{"id":16771,"date":"2022-11-07T10:50:35","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T10:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/seo-testing-experiments\/462132\/"},"modified":"2022-11-07T10:50:35","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T10:50:35","slug":"seo-testing-8-experiments-to-improve-organic-traffic-via-sejournal-lorenbaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/?p=16771","title":{"rendered":"SEO Testing: 8 Experiments To Improve Organic Traffic via @sejournal, @lorenbaker"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Imagine the results you could achieve if you knew the Google search algorithm.<\/p>\n

Just think of the organic traffic you could drive to your site if you knew exactly what Google was taking into account when generating search engine results, the precise amount each factor plays on rankings, and precisely what it would take to get to the top. <\/span><\/p>\n

But of course, Google would never let you see behind the curtain. Not only could a bad actor use this information for nefarious purposes, but it would take all the fun out of search engine optimization. <\/span><\/p>\n

So instead, every time there\u2019s a new algorithm update<\/a>, it\u2019s up to us to figure out what exactly has changed and how to best leverage this to our advantage. <\/span><\/p>\n

And because we in the search engine optimization world are a community, we tend to figure these things out collectively. <\/span><\/p>\n

And because there are no (or very few, anyway) absolute answers, a lot of optimization comes down to best practices, theories, and outright guesswork. <\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, there\u2019s a great way to determine if these theories are based on reality or just sheer conjecture. Of course, we\u2019re talking about experimentation.<\/p>\n

(Insert mad scientist laugh here.)<\/p>\n

Before you get carried away and rush to put on your safety goggles and lab coats, relax. No bubbling beakers full of mystery liquids are involved, and your risk of accidentally creating a monster is very low.<\/p>\n

(I would say zero, but I\u2019ve seen the \u201cTerminator\u201d series, and it never explicitly says that a search engine optimizer didn\u2019t create Skynet, so let\u2019s play it safe.)<\/p>\n

All your SEO experiments can be done from your desk chair\u2019s comfort (and safety). <\/span><\/p>\n

But before we dive into those, let\u2019s first talk about how to test your SEO.<\/p>\n

Steps For A Successful SEO Experiment<\/h2>\n

Thankfully, we don\u2019t have to develop an entirely new framework for devising, conducting, and measuring our SEO tests \u2013 we can repurpose the scientific method you\u2019re probably already familiar with. <\/span><\/p>\n

Been a while since high school chemistry? Don\u2019t worry; these five steps are sure to sound familiar:<\/p>\n

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  1. Make an observation.<\/strong> (E.g., my site is not on the first page of Google search results.)<\/li>\n
  2. Ask a question and form a hypothesis.<\/strong> Is my meta description optimized for ranking? If I write better meta descriptions, it will improve my ranking.<\/li>\n
  3. Gather data.<\/strong> Upon changing these descriptions, track the change in ranking position and site visits.<\/li>\n
  4. Analyze the data.<\/strong> Create tables, graphs, and diagrams to help you understand the link between what was changed and changing results.<\/li>\n
  5. Draw conclusions.<\/strong> <\/span>Does the evidence support your prediction? Why or why not? Was site traffic increased due to your new meta descriptions, or did you also receive national news coverage during your testing period?)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You\u2019ll want to do what marketers call A\/B testing<\/a> for accurate results. This means creating two versions of the same page, with only one difference, so you can see which gets the better response. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Before you start, keep one thing in mind: Incremental changes are essential. If you go wild and change all of these at once, you\u2019ll have no idea which one(s) is making a difference. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Play it slowly and be patient. Test one, then wait for the results before moving on to the next. This will give you an obvious idea of what you need to do moving forward to ensure you\u2019re always claiming front-page real estate.<\/p>\n

    With that out of the way, here\u2019s a look at eight different things you can test to improve the ranking of your site:<\/p>\n

    1. SEO Title<\/h2>\n

    Have you ever written what you thought was an amazing page title, only for Google to rewrite it in search results? That usually happens when the search engine doesn\u2019t feel like your title was a good reflection of the page\u2019s content<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

    But you can change this anytime you like.<\/p>\n

    And even if Google does replace the one you created, Google\u2019s John Mueller confirmed the original title is still used for ranking purposes<\/a>. This means even if you\u2019re getting your SEO titles changed, it\u2019s still a good idea to try to optimize them.<\/p>\n

    Here are a few things you can test to see if they generate results:<\/p>\n