Top 6 SEO Best Practices to Skyrocket Your Rankings in 2024

Did you know that 68% of all online experiences begin with a search engine? This statistic from BrightEdge highlights the importance of search engines in driving traffic to websites. Without strong SEO, your content might never reach its intended audience.

As we approach 2024, search engine optimization (SEO) is evolving faster than ever. New technologies like Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) are changing how search engines process and display content. Meanwhile, the importance of mobile-first indexing and Core Web Vitals has made optimizing for user experience critical for ranking well in search results.

In this blog post, we’ll explore six key SEO best practices that can help you improve your rankings in 2024. From boosting your content’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) to optimizing for emerging AI-driven search technologies and expanding your global SEO reach, these strategies will equip you with both quick wins and long-term tactics to stay competitive.

1. Focus on E-E-A-T, Content Quality, and Trust

Google’s E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) has become one of the most important ranking factors, especially for Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics like healthcare, finance, or legal content. YMYL content requires high accuracy and reliable sources to avoid potential harm to users.

To improve your website’s E-E-A-T score, focus on:

• Publish Authoritative Content: Ensure your content is created or reviewed by experts in your field. Add author bios and highlight credentials to boost credibility. Consider linking to external trusted sources for fact verification, especially for YMYL topics.
• Earn Quality Backlinks: Quality backlinks from authoritative sites remain essential for establishing trust. The higher the quality, the more traffic will come to your site.
• Ensure Content Accuracy: Particularly for YMYL topics, maintaining factually accurate and up-to-date content is critical for trust. Regular updates and correcting outdated facts are essential to align with Google's focus on quality.

Websites that prioritize E-E-A-T often experience significant improvements in organic traffic and search rankings according to Google's 2024 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.

2. Optimizing for Generative Search Experiences (GEO)

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) refers to optimizing content for AI-powered search engines that generate dynamic answers rather than just a list of links. With Google’s Search Generative Experience on the rise, you need to structure your content in a way that AI can easily interpret and summarize it for users.

• Use Structured Content: Well-organized headings (H1, H2, etc.), concise paragraphs, and bullet points are favored by AI for summarizing key points.
• Leverage Schema Markup: Structured data helps search engines display rich results, like featured snippets. FAQ schema and how-to markup can boost visibility in search results.
• Focus on Accuracy: AI models depend on factually correct content for generating answers, so ensure your information is reliable, especially for YMYL topics.

By structuring your content to suit AI-driven search, you can enhance its visibility in both traditional search and AI-powered results.

3. Mobile-First and Core Web Vitals: Prioritizing User Experience

Google’s shift to mobile-first indexing means that the mobile version of your website is now the primary version considered for rankings. In October 2024, 55% of global web traffic came from mobile devices, highlighting the importance of a seamless mobile experience.

Additionally, Google’s Core Web Vitals measure user experience through page load speed, interactivity, and visual stability. These are critical metrics for ranking.

• Improve Page Load Speed: Pages that take longer than 5 seconds to load lose 90% of their users. This is particularly important if targeting users in regions with worse bandwidth. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix speed issues.
• Optimize for Mobile: Create a smooth mobile experience with responsive designs and minimal loading delays. Address issues like cumulative layout shifts and ensure key elements are visible on mobile.
• Meet Core Web Vitals: Focus on Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). Improving these metrics enhances both user satisfaction and rankings.

Prioritizing user experience through mobile-first design and page performance directly contributes to higher SEO rankings.

4. Refreshing and Optimizing Old Content

Updating existing content is one of the most effective SEO strategies. Content that is accurate and up-to-date is prioritized by Google, especially for YMYL topics where factual errors can impact health, safety, or financial security.

Here’s how to optimize old content:

• Update Outdated Information: Ensure statistics, facts, and links are current to maintain accuracy.
• Improve On-Page SEO: Focus on improving meta tags, alt text, and internal linking. Better internal links can boost page authority and enhance user navigation
• Add recent events: When possible, refer to more recent events to increase the sense of recency of your content.

Regularly refreshing content not only improves its relevance but can lead to a significant increase in organic traffic.

5. Targeting Featured Snippets and Voice Search

Featured snippets are high-visibility content blocks that appear at the top of search results. Nearly 40% of voice search answers are drawn from featured snippets, making them essential for position zero rankings.

To optimize for featured snippets:

• Use Question-Based Keywords: Structure your content around common user questions like “How do I…?” or “What is…?”
• Provide Concise Answers: Aim for 40-60 word answers to directly address queries, as this format is often favored for snippets.
• Utilize Structured Data: Use FAQ schema or how-to markup to increase your chances of appearing in rich results and voice search.

Since a large portion of mobile searches are voice-based and considering how important LLMs are becoming, optimizing for conversational keywords can improve your chances of being featured or mentioned.

6. Optimizing for Global SEO and Localization

As businesses expand globally, optimizing for multiple languages and regions becomes crucial. Simply translating content isn’t enough—you must localize it for cultural and linguistic nuances while preserving E-E-A-T across languages.

• Conduct In-Language Keyword Research: Use region-specific tools like Google Keyword Planner to find high-ranking keywords in each market.
• Localize On-Page SEO: Optimize meta descriptions, headers, and alt text for each target language.
• Ensure Trustworthiness in Global SEO: Use local experts or references to strengthen trust in non-English locales, ensuring that your content is accurate and contextually appropriate for your audience.

Using hreflang tags and ensuring each market is properly targeted will help your site rank globally while avoiding issues like duplicate content.

Conclusion

SEO is constantly evolving, and 2024 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for businesses aiming to improve their search rankings. From focusing on E-E-A-T and content quality to optimizing for AI-powered search results, these best practices will help you stay ahead of the competition.

By prioritizing content accuracy, updating old posts, and ensuring your site is mobile-friendly with improved Core Web Vitals, you can deliver both quick wins and long-term SEO success. Additionally, optimizing for featured snippets, voice search, and global audiences will drive more traffic and open new markets.