’s how:

List existing pages: Use an SEO spider tool like Screaming Frog. It will list all existing pages.
Filter irrelevant pages: Remove any pages that won’t serve as SEO landing pages. Focus only on those that have the potential to drive organic traffic.
Pair pages with keywords: Use Google Search Console (GSC) to find queries that generate the most clicks for each page.
Assign target keywords: Assign one keyword from your research to each relevant page.
Avoid keyword cannibalization: Target each keyword with only one page. This prevents competition between your own pages for the same search query.

SEO for travel websites often involves optimizing destination-specific and service-related keywords.

These efforts help drive organic traffic to your site.

By mapping keywords to pages, you’ll have a clear strategy. It’ll help you optimize existing content and find gaps for new content.

Step 4: Form a Content Strategy

With your keyword research and keyword map in place, it’s time to create an SEO content strategy.

To maximize organic revenue, prioritize content targeting bottom-of-the-funnel keywords.

These are high-intent keywords where users are closest to making a booking decision.

By focusing on this stage first, you’ll drive more immediate conversions and revenue.

Target Commercial Keywords

In your keyword sheet, filter for keywords with commercial scores of two or three.

This filter will give you keywords with high commercial intent. They’ll match what you offer.

Think “Cancun resorts,” “flights to Hawaii,” “Las Vegas hotels,” or “Punta Cana excursions.”

For each keyword:

If a landing page is ranking, optimize its content to boost performance
If none of your pages are ranking, decide whether to create a new landing page or optimize an existing one

Finally, create a timeline and roadmap for implementing these optimizations.

This helps ensure steady progress toward your content goals.

Build Topical Authority

After covering your commercial keywords, it’s time to move up to the middle of the funnel.

Focus on keywords like “things to do in Miami,” “best time to visit Japan,” and “best beaches in Puerto Rico.”

These keywords are primarily informational and have lower conversion rates.

But they’re crucial for SEO for travel websites.

Why?

Because they help build topical authority.

Cluster these topics to help search engines understand your content.

You’ll signal to search engines that your site is a trusted travel resource.

Blog pages often cover these topics best. But you can use landing pages if they fit your strategy.

Create a Topic Map

Up to this point, your SEO content strategy has been based on keyword data.

Now, it’s time to explore new topic ideas by leveraging topic maps.

To do this, use an AI tool like Claude or Chat GPT to uncover relevant topics for specific destinations.

Here’s an example of a prompt you can use:

“Please provide a table listing the key topics related to travel in Mexico. The table should have three columns: categories, subcategories, and subtopics. Each subtopic should have its own row.”

Then, copy your topic map to a sheet. Use a ChatGPT plugin like Whimsical Diagrams to visualize it.

Use the following prompt: “Generate a mind map from this table: {paste table}.”

Repeat this process for each destination you serve.

Add any new topics to your content roadmap.

Cover a wide range of content that appeals to search engines and your audience.

This approach fills gaps in your strategy. It keeps your content fresh and competitive.

Tap Into the Travel Content Loop

The travel experience is cyclical.

Here’s how the journey typically unfolds:

Inspiration: “That’s beautiful, where is that place?”
Education: “Tell me more about this place”
Booking: “Let’s go there”
Inspiration again: After the trip, the traveler dreams of new adventures. This sparks the loop once more.

Travelers constantly seek beauty, adventure, and new connections.

Your content strategy should reflect this ongoing loop.

To build a successful travel content strategy off the back of this loop, think beyond SEO. This is especially true for inspiration, where social media is vital.

SEO is about fulfilling a need for information.

So, focus on education and answering users’ specific questions.

Inspiration, however, often comes to people when they’re not actively searching for it.

That’s why inspirational content must be:

Visual and destination-focused
Pushed to users, igniting wanderlust

Once the audience is captivated by a destination, they might seek more information. That’s where SEO comes in to guide them further down the funnel.

When planning content, ensure synergy between inspirational and informational content.

For example, let’s say you publish an SEO-optimized article like “The Best Time to Visit Costa Rica.”

