SEO
How to Adapt to the New Era of Search
Last month, I bought a laser cutter. If you’ve been in my shoes, you know that one does not simply Google “best laser cutters” and then buy the one most recommended in the ranking articles.
As search marketers, that’s often what we think happens. But here’s what actually happened:
The branch of SEO that cares about journeys like this is search experience optimization (SXO). It focuses on making a brand discoverable along all touchpoints in modern search journeys, no matter where they start or what path they take.
Search is becoming more of a ‘choose your own adventure’ experience.
I interviewed some of the industry’s top experts and consolidated their advice into a process for optimizing brand visibility everywhere people search these days. Big thanks to:
SXO is about optimizing a brand’s presence for non-linear search journeys over multiple platforms, not just Google.
Unlike search engine optimization (SEO), which traditionally focuses on a website’s Google rankings, SXO incorporates user experience elements. It prioritizes a person’s entire experience from initial search through to conversion.
For example, if you sell laser cutters, it’s about helping potential customers through the process of:
- Figuring out what they want to make
- Sourcing the right materials
- Showing them exactly how to make these things
- Recommending products for different budgets or use cases
It’s also about doing the above in forums, on YouTube, and anywhere else they look for information, on and off your website. If you don’t show up where they are searching, you miss many opportunities to connect with potential customers.
The goal of SXO is to create an integrated experience from search to interaction. It’s essential to understand where your audience is searching and to ensure that their experience is optimized across all those touchpoints, reinforcing the notion that every interaction is part of a cohesive, integrated set of experiences.
Let’s now put this into practice. Here’s a step-by-step process for getting started with SXO.
This step starts by understanding that searchers looking for information differ from users who’ve entered your marketing funnel and are interacting with your website.
Typically, a searcher is:
- Unaware of your brand
- On an active hunt for reliable answers or recommendations
- Not interested in your brand unless you provide exactly what they’re looking for
As an audience segment, searchers are best segmented by the patterns in how they think and their motivations for why they’re looking for something.
There are two parts to this: the searcher’s intent and their lens.
Search intent is a concept used in SEO to understand why someone searches for a specific keyword. It focuses on the micro level and is considered on a keyword-by-keyword basis.
For example, someone searching for “buy laser cutter” would have a transactional intent as they’re ready to spend some cash. Someone searching for “laser cutter projects” has an informational intent.
In UX, the concept of a lens applies to the entire journey and is about the macro level. For instance, someone interested in “making cool stuff” may search both of the above keywords (or similar) at some stage.
You need to consider both intent and the searcher’s lens for SXO.
I like to start by understanding the micro intents using Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer and checking out the Matching terms report.
Then, I look at the ranking pages for a handful of terms relevant to my audience by clicking the SERP dropdown and checking out the Identify intents feature:
Doing this gives you a breakdown of the common reasons why people are looking for your product or service, like:
- 45% want to compare laser cutters
- 28% want to buy a laser cutter
- 18% want to learn about laser cutters
- 8% want to watch reviews or tutorials
- 2% want to view images of laser cutters
These are the micro-intents. The more keywords you look at, the more you’ll get a feel for the macro-level and why these people are searching to begin with. For example, a lot of people who look for laser cutters want to make cool stuff.
Take the time to research your audience and understand common patterns in how they think and what they’re seeking from their search experiences.
When you understand that the main drive is “to make cool stuff”, or whatever the equivalent lens is for your industry, you open up a broader understanding of the search journeys people go through before they’re ready to buy.
For instance, before I bought the laser cutter, I searched 195 different keywords on Google and countless more on platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and even specific e-commerce stores. Of these, only twenty included the word “laser”.
In order to know what laser cutter is best for the stuff I want to make, I first needed to know:
- What am I interested in making?
- What materials do I need to make these things?
- Can I get those materials easily or do I need to find an alternative option?
- What’s the exact step-by-step process for making these things?
- What type of laser fits my budget and covers all my needs?
Chances are, people in your industry are also asking a tonne of questions:
I like to look at the Clusters by terms to see what themes and general patterns show up. Then, I do keyword research on each cluster separately.
For instance, it’s common for people to search for material-related phrases when shopping for laser cutters, like acrylic, wood, metal and vinyl.
They also search for things they can make, like earrings and puzzles. In this example, I’d then do keyword research for anything with a DIY intent that overlaps with the things people search for related to lasers.
That could be anything from “how to make a wooden puzzle” to “buy bulk basswood sheets”.
While searching for these keywords, I also like to check out the Traffic share by domain report to get a feel for what websites and platforms searchers may visit. For instance, I checked all of the outlined sites before I bought my laser cutter, and your audience is likely to follow a similar pattern:
Let’s take a closer look at this.
Search behavior is changing. Google is not always the platform of choice for modern searchers, with more people satisfying their curiosity elsewhere.
For instance, Gartner predicted a 25% drop in upcoming search engine usage due to AI chatbots.
These days, the five types of platforms where most searches tend to happen include:
- Search engines
- Social media
- Marketplaces
- Forum + discussion threads
- Generative AI + chatbots
For instance, in my journey to buy a laser cutter, 6% of my clicks went to Google, 38% to marketplaces and 57% to various retailers. However, in terms of time, I spent 41% on social media (especially YouTube and TikTok) and forums.
