Essential SEO strategies to improve search rankings in 2024

The boom in the use of AI shows no sign of slowing down and the technology is now becoming an important element in speeding up the work of marketing - read more about that in our case study, where we show how, among other things, content generated by AI improved the visibility of the MT Collection website.

Tools based on AI technology, which is to say, on the achievements of data science, are slowly gaining the capability of creating SEO content that meets the intentions of users or a specific target group. These tools are extremely fast at extracting the necessary information from a data set or data provided as a prompt. However, when it comes to interpreting the data, the human factor is as essential as ever. 

The development of AI technology for SEO will certainly accelerate the process of creating content that increases traffic on a website. Searching for keywords and improving JavaScript code has never been easier. At the same time, it is crucial to remember that excessive use of AI in designing content can have a negative impact on the user experience (UX), since users themselves will often sense whether a text was written by a human or by a machine.

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is an AI-based search model. Its goal is to provide answers to users’ queries immediately and directly in the search results. The tool improves users’ interaction with the search engine by providing short but accurate answers, along with visual support for presenting data. Content is evaluated for both its relevance and its compliance with AI-generated snippets. Achieving ‘position zero’, often considered the primary goal of SEO, is difficult, but not impossible.

Organic traffic to a site can be negatively impacted by SGE’s fast, AI-generated answers displayed directly on search engine results pages (SERPs). On the other hand, it can lead to higher conversion rates, as these AI-enriched snippets provide valuable information with no need for an additional click or search.

It is important to note that not all searches support this feature at the moment. SGE is currently only available when Google Search Labs is enabled in certain parts of the USA.

In an era characterised by the massive proliferation of AI-generated content, standing out to your target audience requires both a unique approach and the human touch. Despite the advent of AI and heated discussions about the death of copywriting, the demand for experienced writers with the skill sets and talent to deliver competent and engaging content continues to grow. AI should be seen as a tool you can provide to support your writers in the content creation process. Think of it as a foundation that needs enriching by way of human expertise and never consider AI-generated content to be a replacement for the human process of creating content material.

To optimise SGE effectively, it is vital to be consistent in producing high-quality content while also building strong links and focusing on providing genuine value that resonates with your audience. Specialised, expert-driven content of this kind does more than stand out in contrast to machine-generated material. It also enhances user engagement and the user experience.

Leveraging human expertise and machine intelligence can give your business an edge when advances in AI are skilfully combined with manual content collection and creation. Achieving a high position in SEO rankings in 2024 requires:

• conducting deep research on audiences and topics;
• using such software as Keyword Magic Tool from Semrush or Moz Keyword Explorer from Moz. These tools help you discover niche and common user queries;
• ongoing SEO analysis and content changes as search engine algorithms change.

In the dynamic world of digital marketing, websites need regular monitoring and improvement and it is crucial not to let your SEO strategies stagnate. SEO tools can help you here, not only with tracking your keyword rankings, but also with setting up alerts for changes in your rankings, assisting you as you keep your SEO strategy on track.

When you develop an SEO strategy, it is worth tracking reputable digital marketing forums. They offer an opportunity to exchange thoughts, ideas and specific methods based on experience and research. Joining groups of this kind can be helpful when you are strategising in the constantly changing field of search engine optimisation.

When it comes to checking quality, the main E-E-A-T criteria that constitute good practice are experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. This underlines the fact that the role of experts is an invaluable one. Content grounded in research and created by experts is generally comprehensive and more accurate. This, in turn, raises its position in search results. The use of SEO and AI tools helps to enrich content like this by way of elements like brand anchor text or brand mention frequency. They bring important indicators of the site’s trust and authority level into play and comply with Google’s E-E-A-T standards.

Creating high-authority content requires the consistent use of specific approaches and techniques, including:

• incorporating author biographies and captions or linking to profiles on social media profiles like LinkedIn in articles;
• interviewing experts on the topic being addressed or inviting them to be guest writers;
• incorporating expert opinions via quotes, links and references.

When creating digital content, these strategies can be an effective way of both showcasing the author’s expertise and confirming the quality of the subject-specific knowledge being shared.

