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When done right, SEO is why you can usually find exactly what you’re looking for from Google and other search engines. Yep, even if you turn to Google search for a step-by-step guide to fixing your unfortunately timed flat tire.

Harsh truth time: When it comes to business, at least in my experience, you face a digital uphill battle without having some presence on Google.

It’s no wonder then, that SEO is one of the main areas marketers are investing in this year. In fact, HubSpot data finds that 32% of marketers plan to leverage websites, blogs, and SEO as part of their overall marketing strategy in 2024.

(For context, that was only beaten by email marketing at 33%.)

In this guide, you’ll learn what SEO is, discover a strategy to build your online presence — Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — and what you must do to position your site in search engine results.

Even if you’re an SEO whiz kid and have the basics down, it’s worth sticking around. “But why?” I hear you ask.

Well, aside from sharing my knowledge based on seven years of hands-on experience in SEO, I’ve also hand-selected some of the most incredible specialists to share their number one SEO best practices with you.

Keep on reading to understand SEO or jump ahead to the section that interests you most.

What is SEO?

How does SEO work?

What’s the importance of SEO?

How does Google know how to rank a page?

What is SEO strategy?

Three Core Components of a Strong SEO Strategy

Local SEO

Should you outsource SEO or keep it in-house?

9 SEO Best Practices From Selected Industry Specialists

SEO Resources and Training

When asked to explain what SEO is, I often choose to call it a strategy to make sure that when someone Googles your product or service category, they find your website.

But this simplifies the discipline a bit.

In reality, there are a ton of ways to improve the SEO of your site pages. Search engines look for elements, including title tags, keywords, image tags, internal link structure, and inbound links (also known as backlinks). Search engines also look at site structure and design, visitor behavior, and other external, off-site factors to determine how highly ranked your site should be in their SERPs.

With all of these factors taken into account, SEO primarily drives two things — rankings and visibility.

But before diving deeper, I want to note that many resources make SEO seem complex: they might even scare you away. I promise this guide isn’t like that. I’ll break SEO down into its most basic parts and show you how to use all of its elements to create a successful SEO strategy of your own.

Rankings

This is what search engines use to determine where to place a particular web page in the SERP. Rankings start at position number zero through the final number of search engine results for the query, and a web page can rank for one position at a time. As time passes, a web page’s ranking might change due to age, competition in the SERP, or algorithm changes by the search engine itself.

Visibility

This term describes how prominent a particular domain is in the search engine results. Lower search visibility occurs when a domain isn’t visible for many relevant search queries, whereas with higher search visibility, the opposite is true.

Both are responsible for delivering the main SEO objectives – relevant traffic and domain authority.

What’s the importance of SEO?

There’s one more important reason why you should invest in and use SEO: The strategy virtually helps you position your brand throughout the entire buying journey.

In turn, SEO can make sure that your marketing strategies match the new buying behavior.

Because, as Google admitted, customer behavior has changed for good.

As of January 2024, Google holds 81.95% of the worldwide search engine market share.

What’s more, customers typically prefer going through the majority of the buying process on their own.

For example, 86% of consumers say search engines are the best way to get information. And, across all generations, people overwhelmingly use search engines to get answers online.

Finally, DemandGen’s 2022 B2B Buyer’s Survey found that 67% of B2B buyers start the buying process with a broad web search.

But how do they use search engines during the process?

Early in the process, they use Google to find information about their problem. Some also inquire about potential solutions.

Then, they evaluate available alternatives based on reviews or social media hype before inquiring with a company directly. But this happens after they’ve exhausted all information sources.

And so, the only chance for customers to notice and consider you is by showing up in their search results.

Featured Resource

• The Complete SEO Starter Pack

How does Google know how to rank a page?

Search engines have a single goal only. They aim to provide users with the most relevant answers or information.

Every time you use them, their algorithms choose pages that are the most relevant to your query. And then rank them, displaying the most authoritative or popular ones first.

To deliver the right information to users, search engines analyze five main factors:

• The meaning behind someone’s query, which is their most likely intent for starting a search, and how that intent matches the most helpful content.
• Relevancy between the search query and the content on a page, and search engines assess it by various factors like topic or keywords.
• Quality of content, which uses the E-E-A-T (we’ll discuss this further below) model to surface content that seems the most helpful based on signals like experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
• The usability of a site, which considers page speed, mobile friendliness, and other factors related to how easy it is to discover content on a site.
• Context, which relies on a searcher’s past behavior and settings like location.

And to analyze all this information they use complex equations called search algorithms.

Search engines keep their algorithms secret. However, over time, SEOs have identified some of the factors they consider when ranking a page. We refer to them as ranking factors, and they are the focus of an SEO strategy.

When determining relevance and authority, following the E-E-A-T framework can help tremendously. E-E-A-T in SEO stands for “expertise,” “experience,” “authoritativeness,“ and ”trustworthiness.” Here’s what each one means:

• Expertise. You’re a subject matter expert.
• Experience. You have personal experience with the content you write about.
• Authoritativeness. Others see you as a source of authority, like other sites linking to your site and vouching for your credibility.
• Trustworthiness. Your website and its content are credible and current.

Professionals who responded to our Web Traffic & Analytics Report ranked trustworthiness and expertise as the most important ranking factors for showing up in SERPs, followed by experience and authoritativeness.

As AI becomes a bigger part of the search mix, expertise and experience will become increasingly important for content writers looking to stand out from AI-generated content. Why? Because algorithms don’t have a) the expertise to develop unique opinions or b) the level of personality that a human expert has.

And although these are not direct ranking factors, they can improve your SEO content, which can impact direct ranking factors. In fact, 65% of SEOs say that Google’s 2023 algorithm update (which included the updated E-E-A-T framework) had a positive impact.

As you’ll shortly see, adding more content, optimizing image filenames, or improving internal links can affect your rankings and search visibility. And that’s because each of those actions improves a ranking factor.

Three Core Components of a Strong SEO Strategy

To optimize a site, you need to improve ranking factors in three areas — technical website setup, content, and links. So, let’s go through them in turn.

1. Technical Setup

For your website to rank, three things must happen:

First, a search engine needs to find your pages on the web.

Then, it must scan them to understand their topics and identify their keywords.

And finally, it needs to add them to its index — a database of all the content it has found on the web. This way, its algorithm can consider displaying your website for relevant queries.

Seems simple, doesn’t it? Nothing to see here… After all, since you can visit your site without any problem, so should Google, right?

Well, there’s a catch. A web page looks different for you and the search engine. You see it as a collection of graphics, colors, text with its formatting, and links.

To a search engine, it’s nothing but text.

As a result, any elements it can’t render this way remain invisible to the search engine. And so, despite your website looking fine from your perspective, Google might find its content inaccessible.

Let me show you an example. Here’s how a typical search engine sees one of our articles. (It’s this one, by the way, if you want to compare it with the original.)

Notice some things about it:

• The page is just text. Although we carefully designed it, the only elements a search engine sees are text and links.
• As a result, it cannot see an image on the page (note the element marked with an arrow.) It only recognizes its name. If that image contained an important keyword we’d want the page to rank for, it would be invisible to the search engine.

That’s where technical setup, also called on-site optimization, comes in. It makes sure that your website and pages allow Google to scan and index them without any problems. The most important factors affecting it include:

Website navigation and links

Search engines crawl sites just like you would. They follow links. Search engine crawlers land on a page and use links to find other content to analyze. But as you’ve seen above, they cannot see images. So, set the navigation and links as text-only.

Simple URL structure

Search engines don’t like reading lengthy strings of words with complex structure. So, if possible, keep your URLs short. Set them up to include as little beyond the main keyword (for which you want to optimize the page) as possible.

Page speed

Search engines use the load time — the time it takes for a user to be able to read the page — as an indicator of quality. Many website elements can affect it. Image size, for example. Use Google’s Page Speed Insights Tool for suggestions on how to improve your pages.

[Video: https://youtu.be/OlbJKOWEPEM]

Dead links or broken redirects

A dead link sends a visitor to a nonexistent page. A broken redirect points to a resource that might no longer be there. Both provide a poor user experience and also prevent search engines from indexing your content.

Sitemap and Robots.txt files

A sitemap is a simple file that lists all URLs on your site. Search engines use it to identify what pages to crawl and index. A robots.txt file, on the other hand, tells search engines what content not to index (for example, specific policy pages you don’t want to appear in search.) Create both to speed up the crawling and indexing of your content.

Duplicate content

Pages containing identical or quite similar content can confuse search engines. They often find it nearly impossible to display any of those pages at all. If search engines do find them, your website could be penalized. But it really depends on the extent of duplication and the context surrounding it.

Expert Insights

There are nuances to explore regarding duplicate content (and the myths surrounding it), but Olivian Stoica, Senior SEO Specialist at Wave Live Wallpapers, is here to help.

“In theory, it‘s straightforward by definition, but in practice, it depends on context. Google does not penalize duplicate content but rather has difficulty in determining the best page to rank. For most people, failing to rank because of duplicate content seems like a penalty, but it’s not,” says Stoica.

Stoica notes that there’s a nuance in duplicate content and how much the page content matches another on the same domain.

“In my experience with an SEO agency, we focused on leveraging near duplicate issues where several pages shared similarities by 70-80%. There was a lot of boilerplate content shared on hundreds of pages. We had to come up with more unique content for each page that included several page elements like visuals and text,” Stoica says.

So is boilerplate content bad? According to Stoica, that depends on how much boilerplate content you’re using on your page. “If it’s over 50-60% of the entire page content, it could damage your growth strategy,” Stoica says.

Stoica explains that he’s never seen a manual action or algorithm penalty applied for having duplicate content. But at the same time, he’s never experienced duplicate content at scale.

Final thoughts: “I think we focus on reducing and eradicating duplicate content not because it’s harmful as it might have been several years ago, or because other SEO experts would have us believe it, but because it helps optimize crawl budget,” Stoica notes.

This is essential on large websites with hundreds of thousands of pages, Stoica notes. “It’s like in life. People hate it when you repeat the same thing. So, why do it on your website?” says Stoica.

2. Content

Every time you use a search engine, you’re looking for content — information on a particular issue or problem, for example.

True, this content might come in different formats. It could be text, like a blog post or a web page. But it could also be a video, product recommendation, and even a business listing.

It’s all content.

And for SEO, it’s what helps gain greater search visibility.

Here are two reasons why:

• First, content is what customers want when searching. Regardless of what they’re looking for, content provides it to them. Providing it’s high-quality, genuinely helpful for the end user, and doesn’t violate Google’s spam policies, the more you publish, the higher your chance of greater search visibility.
• Also, search engines use content to determine how to rank a page. It’s the idea of relevance between a page and a person’s search query that we talked about earlier.

While crawling a page, they determine its topic. Analyzing elements like page length or its structure helps them assess its quality. Based on this information, search algorithms can match a person’s query with pages they consider the most relevant to it.

The process of optimizing content begins with keyword research.

Keyword Research

SEO is not about getting any visitors to the site. You want to attract people who need what you sell and can become leads, and later, customers.

