13 SEO Tips to Boost Your Search Visibility

SEO best practices help you rank higher in traditional search results and in AI-generated answers from tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.

In fact, AI search fundamentals remain largely the same as SEO fundamentals: create high-quality content, build authority, and make your pages easy to understand.

Now, let’s go over 13 SEO tips to improve your visibility across both traditional and AI-powered search.

1. Target the Right Keywords and Prompts

Targeting the keywords and prompts your target audience types into search engines and AI tools is key to showing more prominently in search results. 

When you appear in search results, you gain visibility and possibly even traffic that can translate to better business results. 

Before creating content, perform keyword research to learn which terms your target audience uses and which ones align with your goals. Consider:

• Conversion potential: How likely are searchers to become customers?
• Search intent: What content are searchers hoping to see that meets their goals when searching this term?
• Search volume: How many people search for this keyword or prompt each month?
• Personal Keyword Difficulty (Personal KD%): How hard is it for your specific site to show for this term?

To find suitable keywords with Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool, enter a seed keyword (a broad term related to your niche). You’ll get more specific ideas along with key metrics for each term.

Filter the results to show keywords likely to be most valuable for your business. For many businesses, commercial or transactional keywords are a priority, since these keywords target users who are closer to making a purchase.

To focus on commercial or transactional keywords, use the “Intent” drop-down filter and check the boxes next to “Commercial” and “Transactional.” And click “Apply.”

You can also filter by “Volume” and “Personal KD%” to show terms that meet specific monthly search and difficulty thresholds. For example, keywords that are searched at least 100 times per month and have a Personal Keyword Difficulty of less than 49%.

Once you’ve identified potentially valuable keyword opportunities, export your keyword list to CSV, Excel, or the Keyword Strategy Builder.

Find even more queries using Prompt Research. Just enter a broad topic, scroll down to the table, and find a relevant topic along with its AI search volume and intent breakdown. 

Click the arrow to the left of a topic to see the specific prompts users enter into AI tools. And make note of the ones that are relevant to you.

After you have your keywords and prompts, you need to place them strategically throughout your content for maximum SEO impact. Here’s how to to do that:

• Include a keyword/prompt in the first 100 words: Include your primary keyword or prompt naturally within the first few paragraphs. This makes it immediately clear to users and search systems what your content is about.
• Add queries to your URL slug: Use a URL like “example.com/email-marketing-tips” rather than “example.com/article-123.” Keep it short, readable, and relevant to your content.
• Use keywords in headings: Include your primary keyword or prompt in your H1 heading, and use related variations in at least one H2.
• Optimize image alt text: Add descriptive alt text that includes relevant terms where natural. This helps search systems understand your images and improves accessibility.
• Use natural variations: Don’t force the same phrase repeatedly. Search engines and AI systems understand synonyms, so use variations interchangeably (e.g., “SEO tips,” “search engine optimization advice,” and “SEO best practices”).

2. Make Sure Your Content Meets Search Intent

To appear highly in search results, your content must match the user’s search intent (the reason a user searches for a keyword). 

There are four broad types of search intent:

• Informational: Users want information (e.g., “how to fix a water leak”)
• Navigational: Users want to find a specific page or site (e.g., “reddit login”)
• Commercial: Users want to research products/services (e.g., “best espresso machine for beginners”)
• Transactional: Users want to complete a purchase (e.g., “buy amazon gift card”)

Enter a term into an AI tool or search engine and study what appears to get a thorough understanding of intent. You can then create content that meets intent. 

Here are some examples of intent types that translate to different content formats:

• For an informational keyword, you could create an educational guide on the topic
• For a commercial keyword, appropriate content might include product comparisons and lists
• For a transactional keyword, appropriate content would likely include product landing pages

For example, if you search for “small business tools” on Google, you’ll see that the top-ranking pages are all roundups of small business software options—not pages for specific tools.

That means if you target the keyword “small business tools,” you should create an article listing various small business software choices instead of focusing only on one or two of your own products.

