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The Top 10 SEO Tasks You Shouldn't Be Ignoring [Step-by-Step Guide]

This post is in English
Lenny Johnson updated
This post is in English

Search ranking will make or break your business, and here are some stats to prove why rankings still matter. Emarketer forecasts that more than 85% of US internet users, or 246.4 million people, will search online at least monthly in 2020. The number of daily searches on Google is over 4 billion, and the top five results get 65% of the clicks. 


With so much on the line for those lucrative top spots, the competition is fierce. Content marketing is expected to be a $412 billion industry by 2021. More and more businesses are realizing its importance and even view their blogs as an essential asset.


 For those that don't live in the SEO world, the tasks required to compete in the SERPs can seem overwhelming. In this post, I will show you some overlooked SEO tasks that will help skyrocket you to the top.

1. Focus on Structured Data

With so many sites to crawl, Google needs to be able to understand what each site is about, and structured data helps them determine the purpose and meaning of each page. Google states, “Structured data is a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content; for example, on a recipe page, what are the ingredients, the cooking time and temperature, the calories, and so on.”

There are numerous structured data options through schema.org. Some commonly used markups indicate:

Here is an example of reviews. 

Structured data in the SERPs for products

To make sure your markup is being handled correctly, Google recommends reviewing documentation on developers.google.com. Google has a Structured Data Testing Tool to use during development, and Rich result status reports webmasters can use to monitor after deployment. 

Site Note: You can track SERP feature placements for your domain with SEMrush and see if your placements improve or drop over time; this a great way to see if structured data is working and if improvements to them work. 

Showing SEMrush organic search positions and special feature tracking in the SERPs.

Structured Data and the Mobile Experience

Structured data gives users visually appealing information that is easy to understand and provides a flawless mobile search experience. With the rising use of mobile searches and the need for immediate information, Google uses structured data to quickly provide information users need. Example of structured data for events in the SERPs

Increased Traffic with Structure Data

Schema markup can really increase your CTR. Think about the type of content your audience is searching for that regularly displays as rich cards. Then create this type of content, and optimize them. Schema markup is an inexpensive and effective way to boost your organic rankings. You can read more about creating structured data here.

Example of structured data for recipes in the SERPs

2. Monitor Backlinks

Having more backlinks does not always mean higher rankings; the quality of links matters. People that participate in link schemes Google doesn’t like could actually hurt your site.

As you know, Google focuses on the authority of the website linking to your domain. What you might not know is that spammy sites linking to you could negatively impact your ranking, even if you have absolutely nothing to do with them. So you should always be keeping track of who is linking to your site, and monitor the quality of that link. 

Example of seeing backlinks and monitoring in SEMrush tools

Google does monitor where your backlinks are coming from, and a lot of bad websites linking back to you raises red flags. The good news is that in the last couple of years, Google has become better at determining spammy or negative SEO strategies for what they are. And instead of demoting sites, they are ignoring some links. 

However, some SEOs have found that some link building tactics in articles have resulted in ranking difficulties, and disavowing links has helped in some cases. 

You should also keep an eye on Google Search Console to see the links they see linking to your website. 


  2. On the Dashboard, scroll down to “Legacy tools and Reports”.

  3. Click Links.

Where to find links in Google Search Console

Manual Actions Google Search Console

Always keep an eye in GSC on the Manual Actions tab. If there is an issue with links, this is where you will find out. 

Where too find manual actions in Google Search Console

3. Create Skyscraper Content


Skyscraper content involves finding high performing content in your niche and creating something better and then shamelessly promoting it.


Here is how to get started with skyscraper content

  • Find Competitors on Google
  • Run a Google search for keywords related to your niche.




You can find your competitor's most popular content with SEMrush and Buzzsumo.

Using SEMrush

This process is as simple as inputting your competitor's URL in the SEMrush search bar. Choose organic research and examine the results. Not only will you see your competitor's top content, but SEMrush will also display the keywords they rank for.


Using Buzzsumo



Buzzsumo news results

Now that you have samples of the most popular content in your niche, you can start the content creation process and generate better ideas and content based upon thorough research using the right content editing tools.

How to create better content:





Skyscraper content has to be better than anything else out there. No one ever points to the 245th tallest skyscraper in the world and goes, “Wow.” You have to be number one. Get creative and make something better.

But you can’t stop there. Once you have created great content, you also need to promote it. Go back to the top-performing content in your niche on Buzzsumo and find the people linking back to it or sharing it.


You can also see those who shared that content, along with their websites.

The Top 10 SEO Tasks You Shouldn't Be Ignoring [Step-by-Step Guide]. Image 11

Then you can either send them a direct message or email them by using the contact form on their websites. Keep the message unique, short and straight to the point, and explain why your link will benefit their readers. Just asking for a link is not enough anymore; people get these requests all day. 

PRO TIP: Your message might get lost in the influencer’s email, so make sure you follow up a day after.

4. Optimize Your Landing Pages

One key factor Google uses to gauge the quality of a post is its bounce rate. How quickly people leave your website after clicking on it in the search results. If people search Google and click on your website on the search results page, then discover it’s not relevant to them and quickly go back.

Google takes notice, and if this happens a lot more, Google will drop your ranking for that search term.

