Do SEO Like The Pros
Everyone is talking about SEO these days (at least, when they’re not talking about politics or what the hell is going to happen to TikTok). It’s all going to change in 2025, we keep hearing. They said that in 2024, and, by the way, they also said that in 2023 and every year before that.
So, here we are, and we still need to do our SEO to achieve our traffic goals. So we asked our panel of experts: “What is one SEO strategy that you have used to great success?” And here’s what they said.
Create Content Clusters Around Specific Topics
One SEO strategy that’s worked really well for me is creating content clusters around a specific topic. Instead of just writing random articles, I focus on building a collection of related content that all ties back to one really solid, in-depth guide. It’s not just about ranking for keywords: it’s about making something useful and cohesive that people (and search engines) see as valuable.
For example, I worked on a fitness website and picked “strength training for beginners” as the main focus. I started by creating a detailed guide that covered everything-a step-by-step plan, tips to get started, and even common mistakes to avoid. That became the central piece.
Then I wrote a bunch of supporting articles, like “The Best Strength Training Exercises for Beginners,” and “How to Avoid Injuries While Lifting Weights.” Each of these articles dug into a specific angle of the topic and linked back to the main guide. They also linked to each other where it made sense, creating this web of content that was super easy to navigate.
I made sure everything was optimized – headings, meta descriptions, even the image tags – without overdoing it or making it sound robotic. To give the content a boost, I shared it on social media and reached out to fitness bloggers, a few of whom linked to it because they found it genuinely helpful.
The results were amazing. The main guide started showing up on the first page for big search terms, and the smaller articles brought in tons of traffic from more specific searches. Together, the whole cluster really cemented the site as a go-to resource for beginners.
What made this strategy work so well wasn’t just the SEO – it was about creating something people actually needed. That’s what made it satisfying, and that’s why it delivered such great results.
Peter Wootton, SEO Consultant, The SEO Consultant Agency
Use Media Mix Modeling for Marketing Campaigns
As the CEO of an SEO business, I’ve discovered that media mix modeling (MMM) may significantly improve marketing campaigns. MMM is a statistical analytic method used to track sales and conversions under different marketing channels. By spotting ineffective channels and reallocating funds to high-impact areas, we have used MMM really well.
For a customer in e-commerce, MMM especially offered great value. Examining past data revealed that their social media spending was producing declining results. Without raising the entire marketing budget, we moved a portion of their spending from social to paid search, which substantially raised overall conversions.
Pro tip: Use MMM with great attention to seasonality and other factors. We once missed a significant industry event that distorted our initial analysis. Always contextualize your facts to prevent misunderstanding.
Important lesson: MMM is about realizing the synergies across channels to produce a whole, data-driven marketing plan, not just about how best to allocate money.
Rohit Vedantwar, Co-founder & SEO Expert, Supramind.com
Optimize Underperforming Pages with Micro SEO
One SEO strategy we’ve found highly successful is Micro SEO, a hyper-focused approach to optimizing underperforming pages with strong potential. Instead of spreading efforts thin, we identify “low-hanging fruit”-pages that rank decently but aren’t yet on the first page of search results.
Using tools like SE Ranking and Google Search Console, we analyze these pages to find improvement opportunities. This might involve refreshing content with updated information, optimizing title tags and meta descriptions for better click-through rates, adding internal links to boost authority, or incorporating high-performing keywords naturally into the content.
The results are often quick and dramatic. By concentrating on pages that are already driving some traffic, Micro SEO allows us to maximize impact in a short time, climbing rankings and driving significantly more organic traffic without creating new content from scratch.
Chris Raulf, International AI and SEO Expert | Founder & President, Boulder SEO Marketing
Utilize Expired Link Redirects for Backlinks
One unconventional strategy that has worked very well for multiple SEO campaigns, from local to international, is using expired link redirects to rapidly build a powerful backlink profile for our target sites.
Yes, this is absolutely not white hat and sits on the fence of ethical SEO, but when done right, purchasing expired domains of businesses that were once within a similar niche and geographic location to your site can work wonders. You have to be super careful when doing this, as the domain, or the content on that domain when it was live, needs to be relevant in some way to your target site; otherwise, it could look super spammy and have a negative effect.
I regularly check listings for domains that have expired with a solid backlink profile. Using this method, we have redirected followed links from the likes of BBC.com, The Guardian, and many other tier 1 sites. The results have always been consistent with an increase in traffic and ranking terms within 2-3 months of redirecting the domain to our target site.
You also want to ensure that you have a nice internal page to link your expired domain to. Usually, we will reactivate the expired domain and try to get it indexed before redirecting, but experiments show that it isn’t always needed. It will just take longer for the links to be crawled and the value to be passed to your target domain if not.
