Tag Archive for: Local Search

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is quickly becoming one of the most important new topics in search.

As large language models (LLMs) change how users discover brands and make decisions, GEO helps ensure your content and brand show up in AI-generated answers — not just in traditional search results.

But GEO is just one part of a bigger shift.

We’re entering the era of Search Everywhere (in fact, we’re already in it).

Discovery is no longer confined to Google search results pages.

It’s happening everywhere users seek trusted information and recommendations.

And new data shows just how fast this shift is accelerating.

New research from Semrush predicts that LLM traffic will overtake traditional Google search by the end of 2027.

And our own data suggests that’s likely to be true.

In just the past three months, we’ve seen an 800% year-over-year increase in referrals from LLMs.

We’re seeing tens of millions of additional impressions in Google Search Console as AI Overviews reshape how Google displays answers.

If your brand isn’t adapting, you could soon be invisible online.

In this guide, I’ll explain:

• What GEO is and how it’s different from SEO
• Why you shouldn’t throw away everything you’ve already learned
• The top techniques that will help you optimize your content for generative engines (and drive results for your business in the process)

What Is GEO and Why Does It Matter?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of creating and optimizing content so that it appears in AI-generated answers on platforms like Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.

But GEO goes beyond content optimization. It’s a holistic approach that includes:

• Publishing content in the right places where AI tools are most likely to discover it
• Earning positive brand mentions across the web, even without direct links
• Ensuring technical accessibility so AI crawlers can easily access and understand your content

Instead of focusing only on traditional rankings, you’re making sure your brand becomes part of what AI tools say when users ask questions.

These tools “generate” responses to queries in conversational language. While they can include links, the goal is to give the searcher what they need within the response.

So in GEO, your content needs to shape the conversation, not just try to win a click.

Why GEO Matters Now

Traditional Google search still dominates.

It’ll likely continue to drive most of your traffic in the near term.

But the way people discover information is changing — fast.

Success used to mean ranking at the top of the SERP.

Looking forward, there may not even be a “top spot.”

Instead, you need to become the top recommendation — the solution AI tools choose to recommend in their answers.

The data tells the story:

ChatGPT reached 100 million users faster than any app in history. And as of February 2025, it now has more than 400 million weekly users.

Google’s AI Overviews now appear on billions of searches every month — at least 13% of all SERPs.

And they appear for more than half of the keywords we track at Backlinko:

Generative engines are influencing YOUR audience too. So it makes sense to start optimizing for them now.

How GEO and SEO Work Together

Before we go any further, let’s get one thing straight:

You might look at this guide and think,

“Isn’t this just SEO with a different name?”

And honestly?

In many ways, it is. But there’s a reason everyone’s talking about it.

Terms like GEO, AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), and AIO (AI Optimization) have exploded in interest — because they reflect a real shift.

And with all the acronyms flying around, it can be tough to know who to listen to.

We’re not saying GEO replaces SEO.

But it does help reframe your strategy for how discovery works now — across AI tools, social platforms, and new surfaces beyond traditional search.

From Traditional SEO to Search Everywhere

That means there’s good news:

If you’ve invested in good SEO, you’re already a lot of the way there.

GEO builds on the foundation of great SEO:

• Creating high-quality content for your specific audience
• Making it easy for search engines to access and understand
• Earning credible mentions across the web

These same elements help AI engines decide which brands to reference.

But here’s the difference:

AI engines don’t work exactly like Google.

That means some of your tactics (and what you track) need to evolve.

So let’s walk through how to do that.

7-Step GEO Action Plan

We’re still in the early days of understanding exactly how AI engines pull and prioritize content.

But one thing is clear:

You need to adapt or reprioritize some traditional SEO tactics for Generative Engine Optimization.

The first three steps below cover overarching best practices for GEO.

Steps 4-7 cover optimizing content for generative engines specifically (and how to track your results).

Step 1. Nail the Basics of SEO

As I said earlier, good GEO is also generally good SEO. But not everything you do as part of your wider SEO strategy is as important for generative engine optimization.

I won’t go through all the fundamentals of SEO here. We do that in our guide to the SEO basics.

Let’s focus on what really matters for generative engines.

Make Your Site Easy to Read (for Bots)

• Crawlable and indexable: If AI tools can’t access your pages, you won’t show up in answers
• Fast and mobile-friendly: Slow, clunky sites hurt UX — and your chances of getting cited
• Secure (HTTPS): This is now table stakes, and it builds trust with users and AI systems
• Server-side rendering: Some AI crawlers still struggle with JavaScript, so use server-side rendering as opposed to client-side rendering where you can

Show You’re Worth Trusting (E-E-A-T)

AI wants trustworthy sources. That means showing E-E-A-T:

• Experience: Share real results, personal use, or firsthand knowledge
• Expertise: Stick to topics you truly know — and go deep
• Authority: Get quoted, guest post, or contribute to well-known sites
• Trust: Use real author bios, cite sources, and include reviews or testimonials

Note: We’re not suggesting these AI tools have any sort of “system” built into them that aligns with what we call E-E-A-T. But it makes sense that they’ll prefer to cite content from reputable sources with expertise. This provides a better user experience and makes the AI tools themselves more reliable. Also, download our Free Template: E-E-A-T Evaluation Guide: 46-Point Audit

Step 2. Build Mentions and Co-Citations

AI systems don’t just look at backlinks to understand your authority. They pay attention to every mention of your brand across the web, even when those mentions don’t include a clickable link.

Backlinks are still important. But this changes how you should think about building your wider online presence.

Audit Your Current Mentions

Start by auditing where you’re currently mentioned. Search for your brand name, product names, and key team members across Google, social media, and industry forums.

Take note of what people are saying and where those conversations are happening.

You’ll probably find mentions you didn’t know existed. Some will be positive, others neutral, and a few might need your attention.

Also run your brand name and related terms through the AI tools themselves.

• Does Google’s AI Mode cite your brand as a source for relevant terms?
• Does ChatGPT know who your team members are?
• What kind of sentiment do the answers have when you just plainly ask the tools about your brand?

For a more in-depth sentiment analysis, use Semrush’s AI Toolkit.