Here’s how to find the right platforms to target for your SXO strategy in each of these categories.
Search engines
Today, at the time of writing this, over 10 trillion searches have been made on Google (and counting)!
If Gartner is correct and we do see a 25% drop in search engine usage, that will still be a whopping 7.5 trillion daily searches happening on Google alone. Not to mention other search engines like Yep, Bing, Baidu, and Naver.
Search marketing is a formidable channel and won’t just disappear overnight.
To find how popular search engines are in your industry, check out the Overview tab in Keywords Explorer.
For example, for the keyword “halloween costumes” we get the following stats:
Pay attention to the estimated monthly search volume (locally and globally), traffic potential, and forecasted search volume. The higher these numbers, the greater the potential to gather traffic from search engines in your industry.
The forecasted volume graph can also indicate general trends over time so you can spot if interest in your industry is trending up or down over time.
Social media
After Google, the second most popular search engine is YouTube, a social media platform.
Other social platforms that people search for information on include FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Social media platforms are great at providing alternative content formats. For instance, people who prefer short-form video content are more likely to search on a social platform like YouTube or TikTok than Google.
I like to use SparkToro to get a sense of the most popular social platforms for a topic.
For instance, after YouTube and Facebook, people interested in content marketing are more likely to use LinkedIn.
However, people interested in dancing prefer to use Instagram, Reddit, and Twitter before LinkedIn.
It can take the guesswork out of which social platforms to prioritize in your industry.
Marketplaces
Marketplaces are a common place where people search for products. For example, instead of turning to Google, many people go straight to Amazon or Etsy to find a product they’re looking for.
The specific marketplaces that are relevant in your industry may be different and you can use Ahrefs to uncover them.
For example, let’s look at the keyword “amigurumi” (which is a type of crochet craft). In Keywords Explorer, you can check out the traffic share by domain report to see the top websites ranking.
In this example, the top two industry-specific sites (amigurumi.com and amigurumi.today) are marketplaces offering crochet patterns from various artists.
This is a simple example of industry-specific marketplaces that amigurumi artists can feature their designs on. It’s likely your industry may also have niche marketplaces to feature your brand in.
Pro Tip:
You may be able to gather keyword data for specific marketplaces using tools like Helium 10 for Amazon or EverBee for Etsy. These can be worth checking out if you want to find more accurate search patterns across different platforms.
Forums + discussion threads
Reddit and Quora are two of the most common platforms offering user-generated answers to questions. They’re great sources of first-hand experiences and crowdsourced knowledge about a topic.
Many times, people want to hear stories, recommendations, and experiences from other people instead of reading blog posts or consuming social media content.
There are two ways you can use Keywords Explorer to quickly find specific conversations happening in forums about your topic.
The first is to use the SERP features filter and to only include “Discussions and Forums”:
By doing this, you’ll get a list of keywords related to your industry where people are interested in user-generated content.
You can also check out the ranking pages for specific keywords in this list to see what threads or conversations are ranking. It’s ideal for you to join these conversations and reach more people interested in the topic.
Here’s an example of relevant discussions on the topic “aquaponics vs hydroponics”:
The second method is to check out the Traffic share by page report and to look for specific subreddits or forum threads. For example, Reddit gets 3% of the traffic share for “ChatGPT” related searches:
Generative AI + chatbots
Generative AI is the new kid on the block, but all signs point to it sticking around.
People are using this technology to look for all sorts of things and it’s likely to increase once SearchGPT is made available to the public. That’s why most of the big tech giants have adopted AI technology in one way or another:
- Microsoft has heavily invested in ChatGPT
- Google has created Gemini
- Apple’s Siri leverages Gen AI
- As does Meta AI and LinkedIn AI
You get the idea.
As far as search experiences go, however, here’s what fascinates me the most. If you do a good job showing up on all the platforms mentioned above, chances are high you’ll also show up within AI-powered tools and chatbots.
Think about what data they’re trained on.
For instance, Bing’s search index powers ChatGPT. Google has partnered with Reddit to train its AI models.
So, to show up in the responses of AI-powered answer engines, you need to first show up in the platforms they use to fill their knowledge bases.
I also really like Wil Reynold’s take on this. He’s already getting leads through ChatGPT and is tracking differences in brand visibility between search engines and LLMs. Check it out:
Once you have an idea of who your audience is and what platforms they search on, it’s time to map their search journeys. This will help you identify content gaps you can fill and untapped opportunities to increase your brand’s visibility.
To do this, we’re going to borrow the UX concept of journey mapping. We’ll look at the pre-funnel journey and what platforms searchers visit to get the information they’re seeking.
The point isn’t to map the exact steps in a linear format because that’s nearly impossible these days.
Search journeys are too complex now to really give attribution accurately. Attribution gets even more difficult for things like “the start of a search journey.” There’s too much info out there. Things aren’t linear. We’re bombarded with ads and social content without realizing it. In experiences like this, no specific channel can be attributed to anything other than the fact it was part of the person’s journey.
Instead, it’s about understanding how different lenses impact the steps people take and decisions they make while searching.
Let’s put it into action with this example scenario:
Scenario
Jane is the mother of two primary school-aged children. It is the week before Halloween and she has forgotten to order costumes. She is looking to buy last-minute costumes, ideally with fast delivery.
