Google determines relevance in search results by understanding the intent behind user queries, considering exact and related keyword matches, and analyzing user engagement with pages. It also takes into account factors like internal links, localization, personalization, and whether the content is up-to-date.

Think of relevance as the bedrock of your content. First and foremost, your content needs to align with the meaning of the query and the reason why someone could be searching for it. You can also use SEO techniques to improve the relevance of your content and get more traffic.

1. The intent behind the query. Google aims to understand what users want when they search. If your content is about the topic but not in a way that would fulfill the needs of the user, it’s simply less relevant to the user (source)
2. Exact keyword matches. Content containing the same words as the search query is considered relevant. However, Google doesn’t rely solely on exact matches (source).
3. Other relevant keywords and content. Beyond exact matches, Google looks for related words and media such as videos or pictures. If a page covers a topic comprehensively, it’s likely to include relevant terms (source).
4. Searchers’ behavioral data. If users engage with a page they found in the SERPs, it indicates relevance (source).
5. Links. External and internal links help Google understand the page’s context. Google also examines the page’s anchor text and the surrounding text (source).
6. Localization and personalization. Search results can vary based on the user’s location, search history, and preferences. This personalization helps in delivering more relevant results (source).
7. Freshness. Regularly updated content is more likely to be relevant, especially for topics that evolve over time. Google may prioritize newer content for certain queries (source).

That said, relevance is not the only principle or system that Google uses for ranking. In the video below, Paul Haahr, Distinguished Engineer at Google, explains two types of signals: those that take into account the user’s query and those that score the page itself, regardless of the query.

Relevance, in my opinion, would be in the query-dependent category.

Keyword relevance in local SEO and Google Ads is different

Google uses the idea of keyword relevance in ranking local results and choosing winners of Google Search Ads. If you ever step into the territory of search engine marketing, it’s good to know the difference.

• Local relevance refers to how well a local business profile matches what someone is searching for (source). This can include name of the business, business category and attributes. When people look for products or services in their vicinity, Google takes this into account and weights against other factors (prominence and distance).
• Ad relevance is how well the content of the ad and the landing page fit the intent behind the query (source). Google claims that you get a higher position for your ad than someone who’s willing to pay more for their ads, just because you’ve hit a higher ad relevance.

How to create content relevant to a search query in 7 steps

First, make sure you have a good target keyword that’s worth the time and effort put into search engine optimization. You can check that with our guide to keyword research.

Google tends to favor what it already ranks highly, which is why the top 10 search results often look very similar. To ensure your content is keyword-relevant, it’s often more effective to align with existing successful content rather than trying something entirely new and hoping that Google will recognize your effort.

And this is also my advice to you. Make your content relevant before you make it unique. Don’t skip any of these seven steps.

1. Make sure you’re aligning with search intent

Search intent is what the searcher expects to see in the SERPs when they type in a search query. It could be a list of the best products, a video, a Wikipedia-like page, or a simple, direct answer that doesn’t require clicking on anything.

Nobody types in queries like “give me the best places to buy the doona liki trike but if there’s something important I should know before buying, lmk”. They will just type “doona liki” because they’re used to writing simple queries and expecting Google to figure them out. Google expects content creators (you) to make that content so they can index it, rank it, and show it to their users.

The most reliable way to align with search intent is to look at what’s already ranking and identify the 3Cs of search intent:

• Content type. Typically one of the following: blog post, video, product page, category page, landing page.
• Content format. This applies mostly to informational content. For example, a how-to guide will be a different content format than a listicle or product review.
• Content angle. The specific focus or unique selling point that makes top-ranking posts and pages stand out.

For example, all the the posts below are blog posts in the listicle format. Some angles you can spot here are “that actually matter”, “important”, “key”.

Another great way to examine search intent is to check the amount of traffic generated by each type of page. To make this fast and easy, use Ahrefs’ Identify intents feature.

If you’re curious to learn more about search intent, head on to our guide.

2. Include your target keyword in relevant places

On any page, there are a few places that Google likes to look for signals of relevance.

1. Page title.
2. URL.
3. Main header (H1).
4. Subheaders (some of your H2s, H3s, etc.).
5. Intro paragraph.

Here’s an example with highlighted page elements:

In other words, Google is looking for the most direct, straightforward type of relevance. Both a poem and a Wikpedia article can be about a topic like love. But the kind of relevance that you need to achieve in content is the latter type.