3. Update Your Content Regularly

Fresh content with accurate data can keep visitors engaged and improve your visibility in both traditional and AI search. 

Freshness is particularly important for AI visibility because AI search experiences generally prioritize recent content. For example, the AI Overview below only features sources that were published or updated within the last six months:

When updating your content, focus on:

• Checking facts and sources: Make sure your data is current. Link to primary sources whenever possible.
• Reviewing links: Verify that internal and external links still point to active, relevant pages
• Replacing outdated images: Use up-to-date graphics and product screenshots. Update any images of your business’s location after a move to avoid confusing customers.
• Adding missing information: If new details or user needs arise, include them. Address all parts of a user’s query to meet search intent, so users don’t turn to a competitor for more information.

To prioritize which content to update, focus on:

• Topics that drive significant value for your business (e.g., leads or sales)
• Pages you haven’t updated in 6+ months (you may not need to update them all, but it’s a good starting filter)
• Pages that have seen dips in search visibility. To quickly identify pages that have declining visibility, use Semrush’s Position Tracking tool.

4. Prioritize Readability

Prioritizing readability makes your content easier for people to understand, for search engines to match to relevant queries, and for AI systems to extract and use in responses. 

Here are some ways to make your SEO content more readable:

Use Simple Language

Using simple language in your content clarifies its meaning for search systems and people.

Consider that writing simply is more accessible for people of different ages and educational backgrounds. And for non-native speakers. 

So, write in plain language, and limit jargon or advanced terminology unless necessary. If you must use technical terms, explain them briefly.

Use Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant to check your text’s readability. 

Paste your text into SEO Writing Assistant (or import it from an existing URL), enter your target keywords, and click “Get recommendations.”

After adding your content, review the “Readability” score. Aim for 60 (eighth- or ninth-grade level) or higher. If your score is lower, simplify your phrasing.

A good exercise is to have a friend or family member who’s unfamiliar with the subject matter read the text and tell you which parts are difficult to understand. Then, rework those parts.

Stick to Short Sentences and Paragraphs

Write short, direct sentences and limit each paragraph to three or four lines to enhance scannability.

Long sentences can be difficult to follow, and large blocks of text can overwhelm readers. Lengthy excerpts can also confuse AI systems if it’s not clear what your sections are about.

Structure Your Content with Headings

Headings create a clear hierarchy, improve user navigation, and signal content structure to search engines and AI systems. 

The first heading on your page should be the H1 heading, followed by one or more H2 headings, under which you can nest H3s, H4s, and so on (down to H6).

Include your primary keyword or prompt in your H1 to clarify what your content is about to both search systems and users.

Also, use secondary or related keywords in H2 or H3 headings, when relevant and natural. This can provide search systems with more useful context, which may make them more likely to reference your content for a wider range of queries. 

Use Lists

Bullet points and numbered lists provide quick takeaways that AI systems and search engines can pull from.

Lists also break up large sections of text, making it easier for people to scan your content.

5. Make Your Content Original

Researching top-ranking pages helps you understand what type of content works and can help you understand the search intent, but prioritize making your content original to stand out. 

Notice how the search results for “small business tools” all have similar titles and article structures:

To differentiate your article from the same approach to a numbered list, try incorporating results from a survey or a distinct data set and including that information in your title. For example: “15 Top Small Business Tools, According to 500 Business Owners.” 

Beyond your article’s title, the actual content you create also needs to be original to perform well in search. 

Here are a few ways to ensure your content is unique and valuable:

• Share original data: Publish results from your own surveys, case studies, or internal research
• Include expert insights: Interview industry experts or people with hands-on experience in the topic, then incorporate their quotes
• Add personal experience: If you’ve tested a product, used a tool, or tried a method yourself, share what you learned to add credibility
• Use unique visuals: Create custom graphics, charts, or diagrams that illustrate your points

For more information about creating original content, check out our article on information gain.

6. Demonstrate E-E-A-T

Intentionally showing Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) increases the likelihood that your content will show in both traditional and AI search results. 