However, that’s possible only if you rank for the keywords those people would use when searching. Otherwise, there’s no chance they’d ever find you. And that’s even if your website appeared at the top of the search results.

That’s why SEO work starts with discovering what phrases potential buyers enter into search engines.

The process typically involves identifying terms and topics relevant to your business. Then, you can convert them into initial keywords. And finally, you can conduct extensive research to uncover related terms your audience would use.

We’ve published a thorough guide to keyword research for beginners. It lays out the keyword research process in detail. Use it to identify search terms you should be targeting.

With a list of keywords at hand, the next step is to optimize your content. SEOs refer to this process as on-page optimization.

On-Page Optimization

On-page optimization, also called on-page SEO, ensures that search engines a.) understand a page’s topic and keywords and b.) can match it to relevant searches.

Note, I said “page,” not content. That’s because, although the bulk of on-page SEO work focuses on the words you use, it extends to optimizing some elements in the code.

You may have heard about some of them — meta-tags like title or description are the two most popular ones. But there are more. So, here’s a list of the most crucial on-page optimization actions to take.

Note: Since blog content prevails on most websites when speaking of those factors, I’ll focus on blog SEO — optimizing blog posts for relevant keywords. However, all this advice is equally valid for other page types, too.

Featured Resource

• Guide to On-Page SEO Strategy

a) Keyword Optimization

According to web analysts and SEO experts, optimizing your on-page content around target keywords is the most effective SEO strategy for ranking highly on SERPs.

For keyword optimization, you’ll need to ensure that Google understands what keywords you want this page to rank. To achieve that, make sure you include at least the main keyword in the following:

• Post’s title. Ideally, place it as close to the start of the title as possible. Google is known to put more value on words at the start of the headline.
• URL. Your page’s web address should also include the keyword.Ideally, it would include nothing else. Also, you should remove any stop words.
• H1 Tag. In most content management systems, this tag displays the page’s title by default. However, make sure that your platform doesn’t use a different setting.
• The first 100 words (or the first paragraph) of content. Finding the keyword at the start of your blog post will reassure Google that this is, in fact, the page’s topic.
• Meta-title and meta-description tags. Search engines use these two code elements to display their listings. They display the meta-title as the search listing’s title while the meta-description provides content for the little blurb below it. However, above that, they use both to further understand the page’s topic.
• Image file names and ALT tags. Remember how search engines see graphics on a page? They can only see their file names. So, make sure that at least one of the images contains the keyword in the file name.

The alt tag, on the other hand, is the text browsers will display instead of an image for visually impaired visitors or if the image doesn’t load. However, since ALT tag resides in the image code, search engines use it as a relevancy signal as well.

That said, there’s a delicate balance to be had with ALT tag optimization. And, your main priority should always be to use this element to make your content more accessible for end users rather than more optimized for search.

Also, add semantic keywords — variations or synonyms of your keyword. Google and other search engines use them (and the added context they provide) to better determine a page’s relevancy.

Let me illustrate this with a quick example. Let’s pretend that your main keyword is “Apple.” But do you mean the fruit or the tech giant behind the iPhone?

Now, imagine what happens when Google finds terms like sugar, orchard, or cider in the copy. The choice of what queries to rank it for would immediately become obvious, right?

That’s what semantic keywords do. Add them to make sure your page doesn’t start appearing for irrelevant searches.

Pro tip: If you want to get to grips with how Google categorizes and understands text (and why semantic keywords are so important), try Google’s Natural Language API. It’s free and will give you a first-hand idea of how a few different words can completely change the categorization of your text.

Image Source

In the above example, I’m writing a quick introduction for an e-commerce product category dedicated to cat-themed designs.

Because the text is so heavily focused on why cats are great (I mean they are, of course) rather than placing the theme of ‘cat’ within the context of the actual product (cat-themed designs), Google interprets this as being more about pets than designs. That might work for a pet shop, but it’s not ideal for a design marketplace.

Image Source

In the second example, I’ve targeted my primary audience (crafters) first and placed the theme of cats in the right context from the get-go. (The ‘right’ context is to use these cat-themed designs to produce home crafts.) As you can see Google has registered words like “crafters,” “designs,” and “Cricut,” more than others. And those words are driving the broader intent of the text.

Source

As a result, Google is now classifying the text in the “Hobbies & Leisure/Crafts/Other categories” rather than so heavily in “Pets & Animals/Pets/Cats.” And that’s all because of the specificity of both the word choices and the context.

b) Non-Keyword-Related On-Page Optimization Factors

On-page SEO is not just about sprinkling keywords across the page. The factors below help confirm a page’s credibility and authority, too:

• External links. Linking out to other, relevant pages on the topic helps Google determine its topic further. Plus, it provides a good user experience. How? By positioning your content as a valuable resource.
• Internal links. Those links help you boost rankings in two ways. First, they allow search engines to find and crawl other pages on the site. And second, they show semantic relations between various pages, helping to determine relevance to the search query. As a general rule of thumb, you should include at least 2-4 relevant internal links per blog post.
• Content length. This is not always the case, but long content typically ranks better. That’s because, if done well*, a longer blog post will always contain more exhaustive information on the topic, thus keeping a reader on your site longer. That’s called dwell time, and it’s considered by some to be an important ranking factor for search engines.
• Multimedia. Although not a requirement, multimedia elements like videos, diagrams, and audio players can signal a page’s quality. It keeps readers on a page for longer, just like longer content does. And in turn, it signals that they find the content valuable and worth pursuing.

*Note: I’ve been in marketing and SEO for about seven years. But I’m a writer and editor at heart (and by trade), so here’s my heartfelt addendum regarding content length.

Please don’t write long content just for the sake of it.

That’s how you waste your reader’s time and inevitably decrease the value of your content rather than add to it.

When writing or editing, ask yourself, “Does this [section/paragraph/sentence/word/idea] genuinely add value to the piece?” and if it doesn’t, cut it.

The real aim should always be to cover the topic thoroughly without adding filler. Filler is boring to read, and it doesn’t move the piece forward.

3. Links

From what you’ve read in this guide so far, you know that no page will rank without two factors — relevance and authority.

In their quest to provide users with the most accurate answers, Google and other search engines prioritize pages they consider the most relevant but also popular to their queries.

The first two areas — technical setup and content — focused on increasing relevance (though I admit, some of their elements can also help highlight the authority.)

Links, however, are responsible for popularity.

But before we talk more about how they work, here’s what SEOs mean when talking about links.

What is a backlink?

Links, also called backlinks, are references to your content on other websites. Every time another website mentions and points its readers to your content, you gain a backlink to your site.

For example, this article in Entrepreneur mentions our Not Another State of Marketing Report page. It also links to it, allowing their readers to see other stats than the one quoted.

Google uses the quantity and quality of links like this as a signal of a website’s authority. Its logic is that web admins would reference a popular and high-quality website more often than a mediocre one.

But note that I mentioned link quality as well. That’s because not all links are the same. Some — low-quality ones — can impact your rankings negatively.

Links Quality Factors

Low-quality or suspicious links — for example, ones that Google would consider as built deliberately to make it consider a site more authoritative — might reduce your rankings.

That’s why, when building links, SEOs don’t focus on any old links. They aim to generate the highest quality references possible.

Naturally, just like with the search algorithm, we don’t know what factors determine a link’s quality, specifically. However, over time, SEOs discovered some of them:

• The popularity of a linking site. Any link from a domain that search engines consider an authority will naturally have high quality. In other words, links from websites with good-quality links pointing to them will yield better results.
• Topic relevance. Links from domains on a topic similar to yours will carry more authority than those from random websites.
• Trust in a domain. Just like with popularity, search engines also assess a website’s trust. Links from more trustworthy sites will always impact rankings better.

Link Building

In SEO, we refer to the process of acquiring new backlinks as link building. And as many practitioners admit, it can be a challenging activity.

Link building, if you want to do it well, requires creativity, strategic thinking, and patience. To generate quality links, you need to develop a link-building strategy. And that’s no small feat.

Remember, your links must pass various quality criteria. Plus, it can’t be obvious to search engines that you’ve built them deliberately.

Expert Insights

Ranko Media Founder and CEO Nick Rubright has been working on link building for his projects and clients for a decade. He also speaks to website eowners every day looking for backlinging opportunities.

“A common theme I notice among website owners who are less experienced in the world of SEO and link building is that they often want to buy the backlinks, thinking search engines won’t notice, or even not realizing it’s against their spam policies,” Rubright says.

Rubright reminds us that in his experience, paying for backlinks either produces short-term results (so it works until Google finds out) or no results at all (if Google already knows the sellers you’re working with).

So, how does Google know if you’re paying for links? Well, they look for the sellers.

Rubright adds, “See, if someone tries to sell me a backlink, I can just tell Google that they’re selling right here.”

Image Source

“Eventually, the website you paid for a link on gets caught because someone like me just reports websites that sell backlinks every time they run across that in their outreach. When this happens, and Google knows the outbound links are paid for,” Rubright explains.

Google won’t count the outbound links from the domain as votes anymore, which means these backlinks produce zero ranking value.

“This seems to be true even if the websites that are selling backlinks have Google rankings themselves,” Rubright says.

Yes, this approach (paying for, rather than earning links) might seem like the more cost-effective alternative at first. But Rubright reminds us, “If you’re saving money buying links, and those links don’t do anything for your website, you’re getting zero ROI on your link-building investment.”

Link-building strategies to help you earn links:

• Editorial, organic links. These backlinks come from websites that reference your content on their own.
• Outreach. In this strategy, you contact other websites for links. This can happen in many ways. You could create an amazing piece of content and email them to tell them about it. In turn, if they find it valuable, they’ll reference it. You can also suggest where they could link to it.
• Guest posting. Guest posts are blog articles that you publish on third-party websites. In turn, those companies often allow you to include one or two links to your site in the content and author bio.
• Profile links. Many websites offer an opportunity to create a link. Online profiles are a good example. Often, when setting up such a profile, you can also list your website there as well. Not all such links carry strong authority, but some might. And given the ease of creating them, they’re worth pursuing.
• Competitive analysis. Finally, many SEOs regularly analyze their competitors’ backlinks to identify those they could recreate for their sites, too.

Now, if you’re still here with me, you’ve just discovered what’s responsible for your site’s success in search.

The next step is figuring out whether your efforts are working.

How to Monitor & Track SEO Results

Technical setup, content, and links are critical to getting a website into the search results. Monitoring your efforts helps improve your strategy further.

Measuring SEO success means tracking data about traffic, engagement, and links. And though most companies develop their own sets of SEO KPIs (key performance indicators), here are the most common ones:

• Organic traffic growth
• Keyword rankings (split into branded and non-branded terms)
• Conversions from organic traffic
• Average time on page and the bounce rate
• Top landing pages attracting organic traffic
• Number of indexed pages
• Links growth (including new and lost links)

Local SEO

Up until now, we focused on getting a site rank in search results in general. If you run a local business, however, Google also lets you position it in front of potential customers in your area, specifically. But for that, you use local SEO.

And it’s well worth it.

