Best SEO Practices 2024: A Comparison of Old vs. New Strategies

SEO is evolving faster than ever.

To stay competitive, it's essential to adapt to the latest strategies.

Good news. We’ve created a list.

Yep, a list. But as simple as it is, it’s our approach to SEO.

Here are the best SEO practices for 2024, comparing outdated tactics with modern strategies to help you improve your search engine rankings and online presence. 

1. Keyword Density vs. Natural Writing

Old SEO: Emphasis on keyword density in content.
New SEO: Write naturally for readers, matching search intent without focusing on keyword density.

In the past, SEO experts cram as many keywords as possible into their content. Today, the focus is on writing naturally for the reader. Search engines now prioritize content matching user intent, making providing valuable and relevant information more critical.

2. Article Introductions

Old SEO: Long, tedious, magazine-like introductions.
New SEO: Get straight to the point in introductions, avoiding fluff.

You have to hit with a quick hook!

Gone are the days of lengthy, fluff-filled introductions. Modern SEO demands that you get straight to the point, immediately capturing the reader’s attention. This change is driven by user behavior and search engine algorithms. 

The user’s time on page is significant. If search engines notice people staying for a considerable time on the web page you’ve landed, then it indicates search relevance. 

But before someone will spend time scrolling through your content, they need to feel value immediately.

Today's users expect to find information quickly and scan rather than read content in detail. Search engines prioritize content that meets user intent and engages them right away.

3. On-Page Optimization

Old SEO: Focus on achieving green lights in SEO plugins.
New SEO: Prioritize comprehensive on-page SEO techniques.

While SEO plugins (Yoast for WordPress or Webflow’s internal audit as examples) can be helpful, the best SEO practices in 2024 involve a deeper understanding of on-page SEO, including optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and images and ensuring content readability and relevance. Effective on-page optimization techniques go beyond plugin indicators, focusing on creating a seamless and valuable user experience. 

You should be entering HTML tags that help search engines understand the structure and content of your page, making it easier for them to crawl and index your page correctly.

Here are some examples  of semantic HTML tags you can use:

1. <header>: defines the header section of a document or section
2. <nav>: defines a section of navigation links
3. <main>: defines the main content section of a document
4. <section>: defines a self-contained section of related content
5. <article>: defines an independent piece of content, such as a blog post or news article
6. <aside>: defines a piece of content that is related to the main content, but not essential to it
7. <footer>: defines the footer section of a document or section
8. <figure>: defines a self-contained piece of content, such as an image or diagram
9. <figcaption>: defines a caption for a figure
10. <menu>: defines a list of menu items

For more details on optimizing your on-page SEO, consider consulting a Webflow SEO expert.

4. Link Building Practices

Old SEO: Building links from spammy link farms.
New SEO: Build links from high-quality, authoritative sites within your niche.

Link building remains crucial, but the quality of links has become paramount. Instead of using spammy link farms, focus on obtaining backlinks from reputable, authoritative sites relevant to your niche.

Try to find publications or partner sites publishing content relevant to your focus area. 

5. Internal Linking

Old SEO: Internal linking was often done haphazardly or with less strategic intent.
New SEO: Internal linking is a deliberate, integral part of the SEO strategy, enhancing site structure, user experience, and crawlability.

Internal linking helps search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationship between pages. It's essential for improving site navigation and ensuring your content is easily discoverable. Proper internal linking can also contribute to this effort if you want to learn how to improve Webflow speed.

6. Content Quality and User Experience

Old SEO: Focus on producing a high content volume regardless of quality.
New SEO: Emphasis on high-quality, valuable content that addresses user needs and queries.

High-quality, valuable content is more important than ever. Search engines reward content that thoroughly addresses user queries and provides a great user experience.

7. Mobile Optimization

Old SEO: Websites optimized primarily for desktop users.
New SEO: Mobile-first indexing, ensuring websites are fully optimized for mobile users.

With the rise of mobile internet usage, ensuring your website is fully optimized for mobile devices is crucial. Google’s mobile-first indexing means that the mobile version of your site is now the primary version considered in search rankings.

8. Page Speed and Performance

Old SEO: Little attention to website loading speeds.
New SEO: Prioritizing fast loading times with optimized images and streamlined code.

Page load under 2 seconds.

Page speed is a critical ranking factor. Modern SEO practices include optimizing images, reducing code bloat, and improving server response times.

As technical as this is, I’d say it’s critical because people won’t wait for a website to load. They will just click elsewhere, signaling to search algorithms that the page isn’t beneficial.

9. User Engagement Metrics

Old SEO: Focus on basic metrics like page views and bounce rates.
New SEO: Emphasis on deeper engagement metrics such as time on page, scroll depth, and user interaction.

Beyond basic metrics, search engines now consider user engagement metrics like time on page and scroll depth. These metrics provide a better indication of content quality and user satisfaction.

10. Local SEO

Old SEO: Limited focus on local search optimization.
New SEO: Targeting local search with optimized Google My Business profiles and localized content.

Optimizing for local search is essential for businesses with a physical presence. Ensuring your Google My Business profile is up-to-date and creating localized content can significantly boost your local SEO efforts.

11. Technical SEO

Old SEO: Basic technical SEO practices, often limited to meta tags and basic site structure.
New SEO: Advanced technical SEO, including schema markup, structured data, and XML sitemaps.

Advanced technical SEO practices like implementing schema markup and structured data help search engines understand your content better, improving visibility and click-through rates.

12. Social Signals

Old SEO: Neglecting the impact of social media on SEO.
New SEO: Leveraging social media to boost visibility and drive traffic.

Social signals, such as likes, shares, and comments, can indirectly influence your SEO efforts by increasing content visibility and driving traffic to your site.

13. Voice Search Optimization

Old SEO: No consideration for voice search queries.
New SEO: Optimizing content for voice search with natural language and long-tail keywords.

With the increasing use of voice search, optimizing your content to match conversational queries is becoming more critical. Using natural language and long-tail keywords can help capture voice search traffic.

14. User Intent

Old SEO: Relying heavily on exact match keywords.
New SEO: Focusing on understanding and addressing user intent.

Understanding and addressing user intent is crucial. The key to modern SEO success is creating content that fulfills specific search intents and provides clear answers or solutions.

Conclusion

The best SEO practices for 2024 emphasize quality, user experience, and adaptability to new technologies and trends. By moving away from outdated tactics and embracing these modern strategies, you can be confident in improving your website’s visibility and rankings in search engine results. Stay ahead of the competition by continuously updating your SEO practices to align with the latest industry standards. If you need expert help, request an SEO quote to get started.