Keep in mind that in any text that you want to rank, however creative or unique you want it to be, Google will likely look at these places.

3. Include secondary keywords and frequently mentioned phrases

This step refers to words and phrases that naturally fit into the text. Once you identify them, it feels obvious. For example, if your primary keyword is ‘running shoes,’ related phrases could include ‘breathable material,’ ‘arch support,’ and ‘lightweight design.

You can manually look for commonalities among top-ranking pages or even brainstorm these words. But the quickest and most reliable way is to use an SEO tool that allows you to look specifically for those keywords.

Here’s how it looks in Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer:

1. Enter your target keyword.
2. Go to the Related terms report.
3. Choose Also rank for for secondary keywords and Also talk about for frequently mentioned phrases. You’ll likely get the best results in the Top 10 mode.

4. Align with the content structure of top-ranking pages

Content structure is about serving the most relevant need-to-know information first and goo-to-know information last.

The key to understanding what is need-to-know and what is good-to-know is to look for hints in the content that already ranks; these have already nailed keyword relevance.

For example, if you’re creating content about “beginner’s guide to investing” you’ll want to start with the most essential, need-to-know information, such as “What is investing?” and “Why should you start investing?”. Opening with key takeaways, as Nerdwallet does in the example below, wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.

The structure is also about the comprehensiveness of your content. In other words, it’s about covering the topic in full and how much focus you’ll give to each subtopic.

Again, you can look at pages manually or streamline the process with an SEO tool. In Ahrefs, you can find a tool called Content Grader that scores content based on the topics mentioned and how well they are explained.

If you’re working on a new piece of content, you can use Content Grader to aid your outlining process. You can also use it to optimize existing content; it will help close the content gap.

Finally, structure is also about what media you include on a page. Google claims to take into account the presence of images or videos that could support content’s relevance:

Just think: when you search for ‘dogs’, you likely don’t want a page with the word ‘dogs’ on it hundreds of times. With that in mind, algorithms assess if a page contains other relevant content beyond the keyword ‘dogs’ – such as pictures of dogs, videos or even a list of breeds.

Tip

Remember to add descriptive alt text to your images. It will help Google understand what the image is about and how it relates to the entire text. So this might help you rank in Google Image Search, too. 

Google has some helpful, easy to follow tips on how to write good alt text here.

5. Look for hints in the SERPs

Apart from what we’ve discussed so far, you may find additional clues on search engine results pages.

For example, meta descriptions are often overlooked in SEO because they’re not a direct ranking factor. However, since Google rewrites meta descriptions around 60% of the time, they can provide valuable insights into what Google and searchers find most important about a page.

I used the information from meta descriptions to rank #2 for the keyword “is seo worth it” and increase traffic to the post (#1 being Reddit…).

I noticed that Google favors a quick and direct response to the question (they even highlight the most direct answer—“yes”), so I added that to the intro.

Moreover, Google also rewrote my original meta description to put the new direct answer in front of the searcher.

You can find similar hints in these SERP features:

• Featured snippets.
• “People Also Ask” box.
• “Things to know” box.
• Images shown on top of the SERP.

6. Add relevant internal links

As you may already know, internal links are hyperlinks between pages on your site. Not only they help Google understand the linked page is about but also they aid the flow of link equity, helping interilnked pages rank higher.

Here’s a tip for adding internal links as you write. Use the “inurl” search operator to find other places on your site where you mention a particular word or phrase. To illustrate, here’s what I would type into Google’s search bar if I wanted to find mentions of the phrase “content marketing”:

inurl:ahrefs.com "content marketing"

As for adding internal links to your existing content, you can streamline the process with Internal link opportunities tool in Ahrefs’ Site Audit. It takes the top 10 keywords (by traffic) for each crawled page, then looks for mentions of those on your other crawled pages.

It will tell you where to link from, where to link to, and which word/phrase to link.

7. Aim for relevant backlinks

Relevant backlinks mean links from other sites that mention your target keyword or a similar phrase in the anchor text or surrounding text.