46% of Google searches are for local businesses. They look for vendor suggestions and even specific business addresses.

81% of consumers use Google to research local businesses, and they look for things like online reviews.

But hold on, is local SEO different from what we’ve been discussing all along?

Yes and no.

Search engines follow similar principles for both local and global rankings. However, given that they position a site for specific, location-based results, they need to analyze some other ranking factors, too.

Even local search results look different:

• They appear only for searches with a local intent (for example, “restaurant near me” or when a person clearly defined the location.)
• They contain results specific to a relevant location.
• They concentrate on delivering specific information to users that they don’t need to go anywhere else to find.
• They target smartphone users primarily as local searches occur more often on mobile devices.

For example, a localpack, the most prominent element of local results, includes almost all the information a person would need to choose a business. Here are local results Google displays for the phrase “best restaurant in Boston.”

Source

Note that these results contain no links to any content. Instead, they include a list of restaurants in the area, a map to show their locations, and additional information about each:

• Business name.
• Description.
• Image.
• Opening hours.
• Star Reviews.
• Address.

Often, they also include a company’s phone number or website address.

All this information combined helps customers choose which business to engage with. But, it also allows Google to determine how to rank it.

Local Search Ranking Factors

When analyzing local websites, Google looks at the proximity to a searcher’s location. With the rise of local searches containing the phrase “near me,” it’s only fair that Google will try to present the closest businesses first.

Keywords are essential for local SEO, too. However, one additional element of on-page optimization is a company’s name, address, and phone number on a page. In local SEO, we refer to it as the NAP.

Again, it makes sense, as the search engine needs a way to assess the company’s location.

Google assesses authority in local searches, not just by links. Reviews and citations (references of a business’s address or a phone number online) highlight its authority, too.

Finally, the information a business includes in a Google Business Profile — the search engine’s platform for managing local business listings — plays a massive part in its rankings.

The above is just the tip of the iceberg. But they are the ones to get right first if you want your business to rank well in local search.

What is black hat SEO?

The final aspect of SEO I want to highlight is something I also hope you’ll never be tempted to use on anything other than a test site.

For context, some SEO specialists experiment with black hat SEO for their own test websites. Through testing, these SEOs can demonstrate proof of concept and learn how to safeguard their client’s websites based on their experimentations.

But I repeat: Do not use these tactics for your clients or employers because they are not your sites to experiment with.

That said, although it might have its lure and can be used on test sites, black hat SEO typically ends in a penalty from search listings.

Black hat practices aim at manipulating search engine algorithms using strategies against search engine guidelines. The most common black hat techniques include keyword stuffing, cloaking (hiding keywords in code so that users don’t see them, but search engines do), and buying links.

So, why would someone use black hat SEO? Well, ranking a site following Google’s guidelines takes time. In some cases, depending on the budget, a website’s existing authority, and more, it can take a long time.

Black hat strategies let you cut down the complexity of link building, for example. Keyword stuffing helps users to rank one page for many keywords without having to create more content.

But as I said, getting caught often results in a site being completely wiped out from search listings.

The reason I mention it here is because I want you to realize that there are no shortcuts in SEO. And also, be aware and very suspicious of anyone suggesting strategies that might seem too good to be true…

We need only look at Google’s recent 2024 update, which, combined with its previous efforts, aimed to “collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%” as an example.

The 40% in question refers to a large number of websites (many of which received manual actions) that published unhelpful AI-generated content, which Google ultimately viewed as spam.

Any SEO worth their salt would’ve told you to avoid abusing AI-generated content to such a degree. Yes, even when Google announced (and I paraphrase) that it was ok with AI content within reason.

But a lot of the ‘get rich quick with AI’ types sold people some serious SEO strategy snake oil that turned out to be a big serving of scaled content abuse.

Doing SEO Yourself

Be honest with yourself — are you interested in learning SEO? Do you have time to learn the basics? Do you have the resources to bring in help if you redesign your website and accidentally deindex several pages?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” then you might not want to take on the responsibility of SEO yourself.

SEO is a long-term play, and just like a muscle, you have to work at it consistently to see results. That can take a substantial amount of commitment. If you have any doubts, try the next best thing — delegating the work.

That said, learning about the process and becoming an SEO specialist makes you well-equipped to create content because you’ll know exactly what matters most. And there is a wide variety of SEO tools out there that will help you throughout the process.

For example, HubSpot’s SEO Marketing Software includes tools that help you optimize your content and execute your SEO strategy. You’ll get a list of issues to fix ranked based on importance and detailed insight into why those issues matter to prepare you for the future.

Get started with HubSpot’s SEO Marketing Software

Nowadays, 50% of writers also use AI SEO tools to boost content performance, and 65% of web analysts say it helps their pages rank higher in SERPs. Bloggers also say AI tools are highly effective at helping them align their web content with search intent (which hits on two of the four factors used to rank pages.)

Delegate SEO to a Team Member

If you’re not quite sure about taking on SEO yourself, consider delegating the work to a team member. If you have a person interested in growth marketing, development, or even web design, this would be a valuable skill to help grow their career.

Funnily enough, that’s actually how I got started in SEO. I was an office admin for work, but in my spare time, I was building my own website and learning about blogging. As my ‘home’ journey progressed, I realized my employer didn’t cover SEO or blogging nearly as well as they could.

I approached the CEO with a business case on why we should invest time (my time) and resources (me) in these areas. It suited the business objectives and my career goals (I got to do something creative), so it got the green light.

The next thing I knew, I was working through a Google Digital Garage Course on SEO, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Aside from assigning tasks in-house, you could hire a full-time search engine optimization specialist if you have the budget.

The person in this role can report to the marketing team, development team, or even design team. Because SEO touches nearly every function of a business while maintaining a unique set of skill requirements, this position won’t be subject to frequent changes if departments need to be restructured later on. The person you delegate to this job will contribute cross-functionally more often than not.

Expert Insights

“In my experience, text documentation with visuals and video tutorials help a lot. I’m a documentation addict from my past experience as a technical documentation writer. For me, having everything documented is keen, not only for delegating SEO tasks to a peer, but for yourself too,” says Stoica of Wave Live Wallpapers

Stoica provides an example of what this looks like in practice. Stoica delegated keyword research to teammates. They then meet weekly to discuss their progress and bottlenecks.

“After some time, they proposed new ways to conduct their research that proved they understood the assignment and how SEO works in that area,” Stoica says.

Final thoughts: “All in all, my approach to delegating some elements of SEO is by using documentations, video presentations, 1-on-1 discussions, and setting up internal processes for verifications and feedback,” says Stoica.

Outsource SEO to an Agency

You don’t have the interest in SEO, your team’s at full capacity, and you can’t spare the budget to fill a full-time SEO role. Now what? The best bang for your buck is to outsource SEO to a reputable consultant. Why?

First, a well-respected SEO consultant is highly skilled in bringing organic traffic, leads, and conversions to businesses. They do this day in and day out, so they won’t need the ramp-up time that you or a member of your team would need in order to learn the basics.

Second, a consultant can be less expensive than hiring someone full-time for the role because they don’t require insurance benefits, payroll taxes, etc. But how much exactly would you be looking at for outsourcing your SEO?

SEO can cost between $100 and $500 per month if you do it yourself with a keyword research tool. It can cost between $75 and $150 per hour for a consultant and up to $10,000 per month if you hire a full-service marketing agency. Small businesses generally spend less on SEO than big brands, so be sure to take that into account.

Incurring SEO costs can mean one of two things: the investment in your organic search strategy, or how much you pay for paid search engine marketing (SEM) services like Google Ads. If you’re paying for a tool, consultant, or marketing agency to help you optimize your web content, your bill can vary wildly with the depth of the services you’re receiving.

 

9 SEO Best Practices From Selected Industry Specialists

I reached out to eight specialists to get the inside scoop on their SEO best practices. Each specialist focused on a single area (i.e., Tech SEO) or way of working (i.e., working with an agency) within SEO.

Everyone was incredibly generous with their insights. So, for this section, I wanted to a) give everyone space to speak about their specialist areas within SEO and b) get out of their darn way so they could shine.

I sincerely hope this is as exciting for you to read as it was for me to put together.

1. Tech SEO (Make your site 55% faster for users.)

I spoke with Liam Fallen, SEO Consultant and Founder of the MostlyMarketing Slack Community and LiamFallen.com. Fallen has ten years of experience in SEO and has worked with companies like monday.com, Riverside.fm, and LeoVegas, focusing specifically on tech SEO.

Fallen shares his favorite tip for making a site faster for users by removing unused code. But first, he tells us why it matters.

“Removing unused code can improve performance, especially if you‘re loading 5 MB and your users only need two MB for it to function. It can be tricky to remove, as you’ll need to test that it doesn’t break anything. But if done properly, you can see a noticeable difference in load times,” Fallen says.

To get started, Fallen walks you through the complete step-by-step process below:

Source

Best for: Fallen’s site speed tip is easy to do, making it beginner-friendly. That said, even more advanced SEOs shouldn’t sleep on this tech SEO best practice.

2. SEO Content (Focus on quality and search intent.)

“There are a few very important things when it comes to creating great SEO content. I’ll focus on two,” says Ben Goodey, Founder at Spicy Margarita Content and SEO podcast and case studies community, How the F*ck.

1. Content Quality

“People often look at the state of other content on Google and think, ‘Oh, great, mine doesn’t have to be interesting, unique, or spicy in any way.’ But lowering your bar for quality when it comes to SEO is a big no in my book,” says Goodey.

Low-quality only guarantees you fit into the crowded market of bland content and don’t stand out to a reader, Goodey notes.

Goodey reminds us that “The best content, whether distributed via search or not, is filled with value, your brand, personality, your experience, and opinions. Your challenge is to be informative AND unique.”

2. Meeting Search Intent

“Search intent is the reason behind the user’s search term, and if your content doesn’t match that reason, it’s very unlikely it will rank highly in Google. To give an example, imagine someone searching ‘best CRM software,’” says Goodey.

Goodey explains that their intent is likely to research CRM software provider options and make a reasoned choice. Your content should help them do this, probably by reviewing and listing several options.

Goodey adds, “If you instead wrote an article titled ‘Why a Best CRM Software Doesn’t Exist,’ you’re unlikely to rank well because while it’s an interesting angle, it doesn’t give the reader what they want.”

Pro tip: For an example like the one above, Goodey recommends covering those unique takes within your article rather than making them the entire angle of your piece.

3. Keyword Research (Target leads and revenue — not just traffic.)

Samantha North, content strategy consultant and founder of Content Foundations and samanthanorth.com, shares her top four keyword research best practices with us below.

1. Leads and Revenue vs. Traffic

“Depending on your business model, leads/revenue matter more than mere traffic. The difference is all in the keyword. You should target commercial intent keywords to increase your leads or sales (even though they may have lower search volume),” explains North.

North recommends doing this early on in your content strategy. Doing so gives this business-critical content time to rank before you start targeting high-volume informational keywords.

North adds, “Traffic for traffic’s sake can be a misleading metric that won’t necessarily help your business’s bottom line.”

