The search world is changing rapidly. AI and LLMs like ChatGPT or Google AI Mode influence how businesses are found. To remain visible locally, companies must adapt their strategies and understand vital measures for local GEO and SEO. These measures are crucial for local businesses to effectively connect local SEO and GEO in a comprehensive strategy. Key Points at a Glance The combination of local SEO and GEO content is crucial today for maximum visibility. Business profiles, reviews, off-page actions, and a solid technical foundation are the basis for local discoverability. AI and LLMs are transforming the search landscape: content must be machine-readable, semantically structured, and aligned with the customer journey. Targeted link building and AI-optimized content are the most important actions. With prompt monitoring and new KPIs, sustainable success becomes measurable. Build a Prompt Database – Our Matrix A central success factor for local SEO and AI visibility is aligning content with the customer journey. Why is this relevant? Users are in different phases of decision-making and have varying content requirements. Aligning your content strategy ensures your brand is mentioned in AI-generated responses or that your website is used as a source for these answers. We have developed a matrix for creating this prompt database. Aligning content with this matrix targets users at each phase of the customer journey, sustainably increasing visibility. The process begins with the Discovery & Awareness Phase . Here, users seek general knowledge, want to understand a problem, or learn about a solution. Companies should showcase their authority, provide step-by-step guides, and present their solutions at this stage. In the Consideration Phase , users compare different offers and weigh the benefits. Here, it's important to build trust, highlight the strengths of your own offerings, and positively portray products in comparison. The Decision Phase is characterized by a clear intent to purchase. Content should contain a direct call-to-action, guiding users to the desired transaction. Finally, there are AI-specific Intents . Users give specific commands or want to initiate automated processes. It is important to position your brand within the context of such automated processes and provide solutions for specific tasks in this phase. SEO keywords can be a strong foundation for creating prompts. This ensures that the SEO and GEO strategy work hand in hand. The created prompt database should then be integrated into a monitoring tool to provide an overview of current visibility in AI and search engines. This will lead to measures to revise existing content and identify potential for new content. Local GEO and SEO: What Really Matters Today SEO and AI visibility are particularly important for local businesses today. Companies that implement the right measures for local GEO and SEO remain consistently visible to potential customers and AI systems. Structuring Content for Machine Readability A clean and structured technical implementation is indispensable for the digital visibility of local businesses. For search engines and AI models to optimally capture and display content, the website should be built with clean HTML and semantic tags like <article> and <section>. Additionally, it is advisable to use special markups like FAQ or HowTo structures to make information even more accessible for search engines and AI. The following GEO Formula has proven effective: Relevant user questions are formulated as headings (H2). Directly below, a precise and clear answer follows. Subsequently, further information is offered to delve into the topic or explore additional aspects. This clear structure helps not only users but also ensures that search engines and AI systems better interpret and display the content. Creating Locally Relevant Content City-specific case studies, customer reports, local events, and the integration of landmarks and neighborhoods are especially effective. Such content not only creates closeness to the target audience but also highlights the company's local expertise and presence. Another crucial aspect is the regular use of local keywords (service + city) in website texts. This establishes a clear link between location and services offered, enhancing SEO and LLM visibility. The content should cover various user intents along the customer journey (see Prompt Matrix). In this way, potential customers are specifically targeted and accompanied in each phase. It is important to integrate real user questions into the content. By directly answering frequently asked questions, the relevance of the website for search engines and AI models increases. Heed "Old" Foundations for Local SEO Also for Local GEO A complete business profile on Google and Bing is the foundation for a strong local presence. The more information provided, the better search engines and AI models can classify and display the business. It's equally important to actively seek customer feedback and collect reviews. Positive feedback strengthens credibility and directly impacts local visibility in AI, LLMs, and search engines. Furthermore, registering the business in relevant industry directories increases discoverability and reach. Additionally, targeted branded traffic from social media creates a healthy signal to search engines and AI systems. Active communication and interaction on social platforms create additional credibility and sustainably support local visibility. Link Building in Times of AI Language models generally do not search and compare individual services or products on their own. Instead, they often refer to comparison sites, user reports, and similar sources for recommendations. This presents a valuable opportunity for businesses: strategically building backlinks on such platforms increases the likelihood of being considered in AI-generated answers and recommendations. This boosts AI visibility in LLMs and simultaneously increases the website's relevance for search engines through quality backlinks. Platforms can be identified and prioritized through the selected tool with prompt monitoring. The rule of thumb is quality over quantity: posts that are frequently cited by LLMs are more valuable than those rarely used by AI. Optimize Existing Content for Real User Questions If your domain is already visible in organic search results, it is worthwhile optimizing content specifically for real user questions. Such questions can be identified, for example, using Google Search Console by filtering search queries containing typical question words. We use the following regex filter: ^(how|what|why|when|where|which|who|why|for what reason|how much|whereby|wherewith|by whose)\b Figure 1: Regex filter in Google Search Console Figure 2: Search queries with the regex filter in Google Search Console It is essential to clearly and helpfully answer these questions directly under an H2 heading. This makes the content more attractive to users and also easier for search engines and AI models to understand. If you already have a chatbot on the website, questions asked there can also be a good indicator that they are frequently asked to ChatGPT & Co. Thus, it is also worth answering these questions in the content to be used as a source by LLMs and expand visibility in AI. Establish New GEO KPIs Although traditional SEO metrics like increasing clicks or traffic were long central, they are no longer the sole focus. Many companies are experiencing declines in search engine traffic as AI models and LLMs increasingly provide direct answers, and users click through to websites less frequently. The traffic from LLMs can seldom fully compensate for these losses. However, the quality of this traffic often turns out to be significantly higher, increasing the conversion rate. To specifically measure the visibility of local businesses and the success of your actions, it is advisable to combine proven SEO KPIs with specific GEO KPIs. These include, for example, the Brand Mention Rate, which indicates how often your brand is mentioned in important prompts (e.g., over 40%), the AI