7 SEO Challenges (+ How to Overcome Them)

Curious about what hurdles SEO professionals are facing these days?

We'll break down the seven biggest challenges SEO professionals are facing right now. And show you exactly how to overcome them.

Ready? Let's dive in.

1. Getting Buy-In From Stakeholders

SEO produces real business impact, but gaining stakeholder support can be challenging because results take time to show up.

And to successfully implement your SEO strategy, you need backing from higher-ups who might not fully understand its value.

How to Overcome It

Get buy-in from stakeholders by clearly illustrating the benefits of SEO in terms that they'll understand.

Explain how your SEO efforts will impact key business metrics like revenue, customer acquisition, and market share.

If your company is trying to achieve specific business goals, show how your strategy could help achieve them.

Give them a realistic timeline for execution. And explain how you'll measure progress using key performance indicators (KPIs), such as organic traffic growth, keyword rankings, and conversions. Show how these metrics tie back to business objectives.

Another thing you could do is highlight your competitors' success.

If your rivals are getting millions of visitors to their website and outranking you for valuable keywords, that's a story that can resonate.

And you can get those competitor insights using Semrush's Organic Research tool. All you have to do is perform a search for their domain.

2. Keeping Up With Google Algorithm Updates

Google algorithm updates are changes made to Google's ranking systems. Staying on top of these changes and adjusting your SEO strategy accordingly is crucial for maintaining and improving your search visibility.

How to Overcome It

Follow reputable SEO news sources like Search Engine Land and Google's own Search Central Blog.

They're the first ones to report algorithm updates and provide commentary.

When Google rolls out an update, keep a close eye on your website's performance metrics. Sudden changes in traffic and rankings can be early indicators of an algorithm update's impact.

You can monitor these things using Google Search Console and Semrush's Position Tracking tool.

When you notice negative changes, don't panic immediately. Wait for a few days or weeks to ensure it's not a temporary fluctuation.

If things don't go back to normal, it's time to investigate. Start by identifying specific pages that lost organic traffic or rankings after the update. You can get this data in Google Search Console or the Position Tracking tool.

Look at the pages that now outrank yours for the same keywords. Analyze the differences.

Next, refer to Google's descriptions of the algorithm update on their Search Central Blog. Compare the content that suffered on your site to Google's stated expectations for the update. Then, revise your content to close the gaps.

3. Standing Out in a Sea of Similar Content

Google any topic, and you'll find numerous articles covering the same information in a very similar way.

Because of that, it's becoming increasingly difficult to make your content stand out.

And if your content is mediocre or simply rehashes information already in other ranking content, you'll have a hard time climbing up search engine results pages (SERPs).

How to Overcome It

There are a few strategies you can use to level up your content game:

• Focus on information gain. This can involve conducting original research, providing in-depth analysis, or including expert commentary, which helps make your content more valuable and stand out in search results.
• Find your unique angle. Don't just rehash what's already out there. Dive deeper into the topic, offer a fresh perspective, or mix different ideas together. Ask yourself, "What new things can I add to this topic?" and explore that.
• Demonstrate expertise. Google values content created by people who have first-hand experience or deep knowledge of the topic. If you lack formal expertise on a topic, collaborate with specialists in the field or get quotes from experts.
• Satisfy the search intent. Search intent is the reason why someone conducts a search. Make sure your content covers what users are looking for and provides comprehensive answers to their questions.
• Incorporate visual assets. Add custom images, infographics, videos, or GIFs to help your content stand out and improve engagement. They're also great for earning backlinks (links from other websites that can help your SEO).
• Make it easy to read. Use clear headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points to improve readability. A well-structured article helps users quickly find the information they need and satisfy their intent.

4. Adapting to Zero-Click Searches

Many queries are now answered directly on the SERP, reducing the need for users to click through to websites.

This phenomenon is also known as a zero-click search.

It happens because of the following:

• AI Overviews : Google uses AI to provide a quick answer to the user's query. It also sometimes cites sources from which the information was aggregated.
• Other SERP features: Common examples of these include featured snippets, people also ask (PAA) boxes, and local packs. Google uses these elements to answer queries (or related queries) directly in the SERP.

You'll see SERP features appear prominently at the top of the results page. Like this:

Plus, these SERP features take up a lot of space, pushing organic results further down the page.

How to Overcome It

It's true that because of AI Overviews and SERP features, organic click-through rates have decreased for many queries.

That said, there are still opportunities to attract traffic and visibility if you adapt your strategy to these changes.

When it comes to AI overviews, you don't need to do anything special.

Google has stated that following their regular search guidelines is enough to become a source for AI-generated overviews.

As for SERP features, you can try to optimize your content to appear in them.

The exact optimization techniques vary depending on the specific SERP feature.

