SEO newsletters make it easy to keep up to date with what’s going on in the world of search engine optimization. And they show you the strategies that are working right now. To save you time (and declutter your inbox), I’ve curated a list of the top newsletters I think are worth subscribing to. After consulting my team (including some healthy debate) here’s a summary of the best SEO newsletters for different needs: Best for leveling up your SEO skills: The Backlinko newsletter Best for SEO news: #SEOFOMO Best for actionable tips: Core Updates Best for hot takes: #SEOForLunch Best […]

You know the saying “work smarter, not harder”? That’s what Chrome extensions can do for you. In fact, Leigh McKenzie, head of SEO at Backlinko, uses Chrome extensions to speed up many daily SEO tasks. I couldn’t work as an SEO without all of my favorite extensions. Whether it’s quickly checking a page’s meta title, tracking down a redirect chain, or reviewing data in GSC, these tools are essential for enhancing my workflow. Sold? Don’t download anything just yet. First, read our comprehensive review of the best Chrome extensions for SEO. We ranked each extension by its standout features and […]

Let’s face it: When it comes to analytics tools, we want it all. Advanced metrics, intuitive dashboards, and seamless integrations. But we don’t always get what we want—especially as a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) user. Many marketers default to Google Analytics because it’s free and popular. But those same marketers report issues like: Steep learning curves Lack of qualitative insights Difficulty translating data into insights Ready to make the switch? We compared seven Google Analytics alternatives that provide quicker and more precise insights into your website’s performance. Learn pros, cons, and pricing to make the right decision for your business. […]

AI copywriting involves using artificial intelligence tools to generate compelling marketing copy. With the goal of driving more sales for your business (or your client’s business). You can use it to create: Snappy taglines Persuasive product descriptions Attention-grabbing social media posts There are lots of AI copywriting tools out there. And the technology is continuously getting better, faster, and more accessible. This leaves many worrying that AI might replace human copywriters altogether. But AI isn’t there to replace copywriters. AI is there to help you become a more efficient and creative copywriter. In this guide, we’ll show you how to […]

SEO audit tools reveal hidden issues and opportunities on your site. Backlinko uses these tools for in-depth SEO audits every year. And quarterly check-ins. This analytical approach has helped us maintain top rankings and grow organic traffic by 20.50% year over year. We run a fresh site crawl, review top pages, and optimize them to keep our search rankings high. You can do this for your website, too. To assist, we’ve reviewed five top SEO audit tools to help you improve your website’s search performance. What Are the Best SEO Audit Tools? The SEO audit tool you choose depends on […]

If you have a website, keyword mapping should be a priority. Why? Because it can help you get more visitors, leads, and conversions. Noticeably more. At Backlinko, keyword mapping helps us reach 500k+ organic sessions every month. In this step-by-step guide, you’ll find everything you need to get started with keyword mapping. Plus, a free keyword mapping template. But first, let’s start with the basics. What Is Keyword Mapping? Keyword mapping is the process of organizing target keywords into groups and assigning them to specific pages on your website. And creating a detailed keyword map to keep track of important […]

Online reviews have become an integral part of the buyer journey. From physical products to hotels and restaurants, customers increasingly rely on user-generated content to make informed decisions. In this blog post, you’ll find up-to-date online review statistics, where we’ll uncover the importance of customer reviews, highlight the most popular online review platforms, and cover some insights about fake reviews. Click for a specific section: Online Review Statistics (Highlights) General Online Review Statistics Popular Online Review Platforms Fake Online Reviews Online Review Statistics (Highlights) 75% of consumers read online reviews when researching businesses. Facebook and Instagram are the most popular […]

Bad (or toxic) backlinks are links from external websites that can harm your site’s ranking and online reputation. Search engines like Google see bad backlinks as a red flag, associating your site with low-quality or spammy content. This can lead to a drop in your rankings, making it harder for potential customers to find you. We’ve already seen what a good link profile can do for your site. According to a study by Backlinko, the No. 1 result in Google has an average of 3.8 times more backlinks than positions #2-#10​​. But not all backlinks are created equal. Bad backlinks […]

With dozens of SEO podcasts vying for your attention, choosing the right one(s) can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve curated a list of the best SEO podcasts. To help you navigate the world of SEO and stay on top of the latest industry news. Our Head of SEO, Leigh McKenzie, also reached out to the community on LinkedIn to share their favorite episodes and insights gained from these podcasts. Let’s check out what people picked and discuss what you can learn from each podcast. TL;DR: The Top SEO Podcasts Podcast name Ideal for SERP’s Up Beginner SEOs, agencies, and digital […]