It’ll let you track your LLM visibility (a by-product of good GEO) in top tools compared to your rivals:

The tool compares your brand to your rivals in terms of AI visibility, market share, and sentiment:

And it’ll show you where your brand strengths are and where you can improve:

Want to track your brand’s AI visibility? Get a free interactive demo of Semrush’s AI Toolkit to see how you can compare to competitors across ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI platforms.

Keep Building Quality Backlinks

Just because mentions are more important than before with GEO, it doesn’t mean you should abandon traditional link building. Backlinks still matter for SEO, and they often lead to the kind of authoritative mentions that AI systems value.

But expand your focus beyond just getting links.

Further reading: How to Get High Quality Backlinks

Aim to Build Co-Citations and Co-Occurences

There are a few different definitions out there of co-citation and co-occurence.

I’ll be honest: the definitions don’t matter as much as the implications. I’ve seen one source define co-citations as the exact thing another source calls co-occurence. So for this section, I’m just going to talk about what these are and why they matter, without getting bogged down in definitions.

The first important way to think of co-citations/co-occurences is simply the mention of one thing alongside another.

In the case of GEO, we’re usually talking about your brand or website being mentioned alongside a different website or topic/concept on another website.

For example, if your brand is Monday.com, you’ll pick up co-citations involving:

• Your competitors (ClickUp, Asana etc.)
• Key terms or categories associated with your business (like “project management software”)
• Specific concepts or questions related to what you do (e.g., “kanban boards” and “how to automate workflows”)

In Monday’s case, there are hundreds of pages out there that mention it alongside ClickUp and Asana in the context of “project management tools”:

This suggests to Google and other generative AI tools that Monday and ClickUp are both related to the term “project management tools” and are both popular providers of this kind of software.

The other common way to think about co-citations is mentions of your brand across different, often unrelated websites. For example, Monday being mentioned on Forbes and Zapier would be a co-citation involving them.

To sum it up:

• If two (or more) brands/websites are often mentioned alongside each other, AI tools will assume they are related (i.e., they’re competitors)
• If a brand is often mentioned in the context of a particular topic, concept, or industry, AI tools will assume the brand is related to those things (i.e., what you offer)
• If lots of different websites mention a particular brand, the AI tools will assume that brand is worth talking about (i.e., probably trustworthy)

Obviously, there’s a lot more to it, but this is a fairly basic overview of what’s going on.

How to Put This into Action

To build citations, co-citations, and co-occurences:

• Look for opportunities to get mentioned alongside your competitors. When publications write comparison articles or industry roundups, you want your name in that list. These co-citations help AI systems understand where you fit in your market.
• Participate in industry surveys and research studies. When analysts publish reports about your sector, being included gives you credibility (and any backlinks are a bonus).
• Get involved in relevant online communities. Answer questions on Reddit, contribute to LinkedIn discussions, and join industry-specific forums. These interactions create mentions in places where AI systems often look for authentic, community-driven insights.

The goal is to become a recognized voice in your space. The more often your brand appears in relevant contexts across the web, the more likely AI systems are to include you in their responses.

Step 3. Go Multi-Platform

Going beyond Google is something top SEOs have been telling us to do for a long time. But AI has made this an absolute must.

Platforms like Reddit, YouTube, and other user-generated content sites appear frequently in AI outputs.

So, a strong brand presence on these platforms could help you show up more often.

The benefits here are (at least) three-fold:

1. Being active on multiple platforms lets you reach your audience where they are. This helps you boost engagement, brand awareness, and, of course, drive more conversions.
2. AI tools don’t just look at Google search results. They pull from forums, social media, YouTube, and lots of other places beyond traditional SERPs.
3. Being active on multiple platforms means you’re less exposed to one particular algorithm or audience. Diversification is just good practice for a business.

Brian Dean did an excellent job of this when he was running Backlinko. That’s why you’ll see his videos appear in Google SERPs for ultra-competitive keywords like “how to do SEO”:

We’re taking our own advice here. In fact, it’s a big part of why we launched the Backlinko YouTube channel:

Here’s some quick-fire guidance for putting this into practice:

• People go to YouTube to learn how to do things, research products, and find solutions to their problems. This makes product reviews, tool comparisons, and in-depth tutorials great candidates for YouTube content.
• Podcast content and transcripts are beginning to surface in AI results (especially in Gemini). Building a presence here is a great opportunity to grab some AI visibility.
• TikTok and Instagram Reels reach younger audiences who increasingly use these apps for search. Short-form videos that answer common questions in your industry can drive discovery, and AI tools can also cite these in their responses to user questions.
• AI tools LOVE to cite Reddit as a source of user-generated answers (especially Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode). To grow your presence on the platform, find subreddits where your target audience hangs out and share genuinely helpful advice when people ask questions related to your expertise. Don’t promote your business directly — focus on being useful first.
• LinkedIn works similarly to Reddit for B2B topics. Publish thoughtful posts and engage in relevant discussions to help establish your voice in professional circles. These interactions can then get picked up by AI systems looking for expert perspectives.

Step 4. Find Out What AI Platforms Are Citing for Your Niche

What’s a powerful way to understand both what to create and what topics to target?

To simply learn what AI tools are likely to include in their responses to questions that are relevant to your business.

Start by directly testing whether/how your content appears in AI tools right now. Go to ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity and ask questions that your content should answer.

In the example below, Backlinko is mentioned (great), but there’s also a YouTube video front and center. And forums are appearing too. These are places we might want to consider creating content or engaging with conversations.

As you do this for your brand, pay attention to the sources they cite:

• Are they commonly mentioning your competitors?
• What platforms do they tend to cite? (Reddit, YouTube etc.)
• What’s the sentiment of mentions of both your brand and your competitors?

As you do this, try different variations of the same question.

For example, you could ask “What’s the best email marketing software?”

Then try “Which email marketing tool should I use for my small business?”

Notice how the answers change and which sources get mentioned consistently.

In the example above, the first prompt mentioned MailerLite, which was absent in the list for small businesses. But the second prompt pushed Mailchimp to the top and mentioned three new options (Constant Contact, Brevo, and ActiveCampaign).

If you were MailerLite and trying to reach small businesses, you’d want to understand why you’re not being cited for that particular prompt.