Her search lens is all about the last-minute nature of her purchase.
Now, pretend you’re Jane and look for last-minute costumes on each relevant platform listed in the step above. For each platform, assess how easy it is for Jane to find what she wants. Pay attention to the possible emotional experiences that will influence her next steps.
Then, map the experience for each platform. I really love Georgia Tan’s template for this; I have now added emojis as a scoring mechanism for my own journey maps too!
For instance, say Jane starts by searching for “last minute halloween costumes” on Google.
Using Ahrefs’ Identify Intents feature, we can see that 51% of the search results are about DIY costumes and 27% are lists with ideas (also for DIY).
If Jane’s intention is to buy some costumes, she may not feel like Google’s results are particularly helpful. She may also be feeling some slight frustration here because the results are not what she expected.
So, on our journey map, we might score this experience as a 2/5 in terms of how well it satisfied Jane’s expectations. Then, consider her next step in the journey and repeat the process until you reach the end.
The beauty of considering a searcher’s emotional and psychological state at each step is that you gain insights into what problems your content can help solve.
I like to plot each platform on a matrix based on how likely it is that people search on it and how satisfying the results are to a searcher.
It helps with knowing which platforms to prioritize in your content plan. It also helps you spot untapped opportunities to increase brand visibility. The platforms with the lowest satisfaction usually have a content gap you might be able to fill quickly and easily.
| Quadrant | Pattern | Potential | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q 1 | High search potential, Low satisfaction | Offers the most potential for you to become the go-to source of information fairly quickly and easily. | Double down on your efforts |
| Q 2 | High search potential, High satisfaction | It will take some time to earn consistent visibility and to build an audience due to competition levels. | Worth investing for the long run. |
| Q 3 | Low search potential, High satisfaction | It’s great to have a presence here, but dial back how frequently you post or how much effort you invest. | Run a test to gauge audience responses. |
| Q 4 | Low search potential, Low satisfaction | The only time it’s worth investing in these platforms is if your content can shift them into either Q1 or Q3. | Run a test to gauge movement toward Q1 or Q3. |
The type of content you’ll need to create will depend on which platforms are in the first and second quadrants of your matrix. Generally, you’ll want to consider a content strategy that covers a variety of:
- Content types: like videos, social posts, blog posts, or website landing pages.
- Content formats: like how-to posts, listicles, answers to questions, or product reviews.
- Content angles: like opinion pieces or sharing the latest data.
Where possible, it’s worth covering the same topic across multiple content types and formats. For example, let’s take the topic of link building strategies and tactics.
We’ve published a handful of long-form blog posts covering different angles, like:
Sam has also created a video but has selected an angle that’s a better fit for audiences on YouTube: Link Building Tactics No One is Talking About
And, we’ve also published many social posts about it, adapting the content to fit the native audience of each platform, like this short and sweet LinkedIn post:
I like to start with a long form piece of content and then distribute that in multiple ways. For me, it’s easier to write a post, then turn that into images, videos, audio clips and so on. You can also start with a video instead if you find that easier than writing.
Pro tip from Joe:
Check out creator insights in each platform for ideas on what works best for other creators and tips on optimizing your own content. You’ll get a ton of info to learn from and can also get new ideas on what’s actively being talked about relating to a solution or product offering.
The ultimate goal of SXO is to provide a seamless experience from search through to conversion. In most cases, your website will be the central hub where people eventually buy what you’re selling, so I recommend doubling down on improving its user experience and conversion potential.
Optimizing things like your core web vitals and website speed offers remarkable gains for SEO and UX alike. You can check these using the performance report in Ahrefs’ Site Audit:
However, you need to go beyond only looking at technical things.
You need to factor in the effectiveness of your designs and content messaging on each page. Do they provide a seamless experience no matter what platform visitors have found your website through?
There’s a whole lot I can say about improving your site’s UX and optimizing for conversions. Nothing beats actually getting feedback from users though. So try out something like usertesting.com to get unbiased feedback on what’s working and what’s not, then improve in iterations.
Where possible, it’s also worth optimizing each platform in your SXO strategy to get native conversions so people don’t have to leave or interrupt their journey by going off-platform.
For instance, if you run an ecommerce store, you can add your products to:
- Popular marketplaces in your industry
- Google’s Merchant Centre
- Social platforms with purchase functionality, like Facebook and Instagram
If the platforms you’re optimizing for your SXO strategy don’t offer native shop functionality, you can instead leverage paid ads to help get searchers deeper into your funnel and closer to converting before they land on your site.
It’s becoming much harder to track how people discover your brand in a zero-click world. But there are a few ways you can still measure success with your SXO efforts.
The first is to run through the journey mapping process after a while and note any changes in searcher satisfaction as a result of your efforts. For example, if you’ve added content on platforms in the first quadrant (high search potential, low satisfaction) and received many positive comments about it, that’s a sign of success right there.
If you’re after a more automated solution, the challenge is that there’s no single tool that accurately tracks your brand visibility all over the web. However, you can use a dashboarding platform like Whatagraph:
It integrates with all the popular social media platforms, search engines, and website analytics tools to get performance data across most of the platforms mentioned in this post.