2. Reverse Engineer Your Top Competitors

According to North, you can get a strong head start on your keyword research simply by reverse engineering a few of your top competitors. To do this, you can use a tool like Semrush or Ahrefs.

Here’s how: “Once you‘ve got all their keywords, filter by the top 10 search positions, then use additional filters (such as ’how to,‘ or ’best’) to narrow down promising keywords that you can use to create problem-solving guides or competitor comparison articles,” North says.

3. Match Search Intent

Like Goodey, North reminds us that it’s vital to nail the correct search intent. Goodey points out, “If your content doesn’t match that reason [the intent behind the search], it’s very unlikely it will rank highly in Google.”

To match search intent, North says, “Always check the top 10 SERPs to understand the necessary angle for your target keyword. It might not be what you expect.”

4. Zero Volume Keywords

“Keyword research tools don’t usually give accurate search volume estimates, so don’t be afraid to target ‘zero volume keywords.’ ”If they’re highly relevant to your target audience. You should always prioritize content that serves your audience first,” says North.

4. Link Building (Don’t buy links. Earn them.)

Ranko Media’s Nick Rubright, spoke to us earlier about the hazards of buying backlinks. (Two hazards are short-term results that don’t last, meaning little to no return on investment.)

Instead, Rubright recommends earning links from websites your customers are reading. “This has been how I’ve approached link building for any website I’ve been able to sustainably grow,” says Rubright.

Rubright shares three best practices for link-building outreach — so you can earn links without paying for them.

1. Improve your prospecting

“Lots of people who are newer to SEO perceive link building as something where you somehow scrape contact data from the internet, build a huge list of sites and contact info, and send spammy outreach emails asking for a link,” says Rubright.

“The problem with this is that poorly targeted prospecting will result in low or no responses because the link or guest post topics you‘re pitching to the blogger or journalist doesn’t make sense for their audience,” Rubright says.

Aside from that, it can also permanently damage your domain’s email deliverability if your emails are getting marked as spam, which can lead to a lower success rate over time.

According to Rubright, a better approach is hand-picking your prospects to make sure that what you’re pitching adds value to their page or website.

Pro tip: “You can still use email templates, but make sure that it makes sense for your prospect to get the email you’re sending,” Rubright says.

2. Consider your pitch

“There are tons of ways to improve your email pitch, but a problem many link-building pitches have is that they don’t consider the blogger or journalist’s audience. They’ll blast out email templates with generic guest posting ideas in hopes of a response, playing the numbers game,” says Rubright.

Instead, Rubright advises that you customize your outreach email to the prospect you’re emailing.

Pro tip: “This doesn‘t mean you can’t use templates, but maybe write a custom opening line commenting on a recent article you read, or spend time detailing why you‘re pitching your link in a way that’s specific to their site. Specificity is the biggest factor in a pitch that improves response rates,” Rubright says.

3. Consider your story

“The reality of link building is that when going white hat, it’s a lot like PR. If you’re running a guest posting campaign, for example, you need to pitch ideas that are going to resonate with the blogger or journalist on the other end of the email,” says Rubright.

Rubright explains that if you‘re running a digital PR campaign, journalists and bloggers need to like the story. They also need to think it’s compelling to their audience if they’re going to publish it and credit you with a backlink.

Pro tip: “In situations where you‘re just pitching a link, I’ve found that explaining the ‘why’ behind your content asset is helpful in fulfilling this story element,” Rubright says.

Email Template Example for Link-Building Outreach

Here’s an email template Rubright uses when asking for a link to a content asset:

Hi [name]!

Just read your article about [topic]. [Comment.]

I’m emailing you today because I just finished writing a blog post about [topic] to help [audience] with [problem].

Here’s a link: [URL]

If you like it, do you think it would be worth mentioning in the section where you talked about [topic]?

Cheers,

Nick

5. Local SEO (Understand your target geographic area.)

I spoke with Christopher Levy, director of growth at Marketing Six, about local SEO best practices. Levy has ten years of SEO experience and specializes in local.

He shares his insights from the perspective of an agency or freelancer working with a client. But, you can easily apply these best practices to in-house SEO roles or work.

Administering a Google Business Profile (GBP)

“Administering a client’s GBP is an important skill set that a local SEO must learn. This includes optimizing the listing to be up-to-date and accurate, with relevant and compelling visuals. You can also share content, updates, and offers on a GBP,” says Levy.

Levy adds, “Soliciting and responding to reviews is another important role in managing a GBP that draws on skills needed for outreach.”

Pro tip: Levy recommends working with your local clients on a strategy for soliciting customer reviews and appropriate responses to reviews and comments left on GBPs.

Keyword Research for Local SEO

“When performing keyword research for local SEO, it’s important to understand that most tools used by SEO report data like keyword difficulty and monthly search volume (or MSV) based on nationwide data, or worse – data from the geographic midpoint,” says Levy.

Levy explains that‘s why it’s so important to use a keyword research tool that allows you to specify the geographic area you’re targeting.

“When you update these settings, you will likely see much different data, opening additional keyword strategies due to a lack of competitiveness within that geographic market,” Levy says.

According to Levy, client perceptions, particularly where the business owner is your point of contact, are crucial. That means you must make sure you can see local search results similar to what they see.

Pro tip: If your client is in a different market than where you are located, Levy recommends working with an SEO tool that can generate SERPs in the client’s market. You can also use a Virtual Private Network (or VPN) to make it appear to Google that you are in the target market.

6. Monitoring and Tracking SEO Results (Take a holistic approach.)

For the next two sections, I spoke with Zoe Ashbridge, the senior SEO strategist and co-founder at forank. (Bonus, she also writes for HubSpot!) She has nearly a decade of experience in digital marketing and SEO.

“It’s true that tracking SEO success can be difficult. Unlike PPC, you can’t point to a conversion and know exactly which search term drove it. However, there is a lot you can track,” says Ashbridge.

Ashbridge adds that what you track ultimately depends on your sales funnel. Still, the common metrics she tracks for SEO success include:

• Clicks and Impressions; Separate Brand and Non-Brand Clicks. “This is very important. While SEO can do a lot with brand search, its primary role is bringing new users to the site through top and middle funnel content,” Ashbridge says.
• Performance of Pages Built for SEO That Don’t Pull In a Lot of Brand Search. You can do this by tracking “Revenue or conversions direct from pages created at SEO’s request” using G4’s landing page report.
• Track Sales or Conversions From Users Who Also Viewed Content. To do this, Ashbridge uses G4’s segment overlap.
• Organic Revenue Sitewide. This is especially critical for E-commerce.

If you’re a service-based business, Ashbridge highly recommends that you also track your leads internally.

“The goal is to credit SEO for its sales assists; if SEO brings traffic to the site, your retargeting campaign and email marketing might convert them. You can identify content that’s part of the buyer journey with the segment overlap,” says Ashbridge.

Final thoughts: “Tracking SEO’s efforts does require some awareness of marketing and how it works holistically. Although tracking SEO’s efforts is an imperfect system, it’s better than the alternative: blind faith!” Ashbridge says.

7. Working With an SEO Agency (Look out for legitimacy in the data.)

“Your SEO agency must be tuned in to your business and marketing objectives. Think about the initial engagement between you and your potential agency as an opportunity for the agency to hear your needs,” says Ashbridge.

“Active listening and responses from the agency are an indicator that they’re offering tailored SEO strategy and solutions rather than out-the-box tactics,” Ashbridge says.

Ashbridge reminds us that a tailored solution brings longevity to your marketing and will support the marketing landscape rather than just SEO. That means a good agency will use SEO’s efforts to bolster other marketing efforts.

Ashbridge adds, “For example, keyword research and conversion data will be shared between SEO and PPC, and what content users are looking for will be delivered before they search it via emails. An awareness of how SEO fits into the wider marketing landscape is a sign of marketing sophistication.”

A Word on Agency Case Studies

Your agency will undoubtedly demonstrate marketing success through case studies. But Ashbridge warns us to pay close attention to “legitimacy in the data.”

“Ideally, you‘ll see (at least) screenshots from tools like Google Search Console or G4, as opposed to data only from reports created in Google Sheets. While there’s nothing wrong with the latter, unlike Google’s owned tools, they can be manipulated,” Ashbridge says.

Pro tip: Ashbridge recommends getting references, too, in addition to case studies. “An SEO with a proven track record won’t have any issue connecting you to a solid reference to vouch for their work,” Ashbridge says.

8. Doing SEO Yourself As a Business Owner (Find out if it’s the right call.)

I spoke with Olga Zhukova, a freelance SEO specialist at Olga Zhukova.com. Zhukova has experience consulting small business owners who either want to do SEO themselves or have already started doing it.

When To Do SEO Yourself

“So from my experience, when they [business owners] have a small website, it’s totally possible to do SEO optimization themselves. Most likely, that would be on-page,” Zhukova says.

In that case, Zhukova recommends the following best practices:

1. Take time and patience to learn about SEO and what to expect from your efforts.
2. Optimize on-page elements step by step (at the same time, find free/inexpensive tools to use).
3. Connect at least Google Search Console and understand basic reports.

When To Address an SEO Specialist

Zhukova adds: “As for when to address a specialist, there are several options when a consultation would be of use:

• To check the optimization performed.

• To ask for a further strategy to follow.

• To figure out why the website is not getting any traffic – it might be a technical issue.”

I asked Zhukova her thoughts about when it‘s best to avoid a DIY approach entirely or bring in a specialist to help with some of the ’doing’ rather than in a consultancy capacity.

When To Avoid a DIY SEO Approach Entirely

“You know, I’ve actually been thinking recently about when is the best time to hire a professional to do SEO? The bigger the site, the more ‘maintenance’ it might require,” says Zhukova.

“So if the owner doesn’t have enough time to work properly on content strategy and optimizing new pages, but there’s a budget to invest in professional services, it’s a green light to hire a specialist.”

If that’s the case, Zhukova would point out the following use cases:

1. Before launching a website. A specialist can help you plan out the structure and do basic SEO optimization. This would be great, especially when launching medium to large online stores. The reason is that it will give them a strong start.
2. The owner does all on-page SEO (using plugins and apps or their own knowledge). However, there are a growing number of indexation issues in the GSC and very low traffic despite all the efforts—that’d be a good time for a professional audit.
3. Website migrations/redesign. Zhukova warns that if a business owner migrates or redesigns their website structure without using SEO recommendations, it can lead to a significant loss in traffic.

9. Delegating SEO to a Team Member (Understand the Person You’re Training)

Last but by no means least, I spoke with Emma Russell, the founder of Oxford Comma Digital. Russell has a decade of experience helping start-ups and household name brands capitalize on and increase demand.

For context, I’ve worked with Russell personally. I was an in-house (and first-time) content manager, and Russell was the director of our SEO agency partner. Russell helped me swim rather than sink as I got to grips with SEO and team delegation. Further, I always admired the way she approached the agency-client working relationship.

Anyway, I‘ve gushed enough. Now let’s hand it over to Russell, who shares her best practices about delegating SEO to a team member…

How Not to Delegate

“Delegation is important — we all know that. It helps you do more SEO work that moves the needle, and it’s important to let the younger generation of SEOs learn by doing work that challenges them,” says Russell.