Coordinate with your social media team to release visual, inspirational content.

This integrated approach keeps your audience engaged at every stage of their journey. Whether they’re exploring on social media or searching for information online.

Step 5: Establish a Content Creation Process

Your content strategy is ready.

Now it’s time to establish a streamlined content creation process.

Here’s how that might look:

Keyword selection: Choose primary and secondary keywords based on your content calendar
Writer briefing: Provide clear, detailed briefs for high-quality content
Write: Focus on comprehensive, unique content that goes beyond top-ranking pages
Edit: Align with the brand’s tone and ensure scannability
Optimize: Fine-tune for SEO—headings, body content, internal links, and meta
Add photography: Use images that follow guidelines and enhance user experience
Publish and promote: Share across social, email, and other channels to maximize reach
Translate: Expand reach by targeting non-English keywords

Pro tip: After headlines, image captions are the most read by users. Add a commercial message or a call to action to your image captions. It will help boost engagement.

To AI or Not AI?

When it comes to your content creation process, a key question is how much of it should involve AI.

The answer depends on your goals.

One thing is certain—it’s tough to stand out in a sea of mass-produced AI content by just publishing more AI content.

Craftsmanship and authenticity are what make content truly stand out.

“To beat AI, become more human.”
– Wesley van der Hoop, PPC + SEO at Unique Vacations Ltd.

For example, let’s say you’re writing about “the best restaurants in Amsterdam.”

Instead of simply copying the list from TripAdvisor, go beyond the surface:

Experience the destination firsthand
Talk to locals and uncover hidden gems that aren’t widely covered
Engage with restaurant owners. Try their signature dishes. Share deeper insights than current online articles.

AI should play the role of an assistant, not the solution.

That said, AI can still assist in the content creation process.

It can help create content briefs, structure the content, and suggest data points.

This lets writers focus on the human elements. They can craft unique, authentic content that AI cannot replicate.

In this hybrid approach, AI handles repetitive tasks.

Meanwhile, your team focuses on insights, experiences, and personal connections.

Step 6: Set Up Tracking and Measuring

Begin by measuring your current performance to understand where you stand.

Define and track both macro and micro conversions. Use your travel site’s analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics 4).

For most travel websites, the macro conversion will be bookings and revenue.

Micro conversions may include actions like account creation or requests for more information.

They can also involve newsletter sign-ups, brochure requests, and travel guide downloads.

Once tracking is set up, integrate SEO tools like Google Search Console (GSC).

Use a rank tracker to gain deeper insights into what’s happening on the SERPs.

For example, Semrush’s Position Tracking tool tracks keyword rankings over time.

Position Tracking – Rankings Overview – Keywords

Finally, create easy-to-understand dashboards that blend different data sources. They let you track progress and show results to stakeholders at performance meetings.

Step 7: Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Local SEO is essential for improving visibility.

It’s particularly important for attractions, restaurants, bars, and accommodations at popular destinations.

Optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP) can lead to quick wins.

Here’s how to do it:

Set Up Listings for Each Location

Let’s say your travel company operates in multiple locations.

You should create and optimize a Google Business Profile for each location.

Select the Appropriate Category

Choosing the right primary category (e.g., “Hotel,” “Tourist Attraction,” “Restaurant”) is vital.

Why?

Because it impacts how your listing appears in search results and Google Maps.

Complete All Profile Information

Ensure your profile is fully completed, including:

Business name
Address
Phone number
Website URL
Hours of operation
Business attributes (e.g., “Free Wi-Fi,” “Pool”)

Write a Compelling Business Description

Custom descriptions aren’t allowed for accommodation and attraction listings.

However, you can still write compelling descriptions for restaurants and bars.

Use relevant keywords to improve search visibility. Ensure it accurately reflects the experience you offer while adhering to Google’s guidelines.

Upload High-Quality Photos and Videos

High-quality photos and videos of your business can boost engagement.

They help customers see what you offer and connect with your brand.