E-E-A-T is a framework Google’s team of Search Quality Raters use to assess the quality of Google search results. While E-E-A-T itself is not a ranking factor, the guidelines are used to influence how Google tweaks its algorithms to improve results for users.

Broadly speaking, this is what Quality Raters are looking for when assessing search results:

• Experience: Whether the content shows that you have firsthand experience with the topic
• Expertise: Whether you have demonstrated a deep understanding of the subject
• Authoritativeness: Whether you cover relevant topics extensively to appear as a leading resource
• Trustworthiness: A combination of the above factors that show your content is reliable

Despite the fact that E-E-A-T is a Google framework, incorporating E-E-A-T principles into content is good for AI search. An AI search-focused study from researchers at a few universities found using authoritative writing, incorporating statistics, using credible citations, and adding quotes from reputable sources improves AI visibility.

Here are a few ways to demonstrate E-E-A-T in your content:

Incorporate Personal Experiences Into Your Content

If you have direct experience, include it to provide proof that you understand the topic deeply.

For example, let’s say you’re reading an article about the top restaurants in your city. Consider which of these you would trust more:

1. A generic article providing a basic description of each restaurant and the types of meals available
2. A detailed article with images, where the author describes their personal experience with each restaurant and shares their subjective opinion and rating for each venue

You’d likely trust the article that shows proof the author was there and includes detailed descriptions that go beyond what someone could learn by simply reading about the restaurant online.

Build Authority

If you want to build topical authority, publish a range of content that fully covers a major subject in your niche. 

When you consistently provide insights that your audience finds useful, you become a trusted resource.

For example, a coffee website might include content around the history of coffee, preparation methods, equipment reviews, and more. This helps search engines, AI systems, and users understand that the website is an authority on the topic of coffee.

7. Get High-Quality Backlinks

Acquiring high-quality backlinks (links from other sites to yours) is crucial for building credibility and improving visibility in search engines and AI tools. 

Here are three effective ways to build backlinks:

Find Backlink Opportunities from Competitors

Reaching out to websites that already link to your competitors is a good way to build backlinks because they’re likely to link to you if you have relevant content on your site. 

By analyzing your competitors’ backlink profiles, you can get a list of domains that link to sites like yours. Then, you can include these domains in your link building outreach campaigns.

Enter your domain and up to four competing domains in the Backlink Gap tool and choose the “Best” tab to find domains linking to competing sites but not yours. 

Clicking a number under a competitor will show you more details about the links to that site. Like the link source, the anchor text, and the target URL. 

Visit the target URL on a competing website to understand what kind of content gets links. If you already have similar content (or can create high-quality content on the same topic), you could pitch the linking site with an email like this:

Subject: Resource suggestion for your [topic] page

Hi [Name],

I came across your piece on [topic] and thought it was a great resource.

We recently published an article that covers [unique angle, additional data, or updated information]. I think it could be a useful addition for your readers.

Here’s the link: [URL]

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

[Your name]

Turn Unlinked Mentions Into Backlinks

Domains that mention your brand but don’t link to you are already familiar with you and more likely to give you a backlink if you ask.

Find unlinked mentions using the Brand Monitoring app. Just go to the app and click the “New query” button.

Add your brand name, choose the “Brand” option, and click “Continue.”

Under “Select the sources you want to search,” select the types of sources you’d like to track for brand mentions. “News” and “Blogs” are likely to be the most relevant options for you here. Click the “Create query” button.

The tool will then find mentions of your brand online. Click “Mention details,” select “Backlinks,” and click the circle next to “Without backlinks” to identify brand mentions that don’t already have a backlink attached.

Once you’re happy with the list, reach out to these websites and ask for a link.

For more specific tips on contacting prospects to acquire backlinks, check out our guide to link building outreach.

Attract Backlinks Naturally

You can attract backlinks naturally by publishing valuable resources that others want to share (also known as link bait). 

Depending on your audience, you could offer free tools, statistics roundups, templates, infographics, or research reports.