I really liked Georgia’s take on this since it combines the metrics that matter for SEO, user experience, and conversion optimization. It is very similar to the metrics I measure for my clients too, for example:
| Metric | What it measures | Where to track |
|---|---|---|
| Organic traffic | The number of organic website visitors from search engines. | Website analytics like GA4 |
| Organic traffic value | The $ value of your traffic from organic search channels. | Ahrefs |
| Click-through rate (CTR) | The percentage of users who clickon a link, usually from a search engine or social platform to your website. | Website analytics like GA4 |
| Referral traffic | The number of visits from other websites including social media platforms, marketplaces or other sites. | Website analytics like GA4 |
| Bounce rate | The percentage of people who leave your website after visiting only one page. | Website analytics like GA4 |
| Dwell time | The average length of time visitors stay on a page on your website. | Website analytics like GA4 |
| Pages per session | How many pages users visit on your website in an average session. | Website analytics like GA4 |
| Heatmapping | A visual breakdown of where user attention flows on a webpage. | HotJar (or similar) |
| On-page interactions | Measuring scrolls, clicks and other interactions that occur on a webpage. | HotJar (or similar) |
| Goal completions | How many actions users took on your website that you wanted them to take, like phone calls, booked demos or product sales. | Website analytics like GA4 |
| Conversion rate | The percentage of visitors who complete goals or convert. | Website analytics like GA4 |
There are three main areas you can improve based on what you can measure:
- Traffic acquisition: Increase brand touchpoints by getting more traffic and impressions on your content.
- User experience: Provide a more satisfactory user experience from search through to conversion on any platform relevant to your business.
- Conversions: Increase conversion potential by using more native features on the platforms where you’re seeing visibility growth.
Key takeaways
Search experience optimization is about optimizing the entire journey from search to conversion no matter what platforms people visit along the way.
Ultimately, it’s about making your brand more visible by offering the solution people are looking for, on the right platform, at the right time.
The future of search isn’t just about ranking high, it’s about creating an experience that search engines and users trust. SXO is the key to future-proofing your brand’s presence, ensuring it remains discoverable, engaging and trustworthy as AI continues to reshape how we search for information.
If you’ve got any questions or are nerdy enough to check out your own search journeys, share them with me on LinkedIn!
SEO
Snapchat Is Testing 2 New Advertising Placements
The Snapchat ad ecosystem just expanded with two new placement options.
On Tuesday, Snap announced they started testing on two new placements:
- Sponsored Snaps
- Promoted Places
While not available to the general public yet, Snap provided information on the test, including their launch partners and more about the ad placements.
The goal of these placements are for brands to expand their reach across some of the most widely adopted parts of the platform.
Sponsored Snaps Ad Placement
Snapchat is testing a new Sponsored Snaps placement with Disney, in the announcement from October 8th.
The Sponsored Snaps placement shows a full-screen vertical video to users on Snapchat.
Users can then opt-in to opening the Snap, with options to engage with the advertiser in one of two ways:
- Sending a direct message to the advertiser by replying
- Use the call-to-action to open the link chosen by the advertiser.
Sponsored Snaps aren’t delivered via a push notification and will appear differently than other Snaps in a user’s inbox.
After a certain amount of time, any unopened Sponsored Snaps disappear from a user’s inbox.
Promoted Places Ad Placement
Snap partnered with two other brands for their Promoted Places ad placement test: McDonalds and Taco Bell.
This new ad placement shows on the Snap Map, which is meant to help users discover new places they may want to visit.
Promoted Places will highlight sponsored placements of interest within the Snap Map.
In early testing, Snap said they’ve found adding places as “Top Picks” drives a typical visitation lift of 17.6% for frequent Snapchat users.
They also mentioned the possibility of exploring ideas around customer loyalty on the Snap Map in future phases.
Summary
Snap hasn’t yet announced how long these ad placement tests will run, or when they’ll be available for broader advertisers.
Snap said the Sponsored Snaps and Promoted Places placements will evolve from feedback within the Snapchat community and the brands partnered with them at launch.
In the future, there’s possibility of integrating features like CRM systems and AI chatbot support to make communication more streamlined between brands and Snapchat users.
SEO
The 11 Best SEO Books You Must Read Today
SEO is a rapidly evolving field, making it important for professionals to continuously expand their knowledge and skills.
We’ve put together a list of essential SEO books suitable for readers at various levels.
Some books on this list provide a foundation in core concepts, while more advanced practitioners can explore topics such as entity optimization.
The list includes specialized resources tailored to specific areas of SEO. For example, some books offer strategies for businesses targeting local audiences, while others serve as comprehensive guides to link building tactics.
For those interested in Google’s perspective, another book provides insights into the company’s philosophies and principles.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced professional, this list caters to diverse interests and skill levels, ensuring there’s something for everyone.
Books On Search Engine Optimization
1. SEO For Beginners: An Introduction To SEO Basics
Published by Search Engine Journal, this is a comprehensive guide to SEO. It covers everything from link building and SEO history to busting common myths and offering expert tips.
While it’s for beginners, veterans can also gain new insights. The book breaks down complex ideas into bite-sized pieces, making it a great starting point.
It’s well-structured, with each chapter tackling a different SEO aspect – from search engine mechanics to the latest algorithm updates.
The authors don’t just stick to theory. They provide real-world examples and case studies to show how these concepts work in practice. This mix of theory and application makes the book a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their SEO.
Key reasons to give it a read:
- Get a solid grasp of SEO basics from industry pros.