These visuals provide potential customers with a more immersive experience. It helps them get a better sense of what you offer.

Be sure to consistently update your media to keep the listing fresh and relevant.

Utilize the Q&A Section

Proactively manage the “Questions & Answers” section by addressing common guest inquiries.

Post frequently asked questions yourself.

Cover topics like services, booking policies, or amenities.

Make sure to answer them thoroughly.

Create Regular Updates

Use GBP updates to share offers, events, or new services.

These can improve engagement and keep your audience informed.

Encourage and Respond to Reviews

Actively encourage guests to leave reviews, especially after a positive interaction.

Respond promptly to both positive and negative reviews.

This shows engagement and demonstrates excellent customer service.

Reviews and responses also boost credibility and influence search rankings.

By following these steps, you can significantly improve your business’s local visibility.

This boosts engagement with potential customers looking for travel services in your area.

Step 8: Ensure Your Content Gets Indexed

A technical SEO audit is one of the cornerstones of your travel SEO strategy.

The reason is simple.

If the copy of a web page isn’t indexed, that page is unlikely to rank in Google’s search results.

In other words, it won’t drive organic traffic and bookings.

So, when auditing a travel website for the first time, use a web crawler like Screaming Frog. It’ll check whether your pages are indexable.

For a more detailed approach, use Semrush’s Site Audit tool. It can help identify technical issues with your site.

For individual page checks, use Google Search Console. It shows when Googlebot last visited the page and if it’s indexed.

To (re)index the page in GSC, simply click the “request indexing” button.

Alternatively, use the “site” operator in Google. Enter this query in the search bar:

site:www.website.com/landing-page

If the page appears in search results, it’s indexed. If not, it isn’t.

Check for Partial Indexing

Even if a page is indexed, not all content may be.

Content that needs JavaScript to load, like a slider or hidden text, is at risk of not being indexed.

To check, use the Web Developer Chrome extension. It will disable JavaScript and reload the page.

Compare it to the original version to identify content not loading—this content is at risk.

You can also use the View Rendered Source Chrome extension. It shows the difference between the raw code and the rendered page.

Headings and paragraphs not in the raw code, but in the rendered code, might not be indexed.

If you suspect specific copy isn’t indexed, use the “site” operator in Google with a query like:

site:www.website.com/landing-page/ "insert copy at risk here"

If the copy shows up where you’d normally find the meta description, you should be good!

If Google returns no results, that content and its links may not be indexed.

Prevent Duplicate Content

Duplicate content can negatively impact your rankings.

How?

Google can struggle to determine which of your pages to prioritize.

Three duplicate pages will all struggle to rank

It can also lead to crawling, indexing issues, and loss of link equity.

In severe cases, it can also trigger manual penalties.

The seven most common types of duplicate content on travel websites are:

Destination descriptions: Frequently reused descriptions of popular travel destinations across multiple accommodation pages
URLs with filtering parameters: Filtering options (e.g., “?sort=price”) generate different URLs. These may show similar content.
Pagination: Ensure paginated lists of destinations or accommodations are distinct or canonicalized
URLs with UTM parameters: Parameters like “?utm_source=social-media” track traffic. But they can also create duplicate content issues.
Split URL tests: A/B testing may create duplicate content. It does this by generating alternative versions of the same page.
Dynamic URLs with session IDs: When indexed, they can cause duplicate content issues
M-dot URLs: They’re rare today. But if used, link them to their desktop versions.

Use Semrush’s Site Audit tool to identify duplicate content. Mitigate it by implementing canonical tags.

Use Structured Data

Structured data helps search engines better understand and display your content.

For travel websites, this can lead to rich results like pricing and star ratings.

These features can help boost click-through rates.

Structured data can also improve your site’s rankings.

How?

By providing search engines with clearer context for your content.

Pro tip: To further enhance SEO, implement structured data using the LocalBusiness schema. This helps search engines understand and validate your business information. It includes key details like category, location, and operating hours. Properly structured data can positively impact your rankings in local searches.

