Key Takeaways

  • Nail the Technical SEO Basics: There are 10 essential technical SEO elements you want to ensure you implement for optimal site performance. Keep reading for this list.
  • Leverage AI, But Add a Human Touch: AI has come a long way and is now considered an invaluable tool for content creation, but it’s important to always edit and refine AI-generated content for quality, originality, and brand voice.
  • Build Topical Authority with Content Clusters: Create in-depth, interconnected content clusters to demonstrate your expertise on specific topics.
  • Optimize for Clicks and Dwell Time: Optimizing your most engaging content, which keeps users on your site, is crucial for higher search engine results.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is changing.

From Google’s latest AI advancements, revelations, and algorithm updates to the infiltration of AI-generated content across every corner of the Internet, the current SEO landscape is both dynamic and somewhat unpredictable.

For publishers, these shifting sands create a myriad of challenges. 

Maintaining organic traffic and visibility are front and center, but so are the growing concerns that Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is reducing click-through rates (CTRs) to websites and increasing the rankings for forums and user-generated content.

To better understand this new era for SEO, Stacy Willis, COO of Playwire, sat down for an important Playwire Live session with technical SEO expert and owner and operator of Narrative SEO, Franco Valentino.

For Franco, a “back to basics” approach to technical SEO is still the strongest content strategy. Focusing on technical optimization, publishers can adapt to algorithm and AI-driven changes.

During the session, Franco also delivers his “10 SEO Must-Haves,” a framework any publisher can use to cover the non-negotiables of SEO and ensure their websites are technically sound and optimized for search.

Click below to watch the full recording, or keep reading to discover the key takeaways.

 

What Are the Most Important Technical SEO Basics in This New Era of Digital Media? 

While the SEO landscape is evolving, the fundamentals remain the same. 

To that point, Franco begins to walk through his “10 Technical SEO Must Haves.” 

10 SEO Must-Haves

He starts with an SEO best practice and certain a must that impacts user trust and search rankings: HTTPS. 

Working with publishers, Franco says, “You'd be surprised how many times we see sites that still don't have a security certificate." These are “table stakes,” says Franco. To put it another way: the bare minimum, the non-negotiables.

Second on Franco’s “Must Haves” list is adding analytics, specifically GA4 or Google Analytics 4, to your site. This newest iteration of Google Analytics, formerly Universal Analytics, leverages event-based tracking, which is invaluable for understanding user behavior. 

Google Search Console is also on Franco’s list. Essential data metrics from both Google and Bing Search Consoles, like impressions, clicks, and keyword rankings, are critical for gauging website performance.

Page speed is another, or Franco’s fourth, non-negotiable.

In an era where we are all on the go at all times, faster page load speed is essential for the user experience and has an indirect, but underlying impact on search rankings. 

For his fifth must-have, Franco touches on XML sitemaps. 

Sitemaps help search engines discover and index a website's content, especially with the inclusion of published and updated dates. As Franco explains, at the bare minimum, “Just make sure your sitemap has the published and updated date.”

Of course, those are just five of the must-haves. Others mentioned in the conversation include:

  • Using a solid website server, so sluggish sites can’t compete.
  • Keeping up with your robots.txt file for disallows.
  • Using the right copywriting formulas to drive clicks for meta-descriptions.
  • Leveraging keywords and related phrases early in the body of content.
  • Tagging content with appropriate h1, h2, and h3 tags as well as the right keywords through the body of your content.

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Throughout this conversation, Franco defines the difference between table stakes and additional optimization, noting that the listed items, “Are really table stakes; things you have to have.”

Of course, these must-haves are just the beginning. Franco stresses the importance of regular audits using tools like Screaming Frog, SEMrush, or Ahrefs, which play a critical role in identifying technical issues and spotlighting opportunities for improvement. 

As Franco explains, "Nobody gets it right. I mean, we've done thousands of audits in the past 15 years, and everyone had a certain component that wasn't looked at from a technical layer standpoint." 

So take it step by step, ensure you periodically run a site audit to check your website's health, and continually optimize your SEO strategy for the best results.

How Has AI Impacted SEO and Content Creation?

