Advanced SEO Techniques to Boost Your Website’s Visibility

Your website’s visibility can determine the success or failure of your business. With countless websites competing for attention, distinguishing yourself in search engine results has become more difficult. This is where advanced SEO strategies play a crucial role in achieving success.

Basic SEO practices, like keyword optimization and meta tags, are essential. Yet, they are no longer enough to stay competitive in the online market. Advanced SEO techniques go beyond the basics. They use innovative, complex strategies to boost your website’s visibility and increase traffic.

No matter who you are, this post will help you. It offers advanced SEO techniques for experts and business owners. Marketers can also use them for optimal results. These techniques will boost your online visibility. The post also offers insights and practical steps to improve your SEO.

6 advanced SEO techniques that every marketer needs to prioritize

According to Ahrefs, 68% of online activities start with a search engine, so it’s clear that search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for shaping and enhancing online experiences.

Let’s examine six advanced SEO techniques.

1. Use content clusters

Content clustering is an advanced SEO strategy that involves organizing your website’s content around central themes, or “pillar” topics, and creating interconnected subtopics, or “cluster” content, that link back to the main pillar page. This tactic helps search engines understand your content. It also improves user experience and provides a thorough, well-organized resource on a topic.

Pillar topics are broad themes that cover a significant area of your industry or niche. They should be comprehensive and central to your business. Choose pillar topics that are broad enough to cover subtopics. But, they must be specific enough to resonate with your audience.

For example, if you run a digital marketing blog, a pillar topic could be “Content Marketing.” Perform keyword research to identify high-volume, relevant keywords related to your pillar topics. Ensure these topics are relevant and have a large search interest.

Screenshot provided by author

Once you have identified the pillar topics, you should create pillar pages. Pillar pages serve as the central hub for each topic cluster. They give a full overview of the pillar topic and link to detailed cluster content. You can create long-form content that covers all aspects of the pillar topic.

To improve readability, organize the content with clear headings, subheadings, and sections. Visual elements like quality images, infographics, and video content enhance engagement. Add internal links to cluster content within the pillar page. It helps users find specific subtopics. Search engines also interpret this signal as an indication of the relationship between these pages.

Next, you should develop cluster content. It has individual pages or posts. They explore subtopics of the pillar topic. Identify subtopics that fall under the umbrella of your pillar topic. For example, under the pillar topic “Content Marketing,” subtopics could include “Content Strategy,” “SEO Content Writing,” and “Content Distribution.”

Create detailed articles, blog posts, or guides for each subtopic. Make sure they provide value and depth. They should answer specific questions or address parts of the subtopic. Each piece of cluster content should link back to the corresponding pillar page. This establishes a robust internal linking structure that enhances SEO.

The internal linking process is crucial for the effectiveness of content clusters. Internal linking helps search engines see the links in your content. It also improves site navigation for users. Ensure every piece of cluster content links back to the pillar page. This reinforces the authority of the pillar page on the main topic.

Use descriptive and relevant anchor text links (for your internal links). This helps search engines understand the context of the linked pages. It improves your internal linking.

graphic showing anchor text on a webpage and anchor text in code

Source: Backlinko.com

You can use SEO tools and plugins to streamline the creation and management of content clusters. Tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Google Keyword Planner can identify pillar topics and subtopics with high search volume and relevance. Platforms like WordPress offer plugins like Yoast SEO. They help optimize internal linking and content structure.

Google Analytics and Search Console can show how your content clusters perform and identify areas for improvement.

Additional reading on content clusters and content marketing:

2. Capture featured snippets

Google search showing a featured snippet

Screenshot provided by author

Featured snippets are the answers at the top of search results. They provide a quick response to a query.

You should analyze the content of your competitors that currently appears in featured snippets. Use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to find these snippets. Then, see what content Google is highlighting.

You must target the specific questions that trigger these snippets. Focus on specific questions or long-tail keywords that trigger featured snippets. These are often queries like “how to,” “what is,” or “best ways to.” Make sure your content aligns with these keywords. Design your content to provide direct and concise answers to these queries.

You can track your progress to see if your content starts appearing as a featured snippet. If it doesn’t, adjust your strategy based on performance and feedback. Try refining your content, improving its structure, or targeting different keywords.

Additional reading on featured snippets:

3. Avoid (or fix) keyword cannibalization problems

A website with many pages focusing on the same or similar keywords can create internal competition in search engine rankings. This can dilute the effectiveness of each page and impact search rankings.

To check if your site’s pages target the same keywords, try tools like:

Google Search Console
Semrush
Ahrefs

Look for overlaps in your target keywords and page performance. You should also review the content of the pages involved. Determine if the pages have overlapping content or if each page has a unique angle or purpose.

If various pages discuss the same subject, you might want to merge them into one extensive page. This can strengthen the authority of the merged page and increase its likelihood of achieving a higher ranking.

Internal links must point to the most relevant or authoritative page on the topic. Update or remove links from pages that are being consolidated or are no longer relevant.

If pages must remain separate, ensure each targets distinct keywords or variations. You can consider revising the keyword strategy for each page to address different aspects of the topic.

To keep pages with overlapping content distinct, use canonical tags. They signal the preferred version to search engines.