This is where relevance comes into play. Sometimes it is not that you have poor content; it is just that what you are offering is not relevant to the user at that particular time. Every page on your website must have a goal based on where your users are on the buyer's journey. This goal will help you determine whether you should teach, convert, sell, or delight.

Trying to sell to someone looking for information will just annoy them and cause them to bounce. That is why you need to understand your users, where they are coming from, and what they need at that stage.



Before creating a page or posts, ask yourself:

  • Who is it for?

  • Where are they coming from?

  • What do they need at this stage?

  • What’s my goal?

  • How can I be more relevant?


5. Use Infographics

People love infographics, but not a lot of marketers create them. I can’t stress how much of an effective SEO task and strategy they can be.




The first step to creating an epic infographic involves knowing what content to produce. What does your audience need to know, and what will people be interested in finding out? Take those ideas and brainstorm; what can you offer?

Some ways of finding similar information for ideation purposes:


  • Turn complex subjects into easily understood infographics.

  • Repurpose popular content on your website.


How to create infographics:





Submit it to a few quality directories and use the skyscraper technique to find influencers that shared and linked to other infographics and get them to notice yours. You can also share snippets of the infographic on social media. 

Pro Tip: Use branding on your infographic and request a link back for the use of it. You want useful information that people will appreciate; don't oversell. 

6. Create More Videos

According to Omnicore, YouTube's monthly active users has surpassed 2 billion as of 2020.

Hubspot reports that 88% of video marketers found a positive ROI using video, that 99% of current video marketers plan to continue with video in 2020, and that 95% plan to increase or maintain their spend.

Google has incorporated videos in results pages for a while, and with better optimization strategies and Google trying to provide better results for search intent, we can only expect video results to rise. Videos have always been an important marketing strategy, but now they are downright essential.

YouTube results in Google search results.

They pop up at the top of the search results page, and Google even shows featured videos:

Featured videos in google search results


Here is how to begin:



You don’t have to hire a Hollywood studio or use a $20,000 camera to begin. An ordinary camera and some good lighting and editing software will do. Don’t forget schema markup so your webpage will rank with YouTube videos:

How schema works with video in Google search results pages




7. Create Your Own Keyword or Phrase

This is a bold strategy, I know. While it does require a bit of creativity, it deserves mention.

When you create a unique system, a product, or brand, you are the only one that is going to get traction for it, as long as it is truly original. And if it becomes popular, you are the default expert on the topic and could earn a number one ranking.


Maybe you know of Ramit Sethi and his briefcase technique? When you search for it the phrase, the first thing you see is a featured snippet at the top of the SERPs.

Example of created keyword by Ramit Sethi in search results

Think of a concept or system, gave it a name, and now rank for it.

Creating Your Own keyword



Once you have given your system or observation a name, link yourself to it, and optimize your web presence for it. Use it regularly in your posts and share with influencers.


8. Take Advantage of High-Performing Posts - Linking and Improving




Optimize Internal Linking

Identify your top ranking content with SEMrush.


Once you have found your highest performing pages, simply link from high ranking posts to a few low-performing but high-quality articles to give them an organic boost. Learn more about the organic research tool here

Updating Content

Google has made it clear that improving and updating content is a strategy they believe in. So, find your highest-ranking articles and the articles that drive the most traffic and update them on a regular basis (we updated this post; see dates above).

Stats change, and strategies change, so if you want Google to consider your pages still relevant, you must update them. And, if you want readers to trust you, you must offer them the latest information. 

9. Consider Entity Salience

This is an advanced SEO technique. Entity salience looks beyond keywords on a page and instead focuses on the relationship between objects or entities.



An example:



Graphic explaining Entity Salience


How does this apply to SEO?

Let’s say you are a fitness blogger, and you created a post about interval training. Rather than stuffing your page with “Interval training” or even its variations, you can leverage entity salience by including strongly related subject matter in your post.

You can go into types of interval training, like Tabata, and even include individuals strongly related to it like its discoverer Dr. Izumi. This technique shows that your page is relevant to the search term “Interval training,” which is better than keyword stuffing.

How to Leverage Entity Salience in Your Pages




10. Optimize For Voice Search

When was the last time you thought about optimizing for voice search? According to Alpine.ai there are over 1 billion voice searches per month. Emarketer shows the predicted growth of Smartphone searches in 2023: US smartphone and mobile use graphic

When you look at that data and then consider that at least 45% of millennials alone use voice-assisted search when shopping online, you can see this is a trend you can’t avoid. 

Why You Should Optimize for Voice Search

It is predicted that mobile ecommerce sales will reach $2.91 trillion in 2020. People are buying while on the go — riding the morning train, while eating at a restaurant, scanning social media at lunch, and price-comparing while shopping inside of stores. 

Search Utilizes Long Search Queries


Search Accurately Shows Intent

Going back to the specificity of search, when we use voice search, we tend to be more specific; hence our intentions are more evident.




The text search query is vague and can mean anything from trying to decide the price of a fridge, reading information about one, or comparing brands.


Search is Heavily Local



So how do you optimize for search?

  • Make your content easier to read by utilizing headers, subheaders, and lists.





Resource: Voice Search Study: Factors Influencing Search Engine Rankings in 2019






Lenny Johnson

A veteran community member.

Lenny Johnson is a freelance writer and content strategist at B2B Content Lab. He engineers high impact content that builds authority, drive sales and increases customer loyalty for B2B SaaS and marketing brands.
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