When it comes to building trust and credibility through content, turning to authors who are recognised experts on a given subject hugely beneficial. To strengthen this trust, it is essential to provide biographical information that highlights their qualifications and previous experience, along with links to related social media accounts. The value of having a respected figure associated with your content can boost your site’s rankings and its traffic.

Content authors should be carefully selected. They can be in-house or external experts. If there is no one in-house to write expert content, it is worth requesting skilled editorial revision of work by authors from outside your organisation. This will establish and maintain the cohesiveness and consistency that support your business objectives and help to build your brand.

Crediting everyone who contributes to content as either its creator or editor is another important aspect of both maintaining the integrity of new or updated content and reinforcing the company's authority.

Creating content that is authentic and based on real user or customer experiences can capture searchers’ interest and increase visibility in Google search results. This kind of content, offering first-hand knowledge or in-depth research, implements the principle of documenting, not creating, which is more effective than creating content based on fiction. To produce distinctive material, you should therefore focus on providing real data, stories and observations because they enhance authenticity.

How is helpful and valuable content created? First if all, it should both address a specific problem that searchers, clients, customers and users struggle with and propose practical solutions. When defining pain points, it is worth basing the content on statistical data or data obtained from client or customer interviews. Solutions, on the other hand, should be based on data provided by a sales team or UX researchers, for example. In this context, search intent analysis tools will enable you to combine data with what is being searched for in search engines. This combination can certainly boost SEO.

In this era of AI and zero-click searches, it is essential to create content that answers search queries directly in clear, simple language that reflects the spirit of UX writing. This not only complies with Google’s standards and new algorithm, but also strengthens SEO and user trust. Referring to trusted and expert sources increases a website’s credibility and its competitive advantage in Google SGE.

To achieve a high position in the rankings, it is also worth giving attention to the organisation of the content structure, in other words, the content model. Using headings and sub-headings, lists, paragraphing and tables is both good SEO practice and very helpful to potential readers.

Zero-click searches, where there is no need for a user to click on any of the displayed results, are becoming increasingly prevalent. The trend is being driven by the rise of AI-powered search experiences like Google’s SGE, which provide answers to users’ search queries immediately and directly in the search results. With a shift in user search intent towards transactional and commercial queries, content needs to be aligned to these intents if its relevance in search results is to be maintained.

It is interesting to note that voice search is a significant factor in no-click searches. The reason for this is that this type of search often attracts the top Google results.

One way of improving your visibility in zero-click searches is for your content to be a featured snippet. For this to happen, you need to focus on specific keywords, conduct competitive analyses and strive to rank among the top search results.

Featured snippets can be represented by:

• a snippet paragraph, where the customer gets an encyclopaedic summary of the content it is linked to. Snippet paragraphs can also be provided with an image relevant to the content;
• bullet points. This is a very common way of presenting recipes or instructions;
• a video component. Usually, snippets like this appear if the video involves presenting ‘how to’ instructions. The video material is accompanied by text containing the search phrase;
• structured data tables. In  terms of UX, presenting data in tables is a better method than presenting them in continuous text. Whenever possible, it is worth setting data out so that the user can easily compare and interpret them.

These kinds of technical improvements to content, including using appropriate schema markup, provide concise answers to user questions and they are vital to increasing the chances of securing a highlighted fragment in search results. Moreover, the method has a positive impact on the user’s experience, enabling a potential client to check at once whether the page will meet their needs.

Matching your content to the intent behind searches is a key part of achieving high rankings. It is also a key aspect of improving the user experience. Why? Because nothing is more frustrating than not getting an answer to a problem. At the same time, optimising your content by using natural-sounding phrases is just as crucial. Creating content that provides direct and relevant answers and meets search preferences, including voice searches, is essential to maintaining visibility.

User experience is a factor that cannot be ignored In the pursuit of higher SERP rankings. Core Web Vitals are a set of specific UX optimisation metrics introduced by Google. These metrics measure aspects such as the loading speed, interactivity and visual stability of web pages.