Pro tip: Try it with different tools as well. They each have their own preferences when it comes to citing sources, so it’s a good idea to test a couple of them.

You can automate this process with tools like Profound or Peec AI. These platforms run prompts at scale, helping you understand how and where your brand appears. But they can be pricey.

That’s why I recommend you spend some time running these prompts manually at first.

By the way:

This isn’t just important for “big brands” or those selling products. You can (and should) do this if you run a blog, local business website, or even a personal portfolio.

For example, consultants and freelancers will find these tools often cite marketplaces like Upwork and Dribbble. If you don’t have a profile on there, you’ll likely struggle to get much AI visibility.

And if you’re a local business owner, you’ll often find specific service and location pages appear in AI responses:

This is useful for understanding the types of content you should be focusing on for GEO. Now it’s time to decide what topics to focus on in your content.

Step 5. Answer Your Audience’s Questions

The way people search with AI tools is fundamentally different from how we use traditional Google search. This changes how you should plan your content.

Traditional SEO taught you to target specific keywords. You’d create a page optimized for “healthy meal prep ideas” and try to rank for that phrase.

But what happens when people are instead searching for “what to cook for dinner when I’m trying to lose weight”?

The answer might involve healthy meal prep as a solution, but it’s a completely different prompt (not a search) that gets to that answer (not a SERP).

When you run these queries through Google’s AI Mode, you see two totally different sets of sources and content types.

For the “healthy meal prep ideas” query (which is a perfectly valid and searchable term), the focus is listicles, single recipes, and YouTube videos. And the format is categories (bowls, wraps, and sandwiches etc.) with specific recipes:

But for “what to cook for dinner when I’m trying to lose weight,” the sources are primarily lists, forum results, or articles specifically around weight loss.

In this case, the format of the answer is largely broad tips for cooking healthily and then some general cooking styles or meal types, rather than specific recipes:

As more users realize they can use conversational language to make their searches, longer queries will become more common. This makes this kind of intent analysis critical.

These longer, more specific queries represent huge opportunities. Most companies aren’t creating content that answers these detailed questions.

The more specific the question, the more likely you are to show up when AI systems look for authoritative answers. You want to own the long-tail queries that relate directly to your product or expertise.

But:

You obviously can’t reasonably expect to create content for every single long-tail query out there. So how do you approach this in an efficient way?

How to Choose the Questions to Answer

Start by listening to the actual questions your customers ask.

Check your customer support tickets, sales calls, and user feedback. These real questions from real people often make the best content topics — because they’re the same kinds of questions people will ask these AI tools.

Don’t have any customers? No problem.

Use community platforms to find these conversational queries. Reddit, Quora, and industry forums are goldmines for discovering how people actually talk about problems in your space.

Step 6. Structure Your Content for Generative Engines

AI systems process information differently than humans do. They break content into chunks and analyze how those pieces relate to each other.

Think of it like featured snippets but more granular, and for much more than just direct questions.

This means the way you structure your content directly impacts whether AI systems can understand and cite it effectively.

Note: A lot of what I say below is just good writing practice. So while this stuff isn’t necessarily “revolutionary,” these techniques are going to become more important as you focus on GEO.

One Idea per Paragraph

Keep your paragraphs short and focused on one main idea.

When you stuff multiple concepts into a single paragraph, you make it harder for AI systems to extract the specific information they need.

Also avoid burying important information in the middle of long sentences or paragraphs. Front-load your key points so they’re easy to find and extract.

And guess what?

It also makes it easier for your human readers to understand too. So it’s a win-win.

Use Clear Headings

Use clear headings and subheadings to organize your content logically.

Think of these as signposts that help both readers and LLMs navigate your information. And make sure your content immediately under the headings logically ties to the heading itself.

For example, look at the headings in this section. Then read the first sentence under each one.

Notice how they’re all clearly linked?

This is a common technique when trying to rank for featured snippets. You’d have an H2 with some content that immediately answers the question…

…and this would rank for the featured snippet for that query:

This is still a valid strategy for traditional search. But for GEO, you need to have this mindset throughout your content.

Don’t make every H2 be a question (this will quickly end up looking over-optimized). But do make sure the content that follows your (logical) headings is clearly linked to the heading itself.

Break Up Complex Topics into Digestible Sections

If you’re explaining a complex or multi-step process, use numbered steps and clear transitions between each part.

This makes it easier for AI systems to pull out individual steps when someone asks for specific instructions. And it’ll make it much easier for your readers to follow.

Also write clear, concise summaries for complex topics. AI systems often look for these kinds of digestible explanations when they need to quickly convey information to users.

Include Quotes and Clear Statements

Include direct quotes and clear statements that AI systems can easily extract.

Why is this worth your time?

Because pages with quotes or statistics have been shown to have 30-40% higher visibility in AI answers.

So instead of saying “Email marketing could be an effective channel for your business,” write “Email marketing generates an average ROI of $42 for every dollar spent.”

Note: Don’t just flood your content with quotes and stats. Only include them when they actually add value to your content and are useful for your readers.

Use Schema Markup

Schema markup gives you another way to structure information for machines. This code helps systems understand what type of content you’re presenting.

For example, FAQ schema tells algorithms that you’re answering common questions. HowTo schema identifies step-by-step instructions.

You don’t need to be a developer to add schema markup. Many content management systems (like WordPress) have plugins that handle this automatically.

Make It Scannable

Use formatting like bold text to highlight important facts or conclusions and make it easier for readers to skim your content. This helps both human readers and AI systems identify the most important information quickly.

This has always been a big focus of content on Backlinko. We use lots of images to convey our most important points and add clarity through visualizations:

And we use clear headings to make our articles easy to follow:

The goal is to make your content as accessible as possible to both humans and machines. Well-structured content performs better across all types of search and discovery.

And if your content is enjoyable to engage with, it’s probably going to do a better job of converting users into customers as well.

Step 7. Track Your Visibility in LLMs

How often are tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini mentioning your brand?

If you’re not tracking this yet — you should be.

Tracking your visibility in AI-generated responses helps you understand what’s working and where you need to focus your efforts.

But where do you start? And what should you track?

Manual Testing as a Starting Point

Start with manual testing. This is the simplest way to see how you’re performing right now.