“In fact, it’s so important that it forms the basis of many consulting agencies revenue model: bring on a client, give that client to a recent grad, who’s really good at figuring things out, let them spend hour upon hour figuring out how to do the task and make money on all that unpaid overtime they put in… wait, hang on… that doesn’t sound so good…”

Russell adds, “Alas, that’s what delegation has looked like for years but is, thankfully, becoming ‘old school.’ At least in the SEO industry, good delegation looks decidedly different now.”

But what does “SEO delegation done right” look like?

Understand the person you’re delegating to.

Russell reiterates that this doesn’t just mean their skill levels in each area but also understanding them as people.

“Those grads I mentioned earlier probably thrive by being thrown in the deep end, but not everyone is like that. Some people have confidence issues, or imposter syndrome, or are dealing with things that are making challenges at work that much harder,” says Russell.

Russell recommends that step one is to figure out and understand how people like to learn. “Our objective is to let this person thrive, and this doesn’t look the same for everyone,” Russell says.

Brief this person properly.

“’Properly’” will depend on their skill level and their learning style. If you use a project management tool like Asana, Teamwork, or Hubspot, this can be made easier. But some people you’re delegating to will need to talk it through and ask questions,” says Russell.

Russell knows that taking the time to do this can be challenging, especially if you, yourself are extremely busy. Still, “it’s worth remembering that you’re delegating for a reason, and taking the time to get the brief stage right is completely worth it.”

Delegate to an in-house team (when you’re agency side).

“It’s worth noting that this delegation doesn’t always take place with people in the same company as yours. If you’re agency side, you’re often delegating to people within an in-house team who may have limited knowledge of SEO,” says Russell.

For this reason and many others, Russell explains that it’s worth putting serious effort into your communication skills and practicing conveying topics in a simple, non-reductionist way. Russell adds, “This will span from your documentation to your meeting communications.”

Allocate enough time.

To allow all of the above to happen, Russell advises that managers give people enough time for delegation and managing tasks properly.

Russell adds, “If you have a team member who delegates tasks to others and coaches them, they might not be a manager yet, but they need to have time to get this right. If you’re expecting them to be 100% on client work or projects, give it up. It’s not going to happen, and you’re overworking this person.”

SEO Resources and Training

This guide is just a starting point for discovering SEO. But there’s much more to learn.

Here are online training resources to try next if you or someone on your team wants to take on this skill:

• The HubSpot SEO Academy.
• Google Analytics Course.
• SEO That Works course.

You can also pick SEO knowledge from industry experts and their blogs. Here are some worth reading:

• SEMrush.
• MOZ.
• Yoast.
• BrightLocal (local SEO advice).
• Search Engine Journal.
• Search Engine Watch.
• Search Engine Land.
• SEO Chatter.
• Bruce Clay Inc.
• WordLift Blog.

Over to You

Without actively positioning its content in search results, no business can survive long.

By increasing your search visibility, you can attract more visitors and, in turn, conversions and sales. And that’s well worth the time spent becoming an expert in SEO.

If Hubspot is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

Credit: Original article published here.

Our view at Stack - Simplify growth with an all-in-one platform. Powerful marketing, sales, and support automation. Integrated CMS. Scalable software. Crafted for customer experience.

With 2.5 billion active users, YouTube is an undeniably important channel for your marketing efforts. Knowing how to optimize your YouTube channel can help you increase your chances of discoverability and reach more people.

As both a YouTuber and HubSpot‘s resident creator economy expert, I know a lot about YouTube and how to go viral on the platform. So, believe me when I say it’s not just keywords you have to think about.

Creating engaging YouTube descriptions is one of the most important tactics for optimizing your YouTube channel. We’ll discuss creating compelling descriptions for your YouTube channel and videos here.

YouTube Channel Descriptions

YouTube channel descriptions are a little like the About Page of a website. It appears under the “About” tab of your channel’s YouTube page.

Your YouTube channel description conveys to potential viewers what your content will cover, including the issues you tackle and the communities you serve. You’ll be able to add this when setting up your YouTube channel.

Take a look at my YouTube channel’s description as an example. Notice how I introduce myself, state the kind of content viewers can expect, and reference my target audience.

I also have links to other platforms connected to my channel, such as Instagram, X, TikTok, and my website.

As YouTube creators, our primary goal is to attract and turn viewers into subscribers, often using the channel description. With that in mind, use keywords your intended audience would use to search for your content.

See how “anime” is used multiple times in my channel’s description.

YouTube Video Descriptions

Every YouTube video includes a description that can be found under the viewport of the video.

It’s crucial that each of your YouTube videos include a unique description to increase the likelihood of your video being found when someone is searching for a particular topic.

As a YouTube content creator, I always craft my video descriptions knowing they can attract and convert an audience. So, I always optimize my video descriptions for SEO — and you should, too.

Keep reading if you‘re unsure how to start crafting compelling YouTube descriptions. I’ll explore tactics you can employ and provide templates to ensure you have everything you need to excel on YouTube.

1. Use YouTube description templates. [Free Prompts]

HubSpot compiled several YouTube video description templates to help your business provide context to your viewers, rank better in search, organize your team, and link to relevant web pages on your site.

Download These Templates for Free

2. Explain your content.

My colleague, Caroline Forsey, spoke with Eric Peters, a Senior Growth Product Manager on HubSpot’s Academy team, to explore the best tactics for writing YouTube descriptions.

He said, “[YouTube descriptions] are one of the primary ways YouTube knows what your video is about. Include links, additional resources, links to other videos and playlists, etc. Make sure the description box is easy to read.”

Peters explained that your YouTube video description and closed captioning should incorporate keywords into your description.

It also helps with accessibility for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Hence, adding closed captioning to your videos is essential for accessibility.

For instance, take a look at one of HubSpot Marketing’s YouTube video descriptions:

A YouTube description differs from a web page meta description. Content creators explain the entire video in a YouTube description and even link to external resources.

Peters says:

“You get 5,000 characters total, so make use of it. YouTube creators use asterisks or all-caps to differentiate titles from body copy because it’s all plain text.

Consider writing up a text version of the key points from the video, or even copying the transcription and paste it into the description.”

Most of my most recent YouTube videos consist of interviews from my podcast.

So, I‘ll often save time by writing out the description I’d use for my podcast episode that would appear on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, then copying and pasting the same description into YouTube.

I‘d then tweak it to include more keywords or important links to other platforms. I’ll also customize my YouTube video description with the bold, italic, or strikethrough options at the bottom of the description box.

For information, click here.

3. Include a call-to-action (CTA).

Your YouTube description is a fantastic opportunity to ask viewers to continue engaging with your channel or find additional resources to help them learn more about a topic of interest.

For instance, let’s say I create a brief “How to Add Filters to Instagram” YouTube video, but I also have an in-depth “How to Use Instagram for Marketing” blog post. Why not link it in the description?

Most likely, anyone watching my Instagram video on YouTube would be equally grateful for the opportunity to learn more through a blog post.

Perhaps I simply want to ask viewers to subscribe, turn on notifications, or share my content with their networks. These are all acceptable CTA’s for a description.

Personally, I always include a call to action in my YouTube video descriptions, telling viewers to follow my other social media accounts, subscribe to my blog, or listen to my corresponding podcasts on other platforms.

Experience has shown me it’s best practice to format the description so that the most critical information is first.

Peters advises, “The first 200 characters are above the ‘more’ fold on the description box, so if you want your CTA/link to be seen by most people, keep it within the first 200 characters.”

After the first 200 characters, the text will be cut off, and viewers must click “Show more” to see the rest. I know I don‘t always click “Show more” when watching a video, so your audience likely won’t either.

Therefore, you must count your first 200 characters.

4. Add your personality.

A YouTube description should be fun and demonstrate your brand’s personality with a unique voice. Unlike traditional forms of advertising, this is an opportunity for you to instill creativity and humor into your content.

Brian Dean’s YouTube channel is an excellent example of this. His YouTube descriptions often mirror the way he speaks. I enjoy his descriptions because they are candid and casual, and he makes it feel like he’s writing to a friend.

Consider checking out HubSpot Academy’s comprehensive YouTube Marketing course to learn more about using YouTube for marketing purposes.

5. Use timestamps to make videos scannable.

Including timestamps in your video description can make your video more user-friendly and help your content rank well on search engines.

YouTube video timestamps appear within search results, improving user retention by directing users to the most relevant portions of videos from SERPs.

Users can search for keywords in your video’s description and click on a thumbnail on the SERP to view the portion of your video that answers their search query.

Image Source

YouTube Channel Description Examples

Every YouTube channel description should allude to a specific niche or central theme. You want to tell your audience what they will learn from your channel.

This will give them a reason to tune in to your channel, subscribe to it, and continue learning from you and your videos.

Additionally, when you add your niche to your YouTube description, your audience can more easily find you in a sea of potentially similar creators.

1. Wes McDowell

Image Source

Wes McDowell’s YouTube channel targets viewers in the digital marketing niche. The channel description mentions its mission: teaching small business owners digital marketing strategies they can use to grow their businesses.

The description also lists topics the channel will feature in its videos, invites viewers to subscribe, and describes its benefits.

Why I Love It

This YouTube channel description is clear and direct. It details what viewers will get when they come to the channel. This description also describes the marketing strategies and techniques viewers will learn.

Clarity goes a long way in making a channel easily searchable and rankable on YouTube.

2. Yoga With Adriene

Image Source

Yoga With Adriene‘s YouTube channel description highlights one of the channel’s main values: inclusion.

The channel description mentions that everyone is invited to participate and learn more about yoga through her videos, regardless of their skill level.

The description also recommends videos that beginners can watch to become familiar with the content.

Why I Love It

This channel description is an excellent example of how a company‘s mission can be useful for video content. The description gives subscribers a glimpse into Yoga with Adriene’s values, creating a connection with the viewer.

This angle is helpful for ranking on YouTube because it’s aligned with morals and values that subscribers can easily identify with.

I started watching Yoga with Adriene‘s videos partially because the channel description convinced me they’d be great for beginners (and they are!).

3. Wild Wonderful Off-Grid

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Wild Wonderful Off-Grid’s YouTube channel description positions the channel within a niche by using the keywords “off-grid,” “self-reliant,” and “building our own home” to appeal to viewers who are interested in living off-the-grid.

The description also invites viewers to visit their online store and social media profiles.

Why I Love It

This YouTube channel description establishes a niche, describes the channel’s content, provides background information about the creators, and encourages subscribers and viewers to participate further in their brand.

I also love how the description also directs their audience to other aspects of their business, such as their store and social media platforms, which fosters value for their subscribers.

4. The Pals

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The Pals‘ YouTube channel description introduces the channel’s creators, lists the video games the channel will highlight, and provides each creator’s personal YouTube channel and Roblox username.

Why I Love It

This YouTube channel description focuses on the entertainment the channel provides.

The description targets subscribers seeking gaming knowledge and mentions the creators’ journeys to set the channel apart from others in the same niche and genre.

