15 Quick SEO Wins (To Improve Your Rankings)

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Trying to boost your rankings connected the SERPs? You’re successful the right place.

Implement these 15 speedy SEO wins to fertile higher connected hunt engines and get much traffic.

You should beryllium capable to bash each wrong an hour.

Let’s get to it. 

1. Boost important pages with interior links

Internal links are often overlooked. But erstwhile utilized correctly, they tin assistance boost the show of your pages successful Google.

Why are they important? There are 2 large reasons:

  1. They assistance the travel of PageRank astir your site. And PageRank is simply a confirmed Google ranking factor
  2. You nonstop PageRank to your tract by gathering oregon earning prime links. But astir webmasters volition seldom privation to nexus to your astir important pages, arsenic they are usually transactional successful nature. You tin “bypass” this by utilizing the middleman method—building links to informational content, past linking to your wealth pages via interior links. 

How bash you bash this? First, marque a database of each your “money” pages, i.e., those pages that marque you money. These are apt your product, service, and class pages. 

Next, you’ll request to find relevant, contextual interior linking opportunities. The easiest mode to bash this is to usage the site: Google hunt operator. For example, if we privation to adhd interior links to our free backlink checker tool, we’ll apt hunt for this:

Site hunt  successful  Google for the Ahrefs blog

Then we’ll spell done each of these pages and adhd interior links to our backlink checker with applicable anchor text

Of course, that won’t beryllium the lone hunt we’re doing. Get originative present and usage antithetic searches to aboveground pages wherever you tin perchance adhd interior links. As an example, we tin hunt for “backlinks,” “links,” “link building,” “link gathering tools,” etc. 

Alternatively, you tin simply motion up for the escaped Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT) and tally a crawl connected your site. When the crawl is done, spell to the Link opportunities report successful Ahrefs’ Site Audit

Link opportunities study  successful  Ahrefs' Site Audit

This study volition amusement you applicable nexus opportunities connected your site. Set the filter to Target leafage and hunt for your money pages. 

Target leafage   filter for the Link opportunities report

Then look astatine the suggested interior nexus opportunities. Where relevant, adhd your interior links. 

Recommended reading: Internal Links for SEO: An Actionable Guide

2. Install a caching plugin

Not lone is leafage velocity a Google ranking factor, but dilatory pages are besides atrocious for business. According to Unbounce, astir 70% of consumers admit that leafage velocity impacts their willingness to bargain from an online retailer.

One mode to amended your website velocity is to instal a caching plugin. Caching is fundamentally a mode to temporarily store copies of files truthful they tin beryllium delivered to visitors successful a much businesslike way. 

If you’re utilizing WordPress, we urge installing a plugin similar W3 Total Cache to alteration caching. 

If you person a leafage that’s dormant but determination are backlinks pointing astatine it, past those links are wasted. It can’t fertile (because it’s dead), and it can’t assistance your different pages fertile amended too. 

Therefore, you should beryllium fixing these pages. 

Here’s however to find these pages connected your site:

  1. Enter your domain into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
  2. Go to the Best by links report
  3. Set the HTTP codification filter to 404 not found
Best by links report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

Redirect these pages to the astir relevant, existent ones. Or see reviving them (if they’re inactive relevant).

4. Optimize the rubric tags of your top-ranking pages

Google whitethorn present rely less connected rubric tags, but our study recovered that Google rewrites rubric tags lone 33.4% of the time.

Our rubric  tags survey  showing that Google rewrites rubric  tags lone  33.4% of the time

In different words, the rubric Google shows connected the SERPs is the aforesaid arsenic the page’s rubric tag two-thirds of the time.

Translation: You inactive need compelling rubric tags. But let’s prioritize them for pages that are already ranking high. 

Why? Because if a leafage is already ranking precocious capable (and truthful really seen by searchers), a compelling rubric tag tin marque the quality betwixt searchers clicking your leafage versus the others. 

Here’s however to find these pages:

  1. Enter your domain into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
  2. Go to the Organic keywords report
  3. Set the Position filter to 2–5
Organic keywords report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

Some of these pages tin beryllium fixed a boost with improved rubric tags. Use these tips to marque a rubric tag much enticing:

  • Add powerfulness words – Power words pat into people’s emotions. Examples see “rock-solid,” “remarkable,” and more. Check this list and spot if you tin adhd 1 oregon 2 to your title tag. 
  • Add parentheses – Parentheses enactment similar the last brackish sprinkle successful your dish. See the rubric of this blog station for an example. 😉
  • Use curiosity – Curiosity makes radical privation to click and larn more. But don’t overdo it! Clickbait is bad. So is dishonesty. 

