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Securing a top spot on search engine results pages greatly increases the chances that potential customers will click and visit a brand’s website. Top rankings on SERPs not only drive traffic and potential sales, but also build trust and credibility with consumers. Getting to the top of SERPs in 2024, however, is a tall order for brands.
Aside from the increasing numbers of businesses going online, changes in search algorithms are making it harder for brands to predict and adapt to ranking factors effectively, and the rise of user-generated content and niche competitors add further complications to the quest for visibility on SERPs. Below, members of Forbes Agency Council weigh in with their best insights into what companies can do to earn their place on the top SERPs this year.
1. Create Content For People, Not Search Engines
Stay updated on Google’s algorithm changes, and always remember that you’re creating content for people, not for search engines. This principle is actively endorsed by Google representatives, who also share updates and answer questions about algorithm shifts. Therefore, the most important thing is to stay informed and create valuable, necessary content. - Dmitrii Kustov, Regex SEO
2. Integrate UGC
By integrating user-generated content, we engage our community authentically, fostering trust and credibility. This boosts brand visibility, extends dwell time and encourages user engagement and social sharing, all vital for securing top spots on SERPs amid evolving algorithms in 2024. - Ajay Prasad, GMR Web Team
3. Make UX The Top Priority
Marketers should focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that addresses the needs and wants of their audience. Tap into emotions and storytelling while leveraging AI for SEO and staying updated on Google’s guidelines. Adhere to those as closely as possible while also focusing on mobile optimization, but keep user experience as the top priority. - Christoph Kastenholz, Pulse Advertising
Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
4. Think From A Human POV
Although we navigate the technology realm, marketers need to think from a human point of view. How do your customers search? What are their typical pain points, and how desperately are they looking for answers? If we think from a human point of view, we can beat the algorithms at any time. Hence, marketers must focus on value-added content that helps their audience find the right answers. - Prashanthi Kolluru, KLOUDPORTAL
5. Make Your Website Your Brand’s SSOT
There will always need to be a single source of truth. Preserve your website as that source. First, ensure your site is, and remains, the single source of facts about your brand, offerings, team, geolocation and so forth. Second, continue to create truly original and human ideas. While both automation and AI can support these ideas, original invention still matters. - Brock Murray, seoplus+
6. Map Your Content To Your Prospect’s Journey
Understand how your content maps to your potential customer or prospect’s customer journey. If you know really well how they will go from the awareness of a problem all the way to the buying of a solution, then you have the ability to be in the right place at the right time. Don’t guess and write about a ton of topics without validating the demand for them. Do research, and be where your audience is. - Corey Morris, Voltage
7. Address Actual Questions Being Asked
To show up on SERPs, marketers need to start creating content that addresses the actual questions being asked. Algorithms are getting great at providing answer snippets in the results—highlighted text from articles that addresses the specific question asked. This means we need to bake in longer-tail, specific search terms that are being used and not be so broad with our subjects and context. - Bernard May, National Positions
8. Leverage E-A-T Principles
Leverage E-A-T principles—expertise, authority and trustworthiness—to stand out in 2024’s SERPs. Showcasing your deep industry knowledge, citing authoritative sources and maintaining a trustworthy online persona are all key. Enrich your content strategy with user-engagement elements to further amplify your brand’s visibility and authority. This multifaceted approach will help you navigate evolving algorithms effectively. - Vaibhav Kakkar, Digital Web Solutions
9. Go For Quality Over Quantity
Hitting a certain word count or keyword-hacking might have worked years ago, but the algorithm has prioritized well-researched content that is useful. That might mean weaving in quotes from experts or taking an extra week to add some new, original research. - Justin Belmont, Prose
10. Target FAQs As Keywords And Ad Terms
Marketers should target FAQs as keywords and even Google Ad terms. Think of how you, as an individual, search on Google—it’s mainly in the form of common questions, not some random word associated with a business, which is how many marketers determine keywords. Also, Google is weeding out AI-generated responses, so making sure your content is not purely AI-generated will be beneficial. - Trey Robinson, Story Amplify
11. Get Mentioned On Top-Tier News Sites
The best way to boost your positioning in search results is with a digital PR campaign that sees you or your brand mentioned on top-tier news sites. This will ultimately push you up to the top of the page. With traditional SEO practices no longer being effective, having digital PR and news stories about you will ensure you can keep up with the evolving algorithms. - Adrian Falk, Believe Advertising & PR
12. Prioritize Providing Value
Google’s algorithms continue to get better at understanding and rewarding content that provides real value to users. Prioritize creating high-quality, relevant content that genuinely addresses the needs and questions of your target audience. - Joschka Weltgen, Compado
13. Do These Three Things
First, optimize your technical SEO by ensuring your website is technically sound and mobile-friendly and has fast loading speeds. Then, prioritize user intent, conducting thorough keyword research to understand user needs and creating content that directly addresses those needs. Finally, focus on high-quality content—consistently produce informative, engaging and trustworthy content to attract and retain users. - Stephen Gilbert, Anchour
