10 SEO Techniques to Boost Organic Traffic and Rankings

‍Nothing boosts organic traffic on a web page like organic search. It’s the number one means or the silver bullet, if you will. Whether you are running a very niche blog or trying to build an online business empire, the truth is that you’re not going to go far without SEO. Any attempt to do so will cost you a lot.

‍It impacts who gets to know about you, the kind of relationship you build with new visitors, and everything in between. SEO is basically the foundation for almost all online activity. Get it right and you’ll get so much traffic on your site. Get it wrong, and your site might as well become a forgotten house in some backwater place that no one goes to.

‍Still, even though most people agree that SEO works, not everyone has been able to get the same results from it. How do you know if you are making the most of it? In this post, we will answer that question and look at some of the effective SEO techniques and how you can use them to grow your traffic.

‍Source: Reddit

‍This is not an uncommon question at all. Even though the latest SEO techniques are practically the holy grail of effectively getting your search rankings to the top, they still come with a strict warning label.

‍Much like taking the wrong dosage of the right medication can do some serious damage, bad SEO can harm your search rankings and make you almost invisible. But there’s more – even seemingly common errors can really do a number on your conversion rates:

• Bad or low-quality content can make you lose customers and reduce your organic traffic.
• Too many keywords in your content can attract the wrong attention from Google algorithms.
• Spammy backlinks can make Google penalize your site.
• Too many ads can increase your bounce rate.

‍All of these are pretty much going to make it hard for even those few people who do land on your site somehow to engage with your content. Sometimes though, you can get all that right but struggle in other areas, for example, poor loading speed, weird internal structure, or navigational issues. Even the search bots will have a tough time crawling through the site.

‍Other times, you may be using the wrong approach for a specific issue. Even having inaccurate data can throw your results off, as it means your efforts and time will be wasted in the wrong direction. Then again, it can happen that you may lack the knowledge, the right tool, or enough budget to take on a data-driven SEO method or strategy. The good news is that once you manage to figure out what the issue is, it becomes easier to fix the problem.

‍Source: @Nick_zv_ on X

‍There are several SEO practices out there, each with its own degree of success and challenges. Still, only one of them has the reputation of being too much of a hassle, and that would be link building. 65% of marketers voted for it as the hardest SEO practice to complete. That’s why many simply choose to outsource it altogether.

‍But before you cross it off your list of strategies to use this year, keep in mind that it works so well that people invest a lot of money into it and still use it despite the hassles. Frankly, it is one of the best ways to increase your traffic. How so?

• Backlinks bring your brands to the notice of new niche audiences with similar interests as yours.
• They “tell” search engines that people actually trust what you have to say.
• They serve like virtual recommendations and social proof that people trust your brand so much that they link to it.

‍The top-ranking pages in Google are those with an average of 3.8x more backlinks than the rest. Luckily, there’s a lot of room to explore when it comes to link building, so it’s always possible to find at least one or two tactics that work for you. This could be anything from guest blogging to using a link insertion service or directory to gain those links (more on that later).

‍Source: @neilpatel on X

‍Clearly, SEO works. But despite how effective SEO techniques are, there is so much confusion these days about what actually works. So, here are some of the best tactics you can try out right away, getting incredible results (at least eventually):

#1 Creating Evergreen Content

‍Source: @BrianEDean on X

‍Some content lasts about as long as fresh milk, but some are kind of like diamonds and remain relevant for a pretty long time. Evergreen content is just like that – no matter how long ago it was posted, people keep going back to it for answers. Why? Because it gives solid advice, offers solutions, and broadens the audience’s knowledge. Simply put, it offers value.

‍With posts like this, the longer it is live, the more value it brings, which means higher search rankings for your site. But that’s not all. Besides consistent long-term ROI, it also attracts tons of backlinks thanks to its shareability. So, creating one is a really effective SEO technique for boosting your organic traffic.

‍What format does one of these take? It could be a how-to guide, a case study, a resource library, an FAQ, or any format you prefer. After choosing your format, you will need to:

• Find a niche-related topic that people will be interested in years from now.
• Do thorough keyword research and note the search intent to know exactly how to map your content to draw in your target audience.
• Craft the original content in your preferred format, making sure that it is well-optimized, easy to read, and shows expertise.
• Throw in clear CTAs.
• Add several links to other pages on your site and even a few external links (these have to be trustworthy and authoritative).
• Manage the tricky content distribution part, which involves publishing it and promoting it everywhere, including on your SM channels, newsletters, etc.

