SEO
Meta’s New Ad Tools Promise More Precise Customer Targeting
![Meta's New Ad Tools Promise More Precise Customer Targeting Meta's New Ad Tools Promise More Precise Customer Targeting](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Metas-New-Ad-Tools-Promise-More-Precise-Customer-Targeting.jpeg)
Meta is rolling out ad platform upgrades for Facebook and Instagram.
The updates, coming in the next few months, focus on boosting performance and customization through AI-powered campaign optimization.
New Features For Precise Value Definition
Meta is rolling out a new “Conversion Value Rules” tool to give advertisers more flexibility.
This feature lets you adjust the value of different customer actions or groups to your business within a single campaign.
Let’s say you know some customers tend to spend way more over time. Now, you can tell the system to bid higher for those folks without setting up a separate campaign.
Incremental Attribution Model
Meta plans to introduce a new optional attribution setting later this year. This feature will focus on what it terms “incremental conversions.”
Instead of maximizing the total number of attributed conversions, this new model aims to optimize ad delivery for conversions likely to occur only because of ad exposure.
In other words, the model identifies and targets potential customers who wouldn’t have converted without seeing the advertisement.
Initial tests of this feature have yielded positive results. Advertisers participating in these trials have observed an average increase of over 20% in incremental conversions.
Enhanced Analytics Integration
Meta is launching direct connections with external analytics platforms, starting now and continuing through 2025. They’re kicking off with Google Analytics and Northbeam and plan to add Triple Whale and Adobe later.
These connections let businesses share combined campaign data from different channels with Meta’s ad system. The goal is to give advertisers a complete picture of how their campaigns perform across various platforms.
By getting this broader data set, Meta expects to fine-tune its AI models and help advertisers run more effective campaigns.
Cross-Publisher Journey Optimization
Meta is using what it’s learned from its early connections with analytics tools to update its ad system. These changes consider how customers interact with ads across different platforms before purchasing.
Early tests of this update have been positive. On average, third-party analytics tools show a 30% increase in conversions attributed to Meta ads. However, advertisers might see higher costs per thousand impressions (CPMs).
Right now, this update is being applied to campaigns that aim to increase the number or value of conversions under the sales objective. Meta plans to extend this to other campaign objectives soon.
Google Analytics Integration: What It Means
The Google Analytics connection is big news for industry folks, as it could offer the following benefits:
- Unified view of Meta ads and overall site performance
- Better multi-touch attribution
- Insights to refine SEO strategy based on paid social impact
- Smarter budget decisions between paid social and SEO
- Easier reporting
- Cross-channel optimization opportunities
This integration blurs the lines between paid social, organic social, and SEO, offering a more holistic view of digital marketing efforts.
Why This Matters
As privacy changes shake up digital advertising, Meta’s updates address the need for more accurate, valuable insights.
The move towards AI-driven features and cross-channel integration marks a new era in ad sophistication.
To make the most of these updates, review your Meta ad strategy and clearly define your customer journey and value metrics.
Stay tuned for the rollout, and be ready to test these new features as they become available.
Featured Image: Cristian Valderas/Shutterstock
SEO
50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181970_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
We analyzed the organic traffic growth of 1,600 SaaS companies to discover the SEO strategies that work best in 2024.
In this article, we’re focusing on bootstrapped software companies—those who have never raised external funding. All SEO data featured here comes piping hot from the Ahrefs API.
This is a list of bootstrapped SaaS companies ordered by estimated monthly organic traffic growth from August 2023 to August 2024. Did you make the cut?
Rank | Company | Traffic 2023 | Traffic 2024 | Traffic Growth | Change | Estimated Revenue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Smallpdf | 41,145,810 | 55,455,141 | 14,309,331 | 35% | $17.5M |
2 | BuiltWith | 526,880 | 3,149,986 | 2,623,106 | 498% | $31.0M |
3 | Ahrefs | 2,171,168 | 4,271,413 | 2,100,245 | 97% | $100.0M |
4 | Surfshark | 992,020 | 1,510,739 | 518,719 | 52% | $20.0M |
5 | IPQS | 1,194,124 | 1,660,482 | 466,358 | 39% | $32.0M |
6 | ExpressVPN | 1,620,815 | 1,927,577 | 306,762 | 19% | $14.9M |
7 | OpenWeather | 203,917 | 470,687 | 266,770 | 131% | $5.5M |
8 | Clockify | 600,071 | 859,005 | 258,934 | 43% | $5.5M |
9 | BambooHR | 652,833 | 808,660 | 155,827 | 24% | $237.8M |
10 | Surfer | 45,197 | 189,261 | 144,064 | 319% | $37.5M |
11 | Doofinder | 55,317 | 184,746 | 129,429 | 234% | $75.0M |