In a short video on how Google Search works (below), Google’s Matt Cutts explains that a document can become relevant to a query by having that query included in its backlinks. Paraphrasing his explanation, backlinks containing the target query can enhance the relevance of a webpage in search results.

You can use Ahrefs’ Web Explorer to find and vet pages that already use your target keyword as link anchors and try to win over those links. Just type “outlinkanchor:[your keyword]” in the search bar.

There is also a possibility that backlinks coming from pages or sites on the same topic (or closely related) can increase relevance — some SEOs believe so. Mentions of such a system come from Google’s Reasonable Surfer patent, research on topic-sensitive PageRank. Moreover, irrelevant links were supposedly the target of the Google Penguin update.

However, at this point Google erased the only official mention of this I could find.

In 2021 Google said this:

If other prominent websites on the subject link to the page, that’s a good sign that the information is of high quality.

But then, they erased a few words, giving a whole different meaning to that sentence:

For example, one of several factors we use to help determine this is understanding if other prominent websites link or refer to the content.

If you want to see if these kinds of links work for you, you can find them and vet them using either Ahrefs’ Web Explorer or Content Explorer.

You can aim for topically relevant backlinks but make sure you don’t over-optimize your link profile. If most of your backlinks include the same anchor, it may signal link manipulation to Google.

Final thoughts

The goal of achieving high keyword relevance is to improve your organic rankings. But it’s sometimes hard to draw the line between all the different systems that Google uses for ranking. Backlinks are a great example of that. They play a role in determining relevance but authority as well.

For this reason, content optimization tools can be useful in creating relevant content, but they don’t guarantee high rankings. A high content score doesn’t always mean your page will rank well (read our study), and sometimes you can rank high even with a low score.

So, it’s best to treat SEO as a holistic process. Do what you need to do to achieve high relevance, then check all the other boxes, such as technical SEO, EEAT, and link building.

Got questions or comments? Find me on LinkedIn.

Outsourcing SEO to a team of experienced professionals is one of the most reliable ways to increase your digital footprint and drive meaningful traffic to your site.

But ensuring your SEO partner integrates seamlessly with your business and consistently meets your expectations is easier said than done.

To get the best returns on your SEO investment, you need to set clear goals, strategically choose the right partner, and, crucially, foster a collaborative working relationship that adapts to shifting business needs and market conditions.

In this post, we’ll explore various strategies for developing and maintaining a fruitful partnership with your outsourced SEO team.

Let’s dive straight in.

What Does It Mean To Outsource Your SEO?

Outsourcing SEO is the process of hiring a third-party SEO expert or agency to oversee some or all of your SEO activities. This includes keyword research, link building, local SEO, content strategy and marketing, and technical SEO.

Outsourcing your SEO can be trickier than the other aspects of your marketing (or business).

Why?

SEO is a multifaceted discipline that requires experience and a tactical approach to deliver real results. You’re more likely to find freelancers who are experts in specific areas of SEO, not all areas of SEO.

Also, you’re torn between two options:

• Hiring an expert to oversee the individual components you don’t want to do yourself.
• Hiring a managed SEO agency that handles everything from scratch to finish.

For instance, if you’re adept at creating content but struggle with technical SEO, hiring a technical SEO expert will be more cost-effective than hiring an SEO agency. But this also means you must oversee all other aspects of SEO yourself.

Why Should You Consider Outsourcing Your SEO?

Outsourcing your SEO can help you achieve your SEO goals and scale more rapidly.

Also, if you feel your competitors are outshining you on the search engine results pages (SERPs) despite all your efforts, outsourcing to experts can help you gain a competitive advantage and improve your overall performance.

How To Outsource Your SEO: 5 Tips To Make It Effective

1. Lay The Groundwork For SEO Before Outsourcing

Before engaging with an SEO provider, it’s essential to recognize that your SEO efforts should be geared toward supporting your broader business objectives.

For example, if your business priority is to expand into new geographic markets, your SEO strategy might focus on localizing content and optimizing for regional search terms.

Alternatively, if you want to increase online product sales, your strategy might focus on optimizing product pages, improving user experience, and targeting high-intent commercial keywords.

Establishing these objectives early on will not only guide your SEO strategy but will also allow you to select an SEO partner whose strengths and experience align with your business needs.

