Best Practices for SEO in 2024

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Hey Affiliates!

It's been a while, and I'm excited to be back, re-engaging with you all as we dive deep into some powerful topics that can transform your affiliate marketing game. Today, we’re zoning in on Best SEO Practices for 2024. SEO is always evolving, and over the past 18 months, we’ve seen some major changes from Google that have forced marketers to adjust their strategies.

The Big Google Changes You Need to Know

Google's Core Web Vitals (June 2021):

Google has been putting heavy emphasis on user experience, and Core Web Vitals is the cornerstone of that. This includes three metrics:

- Loading (Largest Contentful Paint - LCP): How fast your page loads.

- Interactivity (First Input Delay - FID): How quickly users can interact with your content.

- Visual Stability (Cumulative Layout Shift - CLS): Ensuring that elements on your page don’t shift around unexpectedly.

If your site doesn't perform well in these areas, it could impact your ranking, even if your content is top-notch. For bloggers, this means faster hosting, lighter images, and cleaner coding are now must-haves.

The Page Experience Update:

In addition to Core Web Vitals, the Page Experience update emphasizes mobile-friendliness, secure browsing (think HTTPS), and the importance of reducing intrusive interstitials (pop-ups). This puts pressure on affiliate marketers and bloggers to create smooth, distraction-free experiences for visitors.

Google’s Helpful Content Update (August 2022):

This one is big! Google is doubling down on rewarding original, high-quality, and useful content that’s written by people, for people. The AI content revolution is booming, but this update reminds us that Google's priority remains high-value human-driven content.

Shift to E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness):

Originally "EAT," Google has added Experience to the mix in December 2022. They want to see real-life experience backing up your content. Blogs should be written by people who’ve "been there, done that." This is important in competitive affiliate niches like health, finance, and product reviews. It’s time to showcase your expertise with well-researched content and proof that you know your stuff.

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How to Succeed in 2024 with a Blog

With all these updates, it’s clear that ranking in 2024 requires more than just keyword stuffing or clever backlinks. Here's how to ensure success:

Focus on User Intent & High-Quality Content:

Google’s Helpful Content Update means that you need to focus on what your audience is truly looking for. Make your content as relevant and helpful as possible. Avoid fluff and outdated info. Blogs need to offer real value, answer questions, and solve problems.

Optimize for Core Web Vitals:

Speed is everything. Start by analyzing your site speed and performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. Invest in a good hosting provider, and use caching plugins, compress images, and lazy-load content to ensure your blog meets the required Core Web Vitals benchmarks.

Prioritize Mobile & User Experience:

Most users access the web from mobile devices now. Make sure your blog is fully responsive. Beyond that, look at how users interact with your site—eliminate annoying pop-ups, reduce distractions, and ensure that your page layout is clean and easy to navigate.

Strengthen Your E-E-A-T:

Google rewards blogs that exude trust and authority. Here are some ways to boost your E-E-A-T score:

- Author Profiles: Create detailed author bios that highlight your expertise and experience.

- Testimonials & Case Studies: Use testimonials, reviews, or real-life case studies to show practical knowledge.

- Backlink Strategy: Get links from other trusted, authoritative sites. Building connections within your niche will strengthen your content’s credibility.

Leverage Long-Tail Keywords:

While targeting high-volume keywords is tempting, long-tail keywords are more specific and often show greater intent. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find those low-hanging fruits that match your niche. Long-tail keywords are less competitive and will help you rank faster.

Use Video & Visual Content:

Google now incorporates more video results into search engine results pages (SERPs). Embed short, informative videos on your blog posts where appropriate. This will not only improve your time on page metrics but also help with SEO by keeping users engaged.

The Bottom Line

As we move into 2024, SEO is all about creating real value for users. It’s no longer just about optimizing for search engines; it’s about optimizing for humans. Blogs that succeed are those that focus on quality content, smooth user experience, and proven expertise.

So, if you're running an affiliate blog, take these changes as a chance to refine and evolve. The world of SEO is dynamic, but it rewards those who stay on top of it.

Keep testing, keep learning, and most importantly, keep providing value. The Affiliate Wire will be here with more insights and updates along the way.

Until next time, stay optimized!

Best,

Ryan Petersen
Founder, The Affiliate Wire 

Quote of the Week: 

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." — Henry David Thoreau