12 | Oxylabs.io | 92,671 | 207,640 | 114,969 | 124% | $375.0M |
13 | Todoist | 545,900 | 639,398 | 93,498 | 17% | $20.3M |
14 | Toggl | 295,570 | 388,062 | 92,492 | 31% | $14.7M |
15 | JetBrains | 2,712,320 | 2,796,818 | 84,498 | 3% | $252.1M |
16 | Zadarma | 130,940 | 214,538 | 83,598 | 64% | $175.0M |
17 | MXToolbox | 738,595 | 802,633 | 64,038 | 9% | $9.0M |
18 | TeamGantt | 120,783 | 176,899 | 56,116 | 46% | $5.0M |
19 | Mailtrap | 103,564 | 156,873 | 53,309 | 51% | $5.5M |
20 | GetResponse | 192,850 | 243,514 | 50,664 | 26% | $129.2M |
21 | DeviceAtlas | 59,267 | 109,341 | 50,074 | 84% | $19.0M |
22 | Elfsight | 65,359 | 104,938 | 39,579 | 61% | $8.0M |
23 | Vector Magic | 169,389 | 199,343 | 29,954 | 18% | $10.0M |
24 | Referral Factory | 943 | 27,591 | 26,648 | 2826% | $5.5M |
25 | Crowdin | 17,602 | 43,155 | 25,553 | 145% | $17.5M |
26 | Kaspr | 10,476 | 33,515 | 23,039 | 220% | $5.5M |
27 | Wisepops | 13,698 | 36,295 | 22,597 | 165% | $3.0M |
28 | SavyCal | 11,926 | 33,984 | 22,058 | 185% | $5.5M |
29 | Voucherify | 37,111 | 58,832 | 21,721 | 59% | $5.5M |
30 | Buzzsprout | 97,961 | 118,040 | 20,079 | 21% | $617K |
31 | Meeting Room 365 | 5,738 | 25,637 | 19,899 | 347% | $500K |
32 | vFairs | 18,175 | 37,812 | 19,637 | 108% | $75.0M |
33 | Helpjuice | 73,249 | 92,177 | 18,928 | 26% | $6.0M |
34 | Yardi | 64,177 | 81,896 | 17,719 | 28% | $5.5B |
35 | SpyFu | 62,410 | 79,361 | 16,951 | 27% | $2.0M |
36 | Wappalyzer | 61,561 | 78,303 | 16,742 | 27% | $500K |
37 | Filemail | 142,226 | 158,133 | 15,907 | 11% | $1.0M |
38 | Float.com | 29,088 | 44,737 | 15,649 | 54% | $5.5M |
39 | Free online HTML editor | 29,523 | 44,269 | 14,746 | 50% | – |
40 | BrightLocal 🇺🇦 | 52,853 | 66,876 | 14,023 | 27% | $10.3M |
41 | ShortPixel | 6,192 | 20,006 | 13,814 | 223% | $10.0M |
42 | GetMyInvoices | 10,880 | 23,767 | 12,887 | 118% | $5.5M |
43 | Mangools | 67,615 | 80,324 | 12,709 | 19% | $5.5M |
44 | La Growth Machine | 13,668 | 26,321 | 12,653 | 93% | $5.5M |
45 | Aha! | 135,156 | 147,570 | 12,414 | 9% | $100.0M |
46 | GTranslate Inc. | 7,739 | 20,125 | 12,386 | 160% | $5.3M |
47 | Slickplan | 13,270 | 24,857 | 11,587 | 87% | $1.0M |
48 | Uptime.com | 28,164 | 39,394 | 11,230 | 40% | $5.5M |
49 | Homerun | 23,049 | 33,883 | 10,834 | 47% | $38.4M |
50 | Glassnode | 13,321 | 24,111 | 10,790 | 81% | $5.5M |
Top 5 bootstrapped SaaS companies
For each of the top five companies, I ran a five-minute analysis using Ahrefs Site Explorer to understand the SEO strategies driving their growth.
In a nutshell: free tools, programmatic content, and content localization feature heavily.
Smallpdf offers free tools for editing and converting PDF files. They have an estimated annual revenue of $17,500,000.
Smallpdf | 2023 | 2024 | Absolute change | Percent change |
---|---|---|---|---|
Organic traffic | 41,145,810 | 55,455,141 | 14,309,331 | 34.78% |
Organic pages | 3,367 | 3,506 | 139 | 4.13% |
Organic keywords | 466,048 | 416,115 | -49,933 | -10.71% |
Keywords in top 3 | 54,933 | 69,359 | 14,426 | 26.26% |
Smallpdf’s traffic growth comes entirely from—you guessed it—free PDF tools. Conversion tools (converting from PDF to Word Doc, from JPG to PDF, and so on) drive the majority of the site’s traffic:
These free tools target extremely high volume keywords, like pdf to word with an estimated 3.9M searches in Indonesia alone. Here’s the actual page that ranks so well:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
These tools have also been localized to different languages, with the Spanish-, Indonesian- and Portuguese-targeted subfolders generating a large portion of the website’s traffic growth:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 623 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_623_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 623 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_623_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
BuiltWith is a tool for discovering the technologies companies use to use to build their websites. BuiltWith has an estimated annual revenue of $31,000,000.
BuiltWith | 2023 | 2024 | Absolute change | Percent change |
---|---|---|---|---|
Organic traffic | 526,880 | 3,149,986 | 2,623,106 | 497.86% |
Organic pages | 81,615 | 93,716 | 12,101 | 14.83% |
Organic keywords | 126,541 | 111,371 | -15,170 | -11.99% |
Keywords in top 3 | 4,538 | 4,307 | -231 | -5.09% |
The biggest single driver of BuiltWith’s growth is the addition of a Korean language subfolder, builtwith.com/ko, housing localized versions of 191 website pages:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 459 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_459_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 459 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_459_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
Other language subfolders (particularly /de, /es, and /fr) also generate a decent amount of traffic:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 255 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_255_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 255 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_255_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
Oh hey, that’s us! Ahrefs is a powerful all-in-one SEO toolset, and the source of all the SEO data in this article.