Google’s AI Overviews are a search feature that uses generative AI to provide quick answers directly in search results. Here’s what it looks like: We’ve spent many hours studying AI Overviews since they were announced on May 14, 2024. And we’ve analyzed what their introduction means for the world of SEO. In this (evolving) article, we cover: What AI Overviews are How AI Overviews affect SEO How you can optimize for AI Overviews AI Overviews are a fairly new feature, and they are subject to frequent changes. Results can fluctuate between searches. A keyword might trigger an AI Overview one […]

Google may be the king of search engines. But even kings have their flaws. Despite its immense popularity, Google isn’t perfect. Google’s dominance in the search engine market and data monopoly raises serious privacy concerns among users. And those frequent algorithm updates can wreak havoc on website rankings. Recently, Google’s AI Overviews even suggested adding glue to pizza as a solution to “cheese not sticking to pizza.” Crazy, right? If these issues have led you to seek alternate search engines, we’ve curated 11 popular options to explore. Instead of Google. Note: In July 2024, OpenAI announced SearchGPT, a new product […]

Have you ever wondered how to find keywords on a website? Or, why it’s so crucial for your online business success? This method is easy to overlook. But it’s a powerful way to find valuable insights about your competitors. Find fresh content ideas. Or, locate the specific information you need. At Backlinko, we track how often people find our site through specific keywords. For instance, if “website audit” attracts many visitors but few clicks, it indicates we need to enhance our content on this topic to draw more visitors. So, we can search our website for keywords. This reveals what […]

An SEO roadmap is where high-level objectives trickle down to project-level prioritization. Complete with all the context, tactics, and timelines to bring your strategy to life. Because having a solid SEO strategy is great. But without a plan to put things into action, it’s just a vision board. Below, I’ll break down why an SEO roadmap is such an important tool and how it can benefit your business at large. Then, I’ll walk through how to build, prioritize, and plot your own roadmap. What Is an SEO Roadmap? An SEO roadmap is the place to plan, schedule, and prioritize the […]

Redirects send users and search engines from one URL to another automatically. For example, when you try to visit https://backlinko.com/hub/youtube/position (which has a redirect) it will take you to https://backlinko.com/hub/youtube/positioning instead. Redirects guide users and search engines from outdated URLs to current, relevant content. This improves the user experience. Preserves your hard-earned backlinks. And helps search engines crawl and index your site more efficiently. Bottom line: Redirects can help you manage your website structure and improve your SEO. When you use them correctly, that is. In this guide, you’ll learn: What redirects are How to implement redirects the right way […]

Social media is evolving fast, with platforms like Threads and Noplace leading the charge. Check out these 14 new social networks making waves in 2024. Let’s dive right in! 1. Noplace Website: https://www.thenoplace.com/ Released: July 2024 HQ: San Francisco, California Users: No data available Funding: $19 million Description: Noplace is a new social media platform aimed at a Gen Z audience. Referred to as a “mashup of Twitter and Myspace for Gen Z”, it’s a colorful social app focused on text updates. Users can create customized profiles (change background colors, add tags) and find new friends based on common interests. […]

In this post, you’ll learn the 10 most important types of keywords to improve your SEO. Keyword Type Examples 1. Seed keywords Books, cars, digital marketing 2. Informational keywords How to change a tire, what is SEO 3. Commercial keywords Best CRM software, compare MacBooks 4. Transactional keywords Book a hotel room, buy Nike shoes 5. Navigational keywords Youtube login, Facebook 6. Long Tail keywords Slow Wi-Fi connection on MacBook Pro 7. Short Tail keywords Off-page SEO, gardening tips 8. Primary keywords Healthy recipes 9. Secondary keywords “Healthy dinner recipes” for a page about healthy recipes 10. Geotargeted keywords Vinyl […]

Quillbot is a great tool for paraphrasing, summarizing, and translating content. It can also help you identify and fix grammatical mistakes, spot AI-generated content, and detect plagiarism. However, despite a lot of available features, Quillbot can fall short for some. This is for a variety of reasons: Not-so-perfect accuracy: Sometimes, the paraphrased or summarized content is not as accurate or coherent as expected Word choices: When paraphrasing, Quillbot sometimes uses difficult words, which makes the content even harder to read Context understanding: At times, Quillbot struggles to understand the context of complex sentences Manual intervention: Quillbot paraphrases sentences and even […]