Step 9: Optimize UX with a Mobile-First Approach

Users have been living in a mobile-first world for some time, and Google was quick to follow.

Travelers may book on desktop. But they often make the decision to book on mobile.

Focus on quick load times and ensure strong Core Web Vitals performance.

Search engines like Google favor fast-loading content.

Here’s how to get started:

Leverage User Data

Analyze your website using Google PageSpeed Insights.

Look at the “Core Web Vitals Assessment.”

It’s essential for understanding how your website performs in real user environments. This data can help you optimize speed and user experience.

You can see the performance metrics for a site’s Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

These are key indicators of how well your site loads and provides a smooth user experience.

For example, the LCP score here shows 3.8s, which is above the recommended threshold. Meaning there’s room for improvement.

Improving these metrics will boost your site’s performance.

It’ll also make your site more search-engine friendly and enhance the user experience.

Make Loading Times a Priority

You can’t do it alone.

You’ll have to get IT resources to improve the loading time of your landing pages, which are likely to be scarce.

If fast loading times aren’t a priority for the business, they won’t be for IT either.

Simply submitting a ticket won’t solve the issue.

Instead, foster a culture where speed is continually measured and improved.

Optimize Landing Pages for Mobile

Ensure the most important content is visible on the first screen users see.

For travel, this often means starting with an engaging visual to capture attention.

It helps users imagine being at their dream destination.

Additionally, highlight your unique value proposition, and provide a clear call-to-action.

Reinforce your credibility with reviews, awards, or endorsements.

Here’s an example from JetStream Voyages:

Step 10: Strengthen Your Backlink Profile

Content demonstrates relevance, while links signal authority.

Both are essential to rank well in Google search results.

Leverage Existing Relationships

Improving SEO for travel agencies means building relationships.

It also means getting links from trusted business partners.

Leverage existing relationships with tourism boards, suppliers, and partners to earn backlinks.

Like this:

Use Digital PR for Industry-Wide Authority

In the travel industry, digital PR campaigns are one of the best ways to establish authority.

They aim to boost your brand’s visibility and credibility.

How?

By earning high-quality backlinks from reputable websites.

Digital PR campaigns are typically built around link-worthy assets, such as:

Data-driven travel insights and reports
Unique tools or calculators
Interactive maps
Comprehensive travel guides
Sweepstakes

Work with your PR team. Create campaigns that resonate with your target audience and the media.

For example, Sandals Resorts ran a campaign to find a professional cocktail critic.

One person was “hired” to collaborate with Sandals’ expert mixologists. Together, they tested and refined a range of cocktails.

This unique and engaging story captured the attention of numerous high-authority travel publishers.

As a result, it drove significant backlinks to their site.

Target Commercial Pages with Guest Posts

To build links to your commercial pages, try guest posting on travel sites.

This method lets you target specific keywords. It also generates referral traffic from relevant audiences.

Use internal linking, partnerships, digital PR, and guest posting.

This will help build the authority needed to compete in Google’s search rankings.

Turn Strangers Into Guests with Travel SEO

Mastering travel SEO is about more than ranking for keywords.

It’s about connecting with travelers at every stage of their journey. From inspiration to booking and beyond.

The travel industry is always changing.

But one thing is constant: Travelers want connections, experiences, and reliable information.

Many companies use travel SEO services to rank higher. But the tips in this guide will help you get similar results on your own.

Use creativity and data-driven strategies. Be authentic. Transform your travel website into the top resource.

It can help turn strangers into loyal guests.

Ready to take your travel SEO strategy to the next level?

Download our content marketing template to map out your content.

The tool will help you organize and execute your plan for optimal results.

The post How To Improve Your Travel SEO In 10 Steps appeared first on Backlinko.

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How Do Search Engines Work? (Quick Guide for Beginners)

January 21, 2025/0 Comments/in Web Design News/by

Search engines help users find webpages related to specific search terms (called queries).

Understanding how search engines work can help you make your pages more accessible.