Ahrefs | 2023 | 2024 | Absolute change | Percent change |
---|---|---|---|---|
Organic traffic | 2,171,168 | 4,271,413 | 2,100,245 | 96.73% |
Organic pages | 4,522 | 18,982 | 14,460 | 319.77% |
Organic keywords | 225,855 | 231,761 | 5,906 | 2.61% |
Keywords in top 3 | 14,291 | 20,618 | 6,327 | 44.27% |
We don’t need conjecture here. Our free AI writing tools are responsible for a big part of our organic traffic growth:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 595 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_595_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 595 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_595_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
Our paragraph rewriter (113k visits per month), paraphrasing tool (99k), and instagram caption generator (73k) are particularly popular:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 985 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_985_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 985 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_985_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
Try them out for yourselves here: https://ahrefs.com/writing-tools.
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 678 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_678_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 678 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_678_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
We also launched a programmatic SEO campaign, using Ahrefs data to rank the world’s most popular websites:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 990 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_990_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 990 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_990_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
The localized versions of these pages—particularly Swedish and French—account for the majority of the traffic:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 362 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_362_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181966 362 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181966_362_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
Surfshark is a VPN tool with an estimated annual revenue of $20,000,000.
Surfshark | 2023 | 2024 | Absolute change | Percent change |
---|---|---|---|---|
Organic traffic | 992,020 | 1,510,739 | 518,719 | 52.29% |
Organic pages | 2,610 | 3,964 | 1,354 | 51.88% |
Organic keywords | 205,194 | 248,267 | 43,073 | 20.99% |
Keywords in top 3 | 5,359 | 9,390 | 4,031 | 75.22% |
One of Surfshark’s fastest-growing pages is a free IP address checking tool:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 604 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_604_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 604 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_604_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
But interestingly, most of the company’s organic growth has come from branded keywords, like surfshark discount code, surfshark deals, and surfshark login:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 997 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_997_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 997 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_997_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
This is a good indication that the company has been investing heavily in brand marketing, increasing branded search queries as a byproduct.
Looking at the Paid search reports in Ahrefs, we can see that the company launched a substantial advertising campaign in the last couple of months (we’ve logged 876 separate ads):
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 890 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_890_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 890 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_890_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
Big, expensive brand advertising campaigns are not common for bootstrapped companies.
Although the fundraising data suggests that Surfshark has never raised outside capital, their website shares that “In 2022, Surfshark and Nord Security merged under one holding company to form a cybersecurity powerhouse while still operating independently.”
This suggests that Surfshark may not be bootstrapped in the truest sense (but I’ve left it in because it showcases an interesting—and expensive—way to grow organic traffic).
IPQS is a fraud, bot detection, and IP validation tool with an estimated annual revenue of $32,000,000.
IPQS | 2023 | 2024 | Absolute change | Percent change |
---|---|---|---|---|
Organic traffic | 1,194,124 | 1,660,482 | 466,358 | 39.05% |
Organic pages | 22,378 | 31,350 | 8,972 | 40.09% |
Organic keywords | 72,181 | 75,390 | 3,209 | 4.45% |
Keywords in top 3 | 5,092 | 7,065 | 1,973 | 38.75% |
All of IPQS’ traffic growth (and in fact, 57% of their total estimated organic traffic) comes from a single page, a free tool for looking up phone numbers:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 2 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_2_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 2 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_2_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
This page manages to rank in first place for keywords like phone number lookup (353K monthly searches in the US), phone lookup (48K), and check this phone (35K):
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 52 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_52_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 52 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_52_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.png)
This, despite just 84 referring domains and a design that probably looked good circa 2005:
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 452 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_452_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
![50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024 1724181967 452 50 Bootstrapped SaaS Companies Dominating SEO in 2024](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724181967_452_50-Bootstrapped-SaaS-Companies-Dominating-SEO-in-2024.jpg)
Final thoughts
We’ll share more of these analyses in the coming weeks. Want us to include your company in the next round? Just fill out this short Google Form.
SEO
Utilizing Local Influencers For Digital Marketing Success
![Utilizing Local Influencers For Digital Marketing Success Utilizing Local Influencers For Digital Marketing Success](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Utilizing-Local-Influencers-For-Digital-Marketing-Success.png)
Small businesses face the ongoing challenge of standing out in crowded marketplaces, both online and off.
One strategy that has gained significant traction in recent years is leveraging prominent, trusted local influencers to help boost online authority and visibility and grow the business.
This approach enables businesses to tap into established community voices, build trust, and reach specific local audiences through value-added partnerships.
Understanding Local Influencer Marketing
Local influencer marketing involves partnering with people who have significant followings and/or influence within a specific geographic area or community.
These influencers may not have millions of followers like national or global influencers, but their impact on local consumers’ searching and buying decisions can be substantial.
According to a 2023 study by Influencer Marketing Hub, 82% of marketers plan to dedicate a budget to influencer marketing. While this statistic covers influencer marketing in general, the trend is increasingly relevant for local businesses as well.