5. Florian Gadsby

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Florian Gadsby‘s YouTube channel description introduces the channel’s creator and lists the topics viewers can expect to see when they subscribe.

It also links to the creator‘s social media and newsletter and provides information about the creator’s online store, including its restocking schedule.

Why I Love It

This YouTube channel description takes a personal approach to the subject matter. The description gives visitors clarity about the channel’s content and artistic focus.

It also encourages viewers to interact with the creator on their social media platforms to learn more about them and view more of their content.

6. SciShow

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SciShow‘s YouTube channel description introduces the channel’s creators and hints at the topics viewers can expect to see weekly.

The description also outlines the channel’s posting schedule and mentions other YouTube channels associated with the brand.

Why I Love It

This YouTube channel description tells its viewers when they will see uploads. This is an excellent strategy to ensure users visit the channel right when they’re expecting to see new content.

If views go up on a page, the YouTube algorithm will likely boost your channel to a broader audience. Just make sure you stay on schedule.

I personally avoid putting the schedule for future uploads in my descriptions because mishaps happen, and I don‘t want to let my viewers down. But that’s just a personal hang-up I have.

7. Unbox Therapy

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Unbox Therapy‘s YouTube channel description states the channel’s tagline, gives an overview of the channel’s content, and provides a contact email for business inquiries.

Why I Love It

This simple channel description piques viewers‘ interest with a captivating tagline and a straightforward explanation of the channel’s content.

It also includes an email that allows viewers to contact the creators to inquire about the business and ask professional questions about the channel.

8. IsaWelly

Isa-Welly’s YouTube channel description immediately emphasizes her Registered Nutritional Therapist and Wellbeing Coach credentials before going into the purpose of her platform and what viewers can expect.

What I Love: I love that Isa Welly establishes trust with her audience by highlighting her professional experience. The bio is also very short and to the point, reducing the chances of confusion and keeping the reader’s attention.

9. Sundas Khalid

Sundas Khalid’s YouTube channel description starts with a friendly “Hey!” before explaining who she is and what she does: “I am Sundas, and I help you succeed in the data science and tech fields.”

The description then dives into her background as a self-taught data scientist.

It also highlights her achievements as someone with 10 years of experience across two prominent companies where she was a high performer at each.

What I Love: I love Sundas Khalid because she relates to her audience by using a friendly tone and explaining that she is self-taught and from a non-tech background.

Her approach shows she creates content for viewers who may have little to no experience in the tech field but want to break into the industry or sharpen their knowledge.

I especially like how she includes a disclaimer at the end, letting readers know her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of the company she works for. It’s a great example of transparency while separating your work and creativity.

10. Matte Wolfe

What Matte Wolfe’s description lacks in words it makes up for in key links. Wolfe’s YouTube channel includes links to his blog, Twitter (now X) account, and his AI tools database.

What I Love: Wolfe’s channel description is a great model for how less is more, especially if your channel covers a broad spectrum of topics within your niche.

Just make sure you use the extra space saved in your channel to highlight important links, such as to your blog, social media channels, or business.

YouTube Channel Description Templates

Now that we’ve covered the basics look at a few templates you can use to craft a compelling YouTube description.

1. Playful YouTube Channel Description Template

You might create a playful, easy-going channel ‘About Me’ description, like this one:

Hi, I’m [Name]. This is my channel about increasing your sales, effectively targeting your audience, and growing an email list that you can use to grow your business.

If you’re a marketer who wants to learn marketing strategies to get [result, i.e., more traffic to your site], subscribe to my channel.

My channel publishes videos that focus on storytelling content that connects X, shows you how to infuse your authenticity in your brand, and gives you a marketing strategy that feels organic.

If that sounds like it could be helpful for you, please join me!

 

2. Third-Person YouTube Channel Description Template

Alternatively, you can craft a YouTube description that describes what your company does from a third-person point of view, like this one:

[Company] is the worldwide leader in X, Y, and Z. Since [year], [Company] has been on a mission to [insert company vision or purpose here].

To learn more about [Company], its values, and its [company offering], subscribe to our channel to stay informed.

3. Niche YouTube Channel Description Template

Tell your subscribers what you’re all about and describe your niche when writing your YouTube channel description.

[Name] and [Name] have nuanced discussions about dating, their lifestyle, and relationships. They discuss current topics that affect modern dating and how to maneuver relationship patterns. You can purchase [Name] and [Name]’s [product] to learn more about improving your knowledge of relationships.

4. Inviting YouTube Channel Description Template

Building a relationship with your followers is one of the most important things you can do as a content creator. This template invites them to join you as you grow your brand.

This channel gives everything you need to know about gaming, including the latest equipment reviews, new game reviews, and once-a-week live streams. Watch as I, [name], try to beat my high score in the latest release of [insert game name here].

5. Personal YouTube Channel Description Template

Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with your audience. Adding personal touches to your YouTube channel description, like the template below, can help you become more authentic.

This is a personal journey of how I became a painter. Learn about what paints I purchase, the tools I use, and the techniques I learned during school. Art is my passion, and I express my love for [insert passion] through it.

6. Straight-forward YouTube Channel Description Template

Tell your audience exactly what they can expect from your channel by using this template:

This channel gives pop culture commentary through a [political ideology] political lens. We make commentary on books and current events. We also upload a new video every Wednesday and Friday.

YouTube Video Description Examples

A helpful video description can spike your audience’s interest, resulting in longer watch times, better view counts, and even new subscribers.

Plus, it can help with YouTube SEO, allowing YouTube’s algorithm to understand your content and suggest it to new users, further boosting your YouTube metrics.

1. “5 Best Coding Languages for Beginners 2021” by nicole . young

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The description of nicole . young’s YouTube video, “5 Best Coding Languages for Beginners 2021,” hooks the viewer by posing a question that will be answered in the video.

The video description also includes a benefit the viewer will gain from watching the video.

Why I Love It

In this video description, the creator summarizes the video‘s title and specifies the target audience. The text will help audiences (and YouTube) understand the video’s content.

This creator understands that the channel description is prime real estate for contact information, social media handles, and calls to action, persuading viewers to stick around.

2. “How to Write Counterpoint – Music Composition” by Music Matters

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The description of Music Matters’s YouTube video, “How to Write Counterpoint – Music Composition,“ uses keywords such as ”writing counterpoint,“ ”music composition lesson,“ and ”understanding counterpoint” to appeal to audiences that are interested in learning the music composition technique.

The description also includes timestamps that viewers can use to skip to the portion of the video that addresses the specific topic they want to learn about.

Why I Love It

This YouTube video description uses keywords to appeal to a niche audience. The specificity makes it easily searchable on YouTube. Using keywords to make each video search-friendly will drive traffic to your video’s specific content.

3. “How to Create a 90-Day Plan for your Business (+ Free Workbook)” by Anna Clark

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The description of Anna Clark’s YouTube video, “How to Create a 90-Day Plan for your Business (+ Free Workbook),” includes links to the creator’s website, courses, newsletter, and social media accounts, and a workbook that viewers can download and complete as they watch the video.

Why I Love It

It’s good to involve your viewers in other aspects of your business. The interaction and engagement you earn will help you rank against other active channels.

Directing your viewers to other resources for your business will also help your YouTube channel drive traffic to your website, increasing your authority in your business niche.

4. “How To Create An Email Sales Funnel” by Wishpond

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The description of Wishpond’s YouTube video, “How To Create An Email Sales Funnel,” hooks the viewer by stating that the video is the fourth installment in a series and linking to the previous video.

The video description also incentivizes viewers to learn more about the company.

Why I Love It

This description segments the video as a section of a more extensive series. If subscribers learn that you provide similar content on your channel, they will be more inclined to watch your other videos.

The description also lets viewers know there’s a free demo of the service. If you sell different products or services in your business, link them in the description.

5. “How to Outline Your Novel – Part 2” by Writing with Jenna Moreci

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The description of Writing with Jenna Moreci’s YouTube video, “How to Outline Your Novel – Part 2,” hooks the viewer by stating that the video is the second installment in a series and linking to the previous video.

The video description also lets viewers learn more about the creator’s products.

Why We Love It

This video description is excellent because it lets viewers know what’s coming next. Inserting a “new segment” in your YouTube series lets viewers anticipate your next video.

6. “Microgreens Growing: Materials and Beginner’s Guide” by Epic Gardening

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The video description tells viewers about the creator’s experience with microgreens, lists the supplies the creator mentions in the video, and lists ways that viewers can support the creator beyond watching their video.

Why I Love It

The creator provides a list of products used in the video. The viewers can research the products or purchase them immediately through the links.

7. “Budgeting for Beginners – How to Make a Budget From Scratch 2021” by Debt Free Millennials

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Debt Free Millennials’ YouTube video, “Budgeting for Beginners – How to Make a Budget From Scratch 2021,” teaches viewers to create a budget.

The description gives viewers an overview of the topics covered in the video and invites them to sign up for products and services through affiliated links.

It also includes links to the creator’s Instagram, Facebook group, and website so viewers can connect with the creator through different social platforms.

Why I Love It

I love that the creator has created a sense of community and togetherness. If you include your social media links in your YouTube video description, subscribers will follow you on multiple platforms to remain engaged with your content.

The content creator invites them to return for new videos and share their experiences on social media.

8. “FINALLY be consistent on social media” by Jade Beason

Jade Beason‘s video gives viewers tips and strategies for staying consistent on social media as a creator or business owner. Her video’s description is simple and captures who and what the video is intended for:

“Watch this video if you’re struggling to post consistently on social media!

If you want to learn new content creation tips, content creation hacks, how to be consistent on social media or how to create consistent content on social media, this video is for you.”

What I Love: Since Beason‘s video description is so short, it leaves plenty of room for her to list other important information, and that’s what she does.

As viewers read through the description, they‘ll find information about further learning, additional resources, Beason’s equipment, and free guides.

Even better, it’s all neatly organized into sections.

9. “The Roadmap To Making Your First $1M In SaaS (How I Did It)” by Alex Heiden

Alex Heiden‘s video documents part of his journey of trying to profit off B2B SaaS. The video’s description details how he organizes his goals and the tools he uses.

What I Love: Heiden‘s description is detailed in summarizing the video’s point. He has included chapters, which are great for SEO and helps YouTube rank the video higher in search results.

10. “Easiest Online Business To Make $100,000+ In 2024” by Jensen Tung

Jensen Tung‘s video discusses the easiest online business to start to make $100,000. The video’s title is self-explanatory, so it’s not as necessary for Tung to have the video summary at the top of the description.

So, he moved it toward the bottom and used the rest of the space to provide information on his gear, newsletter, crucial links, and other endeavors.

What I Love: Tung prioritizes the most important information in his video description, and, in this case, it‘s not the video’s summary — it’s the links and information to his other projects that views may not have been able to find as easily otherwise.

YouTube Video Description Templates

A YouTube video description is descriptive text that includes but is not limited to keywords, themes, and special concepts/guests that the content creator wants their viewers to know.