Ask the same questions across different AI platforms, like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google (both AI Mode and AI Overviews). Take screenshots of the responses and note which sources get cited.

Do this regularly, and you’ll start to see patterns in which types of content get mentioned and how your visibility changes over time.

Honestly though: you’re going to struggle to get a lot of meaningful data doing this manually. And it’s not scalable. Plus, so much of what an AI tool outputs to a user depends on the previous context, like:

• Past conversations
• Previous prompts within the same conversation
• Project or chat settings

This makes it challenging to get truly accurate data by yourself. This is really more of a “feel” test that, in the absence of dedicated tools, can provide a very rough idea of how generative engines perceive your brand.

Use LLM Tracking Tools

For more comprehensive tracking, dedicated tools can automate this process.

Platforms like Semrush Enterprise AIO help you track your brand’s visibility across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s AI Overviews.

It shows you exactly where you stand against competitors and gives you actionable steps to improve.

Competitive Rankings is my favorite feature. Instead of guessing why competitors might rank better in AI responses, you get actual data showing mention frequency and context.

Another option is Ziptie.dev. It’s not the most polished tool yet, but they’re doing some really interesting work — especially around surfacing unlinked mentions across AI outputs.

If you already have Semrush, then the Organic Research report within the SEO Toolkit does provide some tracking for Google AI Overviews specifically.

You can track which keywords you (or your competitors) rank for that have an AI Overview on the SERP. If you don’t currently appear in the overview, that’s a keyword worth targeting.

Tracking the keywords you do rank for in these AIOs over time can help you gauge the performance of your GEO strategy.

Why Talk to Your Boss (or Clients) About GEO?

You’ve seen the steps. Now you need a story.

GEO isn’t just a tactical shift — it’s a way to explain what’s changing in search without resorting to hype.

GEO helps you frame those changes clearly:

• Traditional SEO still works
• Your past investments are still paying off
• But the bar is higher now
• Visibility means more than rankings
• Your brand needs to be mentioned, cited, and trusted across every channel

GEO gives you the framework to explain what’s changing and how to stay ahead of it.

You Need to Start Now to Stay Visible

This space is evolving fast. New capabilities are rolling out monthly.

The key is to start tracking now so that you can benchmark where you are and spot new opportunities as AI search matures.

Grow your presence by adding a GEO approach on top of your SEO efforts:

• Continue optimizing for strong rankings and authority (AI still leans on this)
• But now, prioritize content and signals that AI engines are more likely to reference directly

Want to learn more about where the world of search is heading? Check out our video with Backlinko’s founder Brian Dean. We dive into how search habits are changing and how you can build a resilient, multi-channel brand.

The post Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): How to Win in AI Search appeared first on Backlinko.

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Most SEO reports go unread.

Or, worse — they get skimmed, misunderstood, and ignored.

But knowing how to create an SEO report that demands attention can change everything.

It’s not just a performance recap.

It’s a strategic tool that helps you build trust with decision-makers. Win bigger budgets. And keep your SEO efforts on track.

In this article, you’ll learn how to:

• Create SEO reports that people actually read (and act on)
• Tie SEO performance to business goals
• Highlight wins and uncover growth opportunities

Free resource: Download our SEO Report Template. It has ready-made sections for tracking key metrics, visualizing performance, and presenting clear next steps.

What Is an SEO Report and Why Is It Important?

An SEO report is a tool for measuring performance and shaping strategy.

It tracks key metrics like traffic, rankings, and conversions.

Then, connects them to business outcomes, opportunities, and priorities.

A strong SEO report helps answer:

• What changed?
• Why did it happen?
• What should we do next?

For example, let’s say you run SEO for a workplace furniture ecommerce company.

You notice a spike in traffic and rankings for your category page on ergonomic office chairs.

Here’s how a useful SEO report would break that down:

It’s a clear, focused snapshot that distills the data into what improved, why it happened, and why it matters.

How to Create an SEO Report That Drives Results

Too many SEO reports dump data without insight.

Traffic, rankings, and top pages might look impressive — but they don’t tell the full story.

And without context, stakeholders are left guessing.

The best SEO reports connect the dots. They tie performance to business goals, spotlight what’s working, and make the next move obvious.

Here’s how to build one that actually drives results:

Step 1: Determine the Stakeholders

Before pulling data or building charts, get clear on who you’re reporting to.

Knowing your audience should shape your whole report, from the SEO stats you’re using to how you communicate them.

Ask yourself:

• Who will read this?
• What do they know about SEO?
• Who will be making the decisions?
• What decision do I want them to make?

And here’s one more that’s just as important:

Have I asked what metrics actually matter to them?

A quick conversation can surface priorities that no dashboard will show you.

From there, tailor the format, metrics, and language accordingly.

(This is where many SEO reports go sideways — too much data, not enough direction.)

Here’s a quick breakdown of how to match your audience to your data and format:

For example, if your primary audience is a CEO or CMO, you probably wouldn’t lead with details about unindexed pages or on-page engagement time.

Likewise, a report for a small business owner with zero SEO background shouldn’t be packed with complex metrics or jargon.

They need simple wins, clear summaries, and next steps they can act on.

Pro tip: When your SEO report serves multiple audiences, prioritize what matters most to decision-makers — like ROI, growth, and performance. Then, layer in tailored insights for other teams (product, content, dev, etc.) in separate sections or an appendix.

How to Report to Non-SEO Audiences

Working with clients who don’t speak SEO?

You can help them level up their knowledge by translating industry terms into easy-to-understand language.

Add simple explanations to your reports and introduce new concepts one at a time.

Here are three ways you can do this in your SEO reports:

1. Include key takeaways to clarify complex points.

2. Add links to educational resources on SEO concepts.

3. Add short videos with explanations of the client’s data or performance.

Step 2: Decide Which Metrics Matter Most

Start with the key SEO metrics every report needs, no matter the audience.

You can find the majority of your must-have metrics in SEO tools like Google Search Console (GSC) or Semrush.

Add-On SEO Report Metrics

Once you’ve covered the essentials, you can layer in additional metrics depending on your team’s strategy and goals.

Further reading: Curious about some of these add-on metrics? Check out our guides on bounce rate and dwell time.