Adam Haworth, Founder, Contactora
Build Statistics Pages to Be the Source
The best SEO strategy that I have personally implemented and have had great success with is the good old building statistics page, also known as Be The Source SEO Strategy.
Basically, you want to be the source for whatever niche you are in. For example, let’s say you are in the real estate niche; you should personally have more insider information about the real estate market.
In this case, I would build a statistics page about the real estate market on a monthly basis. You can give updates, uptrends, or downtrends of the market, etc.
There are 2 main reasons why this strategy works so well for most businesses:
- You are the source. Since you are in the main industry, journalists would be more likely to link to your business.
- You can build your EEAT. Being an expert in the field is one of the most important ranking factors in 2025.
I have earned numerous links for my clients with this strategy alone and enhanced their ranking as well.
Peter Ngo, CEO, Sydney SEO Company
Target Long-Tail Keywords with Storytelling
One SEO strategy that has worked wonders for me is focusing on long-tail keywords combined with storytelling. Instead of just targeting high-volume, competitive keywords like “travel business coach,” I dive deeper into what my audience is actively searching for-phrases like “how to start a travel blog and make money” or “steps to create a location-independent business.” These long-tail keywords might have lower search volumes, but they attract a more targeted audience ready to engage and invest in their entrepreneurial journey.
The secret sauce is weaving these keywords into blog posts that tell a personal story. For example, I wrote an article on “How I Built a Six-Figure Business While Traveling the World,” optimizing it for a specific search term but making it conversational and relatable. I shared my own experiences, challenges, and lessons. It wasn’t just about ranking-it was about creating a connection. Readers felt seen and inspired, naturally encouraging them to explore my offerings.
By blending SEO with storytelling, I’ve noticed an increase in organic traffic and a spike in engagement metrics like time on page and conversion rates. It’s proof that when you create content that resonates on a human level and aligns with what your audience is searching for, the SEO results follow naturally. It’s not just about being found; it’s about being remembered.
Danielle Hu, Founder, The Wanderlover
Re-Optimize Content for Changing SEO Rules
As an SEO strategist, from what I’ve seen, SEO rules keep changing, so you need to update your content. To keep things up-to-date and boost your website’s ranking, you should redo your optimization. This means looking at keyword gaps, finding new keywords, using long-tail keywords, adding alt text, and focusing on keywords that are close to ranking well.
Ongoing SERP analyses are crucial to understanding what content Google rewards and meeting the changing search intent. If an update makes things better for users, go for it. But don’t change things just for the sake of it.
Simon Brisk, Founder & SEO Strategist, Click Intelligence
Leverage Pinterest SEO for Traffic and Leads
One SEO strategy that has worked really well for us at Tecknotrove is leveraging Pinterest SEO to drive relevant traffic and generate leads. We started by creating boards tailored to specific industries we serve, like mining, defense, and aviation training. Each board is carefully named and described using relevant keywords to ensure visibility in Pinterest searches. For example, we have boards titled “Mining Training Solutions” and “Advanced Simulation for Defense” that directly relate to our core offerings.
The key has been designing high-quality, visually engaging pins that highlight our solutions with clear calls to action, such as “Learn More About Tecknotrove Simulators.” Each pin links back to a relevant page on our website, driving highly targeted traffic.
Consistency has also played a big role. We post regularly, ensure all pins are optimized with industry-specific keywords, and actively monitor analytics to refine our strategy. This approach has not only brought in traffic but also led to inquiries from organizations that discovered us through Pinterest, proving its value as a lead generation tool.
Ayush K, Digital Marketing Strategist, Tecknotrove
Optimize Content for Featured Snippets
One SEO strategy that I’ve used with great success is optimizing content for featured snippets. Featured snippets are those boxed results that appear at the top of some Google search results, providing a concise answer to a query. Since these snippets attract a lot of attention and typically drive higher click-through rates, I focused on structuring content to increase the chances of being featured.
For example, when working with a client in the health and wellness industry, we identified several high-traffic keywords that had a high potential for featured snippets. We then restructured the content to answer common questions directly within the first few lines of the page, using bullet points and numbered lists to make the content more scannable. We also incorporated clear, concise answers to specific questions in the content and ensured the page included rich, relevant data like statistics and facts that could be pulled by Google.
The result was a significant increase in organic traffic-about 25% within three months-as the page began to appear as the featured snippet for multiple search queries. Additionally, the page’s rankings for other relevant keywords improved, as Google tends to favor pages that are optimized for featured snippets.
By focusing on answering specific questions directly, structuring content for readability, and optimizing for snippets, we were able to capture more organic traffic and improve visibility. This approach has become a key part of our SEO strategy, and I recommend it for businesses looking to gain a competitive edge in search results.
Georgi Petrov, CMO, AIG MARKETER
Conduct Content Gap Analysis
One of my most successful strategies involved a ‘content gap analysis’ to find topics that competitors weren’t covering well. For instance, we worked with a software-as-a-service client and noticed a lack of articles about ‘remote collaboration best practices’ across their competitor sites.
