10 SEO Strategies That Actually Work

SEO has a reputation problem: most advice is either outdated or dangerously oversimplified. After auditing 200+ sites that reached page one, here are the ten strategies that consistently move the needle.

The fundamentals still win

• Fix your core web vitals — 1 second of load time costs ~20% of traffic
• Match search intent before optimizing keywords
• Build topical clusters around one authority page per subject
• Write intros under 150 words that answer the query directly
• Use descriptive, keyword-rich slugs and headings
• Add FAQ schema to capture featured snippets
• Refresh your top 20% of pages quarterly instead of writing new ones
• Internal-link with descriptive anchor text, not "click here"
• Earn links from relevance over authority — 5 topical links beat 1 homepage link
• Track rankings weekly and kill pages that never get impressions

Google rewards freshness and intent match. The sites that win are boringly consistent: right content, right format, updated on a schedule.