The YouTube video description increases visibility through SEO, views, and subscriptions. In each video description, the content creator will encourage their viewers to “Like,” “Share,” and “Subscribe” to their content.

An effective video description will be persuasive and informative, prompting the audience to tune in regularly.

1. Simple YouTube Video Description Template

Rather than writing a lengthy summary of your video, keep your descriptions detailed enough to let the viewer know what to expect, yet concise enough so they don’t lose interest.

Listen to how our CEO explains the difference between X and Y, and learn best practices for implementing your own strategy.

Learn more about X and Y in our course: [course link].

2. Social Media YouTube Video Description Template

You can use a YouTube channel description like this one to help new viewers connect with you on your other channels and social media platforms:

Hi there! New to [name of channel]? If so, here’s what you need to know: I like [interests related to channel] a LOT, so I use this channel to explore X, Y, and Z to help you [desired result for viewer].

Where else you can find me:

INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/[accountname]

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/[accountname]

LIFESTYLE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/[accountname]

Join our growing community for new videos every Tuesday and Friday!

BUSINESS INQUIRIES

Please contact [PR representative] at [email or phone number].

3. Search-Friendly YouTube Video Description Template

YouTube increases visibility within keyword searches and relevant content. As a result, videos should have buzzwords in video and channel descriptions.

If you want to craft a description that explains what your video is about and incorporates a keyword description, try this:

Hey there! This lesson is part of a free online course. Take the full course here: www.company.com/course1.

Some people are unsure what X is — at its most basic, X is [brief definition of keyword]. In this video, you‘ll learn how to X, Y, and Z, to ensure you’re able to grow your brand online.

In addition, we’ll explain how you can avoid doing A. Sometimes, A is all it takes to lose a customer.

4. Teaser YouTube Video Description Template.

Use your video descriptions as an opportunity to let your viewers know when to expect new content from you, like this template:

Join the “musical nerds” on a mission to improve our musical understanding. We upload every Wednesday and Thursday. We will have Q&A sessions to answer all of your beginner questions on Wednesdays starting next week.

5. Transparent YouTube Video Description Template

Transparency is key to gaining the trust of your audience. This template is an excellent example of how to let your viewers know when you are using affiliate links in your descriptions.

What‘s up, guys? In this video, we’ll talk about an everyday makeup look you can do in 10 minutes. I‘m not an early riser, but just like anyone, I still want to look good for the day. I’ll list the products I used in this video.

Please subscribe if you are feeling my vibe. I post content weekly, and you can always find me on Insta! I’ll drop my social media handles below.

**All opinions are my own. This video isn‘t sponsored. I’m sent products for my consideration, and I earn a small percentage from sales through affiliated links. Clicking on affiliated links doesn’t cost you anything.**

6. Engaging YouTube Video Description Template

Engaging with your audience is essential for building community with them. Here, this description encourages viewers to leave suggestions in the comments section to be featured in future videos.

Hi, everyone! We‘re the Science Kidz! Today, we are experimenting to find out which popcorn brand leaves behind the least number of kernels. Will it be Orville Redenbacher’s or Act II?

Every week, we do a new experiment as part of our initiative to highlight STEM careers in Savannah, Georgia. If you have an experiment you want to see The Science Kidz try, leave a comment below. You never know — we could pick yours!

Follow me on Instagram for more experiment ideas, and tag us in some of the experiments you do with your friends!

7. Sponsored YouTube Video Description Templates

Disclosing paid sponsorships or product placements doesn‘t have to be super jargon-heavy. A template like this can help you be candid with your audience without straying from your brand’s voice and sounding like a robot.

Hey, y‘all! Today, we’ll be rebuilding a 454 Chevy Big Block motor. We‘ll be adding 200 horses to bring the motor up to 680 horsepower. I hope y’all are ready to dive into business with Motor Boyz.

This episode is sponsored by Husky tools, and we’ll be using their latest impact and driver tools to rebuild the 454. We would like to thank Anderson Auto for donating the 1972 C10 to be our frame once the motor is rebuilt and completed.

1. Use templates.

Once you have your brand voice down, create a template for your video descriptions to help save you time when uploading. If you’re having trouble making a template on your own, use HubSpot’s YouTube templates to get some inspiration.

2. Be clear and concise.

When writing a description for a YouTube video, you should aim for simplicity. Make sure all the essential information is above the fold. That way, you can ensure potential viewers know what your video is about as they search for what they need.

3. Connect with subscribers.

Use your YouTube descriptions to help new viewers connect with you on your other channels and social media platforms. In doing this, you can increase your cross-promote content more easily and boost engagement and discoverability.

Just make sure to put your social media links toward the end of your descriptions since there are more important details to keep above the fold.

4. Create a niche.

Whether you‘re writing a description for your channel or a video, you’ll want to define your niche. Start by introducing yourself or your brand, then highlight what you offer and what makes you unique.

Be sure to incorporate relevant keywords used to search for content in your niche so your target audience has a better chance of finding you.

5. Show your journey.

You may want to create a channel description asking viewers to join you on a journey you document on your YouTube channel. For instance, if your YouTube channel focuses on streaming video game content, you may invite subscribers to watch you as you attempt to win the game.

Therefore, mentioning a goal for your channel can help you gain new subscribers eager to come along for the ride as you pursue a goal.

6. Be more personal.

Create a sense of community with your channel by being more personal with your audience. When writing your descriptions, consider including personal touches, such as telling a story, using relatable language, or speaking directly to the viewer.

By offering an emotional appeal, you and your content will come off as more authentic, helping you create a stronger connection with your subscribers.

7. Create anticipation for new content.

A content creator must build excitement for the next video — a sense of urgency and anticipation for their audience. A YouTuber can create giveaways, conduct polls, and invite special guests to participate in the videos to maintain the channel’s success.

8. Make it search-friendly.

We have all done it: Having parts of an idea and hoping Google will fill in the blanks by completing the search with the rest of our thoughts.

As a content creator, you need to own each video’s related tag, including misspellings, to help refine the content under your channel. The YouTube videos must be centered around keywords, maximizing your SEO for Google and YouTube searches.

9. Lead viewers to other resources.

When crafting your descriptions, consider linking to related content that viewers might find interesting or helpful. For example, if you have a blog, you can link to a blog post that goes more in-depth on the topic you’re discussing. This will help provide additional context to the viewer and bring more traffic to your website.

10. Incorporate keywords.

Use keywords in your descriptions to increase the visibility of your YouTube channel and videos. In order to determine which keywords you should target, you‘ll need to conduct keyword research.

When crafting your description, don’t repeat the same keywords too much. Instead, insert them in a way that sounds natural. This will keep it easy to read and help you avoid keyword stuffing.

11. Tease a new initiative.

A new video is upcoming, and you need to send a teaser to your audience that will create buzz leading up to the release of the latest content. A video teaser can be uploaded to YouTube Shorts to increase anticipation.

12. Be transparent.

Authenticity sells. Viewers know when you aren‘t being transparent with them, so just be honest. If you have affiliate partners, gifted products, or sponsorships, don’t try to hide it.

Be honest with your viewers and write a disclaimer in your description.

As a YouTuber, engaging with your audience and building their trust is essential. If you lose that trust, it can be hard to win it back.

13. Maintain engagement.

Keeping your audience engaged is crucial for getting them to return for more content. When writing your video description, use a strong hook that grabs your audience’s attention and makes them want to watch.

Be sure to break down the video into sections and include timestamps for each one. This allows viewers to jump to specific parts of the video so they remain interested.

14. Plug your products.

Any time you mention or use one of your products or services in a video, you should always include a link in your description. Doing this prompts the audience to try your product or service for themselves.

Offering a discount code may also encourage potential customers to leap.

15. Test out different formats.

If your videos aren’t reaching your expectations, try experimenting with different description formats and templates.

Maybe your descriptions are too long, and they get cut off on certain devices, or perhaps there are better keywords you can optimize for. Testing out different descriptions will help give you a better idea of what works best for your brand.

Download these YouTube description templates and help your video go viral.

These must-have YouTube video and channel description templates can help you reduce the time it takes to upload and optimize your YouTube videos, getting them out to your audience quickly and with less effort.

Be sure to customize the text to enhance the reading experience because you want to be as helpful as possible for your audience.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

If Hubspot is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

Credit: Original article published here.

Our view at Stack - Simplify growth with an all-in-one platform. Powerful marketing, sales, and support automation. Integrated CMS. Scalable software. Crafted for customer experience.

If you’re active on LinkedIn, you’ve probably received random messages from recruiters inquiring about putting you in their talent pipeline.

I’ve received countless generic recruiting messages that make it clear that no one paid attention to my account. Messages have arrived in languages that I don’t speak, or they’ve sent a copy-pasted recruiting email template to dozens of potential candidates that hasn’t been customized at all.

While cold recruiting messages can be highly effective, they often make the hiring process feel impersonal before you even formally get involved.

The recruiting process doesn’t have to feel that way. With the right recruiting email templates, recruiters and recruiting agencies can save time and effectively fuel their talent pipeline. Let’s dive into successful recruiting emails, why they work, and a template that you can use yourself.

Table of Contents

• The Best Recruiting Emails
• How to Write a Recruiting Email
• Other Types of Recruiting Emails

The Best Recruiting Emails

I’ve gathered 12 emails from professional recruiters, executive search firms, and headhunters.

Use these examples to create unique recruiting email templates that can be customized for your own outreach, whether you’re drafting cold recruiting email templates or nurturing existing relationships.

Many of these recruiting emails have been anonymized for privacy.

1. Director of Tax Email

Should recruiting emails include social proof to bolster a company’s cachet? Yes, if it helps answer FAQs about the position or company. This email from Avra Talent leverages social proof in a natural way that informs the potential candidate of the size and responsibilities of the role.

Recruiting emails need to balance sharing company information without overloading the candidate. This is particularly true when headhunters are emailing a passive candidate who isn’t necessarily on the hunt for a new job.

A long-winded email full of company specifics isn’t compelling, but it needs to offer an informative introduction to the company and its mission. This email example walks that line well, providing a lot of basic company information without droning on for paragraphs.

What I like: This email briefly covers a lot of specifics but doesn’t overload the candidate with unnecessary details.

2. Revenue Marketing Manager Position

This email example from the HubSpot marketing recruiting team has been anonymized to serve as a short recruiting email template for your own outreach.

While some emails will go into the interview process and shine a light further down the hiring road, this is short and sweet and focuses on getting a response from any interested candidates.

Recruiting email templates can call recipients to directly apply to a position, or they can offer to further the conversation.

The latter is the case in this HubSpot recruiting email template: The call-to-action (CTA) in this email makes the recipient feel like their time is respected. Further, the hiring manager isn’t trying to funnel anyone into the hiring process.

What I like: While many recruiting email templates include extensive company details, an email this direct can help have a higher response rate with passive candidates.

3. Physical Therapist Email

This email starts with a simple and direct explanation of why this candidate is being pitched, which makes it feel like this hiring manager is being thoughtful and not sending an identical email blast to dozens of people. The reference to LinkedIn helps this feel like a normal conversation and not a hard pitch.