Platform Coverage, indicating presence on several relevant LLMs (e.g., more than five), and the Brand Search Uplift, denoting the rise in brand search queries after comprehensive GEO measures (e.g., over 25%). This creates a holistic picture representing both the reach and quality of visibility in traditional search engines and AI-based systems. Conclusion: Local Visibility in LLMs and Search Engines The local visibility of businesses in LLMs and traditional search engines is now significantly determined by the intelligent combination of SEO and GEO strategies. Implementing the key measures ensures presence in both search engines and AI-based systems. The rapid development of AI and LLMs changes the demands on businesses: optimizing only for Google is no longer sufficient. It is crucial to make your brand and offerings visible in AI-generated answers and recommendations. Acting now and aligning your strategy holistically ensures a sustainable competitive advantage in local search. Here you find the appropriate checklist on the topic FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions How can I find out if my local business is already visible in AI-generated responses? To check visibility in AI responses, it is recommended to establish prompt monitoring with specialized tools. These tools show if and how often your brand or website is mentioned in responses from LLMs like ChatGPT or Google AI Mode or used as a source. What role do structured data play in AI visibility? Structured data help AI models better understand and display content. They are crucial to be considered as a source for AI responses and should therefore be used consistently. Are AI-optimized contents also relevant for traditional search engines? Yes, content optimized for AI models—through semantic structure, FAQ markup, and answering real user questions—are also better understood and displayed by traditional search engines. We recommend optimizing prompts based on significant SEO keywords. This ensures optimal combination of local SEO and GEO. How often should I update my content to remain relevant to search engines and LLMs? The search and AI landscape evolves rapidly. It is advisable to review the prompt database and key content at least quarterly and update as necessary to address new trends and user queries early. However, the timeframe can vary and depends on how dynamically the industry continues to develop. Which mistakes should I avoid in local search engine and AI optimization? Common mistakes include incomplete business profiles, missing local keywords, technical structures based on JavaScript and rendered client-side, lack of user question integration, and neglect of monitoring and KPIs.

Keywords have been an important foundation of search engine optimization from the beginning. But their role has changed, just as the way we use them has, not least due to the increasing dominance of artificial intelligence (AI). We are convinced that keywords are still very important, so this guide will teach you how to find keywords, what to look for when choosing keywords, which tools you can use, and how to optimally use keywords in SEO. What are keywords? In search engine optimization, we refer to keywords or key phrases as the terms or phrases that users enter into search engines in order to find answers, information, content, or products. We use these terms on websites in certain elements to increase the probability of achieving good positions in search results. In SEA (e.g., Google Paid as opposed to SEO = Google Organic), we bid on keywords to display ads for those terms in search results. To make the topic more illustrative, we explain all the points in this blog post using a specific example: a fictional bicycle online shop or bicycle store with a website, namely the topic "bicycle" or "buying a bicycle". The graphic shows a small selection of different relevant related keywords for this topic: Types of keywords We differentiate between different types of keywords. This distinction plays a role in the strategic direction of our content and the priority we give to those keywords. By length: Short Head & Long Tail Keywords In general, there are two different types of keywords that are defined by their length: Short Head Keywords are short, very general terms that generally have a very high search volume but also correspondingly high competition. The intention behind these keywords is not clear. For example: "bicycle" is a Short Head keyword, which can imply a search for information, such as (what types of bicycles are there?), as well as a purchase intention or even a search for images. Long Tail Keywords , on the other hand, are longer, specific phrases or questions. Depending on the topic, the search volume and competition behind them are significantly lower, and the intention is generally clearer. For example: "best e-bikes 2025" or "buy cheap used kids’ bicycle" or "how to patch a bicycle tire?" In addition, you can define " Mid Tail Keywords " that lie between these two types of keywords. By intention: Information, Navigation, or Transaction? Another important classification of keywords is the intention behind the search query: Informational keywords indicate a search for information. These can be the beginning of the user journey, the first step on the way to a purchase. For example: "trekking bike vs. city bike" or "what to consider when buying a bicycle?" Navigation Keywords point to the search for a specific brand, website, or product. For example: "Decathlon bicycles" or "Cube E-bikes". Transactional keywords show a purchase intention. Users are looking for an online shop or a local buying opportunity. For example: "buy trekking bike" or "order gravel bikes". In addition to these classifications, there are other characteristics of keywords, such as search volume (how often is the term searched per month?) or the "Keyword Difficulty" calculated by many SEO tools (the difficulty of ranking in top positions for this keyword in search results). Why are keywords important in search engine optimization? Keywords reveal which terms (and topics) are searched frequently. To improve visibility in search results for relevant keywords, we use these terms on the respective pages. This way, we show search engines that a page (URL) is relevant for a specific topic and the associated terms. Therefore, we research and analyze keywords as the basis of content optimization - to know how and what to optimize. What is the significance of keywords in the age of AI? Are keywords still important in the age of AI? Let’s take a look back and take a short journey through SEO history. The role and significance of keywords have constantly evolved over the last few decades: While about 20 years ago keywords had to be used in their exact form to rank well, Google's language understanding developed over the following years. Various grammatical forms, singular and plural, were recognized as identical terms. Similarly, the connection between synonyms and related terms was recognized - it became about semantics instead of exact keyword matching. We have not been thinking in pure keywords in search engine optimization for many years. Instead, we optimize on topic clusters, naturally supported by keywords. Keywords are still used as the basis, but the context behind them has become significantly more important. A sign of this is that Google often displays websites optimized for a synonym for search queries - Google recognizes that terms mean the same thing. In addition to the clusters, another term has become important: the entity. An entity is a uniquely identifiable object or concept, such as a person, a place, a process. An indication of what Google identifies as an entity includes, among other things, the Knowledge Graph in search results or suggestions for topics or concepts. This can be seen in the example "pedelec": These connections between topics or terms also play a role in AI SEO . Keywords are far from dead; they still serve an important purpose even in the AI age: Keyword analysis helps you understand the terms your (potential) customers use - and to speak the same language as your target audience. Keywords, especially “long tail keywords” like questions, help you better understand the intentions and problems of your target audience and offer corresponding content. Keywords still underpin entities and topic clusters, only they are not used as strictly as they were years ago. It is more important to cover the topic comprehensively and satisfyingly for customers, to meet the intent, and to present yourself as an authority to users and search engines. Keyword analysis - Finding keywords in 3 steps How do we find keywords for our keyword and content strategy? Depending on resources and available time as well as the topic, a keyword analysis can be a complex task. The more general the topic, the more extensive the analysis and the more subtopics and keyword clusters are found. It is easier to research keywords for a single page and a very specific topic. 