In this article, I am going to talk about 3 SEO techniques that I have only just picked up on this year and they are “Google Entity Stacking”, “FAQ Schema Markup”, and “Content Pruning”. They have really helped a few of my clients’ sites and just add to my regular toolbox of SEO techniques.
1. Google Entity Stacking
“Google Entity Stacking” refers to a specific SEO strategy that involves creating a network of web properties, often using Google-owned entities, to build backlinks and enhance the online presence of a particular website or entity.
Here’s a more detailed explanation of Google Entity Stacking:
1. Google-Owned Entities: This technique involves leveraging various Google-owned properties, such as Google Sites, Google Docs, Google Maps, and other Google services to create content that links back to the target website. These Google-owned entities are trusted by Google’s search algorithm.
2. Contextual Links: Within the content you create on these Google-owned platforms, you would embed contextual links that point back to your target website. These links are typically placed naturally within the content and are relevant to the topic or subject matter.
3. Manual Process: The term “100% Manual” suggests that these links are created by hand, meaning that each piece of content is carefully crafted, and the links are not generated by automated or spammy methods. Manual creation is seen as a more legitimate and sustainable approach to building backlinks.
4. Permanent Links: These links are intended to be long-lasting or permanent, as opposed to temporary or transient backlinks that might disappear over time.
The purpose of Google Entity Stacking is to improve the search engine ranking and visibility of the target website by creating a network of authoritative and trusted content on Google properties that link back to it. When executed properly, this strategy can enhance the website’s online presence and authority in the eyes of search engines, potentially leading to better search rankings.
However, it’s essential to note that SEO strategies can evolve, and search engines like Google frequently update their algorithms. Some tactics that were effective in the past may not be as effective or may even be considered against best practices in the current SEO landscape. Always ensure that your SEO strategies align with ethical and legitimate SEO practices to avoid potential penalties from search engines.
How to Implement Google Entity Stacking for SEO
Google Entity Stacking is a technique used in SEO to improve the online visibility and search engine rankings of a website. It involves creating a network of web properties using Google-owned entities to build high-quality backlinks. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to implement Google Entity Stacking:
1. Research and Planning
Before you start, conduct thorough research to identify the keywords and phrases relevant to your website or business. This will help you create content that aligns with your target audience’s interests.
2. Set Up Google-Owned Properties
Create accounts or profiles on various Google-owned properties where you will publish your content. These may include Google Sites, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Maps, Blogger, and more.
3. Create High-Quality Content
Produce high-quality, informative, and engaging content that is relevant to your website’s niche or industry. Your content should be well-researched, well-structured, and provide value to the readers.
4. Embed Contextual Links
Within the content you create on Google-owned platforms, include contextual links that point back to your target website. These links should be relevant to the content and strategically placed for natural integration.
5. Optimize Content for SEO
Make sure your content on Google properties is optimized for search engines. This includes using relevant keywords, optimizing images, and ensuring your content is user-friendly.
6. Consistency is Key
Consistency is crucial in Google Entity Stacking. Regularly update and add new content to your Google-owned properties to keep the network active and growing.
7. Avoid Duplicate Content
Ensure that the content you create for Google Entity Stacking is unique and not duplicated from your main website. Duplicate content can harm your SEO efforts.
8. Utilize Google My Business
Create and optimize a Google My Business (GMB) profile if your business has a physical location. This can further enhance your local search presence.
9. Leverage YouTube
If relevant to your content strategy, create and optimize a YouTube channel. Google owns YouTube, and well-optimized videos can help improve your search engine rankings.
10. Monitor and Analyze
Use Google Analytics and other SEO tools to monitor the performance of your Google Entity Stacking strategy. Pay attention to traffic, rankings, and engagement metrics.
11. Be Patient
SEO results take time. Be patient and consistent in your efforts and understand that it may take several months to see noticeable improvements in search rankings.
12. Stay Informed
Keep up to date with the latest SEO trends and Google algorithm updates. SEO is an ever-evolving field, and staying informed is essential for long-term success.
13. Ethical Practices
Always use ethical and legitimate SEO practices. Avoid any black-hat techniques that could lead to penalties from search engines.
By following this guide and implementing Google Entity Stacking, you can enhance your website’s online presence, build high-quality backlinks, and potentially improve your search engine rankings. Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and consistent efforts are key to long-term success.
2. FAQ Schema Markup
Adding a structured FAQ section with Schema markup to your website’s header can provide several benefits for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Here’s why it’s good for SEO:
1. Enhanced Visibility in Search Results:
When you implement Schema markup for FAQs, search engines like Google can understand the content more effectively. This can lead to your FAQ section being displayed as a rich snippet in search results, which attracts more attention and can increase your click-through rate.
2. Improved User Experience:
By having a well-structured FAQ section, you make it easier for visitors to find answers to their questions quickly. This can reduce bounce rates and improve user engagement, factors that search engines consider in their ranking algorithms.
3. Increased Organic Traffic:
Rich snippets, like FAQ-rich results, often have higher click-through rates. When users see your FAQs in search results, they are more likely to click on your website, potentially increasing organic traffic.
4. Keyword Optimization:
By including questions and answers related to your business or industry in your FAQ section, you can naturally incorporate relevant keywords. This helps your website rank for those keywords and can drive targeted organic traffic.
5. Authority and Trust:
Structured data, when used correctly, can enhance your website’s credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of both search engines and users. Google may favour websites that provide clear, helpful, and structured information.
6. Rich Snippets in Voice Search:
As voice search becomes more popular, having structured FAQ content can make your website more voice search friendly. Voice assistants like Google Assistant can provide spoken answers directly from FAQ-rich snippets.
7. Mobile SEO:
With the rise of mobile internet usage, concise FAQ sections with structured data can provide quick answers to mobile users’ questions, making your site more mobile-friendly and potentially improving its mobile search ranking.
