Search engine optimization (SEO) is a time-consuming series of tasks that encompasses countless elements of your business. It’s also a surefire way to drive organic, ongoing, free traffic to your site and business. And this is only scratching the surface of the business benefits of SEO.
Whether you’re already well on your way with SEO or just starting, what better way to learn than from the best SEO examples? Follow these SEO best practices and examples, and you’ll set yourself up for a long, organic future of growth.
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SEO tips to get you started
Before we dive into the examples, let’s review some SEO basics that’ll set you up for success.
Find the perfect keywords
Keyword-optimized content is the backbone of a successful SEO strategy. Keywords are terms you’re targeting in your content and on your website. When someone searches that term on Google, yours is the content you’re hoping that person lands on.
Here are a few key considerations to keep in mind when researching keywords to target:
- Identify target keywords: Start by identifying the right keywords. These are the terms your ideal customer uses to find your content and products. You can get started with WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool.
- Double-check intent: Keyword intent refers to the motive behind a search term. Does the searcher want directions, information, or to buy something? Knowing the intent will help you use keywords in the right kind of content.
- Avoid keyword stuffing: While keyword optimization is important, what matters most is the reader’s experience. Don’t stuff the keyword everywhere; instead, focus on writing quality content that helps the reader.
Get more positive reviews (and reply to them)
Positive reviews are a signal to Google that your business is trustworthy. That’s an important factor in SEO. To move the needle here, actively pursue more positive reviews on Google and other review websites.
Once the reviews start rolling in, reply to as many as possible—even the negative ones. That’ll tell future customers that you care, which motivates them to go to your website, which tells Google that your website is good.
Claim and manage your listings
The examples on this list focus on things you can do on your website. But online directories like Yelp and your Google Business Profile play an important role in SEO, especially for local businesses.
For one thing, many of the listings from online directories can end up in search results.
But also, Google sees when your website is represented positively on many of these sites, which can boost your ability to rank highly on search pages. Be sure to claim your listings and optimize them effectively.
👋 Do your listings represent your business well? Find out with our Free Listings Grader
14 SEO examples to rank higher in search
Now that we have a solid foundation to work from, review these SEO examples to inspire your search marketing strategy.
SEO keyword examples
There’s more to ranking for search results than simply slapping keywords around your site. Truly keyword-optimized content takes research, structure, and the right balance in the copy itself.
As you optimize content for a specific keyword, monitor its performance with an SEO tool. Search engine optimization takes time, so don’t expect to rank overnight. If you’re not ranking within a few months, consider revisiting your work and tweaking things as needed.
We’re interested in seeing how successful brands use keywords on their website. Where do they place them on a page? Which pages have a keyword focus?
First up, let’s look at Strolleria, a small business that sells luxury strollers and related accessories. Here, they’ve targeted a branded keyword people will search when they want to compare two models of strollers in a blog post.
Notice how they used the exact keyword structure of “[stroller model] vs. [stroller model]” in the title. They’ve also included it multiple times in the copy, with links to their product pages for each.
Now, look at how this article from Rbrohant, an online retailer, addressed a long-tail keyword: “How to repair a leaking bathroom faucet.”
They didn’t put that exact keyword in the title. However, they covered every aspect of that topic in the post, which has kept them on the first page of Google search results for years.
Keywords are also critical for successful local SEO. The big difference is that local SEO keywords are geography-based. Check out how this physical therapy office uses location-based keywords on its website.
You can see “Dallas” in the main image copy, in the copy header, and in the business description copy. Scroll down, and you’ll see it mentioned multiple more times, including in the individual service descriptions.
Optimized title tags and meta description examples
A result on a Google Search page can have several features, but two of the most prominent are the title tag and the meta description.
The words you choose for your title tags and meta descriptions matter for two reasons. First, they’ll help the search algorithm know what your page is about. Second, they can entice people to click on your link when it shows up in their search results.
You can optimize the copy in these features by including your primary keywords. You’ll also want to write them in a way that attracts your target customer’s attention and then convinces them to click on your result (you can also use our Google Ads AI Copy Tool to master ad titles and descriptions).
You likely have many pages on your website, and they may be optimized for different products and audiences. That means you want their title tags and descriptions to follow suit.
Classpop! offers educational courses on a wide range of topics. So, their title tags and descriptions need to be tailored for those different types of learners.
See how Classpop! uses its title and description to highlight the keyword “Pottery for beginners.” They also offer a snippet of what you’ll learn if you click the article. Their meta description shows that they’ve got the goods and doesn’t mislead you at all.
Here’s another good example. This plumbing service in New York has different title tags and descriptions to match different search queries.
Search “Plumbers in New York,” and you’ll see:
But search “Emergency plumbers in New York,” and you get a different result for that business:
Consider the most common ways people search for businesses like yours and tailor your title tags and descriptions to match them.
👀 Want searchers to see (and click on!) your site? Download our free guide >> Ways to Make Your Website More Visible on Google
Internal and external link examples
Links are important to SEO because they tell people and search algorithms how different website pages are connected and related to each other.
Internal links link between different pages of your website. For example, say you have a piece on “Most common sleep problems.” This is obviously a very top-of-funnel piece. But, while covering different sleep problems, you could mention how a certain type of mattress could cause this pain, linking that mattress text to a piece you have that talks about those types of mattresses. Within that piece, you can then link to another piece you have that offers alternatives to those types of mattresses, and so on.
External links link from pages of a different website back to yours. When high-value, reputable websites link back to yours, it’s a signal to search engines that your content is valuable and should be ranked highly in search results. So if a respected sleep doctor links to your article “10 types of mattresses for different types of sleepers,” Google is more likely to place it in relevant search results.