#2 Using Long-Tail Keywords With Lower Keyword Difficulty (But Average Search Volume)

‍Keywords are one of the backbone of a well-optimized SEO content strategy. And honestly, SEO could hardly exist without them. But finding the right keywords to drive your organic traffic to the top can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack – difficult, at the very least. Over 94% of keywords get ten monthly searches, and sometimes, even less than that.

‍On the flip side of that equation, less than 1% (0.0008%) of keywords get 100,000 monthly searches. So, clearly, different keywords do not carry the same weight in improving your search rankings. Again, the higher the search volume of a keyword, the tougher it will be for you to rank for it (generally speaking). Instead, you want to aim for long-tail keywords, those with lower keyword difficulty but average search volume.

‍It would be easier to rank for the keyword “free museums to see in Paris during winter” than trying to rank for the keyword “museums in Paris.” Long-tail keywords are more specific, so they are also less competitive and probably have a lower search volume compared to the latter. Use enough of them and you will be able to attract quite the traffic to your website.

‍But again, any of these tactics should be combined with others. So, create a healthy mix of different target keywords with different search volumes and difficulty.

#3 Monitoring Brand Mentions to Get Links

‍Another common effective technique of SEO or strategy is to monitor brand mentions from social media or web pages. There are many media monitoring tools that can do this easily. Your goal is to see which of them mentioned you in their posts but did not link to any of your web pages.

‍Then, you can reach out to them and ask them to add a link to the brand mentions. Most of them will happily accept this offer. In return, the links you have will send signals to the search algorithm that your website is a credible and authoritative page that others reference. As a result, you should be able to see your search rankings go up.

‍Of course, not every page will link to you. But it’s worth trying anyway. And if you get ignored at some point, don’t get upset – it is a normal thing all of us face.

#4 Choosing the Best Quality Images and Optimizing Them

‍Images are vital for SEO, especially when you know exactly how to optimize them and leverage them for better online visibility. Think about it: how many times have you landed on a really cool image that made you click on a link to see what else the website has? Exactly. Now, to get the same results, you just have to:

• Choose the best quality images that add context or more meaning to your content. Of course, the best solution is to create your own visual (maybe even an infographic).
• Choose a file name and alt text that are descriptive and clearly capture what is shown in the pictures.
• Compress the image so that it doesn’t affect your page loading speed.
• Include an image’s structured data so that it shows up in search results.

‍These few steps can double your organic traffic and improve your SEO techniques even more. Don’t forget to check the images from time to time to ensure that there are no broken image links or other issues.

#5 Mimicking What the Best Trending Pages in Your Niche Are Doing

‍It’s not easy generating content ideas, so some people just copy from others. Now, we know that imitation is the best form of flattery, but you don’t want to become a clone of these other brands. Instead, you want to do a more strategic form of imitation. In this case, you are learning from others and then adding your own spin to beat them at their own game.

‍Think of it like a dance battle where you watch your opponents’ moves, use the same steps, and throw a couple of acrobat surprise steps of your own that make the crowd go wild. Except, instead of dance steps, you are checking their page for the best content with the most traffic and engagements (comments, shares, likes, etc.).

‍You want to study the style and find out why people love it so much. Could it be the format? The length? The tone or style? Whatever the answer is, you need to do the same thing on your own web page. You can improve upon the topic or create something similar to it.

‍Sometimes, all you need to do is approach the same topic from a fresh perspective. But whatever you do, make sure you are doing it better than them. Also, it’s best not to single out one or two websites for this.

‍Pro tip: combine the best of all competitors to build a pretty banging post of your own. This gives you a more rounded picture of what people in your industry like, and you will probably learn a thing or two from the top brands to improve your own SEO strategy.

#6 Fixing Your Internal Links

‍It’s easy to overlook just how vital your internal links are. But the truth is that no how-to post on techniques that improve search rankings is complete without touching on the importance of internal links.

‍These links are not just there for navigational purposes or for driving traffic from one page to another on your website. They also do the important work of helping search engines understand your site structure.

‍According to the study by Zyppy, the more internal links you have, the more Google traffic your page tends to get. Still, for these links to do you any good, you have to use a good range of diverse anchor texts that look natural.