Step 3: Turn Raw Data Into Actionable Insights

Raw data doesn’t drive decisions — clear stories do.

Knowing how to create an SEO report means turning numbers into narratives.

It needs to clearly tell a story around these questions.

• Is our SEO strategy working?
• What changed?
• Why did it change?
• What should we do next?

One of the best ways to tell the story is through time-based comparisons.

Show how SEO performance has changed month-over-month (MoM), quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), or year-over-year (YoY).

Highlighting changes over time makes it easier for stakeholders to spot trends. And understand why they matter.

For most SEO teams, the challenge isn’t collecting data. It’s translating it into context stakeholders care about.

Raw numbers might make sense if you’re inside the tools every day.

But executives and cross-functional teams need more than charts. They need meaning.

The best reports go beyond what changed. They explain why —and connect the dots to business impact.

Like this:

Translate percentages and numbers to what actually happened:

• What new pages were published?
• Did your development team ship technical fixes?
• How many backlinks were earned?
• Are algorithm changes or seasonal searches a factor?

Most importantly, link the SEO impact to business terms.

For example, let’s say your top product page jumped from position No. 9 to No. 3.

In the same month, inbound demo requests doubled.

That’s not just a ranking improvement. It’s a signal that higher visibility on the right terms is driving qualified traffic.

In this case, the takeaway isn’t just “rankings are up” — it’s that SEO is contributing directly to revenue growth.

Step 4: Showcase the Results

A great SEO report doesn’t overwhelm your reader — it guides them.

It frames wins. Flags issues. And makes the next move crystal clear.

Executive Summary

Start with a snapshot that shows where things stand.

The Executive Summary gives a high-level view of key metrics and overall performance trends.

So, stakeholders can get the big picture fast.

Keep it sharp and clear. Spotlight what’s working, what’s driving it, and where to go from here.

Performance Metrics

This section covers your core SEO performance data — like traffic, rankings, keywords, and backlinks.

Include context and key takeaways.

When showcasing trends, show the progress over time, not just one-off wins.

And use visuals as much as possible.

Charts, graphs, and annotated screenshots really can make your performance insights pop.

Next Steps

What needs to be tackled next?

Here’s your chance to include those thoughts for your stakeholders.

Include clear, actionable recommendations, like a fresh SEO audit or doubling down on high-performing content.

Appendix

This optional section includes deeper data for teams, stakeholders, and ongoing projects.

It helps keep the main report focused, while still delivering the context others may need.

Bonus move: Once your report is done, record a short walkthrough to present it. It’s a great way to highlight key takeaways, explain the big picture, and guide stakeholders through anything they might overlook.

Mistakes to Avoid in Your SEO Report

Even with the right data, your SEO report can still fall flat if it’s hard to interpret, misaligned with business goals, or missing a clear takeaway.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid — and how to fix them.

Reporting Data Without Context

Don’t just drop data into your report. Make it meaningful.

Show how it relates to business goals and your site’s overall SEO performance.

For every metric, briefly explain what it means, why it matters, and what action it might prompt your team or your client to take.

Surfacing Issues Without Providing Solutions

Reporting on every issue isn’t helpful unless it impacts your site’s SEO performance.

For example, say you note that a group of pages are experiencing index issues.

Include a hypothesis on why this is happening and how you might recommend fixing it.

Listing Every Keyword Ranking

A full list of keyword shifts (especially minor ones) can bury your most important wins.

Instead, spotlight high-impact keywords — non-branded terms driving traffic or tied to revenue pages.

Including Every. Single. Page.

Reporting on every page creates noise, not insight.

Focus on the top 10 pages for organic traffic, or spotlight the top page in each key topic cluster.

Ignoring Business Outcomes

Your report might show SEO progress. But, does it show business progress?

Tie your work to signups, revenue, pipeline, brand visibility — whatever matters to your decision-makers.

Telling, Not Showing

You shared the data. But did you explain the story?

Use visuals, comparisons (e.g., MoM or QoQ), and commentary to walk the reader through what changed, why, and what’s next.

Show the Impact. Earn the Buy-In.

SEO reporting isn’t just about checking a box.

It’s your opportunity to show impact, earn trust, and steer strategy.

Surface insights that get stakeholders aligned and excited about what’s possible.

Want to make it easier on yourself?

Download Backlinko’s free SEO report template to create reports that stand out and get results.

The post How to Create an SEO Report That Wins Trust (and Budgets) appeared first on Backlinko.

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Imagine if your website could rank for every single keyword related to your niche.

That’s the promise of programmatic SEO.

It’s how Tripadvisor creates “Things to Do in” pages for countless locations across the globe…

…and ranks for almost 100K keywords featuring the words “things to do in”:

But the reality is more nuanced. It’s not a magic trick that’ll instantly drive traffic.

And we’ve seen programmatic plays go wrong countless times (more on that below).

The real differentiator nowadays isn’t the ability to create thousands of pages. It’s whether those pages actually deserve to rank.

In this guide, I’ll show you when programmatic SEO works, when it doesn’t, and how you can build your own winning programmatic SEO strategy.

What Is Programmatic SEO?

Programmatic SEO, also referred to as pSEO, is the systematic creation of content at scale using templates and data to target thousands (sometimes millions) of related search queries. The goal is to drive traffic and revenue through these automatically generated pages.

Put another way:

You create landing pages at scale to rank in lots of search results.

In traditional content marketing, you create individual articles targeting specific keywords. With programmatic SEO, you automate page creation based on patterns in search behavior.

Each page uses the same template structure, layout, and core elements. The only things that change are the keywords you’re targeting.

You use automation to spin up hundreds or thousands of variations. Each one targets different long-tail keywords with relatively low competition.

The goal is to drive traffic, build authority, and generate revenue for your business — at a volume you couldn’t replicate manually.

4 Successful Programmatic SEO Examples

Use the programmatic SEO examples below to get inspired and understand how to spot patterns that make good candidates for programmatic campaigns.

Note: Some of these sites have millions of pages, and they often run across multiple different types of programmatic SEO efforts. As a result, the number of pages and traffic figures are estimates. But they should still give you a good idea of what is possible when pSEO works well.

1. Wise

Wise is a global financial platform that helps users send, spend, and receive money internationally.

