Local SEO

Like it or not, we’re all at the mercy of Google’s ranking systems. Systems that reward some sites with high rankings. And wipe others off the SERPs overnight. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Google provides fairly detailed guidelines about the type of content it’s looking for: helpful content. We follow these guidelines here at Backlinko. For example, our SEO strategy guide dominates the search results. And ranks for more than 3.2K long tail keywords: But this wasn’t by luck. We aim for every article we publish to meet — or exceed — Google’s helpful content standards. And you can, too. After reading this article, you’ll have 10 Google-approved strategies fo…

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is one of the most effective paid channels helping businesses increase visibility and build awareness. If you’d like to learn about the state of PPC in 2025, find the latest data on PPC usage, most used ad platforms, and PPC benchmarks, we’ve curated a list of 24 essential PPC statistics to help you answer these questions. General PPC Statistics Among surveyed pay-per-click (PPC) marketers, Google (98%), Facebook (76%) and Instagram (70%) are the most widely used advertising platforms (Statista) Here’s a full breakdown: Digital Advertising Platform Share of PPC Professionals Google (excluding YouTube) 98% Facebook 76% Inst…

The internet is full of recycled lists claiming to reveal the “most profitable blog niche ideas.” But most lack any actual data to back up their recommendations. That’s why we decided to do something different. We analyzed 100 blog niches using a comprehensive methodology to identify the top 25 opportunities based on cold, hard numbers. This included: Search volume data Keyword difficulty scores Average cost per click (CPC) Search intent Short- and long-term growth trends For each winning niche, we created a detailed scorecard that ranks its performance across three critical dimensions: Growth, monetization, and ranking potential. These metrics are presented on …

SEO reporting transforms raw data into actionable decisions. It shows clients and teams exactly what’s working — and what isn’t. But here’s the painful truth: You can waste hours each month collecting data from various platforms. Like copying numbers from Google Analytics, Search Console, and rank trackers into spreadsheets. Then struggling to make it look presentable. Oh, and this is for one website. If you’re managing many projects, reporting can get VERY tedious (and costly). That’s why I’ve handpicked a list of four dedicated SEO reporting tools that: Save time by automatically collating data from your favorite SEO and analytics platforms Help you build client-…

Similarweb is powerful for digital intelligence. But like any tool, it has limitations. You might want deeper insights into your competitors’ content strategies. Or need more reliable data for SEO planning. Or you’re simply looking for a more affordable solution. I’ve spent months testing and researching the best Similarweb alternatives to see how they compare. Four tools stand out as replacements. This guide covers the top options for: Market trends Advanced SEO analysis Ad intelligence Similarweb Limitations While Similarweb excels at competitor intelligence, it might not fit everyone. Here are some key limitations: Limited SEO and keyword research features: …

Want to know the most effective ecommerce growth strategy? I studied successful online stores to find out what works best. While every store’s path is unique, clear patterns emerged. Here are some examples: *All figures in USD Brand Annual Revenue Standout Strategy Hush Blankets $48M Product Validation Mid Day Squares $20M Content Marketing TBH Skincare $6.5M Content Marketing MX Store $65M Search Marketing Who Is Elijah $13M Operational Efficiency Whether your goal is to do $1M or $100M, it comes from executing the fundamentals. I’ve distilled this guide to the five most impactful growth strategies, including: Success metrics Real-world examples…

Want more buyers and sellers from Google without relying on Zillow or Redfin? Or more leads for listings that support your cold-calling and door-knocking efforts? Then, become skilled at real estate SEO. SEO is about ranking your site in search engine results pages (SERPs). This will attract qualified buyers and sellers to your agency. Just look at Campion & Company, a small real estate agency in Boston. They outrank Zillow for high-value property searches like “Burrage Mansion.” And that’s just one keyword. This agency ranks for 19K different search terms on Google—all driving potential buyers directly to their listings. All thanks to SEO. In this guide, yo…

Many ecommerce websites obsess over flashy designs and trendy layouts. Big mistake. Instead, you should focus on conversion-centered design. That’s the blend of buyer psychology, user experience, and strategic design working together to turn visitors into customers. Doing this can get you: More sales Higher average order values Better conversion rates Below, I’ve handpicked nine effective ecommerce website examples that follow a conversion-focused design. Use them as a blueprint to create your own online store that converts. Crème de la Crème: Our Favorite Ecommerce Website Examples Short on time to review every ecommerce website example on this list? Focus on th…