1. Brainstorming Ideally, you are well-versed in your topic for which you want to find keywords. The first step is always a rough brainstorming session where you jot down all subtopics, terms, and questions related to your topic. With this, you have the first foundation for your analysis on which you can build. If you want to research keywords for an entire website, think of these terms, for example: Your brand name (depending on its popularity, there may be a relevant search volume behind a brand name) Your industry (e.g. bicycle online shop) Categories (e.g. e-bikes, city bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, kids' bikes, bikes for seniors, accessories, etc.) Brands (e.g. Cube Ebike, Bergamont Bicycle) Products or services (specific product names of bestsellers, e.g. cube kathmandu hybrid pro 750) Frequently asked questions about products or categories (e.g. which bike for commuting) 2. Analyzing keywords on the website If you already have a website or an online shop, you should establish a status quo: for which terms are you already (well) found, and through which terms do you get clicks and impressions? To do this, analyze the terms you find in the performance report in Google Search Console, and for which you get many impressions or clicks and add them to your brainstorming list. If you have access to a professional SEO tool, you will find all keywords for which your domain has a position in the top 100 here. You can filter these keywords by search volume or positions and export this list. This way, you find out where there is already potential on which you can build optimization. Particularly interesting here are the so-called "threshold keywords" - keywords that are "on the verge" of a certain area. Usually, this refers to - depending on the definition - keywords between 11 and 20, which are just before the top 10, or keywords starting from position 4 or 6, which are on the verge of the top 5 or top 3. 3. Keyword research After you probably already have a long list of keywords, it's time to research additional terms. A wide variety of sources and tools are available for this. If you want to conduct particularly comprehensive research, you can use all tools, but you can also focus on just a few if you have identified a sufficient number of keywords through these. Tools for keyword research The bad news first: Good keyword tools that you can work with effectively are always chargeable. Free versions generally limit the number of results or queries per day. You have to enter each keyword individually, instead of analyzing a list of terms, and the filter and export options are mostly restricted or unavailable. Professional SEO tools usually come with a keyword tool where you get important information for your entered terms, such as monthly search volume, as well as related terms that you can cluster and further analyze. Some of the most well-known tools include: Semrush, Ahrefs, Sistrix, Surfer SEO, or the KWfinder from Mangools. Free, limited options are available, for example, through Ubersuggest or Answerthepublic. Both tools offer a paid version as well as free research options. A unique feature of answerthepublic is the focus on long tail keywords. If you run ads on Google Ads, you can use the Google Keyword Planner, which gives you search volume, CPC, and competition for each keyword. Further sources to find keywords Besides the classic keyword tools, there are a whole series of other sources available to find keywords. These include: Google Suggest: Terms suggested by Google when entering terms in the search box Google related terms under search results Google Trends: Development of interest over time, but only for frequently searched terms Questions in Google search results Social Media Hashtags on relevant platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, etc. YouTube Autosuggest: Suggested terms when entering a word in the search Topics on platforms with user-generated content such as Reddit Thesaurus like Woxikon All these screenshots are included, check if you want to use all of them or just a few and how you want to present them: Google Suggest: Google Trends: YouTube Suggest: Woxikon: Google Questions: People also search for in Google: Keyword Gaps A very valuable analysis is the so-called "Keyword Gap Analysis", where you compare your website or online shop with one or more relevant competitors. Here, not only direct competitors are relevant (in our example other bicycle online shops), but all websites that are present for your topic in the search results (for example, an online magazine about bicycles). Using a professional keyword tool, the domains can be compared, and you receive a list of keywords for which your competitors are already ranking in the search results, but your domain is not yet. From this, opportunities arise to expand the website or shop, for example, to include new subcategories or new blog posts. Create a keyword strategy What do you do now with the many keywords you have found through the various sources? The first step is always to cluster these keywords thematically to get a better overview. These clusters can, for example, be oriented along the structure in your online shop and the type of page: Homepage Keywords (most general terms and brand, e.g. bicycle online shop) Categories (e.g. mountain bikes, road bikes, kids' bikes, etc.) Subcategories (e.g. 16-inch bikes, dirt bikes, folding bikes, etc.) Product keywords (e.g. Cube Agree c62, Bergamot Sponsor Tour S, etc.) Guide keywords (e.g. what to consider when buying a bike, what is a trekking bike, adjusting hub gears, etc.) FAQ -Keywords (e.g. what frame size for a bike, how long does an e-bike battery last, etc.) What makes a good keyword? Out of the large number of keywords you have researched and clustered, you will not be able to use all of them. Therefore, it is important to evaluate and prioritize these keywords. Various criteria are important for this, and prioritization also depends on your strategic goals and your industry: Relevance: all keywords must be relevant to your business (if you don’t sell road bikes, the keyword "buy road bike" is irrelevant) Search Volume: a higher search volume means a higher probability of generating traffic. However, for niche industries, search volume is not the decisive factor. A more suitable keyword with a lower search volume can be more valuable than a more general one with high search volume. The goal is to find the optimal balance. The intention behind the keyword: The intent behind the search query must always match what users find on the page. Keywords indicating purchase intent (e.g., "buy mountain bike") are less important for a pure online magazine than informational keywords. Conversion probability: For an online shop, keywords with a relation to purchases are particularly valuable, as they are more likely to lead to a conversion than informational keywords. The more specific the term (for example, a product name), the higher the chance that someone will buy. Keywords for blog posts usually do not detract from this point. The competitive situation: Keywords with high competition (for which many large domains rank that have been on the market