Search Engine Land’s SEO Periodic Table
Search engine optimization (SEO) seems like alchemy to the uninitiated. A complex network of interlocking factors, it takes more than simply good content to get a firm's expertise out there for viewing. Luckily, every small step in SEO increases the likelihood of firm exposure, so the only way to go is up. All of the following is built to guide your firm toward success factors and best practices, and away from potential pitfalls, as you build the framework for your SEO strategy.
Content:
Content draws both website traffic and a genuine interest in your firm. Establishing expertise, communication, and know-how is critical for clients and search engines, the latter of which values your content higher the more you build legitimacy.
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Qu: Quality Pages must be well written and have substantial quality. |
Rs: Research Discover keywords people may use to find your content. |
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An: Answers Create content that can be turned into answers in the SERP. |
Dt: Depth Shallow content fails. Aim for substance. |
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Kw: Keywords Build target keywords into your pages. |
Fr: Freshness Create timely content; refresh or retire stagnant pages. |
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Mm: Multimedia Images, video, and audio can set your content apart. |
Architecture:
Your website must be comprehensive—this helps both search engines and potential clients/users. Navigable content is accessible and organized for everyone, including bots.
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Cr: Crawl Search engines must be able to easily crawl your pages. |
Mo: Mobile First Optimize for smartphone and tablets. |
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St: Structure Make sure the page’s structure is easy for both users and bots to understand. |
Pr: Parity Parity between mobile and desktop experiences. |
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Ur: URLs Build keywords into your page addresses. |
Dd: Duplicates Be smart. Use SEO standards and redirects. |
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Sp: Speed Your site should load quickly on any device, ready for user interaction. |
Ps: HTTPS HTTPS ensures security for website visitors. |
HTML:
Minutia is crucial, too, or else your new content slips through the cracks or seems too obscure to grab and maintain interest.
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Tt: Titles Build keywords into your titles. |
Sc: Schema Structured data and schema can turn data into enhanced listings. |
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Hd: Headings Build keywords into your headers and subheaders. |
Cls: Content Shift Minimal content shift upon page load improves user experience. |
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Ds: Descriptions Meta tags should describe what pages are about. |
Alt: Image Alt Alt text for images improves accessibility and image SEO. |
Reputation:
We know reputation is important in real life, but is it even a thing for search engines? Yes! Search engines rank content by what it deems worthy through established criteria. That way, users searching through their engine are able to find content that is beneficial. Likewise, your content needs to reflect authority in order for search engines to recognize it as useful, and thus allow your content to rise in potential searches.
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Ex: Expertise Expertise shows that you have the knowledge to be a thought leader on a given topic. |
Au: Authority Authority is everything. Capitalize on links, shares, and other signals. |
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Tr: Trust Established sites that have operated the same way for years carry weight. |
Links:
Internal links make sense, but why would you want to link away from your own content? Believe it or not, linking your content to a greater network naturally boosts your authority and reputation. Not only that, but regardless of SEO technicalities, legitimizing your authority helps real people trust you, too. Links are more important than you might realize.
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Lq: Link Quality Seek links from trusted, quality websites. |
Ac: Anchors Link anchor text words should be relevant to the destination URL of the link. |
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Qt: Quantity The more high-quality links, the better.
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User:
We all have target audiences, and we need to cater to them while still maintaining our brand, authority, and professionalism. Doing so and creating specific content with refined intent allows search engines to properly categorize and boost your site.
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Ux: User Experience Does your site have a user experience that makes your users want to come back and read more? |
It: Intent Consider why someone is conducting a specific search. |
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Ly: Locality Consider the region of your searcher and create experiences for them. |
Cy: Country Consider the country of your searcher, create experiences for them. |
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Eg: Engagement Visitors should spend time with your pages, not bounce. |
Toxins:
There are factors to watch out for and avoid, and safeties that ought to be put in place to prevent negative impacts. Be careful, responsible, and aware.
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Cl: Cloaking Don’t show the engines different content than you’re showing searchers. |
Sc: Schemes Buying links, spamming blogs, and so on are tactics that can get you penalized. |
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Bc: Bad Content Google punishes automated/generated content, scraped content, and doorway pages. |
Mb: Malicious Behavior Phishing, trojans, malware, and hacking will get you kicked out of the index. |
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Sf: Stuffing Don’t be excessive with packing keywords into your copy. |
Hi: Hiding Obfuscating your keywords is a spam tactic. |
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Ar: Piracy Hosting stolen content can get you flagged. |
Iv: Intrusiveness Ad-heavy content, intrusive interstitials are a bad idea. |
Niches
Local:
The greater internet is not necessarily a firm's goal. Catering to local targets and anchoring a firm into relevant networks ensures your content is accessible to the correct and desired people.
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Gmb: Google My Business A Google My Business listing is required to get found on the local map. |
Lc: Locations The searcher’s location plays into what results show up in a local search. |
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Ci: Citations Citations show search engines you’re a real business. |
Nap: NAP Name, address, and phone number must be consistent across all digital citations. |
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Rv: Reviews There is a direct correlation between the number and quality of reviews and local SEO rankings. |
Publishing:
There are nuances to publishing your content that can boost your SEO and serve to your benefit. Explore peripheral options and use the greater tools at your disposal.
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Ts: Top Stories Optimizing your site to show in Top Stories can be a goldmine of organic traffic for publishers. |
Dc: Discover Google’s Discover field personalizes news for readers. This means more qualified website visitors. |
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Av: Archives A strong, well-optimized archive acts as a content pillar/category. |
Ir: Image Required Every page is required to include at least one image. Images should be at least 1200px wide if the height is 800px. |
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Fs: Flexible Sampling If your news is subscription only, experiment with metering and lead-ins. |