Why Local Influencers Matter For Your Local Businesses
Targeted Local Reach
Local influencers have an audience that is likely to be in the same area as your business.
This means your marketing efforts are focused on potential customers who can actually visit your physical location or use your local services.
It reduces wasted exposure to audiences outside your service area, making your marketing much more efficient and cost-effective.
Authenticity
Local influencers are often seen as more relatable and trustworthy by their followers. They’re part of the community and understand local challenges, needs, preferences, and culture.
This authenticity can lead to higher engagement rates and more genuine interest in your business.
Their recommendations often come across as personal endorsements rather than paid advertisements, though their support should be clearly indicated as paid/sponsored if this is the case.
Cost-Effectiveness
Partnering with local influencers is generally more affordable than working with larger, national-level influencers, who are used to charging a premium.
Most small businesses have limited marketing budgets, putting those larger influencers out of reach. You can often negotiate deals with locals involving product exchanges or experiences rather than large cash payments.
As noted, the ROI of these types of “paid” relationships can be higher due to the targeted nature of the audience and the influencer’s local credibility.
Increased Local Visibility
Local influencer partnerships can boost a business’s presence in local search results and social media.
When influencers provide backlinks to your content, tag your business on social media, or use location-based hashtags, it can improve your local SEO by transferring some of their established authority and “localness” to you.
This increased visibility can lead to more foot traffic, website or social media visits, and, ultimately, sales.
Timely Communications
Local influencers are often the first to know about and share local trends because part of their job includes being engaged and aware.
Partnering with them can help small businesses quickly adapt their offerings or marketing to new trends and customer needs.
Community Engagement
Local influencers can help businesses connect more deeply with the local community.
They can facilitate meaningful interactions, promote local events, and help your business become a more integral part of the community fabric.
This can lead to increased customer loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing, both online and off, beyond just the influencer’s followers.
Cross-Promotion Opportunities
A local influencer may already have existing relationships with like-minded businesses and be able to make valuable, trust-backed introductions for cross-promotion.
These types of relationships can be positioned as a win-win for all local parties and the community in general.
Further, local community engagement is another signal to Google of your business’s localness and can influence your online authority relative to your competitors, who may not be as engaged.
This trust factor is pronounced at the local level, where influencers are naturally viewed as neighbors and contributing members of the community.
Identifying The Right Local Influencers
Finding the right local influencers is crucial for the success of your campaign. Here are some best practices:
- Define your target audience: Understand who your ideal customers are (demographics and psychographics), what types of local influencers they’re likely to follow, and in which channels. Many influencers appeal to specific niches, so be sure to determine whether or not they will reach your target.
- Use social listening tools: Utilize social media listening tools or hire someone to identify local hashtags and active influencer voices in your community.
- Check engagement rates: Look beyond follower counts and pay attention to how active an influencer’s accounts are. An influencer with 500-1000 engaged local followers is likely more valuable than one with 50,000 passive followers. A Rock Content study quoted by TechJury.net found micro-influencers account for 91% of engagement posts. Much higher than their larger counterparts.
- Assess content quality: Ensure the influencer’s content style and values align with your business and brand. Be sure to research the influencer’s past activity and other local relationships they may have maintained.
- Verify local presence: Confirm the influencer is genuinely active and influential in your specific locale. Review the influencer’s follower list, looking for friends you may have in common. Ask a few of your customers if they are familiar with the influencer.
Approaching Local Influencers
Once you’ve identified potential local influencers, the next step is to approach them to propose a partnership:
- Engage authentically: You can start by following them on social media, liking/sharing their content, leaving thoughtful comments, and tagging them in your relevant posts. In other words, try to build a relationship before pitching a collaboration.
- Personalize your outreach: When you do reach out, make it clear why you chose them specifically. Reference specific content you feel would resonate with your audience, and be sure to highlight the importance of local involvement.
- Offer value: Clearly articulate what’s in the proposed relationship for them. This could be monetary compensation, free products/services, or exclusive experiences your business can offer.
- Be clear about expectations: Outline what you’re looking for in the collaboration, but also be open to their ideas; this should be a mutually beneficial relationship, after all.
- Start small: Consider starting with a small project to test the waters before committing to a larger campaign.
- Ask for references and/or results: Professional influencers should be able to provide references to other local businesses they’ve worked with. You can also ask them to provide details on results they’ve delivered to other businesses in terms of new followers, website traffic, or actual sales.
- Respect their audience: Remember, local influencers have likely taken significant time to build trust with their followers, which is why you should want to work with them. Be sure to respect this relationship and avoid pushing for them to endorse overly promotional content. They will likely let you know in any case, but it’s better not to start off a relationship on the wrong foot.
Case Studies: Local Influencer Success Stories
A Gardening Supply Company Partners With A Local Gardener
A local family-owned gardening store collaborates with a prominent local gardener with 5,000 followers across Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for a series of DIY gardening tutorial videos featuring their products and services.
Results:
- Increase in website traffic from social media and organic search to key product and service pages.
- Growth in email newsletter sign-ups.
- Boost in sales of products featured in tutorials.
Key Takeaway: Educational content from a trusted local source drives both engagement and sales.
A Butcher Partners With A Local Foodie On A Charity BBQ
A new local butcher with three well-established competitors partners with a local food influencer with 15,000+ highly engaged followers on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to promote and host a charity BBQ at his location.