Want to 2X, 3X, or even 4X your ecommerce sales? Start by diagnosing what’s working on your site and what isn’t. Then, apply targeted fixes based on real data. Not hunches. In this guide, I’m sharing my lessons and strategies from 10+ years in digital marketing. Plus, I interviewed four leading ecommerce website optimization experts for their best conversion-driving insights: Leigh McKenzie from UnderFit (also head of SEO @ Backlinko) Rishi Rawat from Frictionless Commerce Anna Bolton from Conversion Copy Co. Kurt Philip from Convertica Let’s start by identifying the biggest roadblocks standing between you and more revenue. Phase 1: Analyze and Diagnose Your Site…

Want more traffic to your Shopify store? Start a blog. Why? Look at Gymshark. Its blog ranks for over 174K niche-related keywords and brings in over 673.1K visitors every month. That’s high-value SEO traffic it can funnel to its product pages. All without relying on ads. And here’s the thing: If you’re not blogging, you’re missing more than search traffic. You’re walking away from opportunities to connect with your audience and position yourself as a leader in your industry. Let’s fix that. Here are 9 Shopify blog examples to inspire your own blog (plus practical tips to steal). 1. Gymshark – Health and Fitness Blog Gymshark’s blog, Gymshark Central, pairs high…

Claude is an AI chatbot developed by Anthropic, a popular alternative to ChatGPT. Launched in March 2023, Claude quickly attracted a multi-million user base. Today, Claude has 18.9 million monthly active users worldwide. From the number of Claude users to Claude user demographics, you’ll find the latest data about Claude on this page. Key Claude Stats Claude has 18.9 million monthly active users worldwide. Claude app has 2.9 million active users accessing the app at least once a month. The US and India are the 2 major markets for Claude, accounting for 33.13% of the total user base. In January 2025, Claude app downloads reached an estimated 769.6 million. Anthropic c…

Founded in 2023, DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup known for its new chatbot beating many existing models and rivaling dominance of ChatGPT. Since the public release of DeepSeek-R1 on January 20, the startup attracted worldwide attention thanks to its reported cost-efficient model outpacing leading US-based AI chatbots. Today, DeepSeek ranks as the #1 most downloaded app in the App Store in over 160 countries and has been downloaded more than 2.6 million across App Store and Google Play. AI chatbot by DeepSeek is currently one of the fastest-growing tech products but as a private company, they don’t disclose many details. We plan to update this page as more information …

Search engines help users find webpages related to specific search terms (called queries). Understanding how search engines work can help you make your pages more accessible. And ultimately direct more potential customers to your site. This guide explains how search engines discover, store, and rank content. You’ll also get tips on how to increase visibility in search results. How Do Search Engines Work? Search engines provide users with a list of relevant webpage results related to their search queries (i.e., the words they type into the search bar). They accomplish this by following a three-step process: Crawling: Discovering and downloading the content of webpa…

Competitive intelligence (CI) gives you the clarity to make the right moves for your business—whether that’s meeting customer needs, finding new opportunities, or outsmarting competitors. Marketing agency Thrive proves this perfectly. I spoke to Aaron Whittaker, the VP of Demand Gen and Marketing at Thrive, to understand how they use CI. His team gathered intel to solve a specific challenge. Prospects were choosing AI marketing solutions over traditional agencies. “We monitored our competitors’ customer reviews and social media mentions. Our takeaway was that clients often felt …

A website audit helps you find what’s holding your site back. It highlights technical issues that affect your rankings and UX problems that hurt conversions. In this guide, I’ll walk you through five essential steps to maximize your site’s performance. And to make it easier, I’ve created a free website audit checklist that you can refer to as you follow along. Note: This post covers the fundamentals of website audits for small to medium sites. Enterprise sites have extra considerations and may need specialized tools and processes. …

If you’ve ever run an ad campaign, you know that keyword costs can quickly eat up your budget. This is especially true if you’re not strategic about your selections. Of course, you can’t control all the factors that determine pricing. But you can reduce costs by choosing the right keywords and creating experiences that convert. Take digital marketing agency Turn Key Lead, for example. They reduced a mortgage bank client’s cost per conversion in Google Ads by 30% in seven days. Source How’d they do it? Through keyword and landing page optimization—tactics you’ll master today. In this guide, you’ll learn: How to find keyword costs using proven tools Optimization t…

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is one of Google’s three Core Web Vitals. Like the other two (Cumulative Layout Shift and Interaction to Next Paint), it’s not exactly clear what it means. Lots of tools can show your LCP score and outline ways to improve it. But their tips are often generic, and lack the detail you need to actually take action. So, in this guide I’ll walk you through actionable steps to improve your LCP. I’ll separate them by: Their potential impact The effort required to make the fix Which specific aspect of your LCP score they help with But first, let’s talk about what LCP actually means for your website (jump to this part for the fixes). What Does…