‍Remember that too much of a good thing can be bad, so don’t use too many internal links. In fact, the same study shows that doing so can actually cause the traffic to slow down or stall completely, which can be a major bummer.

#7 Diversifying Your Backlink Profile With an Ethical SEO Technique

‍One more thing about backlinks – one of the easiest ways to tank your search rankings and organic traffic is by introducing several toxic backlinks to your web page. This can make Google take your website off search results completely, which will be a big blow to your visibility. So, the best things to do are the following:

• Constantly be aware of the latest policies and guidelines on acceptable link building practices. Next, you want to try different tactics to attract quality backlinks from relevant websites with good engagements and traffic, i.e., guest blogging, press releases, broken link building, and so on. Plus, there may be occasional paid links. But ensure you learn how to get paid backlinks before taking this move.
• Make sure to use diverse anchors, i.e., different phrases and keywords (sometimes branded anchors), to link to your site so you don’t look spammy to the search engine.
• Get more dofollow links with a little sprinkle of nofollow links for a more natural backlink profile.
• Also, it’s best not to focus only on high-DA sites. 90 DA is great, but a 30 here and there won’t kill your site. A natural backlink profile will reflect more DA diversity.

#8 Creating Shareable Content

‍Source: @creamod_co on X

‍Content is still the glue that holds so many techniques of SEO together. And shareable content is exactly as the name implies – a type of post that people can’t help but pass on to their family and friends. Imagine your content going viral and lots of people sharing it. Even if only half of those who got the link decide to click on it, you’ll still be seeing a big difference in your traffic rate.

‍So, what exactly passes as shareable content? Easy, you need to make cool stuff:

• Visual content like memes, gifs, short videos, infographics
• Listicles and how-to guides
• Interactive content like online quizzes, polls, surveys, contests, etc.

‍Okay, now, what topic should you choose? You have to look at what’s trending and find inspiration from there. Make sure it aligns with what people need because no one will share something that is not useful. Keep it short, fun, and attractive. Even a funny meme is useful and can still pass on important information (apart from being a breath of fresh air in the world of serious copy). Speaking of which, here is a bit of fresh air for you, dear reader.

#9 Leveraging Social Media

‍Social media is a powerful tool for increasing awareness about your brand and growing your audience reach. Surprise-surprise! Of course, it might be easier or harder, depending on the platform. But the truth is that if you are active and have a fun personality, it is actually easy to gain lots of followers.

‍Remember that cool, shareable content you just made? Your SM pages are the best place for it. After you post, don’t be shy to engage. Respond to comments, both negative and positive. Keep a good sense of humor and be ready to take a joke or two in good faith.

‍Don’t forget those clear CTAs that direct people to your site. The more personality you show on social media, the easier it is to make people want to check out what else you share. Thus, they will be willing to engage with you on other platforms, including your website.

#10 Peeking at Your Competitors’ Content and Ranking Keywords

‍Source: Semrush

‍Yes, you will be playing the spy once again with the same competitors. Stay with us; this is going to be worth your time. This time, you will be doing something a little different from what you did before.

‍So, instead of looking at the top content format, focus now on finding the keywords that are ranking most and that might not even cross your radar. This is your chance to fix that.

‍Using good SEO software, like the keyword gap tool in Semrush, will give you a solid list of missing keywords and other details like search intent, search volume, etc., in seconds. Do this with as many brands as possible that are ouranking you in search engine result pages.

‍You want to use those keywords to create your own updated version of their content to attract some of that traffic to your own site. Want to do even more to outrank them? Comb through their backlink profiles to find sites linking to them, reach out, and offer them better content to replace those old links. Sounds a little diabolical? Maybe, but it’s an acceptable link building practice.

‍Plus, you don’t really have to ask to replace their link. Just try to guest post for them. Maybe they could offer you a link insertion. Anyway, there are plenty of opportunities for those who search.

‍Even with the best SEO techniques under your belt, it takes some time to see the kind of results you will want to celebrate. Don’t get discouraged right off the bat. See if there are some tricks you can add to your strategy to get faster results. At the end of the day, SEO is really a great test of character and perseverance, and those who give up too easily lose out on some of the most organic, easy ways to grow their brand presence. Don’t let that be you.