for a long time and have built up trust and authority) can be too big a challenge for new domains or smaller websites at first. It can take years to rank well for highly competitive keywords. Instead, keywords with less competition can achieve quicker results. Possible existing rankings: It is generally easier to improve keywords for which there is already a ranking, than to be found for brand new keywords. This is particularly true for keywords in threshold positions. Summary: a good keyword Has high relevance for your business Has relevant search volume Covers the appropriate intention Has a high conversion probability Has low to medium competition May already have existing rankings that can be improved. There is no blueprint for assessing and prioritizing keywords and creating a keyword strategy that can be applied to every industry and company. It requires both experience and a general company and marketing strategy to which the keyword strategy is adapted. We can therefore only give you suggestions at this point but are happy to support you in creating a professional keyword strategy! Keyword Mapping The most important step in the keyword strategy is creating a so-called keyword mapping. This involves assigning keywords to target pages (either existing pages or newly planned pages). It’s important: For each important keyword, exactly one page is defined that should rank for it Each important page is assigned a keyword set of 1-2 main keywords and several secondary keywords This setup prevents multiple pages from competing for the same keyword (the result can be that neither page ranks if Google is unsure which is the more relevant page - the so-called “cannibalization”). You can also identify which important keywords still lack a suitable target page. Based on this keyword mapping, you can then plan and optimize your content. Content Strategy Once we have assigned the keywords to the appropriate, existing, or new pages, we can create an editorial plan from them, in which all topics are included, for which we need to optimize pages or create new texts. For example, with bicycles, this could include these texts and pages: Children’s bicycles : the category page for children is supplemented with a guide, a product comparison, and buying advice. Buy bicycle under 500 dollars : either a category page or a filter page with the appropriate criteria or a blog post with a product comparison Best bike for beginners : blog post with a product comparison and buying advice Buy a bike with hub gears : the appropriate category page is supplemented with relevant content (comparison of hub gears and derailleur gears, advantages of hub gears, most popular bikes with hub gears, etc.) What to consider when buying a bicycle : guide article for the blog with an overview of different types of bicycles, criteria for purchase (usage, size, features, etc.), online purchase vs. local purchase, etc. Buy bicycle in #city : landing page of the own local shop with an overview of the assortment, address, maps, opening hours, etc. Using keywords The use of keywords could fill another long article, so we would like to give you an overview of the most important elements on a website or in an online shop where you should use keywords: In the metadata (page title/title tag and meta description/page description) In the headlines In the text In filenames of images and image descriptions In internal links Caution: Avoid keyword stuffing! One of the biggest mistakes in using your researched keywords is repeating the same keywords too often. If your text sounds unnatural because you've stuffed it with too many identical or similar terms, no one will want to read it, and search engines will likely evaluate it as "keyword stuffing." Make sure you always write content for users. Use synonyms and related terms and avoid pure lists of keywords or even grammatically incorrect use of terms just to cover a keyword exactly. The focus is on providing relevant, helpful content for your target audience, using relevant keywords naturally! SEO vs. SEA Keywords Effective SEO keyword strategies also benefit paid channels. Many synergies can be created between SEO and SEA (especially Google Ads), for example, by using the same keywords for organic optimization and paid ads and occupying two positions in search results with your website: one paid and one unpaid. A keyword and content strategy for search engine optimization can also be used in the SEA area SEA can also be used nicely for A/B testing ad texts and CTAs (call-to-actions) that can be used in the metadata (page title and meta description). Also, optimizing page content and using the most searched keywords helps for SEA - for example, to improve the quality score and pay low click prices. To gain the greatest benefit, the insights of both channels can be combined - which is why a company greatly benefits when SEO and SEA are in one hand. Incidentally, at internetwarriors, we have both long-standing SEO and SEA expertise in the team! A tailor-made keyword & content strategy for you Finding the right keywords and deriving an effective strategy that matches your business goals can be a challenge. The SEO experts at internetwarriors are happy to assist you. We analyze your website, your industry, and your potentials, research the appropriate keywords, and create an individual content strategy for you. We are also happy to help you optimize the content or create new content or train you and your team on how to use keywords effectively - even in the age of AI.

Embedding FAQs on a website offers many advantages. They can, for example, relieve customer service, increase conversion, or improve visibility in unpaid search results. This article explains in detail the options for creating a FAQ page, how they can be optimized for SEO, and their significance in the era of AI. What is meant by FAQ? FAQ is short for “frequently asked questions” and can be translated as “frequently asked questions.” Specifically, the most important information on a topic is collected and formatted as questions. These can be common problems or the most frequently asked questions. FAQs are widespread in the software domain or other technical topics but can be usefully applied to any subject area and industry. One of the goals of FAQs is to answer questions from potential buyers in a simple way and thus relieve customer service. If a purchase has already been made and problems arise, the FAQ section prevents the service department from dealing with the same easy-to-answer questions. A well-prepared FAQ section brings advantages both for users and companies. What do FAQs offer for SEO? First of all: Any type of relevant optimized content is positive for search engine optimization. With FAQs, you have the opportunity to cover compound keywords and phrases (long tail keywords) that, for example, are not answered in the product description. Your website will be found for questions that users ask on a topic, such as your products or services. At the same time, you increase your authority in your topic area in Google’s evaluation, as you offer a lot of relevant high-quality content. Higher authority means higher trust and thus a better chance of being found for competitive terms in unpaid search results. The increasing use of voice search and AI-based chatbots, now including AI Overviews in Google search results, has influenced how searches are conducted. Long-tail queries, meaning complete sentences or questions, have gained importance. FAQs are a response to these developments and can help remain visible even in the age of AI. FAQs as a Rich Snippet in Search Results You might recall that Google used to directly play questions from FAQs in search results as an addition (known as a “Rich Snippet”). In the fall of 2023, Google announced that these types of Rich Snippets will be significantly restricted and will only be displayed for “reliable government and health websites.” For SEO, FAQs are still valuable even if they no longer generate Rich Snippets. Do FAQs offer an advantage in times of artificial intelligence? AI tools and the AI Overviews