Search Engine Optimization Best Practices

Each page should have a unique title that makes it clear to users what the page is about and how the page is distinct from others throughout the site. Avoid using vague names, jargon, or marketing slogans, but include at least one main keyword related to your page's content, as this will also add the keyword to the page's URL. Titles should be complete and make sense to anyone who comes directly from a search engine (e.g., use a full title like "Building Technologies Office Contacts" instead of just "Contacts").

The Energy.gov content management system (CMS) requires all pages to have a summary. Keep summaries concise and use strong and descriptive keywords, as search engines may pull this data into search results. Summaries should give users a clear preview of what that page's content contains.

Properly structure headings. Your page title will be the Heading 1 (H1) for the page; the Energy.gov CMS will create this automatically when you build a new page. Do not add other H1s in the content.

Use Heading 2, Heading 3, etc. to organize content into sections and subsections. Add these headers according to hierarchy (i.e., H2s first, then H3s, etc.). Do not use them based solely on appearance.

Consider writing headers as questions. More people are using search engines and AI to ask direct questions, rather than searching for keywords. Headers that match these questions may perform better in search and AI results. Ensure your questions contain full context; e.g., "How do I apply for funding from the Department of Energy?" vs. "How do I apply for funding?"

Incorporating search keywords into your content can help improve SEO. Keywords should include words or phrases that are relevant to the top searches for your content. However, keyword density and exact matches for keywords are now less important than comprehensive, credible, and relevant information that addresses the intent of users when they search for a topic.

These are some of the places to add keywords in your content:

• Headings and subheadings
• Throughout the content, but especially in the first paragraph
• Image captions and alt text for photos (if the keywords describe the image). 

Avoid keyword stuffing, the practice of filling a web page with keywords or numbers in an attempt to manipulate rankings. Search engines will heavily penalize keyword stuffing; instead, include keywords naturally as part of your content.

Long-tail keywords are search terms, usually three to five words in length, that relate to highly specific searches. These searches are usually lower in volume but are much more likely to lead users to the content they're looking for. 

These are examples of long-tail keywords:

• "future of hydropower"
• "how do solar panels work"
• "advantages of wind energy." 

Naturally incorporating long-tail keywords into content can help improve ranking in search engine results. Long-tail keywords can also help you understand user intent and determine what topics to cover on your web pages.

Links help search engines crawl your site and find and index your content. They can also indicate that content is important; pages that are linked to heavily may rank better in search.

Tips for linking to improve SEO:

• Link to related pages throughout your content.
• Use the keywords for the destination pages, if possible.
• Add links to new pages from established pages to ensure they are indexed faster
• When writing news and blog articles, add links to evergreen content. The news and blog posts may not rank, but the links will help support the SEO of your evergreen pages. 

By analyzing search data, you can find common search terms, and rewrite content to ensure you cover relevant topic angles, address user intent, and include words that customers typically search for. Google Search Console is one way to help find common keywords and questions that people are using to find your content. Contact the CMEI Digital Team for more information on Search Console.

Other programs like SiteImprove and Google Analytics 4 may also provide insights into keywords and search optimization suggestions. You can also use search engine autocomplete responses to look for related search terms or questions.

There are several other steps you can take during the content writing process to improve SEO:

• Place crosslinks to other relevant webpages in your content where appropriate. Follow linking best practices, including writing descriptive link text and spacing out links if you are linking to multiple pages in a single sentence.
   
• Ensure your content is useful and thorough. Answer common questions about the topic, include keyword variations, and include definitions where it makes sense.
   
• Write content that is clear, concise, unique, and authoritative, to increase page rankings on commercial search engines and earn citations in AI overviews and answers. Follow the requirements of the Plain Writing Act of 2010.
   
• Ensure all graphics and images used on a webpage have alt text, both for SEO and Section 508 compliance.
   
• Conduct regular web content maintenance, eliminating redundant, outdated and trivial content. Replace or remove this content, as well as any broken links.