SEO Is in a Terrible State These Days
SEO is in a pretty bad and confusing state right now. Experts give contradictory advice, agencies intentionally make SEO sound extremely complex so they can charge more, and AI search makes everything even blurrier.
People claim that GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is completely different from SEO, when in reality there is around an 80% overlap between traditional SEO and what many now call “AI SEO.”
For more context:
What This List Is (and Is Not)
This is a curated list.
Anything that doesn’t work is intentionally not included.
If you implement just the first 2 tactics — assuming you weren’t doing them before — I can almost guarantee a +6–10 position increase on Google for the affected pages, depending on your niche.
I know this works because:
- I ran experiments on 4 different websites I own
- I helped ~30 different websites implement these exact strategies
Who I Am and Why This Matters
For context, my name is Marius.
I run 4 SaaS businesses, one of which is BlogSEO, handling SEO for 150+ websites.
I also run an SEO agency that currently manages 3 active websites.
Everything below comes from real-world testing — not theory.
SEO Tactics That Work Consistently
1. Refresh Old Content (The Easiest Win)
Go to Google Search Console and find pages ranking between positions 8–20.
These pages are:
- extremely close to traffic
- but practically invisible on page 2
What to update
- add a new section
- fix outdated stats
- improve the introduction
- update the published date
I’ve seen posts jump 10+ positions within weeks.
This is the lowest-hanging fruit in SEO.
2. Add Authors to Your Blog Posts
Google’s E-E-A-T framework strongly cares about who created the content.
Official docs:
What to add
- a visible author name
- a short bio
- a link to LinkedIn or X (Twitter)
Every time I apply this to a site that wasn’t doing it, posts climb 4–8 positions within ~2 weeks.
Ridiculously easy win.
3. Get Listed on Partner / Integration Marketplaces
If your product integrates with other platforms, list it on their marketplace.
Examples:
You get:
- DA 90+ backlinks
- real users, not just SEO value
4. Exact Match Domains Still Work
If you haven’t launched your site yet, an exact or partial keyword match domain can still provide a noticeable SEO boost.
Google reduced the impact years ago, but:
- combined with high-quality content, it still helps
If you haven’t bought your domain yet, spending an extra hour finding one with your primary keyword is worth it.
5. Build a Free Tool
Calculator, checker, generator — it doesn’t matter.
People love linking to useful tools, and these links tend to stick around for years.
Example:
- I built a simple Domain Rating checker
- it costs almost nothing to run
- it gets linked constantly on social media and blogs
Free tools are backlink magnets.
6. Publish Fresh, Consistent Content
Google rewards sites that publish regularly.
It signals that your site is:
- active
- worth crawling more often
Each article becomes a new search entry point.
7. Find Keyword Gaps
Most advice says “copy your competitors.”
That’s only half the story.
The real opportunity is:
what competitors are not targeting
One overlooked keyword with decent volume can become a traffic goldmine, while others fight over high-competition terms.
I’ve seen niche sites where a single keyword drove 80% of total traffic.
8. NAP Consistency
Your brand name, URL, and social links must be identical everywhere:
- Google Business Profile
- Crunchbase
- X
- directories
When Google sees the same information across trusted sources, it builds confidence.
Inconsistencies create doubt.
9. Use Curated Directories Only
If it’s free and anyone can submit, don’t expect results.
What actually works:
- Product Hunt
- G2
- Capterra
- “There’s an AI for That”
- industry-specific directories that review submissions
10. Programmatic SEO
One template + structured data = thousands of long-tail pages.
Classic example:
- Zapier’s integration pages
⚠️ Important:
You need a solid backlink profile first, otherwise these pages won’t rank.
11. FAQ Sections
FAQs help you:
- target long-tail keywords
- qualify for rich snippets
- increase SERP real estate → higher CTR
They’re also critical for AI-powered search.
When AI fans out a query into sub-questions, Q&A-formatted content is exactly what it looks for.
12. Backlink Outreach Still Works
Classic tactics:
- guest posting
- broken link replacement
- unlinked brand mentions
Yes, it’s time-consuming — but it works.
The main risk with traditional link exchanges:
- direct reciprocity (A → B, B → A) looks suspicious at scale
A triangle structure (A → B → C → A) avoids that problem entirely.
13. Comparison Pages
Searches like:
- “[Competitor] alternatives”
- “[Competitor] vs [Your Brand]”
These are bottom-of-funnel gold.
Users already want to buy — they’re just deciding who to buy from.
Be honest:
- admit where you’re weaker
- build trust
- filter out bad-fit customers
14. Schema Markup That Actually Matters
Most sites either:
- skip schema completely
- or add useless generic markup
The ones that truly help:
- Person / Author
- FAQPage
- SameAs
Docs:
Final Thoughts
If you implement these tactics and stay patient, I can confidently say you’ll see increased organic traffic within 3 months.