- Easy-to-follow explanations of tricky concepts.
- Practical advice you can apply to your SEO strategies.
- Stay in the loop with current SEO trends and Google updates.
- Benefit from the collective wisdom of top SEO experts.
2. Entity SEO: Moving From Strings To Things
By Dixon Jones, CEO of InLinks
Dixon Jones’ book “Entity SEO: Moving from Strings to Things” explains the shift from old-school keyword SEO to modern entity-based optimization.
It explains how search engines now use the Knowledge Graph to understand relationships between concepts and offers practical advice on adapting your SEO strategy.
Key points:
- Making your brand an “entity” in your niche.
- Using structured data effectively.
- Getting quality links and mentions.
- Creating content rich in entity information.
The book uses real examples to show how these concepts work in practice. It’s meant to help SEO professionals at all levels understand and prepare for where search is heading.
Worth reading if you want to:
- Get a solid grip on entity SEO.
- Learn actionable entity optimization tactics.
- Establish your brand as a recognized entity.
- Master the use of structured data for SEO.
- Future-proof your SEO strategy.
3. The Art Of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization
by Eric Enge of Stone Temple Consulting, Stephan Spencer, and Jessie C. Stricchiola
Covering everything from SEO 101 to advanced tactics, this book starts with the basics of how search engines work and then dives into the meat of SEO: keyword research, on-page optimization, technical SEO, and link building.
The authors break down complex strategies into actionable steps, making implementation a breeze.
What sets this book apart is its holistic approach. It’s not just about ranking; it’s about aligning SEO with your business goals and integrating it into your digital strategy. The book also discusses the role of content marketing and social media in boosting SEO performance.
Reasons to read this book:
- Get a complete SEO education, from basics to advanced strategies.
- Learn to align SEO with your business objectives.
- Access practical, step-by-step guides for implementing SEO tactics.
- Understand how to integrate SEO with content marketing and social media.
- Benefit from the collective wisdom of three renowned SEO experts.
4. The Psychology Of A Website: Mastering Cognitive Biases, Conversion Triggers And Modern SEO To Achieve Massive Results
Matthew Capala’s “The Psychology of a Website” offers a fresh take on website optimization. Instead of focusing on technical aspects, it dives into the psychology behind user behavior and conversions.
Capala, a seasoned digital marketer, shares actionable tips for creating websites that perform well in search results and keep visitors engaged and more likely to convert.
The book kicks off by exploring how our brains work when we browse websites. Capala then gets into the nitty-gritty of optimizing different website elements, from how they look to what they say.
A big focus throughout is user experience (UX). Capala stresses that a great website isn’t just about ranking high on Google – it needs to be easy and enjoyable for people to use.
While UX is key, Capala doesn’t ignore SEO. He offers practical advice on keyword research, on-page optimization, and building links while keeping the focus on creating content that actually connects with users.
By blending psychological insights with practical digital marketing strategies, Capala offers a well-rounded approach to website optimization that can lead to significant improvements.
Reasons to read this book:
- Gain insights into the psychology driving user behavior and conversions.
- Learn to create websites that not only rank well but also engage visitors.
- Get practical strategies for optimizing design, content, and calls-to-action.
- Discover how to enhance user experience and mobile performance.
- Learn to integrate SEO best practices with a focus on user engagement.
- Benefit from real-world examples and expert insights from a seasoned digital marketer.
5. The Best Damn Website & Ecommerce Marketing And Optimization Guide, Period
SEO veteran Stoney DeGeyter’s book “The Best Damn Website & Ecommerce Marketing And Optimization Guide, Period” covers SEO basics to advanced tactics for websites and online stores.
It starts with SEO essentials and then dives into advanced topics. The book’s standout feature is its focus on ecommerce, addressing product pages, category optimization, and effective product descriptions.
DeGeyter emphasizes a holistic SEO approach that aligns with business goals and user experience. He also covers analytics for strategy refinement.
This guide suits both small business owners and ecommerce marketers.
Reasons to read:
- Master SEO fundamentals and advanced strategies.
- Learn ecommerce-specific optimization tactics.
- Discover product page and description best practices.
- Understand user-generated content’s SEO impact.
- Align SEO efforts with business objectives.
- Benefit from decades of industry expertise.
6. Ecommerce SEO Mastery: 10 Huge SEO Wins For Any Online Store
Kristina Azarenko’s “Ecommerce SEO Mastery” offers 10 key strategies for online stores. The book tackles common ecommerce SEO challenges like thin content and complex site structures.
Azarenko breaks down each “SEO win” with practical advice on implementation.
Topics include:
- Ecommerce keyword research.
- Product & category page optimization.
- Leveraging user-generated content.
- Building quality backlinks.
- Site speed and mobile optimization.
- Structured data.
The book provides real-world examples and emphasizes data-driven SEO. It guides readers through using tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to track progress.
Reasons to read:
- Learn 10 powerful ecommerce-specific SEO strategies.
- Gain insights from a renowned SEO expert.
- Discover how to optimize product and category pages.
- Leverage user-generated content for SEO benefits.
- Learn to build high-quality backlinks.
- Apply real-world examples and case studies.
- Adopt a data-driven approach to ecommerce SEO.
