4-SEO-Fixes-to-Improve-Rankings

4 SEO Fixes to Improve Rankings

4 SEO Fixes to Improve Rankings and Site Performance

SEO issues can impact a website’s ability to rank well in search engines. Addressing common problems like broken backlinks, missed featured snippets, weak internal links, and untracked backlinks can help maintain and improve rankings. Here are four practical fixes to consider.

1. Fix Broken Backlinks to Preserve Link Equity

Broken backlinks occur when external sites link to pages that no longer exist, resulting in 404 errors. These links do not pass any SEO value unless addressed.

How to Identify and Fix Broken Backlinks:

Enter your domain in Site Explorer.
Go to Best by Links and filter for 404 errors.
Identify pages with backlinks that return a 404 status.
Click on the referring domains column to assess the quality of linking sites.
If the backlinks are valuable, either:
- Redirect the broken URL to a relevant existing page.
- Restore or update the 404 page with relevant content.

This ensures that link equity is not lost, helping maintain search rankings.

2. Identify Featured Snippet Opportunities

Featured snippets appear at the top of search results and can increase visibility. If a page ranks within the top 10 but does not own the snippet, optimizing the content can improve its chances.

How to Find Featured Snippet Opportunities:

Enter your domain in Site Explorer.
Open the Organic Keywords report.
Set a position filter to top 10 rankings.
Apply a SERP Features filter for "featured snippets" where the page is not ranking.

Once identified, content can be optimized by structuring answers clearly, using bullet points or tables, and ensuring concise, relevant information.

3. Improve Internal Linking for Better Crawling and Ranking

Internal links help search engines understand site structure and pass ranking signals between pages. Strengthening these links can improve indexing and boost important pages.

How to Find Internal Link Opportunities:

Perform a full crawl of the website.
Open the Link Opportunities report.
Apply filters to identify pages that could benefit from additional internal links.

Adding internal links from relevant, authoritative pages to lower-ranking pages can improve visibility and user navigation.

4. Monitor New Backlinks

Tracking backlinks helps identify new link-building opportunities, detect lost links, and monitor potential spam. Setting up backlink alerts ensures regular updates.

How to Set Up Backlink Alerts:

Navigate to the Alerts section in the SEO tool.
Choose New Backlinks as the tracking scope.
Set metrics filters, such as Domain Rating (DR) 30+ and site traffic 1,000+.
Save the alert to receive notifications about new backlinks.

Monitoring backlinks can help track link-building efforts and maintain link health over time.

Regularly addressing these SEO issues can help maintain search performance and improve rankings. Fixing broken backlinks, targeting featured snippets, strengthening internal links, and monitoring new backlinks are all effective ways to optimize a website.

By implementing these strategies, websites can enhance their visibility and ensure a better search experience.