introduced by Google in Germany in the first quarter of 2025 present new challenges for the SEO industry. Evaluations from the USA, where AI integration has been present in Google for longer, and initial observations from Germany show how AI Overviews reduce the click-through rate on organic results. To continue being prominently represented in the visible area of search results, the question is: How can websites be displayed as a source in AI Overviews to generate potential clicks here? The topic is complex, so we will only address the question here: Can visibility be improved in AI Overviews with FAQs? To have a chance to appear in Google's AI Overviews, many different factors are relevant. This includes, for example: Good content structure Helping Google understand the content, e.g., through structured data and content formatting (like bullet points) Covering a topic in depth Answering questions Focus on usability Demonstrating authority FAQs can help improve visibility and be listed as a source—but this is no guarantee for many clicks. It can also be a short-term strategy to mainly optimize for the (constantly declining number of) keywords and topics for which no AI Overviews are yet displayed in Google. FAQs and GEO - Optimization for AI-Based Chatbots AI-based chatbots like ChatGPT or Perplexity also depend on understanding and categorizing information on the website. The foundation for content optimization here, too, is understanding your target audience and their needs and providing content for it. The key is a range of different content types that answer different types of queries and intentions. FAQ content allows you to answer questions naturally that users enter into AI tools. The goal is to provide precise answers in natural language, similar to a conversation. Imagine, for example, that you are talking to a potential customer who is asking you questions about a product or service. A good structure of the answers through lists, bullet points, and subheadings (for long answers) and tagging with structured data helps tools understand the content. And fundamentally, the best strategy is still a combination of optimization for AI-based tools and classic search engine optimization. Do FAQs on the website improve visibility for Voice Search? In voice search, questions are more often entered than in text-based searches. Answering relevant questions in the FAQ section can therefore bring an advantage here as well. Besides many other factors such as a mobile-friendly website, it is also important for voice search optimization to phrase questions and answers naturally. It is not only about embedding relevant FAQs but also in which language these are written (everyday language). What are the options for embedding FAQs on a website? Depending on the goal of the FAQs, different solutions are available to embed them on the website. Below are the most important ones, along with their pros and cons. Dedicated FAQ Page The first option is to create a single long FAQ page that lists all the important questions collected. For better overview, an accordion element is often used in the layout, where users can expand and collapse the answers to individual questions. Advantages Easy to set up and maintain Simple questions that can be answered in one sentence are not a problem for SEO Disadvantages Rarely ranks for (competitive) terms as different topics are covered on one page, thus lacking focus Fewer opportunities for good internal linking between individual questions SEO-Compliant Setup Each question as a sub headline Use correct headline structure If technically possible, a table of contents at the top of the page with jump links to individual questions Where appropriate, linking relevant products or services from the FAQ texts Implementation of structured data (see below) FAQ Section on the Page An alternative with more SEO potential is a standalone FAQ section on the website instead of a single page. An overview page with all questions links to the subpages with the answers to the questions. If there are a large number of questions, they can be organized thematically for better overview. Using the example of E-bikes, the categories might be: General Questions, Brands, Models, Batteries, Maintenance, and Repair. Advantages Higher chance of being found for keywords Targeted optimization for keywords is possible as longer texts can be created and optimized for a greater number of keywords. Better usability as there is no need to navigate on a long page Disadvantages More maintenance effort as many individual pages are created Individual FAQs require more content to avoid generating “thin content.” SEO-Compliant Setup Overview page with teasers and links to FAQ detail pages with the individual questions Detail pages with correct headline structure (question as h1 headline) Detail pages must be standalone complete pages that contain navigation, footer, etc. (avoid solutions like iframes) Minimum amount of content (if there are still questions with very short answers, it might make sense to exclude them from indexing) Cross-linking between similar FAQs If using categories: Breadcrumb navigation for easy navigation back to the main category or FAQ overview page Links to relevant product pages or services Implementation of structured data (see below) FAQ Section on Service or Product Pages Product or service pages also benefit from a FAQ section. Especially if there are very specific questions about a particular product, these are well placed on the product page. They can help dispel reservations about a purchase or answer questions that would otherwise occupy customer service. At worst, users drop out if they do not find an answer to their question and purchase the product from the competition. Meaningful and relevant FAQs can thus increase the conversion rate. Advantages Enriches the content on these pages with meaningful and relevant phrases and terms Questions may appear in the search results under “Other Questions” and draw traffic to the product or service page from there. Disadvantages For high-competition keyword combinations that individual FAQs are optimized for, there is a significantly lower chance of ranking than if they are created as standalone pages. SEO-Compliant Setup FAQ section with headline Individual questions as headlines (observe correct headline structure) Ideally use unique FAQs - do not include the same question and answer 1:1 on multiple pages Implementation of structured data (see below) FAQs as Blog Posts If the CMS does not allow a standalone FAQ area, one solution is to embed FAQs in the form of blog posts. Each blog post answers a question for which keywords with sufficient search volume have been defined. Alternatively, FAQs can also complement blog posts on a topic by answering the most important questions as part of the blog post. Especially for information-based keywords (the main intent of searchers is to get information), this can be a sensible solution. Advantages Easy to maintain Good chance of being found Disadvantages Individual FAQs require a minimum amount of content May become lost on the website (poorer usability) SEO-Compliant Setup Correct headline structure Minimum amount of content Cross-linking between similar FAQs/blog posts Links to relevant product pages or services To feature the FAQ more prominently on the website, FAQ could be established as a blog category and this category page could be linked to. Implementation of structured data (see below) The SEO-friendly Embedding of FAQ Sections To create FAQs that are optimized for both users and search engines, layout and technical embedding are also important. A widespread method is accordions, where only the question is visible and the answers can be expanded. These sections do not take up much space and are clear to page visitors. But how does Google rate content that is not directly visible but must be expanded? Are Accordion Elements for FAQs SEO-Friendly? The first question is, how was the accordion technically implemented? Are the collapsed contents visible in the source code, or are they loaded only after clicking? From