For example, here's how you can optimize for featured snippets:

1. Check which type of snippet Google is using for a search term you're targeting. Is it a paragraph? A list? A table?
2. Structure your content accordingly. If it's a paragraph, provide a clear, concise answer to the query being targeted in a normal text paragraph style. If it's a list, use bullet points or numbered lists (whichever Google seems to be preferring). Or if it's a table, organize your data in a well-formatted HTML table.
3. Use a heading to indicate the content. Make sure it includes the main search term you're targeting. This will help Google understand what your content is about so that it can show it properly.

Further reading:

5. Earning Quality Backlinks

For brand-new websites, earning quality backlinks is one of the most challenging aspects of SEO.

These backlinks-links from other websites pointing to your site-signal to Google that your website is authoritative and trustworthy. Which can lead to higher rankings in search results.

While established players might naturally attract backlinks through industry recognition, new sites need to be more strategic in their approach.

How to Overcome It

To overcome the challenge of building backlinks, you need to focus on proven, effective link building strategies.

One effective strategy is creating linkable assets.

Linkable assets are pieces of content specifically designed to attract links from other websites.

Examples include:

• Interesting datasets
• Free tools
• In-depth guides
• Interactive calculators

Other websites want to reference and link to them because they provide unique value to their audience.

For example, if you're in a personal finance space, you might create an interactive retirement savings calculator.

Financial advisors, news sites, and other finance blogs might link to this tool as a helpful resource for their readers.

In fact, this calculator by NerdWallet has around 1,800 backlinks, according to our Domain Overview tool.

By creating linkable assets like this, you have a chance to replicate their success.

Let them know why your resource would be valuable to their audience. And they might just link to it.

6. Effectively Using AI

Most SEO professionals now use AI tools like ChatGPT for various tasks. But not all SEO pros are using it correctly.

For example, if you ask ChatGPT to write a full article for you, there is a high chance it will contain factual inaccuracies.

Not to mention the content will just be a rehash of what's already out there-generic and uninspiring (see challenge number three to learn why that's a problem).

Or, if you're using ChatGPT to conduct keyword research (identify search terms for your business), you'll get incorrect search volumes (i.e., how many times keywords are being searched on a monthly basis).

That said, AI tools are powerful and useful-but only in the hands of those who know how to use them effectively.

How to Overcome It

We recommend using AI tools as your ideation partner, not as a replacement for everything.

For example, you can ask ContentShake AI to generate a draft for you (complete with images).

Then do the following:

• Fact-check all the information
• Add your own unique insights and experiences to make the content unique
• Edit thoroughly to ensure the content aligns with your brand voice and style
• Make sure the content satisfies the search intent and is high-quality

As for keyword research, ask AI to generate a list of keyword ideas.

Then, plug that list into a keyword research tool like Semrush's Keyword Overview. To see accurate search volume data and other important metrics.

You can then analyze these metrics and choose the best keywords for your website.

Other ways you can use AI include:

• Grouping keywords that you get from Keyword Magic Tool into clusters
• Generating topic ideas for your target keywords
• Rephrasing or rewriting existing text to fit your company's tone better
• Creating content outlines

AI should support your work. Not replace human expertise.

7. Growing Competition

Competition on search results pages is more intense than ever.

No matter your industry, chances are, numerous competitors are fighting for the #1 spot on Google.

Many valuable keywords are now highly competitive, making it difficult to rank for them, especially for newer or smaller websites.

Additionally, competitors may have larger budgets, dedicated SEO teams, and specialized SEO tools, giving them an edge in the race for visibility.

How to Overcome It

While there's no way to eliminate competition, there are a few things you can do to remain competitive in the market.

First, focus on long-tail keywords.

Long-tail keywords are more specific phrases that typically have lower search volumes but also lower competition. That's why they're often easier to rank for.

Targeting these keywords is a great way to achieve quick wins. Especially, when the competition for popular keywords is intense.

To find long-tail keywords, use Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool.

Brainstorm a few words that describe your business.

Enter one of those into the search bar, enter your domain name, and click "Search."

The tool will generate a list of related keywords, including long-tail variations. All you have to do is apply a personal keyword difficulty (PKD) filter to see keywords that are easier to rank for.

Second, analyze your competitors' performance to understand their SEO moves.

If they're dominating the SERPs, you want to catch up with them as quickly as possible.

Use Semrush's Organic Research tool to uncover their strategies.

Enter your competitor's domain into the search bar and click "Search."

The tool will show you their top organic keywords, best-performing pages, and more.

Use this information to identify gaps in your own strategy and find new opportunities for improvement.

For example, if they're ranking for keywords you're not targeting yet, create better content than theirs to get your site on the results pages, as well.

Don't Let SEO Challenges Hold You Back

Even though SEO can feel overwhelming at times, remember that every problem has a solution.

Whether it's securing buy-in from stakeholders, keeping up with algorithm updates, or growing competition, you can overcome these obstacles with the right approach and tools.

Nothing is impossible.

Semrush is here to help you tackle these challenges head-on, providing the data and insights you need to stay ahead in the competitive world of SEO.

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