5 SEO Techniques to Drive Organic Traffic in 2021

Why focus on SEO techniques to drive organic traffic? Organic traffic is the key indicator of a successful website, jump start yours for 2021.

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When it comes to advancing your business in 2021, there’s no area as worthy of investment as boosting organic traffic. While paid advertising does offer many benefits, it can still incur many costs, which small businesses, in particular, can’t afford. So, in addition to paid search engine and social media campaigns, it’s not a bad idea to put a significant amount of effort into getting your website to draw visits organically.

The problem arises, however, from the very fact that organic traffic is so precious. With brands catching up on the necessary actions to rank first on SERPs, it’s becoming more challenging to stand out from the competition. That’s why, in 2021, most businesses will need to take their SEO to the next level.

The following are the best SEO techniques you can use to drive organic traffic to your website in 2021.

1. Optimize for Topics, Not Keywords

When talking about SEO, most people’s minds instantly go to keywords and rankings. But the thing is, getting to the top of search engine results pages is so much more than writing an article and using a relevant search term a specific number of times. Therefore, if you really want to boost your organic traffic in 2021, it’s not a bad idea to start thinking about core topics, not just keywords.

If you take a good look at your website, you can instantly identify a small number of core subjects you tend to cover. Moreover, a simple analytics tool can tell you which of your pages and pieces of content perform the best and where the traffic is coming from.

So, what you can do with this information is to use it to do a complete overhaul of your content marketing strategy.

You see, for your website to perform exceptionally well, it needs to be a valuable resource. And the best way to achieve just that is to make it into a rich database of knowledge for every single step of the buyer journey.

The easiest way to optimize for topics on your website is to create clusters. First, start from the broadest search term you want to rank for and create pillar content around it. The more you progress with building up a knowledge database regarding your chosen core topic, the more specific you should start to go. You can use keyword research tools and focus on long-tail search terms, or you can even explore the ‘People Also Ask’ section on Google. Of course, don’t forget to keep an eye on your competition. Keep track of what topics they’re covering and study how their pages are performing.

By following this strategy, you should end up with interconnected topic clusters that cover highly specific queries, all the while providing essential insights for potential customers who are still just finding out about your area of expertise.

2. Explore New Distribution Channels

Another great way to stand out in 2021 is to tap into distribution channels where you can reach your audience without having to deal with heavy competition.

If you’ve defined your buyer persona in your business strategy, you can do a quick search for the online spaces most likely to be inhabited by your target audience. Do make sure, however, to look past the standard social media networks of Facebook and Instagram. Instead, allow yourself to think more broadly.

Podcasts, for example, make for an excellent distribution channel for brands. Not only are they a highly engaging medium, but the genre is developing fast with an average growth rate of 20%. (Impressive, don’t you think?)

Of course, you don’t have to start your own podcast or YouTube channel, nor do you have to develop Snapchat filters to reach the younger generations. Although, any of these undertakings could prove to be an excellent investment.

But, instead, what you should try to do is extend your SEO to more novel distribution channels and create quality backlinks that will drive organic traffic to your website. Do keep in mind, however, that not all backlinks are worth their price. So make sure you’re choosing only the best options for your business.

3. Use PPC Data to Boost Organic Traffic

Now, this advanced SEO tactic isn’t for everyone – mostly because it requires a significant initial investment. However, if you’ve got an upcoming campaign and a decent budget, you can follow the old ‘spend money to make money’ adage and do wonders for your website’s organic traffic.

The most valuable thing you can get from paid traffic is information. A standard Google Ads campaign will give you insights about your audience, their interests, the keywords that work well, as well as their behavior on-page.

So, you can not only find out what search terms you’re leaving untapped. Even more, you can identify the phrases you’re paying prime money for but which are ending up in bounces.

Then, of course, you can use your PPC campaigns to create a winning content marketing strategy. All you’ve got to do is create several ad versions and write posts covering the headlines that got the most clicks.

4. Improve Website UX

In 2021, there will be an even more significant shift towards a user-centric website experience. Based on Google’s Core Web Vitals report, business owners and developers can get valuable information on the most impactful metrics that’ll influence organic traffic.

In addition to the standard mobile-first and HTTPS being ranking signals for Google, the coming year will mean investing even more into UX.

The three major categories to focus on in 2021 include:

• LCP (largest contentful paint)
• FID (first input delay)
• CLS (cumulative layout shift)

Ideally, your complete pages should load in 2.5 seconds or faster, the first input delay should be less than 100 milliseconds, and there should be no more than a 10% change in layout from the moment the first element is shown until the entire page has loaded.

5. Stay on Top of Digital Trends

The last piece of advice for brands who want to boost their organic traffic in 2021 is to stay on top of search trends. Essentially, features that seemed like gimmicks a mere couple of years ago have become an irreplaceable part of user experience today. So, don’t let yourself fall behind the competition by ignoring the latest technological possibilities.

Voice search, for example, is growing in popularity. In fact, it now makes for a total of 20% of all searches in the Google App. Moreover, smartphone users prefer adaptive web design that takes their past behavior into consideration when displaying pages. It’s also not a bad idea to consider the role of automation in all your marketing efforts.

Do take the time to stay on top of the latest in the digital marketing world in 2021. After all, one of the essential things that 2020 has taught us is that agility is the key to success. So be prepared to identify and apply new features, as they’ll definitely make an impact on your brand’s success.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there’s quite a lot to do if you want to stay on top of your game in 2021. Although the 5 SEO techniques mentioned above do take time and investment, you should definitely consider their implementation across your website.

Yes, some will be easy fixes that merely require a slightly altered approach. Others might demand a bit more expertise. It is for this reason that it’s crucial that you, as a leader, stay on top of the latest news in the digital marketing world. Furthermore, remember that it’s more than OK to ask for help. After all, a professional and experienced marketing team can make the difference between ranking first and being just another website in a sea of others.