In March 2024, Google added a new metric, Interaction to Next Paint (INP), which replaced First Input Delay (FID). It is a well-known fact that a fast-loading website is a significant factor in keeping users engaged and reducing bounce rates. Sites that take more than two seconds to load risk losing 60% of their visitors.

With its engaging and interactive nature, video content is being given steadily increasing attention in marketing strategies. Video materials are influencing how SEO or marketing teams approach their search engine visibility strategies. Offering easier and more enjoyable information delivery, video content not only prioritises user experience, but also leads to higher engagement rates and is more dynamic in terms of forging relationships with the audience.

Optimising video content should involve:

• ensuring that the metadata is accessible;
• adding closed captions;
• using the relevant tags;
• facilitate better search engine indexation.

Studies have shown that 95% of marketers have reported that video content elevated brand awareness. The vast majority have also indicated improved lead generation and sales.

Before conducting keyword research, it is essential to determine the terms and phrases that your target users may employ when using a search engine. The process of identifying target keywords can be carried out through a variety of methods, including:

• examining consumer data;
• undertaking interviews;
• implementing surveys;
• participating in online forums.

By strategically implementing these methods in your keyword acquisition, you can improve your SEO by incorporating keywords into your video title, description and tags.

To increase your video’s visibility, it is crucial to optimise the metadata associated with your content. In other words, the titles, descriptions, file names, tags and transcripts. Again, turning to tools for detecting keywords that will improve your content’s SEO is certainly worthwhile. Building up the title, description and chapters of your video with keywords extends your visibility to a wider audience.

Upping your content game with high-quality images and videos can also lead to higher engagement rates. This multimedia enhancement also has the potential to increase the visibility of your content in featured snippets.

Remaining competitive and relevant within the ever-evolving digital environment means that updating and refreshing your content frequently is a must. When you do this, your site demonstrates ongoing activity to Google and shows that it consistently delivers value. This can lead to improved rankings on search engine results pages. With the swift pace that online content cycles progress at and their rapidly diminishing lifespan, regular updates are indispensable to sustaining both relevancy and search position

Securing a reputation as an authoritative source on a particular subject requires in-depth exploration of the topic in question. In 2024, building this kind of topical authority means developing clusters of related topics around central pillar pages accompanied by associated cluster content. This strategy ensures thorough coverage across all the aspects of the topic in hand.

Transforming existing content into different formats and for social media channels can increase the visibility of a site or product and shape it for different users. For example, adapting existing content into segments that provide a recipe or instruction creates a direct response to ‘how to’ search queries. Regularly updating and reusing content can keep your rankings high on SERPs.

What does the future of search engine optimisation hold? A move towards a more user-centric structure, ethical standards and advanced technical capabilities are anticipated. Future SEO trends will most likely be found in predictive analytics and data science in general, enabling companies to predict customer behaviour and adapt offers to individual preferences.

SEO in 2024 is being shaped by factors such as the incorporation of AI into content strategy, zero-click search as a means of gaining relevance, a strong focus on E-E-A-T and video content, prioritising user experience and the need for regular content updates.

Predictive analytics and adapting websites to users’ experiences through personalisation will also be important trends that improve SEO rankings by shaping strategies to an ever-changing cyberspace. All of these factors underpin one goal: boosting the presence of a website in search engines and enhancing its appeal in terms of user experience.

What is Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE)?

Google’s SGE is designed to deliver instant answers directly in search results to user queries, providing quick and effective access to information. It achieves this using artificial intelligence technology.

What is E-E-A-T?

Google uses the E-E-A-T model to evaluate the quality of content. E-E-A-T is an abbreviation of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.

What are zero-click searches?

When a user's query is resolved directly in the search results, without leading to a click on any of the results displayed, it is called a no-click or zero-click search. This happens very often at present during online searches.

What is the importance of video content in SEO?

Video content is crucial to SEO because, with its interactive nature, it enhances user engagement and search visibility.

What is the future of SEO?

Search engine optimization is moving toward an approach that emphasises technical SEO, ethical practices and prioritising user experience, including elements like predictive analytics and personalised content.