In the SEO community, Digital Marketing as a whole remains essential for website owners’ online revenue. David Bain’s SEO in 2024, published by Majestic, compiles strategies from 101 leading SEO experts, making complex SEO techniques accessible. In this review, I’ll share the actionable insights I’ve implemented on my own website based on the book’s advice, helping readers – whether beginners or experts – enhance their SEO approach.
Book Review: Tangible takeaways from SEO in 2024 by David Bain
Being wrong about something, or not knowing something new (or old) in SEO methodology, are two things I get excited about. One of my varied mantras is “Being mistaken, or ignorant about a fact, gives me an uplift” – that feeling I’ve learned something new and valuable that day.
I have a confession. I’ve never read an SEO book in my life. Meeting friends has evolved into shared calendars and endless group chats before everyone can agree on a firm date. I’m very busy every day of the week single-handedly running two businesses, so my downtime is precious. My head can be like a tumble drier, there’s thoughts continually turning and I find it difficult to stop and step away from my thoughts and enjoy self care beyond a bubble bath.
When the letterbox rattled and vent forth the Majestic book, feeling the weight of the volume was daunting. It was thicc. My first thoughts were “How the hell can I schedule in a dedicated time-slot to utterly concentrate on reading an industry related book as heavy as this?” and “This is gonna be way above my head and not written for freelancers.”
“It’s written by SEO Keynote Speaker demigods, leaders in their respective fields with the support of their teams. This is going to be JSON, HTML, CSS and coding tips that would require hours of learning before I can even approach the idea of implementation.”
I could be living on the moon, and still not have been far enough away from the truth.
Internal Linking Strategy with Categories and Subcategories with Anna Uss – page 331
Yeah, yeah, internal linking, target_blank, nofollow, dofollow, beautifully unique keyword anchor text, external sites for trust and internal for on-page SEO. What’s new about that? I’m an on-page specialist. I agree, have semantic keywords in your anchor text and link to your homepage (Personally, I add this as the last link on-page as I don’t want humans to visit my homepage when it’s an above-the-fold hyperlink. I bury this SEO signal).
Stop Ignoring Internal Linking—It’s Time to Get Strategic with Subcategories and Parent Categories
Internal linking signals which pages are important, improving their chances of ranking well in search results, so why haven’t I thought of this before?
It’s obvious and Anna Uss goosed me. My website is nearly 15 years old, so some originally created WordPress categories and sub categories have tens if not hundreds of uses on my blog. Yes, I’ve been internally linking to my money pages, and to related blog articles, but wow. Shut the front door. Thanks Anna. The first hyperlink on this page is to my category.
Personal Experience with Internal Linking
Before reading SEO in 2024, I didn’t fully appreciate the power of a well-structured internal linking strategy. My categories and subcategories weren’t optimised in this way. Inspired by the book, I dedicated months to being Marty McFly and going back to update my internal links to ensure a seamless user experience and stronger site structure. Internal linking impacts “link equity,” or SEO value that flows from one page to another, helping low-ranking, old or new pages gain visibility. You should link to newly published blog articles, pages, sub categories, tags and parent categories – and mix them up with the oldest.
Since implementing these changes, visitors have been spending more time on my site, clicking through multiple pages, or increased dwell time. This improvement aligns with SEO in 2024’s focus on creating a well-connected experience for both users and search engines, reducing bounce rate and increasing engagement.
Schema Markup Isn’t Optional Anymore—Here’s Why You Need It Now
Understanding Schema Markup
Schema markup, or structured data, is a language for search engines that tells Google and Bing what’s on your page. It enables rich snippets that display additional information, like ratings and pricing, making search results more informative.
For non-technical readers, schema markup adds “extra details” to search results, making them more appealing to potential visitors. For technical readers, adding schema in JSON-LD format is Google’s preferred method, providing flexibility and accuracy.
Practical Advice for Adding Schema in WordPress
Schema can be added manually or through plugins:
- Manual Method (for Technical Readers): Insert JSON-LD code within a
<script type="application/ld+json">tag in the WordPress editor. Validate it with the Google Structured Data Testing Tool. - Plugin Method (for Non-Technical Readers): Use Schema Pro or Rank Math plugins to automate schema.
VideoObject JSON Schema for VideoSEO, local and product schema 2025
As SEO in 2024 suggests, schema markup may not immediately boost rankings, but it attracts more clicks by enriching search results. Listen, VideoSEO has always been a major method of mine since YouTube was let loose in the public domain in 2006.