The event is very well attended and the butcher receives positive feedback from several attendees, as well as charity organizers.
Results:
- Increase in website traffic and online purchases originating from social media and organic search.
- Significant growth of the butcher’s social media following.
- Single-day in-store sales record.
- A new partnership formed with the local charity, and a link to the butcher’s website from the charity’s site.
Key Takeaway: Community engagement via a known and trusted influencer boosts visibility, traffic, and sales.
Best Practices For Local Influencer Campaigns
Having identified influencers, here are some recommendations for running a successful campaign.
Set Clear Goals
Define what success looks like for your campaign. Is it increased foot traffic, online sales, or brand awareness? Setting specific, measurable goals is critical for evaluating the success of your campaign.
For example, a local bookstore might set a goal to increase website traffic by 20% and online sales by 5% during a three-month-long campaign with a local book reviewer. This can easily be tracked via Google Analytics.
Allow Creative Freedom
While it’s important to have guidelines, you should enable influencers to have some creative control. Their authentic, trusted voice and approach are what resonates with their audience. Overly scripted content can come across as contrived and may not perform as well.
Example: A local yoga studio partnering with a fitness influencer might provide key points about their classes and facilities but allow the influencer to create content in their own style, whether that’s a day-in-the-life TikTok video or a series of yoga and personal wellness stories on Instagram.
Tip: Consider providing a creative brief with your key messages and any mandatory elements, but encourage the influencer to present these in a way that feels natural to them.
Leverage Multiple Platforms
Don’t limit yourself or your influencer to just one social media platform. A multi-channel and content-type approach can maximize reach and cater to different audience preferences.
Tip: Consider each platform’s strengths and how they align with the goals you’ve defined. Instagram or TikTok might be great for entertaining/visual impact, while YouTube could be better for more detailed product demos and information.
Foster Long-Term Relationships
Instead of one-off posts, consider ongoing partnerships with influencers who truly align with your brand messaging. This can lead to more authentic content and stronger audience trust over time.
Example: A local pet store might partner with a popular dog trainer for a monthly “Ask the Trainer” Instagram series, creating an ongoing valuable resource for local pet owners.
Tip: Start with a smaller project and, if it’s successful, propose a longer-term and more involved campaign. This approach will enable both sides to ensure there’s a good fit before committing to a lengthy partnership.
Measure And Adjust
Use unique tracking links, promo codes, and analytics tools to measure the impact of your campaigns and adjust your strategy accordingly. Unique links and codes are particularly important if you start working with more than one influencer, as you’ll want to understand which is delivering the best results.
This data-driven approach will enable you to refine your campaigns over time. Set up regular check-ins to review campaign performance with your partner.
Be prepared to pivot your strategy if certain approaches aren’t yielding the desired results. Taking a data-driven approach will no doubt impress your partner and solidify your relationship.
Comply With Regulations
Ensure all sponsored content is clearly disclosed according to FTC or other regulatory guidelines. This maintains trust with the audience and avoids potential legal issues. Provide your influencer partners with clear guidelines on how to disclose partnerships within the context of campaigns.
The FTC recommends disclosures are clear, conspicuous, and not buried in a string of hashtags. Example: An influencer posting about a local fitness apparel store should include clear language like “#ad” or “Sponsored by [Store Name]” in a prominent place in their post.
Remember, the key is to balance authenticity while also achieving your desired marketing goals. Regular evaluation and adjustment of your strategy will help ensure long-term success in your local influencer marketing efforts.
Challenges And How To Overcome Them
All digital marketing campaigns come with some challenges and there are some which will be specific to local businesses.
These should not, however, deter business owners from testing this potentially powerful approach.
- Limited pool of influencers: In smaller locales, you might find a limited number of available or suitable influencers. If this is the case, expand your definition of influence to include local community leaders, business owners, or even enthusiastic customers. This may mean results will take a little longer to achieve.
- Measuring ROI: It can be challenging to directly attribute sales and revenue to influencer campaigns. As noted, use unique promo codes and tracked links, custom landing pages, or in-store surveys to track your partner’s impact. You may also ask them to share the stats they obtain from social media or their website.
- Maintaining authenticity: There’s a risk of the partnership feeling forced or inauthentic. Always focus on building genuine relationships with influencers and enable them, wherever possible, to speak in their own voice.
- Budget constraints: Small businesses often have limited marketing budgets. Many small influencers are well aware and will consider non-monetary compensation like product exchanges or exclusive experiences. For others, this is actually their preference and perhaps why they became an influencer in the first place; to get cool stuff for free.
The Future Of Local Influencer Marketing
Local influencer marketing is likely to grow as a potentially lucrative option for local business owners.
EMARKETER’s July 2023 forecast predicts influencer marketing spending will reach $5.89 billion in the US by 2024, with a significant portion of this growth happening at the local level.
As consumers increasingly seek authentic, trusted, community-based reviews and recommendations, local influencers are positioned to play an even more crucial role in small business marketing strategies.
Conclusion
Utilizing local influencers for digital marketing success offers small businesses a powerful way to connect with their community, build trust, and drive growth.
By carefully identifying the right influencers, approaching them thoughtfully, and creating authentic partnerships, businesses can tap into the power of local influence to achieve key marketing goals.