an SEO perspective, it is important that all relevant content is available in the source code and does not require action. For example, a collapse function using CSS is more effective than a JavaScript action that triggers the display of the content. And how about the contents themselves? Traditionally, Google rates content higher when it is directly visible. However, due to the focus on mobile, this evaluation has slightly shifted. “Hidden” because collapsed content is a legitimate solution for maintaining clarity on mobile sites for usability reasons. Google itself has been saying for years that all information in the HTML is read and considered, even if it is “hidden” in accordions or tabs. Various studies (for example by Searchpilot in 2020) suggest that directly visible content performs better than “hidden” content. Therefore important content should preferably always be visible without additional clicks. For FAQ sections on pages, however, accordions remain an important way to keep content organized. Alternatives to Accordion for FAQs Accordions are not the only way to integrate FAQs without users having to scroll through long text blocks. Tabs are another option, but there remains the factor that “hidden content” may rank worse. An alternative is to integrate the FAQs as plain text but add a table of contents with jump links so that visitors can quickly find the question they are looking for. Optimize FAQs for Search Engines - 3 More Tips Above we have already provided hints for an SEO-compliant structure of the various types of FAQ pages and the technical integration. We would like to give you three additional tips to get the most out of your FAQs. Identify Relevant Questions If you have set up your FAQ section so that each question is a separate page, we recommend using a keyword analysis to research sub-topics or questions of interest. If you have already collected questions that you know from practice are relevant because, for example, customer service frequently receives them, keyword analysis helps describe these questions using the words your target audience uses. The goal is to identify terms or phrases that are frequently searched. You can use these sources for keyword analysis and identifying questions: Paid keyword tools Free keyword tools (for example, answerthepublic) Google search results: Google Suggest (suggestions from Google when entering terms into the search), questions in Google Search, related terms under the search results Google Trends SEO tools that display competitors' keywords Your own analysis tools, especially Google Search Console, which shows you which topics and questions you already have some visibility for. Internal site search Social media comments and platforms like Reddit Screenshot from the SERPs - Example E-Bikes Using “E-Bikes” as an example, this incomplete list of general topics and questions can be identified: Which E-Bike is recommended? (Question in Google search results) How much watt should a good E-Bike motor have? (Question in Google search results) How much does a good E-Bike cost? (Question in Google search results) Which E-Bike suits me? (Keyword tool in SEMrush) How long does an E-Bike battery last? (Keyword tool in SEMrush) Who repairs E-Bikes? (answerthepublic) How to charge E-Bike battery? (answerthepublic) Use FAQ Markups If your CMS allows it, it is advisable to embed structured data to help Google interpret and categorize content. In the case of FAQs, the FAQPage markup ensures that Google recognizes what is a question and what is an answer and can classify this content as an FAQ. Detailed explanations can be found at Google as well as on schema.org’s page for the FAQPage and the QAPage . Structured data can be checked in Google's tool “Rich Results Test” The tool shows which markups have been integrated and identifies any errors. Using the example of testberichte.de, we see in the Google tool that the FAQ markup is used: Important: According to Google's statement , the same question and answer must not be marked up multiple times. For SEO reasons, it is optimal to create unique FAQs if, for example, you embed FAQs on product pages. If you still want to embed identical FAQs on different pages, these should only be marked up on one of these pages according to Google, as otherwise it would violate their guidelines. Optimize Internal Linking One of the biggest advantages of a FAQ section on the website is, besides generating relevant content, the possibility of improving internal linking . Linking related pages within your website or online shop strengthens the linked page and also helps users discover new content and stay on your website longer. Consider for each question whether there are relevant products, services, blog posts, other FAQs, or other pages you can link from the text. For good internal linking, use descriptive link text instead of general text like “read more here.” To identify suitable links, it is also useful to ask the question after creating the FAQ text: what is the most logical next step for users who are asking this question and have read this content? Is it a product page? Are there usually more questions? Is the answer to the question to use your service? Alternatives and Complements to FAQs FAQ sections and pages are not the only way to effectively expand regular content. A well-thought-out SEO strategy considers all types of content to increase visibility for keyword combinations and related keywords. A powerful strategy is glossaries that explain technical terms. An application could be to compare different materials, cuts, or designs for a product and thus provide additional decision-making help for customers. Idealo, for instance, integrates a glossary section on category pages instead of a FAQ section, where relevant terms for the category are explained. Best Practice - Examples of Successful FAQ Pages There are many examples of well-thought-out FAQ pages on the internet that have been sensibly structured and answer meaningful questions about the respective topic. Every industry, every target group, and every company is individual, but it can still be helpful to look at best practice examples for inspiration. Therefore, we have put together some FAQ sections and FAQ pages that we find successful: Samsung Technical devices are a good example of products for which many questions are asked before a purchase decision. Especially the expensive, annually released models from large companies such as Samsung and Apple with their technical details offer a lot of potential for explanations and help in product choice. Samsung answers the most important questions on the product presentation page in the FAQ section. On the product page in the shop, purchase-related questions are mainly answered. Here you will find a mix of generic questions and specific questions and answers. In the first answer, you can see how the general question was answered in relation to the product. Booking.com A FAQ section does not necessarily have to be named “FAQ.” Booking.com calls it “Quick Help” and organizes the questions by their topic. Jump links have been added at the top of the page, allowing you to jump directly to the desired category without having to scroll for long. Avocadostore The Avocadostore also organizes the FAQ section by topic and directly suggests questions on the FAQ overview that are likely to be frequently asked. This saves users with these questions a click without losing clarity through categorization. Zalando Zalando also uses categories that are always accessible via navigation, so users can easily jump between FAQ sections. Content Optimization from FAQ to Blog with the internetwarriors Do you want to improve your organic visibility with optimized content? Our experienced SEO team knows all the tricks and tools to be better found on Google. We analyze your content , support you with optimization, or deliver relevant optimized content for your website or online shop. This can be FAQ texts, but, for example, also product descriptions or blog posts. Just contact us, we will gladly create a non-binding individual offer for you!