Back in 2009, my simple trick was to embed a YouTube video on the homepage of any website, and optimise the video for the keywords (Title and tags and description, mimic on-page website SEO), and it would be at the top of Google page 1 the next day.
No joke. No skill, just embedding YouTube HTML and slapping in your target keywords at the beginning of the title. I was an overnight sensation – Until Google changed it’s algo and that one weird trick didn’t happen any more. Oh, well.
Technical Quality: Your SEO Foundation That Can’t Be Overlooked
What Does “Technical Site Quality” Mean?
Technical quality ensures your site runs smoothly for both users and search engines, covering elements like speed, crawlability, and ease of navigation. It’s the foundation of an effective SEO strategy, leading to better search rankings and higher user satisfaction.
For non-technical readers, think of technical quality like the foundation of a house—solid and stable, supporting everything else. For technical readers, it means optimising your HTML structure, improving page speed, and ensuring proper information architecture.
Steps to Improve Technical Health
- Boost Site Speed: Compress images, enable caching, and minify CSS/JavaScript. GA4 doesn’t offer site speed insights like the well-loved Universal Analytics, so the best place to visit is this Google Developers URL testing page.
- Check Crawlability: Use Google Search Console to fix broken links and create an XML sitemap.
- Simplify Navigation: Ensure essential pages are easily accessible from the home page with a clear footer menu.
The Human Element in SEO – Manual testing is essential. Automated tools miss user experience issues – like a chat widget covering mobile buttons – that manual checks can catch, as SEO in 2024 recommends. Krzystof Marzec recommends to navigate to the navigation bar in GA4 and link to Google Search Console. She’s right, 19/20 basic SEO audits I have completed in 2024 do not have the data linked.
Individually, both GA4 and GSC are powerful tools. Merging their data provides a holistic perspective, allowing you to:
- Identify high-performing keywords: Analyze which keywords drive traffic from GSC and user engagement metrics from GA4 to pinpoint the most valuable terms for your website. Utilize long-tail keyword research to target specific audience needs. Long-Tail Keyword Research
- Evaluate content performance: See how your content resonates with users by correlating GSC impressions and clicks with GA4 user behavior on those landing pages. Refine your content strategy for optimal SEO by incorporating insights from SEO blog writing tips. SEO Blog Writing Tips
- Track conversions: Measure the effectiveness of your SEO efforts by tracking how organic traffic from GSC converts into valuable actions within GA4.
Unveiling the Roadmap to Integration
The process of integrating GA4 and GSC is straightforward. Follow our step-by-step guide for a smooth implementation. For additional technical SEO guidance, explore my varied SEO services. SEO Consultant UK Google Ranking
Boring Reports Are so 2023 – Use Looker Studio to Make Data Pop
SEO reporting goes beyond metrics; it communicates SEO value to clients and team members. For non-technical readers, reports are like a “story” of your site’s performance, highlighting areas of improvement. For technical readers, Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) offers data integration and customization, combining GA4 and CRM data for actionable insights.
Using Looker Studio to Combine Data Sources
Looker Studio lets you create a central dashboard where key metrics are visible:
- Key Metrics Only: Avoid overwhelming with data; focus on traffic, conversions, and bounce rate.
- Visual Elements: Charts and graphs make it easy to spot trends at a glance.
- Branding: Go on, show off with your logo and branding colours to create cohesive, at-a-glance reports for non-technical clients.
Personal Reflections on Reporting
Most of my clients are classed as sole proprietors, small businesses, start ups or freelancers. Most are non technical, some struggle to email me photos, others are too busy with too many hats to respond to my emails. Reading a wordy email or SEO report is a sure fire way of getting binned, or ‘bookmarked for Ron’ – which is the way of saying ‘later on’ and we all know how “I’ll do it later/read it tomorrow’ works, right? Using Looker Studio aligns with SEO in 2024’s emphasis on clear, effective communication. Instead of overwhelming clients, my reports are now a visual.
Time end with a bit of self promotion
Explore a wider range of SEO resources and insights, especially about eCommerce and YouTube conversions, as self-declared Video SEO Visionary.
- Digital Project Manager: Case study coming soon showcasing a new domain and build ranked to Google page 1 in 3 months UK Nationwide.
- Sell worldwide with freelance Ecommerce SEO, regardless of the platform. Check out my case studies: Ecommerce SEO Specialist UK Shopify Magento WooCommerce Kajabi
- As an employee, the propitiatory method of eBay and Amazon listings SEO led to a 3 year turnover increase from 2M to 5M. This also included traditional on-page SEO, Video SEO and YouTube channel optimisation back in 2010. Check out Comfy Living on my Linkedin profile.
