Effective SEO tactics don’t rely on intricate, high-level theories but rather on simple, actionable insights. No matter how sophisticated your focus tables are, they won’t rescue you if you don’t generate results. Achieving results requires taking action, not just analysis. So, put away those complex spreadsheets with multiple tabs and be prepared to get your hands dirty.
This article aims to guide you back to the fundamentals just in time to ignite growth in 2025.
How to drive SEO results quickly
SEO is a strategy with long-term benefits, meaning the outcomes you experience next year are often a result of your current efforts. However, if waiting isn’t an option or the pace of progress is insufficient, adjustments to your payback period and chosen strategies are necessary. In SEO, the initial investment is concentrated in the early years to build an asset with a sustainable advantage that appreciates over time.
Dreaming big is commendable—should you aim to dominate the top money-making term in your field? Absolutely! The challenge, though, lies in the considerable time and financial resources required, which may not provide immediate benefits.
Instead, consider redirecting your focus from what you lack or don’t currently rank for to the assets you possess and the areas where you’re already making progress.
Here is how to do it
Update and Re-optimize Content Thats Already Ranking
The overwhelming majority of content that ranks in search results goes unnoticed, unread, or unclicked. Typically, only the top five results on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) capture approximately 80% of the attention, a trend consistently supported by various SERP Click-Through Rate (CTR) studies.
Key points for these are:
- SERPs, and consequently SEO, operate as a zero-sum game, where one’s success comes at the expense of others.
- To succeed, it’s imperative to secure a position within the top five rankings as quickly as possible.
Contrary to common belief, generating new content may not yield significant benefits promptly, as the journey from being non-indexed to breaking into the top five can span weeks, months, or even years.
Instead, consider scrutinizing existing content occupying positions five to 15. Establish a minimum volume threshold to concentrate efforts where they yield the most significant returns. Additionally, set a keyword difficulty limit to target the most accessible opportunities—the “lowest-of-low” hanging fruit.
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Update and Re-optimize Content that is ranking well but has lost rankings in the last
Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are dynamic entities, constantly evolving in response to the increasing sophistication of search queries and the ever-changing landscape of information.
Simultaneously, your competition for these SERPs is in a perpetual state of evolution, intensifying their efforts by investing more resources, money, and talent to secure the coveted rankings you once held dear.
The consequence?
After enjoying a year or so of favorable rankings, complacency sets in. Your focus shifts to other priorities, leading to a gradual decline in your SERP visibility.
This scenario is exceedingly common, so it’s crucial to acknowledge and accept this reality. It’s an ongoing process happening in real-time, even as we speak. The good news is that identifying and rectifying this situation is both feasible and simple.
Once again, scrutinize your current keyword rankings, this time integrating a date filter to capture the historical rankings over the past year or two. Then, narrow down your focus by filtering for keywords and/or pages that have experienced the most significant drops during that timeframe.
The previous success you had in ranking well for this keyword serves as an additional encouraging indicator. It suggests a certain degree of topical authority and popularity related to these pertinent terms.
Once more, the recommendation is to focus on updating and re-optimizing these existing pages—prioritizing this over creating entirely new content. This approach is likely to result in a more favorable Return on Investment (ROI) over the next three to six months than almost any other priority you might currently be considering.
Update and Re-optimize Content with Keyword Cannibalization
You’ve achieved rankings for certain keywords, which is fantastic! However, here are some prevalent issues:
- You may be acquiring rankings inadvertently—optimizing for one topic but ranking for another.
- Breaking into the top five for that keyword with your current content might be challenging since competitors outranking you are accurately optimized for the intended query.
- You likely have content intended for ranking with that keyword, but its potential is being undermined by another existing page on your site, causing cannibalization.
The page highlighted in green (“/cat-health-insurance/”) is successfully ranking for “pet insurance for cats,” which is a positive outcome represented by the green indicator. However, attention must be drawn to the terms highlighted in yellow, involving four keywords across two pages. This situation raises concerns unless significant SERP overlap can be demonstrated.
The initial keyword, branded and intentionally obscured, is associated with the homepage (“/”), ranking for a branded term, which is acceptable. However, the same homepage is also securing rankings for crucial unbranded keywords (such as “pet insurance” or “dog pet insurance”), which is undesirable.
This becomes problematic unless the SERPs are predominantly populated by homepages, which is not the case. The presence of keyword cannibalization interferes with the visibility of the intended pages.
An illustration of this issue is evident in the last yellow-highlighted instance, where “/dog-health-insurance/” is being cannibalized by the homepage. Where there’s evidence of this happening, it’s likely occurring in various other sections of your site as well. Not to worry! Here’s a simple five-step solution:
- Re-optimize your homepage to emphasize branded terms.
- Update and re-optimize your landing pages for the accurate non-branded terms.
- Include a canonical link for added assurance.
- Update your internal link structure, emphasizing exact match anchor text without resorting to outdated SEO practices.
- Conclude the process with high-quality and relevant, exact-match anchor variation, editorially based links.
This uncomplicated five-step approach can yield significant results relatively quickly, typically within zero to six months.
You may also like: A Complete Guide to SEO Reporting and Ranking in 2024
Quick SEO Wins to Start Your Growth
SEO is both an art and a science, and it can be intricate and perplexing. The key is to avoid getting lost in the details and complexities. No amount of analysis and strategizing can compensate for a lack of action.
Resist the temptation to focus excessively on a narrow perspective, spending countless hours overanalyzing and overthinking. Instead, if you’re aiming for immediate results, return to the fundamentals.
Tailor your keyword research, content creation, and link-building efforts to align with a more suitable short-term payback period. Concentrate on reinforcing what you already possess or have had success with in the past, leveraging it to generate results in the coming months.
The efforts you invest today will not only yield immediate benefits but will also buy you the time to refocus on more ambitious, commercially rewarding projects that may take longer to materialize, possibly up to a year or more.
Would you like to read more about “Quick SEO Wins to Start Your Growth in 2024” related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
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