19 New SEO Techniques

SEO is constantly evolving. Traditional strategies like keyword stuffing, low-quality link building, and outdated shortcuts no longer deliver results. With Google’s algorithm updates, AI-powered search, and increasing user expectations, websites need modern approaches to stay competitive. These 19 new SEO techniques are designed to help your site rank higher, attract more traffic, and build authority while future-proofing your SEO efforts. Implementing these strategies consistently can boost visibility, improve engagement, and generate measurable results. If you want expert guidance, our team at Search Engine Empires can help you implement these techniques and achieve long-term growth.

The SEO landscape is more competitive than ever. Google’s algorithms are continuously updated, AI-driven search is transforming how queries are interpreted, and user experience has become a key ranking factor. Old SEO tricks like keyword stuffing, excessive exact-match anchor text, and spammy link building no longer work. According to industry research, 68 percent of all online experiences begin with a search engine, and websites that fail to optimize for modern search behaviors lose a significant share of traffic. To succeed today, businesses must embrace innovative strategies that align with both user intent and search engine expectations. The 19 new SEO techniques outlined in this article are designed to uncover hidden keyword opportunities, optimize for semantic relevance, boost engagement, and maximize authority. By following these methods, you can improve rankings, drive targeted traffic, and ensure your SEO remains effective in the evolving digital landscape.

1. Discover Untapped Keywords on Reddit

Reddit is a powerful source of untapped keyword opportunities. As one of the largest online communities, Reddit hosts millions of discussions across thousands of subreddits, covering every niche imaginable. Users ask real questions, share problems, and provide insights that often reveal long-tail keywords overlooked by traditional keyword research tools.

For example, SaaS or SEO-focused businesses can explore subreddits like r/SEO, r/Entrepreneur, or r/DigitalMarketing to find questions such as “What is the best free keyword tracker?” or “How do I improve my local SEO for a small business?” These queries provide clear insight into what your target audience is searching for and the language they use. Tools like Keyworddit or Reddit’s built-in search allow you to scrape or export keywords from these communities. By adding these keywords to your content strategy, you can create highly relevant blog posts, FAQs, or service pages that directly address user intent. Incorporating screenshots of popular threads can also make your content more visually engaging and credible. Action step: extract 10–20 relevant keywords per niche to enhance your SEO strategy.

Why Reddit is Valuable

Reddit users ask authentic questions and share real experiences, making it a goldmine for long-tail keywords. Competitors often overlook these queries, allowing you to target search terms that attract high-intent traffic.

How to Implement

Use tools like Keyworddit or export subreddit keywords manually. Integrate these keywords into blog posts, FAQ sections, and service pages to capture traffic from queries your competitors may miss. Screenshots of popular Reddit threads can be included to demonstrate authority and relevance.

2. Optimize Your Site for Google RankBrain

Google RankBrain is an AI-driven algorithm that interprets search queries and evaluates user engagement to determine page relevance. Unlike traditional algorithms that focus solely on keywords, RankBrain considers behavioral signals such as click-through rates (CTR), dwell time, and bounce rates. Pages that keep users engaged signal value to Google, while pages with high bounce rates may see rankings decline.

To optimize for RankBrain, start with engaging titles and meta descriptions that encourage clicks. Improve content readability by using short paragraphs, bullet points, and visuals. Internal linking and FAQs can keep visitors exploring your site longer, boosting dwell time. Tools like Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, and Crazy Egg help monitor user behavior and identify problem areas on your pages.

Action Step: Use these tools to identify pages with high bounce rates or low engagement, then rewrite titles, restructure content, and add visuals or internal links to improve performance.

Example: A generic blog titled “SEO Tools” can be improved to “15 SEO Tools That Will Double Your Rankings” to increase CTR and satisfy user intent. This approach signals value to RankBrain and improves overall search visibility.

3. Update, Upgrade, and Republish Old Blog Posts

Updating existing content is often more effective than publishing new articles. Fresh, improved content signals relevance to Google and can reclaim lost rankings while driving more traffic. Begin by replacing outdated statistics with current data, adding images, infographics, or videos, and expanding thin content to at least 1,447 words. Reoptimize headings, internal links, and schema markup to maximize SEO impact.

Action Step: Audit your top 20 traffic pages that are older than 12 months. Update and republish them with a “last updated” date to show freshness.