Once you’ve aligned your business goals with your SEO ambitions, you should evaluate the current state of your site. Setting these benchmarks will provide a good baseline for measuring progress and give your outsourced team a clear picture of where your website currently stands.

Remember, there’s no need to conduct a thorough website audit yourself. Instead, you can use readily available tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to quickly gather top-level data about organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates.

2. Choose The Right SEO Partnership Model

Once you’ve defined your SEO goals and understand how your site is currently performing, it’s time to search for a suitable SEO provider.

There are three types of providers to choose from. Each option offers different advantages depending on your specific needs.

• An independent contractor or freelancer: Ideal for small projects or companies with limited budgets. Working with an independent professional offers flexibility and a more personalized approach, but may lack the broader capabilities and manpower of multi-person agencies.
• A full-service digital marketing agency: These agencies provide SEO along with other services like social media management, PPC, and email marketing. This model is suitable for businesses looking for a complete digital marketing strategy that ensures all elements are integrated and aligned.
• A specialist SEO agency: These agencies are laser-focused on SEO and are usually on the cutting edge of trends and algorithm changes, offering a depth of knowledge and tactical proficiency that generalist agencies might not offer.

Whichever model suits your business best, there are a few common qualities to look for in any worthwhile SEO partner. When considering potential suitors, look for those that can satisfy the following criteria:

• Expertise: Look for an SEO company with a long track record of executing successful SEO campaigns. Review their case studies, client testimonials, and official credentials to gauge their level of technical expertise and project management abilities.
• Industry experience: Ideally, your SEO partner will have experience running campaigns for businesses within your industry. This familiarity will make it easier for them to develop strategies that are more likely to succeed in your specific context.
• Transparency and communication: Clear and consistent communication is vital for the success of any SEO project. Look for a provider that values transparency and offers regular (and honest!) updates on campaign progress.
• Flexibility: The organic search landscape is constantly changing. Any provider worth your time should be tuned in to what your competitors are doing and stay up to speed on the latest developments in the world of SEO. They should be ready to adapt to shifting circumstances and innovate as needed to keep your SEO efforts effective.
• Cultural fit: The relationship with your SEO provider should be collaborative and synergistic. Make sure their values and company culture align with yours, as this will enhance the working relationship and contribute to a smoother project flow.
• A focus on results: Ultimately, you want a provider who is focused on achieving your specific business outcomes. Ensure they understand your goals and are committed to driving the results you need, whether it’s increasing traffic, improving keyword rankings, or boosting conversions.

As a marketer/business owner, you don’t have the resources or time to invest in the wrong agency. So, how can you find the best fit for your business?

• Go beyond the search results. Ask for recommendations from industry peers, online communities, and forums (e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter, and Reddit are great platforms to start with).

Screenshot from Twitter, July 2024

Screenshot from Twitter, July 2024

• Check out your competitor pages on LinkedIn to see if they’re managing their SEO in-house or attributing success to a particular agency. Sometimes, these agencies refrain from taking on two similar clients simultaneously, but their profiles can give you a good head start in your search process.
• Attend SEO-related virtual events to connect with experts in the industry. And even if they can’t handle your SEO, they could give you quality referrals.
• Make a list (on a spreadsheet) of the agencies/contractors/freelancers you got from your search. Segment them according to their years of experience, service offered, portfolio, etc. Here’s some inspiration:

Screenshot from author, July 2024

3. Vet The Shortlisted Agencies/Freelancers:

Now that you have a list, it’s time to go deeper into each to find the perfect fit for you.

Before I get into the details, keep in mind that any agency that guarantees results like a #1 rankings boost in your conversion rate after the first month is most likely a scam. Overall, anything that sounds too good to be true probably is.

• Check out the agency/freelancer service offerings. Some agencies/freelancers focus exclusively on specific areas of SEO, e.g., technical SEO, while others offer full-scale SEO. Unless you need specialized services, opt for those offering comprehensive services.
• How long have they been in the SEO industry? How many projects have they worked on within the period? If they can’t provide straightforward answers with proofs, tick them off your list.
• Next, examine their case studies (or portfolio). Have they worked with businesses similar to yours? Prioritize those with prior experience in your industry. This will shorten the learning curve and allow them to adopt strategies tailored to your needs.
• Sometimes, written words aren’t enough because anyone can claim to be an expert. Contact the agency/consultant for a one-on-one interview to discuss how they intend to achieve your SEO goals.