You’ll see Wise as a common example of programmatic SEO in action, generally for their currency converter pages. But most discussions on the topic don’t properly convey the true scale of Wise’s pSEO play.

The total number of currency converter pages across Wise’s domain (including across different global subfolders like /gb/ and /us/) is a whopping 8.5 million.

Not tens of thousands. Millions of pages. That all look like this:

How do I know there are that many?

Because Wise’s main sitemap index contains 170 individual sitemaps for the currency converter pages alone (it starts at “sitemap-0”):

And each of those contains 50K individual URLs (except the last one, which has just under 47K):

All of which are indexable and canonicalized:

That includes the variants for specific currency amounts.

That’s right, Wise has created a bunch of pages for various currencies that are prefilled with common amounts of currency to convert. Like “2,000 Maldivian rufiyaas to New Zealand dollars.”

And they rank:

In fact, Wise ranks for tens of thousands of related keywords, including 36.5K that include the word “convert”:

Wise’s currency conversion pages demonstrate the difference between valuable programmatic content and thin content.

Each page (like USD to EUR) includes real-time rates, interactive calculators, historical charts, bank comparisons, and transactional capabilities. Not just basic templated text with a CTA.

Their pages solve real user problems rather than merely existing to capture keywords.

But that’s not the only way Wise uses programmatic SEO. They also use it for:

SWIFT codes for businesses (1.25 million pages):

Stock tickers (280K+ pages):

And they also have:

• Currency exchange pages (~8K)
• Account pages (~1K)
• “Send money” pages (~16K)
• IBAN pages (~10K)
• Comparison pages (~38K)
• Routing number pages (~45K)
• Various landing pages (~6K)

Overall, the Wise website has more than 10 million pages. Combined, they drive 100+ million visits every month.

Note: Want to see traffic metrics for other sites? Try our free website traffic checker tool.

This isn’t necessarily the most relatable example. It would require extensive resources to pull off this kind of automated page creation.

But it does show the sheer scalability and ranking power of programmatic SEO.

Why this works: Wise has massive amounts of proprietary data about currencies and other financial information. Each page also caters to a very specific user need that is globally relevant.

2. Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor uses programmatic SEO for its location pages.

Search for “things to do in [city]” and you’ll see how they’ve dominated this pattern.

For example, here’s the result for “things to do in Paris”:

And this is the result for “things to do in New York”:

Each page follows the same structure. But each one is populated with location-specific attractions, reviews, and booking options unique to that destination.

These pages collectively drive millions of organic traffic to Tripadvisor.

Bonus note: This is just counting the URLs on Tripadvisor’s .com domain. There are similar pages on its global domains too, like .co.uk.

Why does this work so well?

Because Tripadvisor is able to meet the pain points of users all over the world. Travellers are always looking for things to do in different locations.

And Tripadvisor can cater to this need with its vast array of data on landmarks, sights, and activities. Plus, they have proprietary user data (like reviews) that helps make every programmatically generated page unique and useful.

Why this works: Tripadvisor has an Authority Score of 100. Add to that the fact that its pages cover the global travel market and contain heaps of UGC (like reviews) and you have the ideal candidate for pSEO.

3. Zillow

Zillow uses programmatic SEO to generate thousands of hyper-local pages for every city, neighborhood, and property type to capture long-tail real estate search traffic.

The site transforms raw data (like home value estimates, price trend visualizations, school information, and walkability scores) into context-rich resources that both rank well and help users make important decisions.

And they have A LOT of listings.

I trawled through their sitemaps and found various groups of pages:

• Home values by location (173K pages)
• Miscellaneous listings (9K pages)
• School districts (146K pages)
• For sale by agent (1.6M pages)
• For sale by owner (26K pages)
• New construction (160K pages)
• Pending (1.5K pages)
• Recently sold (7.5M pages)
• For rent (1.2M pages)

Then there are other sitemaps covering buildings, apartments, off-market, other, and “for sale” suggesting tens of millions of pages.

But one sitemap index for off market homes contained 4999 sitemaps, each with seemingly around 23K URLs. This would suggest there are more than 100 million URLs in this category.

Either there is some overlap on the pages (which would be impossible to manually check for) or Zillow lists pretty much every single home in the US on its site.

Regardless, Zillow has millions of pages. And these rely on programmatic SEO.

The result?

243 million organic visits every month.

Why this works: Zillow has massive authority (Authority Score of 97). When you combine that with masses of proprietary data and a nationwide market, you have a brilliant use case for programmatic SEO.

4. Zapier

Zapier is an automation platform that connects different web apps and creates workflows based on these connections.

They generate detailed integration pages for every possible app combination to capture search intent around software integrations. With 590K+ pages, Zapier’s programmatic efforts are impressive.

The /apps/ subfolder that contains these integration pages drives more than 610K organic visits every month:

Each integration page (like “Connect Calendly to Slack”) offers specific use cases via templates…

…along with lists of supported triggers and actions:

Why this works: Zapier’s entire tool works around integrating different tools. So they have proprietary data they can lean on (the lists of templates and triggers) that nobody else can replicate. But the key part is that every one of these pages serves a very specific intent in a detailed way.

When pSEO Makes Sense (And When It Doesn’t)

Not every business can or should use programmatic SEO.

So before you spend resources building a system that cranks out thousands of pages, let’s be brutally honest about when this approach actually works.

Marketplace sites, aggregators, and directories are the perfect candidates for pSEO. Think Zillow (property listings), Tripadvisor (travel destinations), or Zapier (software integrations).

Why do these programmatic SEO sites work so well?

Because each piece of content changes enough to justify its own page. Plus, users genuinely need that specific information or functionality.

Key takeaway: If your data or functionality doesn’t meaningfully change between variations, strongly reconsider whether you should use programmatic SEO.

Simply changing “[City] plumbers” to target 500 locations while offering identical generic text isn’t programmatic SEO — it’s spam.

The Dangers of Programmatic SEO

Programmatic SEO can look a lot like spam if you just create a bunch of thin content.

But even if it doesn’t look like spam, if users have a different intent or there are better sources out there, you’ll struggle to rank.

We’ve seen programmatic efforts have negative consequences with the likes of G2 and ZoomInfo.