Recommended reading: How to Craft the Perfect SEO Title Tag (Our 4-Step Process) 

5. Optimize for low-hanging featured snippets

Google thing these days, and you’ll apt travel crossed a featured snippet:

Featured snippet for the keyword, "top google searches"

They’re excerpts from top-ranking pages that Google uses to amusement the “answer” close wrong the SERPs. The champion part? You tin often leap up to presumption #1 simply by grabbing the featured snippet. 

That’s successful theory. In reality, immoderate are easier to triumph than others, truthful we’ll privation to prioritize those. Specifically, we privation to people these opportunities: keywords with decent monthly hunt volumes wherever you presently fertile successful the apical 10 and Google already shows a featured snippet.

Here’s however to find these keywords:

  • Enter your domain into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
  • Go to the Organic keywords report
  • Set the Position filter to 1–10
  • Use the SERP features filter to filter for keywords that trigger featured snippets “where people doesn’t rank”
Organic keywords report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

Look done the database to find opportunities wherever you tin perchance seizure the featured snippet. 

Next, cheque retired what the featured snippet is like. See if you tin see oregon alteration up the contented connected your leafage to marque it eligible for the featured snippet. For example, we fertile #2 for “google operators” aft the snippet: 

SERP for the keyword, "google operators"

We tin spot that the snippet is simply a definition, which we didn’t see connected our page. So we tin effort adding a explanation and hopefully triumph the featured snippet for ourselves. 

Recommended reading: How to Optimize for Google’s Featured Snippets 

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is simply a escaped work that matches journalists with experts. 

Here’s however it works:

  1. You motion up for HARO.
  2. HARO sends you 3 emails a time with requests from journalists who are looking for adept quotes.
  3. If a writer chooses your quote, you’ll (usually) get a notation and a backlink from the site. 

It’s an casual mode to get high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites. 

However, astir of these emails volition apt beryllium irrelevant to you, truthful we urge mounting up immoderate Gmail filters truthful you spot lone the applicable ones. 

Here’s how:

  1. Click the hunt options filter
  2. Set the “From” tract to [email protected]
  3. Set the “Subject” to “[HARO]”
  4. Set “Has the words” to keywords you privation to show (you tin usage the OR relation to database aggregate keywords here)
Example of a Gmail filter to benignant   retired  HARO emails

Once the filter is acceptable up, it’s simply a substance of looking astatine your inbox and checking to spot if determination are immoderate stories you tin beryllium a root for. Make definite to lone respond to queries wherever you person applicable expertise. That’ll springiness you the champion accidental of lasting retired and being featured connected these websites. 

7. Refresh aged contented by filling contented gaps

To boost the rankings of your contented that’s ranking decently but tin beryllium better, sometimes each you request to bash is to springiness it a speedy refresh by filling contented gaps. 

What is simply a contented gap? It’s fundamentally keywords that competing pages are ranking for but not yours. And sometimes, they’re important subtopics that you did not see successful your archetypal post.

Here’s however to find contented gaps:

  1. Enter your domain into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
  2. Go to the Content Gap tool
  3. Add a fewer competing URLs successful the apical section
  4. Add the URL of the station you privation to boost successful the bottommost section
Content spread  tool, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

Look done the results and spot if determination are immoderate subtopics you’ve missed out on. 

Results of the Content spread  report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

For example, successful our station connected evergreen content, it appears we’ve missed retired connected 2 subtopics:

  • Evergreen ads
  • Evergreen contented connected societal media

Sidenote.

If your contented is not ranking good astatine all, past you whitethorn privation to see rewriting it.

8. Find caller contented ideas from competitors

A contented spread investigation isn’t lone utile for improving your rankings. It’s besides utile for uncovering keywords your competitors are ranking for but you aren’t. 

Do the aforesaid arsenic the supra tactic. But this clip ‘round, capable successful your competitors’ homepages (or blogs if you’re specifically targeting informational content) successful the apical conception and your homepage (or blog) successful the bottommost section. 

Content spread  tool, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

Look done the database and spot if determination are immoderate applicable keywords you tin target.

Results of the Content spread  report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

9. Find low-competition keywords

Because of the beingness of competition, immoderate keywords are harder to fertile for and immoderate are easier. You should beryllium connected the lookout for keywords that person lesser contention truthful you basal a higher accidental of ranking.

Here’s however to find these keywords:

  1. Enter 1 oregon a fewer applicable keywords into Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
  2. Go to the Matching presumption report
  3. Set the Keyword Difficulty (KD) filter to a maximum of 10
Matching presumption     study  with KD filter acceptable   to a max of 10, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer

Look done the database and prime retired those that are applicable for your site. 

10. Get a Google Business Profile

The Google Business Profile is simply a section listing with accusation astir your business. After claiming it, the accusation you adhd tin amusement up successful Google’s web hunt results and successful Google Maps.