Example: A Local SEO Guide from 2019 updated in 2024 with new data, visuals, and expanded content can achieve a 112% traffic increase within two months. Regular updates ensure your content remains authoritative, relevant, and competitive in search rankings.

4. Write Compelling Title and Description Tags

Titles and meta descriptions remain crucial for both search rankings and CTR. Even a page ranking well can underperform if the title or description is bland. Use numbers, years, and power words to make titles more clickable. Keep titles under 60 characters and meta descriptions between 150–160 characters. Always include primary keywords naturally to signal relevance to Google.

Action Step: Optimize 5–10 of your top-performing pages by rewriting their title tags and meta descriptions using persuasive language and keyword optimization.

Tools: CoSchedule Headline Analyzer, Sharethrough Headline Analyzer

Example: Instead of “SEO Tips for Beginners,” use “19 Proven SEO Tips That Will Double Your Traffic” to attract clicks and align with user intent.

5. Find Broken Link Building Opportunities on Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a highly authoritative site with numerous broken links. Identifying and replacing these links presents a powerful opportunity to earn backlinks and traffic. Start by searching your niche along with “site:wikipedia.org” in Google to locate relevant pages. Look for citations marked as dead, create high-quality replacement content, and suggest your link to the editors or contributors.

Action Step: Submit updated links to 3–5 Wikipedia articles in your niche to gain backlinks and authority.

Tools: Check My Links Chrome extension, Ahrefs for link validation

Example: A dead resource on a Wikipedia page about Link Building can be replaced with your updated guide, providing value to readers and strengthening your SEO credibility.

6. Copy Your Competitors’ Best Keywords

Analyzing your competitors’ keywords is one of the fastest ways to uncover high-potential opportunities. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest allow you to see which keywords your competitors rank for, which pages drive the most traffic, and where gaps exist. By identifying these gaps, you can create content that is more comprehensive, detailed, and engaging.

How to implement: Start by entering competitor domains into your chosen keyword research tool. Export their top-ranking keywords and note the pages generating the highest traffic. Identify keywords where your site is not ranking and create content that surpasses theirs in depth, visuals, examples, and FAQs.

Action Step: Maintain a monthly “competitor keyword spreadsheet” to track changes and update your content strategy accordingly.

Example: If a competitor ranks for a 1,000-word SEO guide, you can publish a 2,000-word resource with expanded sections, visuals, and FAQs to outrank them.

7. Optimize Your Content to Maximize Social Shares

While social engagement is not a direct ranking factor, content that earns more shares often attracts backlinks and increases visibility. Incorporating visuals such as infographics, charts, and images every 75–100 words makes content more shareable. Tweetable quotes and prominent social sharing buttons further encourage distribution across platforms.

Tools: Canva, Figma, Social Warfare plugin

Action Step: Add visuals and shareable elements to 5–10 existing blog posts to boost engagement.

Example: Studies show that articles with well-placed images earn twice as many social shares as text-only posts.

8. Link Out to Authority Sites

Outbound links to authoritative websites improve credibility and build user trust. Linking to high domain authority (DA) sites such as Moz, HubSpot, or Statista adds context and shows readers your content is well-researched. Use contextual links naturally and avoid overdoing it; 2–3 outbound links per 1,000 words is a safe guideline.

Action Step: Audit existing content and add outbound links to authoritative sources where relevant.

Example: Linking to Google Search Central Blog in an SEO article demonstrates research-backed authority and provides additional value to readers.

9. Send Authority to Underperforming Pages

Internal linking is a powerful strategy for distributing authority from high-performing pages to underperforming ones. Start by identifying weak pages in Google Search Console. Then find strong pages with high traffic and add contextual links using keyword-rich anchor text. This improves rankings for pages that may otherwise remain stagnant.

Tools: Link Whisper, Screaming Frog

Action Step: Create an internal linking map and implement links on 5–10 underperforming pages.

Example: Link from a popular “SEO Tools” blog to your “SEO Packages” service page to pass authority and increase its search visibility.

10. Increase Email Outreach Response Rates

Effective outreach is critical for link building, guest posts, and partnerships. Personalized emails referencing the recipient’s content or website and offering value first perform much better than generic messages. Keep emails concise, ideally under 150 words, and test subject lines for higher open rates.