ZoomInfo’s databases of companies and people still drive significant traffic:

But nowhere near as much as they used to:

The same goes for G2.

The product review and comparison site used to drive almost 12 million monthly visits back in 2021. But now it gets less than 1 million:

Both sites saw major drops in traffic on at least two occasions:

• Between May-August of 2021, coinciding with several major Google updates (including for spam specifically)
• In October 2023, again coinciding with major Google updates, and again with one for spam specifically

There are other factors at play too, like the prevalence of AI Overviews in search results, Reddit’s SERP dominance, and more authoritative competition.

But these are two examples of programmatic SEO working very well — until it doesn’t.

How to Know if Programmatic SEO Is Right for You

Before you invest in programmatic SEO, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you have lots of proprietary data, user-generated content, or structured information at your disposal?
• Does your site already have rankings and authority?
• Will your hypothetical pages each provide real value individually?
• Would you be proud to show each individual page to any user?

You should be able to answer “yes” to all of these questions. If not, rethink whether programmatic SEO is worth your investment.

How to Build Your Programmatic SEO Strategy in 5 Steps

Step 1: Find Scalable Keywords

The foundation of programmatic SEO isn’t finding high-volume keywords. It’s about identifying patterns that you can target systematically.

What Good Programmatic SEO Keywords Look Like

You’re looking for search queries that follow consistent formats but change one or two variables.

Like these examples:

• [product] vs [competitor]
• best restaurants in [city]
• convert [currency] to [currency]
• [language] to [language] translation
• average salary for [profession]
• cheap flights from [location] to [location]

The key is evaluating whether the underlying search intent stays consistent across variations.

For example, let’s take a closer look at Wise’s currency converter pages:

Someone searching “USD to EUR” wants the same core information as someone searching “GBP to JPY.” They just want to convert different currencies.

But these pages aren’t just glorified calculators. They also feature historic conversion charts:

Tables of the highs, lows, averages, and changes:

And a comparison of Wise’s own rates versus competitors:

This is why they dominate these searches: they’re solving the specific problem searchers have with each currency pair. It’s the same intent but with different variables — the right mix for programmatic SEO.

How to Find Your Own pSEO Keywords

Good programmatic SEO keywords consist of two key parts:

• Head term: The consistent part that appears in all variations (e.g., “Resume templates”)
• Modifier: The variable element that changes with each page (e.g., job titles like “product managers” or “systems engineers”)

You can use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find keywords like this.

For example, imagine we’re looking to create programmatic content around the head term “SEO tools”:

We’d look for patterns where only one variable changes across multiple keywords.

For example, patterns like “best seo tools for [business type]”:

Once you’ve identified a potential pattern, you’ll need a variety of modifiers to create your programmatic pages.

The right modifiers expand your keyword targeting exponentially, while maintaining consistent search intent.

Here are some keyword modifiers that work across multiple niches:

• Geographic modifiers: “in [city]”, “near [location]”, “for [country]”
• Comparison modifiers: “vs [competitor]”, “alternative to [product]”, “[product] or [product]”
• Attribute modifiers: “best [product] for [use case]”, “[color] [product]”, “[size] [product]”
• Professional modifiers: “for [profession]”, “[skill] for [industry]”, “[tool] for [job]”
• Format modifiers: “[topic] template”, “[topic] calculator”, “[topic] checklist”
• Question modifiers: “how to [verb] [topic]”, “can [subject] [verb]”, “why does [topic] [verb]”
• Statistical modifiers: “average [metric] for [category]”, “[topic] statistics [year]”

Pro tip: Use the asterisk (*) search operator in Google to find even more variations (like “seo tools for *”).

Set the Keyword Difficulty to “(KD) < 30” and use the “Include” filter to narrow down to specific patterns (e.g., include “for” to find “seo tools for [industry]”).

Finally, sort by volume to prioritize higher-traffic opportunities.

Next, check the SERPs for several variations of your pattern and to confirm similar content types appear across variations.

This is an important step. Let’s say you were planning to programmatically create pages that list the top SEO tools for different business types.

Your plan was to create pages that contained a simple list with basic facts and stats about each tool, along with some features and pricing info. You have a database with all this information, and you plug in an AI tool’s API to help create unique content for each page.

But then you check the SERP for some common terms and realize that Google seems to be rewarding more detailed lists.

Lists that feature:

• In-depth tool info
• Expert takes and opinions
• Screenshots that show the writer has used the tool

Do you think your programmatic content will rank alongside these guides?

Probably not.

That’s why checking the SERP and evaluating the search intent is so important.

But once you do have a list of ideal keywords to target, you can export it and group by modifier types (locations, products, features). This organized data will feed directly into your template planning.

Step 2: Collect and Structure Data

Every successful programmatic SEO project thrives because of its data.

Without unique, valuable information, you’re just going to create thin pages Google will eventually demote.

You have three main options for data acquisition:

1. Proprietary data: Information you own or generate that competitors can’t access is the gold standard. Think Zapier’s integration data or Tripadvisor’s reviews. If you have proprietary data, your programmatic SEO has built-in defensibility.
2. Public data with added value: You can transform, combine, or present data from public sources in uniquely valuable ways (like from government databases or APIs). Because anyone else can access this data, how you present it is absolutely key.
3. Scraped data: This is the riskiest option. If you go this route, focus on adding significant value through analysis, visualization, or aggregation. Remember: scraping should be a starting point, not your end product.

If you’re struggling to find data, here are some free datasets for programmatic SEO across different niches (including stocks, salary data, social media, books, and more).

Just remember that anyone can find these data sets. So it’s best to use them for inspiration rather than hinging your pSEO campaign on them.

Step 3: Create Quality Content Templates

Templates are the engine of programmatic SEO. But they’re also where most projects go wrong. It’s easy to generate 100,000 pages. It’s hard to make them genuinely useful.

Start by manually creating 3-5 examples of your target pages. These are your test runs. Use them to validate that your data, structure, and content actually helps users.

