Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for getting your website visible in the search engines. Companies across different industries use SEO to find new leads and generate traction for their business. But, what does successful SEO look like?
Find out in this compilation of SEO examples!
12 SEO examples for your site
Here are some of our top examples of SEO to inspire your optimization efforts:
1. Nike — Product pages and keywords
First up on our SEO examples is Nike.
Since Nike is a brand and a successful ecommerce store, their SEO focuses on getting people to their website to find and purchase their products by practicing SEO best practices for product pages. That means they must integrate keywords effectively on their product pages to compete with other, similar brands.
For example, they use clear descriptions to outline each of their products and fit keywords related into the page.
They also list their product names in the URL, headings, and body copy. On top of that, they have informational articles and FAQ sections about their products to increase their visibility in search engines.
If you have products on your site, you should focus on ecommerce SEO by integrating key terms throughout the page and be as descriptive as possible.
SEO Tips:
- Use a keyword generator tool to discover keyword opportunities.
- Target long-tail keywords.
- Add a Product schema to help web spiderbots crawl and index your page faster.
2. Taylor Swift — Schema markup
Selling out arenas isn’t a problem for The Eras Tour, but Taylor Swift’s website still makes use of schema markup via MusicEvent markup, which highlights the upcoming stops on the record-breaking tour.
With schema markup (also known as structured data), your business can provide search engines like Google with more context about your site and organization. This increased understanding can result in higher organic rankings.
SEO Tips:
- Check and test if your website pages have a schema markup using Schema.org.
- Generate the right type of schema using a markup generator (ex. Technical SEO, RankRanger).
- Automate schema markup generation with WordPress plugins like RankMath and Schema Pro for.
3. Starbucks — UX and images
Next up on our list is Starbucks. This well-loved coffee company has become a household name for many reasons, one being their focus on the user and how framing their products through images and branding.
In this SEO marketing example, the website speaks directly to the user, and the images and graphics create a seamless, unique experience for visitors. The images also include alt text, which is not only important for SEO but also accessibility.
These images help with on-page SEO (a type of SEO), as Google rewards sites with fast, well-integrated images. Also, since the content naturally leads users to convert, they get extra bonus points towards their rankings.
Using images on your site can help you promote your brand and give people a better experience as they browse your site. Also, you can show off your products and services and encourage users to convert.
Consider following these optimizations for your website to boost your rankings or get professional help with SEO services.
SEO Tips:
- Add alt text to all images for better web accessibility.
- Compress all images to lighten website load.
- Install a website plugin like Kraken.io to automatically compress all images uploaded.
4. Nerdwallet — Backlinks
Got links? Nerdwallet does, along with the strategy for acquiring them.
The brand’s leaned into developing helpful tools, from budget worksheets to cost of living calculators, that help users research critical financial decisions. As an SEO optimization example, check out their cost of living calculator:
According to Ahrefs, the URL has received more than 5000 backlinks from 1000 different domains, ranging from Wikipedia to Salesforce to Yale. This content is so effective from a link acquisition perspective because it appeals to a broad audience.
Plus, the tool anticipates a user’s need by allowing them to specify:
- Their current city
- The city they’re researching
- Their current income
Takeaway: Interactive — and relevant — content is extremely effective at attracting reputable backlinks. In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Be useful.”
SEO Tips:
- Routinely inspect backlinks using ScreamingFrog, Ahrefs, Semrush, or Ubersuggest.
- Fix any broken backlinks by redirecting, recreating or replacing content, or contacting the website owner of the broken link.
- Bulk assign “dofollow” or “nofollow” to links through SerpNinja or WordPress plugin Yoast SEO.
5. Ulta — Navigation
One of the best SEO examples is Ulta, whose website has a seamless navigation. Navigation systems tell search engines how pages are related, and they also make it easier for users to move throughout their website.
To start, Ulta has a clean navigation bar that makes it easy to see the main sections of their site.
Then, the dropdown menus serve as a simplified sitemap and clarify page relations.
Finally, when you click through pages, you can see the breadcrumb navigation tabs, which help users move back and forth between sections without having to start from scratch.
This SEO tactic directly benefits users and search engines — the main goal of optimizing your website. You should be sure to include seamless navigation on your pages to give yourself the best chance at ranking.
SEO Tips:
- Submit updated sitemaps through Google Search Console.
- Check site architecture using ScreamingFrog.
- See how users navigate your site using Google Analytics, and Hotjar, InspectLet, or Microsoft Clarity.
6. Apple — Copy and images
As you know, keywords are necessary for helping your site satisfy search intent and tell Google what pages are about. Apple uses copy and keywords to promote their products on search engines and help users learn more about each item.
Their copy is short and easy to read while still giving users the information they need about each product.
They also use images to help with their clean branding and add visual intrigue to their pages.
All these features help Apple rank high in the search results and give users an immersive experience before they even buy a product. Consider adding similar approaches to your website to make sure you rank well — or get professional help with national SEO services.
SEO Tips:
- Discover keyword opportunities using keyword tools like Keyword.io and Ubersuggest.
- Check On-page SEO with Ahrefs Page Inspect, Yoast SEO, and SEO Checker.
- Write precise and concise copy with the help of AI writing tools like Hemingway app, LanguageTool, and Grammarly for.
7. Canva — Programmatic SEO
Programmatic SEO is a powerful tool for search engine optimization efforts, but requires care. Canva provides one example of how businesses can use programmatic SEO in their strategies.