Ask questions like: ‘How would you solve my SEO goal?’ ‘Can you provide examples of successful SEO campaigns you’ve worked on?’ ‘How do you approach keyword research and selection for my business?’

• Go over their testimonials, too. What are people saying about them? Honest feedback from previous clients can give you a clear picture of what to expect when working with them. It’s also okay if they have one or two negative reviews – no one is perfect. What really matters is how they respond to them. So, be sure to check this out during your research.
• Add an extra layer of credibility to your search by checking out for industry-relevant awards.

4. Enhance Collaboration With Your SEO Partner

Once you’ve signed on with your new SEO provider, it’s essential to establish clear lines of communication from the get-go.

This means agreeing on a structured communication framework that defines how often you’ll interact and through what modes (e.g., email, phone, video calls).

Creating a regular schedule for updates and meetings will ensure that both parties stay informed and are able to make proactive adjustments to the SEO strategy.

Consider implementing a collaborative project management tool where both your internal employees and your SEO partner can view, track, and update progress on tasks.

Tools like Trello, Slack, or Asana can facilitate real-time updates and smooth communication. Note that some SEO providers will set up a customized reporting dashboard as part of their service offering.

It’s helpful to think of your SEO partner as an extension of your team rather than a separate entity. Try to encourage an open exchange of ideas, involve them in relevant internal discussions, and make sure they have ready access to necessary tools and data within your organization.

Remember, the goal is to create the most collaborative environment possible with minimal points of friction. Doing so will ensure that your SEO team can continually tweak their strategy to better meet your business needs and avoid unnecessary hold-ups in the progress of your campaign.

5. Leverage Your SEO Partner’s Expertise

Another way to maximize returns on your outsourced SEO investment is to take full advantage of the specialized knowledge your SEO partner brings to the table.

Your service agreement should include comprehensive, scheduled reporting focusing on critical SEO metrics such as keyword performance, traffic trends, and backlink acquisition.

However, the purpose of these reports isn’t just to provide data. They should serve as a foundation for strategic discussions that, if necessary, lead to tactical campaign adjustments. If you have questions about specific metrics or trends, or if you don’t understand the rationale behind a given strategy, these review sessions are the ideal time to ask for clarity.

Remember, a good SEO partner will have no qualms explaining their methodologies. After all, challenging assumptions are a healthy feature of any collaborative project.

Moreover, the more you and your team learn about the dynamics of SEO from your service provider, the better equipped you’ll be to integrate SEO thinking into broader marketing and business strategies.

This knowledge transfer not only optimizes your current investment but also prepares your team for future digital marketing challenges.

How Much Does Outsourcing SEO Cost?

There’s no fixed cost for outsourcing SEO, as the value depends on the level of expertise of the agency or freelancer, the scope of the project, etc.

On average, SEO consultants in the US charge $144.68/hour. Agencies charge a higher rate—$147.93/hour—primarily because of their massive talent pool, expertise, and access to advanced SEO tools.

Read more about SEO pricing here.

When Should You Outsource SEO?

You should outsource your SEO when you notice or get any of these results:

• You (or your marketing team) have a lot on your plate and need an extra hand.
• Your growth is stagnant, and you need fresh ideas to revitalize your current strategy.
• You want to scale but lack the expertise and resources to do so.
• Your SEO efforts are undefined, and you’re not seeing any positive results.
• You want to target new markets.
• You’re an SEO professional or agency experiencing a surge in client demand that exceeds your current capacity.
• Your team is great but not experts in SEO.

Final Thoughts

Outsourcing SEO allows you to benefit from expert, data-driven search strategies while keeping your focus on core business activities.

But making the most of your outsourced SEO investment sometimes feels like a whole new challenge in and of itself.

Fortunately, by following the tips outlined in this post, you can streamline the process, ensuring the partnership remains productive and stress-free.

More resources: 

Featured Image: Ink Drop/Shutterstock

In-article screenshots taken by author

Throughout every technological change, the one constant always seems to be people calling for the death of SEO and search engines.