Travel SEO is about turning strangers into guests. But it’s no small task competing with major sites like Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia. With so many players in the market, standing out in search engine results can feel impossible. Yet, small players can still succeed. Live Oak Lake, a boutique resort in Texas built a strong direct booking website that ranks No. 1 for search terms like “waco cabins.” They made $1.1 million in their first year and sold the business for $7 million in 2024. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to implement an effective travel SEO strategy, including: How to optimize for travel-specific search intent 10 proven strategies t…

Learning how to sell SEO isn’t easy. Why? Your prospects don’t want to buy SEO—they want to buy results. I learned this the hard way. After years of trial and error, I found a system. It consistently delivers what people want: more customers, revenue, and growth. In fact, I’ve maintained a 75% close rate by focusing on one thing: demonstrating value before asking for the sale. Think about it: AI advancements. Nontraditional search results. Constant algorithm shifts. SEO looks different every year. But these changes have made skilled SEOs more valuable than ever. In this guide, you’ll learn my exact process for selling SEO services, backed by insights from industr…

If you publish writing, you’d be crazy not to use artificial intelligence. It’s like telling a carpenter not to use a drill. You can build a deck without one. But why would you? Writers have always embraced new tools to improve their craft. The challenge with AI, or any technology, is that we want the easy way out. We hope the tech will magically automate everything. And for mediocre content, AI is the perfect solution. But creating exceptional content is HARD. No matter what tool you use. For example, I used AI extensively to write this article. Yet, it still took me 40+ hours to produce. Why? AI has made me realize how much I can improve my content. And you ca…

This guide will show you how to use ChatGPT the right way. Brand new to using it? I’ll help you skip the rookie mistakes that leave most beginners frustrated. Tried it before and had an average experience? No problem. You’ll learn how to refine your approach to get useful, high-quality responses (finally). Because here’s the thing: ChatGPT IS a powerful tool. But only if you know how to use it effectively. Let’s make that happen. What is ChatGPT (And What Can It Do)? ChatGPT is an AI assistant that answers your questions like a human would. It can also generate ideas and assist with writing, problem-solving, and research tasks. How does it do this? It analyzes …

Currently, the mobile AI apps market is valued at $2 billion, primarily led by the success of ChatGPT and the sector continues to rise with more apps. In 2024 alone, over 4 thousand new AI apps were released and downloads reached a staggering 1.49 billion times across all AI apps. But what are the most popular AI apps worldwide and in the US, besides ChatGPT? Most Popular AI Apps (Top Picks) As of January 2025, ChatGPT ranks as the most popular AI app worldwide with 349.41 million monthly active users worldwide. ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Doubao were the most downloaded AI apps worldwide in 2024. In 2024, ChatGPT became the most popular AI app in the US, recording 31…

Growing your website starts with reaching the right people. Not random traffic. People actively searching for the solutions you provide. That’s where organic traffic shines. Unlike paid advertising or social media, organic traffic attracts visitors with clear intent. At Backlinko, organic traffic brings us over 571K monthly visitors—each one specifically interested in SEO and digital marketing. In this guide, you’ll learn all about organic traffic, including how to measure and increase it. Let’s start with what organic traffic is and how it differs from other traffic sources. What Is Organic Traffic? Organic traffic refers to visitors who land on your website or …

Choosing a Semrush plan isn’t always obvious. Paid plans start at $139.95 and go up to enterprise solutions. Not to mention the various add-ons and apps. You don’t want to overpay for features you don’t need. Or pick a cheaper plan that limits your ability to grow. In this guide, you’ll learn which Semrush plan matches your needs, whether you’re a solo blogger tracking 100 keywords or an agency managing 40+ client websites. Semrush’s Core Pricing Plans Explained Semrush offers four main subscription tiers: Pro plan at $139.95/month: Best for freelancers and startups Guru plan at $249.95/month: Caters to growing businesses and small agencies Business plan at $499.95/…

What people say about your brand online shapes your reputation. This could be reviews, social mentions, or business listings. Keeping up with all of them takes A LOT of time and effort. Online reputation management (ORM) tools help you monitor brand mentions, manage reviews, and keep business details consistent across directories. But each tool has its specialties. I researched and tested the best ORM tools available. And found the top five that’ll make your life easier. Here’s what you’ll find in this guide: The best tool for tracking social mentions The easiest way to manage and respond to reviews A solution that automatically updates your business listings 5 Be…