Canva uses programmatic SEO to generate content for different templates, like:
- Business cards
- Resumes
- Websites
- And more
Even though the URLs fail certain SEO best practices (like by missing meta descriptions), the URLs rank well for high-volume searches, like “business card template” which has more than 20,000 monthly searches.
Takeaway: Consider where your business can provide unique value with programmatic content, but watch for making SEO mistakes, like producing pages that offer little value to users.
SEO Tips:
- Generate automated content creation with programmatic SEO tools like Airtable and SEOMatic for large SEO content creation projects.
- Try Webflow for no-code website building data-driven SEO-optimized pages.
- Automate SEO-optimized page titles and meta-descriptions using Ahrefs Meta-description generator.
8. Semrush — Keyword integration and page speed
The best SEO examples target different areas of SEO, just like Semrush — a leading industry name for digital marketing. They have keyword integration down to a science, making it easy for Google to identify the page’s topic and for users to get the information they need.
For example, you can see how they add the target keyword throughout the page title, body, and headers.
They also make sure to add the target keyword in the URL, which is a significant factor in technical SEO.
Also, their pages load quickly, according to Google PageSpeed Insights.
Keyword integration is essential, but so is making sure that your site loads quickly. You can use tools like PageSpeed Insights to get reports on your website and see how and where to make improvements.
SEO Tips:
- Use Semrush Keyword Magic Tool to automatically insert your target keyword for SEO.
- Find the best target keywords while working on WordPress through Yoast SEO and Semrush integration.
- Understand page performance and find improvement opportunities with Google PageSpeed Insights.
9. Bankrate — EEAT
Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trust (EEAT)
is an important part of SEO, especially for organizations in the health and finance sector. Bankrate provides a great SEO marketing example for demonstrating EEAT:
The site’s content features several trust signals, including:
- Authors, editors, and reviewers
- Author pages, which include:
- Years of experience
- General experience
- Education
- Content published on third-party sites
- Advertiser disclosure
Demonstrating EEAT requires bringing multiple pieces of a puzzle together, but is critical when building trust with users — which is essential if you want to onboard these users as customers.
SEO Tips:
- Ensure all URLs are secure with HTTPS.
- Add content written by industry experts, with trust signals such as author bio and page.
- Manage reviews on review aggregator sites for your business like Clutch or G2 for B2B and Google Reviews or Yelp for B2C.
10. Meta — FAQ answers
Our examples of SEO conclude with Meta’s FAQ section, which is a perfect way to target customer queries and search results.
Meta uses their FAQ to answer questions about their products. If you type in these questions to Google, you will see Meta as the top result since they answer them and are the most authoritative source on the topic.
If you want to rank in the SERPs, you should target questions in your headers and answer them in the first few sentences of the body copy. This step can also help you rank for featured snippets and give users a better experience as they research.
SEO Tips:
- Use an FAQ schema type to boost chances of getting featured snippets on Google SERP.
- Check Google Search Console Performance report to check which queries generate the most impressions and clicks.
- Use Ahrefs or Semrush as an additional tool to check SERP featured snippets.
11. Crumbl Cookies — Franchise SEO
Crumbl Cookies has more than 950 franchise locations across the U.S.
The company’s site features URLs for each of its locations, from Springfield, Missouri to Chambersburg, PA. Rankings for these pages vary. While some appear mostly for branded terms, others have gotten traction for non-branded localized terms like:
- “cookies modesto” (as in Modesto, California)
- “cookie delivery massachusetts”
- “cookies ann arbor” (as in Ann Arbor, Michigan)
However, the company and its franchise locations are serious about local listings.
Search for Crumbl Cookies on Google Maps, and you’ll come across thoroughly-optimized Google Business Profiles, which feature the location’s service options, online ordering menu, and recent posts.
It’s worth noting, however, that the Google Business Profile name includes the location, like “Crumbl Cookies – Durango,” which veers from Google’s recommendations.
SEO Tips:
- Update Google Business Profile for accurate business details such as location, business name, hours, and holiday availability.
- Use Yext for local SEO for large businesses with multiple locations.
- Claim and manage citations for multiple franchise locations using BrightLocal.
12. Simon Roofing – Local SEO
You may not know Simon Roofing, but you’ve likely seen their roofs. For more than 100 years, the company’s provided commercial roofing services, including to the National Park Service.
The company’s adopted local SEO with locally targeted content on its site, like:
- Commercial roofing for Dallas
- Commercial roofing for Nashville
- Commercial roofing for New York
In the above SEO example, you can see the keyword-focused H1 heading, “Commercial Roofing Services in New York,” along with text that mentions different areas in New York, like Mount Vernon and Yonkers.
If you’re considering localized content, remember to make the content unique to the area. Include images — bonus if it’s pictures of your work from the area — and incorporate mentions unique to the area, like landmarks, events, and more.
And if you want to drive local traffic and generate brand visibility effortlessly, consider hiring an agency known for local SEO services in your area.
SEO Tips:
- Prioritize mobile-first and -responsive design.
- Optimize location pages by adding in details such as key landmarks and events unique to the area.
- Claim and optimize Google My Business profile. Update your contact information like name, address, and phone number along with business hours and preferred contact method.
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Now that you’ve seen these examples from real companies using SEO, it might be time to start implementing and tweaking your approach. Our team of SEO experts is ready to help whether you’re looking to enhance your website’s visibility, improve user experience, or drive more traffic. Contact us online today to get started.
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