If you’re a section business, this is particularly important. In fact, galore SEOs deliberation it’s the astir important ranking origin for local SEO

Bar graph showing percent  of SEOs who deliberation  GBP is astir   important   ranking origin   for "map pack" and "regular" results, respectively

Claiming your Google Business Profile is beauteous easy, and you tin bash it successful 30 minutes (or less). Follow the step-by-step guide below:

Recommended reading: How to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing successful 30 Minutes 

11. Add a array of contents

A array of contents links to important subsections of your station and helps visitors find the accusation they’re looking for.

Here’s an illustration from our SEO mistakes post:

Example of a array  of contents

Adding a array of contents tin often trigger sitelinks, which tin perchance assistance you triumph adjacent much integrated clicks.

Example of sitelinks successful  the SERPs

Our array of contents is custom-coded, but yours doesn’t person to be. You tin usage a escaped plugin similar Easy Table of Contents to adhd a array of contents to immoderate of your posts. 

How the plugin, Easy Table of Contents, looks connected  a page

12. Add FAQ sections (to get long-tail traffic)

When you’re researching a topic, you’ll astir apt travel up with much related questions you privation answers to. Other radical are the aforesaid as well.

For example, if we hunt for “kefir grains” successful Keywords Explorer and power to the Questions tab, here’s what we see:

Questions tab successful  the Matching presumption     report, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer

By not answering each of these questions successful your post, you’re apt missing retired connected long-tail traffic. So alternatively than shoehorn these questions unnaturally successful your post, the easiest solution is to adhd a FAQ conception astatine the extremity of your post. 

FAQ conception  successful  Ahrefs' H1 tag blog post

Because we answered a communal question related to H1 tags—the length—we present fertile connected Google erstwhile radical are searching for this answer:

The top-ranking leafage   for the keyword "h1 tag length"

Recommendation

Mark up your FAQs with structured data, and your leafage whitethorn beryllium eligible for a affluent result. This gives you much SERP existent property and whitethorn pb to much traffic.

Recommended reading: Mark Up Your FAQs With Structured Data (Google)

13. Find impermanent station opportunities fast

Guest blogging is an important nexus gathering technique. In fact, Aira’s State of Link Building study lists impermanent blogging arsenic the 3rd astir fashionable technique:

Aira's State of Link Building report

But uncovering bully impermanent blogging opportunities tin beryllium a chore. So here’s however you tin find bully ones fast:

  1. Find a prolific impermanent blogger successful your niche and place their Twitter account
  2. Enter the URL of their Twitter relationship into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
  3. Go to the Backlinks report
Backlinks report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

This database volition amusement you each the sites that person linked to their Twitter account—some of which are impermanent blogs. Go done each tract and spot if it is simply a applicable impermanent blogging accidental for you. 

14. Find easy-to-replicate backlinks

If a website is linking to a fewer of your competitors but not you, past it’s tenable to presume they whitethorn beryllium consenting to nexus to you too. 

Here’s however to find these opportunities:

  1. Enter your domain into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer (set it to Exact URL)
  2. Go to the Link Intersect tool
  3. Add a fewer competing homepages successful the bare fields (set them to Exact URL too)
Link intersect tool, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

Look done the results to spot if determination are immoderate links you tin perchance replicate.

For example, the website beneath links to 2 of our competitors. If we look astatine the links, we spot that they’re some podcast interviews.

Website linking to 1  of our competitors, but not us
Website linking to 1  of our competitors, but not us

Given that this big has interviewed 2 of our competitors, they whitethorn beryllium funny successful interviewing us too.

15. Look for long-tail keywords you already fertile for (but people them separately)

According to our study, the mean #1 ranking leafage volition besides fertile successful the apical 10 for astir 1,000 different applicable keywords. 

Chart showing the mean  fig   of keywords the apical  20 ranking pages besides  fertile  for

Most of them volition beryllium antithetic ways of searching for the aforesaid thing. However, immoderate of them volition not be. And if you tin people these long-tail keywords with a abstracted article, you tin perchance fertile higher for them. 

We did this precocious connected the Ahrefs blog. We noticed that we were ranking for the keyword “on leafage vs disconnected leafage seo” with our post connected off-page SEO. But we were lone ranking successful the little positions (30+) for that keyword.

So we decided to make a page much targeted toward the query

Our blog station  connected  on-page SEO vs. off-page SEO

Doing that changeable america to presumption #1:

Ranking improvements for the keyword "on leafage   vs disconnected  leafage   seo," via Ahrefs' Rank Tracker

How bash you find these keywords wherever you should make a amended page? Here’s how:

  1. Enter your domain (or blog) into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
  2. Go to the Organic keywords report
  3. Set the Position filter to minimum 20
Organic keywords study  with Position filter selected, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer

Look done the report, manually analyse each keyword, and spot if you tin amended people them with a caller article. 

Learn more

Looking for much tactics that tin boost your rankings connected Google but aren’t needfully “quick” wins? Check retired these articles:

Did I miss retired connected immoderate speedy SEO wins? Let maine cognize on Twitter