4 Unused SEO Research Tactics to Tackle in 2024

Explore four major SEO research activities to prioritize in 2024 for long-term, data-driven success.

SEO is currently chaotic. With so many algorithm adjustments and claims of Search Generative Experience (SGE) taking over the SERPs, there is a lot of confusion and worry about the way forward.

To me, now is an opportunity to bring certain neglected SEO research activities back into the limelight, which we know are beneficial. My list of them includes the following:

• Keyword trend analysis.
• Conduct customer research.
• Analysis of non-search channels for content.
• SERP analysis for the “striking distance” keywords.

1. Keyword Trend Analysis

There are two types of keyword analysis: traditional and trend-based. The latter assists SEOs in identifying things such as:

• New keywords.
• Changes to the keyword landscape.
• How your focus keywords may have changed when you first optimized for them.

My favorite tool for keeping track of trends is the Glimpse Google Trends plugin, which adds a lot of data and functionality to the standard Google Trends insights.

This extension provides a variety of long-tail keyword information, trending topics, trend warnings, and data exports. The technology (and a conceptual adjustment) allows you to take a real-time approach to your top keywords, rather than a set-and-review technique.

2. Customer Research

You’re conducting some form of consumer study. To find out objectives, desires, pain areas, and so on. However, in my experience, SEOs rarely adopt a complete approach to understanding customers that includes cross-functional talks and expertise with many technologies.

If you haven’t already, here are some tools to try right now.

• Heat mapping tools (like Hotjar since the free version provides a lot of information on how people interact with your site).
• Survey technologies include SurveyMonkey, Typeform, and Google Forms. 

Surveys should not be used excessively. Be clear about how the data will be used. If the data you’re gathering is useful enough for your campaigns, you may even consider giving little gift cards or incentives.

In terms of teams, your brand’s or client’s sales and customer support teams have access to a lot of real-time data about consumer queries, issues, use cases, challenges, and so on. Recurring check-ins with those teams is an excellent use of your time.

Whether you work for an agency or in-house, your paid teams are excellent – and often neglected – sources of data on what works and what doesn’t.

Paid media data may be extremely useful in optimizing organic search tactics and priorities, including high-CTR ad text to increasing keyword volume to insight into the best audiences.

3. Analysis of Non-Search Channels

Forums such as Reddit and Quora, communities, brand and competitor FAQ pages, social media, and YouTube comments are all valuable sources of real-time information for users to understand and the creation of topics to address with content.

Slack groups are one of my favorite data sources (they’ve also helped me attract new clients). Active Slack forums on issues relevant to your business are frequently quite fruitful, with people asking questions and searching for recommendations that you can address directly. 

To get the most out of Slack, always follow the community guidelines, avoid being excessively pushy unless it’s a query specifically about your product or service, and seek ways to bring value to current conversations even if you don’t profit directly.

4. SERP Analysis for Striking Distance Keywords

With Google’s former page scheme, moving from 11 to 10 (the first page of the SERPs and away from the “where do you hide a dead body” jokes) or even 4 to 2 (above the fold) were movements with multiplier-effect growth. 

Now that Google employs infinite scroll in the SERPs, further enhancements rely less on page breaks and more on location relative to other SERP elements, such as embedded videos People also want sections that push material down the scroll.

Still, not all keyword ranking gains have the same impact, so make sure your data represents the opportunity to weigh the cost and reward of making significant leaps. 

Source- searchengineland