7. Product-Led SEO: The Why Behind Building Your Organic Growth Strategy
by Eli Schwartz
Eli Schwartz’s “Product-Led SEO” offers a fresh take on SEO strategy, emphasizing business goals and sustainable organic growth.
Drawing from his work with major brands, Schwartz presents a framework that integrates SEO with overall company strategy.
The book challenges traditional SEO tactics, advocating for a holistic approach that prioritizes user value.
Key topics include:
- User intent optimization.
- Content strategy for the full customer journey.
- Measuring SEO’s business impact.
Schwartz focuses on the strategic “why” behind SEO tactics, encouraging critical thinking and adaptable strategies for long-term success.
Reasons to read this book:
- Gain a strategic perspective on SEO that aligns with business objectives.
- Learn to create sustainable organic growth through user-centric approaches.
- Discover how to optimize for the entire customer journey.
- Understand methods for measuring and communicating SEO’s business impact.
- Access real-world case studies and examples from major brands.
- Benefit from the author’s extensive experience in driving impactful SEO results.
Books On Link Building
8. The Link Building Book
by Paddy Moogan
Paddy Moogan’s “The Link Building Book” is a comprehensive, free online guide.
It covers link building basics, tactics for acquiring high-authority backlinks, content creation, and practical steps for planning and executing campaigns.
The book emphasizes white-hat techniques and quality over quantity, making it valuable for both SEO novices and pros.
Reasons to read:
- Master link building fundamentals and best practices.
- Learn diverse tactics for acquiring high-quality, relevant links.
- Understand how to assess potential linking websites.
- Discover content strategies that naturally attract links.
- Learn to plan and execute effective link building campaigns.
- Benefit from practical advice and real-world examples.
- Access updated, valuable insights at no cost.
Books On Local SEO
9. Local SEO Secrets: 20 Local SEO Strategies You Should Be Using NOW
by Roger Bryan
“Local SEO Secrets” by Roger Bryan is a must-read for businesses targeting local customers. It offers 20 proven strategies to boost local search visibility and drive growth.
Key topics include:
- Local SEO fundamentals and how it differs from traditional SEO.
- Optimizing Google Business Profile listings.
- Building local citations and leveraging structured data.
- Creating local content and managing online reputation.
- Implementing and tracking local SEO strategies.
The book provides actionable advice, real-world examples, and step-by-step instructions. It’s valuable for small business owners, marketers, and SEO consultants working with local clients.
Reasons to read:
- Learn 20 proven strategies for improving local search visibility.
- Understand key local ranking factors like Google Business Profile, reviews, and citations.
- Master GBP optimization for local SEO success.
- Discover how to use structured data and local content effectively.
- Learn reputation management best practices.
- Get practical, easy-to-implement instructions and examples.
- Learn to measure local SEO performance with analytics tools.
Books On Search Engines
10. How Google Works
by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
“How Google Works” by ex-Google execs Schmidt and Rosenberg offers an insider’s view of the search giant. While not focused on SEO, it provides valuable insights for digital marketers and business leaders.
The book offers practical advice and real-world examples applicable to businesses of all sizes.
Understanding Google’s philosophy can inform more effective, customer-focused digital marketing strategies.
Reasons to read:
- Get an insider’s view of Google’s success principles.
- Understand how to create a user-centric business strategy.
- Discover ways to foster innovation and experimentation in your organization.
- Gain insights into data-driven decision-making processes.
11. Entity-Oriented Search
“Entity-Oriented Search” by Krisztian Balog is a deep dive into modern search engine tech. It focuses on entities, knowledge graphs, and semantic search and is aimed at readers with a background in information retrieval (IR).
A key strength is its coverage of cutting-edge research, like neural entity representations and knowledge-based language models. While tech-heavy, it touches on applications in QA, recommender systems, and digital assistants and discusses future trends.
It’s essential reading for IR, natural language processing (NLP), and artificial intelligence (AI) pros seeking in-depth knowledge of modern search engines.
Reasons to read:
- Deep dive into entity-oriented and semantic search tech.
- Research on knowledge graphs and semantic understanding.
- A detailed look at entity extraction, linking, and ranking algorithms.
- Insights on neural entity representations and knowledge-based language models.
- Expert knowledge from a renowned IR and search engine specialist.
Conclusion: Choosing Your Next Book
These 11 SEO books have got you covered – whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro.
For beginners, “SEO for Beginners” and “The Art of SEO” are solid starter packs that’ll teach you the SEO fundamentals.
As you level up, books like “Entity SEO” and “Product-Led SEO” explore more advanced topics like optimizing for entities and aligning SEO with business goals.
Several books focus on specific areas:
- “Local SEO Secrets” is a must-read if you’re targeting local customers.
- “Ecommerce SEO Mastery” zeroes in on ecommerce SEO.
- “The Link Building Book” is your starting point to master link building.
On the technical side, “Entity-Oriented Search” dives deep into semantic search and cutting-edge search engine tech. “How Google Works” gives you the inside scoop on Google’s mindset.
The key is picking books that match your skill level and areas of interest. Whether you want to learn SEO from scratch, level up your game, or specialize, there’s a book for you.
The Amazon links in this post are not affiliate links, and SEJ does not receive compensation when you click or make a purchase through these links.