Additional reading on keyword cannibalization:

4. Remove or repurpose low-performing content

It’s important to find content with low traffic, high bounce rates, or poor engagement. These indicators suggest that the content isn’t resonating with your audience. You need to assess why the content is underperforming. Possible reasons might include outdated information, poor quality, or lack of relevance. Determine whether you can fix the content’s issues with updates or if it is beyond repair.

Consider removing the content from your website if it is outdated or irreparable. Set up appropriate redirects, like 301 redirects, to direct users and search engines to the correct, updated pages or resources.

For content that has potential but isn’t performing well, consider repurposing it. You can revise the content, improve its quality, or change its format. For example, you could turn a blog post into a video or infographic. You could also target a different keyword.

While repurposing, optimize the content for SEO. Tools like the Yoast plugin for WordPress (see screenshot below) can make this task easier.

Update keywords, improve on-page elements (e.g., meta tags and headings), and enhance readability. This can help improve the content’s search engine ranking and attract more traffic.

Screenshot of Yoast plugin for WordPress

Source: Yoast

After updating or repurposing content, promote it via social media, email, and other channels. This will boost its visibility and engagement.

Additional reading on repurposed content:

5. Use unlinked mentions to build quality links

screenshot of Ahrefs search for unlinked domains

Screenshot provided by author

There may be mentions of your brand or content online. But, they may not link to your website. You need to review the context and relevance of these mentions. Determine if the source is reputable and if the mention is valuable. Focus on mentions from high-authority sites or those with significant traffic.

Contact the person (website owner or blogger) who referred to your site. Ask if they could provide a link to your website. Do not forget to give them the URL you want to link to. You should also explain to them how it will enrich their content.

When you reach out, explain how linking to your site can help its readers. It can provide extra, relevant resources. This can increase the likelihood of them adding the link.

Track your outreach efforts to determine if you have added the links. If you don’t receive a response or the link isn’t added, consider following up after some time.

Use this chance to establish connections with influencers or bloggers. Positive interactions can lead to future link-building opportunities and collaborations.

After getting links from unlinked mentions, track their impact on your site’s SEO. Check for improvements in traffic, domain authority, or search engine rankings.

Additional reading on unlinked mentions:

6. Conduct A/B testing

Example of how to A/B Test using Unbounce

Source: Unbounce

A/B testin g is a systematic technique used to compare two variations of a webpage or SEO strategy to identify which yields better results. You should determine what aspect of your SEO strategy you want to test. This could relate to on-page elements like headlines, meta descriptions, call-to-action buttons, or even broader changes like different content layouts or internal linking structures.

You should develop two distinct variations of the element you wish to test. For example, keep everything else the same if you’re testing different headlines. The only difference between the two versions should be the headline. If you change too many variables between versions, it will be difficult to tell why version A outperformed version B or vice versa.

Use an A/B testing tool or platform to split traffic between the two versions. This ensures that visitors are assigned to either version A or version B. This allows for a fair comparison.

Track key performance indicators such as:

Click-through rates
Conversion rates
Time on page
Bounce rates

These metrics will help you find which version is better for your goals.

Assess the performance of the two versions using the data you have gathered. Identify which version performed better and understand why. Identify statistically meaningful differences to verify the reliability of the results.

Apply the insights derived from the A/B test on your website. For instance, if one headline outperformed the other, use it across your site or in similar contexts to boost performance.

A/B testing should be a continuous process. Regularly test new strategies to refine your SEO. This will help you adapt to changes in user behavior and search engine algorithms.

Additional reading on A/B testing:

More food for thought

Beyond the advanced SEO techniques mentioned above, here are some additional strategies to consider as you manage your website.

User experience: Search engines prioritize user experience when determining website rankings. A website that delivers a smooth and engaging experience will likely rank higher. Ensure your website has a fast loading time. To accomplish this, use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. They can find and fix issues that slow down your site.

Page speed: Most (over 63%, according to Exploding Topics) internet traffic originates from mobile devices, so having a mobile-friendly website is essential. Make sure your website is easy to navigate, has a simple structure, and has a user-friendly design. This reduces bounce rates and keeps users engaged.

Rich snippets: Another important point is that structured data can lead to rich snippets, which are enhanced search results that include quality images, ratings, and prices. Rich snippets are eye-catching and can increase your click-through rates (CTR). They also help search engines index your content better and can improve your search rankings (SERP ranking).

Long-tail keywords: As mentioned, focus on long-tail keywords (i.e., longer, specific phrases). They usually have a lower search volume but higher intent and less competition. Long-tail keywords usually show higher sales intent. They signal a deeper research phase, leading to higher conversion rates.

SEO audits: Regular audits will help you find and fix technical issues. It’s essential to prevent small issues from becoming major problems and hurting your SEO. Use tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz to run deep SEO audits. These will find issues like broken links, duplicate content, and missing metadata.

Wrapping up advanced SEO techniques

Staying proactive is key to building a solid SEO foundation and achieving lasting success. These advanced SEO techniques and strategies are sure to keep your website ahead of competitors and drive quality leads your way.

Remember to always test, track, iterate, and repeat. The process is never complete. Always put your customers first, and you’ll never go wrong.

To your success!

Andy Beohar

Andy Beohar is the Managing Partner at SevenAtoms, a leading PPC Advertising agency. SevenAtoms is dedicated to driving growth for SaaS and B2B businesses through innovative and optimized paid search and is recognized by Google as a Google Premier Ads partner. At SevenAtoms, Andy plays a strategic role in managing paid search campaigns.