Remember, success lies in authenticity, mutually realized value, and a solid understanding of your local market/audience.
Start small, measure your results, and be prepared to adapt your strategy as you learn what works best for your unique business and community.
More resources:
Featured Image: Chay_Tee/Shutterstock
SEO
Why Your Rankings Are in Flux
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Why Your Rankings Are in Flux](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113571_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.jpg)
Search traffic isn’t just a metric — it’s a business model. Companies like HubSpot, Nerdwallet, and Zapier have built multimillion dollar empires on it.
I’ve personally witnessed a gaming brand use search share of voice data to justify a $60M acquisition and market expansion.
The bottom line is: search rankings and revenue are intrinsically linked. That’s why SERP volatility, even down to the keyword level, can make a huge dent in business value.
Think about it: a law firm ranking for a high-value keyword ($75 CPC) would have to shell out $186K a month on ads if their organic visibility halved, just to keep revenue steady.
Sidenote.
Ahrefs calculates a unique CTR for every single keyword, to give the most accurate page-level traffic figures. For the purpose of this example, however, we’ve used a generic position 2 CTR to work out traffic and value on the keyword level.
Now imagine that multiplied across tens, if not hundreds of equally valuable keywords.
That’s the cost of SERP volatility.
SERP volatility refers to the degree of fluctuation in Google’s search results. In volatile SERPs, different pages shift in and out of the top 10, while stable SERPs stay relatively steady over time.
SERP flux is an inevitability. You’ll experience it across all pages on your site to various extents, and, yes, even “stable” SERPs experience a level of volatility.
In the words of Google’s Senior Search Analyst, John Mueller
…there is no one-shot secret to long-lasting online success. Even if you find something that works now, the web, user desires, and how they engage with websites changes. It’s really hard to make good, popular, persistent things.
The reality is, Google is always testing and indexing to better meet searcher needs.
When the SERPs are volatile, it’s a sign Google is looking for opportunities to serve more relevant content.
What a “stable” SERP looks like
This chart may still look a little shaky, but it was just about the most stable SERP I could find after checking through what felt like hundreds of queries.
Only two sites (highlighted in yellow) dropped out of the top 10 over the course of the year, and the remaining eight pages saw relatively minor flux or position flipping.
In most other SERPs, sites flitted in and out on a near-constant basis.
It’s clear from this example that individual SERPs are intrinsically volatile. Tackling volatility at the keyword-group level is likely a more efficient way to improve your traffic and rankings.
What a “volatile” SERP looks like
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux An example of a volatile SERP](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.jpg)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux An example of a volatile SERP](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.jpg)
Hopefully you can see the difference here.
In a volatile SERP, pages move in and out of the top 10, experiencing flips and tremors on an almost daily basis.
I’ve highlighted astrology.com because it’s the only result that, despite considerable flux, manages to maintain top 10 visibility all the way throughout the year.
There are two ways to think about SERP volatility
Multi-keyword flux
Multi-keyword flux is when the traffic and rankings of multiple keywords oscillate in the SERPs.
If you’re affected by this kind of volatility, you’ll feel an impact at the page, site, or industry level.
Multi-keyword flux can be triggered by search engine algorithm updates and shifting search intent, amongst other things.
Single keyword flux
Single keyword flux is when your content is experiencing traffic or ranking volatility for one keyword only.
This type of volatility impacts just a single page, but it’s worth investigating if the associated keyword holds significant value – whether that’s monetary value (e.g. CPC) or brand value (e.g. a branded keyword).
When your rankings fluctuate, it’s not by chance. Here’s a look at the main causes of SERP volatility – also known as SEO volatility – including algorithm updates, content issues, and changing search intent.
Algorithm updates
Search engines are always updating their algorithms to a greater or lesser extent, to improve results for users.
As a Google spokesperson told the BBC
“Our recent updates aim to connect people with content that is helpful, satisfying and original, from a diverse range of sites across the web,”
These improvements can cause long-lasting Google volatility across entire industries.
Take the latest August core update, for example. Google made algorithmic adjustments to promote useful content by small and independent publishers, and issued a notice to say that it would take a full month to roll out.
Similarly, the March 2024 core update targeted hundreds of sites with manipulative content, and took 45 long days to complete.
Search engines usually announce major updates in advance, giving the SEO community a chance to address issues before they take root.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Google announcing March 2024 core update](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113566_971_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Google announcing March 2024 core update](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113566_971_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
I say “usually”, because Google also has a habit of pushing smaller updates live without warning – like this one, where it deindexed a large number of URLs due to a “shift in perception” (in the words of Google Analyst, Gary Illyes).
Just like official updates, unconfirmed updates can lead to wide scale fluctuation.
Content needs refreshing
Search engines want to serve the freshest information possible to keep searchers coming back.
When the SERPs evolve but your content doesn’t, you’ll tend to see some SERP volatility.
If your page is littered with broken links or redundant information, pages delivering a better experience will inevitably outrank you.
Sites ranking for freshness related keywords are more susceptible to movement because searchers are on the lookout for new information. Google refers to these keywords as “Queries that deserve freshness”.
Examples of QDF keywords with volatile SERPs:
Crawling/indexing issues
If Google doesn’t crawl and index your pages properly, your content may appear only fleetingly in search results.
Equally, when resources like JavaScript or CSS are blocked from crawling, Google can misinterpret your page, which leads to peaks and troughs in ranking.