More SEO & Marketing Books Worth Your Time:
Featured Image: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock
SEO
The 100 Most Searched People on Google in 2024
These are the 100 most searched people, along with their monthly search volumes.
| # | Keyword | Search volume |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | donald trump | 7450000 |
| 2 | taylor swift | 7300000 |
| 3 | travis kelce | 4970000 |
| 4 | matthew perry | 3790000 |
| 5 | kamala harris | 2730000 |
| 6 | joe biden | 2480000 |
| 7 | caitlin clark | 2400000 |
| 8 | olivia rodrigo | 2100000 |
| 9 | jd vance | 2060000 |
| 10 | billie eilish | 1720000 |
| 11 | sabrina carpenter | 1680000 |
| 12 | kate middleton | 1660000 |
| 13 | patrick mahomes | 1570000 |
| 14 | gypsy rose | 1520000 |
| 15 | jason kelce | 1490000 |
| 16 | mihály csíkszentmihályi | 1460000 |
| 17 | timothee chalamet | 1450000 |
| 18 | tyreek hill | 1380000 |
| 19 | lola beltrán | 1350000 |
| 20 | lebron james | 1330000 |
| 21 | lauren boebert | 1310000 |
| 22 | barry keoghan | 1300000 |
| 23 | brock purdy | 1280000 |
| 24 | drake | 1250000 |
| 25 | griselda blanco | 1210000 |
| 26 | ryan reynolds | 1200000 |
| 27 | zendaya | 1180000 |
| 28 | scottie scheffler | 1170000 |
| 29 | aaron rodgers | 1170000 |
| 30 | casimir funk | 1170000 |
| 31 | zach bryan | 1150000 |
| 32 | tom brady | 1150000 |
| 33 | jacob elordi | 1140000 |
| 34 | blake lively | 1130000 |
| 35 | millie bobby brown | 1120000 |
| 36 | margot robbie | 1110000 |
| 37 | luisa moreno | 1110000 |
| 38 | bruce willis | 1090000 |
| 39 | v | 1090000 |
| 40 | eminem | 1050000 |
| 41 | cillian murphy | 1040000 |
| 42 | anthony edwards | 1020000 |
| 43 | peso pluma | 1000000 |
| 44 | fani willis | 1000000 |
| 45 | etel adnan | 1000000 |
| 46 | dua lipa | 991000 |
| 47 | jennifer aniston | 986000 |
| 48 | bianca censori | 983000 |
| 49 | megan fox | 982000 |
| 50 | shannen doherty | 977000 |
| 51 | mike tyson | 973000 |
| 52 | megan thee stallion | 971000 |
| 53 | ariana grande | 960000 |
| 54 | james baldwin | 958000 |
| 55 | britney spears | 954000 |
| 56 | oj simpson | 941000 |
| 57 | lainey wilson | 937000 |
| 58 | dan schneider | 933000 |
| 59 | emma stone | 932000 |
| 60 | raoul a. cortez | 930000 |
| 61 | dolly parton | 926000 |
| 62 | joe burrow | 925000 |
| 63 | anya taylor-joy | 925000 |
| 64 | amanda bynes | 924000 |
| 65 | danny masterson | 920000 |
| 66 | matt rife | 918000 |
| 67 | kendrick lamar | 912000 |
| 68 | messi | 901000 |
| 69 | bronny james | 901000 |
| 70 | adam sandler | 898000 |
| 71 | james earl jones | 897000 |
| 72 | coco gauff | 892000 |
| 73 | michael jackson | 884000 |
| 74 | victor wembanyama | 870000 |
| 75 | pink | 865000 |
| 76 | luka doncic | 861000 |
| 77 | selena gomez | 861000 |
| 78 | jelly roll | 861000 |
| 79 | jonathan majors | 840000 |
| 80 | justin fields | 824000 |
| 81 | meghan markle | 821000 |
| 82 | florence pugh | 819000 |
| 83 | post malone | 813000 |
| 84 | jayson tatum | 808000 |
| 85 | diddy | 804000 |
| 86 | justin jefferson | 799000 |
| 87 | sza | 794000 |
| 88 | ana de armas | 793000 |
| 89 | cj stroud | 790000 |
| 90 | ben affleck | 788000 |
| 91 | jake paul | 786000 |
| 92 | zac efron | 783000 |
| 93 | scarlett johansson | 779000 |
| 94 | deion sanders | 771000 |
| 95 | dr. victor chang | 760000 |
| 96 | andrew tate | 759000 |
| 97 | jason momoa | 756000 |
| 98 | pedro pascal | 755000 |
| 99 | bad bunny | 744000 |
| 100 | christian mccaffrey | 735000 |
| # | Keyword | Search volume |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | taylor swift | 17000000 |
| 2 | trump | 12400000 |
| 3 | matthew perry | 9100000 |
| 4 | sydney sweeney | 8500000 |
| 5 | travis kelce | 7500000 |
| 6 | oppenheimer | 7300000 |
| 7 | messi | 7000000 |
| 8 | elon musk | 6500000 |
| 9 | sinner | 6300000 |
| 10 | cristiano ronaldo | 6100000 |
| 11 | kate middleton | 5900000 |
| 12 | billie eilish | 5200000 |
| 13 | joe biden | 5000000 |
| 14 | xxxtentacion | 5000000 |
| 15 | 大谷翔平 | 4900000 |
| 16 | virat kohli | 4800000 |
| 17 | jenna ortega | 4700000 |
| 18 | v | 4600000 |
| 19 | ronaldo | 4600000 |
| 20 | kamala harris | 4300000 |
| 21 | olivia rodrigo | 4200000 |
| 22 | griselda blanco | 4000000 |