The conversation between Stacy and Franco often delves into AI and what that means for publishers from an SEO perspective.

With tools like ChatGPT, anyone can create articles, outlines, and other forms of content in seconds. Unfortunately, there’s no denying the lack of “soul” in these creations. As Franco tells us, “The problem is it's almost soulless. It's very clinical to a large degree." But that doesn’t mean AI can’t be a helpful, supplemental tool.

To get AI content right, publishers need to play an upfront role. AI content needs a human touch, which means always editing content before publishing.

Franco explores the duality of AI content. Is it a threat or an opportunity? 

There are plenty of concerns revolving around the influx of AI content across the web, but there’s also no denying AI is a great tool for research, idea generation, and scaling content production. 

Franco shares some insights, saying, “We have not specifically optimized for ChatGPT, but two of our clients in the legal space are ranking number one and number five for their very specific niche, competitive terms just using AI and doing the basics right."

Regardless of whether the content is AI-generated or human-written, it must be tailored to the target audience's needs and interests.

Publishers shouldn’t shy away from using AI to identify trending topics and keywords, but they need to remember that the final word should always come from human input and editing to ensure content resonates with readers and adheres to high standards of quality, accuracy, and relevance.

In the end, Franco explains, “The ultimate goal is to have people click and have them stay on the website. If they click, go to the website, and go back, that means that answer wasn't good.”

Whether that good answer comes from AI or not doesn't really matter.

What Are Some Tips for Improving Click-Through Rates and User Engagement? 

During their discussion, Stacy and Franco delved into some of the most important tips for improving performance metrics including incorporating schema markup and developing content clusters to establish authority within your specific area of expertise.

Schema Markup Implementation

Schema markup is another essential element of technical SEO. Also known as structured data, schema code is data included in your website’s code that tells search engines information about the content and context of your webpage.

It can enhance a website’s credibility and authority in the eyes of search engines, especially in the wake of Google’s focus on combating misinformation. 

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different schema types such as faq schema, product schema, organization schema, event schema, and article schema, just to name a few of the most popular. Each can help search engines better understand your content and improve visibility in search results with features such as rich snippets. As Franco notes, “Schema markup can be very, very complicated.” But, he follows with, “Most CMSs have some type of default way of injecting some schema within the website.”

Franco suggests utilizing schema tools like Rank Math, Yoast SEO, and a schema markup generator, like the one from technicalseo.com, which can help with implementation.

Establishing Topical Authority with Content Clusters

Outside of structured data markup, Franco mentions the importance of content clusters and internal linking.

This is where content is grouped and interlinked to create a comprehensive resource on a specific topic. Of course, this isn’t a new strategy. But, while content clusters are an SEO standard, things are changing. 

As Franco explains, “Topical relevance within clusters is incredibly important. You have to keep things compartmentalized." These days, “It's about creating deeper, more interconnected clusters that demonstrate expertise and topical authority to search engines.”

Franco then touches on a recent article from Mike King of iPullRank on the recent Google algorithm leak. 

In short, Franco explains how clickstream data (clicks, dwell time), once thought not to be a part of ranking criteria in Google’s algorithm, is now in the spotlight. This data influences content ranking and the need for publishers to focus on creating engaging content that keeps users on their sites.

Stay Ahead of the Game with Playwire

While the SEO landscape is changing, the fundamentals remain the same.

As Franco wisely advises, "Technical SEO is a marathon, not a race." By taking a long-term, holistic approach and prioritizing the user experience, you can build a strong foundation for organic traffic growth and establish your brand as a trusted authority in your niche.

Once you have SEO down, you’ll start to see your reach expand. 

With a stable audience comes the next logical step: monetization. That’s where Playwire can help. 

Think of us as the launchpad to your success. We work with publishers across virtually every vertical, ensuring they have access to the ad tech tools, advanced analytics, and expertise they need to increase their ad revenue.

Ready to get started? Reach out today.

Are you interested in catching a future Playwire Live episode? Please join us every other Tuesday on LinkedIn and YouTube where we’re joined by a variety of guest speakers across digital media, ad tech, and content creation to have important discussions centered around helping you drive more revenue for your business.

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