8. Featured Snippets:
Some FAQ-rich results may get featured in Google’s featured snippets, which are displayed at the top of search results. Being featured in this way can drive significant traffic to your site.
9. Content Organization:
A well-structured FAQ section contributes to the overall organization of your website. This can improve user navigation and make it easier for search engine crawlers to understand your content.
10. Competitive Advantage:
Not all websites use structured data for their FAQs. Implementing this feature can give you a competitive advantage, especially if your competitors haven’t adopted it yet.
In summary, implementing a structured FAQ section with Schema markup can benefit your SEO efforts by enhancing your website’s visibility, user experience, and credibility. It can lead to increased organic traffic, keyword optimization, and a better overall online presence.
How to Add a Frequently Asked Questions
Add a (FAQ) section to the header of your website and implement Schema markup for it, you’ll need to follow some specific HTML and structured data guidelines. Here’s a step-by-step method to do this:
1. Create the FAQ Section in HTML:
First, create the FAQ section in the HTML structure of your web page. You can place it in your website’s header or another prominent location.
<header>
<h1>Welcome to our Website</h1>
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/FAQPage">
<h2>FAQs</h2>
<div itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Question">
<h3 itemprop="name">Question 1: What is our website about?</h3>
<div itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Answer">
<p itemprop="text">Answer 1: Our website provides information about...</p>
</div>
</div>
<div itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Question">
<h3 itemprop="name">Question 2: How can I contact us?</h3>
<div itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Answer">
<p itemprop="text">Answer 2: You can reach us by email at...</p>
</div>
</div>
<!-- Add more FAQ items as needed -->
</div>
</header>- In the above HTML, we’re using Schema.org structured data to mark up the FAQ section. We’re defining a “FAQPage” with a list of “mainEntity” items, each representing a question and its corresponding answer.
- The “itemscope” attribute indicates the start of an item and “itemtype” specifies the type of the item. In this case, “FAQPage,” “Question,” and “Answer” are used.
- The “name” property inside “itemprop” represents the question, and the “text” property inside “itemprop” represents the answer.
2. Test Your Markup:
Before publishing your web page, it’s essential to validate your structured data using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool (https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool) to ensure it’s correctly implemented.
3. Add CSS Styling:
You can style the FAQ section in your website’s header using CSS to make it visually appealing. Ensure that it’s easily accessible and user-friendly.
4. Publish and Monitor:
Once you’ve added the FAQ section with Schema markup to your website’s header, publish the changes and monitor how Google and other search engines interpret and display your FAQ information in search results.
By following these steps, you can integrate a structured FAQ section into the header of your website for Schema markup. This can enhance the visibility and user-friendliness of your site in search engine results, making it easier for users to find answers to their questions.
3. Content Pruning
Content Pruning: Periodically review and update your existing content. Remove or update outdated or low-quality content to keep your website fresh and relevant.
Content pruning is the process of reviewing and optimizing the existing content on your website by removing, updating, or consolidating pages to improve SEO, user experience, and site performance. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to effectively implement content pruning:
How to Implement Content Pruning for SEO and Website Optimization
1. Content Inventory:
Begin by creating an inventory of all the pages and posts on your website. This can be done manually or with the help of SEO tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console.
2. Set Pruning Goals:
Define clear objectives for content pruning. Common goals include improving site performance, reducing duplicate content, enhancing user experience, and focusing on high-value content.
3. Analyze Content:
Review each piece of content to assess its performance. Look at metrics such as traffic, bounce rate, time on page, and conversions. Consider user engagement and the content’s relevance to your target audience.
4. Identify Low-Performing Content:
Identify pages that are underperforming or have outdated information. Look for content with low traffic, high bounce rates, or poor engagement metrics. Also, pinpoint pages with thin or duplicate content.
5. Keyword Analysis:
Analyze the keywords associated with each piece of content. Ensure that your content aligns with your target keywords and SEO strategy. Eliminate pages that don’t serve a clear keyword purpose.
6. Content Quality Assessment:
Assess the quality of your content. Check for grammatical errors, outdated information, and the overall readability and engagement level. Content that adds no value should be pruned.
7. Redirects and Consolidation:
For pages you decide to remove, create 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to relevant, existing pages. Additionally, consider consolidating related content into one comprehensive, informative page.
8. Update and Refresh:
For content that has potential but is outdated, invest time in updating it with fresh, accurate information. Keep it relevant to current trends and events.
9. Re-optimize for SEO:
As you update or consolidate content, re-optimize it for SEO. Ensure that your on-page SEO elements, such as title tags, meta descriptions, and headings, align with your target keywords.
10. Monitor Traffic Changes:
Track the impact of content pruning on your site’s performance using tools like Google Analytics. Be prepared for fluctuations in traffic, especially on pruned pages.
11. User Experience Enhancement:
Focus on improving the overall user experience. Make sure that the remaining content is easy to navigate and that users can find the information they need quickly.
12. Regular Review:
Content pruning is not a one-time task. Implement a regular schedule for content review and pruning. This ensures that your website remains optimized and up to date.
13. Document the Process:
Maintain documentation of what content was pruned, consolidated, or updated. This documentation helps in tracking changes and performance over time.
14. Submit Sitemaps and Robots.txt:
After pruning, update your sitemap and robots.txt file to reflect the changes. This informs search engines about the updated structure of your website.
15. User Communication:
If you’re removing content that was popular or linked externally, consider creating a custom 404 page with a message explaining the change and suggesting alternative content.
By following this guide, you can effectively implement Content Pruning to optimize your website for improved SEO, better user experience, and overall site performance. Remember that content pruning is an ongoing process, and regular reviews are crucial for maintaining a well-organized and valuable website.
