Many small business owners are feeling the impact Google Core Update March 2024. Your rankings may have taken a hit, your traffic is down, and you're left wondering how to recover. The disappointment of seeing your hard-earned ranking slip away can be overwhelming, especially when you're not sure what the next step should be.

According to Google, the key to regaining your position is above all creating higher quality content. But what does this mean in practice?

In this article, I share six practices SEO tips to help you navigate the changes and ensure your business continues to thrive in 2024.

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1. Create value-packed, long-form content

Everyone knows that if you want to rank well, you need to create valuable and long-lasting content. However, after Google's March update, quality is more important than ever, which means it's no longer enough to write a generic 2,000-word article and call it a day.

Instead, you should:

• Use data, statistics and case studies to support your points and provide evidence for your claims

• Use a conversational tone that keeps readers engaged

• Break up text with headings, subheadings, bullet points and images to make it more digestible and visually pleasing

• Anticipate and answer common questions your readers may have

• Cover all aspects of the topic thoroughly to create the most comprehensive resource on the topic

• Update your articles regularly to reflect the latest trends, research and information in your area

For example, if you are a e-commerce business owner by writing about “best project management software for small business”, go beyond a basic list. Include detailed reviews, comparisons, screenshots, user testimonials and tips on how to choose the right software based on specific business needs.

2. Do comprehensive keyword research

One of the common ones SEO mistakes I see people make it a point to identify just a few keywords to target each week and then switch to a new set of keywords the following week.

Instead, you want to be more strategic with your approach. Start by finding 200-300 relevant keywords before you start creating content. This comprehensive list gives you a clear picture of your niche and helps you identify which keywords are easiest to target.

You want to target the lower difficulty keywords first and work your way up. it SEO strategy it allows you to rank for keywords easier and drive traffic to your site faster.

As you consistently produce content, you establish your website as an authority in your niche, which makes it easier to rank for more competitive keywords online.

it SEO Advice for Small Businesses it helps you start ranking months earlier than you would with a week-by-week method.

3. Use keywords in the right places

While keyword density is no longer a ranking factor, placing keywords strategically throughout your content is still important for SEO. The trick is to use them naturally in the right places to signal to search engines that your content is relevant.

You should use your keywords in:

• Introduction to set context for readers and search engines

• URL to help search engines understand the topic

• Title to improve your click-through rates and rankings

• Body copy to support actual relevance

• Headings to structure your content and signal relevance to search engines

• Meta description to improve click-through rates

Additionally, you want to include related keywords to give your content more context and depth. For example, if your main keyword is “best project management software for small business,” you should also include related keywords like “project tracking tools for small companies” and “project management software.” small business tasks”.

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4. Link your sites and blogs

Internal link is a powerful SEO tactic that helps search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your website. It improves navigation and user experience, distributes page authority, and improves the contextual understanding of your website.

Here's how to link your blogs and pages:

• Type “site:yourdomain.com (keyword)” into Google to find all relevant pages on your website.

• Use a descriptive anchor text. For example, “project tracking tools for small companies” instead of “click here”.

• Use links naturally within the content.

• Focus on high-value pages and articles that you want to boost your search rankings.

5. Proactively build backlinks

Link building is important for SEO because it signals to search engines that your content is trustworthy and valuable. More high quality backlinks you have, the better your chances of ranking higher in search results.

While backlinks remain essential for SEO, recent algorithm updates have shifted towards the need for fewer but more quality links.

You can get backlinks through these common ones link building strategies:

• Guest posting

• Insert links

• Mentions of unrelated brands

• Creating link-worthy content

• Building relationships with bloggers and website owners

• Use of social media

6. Add an FAQ section to your blogs

Adding an FAQ section to your articles is a great way to rank for long-tail keywords that your target audience is interested in. You can use Google's People Also Ask feature or explore platforms like Reddit and Quora to find questions people are asking related to your topic.

If your article doesn't already answer these questions, add an FAQ section to the bottom of your post. Include the long-tail keyword and provide a comprehensive answer.

For example, if you're writing a blog post about “best project management software for small businesses,” you could add these questions to the FAQ section:

• What are the benefits of project management software for small businesses?

• How much does project management software cost for small businesses?

• What features should small businesses look for in project management software?

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These six tips can help you rank well in 2024, even after recent algorithm updates. The key is to create high-quality content that provides readers with real value and answers their search intent. You also need to be proactive with link building and optimizing yours Content SEO for better results.