For example, Semrush’s AI search traffic study analyzed hundreds of prompts to understand the impact of AI search on SEO traffic. The study was shared extensively in the SEO community and generated 9.5K backlinks from 1.2K referring domains.

To naturally build backlinks to your own site, figure out what kinds of resources might become popular among your target audience.Ideally, they should be:

• Unique resources that aren’t already out there 
• Something your audience will find valuable
• Full of actionable insights and advice your audience can implement to address a pain point or solve a problem

8. Build Your Brand Beyond Your Own Website

Building your brand presence across the web—even without direct links—sends positive signals to search engines and AI systems that can improve your visibility. 

Here are some effective ways to build your brand:

Engage in Relevant Communities

Sharing your expertise in relevant communities builds credibility on platforms like Reddit and Quora that search engines and AI systems rely on for surfacing relevant results. 

Plus, providing genuine value makes people more likely to check out your profile and visit your site. 

Many online communities allow you to include a link in your profile or signature. Like on Quora:

Build Brand Mentions

Search engines and AI systems recognize unlinked brand mentions, and that can influence your site’s visibility.

Getting more brand mentions can also lead to more traffic from people searching for your brand name.

To build brand mentions, participate in podcasts, webinars, and industry events

Repurpose Content for Other Platforms

Repurposing your content as LinkedIn posts, Medium articles, social media threads, etc., helps you reach people who might not otherwise find your website.

Here’s an example of how we repurposed a study into a short LinkedIn post with an eye-catching visual to drive engagement. And boost the visibility of the study itself.

You can also include a link back to the original article for readers who want more detail. Just be aware that posts containing links tend to get lower engagement, and there’s widespread speculation that social media platforms suppress those posts. 

9. Use Short, Descriptive URLs

Short, descriptive URLs look more trustworthy and also help users understand your content at a glance. 

Note the two examples below and how the first one is more descriptive:

• https://example.com/seo-best-practices
• https://example.com/seo-24682496.html

Aim for a concise URL that indicates what the page is about, ideally including your primary keyword. 

For example, if your target keyword is “dog training tips,” your page URL might be “https://example.com/blog/dog-training-tips/”

And avoid using dates or other numbers in URLs. If you update the page, the date or number you initially included in the URL might no longer be relevant. Updating that URL could require a redirect, which can impact search performance.

10. Make Sure Your Website Loads Fast

Fast-loading sites are better for the user experience, which can benefit your search visibility.

Plus, page speed is an actual ranking factor in Google’s algorithms for desktop and mobile searches. 

Follow these tips to make your website load quickly:

Use a CDN

A content delivery network (CDN) lets you store content on multiple servers around the globe, which reduces load times.

Essentially, a CDN allows users to load a cached version of your website from a server that’s closer to their location. And that reduces the time it takes for a page to load. 

Popular CDNs include Cloudflare and Akamai.

Minify JavaScript and CSS Files

Reduce the size of your JavaScript and CSS files (and help them load faster) by removing unnecessary data such as comments and line breaks.

Tools like Minify and Toptal JavaScript Minifier & Compressor can help with this if you’re not a developer.

Opt for Dedicated Web Hosting

Dedicated hosting is when your site is hosted on its own server, which reduces the risk of your website slowing down due to other sites using more resources than usual.

Get in touch with your web hosting provider to learn more about switching to dedicated servers.

Compress Your Images

Smaller image files help your pages load faster.

So, compress your images using tools like Kraken or Optimizilla without sacrificing much quality. 

Use Google Search Console to Prioritize Speed Fixes

Google Search Console (GSC) lets you identify slow-loading pages, so you can focus your efforts where they’ll have the biggest impact.

To find pages that load slowly, navigate to the Core Web Vitals report within GSC (learn more about these in our Core Web Vitals guide). Click “Open Report” for mobile or desktop to see URLs that need improvement. 