NerdWallet, a personal finance company, offers a masterclass on internal linking. They’ve created hundreds of articles and guides to educate people on topics such as investing, retirement, and buying a home. Each article has several, sometimes dozens, of internal links to other valuable content.
Don’t stop at interlinking blog posts and guides. Include links to your product pages or any part of your site that’s relevant to the topic.
Now, for an example of how backlinks work, let’s look at the Yale Medicine blog. They produced a comprehensive article on how to stretch before running. Of course, coming from Yale, the post was great. But what’s really interesting is how many high-quality websites linked back to it—which we can see using the SEO tool Ahrefs.
This post received backlinks from Red Bull, The Huffington Post, and LiveStrong, along with more than 120 others.
You don’t have to be Yale to get people to link to your website. But you do have to produce something that’s worth linking to. That often means publishing content that’s based on original information—like expert quotes or new data—that no one else has.
Responsive design and page speed examples
There are many technical SEO details you’ll need to tighten up if you want to rank on search engines for your target keywords. Two that are particularly important and good for overall usability are responsive design and page speed.
Responsive design means that your website dynamically adapts to various screen sizes. That way, visitors will have a good experience, regardless of whether they are viewing from a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. Most websites built on builders like Wix or Shopify are designed to be displayed on multiple device types, but it’s a good idea to test this for yourself occasionally.
Page speed tells you how long it takes to load a page of your website when someone tries to view it. As of 2023, the average page speed was 2.5 seconds for sites loading on a desktop. If yours takes significantly longer than that, visitors will be annoyed, and search engines may exclude your website from their results pages. You can check your page speed using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.
Two of the main benefits of mobile-responsive design are that images don’t get cut off and navigation buttons remain easy to use. Take a look at the two versions of True Classic’s ecommerce website.
True Classic’s website, as seen on a desktop computer:
True Classic’s website as seen on a mobile device:
Notice how the copy gets stacked differently in the mobile version. Also, the buttons move, so you can still tap them.
As for page speed, let’s see what a fast-loading website looks like. For this example, we’ll analyze cars.com.
PageSpeed Insights says the site opens in 1.4 seconds, which is more than a full second less than the average.
Several factors influence page speed. If your site is a little sluggish, consider using smaller image sizes, reducing excessive plug-ins, and trimming bloated Java or CSS code, as these are common culprits.
Google’s E-E-A-T examples
E-E-A-T is a set of guidelines Google uses to judge the quality of a website’s content. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust. It’s one of the ways Google works to provide accurate and reliable results for its users.
While E-E-A-T matters for all websites, it’s particularly important for sites in sensitive categories like healthcare and personal finance.
Here are a few ways your site can live up to the E-E-A-T criteria:
- Feature feedback from topical experts
- Include recent and thorough research
- Link to reputable sources
- Get backlinks from highly authoritative websites
- Update time-sensitive content
Medical topics are scrutinized more closely than most by search engines for good reason. Incorrect advice can cause significant harm. That’s one reason why OrthoCarolina highlights its expert sources for medical content on its blog.
Even if your product or service is less sensitive, following this example is a good idea. Say you sell specialized woodworking tools; attaching an experienced carpenter to your content will help build credibility with your audience and with Google.
You don’t have to have an advanced degree in your topic to give your content a little E-E-A-T boost. Personal experience will go a long way.
Here’s a great example from GearLab, a website that tests all sorts of outdoor gear. One of the reasons they land at the top of the results page for the lucrative keyword “best rain jackets” is because they actually tested every jacket in their roundup piece.
On top of that, their reviews are very thorough. They explain the best use case for the product, why it’s great, and who should buy it. They also link out to even more in-depth reviews of each individual jacket—all written from the perspective of the people who actually used the product.
Website navigation examples
Website navigation is another aspect that improves both SEO and user experience.
For users, navigation helps them find what they’re looking for on your website. Ideally, they can do this in just a few clicks or taps (people will ditch a site if they don’t find what they’re looking for quickly).
For SEO, a logical website structure helps search engine crawlers navigate your website more efficiently and enhances their ability to understand its content. In turn, that gives you a better chance of landing high up on search results related to your content and products.
There are often multiple paths visitors need to take to the same page on your product. For example, people purchasing pet supplies might want to browse their favorite brands, explore options for their type of pet, or check out what’s on sale.
Petco matches the many paths to purchase by organizing its navigation to meet them.
Tap “Shop by pet,” choose between dog, cat, fish, etc., and pick the subcategory that interests you. Easy peasy. This layout is especially suitable for mobile devices, where screen space is at a premium.
Now let’s take a look at a professional services website. A lawyer, for example, won’t usually have nearly as many subcategories as a national retailer. Even so, it’s essential to ensure that buttons and drop-downs are clearly labeled and accessible.
Silveira Law does this in two ways. First, they place drop-downs in a static header (it stays put even as you scroll the page). Second, they add more navigational buttons as you scroll down, making them easy to spot.
Just like Petco, the navigation is clear and logical, so people won’t get lost. And they all have clear calls to action that tell visitors what to expect when they click.
Rank higher with these SEO examples
While SEO isn’t an exact science, there are lots of tactics you can use to nudge your website higher up in the results pages. The examples we shared here are a great place to start.
The key is to take one bite at a time; don’t try and EEAT the whole thing at once (SEO pun!). Pick one or two examples, mimic their tactics, measure, and repeat. SEO is a long game that requires effort to get started but pays compounding dividends over time.
