The 7 SEO Basics That Will Still Be Relevant in 2024
Do you want to boost your SEO game? We show you seven evergreens that are often neglected!
SEO is not a sprint, but a marathon. And while the digital world becomes more complex, there are basics for good rankings that simply do not go out of fashion. Have you heard of the latest algorithm updates on search engines and wonder if certain SEO basics still count? Short answer: Yes, they do.
We have compiled seven of the most important basics for you that will not lose relevance even in 2024. These are the cornerstones on which you should build your search engine strategy, regardless of whether you are a beginner or an experienced SEO professional.
But which proven tactics should you not lose sight of? In this article, we give you the overview you need to be at the top of the rankings by 2024.
Would you like to delve deeper into the SEO basics?
If you belong to the group of visual learners, why not take a look at the video recording of our recent webinar on the 7 SEO basics that are still relevant in 2023! In it, our SEO professionals Manuel and Andi show you in more detail which tricks for search engines are really worth it, which tools are recommended and how a ranking on Google is created. If you prefer the short version, you should take a closer look at the following paragraphs.
SEO Basic 1: SERP Analysis
For our first SEO basic, you don't need expensive software or smart data sources. A simple Google search for the keyword of your choice is enough to get started with SERP analysis (search engine result page). This provides you with important insights - both about the pages you want to compete with and about the search intentions of the users. If you look at the highest positioned search results, you can quickly answer the following questions for your search engine optimization:
Who are the main competitors? Who regularly appears in the top results?
Which keywords are relevant? Which terms and phrases are most often used in the headlines and meta descriptions?
What kind of content is successful? Are they blog posts, product pages or maybe even videos?
What kind of search intention is served? Are the content shown more navigational, informational or transactional?
Are there recurring themes or questions? Which topics or questions are frequently addressed in the top results?
Are special SERP features present? Are there featured snippets, local listings or other special search result features?
SEO Basic 2: SERP Overlap & Keyword Grouping
This SEO basic is about the question: When do you pack related keywords on a common landing page and when should separate pages be created? Various tools are available to find this out. An example of this is the software Quaro: This provides a function that allows you to display the overlaps of the SERPs for similar search terms (for example “backpack” and “women's backpack”). Logically, the higher the percentage of overlaps, the more you should bring the keywords together on the same page. In this way, you can decide whether
you want to split a topic onto two different URLs.
two different URLs on a topic should be merged.
As a rule of thumb for your search engine optimization:
With 0 to 3 overlaps, different topic/URLs are advisable.
With 4 to 5 overlaps, a topic or URL tends to be worthwhile.
With 6 to 10 identical rankings, the topic should better be accommodated on a single URL or in one topic.
SEO Basic 3: Maintaining Meta Tags
Optimized meta tags are an important SEO basic for two reasons: On the one hand, they are a direct ranking factor for search engines. On the other hand, they can have a significant impact on your Click-Through Rate (CTR). In addition, they are usually the first thing users see of your website when searching for a keyword. Despite their relevance to your search engine optimization, they are often still treated stepmotherly in content creation. To optimize your metadata, you should pay attention to the following aspects among others:
Correct length of meta title & meta description: Take into account the difference between mobile and desktop view!
Keyword placement: The main keyword should definitely appear in the title and description.
Content summary: The tags should provide information about the specific content of your website.
Stimulate curiosity: Meta tags should always animate to click - for example through a call-to-action (CTA).
SEO Basic 4: H1 Headlines
H1 stands for Headline 1 in the search engine context - this SEO basic is about the sensible structuring of headlines in your texts. In principle: There should only be one H1 per URL - this forms the title of the URL and can (but does not have to!) be identical to the meta title. Further chapters and sub-chapters on the URL are then formatted as H2 or H3. Headlines can theoretically be subdivided as finely as desired (as H4, H5, H6 and so on), but this is not recommended for readability. To optimize your H1, you can proceed as follows:
Keyword research: What is the focus keyword?
SERP Analysis: Do similar or other pages rank for researched keywords?
Development of suitable H1 headlines.
Implementing in the CMS
Analysis of results after 4 to 8 weeks
SEO Basic 5: WDF*IDF Analysis
The next SEO basic is the so-called WDF*IDF analysis - this stands for Within Document Frequency / Inverse Document Frequency. Simply put, WDF*IDF is a formula for search engine optimization that helps to determine how relevant a keyword in a text is compared to the top ranking pages for this keyword. Or in other words: if the top 10 search results all use the keywords A, B and C, these are relevant according to WDF*IDF for acquiring good rankings and should also be used in your text. There are now numerous tools on the market for such an analysis. We have listed a few of them for you here:
Other providers can be found in our WDF*IDF category on OMR Reviews.
SEO Basic 6: Internal Linking
Internal linking is one of the most important SEO basics - and at the same time one that is most often neglected. However, if a URL is not linked, it usually receives little or no crawling by the Google bots, which in turn results in no or very poor rankings. To optimize the hyperlinks on your pages, you should consider the following aspects among others:
Linking once is enough: Linking multiple times in a text to the same URL has no added value and does not create a boost for the linked page.
Automations help: For very large domains, automations can help to set internal links - but these pages should always be meaningful (i.e., thematically related).
Accessibility: All important URLs should be accessible within a maximum of 3 clicks from the start page.
Anchor texts: The linking text (also known as anchor text) should tease the content of the page behind it: write “Discover our webinar on the 7 SEO basics that are still relevant in 2024” instead of “here”.
SEO Basic 7: Regular Website Crawling
Despite all the technological progress: In 2024, things will still break on your website, be it due to a CMS system update or due to the last deployment of your devs. What now? Panic? No, regular website crawling! This SEO basic is like the family doctor for your website; it finds symptoms before they become real problems. By systematically searching through your website, you can recognize unwanted changes early and counteract them.
For the big players with large websites, regular website crawling is not a nice-to-have, but a must-have. Why? Imagine having to manually check hundreds or even thousands of pages. Not really doable, right? So, grab a good crawling tool and make it a habit to regularly check your digital presence for heart and kidney. This way, you always stay up to-date on the search engine optimization of your pages. There are as many tools to do this as there are sands on the sea. We've brought you some of the most popular software from the website-crawling category here:
Result: The Most Important SEO Basics in 2024
Search engine optimization is not rocket science, but it requires analytical thinking and continuous efforts. So let's summarize the most important aspects for your SEO strategy: Start to really understand the SERPs - what is displayed and why? Use SERP overlays of for example Quaro to decide which keywords you bundle on one page and which ones deserve separate appearances. And no, title and meta descriptions are not bit players; they need your full attention. Your H1 headlines? Review them and adjust them. Texts are more than just filler material; take them to the next level with WDF*IDF analyses.
But that's not all. Your internal linking should be more than a chaotic spider web; it should be sensible and strategically thought through. And last but not least: don't forget to regularly crawl your website. Because a website that is not monitored is like a ship without a captain. So, implement these basics and navigate your way to the SEO top!
Nils ist SEO-Texter bei OMR Reviews und darüber hinaus ein echter Content-Suchti. Egal, ob Grafik, Foto, Video oder Audio – wenn es um digitale Medien geht, ist Nils immer ganz vorne mit dabei. Vor seinem Wechsel zu OMR war er fast 5 Jahre lang als Content-Manager und -Creator in einem Immobilienunternehmen tätig und hat zudem eine klassische Ausbildung als Werbetexter.