In the world of search engine optimization, there are numerous strategies and techniques to enhance the visibility of a website. One often underestimated but highly effective method is optimizing internal linking. Internal linking in SEO serves to connect different pages within a website. This plays a crucial role not only in navigation and user-friendliness but also in distributing what is known as "Link Juice," which increases the authority and relevance of pages in the eyes of search engines. In this blog post, you'll learn how to improve your SEO strategy through thoughtful and targeted internal linking. Discover the best practices to satisfy both your users and search engines and ultimately improve your ranking. As a basis for the concept of your internal linking, you will learn in a step-by-step guide how to analyze the current state and identify potential areas of improvement. Definition and significance for SEO Basically, there are two types of hyperlinks: Internal links are connections that lead from your website to a subpage within your website. They help users navigate through your site and assist search engines in understanding the structure and hierarchy of your site. The advantage is that you have 100% control over them. External links , on the other hand, lead from a completely different domain to your website or vice versa. They can enhance credibility. However, you do not have full control over these and are dependent on other websites. This blog post will focus solely on internal linking. An important term in this context is "link juice." Link juice is the strength of a page. It consists of the quality and number of incoming links as well as their distribution across a website. As a result, the homepage has the most link juice and can pass it on through internal links. Links from pages considered more important transfer more link power than links from less important pages . A page is deemed important when many other important pages link to it. Link power is not distributed evenly. For example, if there are 100 internal links, they do not each receive 1/100 link power. Some links receive more, others less link power. The significance for SEO is diverse. Internal links enhance the user experience by helping visitors easily reach the desired information. For search engines, internal links are indicators of which pages on your website are most important. Pages that receive many internal links are considered particularly relevant and can rank higher in search results. Additionally, internal links make it easier for search engine crawlers to explore and index your site, thereby improving the discoverability and visibility of your content. Significance for Users The importance of internal links for SEO is diverse. They improve the user experience by helping visitors easily find the desired information. Within a text, for example, other products or services of the company are linked. This allows users to reach the page directly via the link without having to navigate to the site's menu. A well-thought-out internal linking strategy for SEO can help increase the user's time spent on your site. This can lead to better rankings in search results, as search engines consider user behavior in evaluating a site. Significance for Search Engines For search engines, internal links are an indicator of which pages on your site are most important. Pages with high link juice are considered particularly relevant and can rank higher in search results. Additionally, internal links make it easier for search engine crawlers to explore and index your site. This, in turn, improves the discoverability and visibility of your content. We occasionally hear the idea of marking links with nofollow to save link power. However, we advise against this. In such cases, the link is not followed, but it is still perceived as a link. During the calculation of link power, this link is considered in the total count. Concrete tips for optimizing internal linking We have concrete and practical tips on how you can optimize the internal linking on your website for more efficient SEO. From identifying particularly rewarding pages to choosing the right anchor texts to strategically placing links, these tips will help you fully exploit the potential of your internal linking and sustainably improve your SEO performance. 1. Use Screaming Frog to find pages that particularly benefit from additional internal links How can you find out which pages would benefit the most from additional internal links? This is where Screaming Frog comes into play. This powerful SEO tool allows you to specifically search for pages that are currently under-linked and therefore have great potential for additional internal links. Especially for pages that already have high traffic and are relatively poorly linked, there is a high probability that additional links will increase visibility and relevance in search results. First, create an API connection with Google Search Console : 1. Configuration → API Access → Google Search Console 2. Log in and select domain → OK Figure 1: Screaming Frog Guide: Set up API access Then start the crawl of the domain and limit the dataset to relevant data : 1. Internal → HTML 2. Select the following columns: Address, Meta Robots 1, Inlinks, Impressions 3. Filter: Meta Robots 1 → does not contain → "noindex" Figure 2: Screaming Frog Dataset Once the crawl is complete, you should have a manageable number of pages. Now the ratio between inlinks and impressions is relevant. For optimization, especially those pages are interesting that have many impressions but few incoming links . For these pages, optimizing internal linking is a great way to capture the low-hanging fruits (threshold keywords). If the number of URLs is too overwhelming, you can save the data and create a chart using Excel. 2. Use internal links in the content of the page When using links in the text, the so-called anchor text (or also anchor text/link text) is particularly important. You shouldn't use phrases like "Click here" or "Learn more." Because not only should users learn from the anchor text what to expect on the linked page, but so should bots. Therefore, the linked text should as closely as possible match the keyword of the target page. However, we recommend not using the same anchor text (the keyword) 1:1 for every linking of a page, as that would seem unnatural. Ideally, use variations and synonyms, sometimes single words, phrases, or even entire sentences with keywords. It's also important to consider the position of the link. The highest importance lies in links within a text. The context signals to both users and bots the context in which the link is located. The further up on the page it is placed, the more important it appears. Of course, buttons can still be used, as they are user-friendly. Pay attention to a good link text here as well. Furthermore, images can also be linked. In this case, using the alt attribute and a good image title is particularly important. Specifically, the alt text visualizes for the bots what can be seen in the images and indicates what content the target page offers. 3. Use internal links in the navigation Navigation consists mainly of the menu and the footer . The navigation can be accessed from any page, and thus the links are visible on every page. Especially the most important pages should be linked in the menu, as they receive a lot of link power from this placement. The links in the footer should also not be forgotten. However, it is not meant to contain innumerable links. Linking pages from the menu a second time in the footer makes no sense. Moreover, the links pass less link juice because they are less likely to be clicked. Seasonal pages should be well-linked internally with some lead time. If a topic is relevant in 5-6 months, the target page can be linked in the footer. However, it should be linked more prominently 2-3 months beforehand, e.g., in the menu, on the homepage, and from relevant content to show search engines that it is currently a very important page. We also recommend integrating a breadcrumb for easy navigation. The links it contains show the hierarchical depth of the active page and offer the users the opportunity to reach the correct parent page with a few clicks. As a result, it is very user-friendly and increases the number of internal links in the domain. 