And ultimately direct more potential customers to your site.

This guide explains how search engines discover, store, and rank content. You’ll also get tips on how to increase visibility in search results.

How Do Search Engines Work?

Search engines provide users with a list of relevant webpage results related to their search queries (i.e., the words they type into the search bar).

They accomplish this by following a three-step process:

Crawling: Discovering and downloading the content of webpages
Indexing: Analyzing and storing that content in a database
Ranking: Ordering results based on their relevance to a user’s search query

Each page must pass through these stages to appear in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Discovering Webpages

Search engines use web crawlers (also called bots or spiders) to follow links across the web and find new URLs.

When a crawler discovers a new URL, it downloads the page’s text, images, and other elements.

The crawler then follows links on that page to find more URLs.

If your site relies heavily on JavaScript, Googlebot will take additional rendering steps to ensure it sees all of your content.

Some situations prevent successful crawling. For example, website owners can use meta robots tags to block crawlers like Googlebot.

Server errors can also prevent crawlers from accessing content.

Crawl Budget

Crawl budget is the amount of time a search engine’s crawler spends within a specific time frame.

Two main factors influence crawl budget:

Crawl demand: How popular and fresh the site’s content is
Crawl capacity: How quickly the site responds to crawler requests

Large websites with many pages may see slower crawling. Small sites usually have enough crawl budget for all pages.

Sitemaps

A sitemap is a file listing important pages on a website and guides crawlers to key content.

This is a sample of Backlinko’s XML sitemap:

Including important pages in a sitemap can help search engines index them faster.

To learn how to create a sitemap, read our guide to the top sitemap generator tools.

Pro tip: Semrush’s Site Audit tool can help you identify and address crawl budget issues or sitemap errors.

Organizing Web Content

After crawling, search engines analyze pages to understand their topics. They store processed information in a large database called the index.

All search engines follow the same general process for indexing.

They record details like keywords, metadata, and page quality signals.

They also note technical factors such as Google’s Core Web Vitals and country associations.

What Prevents a Page from Getting Indexed?

Search engines don’t index every page they crawl because they only want to show users high-quality pages.

A page might not be indexed if:

The page is low-quality or violates Google’s content policies
The page returns an HTTP status code error (4xx or 5xx)
The page design creates issues for successful indexing
The site owner has requested the page not be indexed (via a noindex tag)

Among other possible reasons.

Indexing isn’t guaranteed, so make sure your pages meet Google’s search quality standards to increase your chances.

How to Get Indexed by Google

To get indexed by Google, you have two options:

Wait for Googlebot to discover your pages naturally
Submit your site for indexing in your Google Search Console account

Both options can take days or even weeks.

To learn more about URL inspection, check out our Google Search Console guide.

Determining Which Content to Rank

Ranking determines the order of results that appear in response to a search query.

Each search engine uses proprietary ranking algorithms and updates them frequently.

Google SERP – How to style a grandfather clock

Search engines use a variety of ranking factors to determine the order of search results, but some are more important than others.

Google weighs the following factors heavily:

Keywords: Terms that represent the page’s main topic
Search intent: The user’s purpose (e.g., answering a question, finding a product, etc.)
Location: The searcher’s geographic location
User history: Past searches and visited pages

Other factors like backlinks, page load times, content quality, and some meta tags are also used in ranking.

For a comprehensive list, see our ranking factors guide.

Why Search Results Change Over Time

Search engines want to show users the most accurate, up-to-date information possible, which may lead to changing the order of search results.

For example, “best restaurants near me,” results change as you move locations, new restaurants open in your area, or customer reviews change.

Also, changes to ranking algorithms may reorder search results drastically.

When Google updates its algorithms, it usually offers guidance to site owners in its Search Central Blog.

Presenting the Best Answers

Search engines show more than simple links.

They display special SERP features to present answers quickly and enhance the user’s experience.

For example, a user searching for “sugar cookies” may be looking for recipes, nutritional facts, or a list of ingredients.

Google returns varied results to satisfy all of these potential intents.