While pundits have been quick to call for the death of SEO, SEO itself has been all too reluctant to die. This article will look at how SEO evolves and why that makes it even more important.

Sure we could just spout some random facts about how most online purchases begin with a search and how a majority of online sessions include search – but there is a much bigger case to be made.

To fully grasp the importance of SEO and search, we first need to go back and understand both user intent (why people search) and how search engines have changed.

SEO Isn’t Dead

The “SEO is dead” articles always seem to follow a change to search that makes information easier to access for consumers. We saw it with featured snippets, we saw it with instant answers, and we’re seeing it again with AI.

We’ve also seen the “death of SEO” articles pop up around new and emerging social media sites like Meta, TikTok, X, etc – but the fact remains that overall web searches on search engines have continued to increase every year for the last decade plus.

Search isn’t dying, and new social networks or technology like AI aren’t cutting into search – they’re just making people search more. Search is becoming ingrained in (if not defining) our everyday online behavior.

While often associated, SEO is more than just building links or tricking search engines with spammy tactics. That stuff can work – temporarily – but not long-term for a real business or a brand. Sustained SEO growth needs to focus on more than keywords and tricks.

From Keywords To Intent

There’s a great quote from Bill Gates back in 2009 where he said “the future of search is verbs.”

This quote really summarizes the heart of “why” people search. People are searching to accomplish a task or do something.

It’s important that we consider this search intent when evaluating SEO and search. Not all searchers want websites. In the early days of search, links to websites were the best thing we had.

Today, however, search engines and AI are getting better at answering common questions.

For a search like [how old is taylor swift] or [when is the NHL trade deadline?] users just want an answer – without having to click over to a website, accept the cookie consent notice, close the alert popup, decline to subscribe to the newsletter, stop the auto-play video ad, and scroll past three irrelevant paragraphs to get the answer.

If creating thin ad-rich pages to answer public domain questions was your idea of SEO, then yes SEO is dead – however, SEO is much more than that now.

SEO Is Marketing

When many say search and SEO are dying, those factoid searches are the SEO they’re talking about – but there’s an entire section of search that’s thriving: The verbs!

This shift makes SEO even more important because search is no longer about the word the user typed and is all about doing actual marketing.

SEOs can help understand user intents and personas.

A good SEO professional can help you understand not only what users are searching for but “why” they’re searching – and then help marketers build something that meets the users needs.

Just as search engines have evolved, so, too, has SEO.

The days of keyword density and meta tags are gone. Search engines don’t really work like that anymore.

They’ve moved on to a semantic model that uses vectors to try to understand meaning – and marketers would do well to make the same moves by understanding their user’s intent.

Evolution Of The Consumer Journey

We typically think of the consumer journey as a funnel – but that funnel in every business school textbook doesn’t really exist. Today’s consumer journey is more like one of those crazy straws you got in a cereal box as a kid with lots of bends and loops and turns it in.

Consumers are searching more than ever across multiple devices, platforms, networks, apps, and websites. This spread-out user behavior makes having an experienced SEO pro even more important.

It’s not just about getting the right words on the page anymore, and understanding user intent isn’t enough – we also have to understand where our users are acting on each of those intents.

Technical Still Matters, Too

Despite many platforms and frameworks claiming to be SEO-friendly, technical SEO issues and opportunities still remain abundant.

Most of today’s most popular website frameworks aren’t very SEO-friendly out of the box and still require customization and tweaking to really drive results.

There still isn’t a one size fits all solution and I’m not sure there ever will be.

A good SEO will help you ensure that there aren’t confusing duplicate versions of pages, that the pages you want to be seen are all easily understood by search engines, and that your re-design or re-platform won’t hurt your existing traffic.

So Why Is Search Still Important?

Search is important because users are important.

Sure, users are going to different platforms or using apps/AI – but those things are still technically a search and we still need to make sure that they’re surfacing our brands/products.

It doesn’t matter if the user is typing into a web form, talking to a device, asking an AI, using their camera, or even talking into a smart pin – they’re still trying to “do” something – and as long as users have tasks to accomplish, SEO pros will be there to influence them.

More resources:

Featured Image: Accogliente Design/Shutterstock