You’ll see URLs with issues concerning the three Core Web Vitals metrics:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How quickly your main content loads
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): How quickly your page responds to user interactions
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): How stable your page layout is during loading

Click on the relevant issues in the “Why URLs aren’t considered good” section.

On the next page, scroll down to “URL groups” and click on an example URL to specific URLs with the corresponding issue. Click on any of the URLs in the table to the right and select “Developer resources” to go to the PageSpeed Insights tool.

In PageSpeed Insights, you’ll see more details about the page in question. And you’ll get specific improvement ideas along with savings estimates.

If you don’t know how to make the changes yourself, work with a developer. 

11. Optimize Your Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Achieving a higher click-through rate allows you to get more traffic from search results without having to actually improve your visibility.

Here are three ways to improve your click-through rate from traditional and AI search results:

Write Compelling Title Tags

Title tags that appear as the titles in search results are one of the first things users see when evaluating sources after performing a search. 

To increase the chances of your title tags showing in search results and standing out from the others, keep them to around 60 characters. And use power words, numbers, and clear value propositions. 

Take a look at these two title tag examples and note how the second one uses specifics that make it more compelling:

• SEO Tips for Your Website
• 15 Proven SEO Tips That Boosted Our Traffic by 127%

Craft Meta Descriptions That Match Search Intent

Meta descriptions that appear as the brief summary in search results have the potential to impact whether someone clicks your result. 

Your meta description should directly address what the searcher wants to know. If someone searches for “how to fix a leaky faucet,” your description should confirm you’ll show them how to fix it using action-oriented language.

Also, keep descriptions to about 105 characters to avoid truncation. 

Use Schema Markup to Get Rich Snippets

Schema markup provides search engines with additional information and makes you eligible to display additional details in your search result (e.g., star ratings and prices) that may entice clicks.

Special results are called rich snippets and can look like this:

Learn more about how to get these with our rich snippets guide.

12. Use Internal Links Strategically

Internal links from one page on your site to another help users and search systems navigate your content and can distribute website authority across your pages to improve the SEO of the linked pages.

Use internal links strategically by directing to your most important pages, such as product or service pages. Link both to and from these pages. 

Also, use anchor text that accurately describes the linked content. For example, use the anchor text “list of best in-ear headphones” to link to a roundup article about in-ear headphones. 

Ultimately, try to avoid broken links (links that don’t point to a working page) that frustrate users and orphan pages (pages that aren’t linked to from other pages) that are difficult for search systems to find. 

Use Semrush’s SEO checker tool to detect broken links and orphan pages. Create a project in Site Audit, configure your settings, and click the “Start audit” button.

After analyzing your website, Site Audit will present you with a detailed report. Navigate to the “Issues” tab and type “broken” to see any relevant errors. 

To see a list of pages containing broken links, click the linked part of the issue.

Fix the broken link issues you find by either removing the links or updating them to the correct URLs.

Next, type “orphan” into the search box to find any orphaned pages that exist on your site. And decide how to incorporate these pages into your overall site structure by linking to them from relevant pages.

13. Track the Revenue Impact of SEO

Tracking the revenue impact of your SEO efforts shows you what is and isn’t contributing to your business goals. 

To see whether what you’re doing is worth it, you need to understand the return on investment (ROI) of your SEO efforts. You calculate this by subtracting the cost of your SEO from the revenue you’ve generated from that SEO work, dividing by the cost of SEO, and multiplying by 100. 

Here’s what the SEO ROI formula looks like:

For example, if you calculate that your organic optimization efforts bring your business $10K per month, and they cost $5K, your ROI is 100%. 

Calculating your SEO ROI accurately requires careful tracking of the costs of your SEO efforts and how different tasks (like creating new blog posts) drive revenue. For a full guide on how to do this, check out our ROI of SEO article.

Put These SEO Tips Into Action

The SEO tips above will likely improve your site’s organic and AI visibility. And many of them require the right tools.

Semrush One gives you a range of tools designed to help you uncover valuable queries, do competitive research, build links, measure AI visibility, and much more. 

Try Semrush One for free.