Cannibalization
Ever since the 2019 diversity update, Google has preferred to rank one site per SERP – making exceptions only for highly relevant content.
As a result, when you have two or more pieces of content fulfilling the same search intent, your rankings will flip and traffic can be inconsistent.
You’re essentially muddying the waters by giving search engines too many options; on top of competing with your rivals, you end up competing with yourself.
Irrelevant/low-quality content
There’s a goal behind every query, and it’s reflected in user search behavior; the keywords they choose, the results they click – even the time they spend on site.
Thanks to some leaked Google search documentation shared by SparkToro’s Rand Fishkin and iPullRank’s Mike King, we can now say with quiet confidence that Google processes all of this user activity when it ranks content.
If user behavior indicates that your content is underperforming, your page is more likely to drop in and out of Google.
Low quality content looks like:
- Thin content
- Misinformation
- A lack of E-E-A-T
- Slow load times
- Intrusive ads
- Keyword stuffing
Competitor content improvements
Competitors creating, updating, and ultimately improving their content can cause a certain level of volatility for your site – especially if they have greater brand authority.
Brand authority is the trust and credibility your brand commands in its industry. It’s shaped by factors like the quality of your content, the strength of your backlinks, and how much your brand gets talked about online.
Search intent is changing
Search intent is the thread connecting everything you’ve read so far. When intent is changing or ambiguous, the SERPs become volatile.
Google is ultimately trying to understand what the user is expecting to find when they search a keyword, so it tests and reshuffles results, causing rankings to flip.
Search volatility is even more pronounced when intent shifts and keywords take on a new meaning.
Here’s an example.
Before OpenAI announced ChatGPT, the dominant intent behind the keyword “LLM” was about “Understanding LLM Programs” – in other words, 79% of the top 10 search results catered to users interested in learning about “Master of Law” degrees.
Before
A year on, and by the time ChatGPT had become firmly embedded in our tech stack, the SERP had seen 16 changes in the top 10 and intent had shifted almost entirely to “Understanding Large Language Models” — the technology foundational to modern AI.
After
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux SERP for LLM keyword after intent switch](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113567_726_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux SERP for LLM keyword after intent switch](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113567_726_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
Sometimes, SERP volatility settles as the search engine better understands the intent. Other times, results stay in flux as a result of constantly changing intent (e.g. queries that deserve freshness).
But at what point does volatility turn into a full-on SERP switch? Can it be measured by the passing of time or the “SERP differential” – the degree to which the results change?
The only way to find out is to study the SERP.
Search results can change slowly
Search intent can shift gradually. Recently, while looking for content to update on the Ahrefs blog, I noticed a piece on “Website traffic” that had once driven impressive amounts of traffic.
But, when I did more digging into the SERPs (using the Identify Intents tool in Keywords Explorer), I noticed a slow shift in intent from informational guides in 2021, to free tools and tool compilation lists in 2024.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Example of slow search intent shift](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113567_481_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Example of slow search intent shift](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113567_481_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
Looking at the SERP comparison metrics, I noticed the top 10 positions had changed 17 times, and both pages had received a SERP similarity score of just 10/100.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux SERP similarity score and top SERP changes in Ahrefs Identify Intents tool](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113567_398_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux SERP similarity score and top SERP changes in Ahrefs Identify Intents tool](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113567_398_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
All signs pointed to slow-burning volatility and a near-total SERP switch.
Search intent can also change quickly
For queries deserving freshness, like the trending “Willy Wonka experience” example I mentioned earlier, the SERPs flipped within months as interest in the viral story waned.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Example of rapid search intent shift](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113567_409_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.jpg)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Example of rapid search intent shift](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113567_409_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.jpg)
This rapid shift was once again reflected in the SERP Similarity score, which came in at just 2/100.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux SERP similarity score and top SERP changes in Ahrefs Identify Intents tool](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_843_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux SERP similarity score and top SERP changes in Ahrefs Identify Intents tool](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_843_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
If you want to better understand how the SERPs are evolving – whether they’re experiencing volatility or undergoing a complete transformation – it’s useful to analyze results in this way.
Volatility can manifest at the page, site, or industry level; to identify each type you’ll need to take a slightly different approach.
Below I run you through the tools you’ll need to spot SERP volatility in all its incarnations.
Check on an industry level
To anticipate when the SERPs are about to shift, many SEOs monitor top-level SERP volatility using algorithm “weather” tools like Algoroo.
This particular tool tracks macro-level SERP volatility by measuring both positive and negative ranking changes. The output is a simple, traffic-light-coded chart showing SERP flux over time.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Algoroo SERP volatility weather chart](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_426_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Algoroo SERP volatility weather chart](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_426_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
If you want to analyze your own industry-wide volatility, head to Ahrefs Site Explorer and search your site or subfolder…
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Searching in Ahrefs Site Explorer](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_535_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Searching in Ahrefs Site Explorer](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_535_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
Then add your competitors in the organic search view.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux A Google update show in Ahrefs Share of Voice chart](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_812_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux A Google update show in Ahrefs Share of Voice chart](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_812_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
In this example, I’m monitoring “Share of Voice” for a group of YMYL ( “Your Money or Your Life”) sites.
Sidenote.