We then created five in-depth posts on the topics not covered by the competition. We interlinked these articles under a dedicated subcategory on our blog.
Within two months, organic visits to the site rose 35%, while the bounce rate dropped by 20% indicating that readers found what they needed. It’s an effective SEO strategy that anyone can use.
Dan Brown, CEO & Founder, Textun
Build Linkable Assets for Long-Term SEO
Want organic traffic and natural backlinks for years to come?……Build linkable assets!
Building linkable assets is a great long-term SEO strategy. Why? Because often these assets will bring in a steady flow of organic traffic and build juicy natural backlinks (the best kind of link!)
Linkable assets we love to build are ‘calculators’ for example in the construction industry you can have calculators for:
How much concrete do I need?
How many meters of flooring do I need?
Cost per meter for building a house
Aggregate calculator
Or let’s say you’re a wedding planner:
How much will my wedding cost?
Wedding budget calculator
How much does a wedding abroad cost?
Notice how we paired them with keywords! If you can get these calculators ranking high, you are on to a winner. If you use WordPress, there are so many great calculator plugins that really make this task quite easy!
Dean haggart, Head SEO, Smart SEO Cornwall
Follow STEM Framework for SEO Success
I follow a structured approach called STEM. This strategy has proven highly effective in generating traffic and lead generation.
Strategy and Content Mapping
I start by identifying keywords aligned with the services offered, focusing on commercial intent and low-difficulty keywords that match the client’s domain authority. The goal is to drive conversions, not just vanity metrics.
Team Collaboration and Execution
Then, I aim to publish programmatic SEO pages per month, focusing on lead generation. You may have to collaborate closely with the design team and web developer to ensure templates align with the brand and enhance user experience.
Evolving Iterative Optimization
Continuously optimize top-performing content and incorporate technical enhancements based on real-time performance data. Expand content funnels with dedicated pages for services, expertise, and updated case studies.
Monitoring Continuously
Use Google Analytics to track leads and set specific events for programmatic SEO pages, while Google Search Console monitors keyword rankings, traffic, and conversions. Microsoft Clarity also helps optimize content strategies by analyzing user behavior.
Thus, with this STEM framework, I’ve created data-driven SEO roadmaps that deliver both traffic and qualified leads.
Siddhesh Patankar, Senior Marketing Executive, Muoro
Leverage Thought Leadership Content
In my experience, one of the most effective SEO strategies has been leveraging thought leadership content to drive organic traffic and build domain authority. By creating in-depth, expert-level guides on niche topics, we’ve been able to position our clients as trusted voices in their industries. For example, we recently helped a SaaS company dominate search results for a competitive keyword by publishing a 4,000-word resource with practical insights, detailed data breakdowns, and quotes from industry leaders. This guide attracted over 10,000 visitors within three months and significantly boosted the site’s backlink profile, with more than 50 high-quality referring domains.
I think the real success came from combining deep research with targeted promotion. We pitched the guide to relevant blogs, newsletters, and LinkedIn groups, ensuring it reached the right audience. By consistently updating the content with fresh data and insights, we kept it relevant, which helped secure top rankings long-term. For businesses aiming to grow their online visibility, investing in authoritative, evergreen content and promoting it strategically can deliver impressive results without relying heavily on paid traffic.
Matthew Goulart, Founder, Ignite Digital
Target Micro-Use Cases for Specific Audiences
When working on my Morse code translator, one SEO strategy that’s worked well is targeting micro-use cases. I created specific content tailored to hobbyists, educators, and professionals, like “How to Write Your Name in Morse Code” or “Fun Morse Code Games for Kids.” To find ideas, I used tools like SEMrush to uncover long-tail keywords such as “translate love messages in Morse code” or “Morse code SOS examples.” I also enhanced the translator with features like sound playback and customization options.
This approach helped me attract highly targeted traffic, rank for less competitive terms, and boost engagement with niche audiences like teachers and amateur radio enthusiasts.
Naima Ch, Marketing Head and SEO Specialist, Morse Code Translator
Still Not Sure? Contact Mandel Marketing For Help With SEO
Building effective content is more than just an SEO strategy—it’s a way to create a meaningful, user-focused website that positions your brand as a trusted resource. By organizing your content around pillar pages and interlinking supportive articles, as well as doing some content pruning when necessary, you not only improve search engine rankings but also enhance the user experience, encouraging visitors to stay, explore, and engage with your site.
But it’s not so easy. Call us: our team specializes in crafting tailored SEO strategies that drive results and grow your online visibility. Contact us today at Mandel Marketing to start building your content clusters and optimizing your site for success–email us directly, call us, flag us down on the street, hit us up on LinkedIn, or use the contact form below.