| 23 | margot robbie | 4000000 |
| 24 | cillian murphy | 3800000 |
| 25 | carlos alcaraz | 3600000 |
| 26 | dua lipa | 3600000 |
| 27 | zendaya | 3600000 |
| 28 | djokovic | 3500000 |
| 29 | bianca censori | 3500000 |
| 30 | jude bellingham | 3400000 |
| 31 | alcaraz | 3400000 |
| 32 | millie bobby brown | 3400000 |
| 33 | ana de armas | 3300000 |
| 34 | sabrina carpenter | 3300000 |
| 35 | henry cavill | 3300000 |
| 36 | ryan reynolds | 3200000 |
| 37 | ice spice | 3200000 |
| 38 | anne hathaway | 3100000 |
| 39 | timothée chalamet | 3100000 |
| 40 | putin | 3100000 |
| 41 | barry keoghan | 3000000 |
| 42 | lana rhoades | 3000000 |
| 43 | michael jackson | 3000000 |
| 44 | peso pluma | 3000000 |
| 45 | ariana grande | 3000000 |
| 46 | jacob elordi | 3000000 |
| 47 | lebron james | 3000000 |
| 48 | blake lively | 2900000 |
| 49 | bruce willis | 2900000 |
| 50 | lamine yamal | 2900000 |
| 51 | emma stone | 2900000 |
| 52 | shubman gill | 2900000 |
| 53 | simone biles | 2900000 |
| 54 | rohit sharma | 2900000 |
| 55 | brad pitt | 2900000 |
| 56 | eminem | 2900000 |
| 57 | jennifer aniston | 2800000 |
| 58 | timothee chalamet | 2800000 |
| 59 | mike tyson | 2700000 |
| 60 | megan fox | 2700000 |
| 61 | lola beltrán | 2700000 |
| 62 | caitlin clark | 2700000 |
| 63 | leonardo dicaprio | 2700000 |
| 64 | johnny depp | 2600000 |
| 65 | scarlett johansson | 2600000 |
| 66 | selena gomez | 2600000 |
| 67 | drake | 2600000 |
| 68 | mihály csíkszentmihályi | 2600000 |
| 69 | anya taylor-joy | 2500000 |
| 70 | madonna | 2500000 |
| 71 | britney spears | 2500000 |
| 72 | max verstappen | 2500000 |
| 73 | jeremy allen white | 2500000 |
| 74 | gypsy rose | 2500000 |
| 75 | andrew tate | 2500000 |
| 76 | kylie jenner | 2500000 |
| 77 | travis scott | 2400000 |
| 78 | fabrizio romano | 2400000 |
| 79 | jennifer lawrence | 2400000 |
| 80 | meghan markle | 2400000 |
| 81 | hardik pandya | 2400000 |
| 82 | keanu reeves | 2400000 |
| 83 | angelina jolie | 2400000 |
| 84 | glen powell | 2400000 |
| 85 | jd vance | 2400000 |
| 86 | shannen doherty | 2300000 |
| 87 | jungkook | 2300000 |
| 88 | jason momoa | 2300000 |
| 89 | jennifer lopez | 2300000 |
| 90 | bellingham | 2200000 |
| 91 | jeffrey epstein | 2200000 |
| 92 | justin bieber | 2200000 |
| 93 | florence pugh | 2200000 |
| 94 | kim kardashian | 2200000 |
| 95 | ben affleck | 2200000 |
| 96 | haaland | 2200000 |
| 97 | zac efron | 2200000 |
| 98 | tyson fury | 2200000 |
| 99 | imane khelif | 2100000 |
| 100 | adam sandler | 2100000 |
In almost every industry, there are celebrities, professionals, or influencers that other people want to emulate. For example, an amateur tennis player might want to know which tennis racket Novak Djokovic uses. Or a football player might want to know the shoes Trent Alexander-Arnold wears.
In fact, Equipboard has taken this idea seriously and created a site around the gear used by professional musicians.
You can do the same for your industry too.
Here’s how:
- Go to Keywords Explorer
- Enter the names of famous people in your niche
- Go to the Matching terms report
- Filter for keywords related to gears using the Include filter
For example, if I entered the names of professional tennis players (Roger Federer, Emma Radacanu, Rafael Nadal) and filtered for tennis gear keywords (e.g., shoes, racket, wristband, shorts), I see 960 potential keywords I could target. If I were a tennis site, I could create a category page for each celebrity and list out all their preferred equipment.
Another way is to enter a relevant keyword into Keywords Explorer, go to the Matching terms report, and observe keyword patterns. For example, if I were a fitness site, I could enter “weight loss” into Keywords Explorer.
The first thing I’ll notice is that many people are actually interested in how certain celebrities lost their weight. The second thing I notice is that the keywords all form a pattern: [first name][last name] weight loss.
As such, I can use the Word count filter to look for keywords that have 4 words, which gives me a list of celebrity-related weight loss keywords:
Want to do keyword research for your site? Sign up for Keywords Explorer.
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