Once you’re happy, build your template with the following:

• 500–1,000+ words of helpful content: Use headings, bullet points, and other visual breaks to improve clarity
• Conditional content logic: Use if/then rules to tailor each page’s copy, examples, recommendations, or CTAs to match the specific data or topic
• Rich elements like HTML tables, charts, or maps: Visualize your data to make your page interactive and genuinely informative
• Internal links: Guide users to related pages, deeper resources, or next steps

Step 4: Technical Setup (Based on Skill Level)

You don’t need to be a developer to launch a programmatic SEO site. But you will need to choose your approach based on your technical comfort and scale requirements.

Here are a few examples of what your setup might look like depending on your skill level:

Pro tip: Roll out your programmatic SEO efforts in stages. Don’t push 100K URLs live overnight.

Step 5: Monitor and Improve Your SEO

Like any SEO strategy, programmatic SEO is an ongoing effort. Because you might have hundreds or thousands of pages to manage, staying on top of performance and technical issues is key.

Here are some important things to track, and the best tool(s) to use:

• Indexation rate: What percentage of your pages are in Google’s index? (Google Search Console)
• Crawl stats: How frequently is Google visiting your pages? (Google Search Console)
• Traffic distribution: Are certain variations performing better than others? (Google Analytics)
• Conversion patterns: Which page types drive valuable actions? (Google Analytics)
• Page-level metrics: What do your loading speeds, bounce rates, and time on page metrics look like? (PageSpeed Insights, Google Analytics)
• Cannibalization issues: Are your programmatic pages competing with each other? (Google Search Console, Semrush Position Tracking)

Is Programmatic SEO Really the Way to Go?

It’s hopefully clear by now that programmatic SEO can yield some pretty impressive results.

But it should also be clear that it’s not the right choice for everyone.

Unless you have:

• Existing authority
• Plenty of resources
• Unique data

It’s probably not the right approach for your website (at least not yet).

For now, I recommend focusing on growing your site with quality, not quantity. For more on this, check out our guide to creating high-quality SEO content.

The post Programmatic SEO: What It Is and When to Use It (+ Examples) appeared first on Backlinko.

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

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

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

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

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

Take this example from the Backlinko blog: rain

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

Position: 4th in search results

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

Position: 1st in search results and the featured snippet

Same topic, same content. Wildly different result.

But, why did that second title tag work better?

And how can you get the same results?

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

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

Free resources + AI Prompt

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

• Title Tag Checklist: Optimize your titles step-by-step
• Title Tag Formulas: 50+ proven frameworks for high-CTR titles

Prompt:

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

What Is a Title Tag?

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

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

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

• As the blue hyperlink in search engine results
  

  

• As the text on a browser tab m
  

  

• In some social media previews of your web content
  

  

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

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

Why Title Tags Matter

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

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

Our research backs that up.

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

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

But simply ranking isn’t enough.

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

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

And that click really matters.

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

The result in position 10? Just 2.4%.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Title Tags vs H1 Tags

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

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

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

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

That’s the H1 tag.

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

Different, but clearly covering the same information.

Write Better Title Tags With the 3C Framework

Your title tag has one job: get more clicks.

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

Clear

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

Bad:

“Solutions That Work for the Modern Business”

What does that even mean?

Better:

“CRM Software for Small Businesses | Free Trial Available”

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

Clickable

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

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

Bad:

“Marketing Strategy Guide”

It’s fine, but a bit blah.

Better:

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

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

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

Contextual

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

But tread carefully. No stuffing allowed.

Bad:

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

Likely to get rewritten. Also just annoying for readers.

Better:

“Email Marketing Guide for Beginners (2025 Edition)”

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

Want to try it out yourself?

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

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

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

Approach this step-by-step:

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

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

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

Adhere to these guidelines:

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

Keyword is: [INSERT YOUR KEYWORD HERE]

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

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

Not bad for a few seconds of work, right?

Optimize Your Title Tags for Search Engines

You need titles that both Google and humans love.

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

1. Match Your Title to What People Are Searching for

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

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

Here’s how to do it:

Google Your Keyword

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

Look for Patterns

Are most of the results lists?

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

Do they include the current year?

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

Are the pages explaining a concept?

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

Do you see a lot of tutorials?

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

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

2. Keep It Short

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And on mobile, titles often get truncated even earlier.

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

Want to check your title before hitting publish?

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

3. Use Keywords First

This helps in two ways:

• Google tends to focus on words at the front of the sentence
• Readers (usually) read from left to right, so the keywords will stand out to them

One exception here:

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

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

It gives readers a clear idea of what to expect.

4. Give Each Page a Unique Title Tag

Google doesn’t like duplicate or boilerplate titles:

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Match the Title to the Content

Simple, but important.

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

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

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

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

Also, remember to be specific, not vague.

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

6. Vary Your Title and H1 Tags

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

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

For example:

vs.

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

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

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

Compare Good vs. Bad Title Tags (Across Industries)

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

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

SaaS

Keyword: “project management for small businesses”

The first result we get is from Zapier:

Why it works:

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

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

Why it doesn’t work:

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

Ecommerce

Keyword: “buy leather backpack”

Here’s the first result:

Why it works:

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

And here’s one from page 10:

Why it doesn’t work:

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

Local Business

Keyword: “coffee shops in Austin”

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

Why it works:

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

And here’s one from page 10:

Why it doesn’t work:

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

Landing Page

Keyword: “seo strategy template”

Why it works:

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

Google breaking its own rules here:

Why it doesn’t work:

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

How to Analyze and Improve Your Title Tags

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

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

Check Your Current Title Tags

Audit your existing title tags to spot issues like:

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

A few tools you can use:

Google Search Console

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

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

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

Click on the “Pages” tab.

This shows performance data for individual pages on your site.

Look for pages with high impressions but low clicks.

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

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

Semrush On Page SEO Checker

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

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

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

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

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

Semrush Site Audit

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

Set up the Site Audit from your Project dashboard.

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

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

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

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the Right Metrics

Here are the numbers to keep track of:

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

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

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

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

Steal These Winning Title Tag Formulas

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

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

List or Number Formula

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

  

The Keyword-Colon Formula

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

  

The Keyword-Question Formula

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

  

Need More Ideas?

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

The result?

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

Download our file of 50+ title tag formulas.

Time to Fix Those Title Tags

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

So, don’t let it go to waste.

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

Want to keep leveling up?

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

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

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