Action Step: A/B test subject lines and monitor responses to refine outreach strategy.

Example Outreach Template:

Hi [Name],
I loved your article on [topic], especially your point about [specific detail]. I recently published a resource on [related topic] that could complement your post. Would you be open to reviewing it? I would be happy to share it with my audience as well.
Best,
[Your Name]

11. Optimize Content for Semantic SEO

Semantic search allows Google to understand context, intent, and the relationships between words, rather than relying solely on exact-match keywords. Optimizing for semantic SEO means using synonyms, answering related questions from “People Also Ask,” and including entities such as brands, locations, or events. Organizing content into topic clusters also helps search engines understand your site structure and relevancy.

Tools: SurferSEO, Clearscope, SEO Minion

Action Step: Identify 5–10 semantic terms or related keywords for your top-performing pages and integrate them naturally into content, headings, and FAQs to improve search relevance.

12. Embed Long-Tail Keywords in Title Tags

Long-tail keywords attract highly targeted traffic and generally face lower competition while converting better. Including modifiers such as “best,” “top,” “cheap,” “near me,” and location/year increases specificity and relevancy for searchers.

Example: Instead of “Car Locksmith,” use “Emergency Car Locksmith Services in Chicago, IL.”

Action Step: Update title tags of 5–10 pages with long-tail keywords to capture niche searches and improve CTR from search results.

13. Use Wikipedia for Keyword and Topic Ideas

Wikipedia is a structured, authoritative resource for keyword research. Explore headings, references, and “See Also” sections to find content gaps, related topics, and potential subtopics.

Action Step: Extract at least 10 keywords or topic ideas from Wikipedia pages for your content calendar.

Example: The “Search Engine Optimization” page can inspire blog posts on “Link Building,” “Keyword Research,” and “Search Engine Marketing.”

14. Find Link Building Opportunities From “Best of” Lists

“Best of” lists are highly visible in Google search results and provide backlinks, referral traffic, and credibility. Search for “Best [your niche] + year” and pitch your resource, product, or service. Offer a demo, trial, or expert quote to improve your chances of inclusion.

Action Step: Reach out to 3–5 “Best of” list sites and secure backlinks to relevant content.

15. Publish Content With at Least 1,447 Words

Long-form content generally performs better in search rankings. In-depth articles cover topics comprehensively, provide more keyword opportunities, and are more likely to earn backlinks. Break content into sections with H2s, include visuals, case studies, and examples for better engagement.

Action Step: Aim to create articles between 1,500–2,500 words for each topic, maintaining readability and structure.

16. Remember the “First Link Priority Rule”

Google counts the anchor text of the first internal link it encounters when assessing page relevance. To maximize SEO impact, place contextual links above navigation links, use descriptive anchor text, and avoid duplicate links to the same page.

Tools: Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Action Step: Audit your top pages to ensure important internal links are prioritized correctly for better keyword relevance and ranking potential.

17. Create Your Own Keywords

Branded keywords differentiate your business and establish authority. Examples include Brian Dean’s “Skyscraper Technique” or HubSpot’s “Inbound Marketing.” Brainstorm unique frameworks, methods, or tools and name them to create proprietary search terms.

Action Step: Develop 1–2 branded keywords per project and consistently use them in blog posts, service pages, and marketing materials to build recognition and ownership in search results.

18. Use Creative Seed Keywords

Seed keywords act as the foundation for discovering long-tail and high-potential keywords. Sources include customer support tickets, Reddit, Quora, “People Also Ask,” and Amazon reviews. Using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest, you can expand these seeds into hundreds of relevant keyword variations.

Action Step: Collect at least 20 seed keywords from your research and expand them for blog posts, landing pages, and service pages to ensure comprehensive coverage of niche topics.

19. Conclusion

These 19 SEO techniques provide a roadmap to stay ahead in a constantly evolving search landscape. By discovering untapped keywords, optimizing for RankBrain, updating content, building authority links, and creating branded and long-tail strategies, your website can improve rankings, increase traffic, and establish long-term credibility. Consistency, monitoring, and refining these strategies are key to achieving measurable results. If implementing these techniques seems overwhelming, our team at Search Engine Empires can help you execute them effectively to dominate search rankings and maximize ROI. Start applying these strategies today to future-proof your SEO efforts and outperform the competition.