These sites handle content that directly affects a user’s health, finances, and safety. Any incorrect information can cause real-life harm, so search engines have much stricter standards to ensure accuracy and trust. As a result, these sites tend to feel the impact of updates more acutely – meaning we’re able to see the impact of volatility more clearly.
Hovering over the Ⓖ symbols in Site Explorer reveals detailed information about official, macro-level algorithm updates. This helps us tie the obvious SERP volatility we can see to the March 2023 core update.
Share of voice, being a percentage, offers a more accurate way to compare sites than total traffic figures. While traffic can vary widely between sites, share of voice allows you to look past those discrepancies and zero in on relative performance and shared volatility.
Check on a site level
You can easily check site volatility in Google Search Console, based on metrics like clicks and impressions.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Google search console clicks and impressions data](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_287_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Google search console clicks and impressions data](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_287_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
And if you want to track site performance across a specific group of keywords, you can set up a Project in Ahrefs Rank Tracker.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Ahrefs Rank Tracker showing share of voice volatility](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_874_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Ahrefs Rank Tracker showing share of voice volatility](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_874_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
Check on a page level
To analyze the fluctuation of a single keyword, you can search a keyword in Ahrefs Keywords Explorer and view SERP Position History Charts.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Checking single keyword SERP volatility in Ahrefs Position History](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_452_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Checking single keyword SERP volatility in Ahrefs Position History](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_452_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
Focusing on the top 10 results will help you filter out the noise. You can also view Position History Charts whenever you see this chart icon next to a keyword…
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Arrow pointing out Position History Charts icon in Ahrefs](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_615_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Arrow pointing out Position History Charts icon in Ahrefs](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_615_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
You don’t have to just accept volatility. There are tons of things you can do to stabilize rankings – from improving your content’s E-E-A-T, to diversifying your traffic sources.
It’s beyond the scope of this article to go through every tactic, but I’ve included the most important ones below.
Regularly monitor intent
Search intent changes directly track to volatility. Use the Identifying Intents tool I mentioned earlier will help you assess how well your content hits the mark for the SERP’s dominant intents.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Arrow pointing to Identify Intents tool in Ahrefs](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_749_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Arrow pointing to Identify Intents tool in Ahrefs](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113568_749_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
Keep content updated
Some topics crave freshness more than others. For these, regular updates aren’t just nice to have — they’re essential. Neglect them, and you risk dropping off the SERP entirely.
Here’s what to do:
- Create a “freshness portfolio” of your key content using Ahrefs Portfolios
- Prioritize your top-performing pages
- Update regularly to maintain rankings and prevent traffic loss
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Arrow pointing to Portfolios in Ahrefs](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113569_3_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Arrow pointing to Portfolios in Ahrefs](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113569_3_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
Remember: stale content can cost you traffic and conversions. Stay on top of updates to keep your SERP positions (and your revenue) healthy.
Content you might want to include in your “freshness portfolio”:
- Date specific content/research (e.g. statistics blogs, headlines featuring years)
- News and trend content
- Pages that mention deals and offers
- Pages that mention pricing or plan details
Fix cannibalization
To avoid duplicating content and intent, make sure you’re creating new content in the context of your existing back catalog.
A simple Google site operator search will help you find all existing pages on your site related to a topic.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux An example of a Google site operator search](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113569_538_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux An example of a Google site operator search](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113569_538_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
Ahrefs has approximately 19 pages that mention “SERP volatility” in passing, but zero that cover the topic in any real detail.
That means this article shouldn’t lead to any cannibalization (at least, I hope not!).
Toggling on the “Multiple URLs” filter in Ahrefs Organic Keywords report can also show you when you’re ranking more than once for a single keyword.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Arrow pointing to Multiple URLs filter in Ahrefs](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113569_967_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Arrow pointing to Multiple URLs filter in Ahrefs](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113569_967_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.png)
Use this workflow to spot pages that are at greater risk of cannibalization and SERP volatility.
Study competitor content
Assess rivals who rank consistently or often in volatile SERPs. What are they doing differently? How does their content satisfy intent? What topics are they covering that you’re missing?
Run your page through our Content Grader tool to spot content gaps and get actionable advice on how you can improve.
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Example of content gaps in Ahrefs Content Grader](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113569_377_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.jpg)
![Why Your Rankings Are in Flux Example of content gaps in Ahrefs Content Grader](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724113569_377_Why-Your-Rankings-Are-in-Flux.jpg)
Audit and troubleshoot technical issues
If your site is experiencing SERP flux off the back of an algorithm update, it’s essential to run a thorough site audit.
When Google’s Site Reputation Abuse update specifically targeted sites with manipulative link practices, SEOs would have had to run an audit to clean up their external link profiles and earn back visibility.
Diagnosing and fixing technical issues can improve your site’s ability to get indexed consistently in the SERPs. Chris Haines has written a great 11 step site audit guide to get you started.
Final thoughts
SERP volatility can hit your traffic and revenue hard.
But stabilizing your rankings isn’t just about patching up a leaky bucket. It’s also about retaining a competitive edge and taking traffic away from your biggest competition.
To keep your site’s performance steady, you need to make a habit of monitoring search intent, regularly updating content, and troubleshooting any technical issues that could be dragging you down.
Do this right, and you might even be able to turn SERP volatility into an opportunity.
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