The phrase “explore this potential match further” in the second paragraph further extends an open conversation, which should be a part of all email templates for recruiters.

Some recruiter emails tell passive candidates that they’re the perfect fit for a role at their company, and it comes across as very insincere. The recruiter could never know that without multiple conversations, so lean into the conversation versus the offer.

What I like: The email references both tangible professional experience and the soft skills on display on the candidate’s LinkedIn profile.

4. VP of Revenue Email

“Most recruiting emails are ‘look how great we are, here’s this opportunity,’” shared Lucy Meyer, a seasoned recruiter. “There’s another option, though: Share what your company is like, why you’d like to learn about the candidate, and ask if you think it could be a good fit.”

This approach to the recruitment process prioritizes relationship building, which saves recruiters time in the long run. A growing company will always be hiring, and this approach to recruiting can help fill a company’s talent pipeline with a network of potential candidates. This email example has been anonymized to serve as a template for your own outreach email.

What I like: This recruiting email template acknowledges that this is a passive candidate who’s not necessarily involved in the job search at the moment, and this prioritizes long-term relationships with talent over filling individual job openings.

5. Talent Acquisition Specialist Email

The past examples have been of cold recruiting emails, and here we see a great template for reconnecting with a warm lead. Daniel Wolken, a human resources expert and talent acquisition Specialist at DailyRemote, explained his thought process behind this email template:

“This candidate and I initially connected when he was exploring new HR opportunities. During our initial discussions, I was impressed by his passion for recruitment and talent management. Even though we didn’t have an immediate match for him then, I nurtured that relationship for future roles. This is the template that I used to reconnect with him,” Wolken says.

What I like: This warm outreach email template reiterates the previous conversation, offers a refresher of company details, and gets specific about why this opportunity might be worth exploring.

6. Ecommerce Manager Email

While this email has five substantial paragraphs, it follows a really clear, digestible template: introduction, the reason for the email, intro to the company, why this candidate is right for this company and role, what the role would look like, and further the conversation.

This email translates the candidate’s prior experience as a social media manager to this current role really well, making it clear that this was a customized message only targeting people with ecommerce experience.

What I like: The sentence “I am eager to learn about your career goals” offers insight into the leadership style in this organization and shows positive signs about company culture. That thoughtfulness coming from the CEO of the company is sure to catch the candidate’s attention.

7. Cybersecurity Position

“I crafted this for a candidate I recently encountered while searching for top application security talent,” shares Conor Hughes, an HR professional and consultant. Hughes relayed his expertise on SMB Guide and gave these insights into why he drafted this recruiting email this specific way.

“I initially discovered this individual after reading an in-depth article where she presented her work building a robust AppSec program from the ground up at her company. She clearly demonstrated deep technical expertise along with solid leadership and communication skills,” Hughes recalls.

His goal of the email was to “grab her attention by highlighting how her credentials directly match our open role,” he says.

What I like: The candidate receiving this email will immediately sense how much attention was given to their work. This opportunity is so specific, and the recruiter positions this perfectly as an exciting opportunity.

8. Australian Business For Sale Hiring Email

“The opening of the email introduces our company’s mission and the specific role we’re seeking to fill. Moving to the second paragraph, the email outlines key role responsibilities, expectations, and benefits, providing transparency about the position,” shares Sam Bass, owner of Australian Business For Sale.

Bass says the team ensures to highlight the company’s employee-centric culture that reinforces learning, growth, and innovation. “I believe giving an authentic representation of the role, and our company culture has been a significant factor in attracting top-tier talent,” he says.

What I like: This business has a wide scope (coffee shops to crocodile farms!) but still explains its mission briefly and lets the opportunity take center stage. This tactfully avoids the faux pas of talking about yourself too much when introducing the company.

9. Sales Manager Position

Company values and workplace culture are coming through in this email. These phrases speak volumes:

• What you’ve built during your time there
• Values-driven team
• Make an impact here
• No strings attached

Also, notice that this recruiting email hyperlinks the job title and sends the candidate to the full job description rather than sending an email that’s too long to digest. Cold outreach emails are most effective when they’re digestible, and this is an effective way to keep your communication concise and response rates high.

What I like: The extremely brief company summary makes it clear that this company knows who they are, who they serve, and where they’re going. That confidence and clarity are very attractive to candidates.

10. Acuity Training Sample Email

Rather than diving straight into job descriptions, Ben Richardson, founder and director of Acuity Training, initiates recruiting emails with a personalized question or anecdote. This all ties back to the individual’s professional journey.

“This approach aims to evoke a sense of connection and open dialogue, making the recruitment process feel less transactional and more like the beginning of a meaningful conversation about their career aspirations,” shares Richardson.

Richardson shared the above recruiting email template to help make cold outreach feel genuine.

“This offbeat tactic not only garners higher response rates but also sets a tone of genuine interest and engagement from the very first interaction, creating a unique touch in the recruitment process,” Richardson says.

What I like: This is a warm, direct piece of communication that sheds light on the company culture. Ben practically had me applying at “a match made in workplace heaven.”

11. Senior Software Engineer Position

This is a relatively short recruiting email but covers all of the bases: mentions of the candidate’s experience, the role, company mission, and CTA. The language choice, color, and snappy mission statement all ooze “startup” in the best way.

Mentioning past companies that the CEO has founded is a unique choice of social proof, but prior success is a currency that’s valuable to have in the startup world. It’s an effective, direct recruiting email that helps interested candidates jump straight into the hiring process.

What I like: HiHello is a digital business card company, and I like how they put their product on display in the email footer. On their website, HiHello says to “Turn every email into a branding opportunity,” and they’re embodying that message in their recruiting emails.

12. Home Care Position

This is a unique approach to recruitment communication. Instead of advertising the specific job opportunity, this advertises the workplace experience. The purpose of this email is to let candidates know what it’s like to work for this company by sharing workplace reviews.

“We opted to feature snippets of anonymous employee reviews from our Indeed Employer page in our recruiting emails, which best speak to our workplace culture,” shared Madison Serfas at Assistance Home Care.

At each New-Hire Orientation, Assistance Home Care asks new employees what drew them to apply at Assistance Home Care. Nearly every week, Serfas says she hears that it was the company’s employee reviews or a word-of-mouth referral.

“Each of the nine emails within the campaign also featured a prominent footer featuring our Great Place to Work Certification with a link to explore our Employer page as further social proof for the audience,” Serfas says.

What I like: Workplace reviews are an effective way to get candidates’ attention and be remembered for the right reasons.

How to Write a Recruiting Email

Ready to create your own recruiting email templates?

With the above inspiration, we’re going to walk through a template that you can use to improve your email communication today.

Subject Line

The job of any email subject line is to prompt the recipient to open your message.

Sometimes, you’ll see funny email subject lines like “You dropped your credit card!” only to open the email and read “…now that I have your attention.” I get a lot of cold emails. I hate when they have misleading subject lines, and I doubt I’m alone.

An off-the-wall email subject line is probably not that useful to you unless it really reflects your brand. Keep it simple and honest, as you’ve seen in the examples above. These tips can also help you write a catchy subject line.

Pro tip: Keep your subject line short enough that it can all be displayed in people’s inboxes. This means that most subject lines are about nine words or less.

Purpose of Email

Nobody likes a buried lead; disclose the purpose of your outreach in the first paragraph of your email. Avoid vague, salesy language like “Are you interested in having the career of your dreams?!”

I get cold outreach emails like this a lot for my business, and it makes the purpose of the email feel muddied.

Introduction or Reintroduction

If this is your first time reaching out, introduce yourself and your company in a few well-chosen words. Enough to let them know what you’re about without writing a novel.

If you’ve connected with this candidate in the past, reintroduce yourself and your company. Given the enormous number of emails we all get each day (more than one hundred!), it’s best not to assume that they can actively recall everything about your brand.

Pro tip: Remind candidates where you met or the details of your last conversation.

Why This Potential Candidate

When potential candidates read recruiting emails, they’re asking the question, “Why me?” If you don’t answer this, they’ll assume that they’re one of a hundred people receiving the same email.

This is particularly important when you’re making a cold recruiting email template and reaching out to a passive candidate. Good recruiting email templates need to address this at the beginning of the conversation.

Pro tip: Disclose how you found this candidate and what stood out to you, as we saw in many of the examples above.

Job Opportunity

You don’t need to copy/paste the entire job description, but you do need to share the job title and an overview of the position details. Highlight some of the best aspects of the job or benefits of working at your company.

Pro tip: Use the job title to hyperlink to the job description.

Why Your Company

Job seekers are vetting companies as much as companies are vetting them. Your email templates always need to account for this and share why your company is worth applying to.

Here are some of the forms of social proof we saw in the above examples:

• Company reviews (happy employees).
• Positive workplace.
• Talent of employee body.
• Founder success.
• Company valuation.
• Collaborative environments.
• Culture of innovation.

Pro tip: Avoid the urge to throw a bunch of random social proof at candidates. Make sure whatever you share is highly relevant to the experience they’d have in the company.

Mutual Discovery

“Recruiting emails are done better when they’re done from a place of mutual discovery versus a hard pitch,” shares Lucy Meyer. “Mutual discovery starts the conversation ‘I want to learn about you, hopefully, you’ll want to learn about us.’”

While some recruiting emails try to immediately funnel candidates into the interview process, neither the candidate nor the company is really ready to jump ahead to scheduling interviews at the first point of contact. This is an important step in full-cycle recruiting that shouldn’t be skipped.

Mutual discovery prioritizes relationship building, which will result in a potentially smaller but more qualified group of applicants.

The Ask

What action do you want this potential candidate to take? Your email templates can include any number of CTAs:

• Fill out an application.
• Quick call.
• Formal phone screen interview.
• In-person interview.
• Introduction to other candidates.

The clearer your CTA is, the higher your success rate will be with candidates following through.

Email Signature

Emails, especially cold emails, need to include a few personal details in order to answer the question recipients are asking themselves: “Is this spam or real?” Create an email signature that includes:

• Emailer/interviewer job title.
• Company name.
• Contact details.
• LinkedIn links.

Pro tip: Ask yourself what basic information you’d need to see in order to validate the seriousness of a cold outreach email; then, make sure that all of those details are included in your email signature.

Other Types of Recruiting Emails

These email examples covered warm and cold talent outreach, but other types of recruiting emails may include:

• Follow-up email.
• Interview invitation email.
• Briefing of interview format.
• Interview confirmation email.
• Interview feedback email.
• Rejection email.
• Job offer letter email.
• Checking in email (relationship maintenance).
• Notification of a new open position.

Pro Tip: Leverage an applicant tracking system and email templates to help maintain consistent communication with candidates.

Enticing the Best Candidates

Recruiters inevitably send dozens of emails to funnel top talent into their company’s interview process, and it all starts with recruiting. These emails may be the first time candidates hear about the company and what they do, so they have incredible power.

Reflect on the cold emails you’ve received and think about what impression they left on you and how they compelled (or didn’t compel) you to take action. Use this cycle of self-reflection to help you create email templates that become talent magnets.

If Hubspot is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

Credit: Original article published here.