But a user searching for “buy sugar cookies” has transactional intent.

Google returns product results to make it easier for users to locate key information about the product.

SERP features can make the search experience more enjoyable for users.

Common types include:

Popular Products: A list of products with key information like price, reviews, and shipping information
Organization: A knowledge panel with key information about a business like founders, history, social media profiles, and more
Local Business: A knowledge panel featuring key information about a local business like address, phone number, and hours of operation
FAQs: A list of questions and answers about a topic

Paid search results may also appear at the top of the SERPs.

To qualify, sites need to set up Google Ads campaigns and bid for specific keywords.

AI Overviews, featured snippets, and People Also Ask boxes often appear for informational searches.

Like this:

Google SERP – What is content automation

These features deliver quick answers and can increase visibility for pages that earn these placements.

Turn Your Search Engine Knowledge into Rankings

While many factors could be at play, understanding how search engines work is an essential first step to helping your content rank higher for the keywords that matter most to your audience.

Armed with this knowledge, you can boost your site’s visibility and get your pages in front of the right people.

The next critical step?

Making sure your website’s technical foundation helps search engines efficiently crawl, index, and rank your content.

Check out our technical SEO guide to optimize your site for better search visibility.

The post How Do Search Engines Work?<br> (Quick Guide for Beginners) appeared first on Backlinko.

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What Is Competitive Intelligence?

Competitive Intelligence vs. Market Research

3 Key Components of a Competitive Intelligence Framework

Data

Analysis

Activation

How to Collect Competitive Intelligence in 4 Phases

Phase 1: Goal Setting and Preparation

Define Why You Need Competitive Intelligence

Map Your Competitive Landscape

Phase 2: Collect Data Systematically in Stages

Stage 1: Analyze Online Presence

Stage 2: Understand Market Context

Stage 3: Conduct Field Research

Stage 4: Gather Network Intelligence

Phase 3: Analyze Data and Extract Meaningful Insights

Data Organization

Data Analysis

Trends Analysis

Strategic Group Analysis

SWOT Analysis

Phase 4: Activation and Implementation

Create Useful Deliverables

Battle Cards

Centralized Hub

Competitor profiles

Implement a Distribution Plan

Monitor and Update Your Strategy

Key Applications of Competitive Intelligence

Sales Enablement

Product Development

Market Positioning and Strategy

Pricing and Revenue Optimization

Use Competitive Intelligence to Stay Ahead of the Curve

YouTube Keyword Tools at a Glance

Why YouTube Keyword Research Matters

Decode Audience Search Intent

Find High-Performing Keywords

Identify Trends to Maximize Discoverability

5 Best YouTube Keyword Tools (Free & Paid)

1. VidIQ: Best for Deep Keyword Intelligence

Conduct Keyword Research

Create and Track Keyword Trends

Outperform the Competition

VidIQ Pricing

2. Keyword Analytics for YouTube: Best for Finding Popular Seed Keywords

Identify Popular, Low-Competition Keywords

Find Top-Ranking Videos

Get Trending Keyword Data

Keyword Analytics for YouTube Pricing

3. TubeBuddy: Best for in-Browser Keyword Research and Optimization

Get Actionable Keyword Insights

Generate and Optimize Titles and Descriptions

Spy on Your Competitors

TubeBuddy Pricing

4. Keywords Everywhere: Best for Analyzing Competitors’ Keywords

Get Detailed Keyword Insights

Analyze Top-Ranking Competitors

Generate Keywords in Bulk

Keywords Everywhere Pricing

5. Google Trends: Best for Real-Time Keyword Trend Tracking

Find Keywords for Specific Locations

Discover Related and Trending Topics

Compare Keywords to Find the Best Opportunities

Google Trends Pricing

Fast-Track Your YouTube Channel’s Growth

Table of contents

Understanding SEO and PPC

What’s the difference between SEO and PPC?

Cost structure

Time to results

Sustainability and impact

Targeting capabilities

Flexibility and control

Measurement and analytics