4. Quality over Quantity There is no optimal amount of internal links on a website. More important is that the links are relevant and make sense . If you keep this principle in mind, you cannot have too many internal links on a page. You can ask yourself for each link: Could this page be interesting for users? If that is the case, it is a good and relevant link. If you want to create a concept for the internal linking of your website from scratch, you should consider the so-called siloing . This is the topic-relevant linking . According to this principle, online shop visitors on a product detail page for a soccer shoe should not see links to products from the "T-shirts" or "Pants" categories. These are likely not relevant in this case. Instead, it makes sense to offer a link to a soccer shoe from another brand, as the users are obviously interested in this product type. Therefore, internal linking should be limited to the category in which the users currently are and should only refer to the homepages of other categories. Figure 3: Siloing - topic-relevant linking Internal Linking & SEO: Conclusion from internetwarriors Optimizing internal linking is an important but often underestimated method for improving a website's SEO strategy. Through targeted internal linking, both the user-friendliness and the visibility and relevance of pages for search engines can be significantly improved. Well-thought-out internal linking supports navigation, efficiently distributes link juice, and helps search engines better understand the structure of the website. Practical tips such as the use of tools like Screaming Frog, the correct selection and placement of anchor texts, as well as high-quality and topic-relevant linking, are essential for success. Overall, optimized internal linking contributes to longer user dwell time and a better ranking in search results. We are happy to support you in developing an SEO strategy for internal linking. With an SEO Analysis , we find the potential of your website, define measures, and can implement these together under SEO Management . Contact us anytime for a non-binding offer! Did you like the blog? Recommend it now! Facebook Twitter Telegram Linkedin Envelope Whatsapp

The Digital Accessibility Enhancement Act, scheduled for 2025, marks a significant advance in the development of an inclusive digital society. It aims to improve the accessibility of digital products and services for people with disabilities. This legislation builds on existing legal frameworks for accessibility and extends them to meet the needs of the digital age. It is a good reason to check if your website meets the requirements. In this article, you will learn how to use the tools WAVE and Lighthouse to identify issues, determine what actions are needed, and get a good idea of what it means to optimize your website to meet WCAG - AA criteria. Why the WCAGs matter A key aspect of this law is compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The WCAGs serve as an internationally recognized standard for web content accessibility and are divided into three levels of conformance: A, AA, and AAA. These guidelines offer detailed recommendations on how to design digital content to make it accessible to people with a range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments. The law is expected to include requirements ensuring that websites, mobile applications, and other digital technologies comply with WCAG standards. This means that developers and providers of digital products and services must design their offerings to be accessible to all users, regardless of their physical or sensory abilities. Key elements of the WCAG include ensuring keyboard operability, providing alternative text for visual content, enhancing the usability and understandability of content, and compatibility with assistive technologies. The Digital Accessibility Enhancement Act will have far-reaching impacts on the public sector as well as on companies providing digital products and services for the German market. Implementing WCAG compliance will not only promote digital inclusion but also improve the quality and accessibility of online offerings overall. Measuring accessibility with Google Lighthouse Lighthouse is an open-source tool developed by Google to improve the quality of websites. It is a valuable resource for both developers and website operators to analyze and optimize the performance, accessibility, best practices for web applications, and search engine optimization (SEO) of your websites. Accessibility and SEO have synergies that should not be underestimated when optimization aims not only at accessibility but also at increasing organic visibility. A whitepaper with helpful checklists is available from us. The installation, functionality, and measurement of accessibility with Lighthouse are explained below. Lighthouse can be installed and used in several ways: Lighthouse can be installed as an extension in the Google Chrome browser. You can simply visit the Chrome Web Store, search for Lighthouse, and add it. Lighthouse is also directly integrated into Chrome DevTools. To use it, you simply open the DevTools in Chrome, navigate to the "Lighthouse" tab, and start the analysis in Lighthouse. The website PageSpeed Insights also evaluates accessibility. Lighthouse performs a series of tests to evaluate various aspects of a website. The results of these tests are summarized in a report that not only shows the performance of the page but also offers specific recommendations for improvement. The report is divided into several categories: Categories measured in Lighthouse Measuring accessibility with the Lighthouse tool Accessibility is evaluated by Lighthouse through a series of automated tests as well as manual review recommendations. These tests include: Contrast ratios: Checking the text contrast compared to the background. Keyboard accessibility: Ensuring that all interactive elements of the website are reachable and usable by keyboard. Aria attributes: Use of ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes to improve accessibility for screen readers and other assistive technologies. HTML structural elements: Using correct HTML elements to structure content and navigation elements. Classic SEO basics, such as heading structure, ALT attributes, or [lang] attributes. It is important to note that despite the comprehensive tests by Lighthouse, a fully accessible website cannot be guaranteed solely through automated checks. The manual review recommendations provided by Lighthouse are a crucial step to ensuring comprehensive accessibility. In the Google Developer Tools, a hierarchy of evaluation is published, where individual factors carry a weight from 1 to 10. It is advantageous to focus first on the measures with a higher weight - interestingly, these factors are also closely linked to SEO measures. Excerpt of individual metrics and weightings The Google Tool Lighthouse shows the individual errors in website accessibility, categorized by topic. The display is in accordion format, ensuring an overview - see 1. Lighthouse also offers users the option to display more information about the errors. In this example, it not only shows what an ALT attribute for images should look like but also how it should be best implemented in the source code so that it can be read by search engines and also by assistive technologies like screen readers - see 2. The final part specifically displays the elements where the aforementioned error occurs, in the form of a screenshot and a snippet of the code. Unfortunately, the screenshots shown by the Lighthouse Tool are very unclear, making it difficult at first glance to place the element on the entire website - see 3. Error display in Google Lighthouse In summary, Lighthouse is a powerful tool that helps web developers and website operators analyze and optimize their websites. With its versatile installation and usage options and detailed reports and recommendations, Lighthouse plays an important role in modern web development, especially in the area of search engine optimization, where these values are an important indicator. So far, Google has not made a specific statement that the accessibility of a website is a ranking factor. However, many metrics are already indirectly evaluated. Accessible websites are becoming increasingly important, so it's only a matter of time before possible indicators and measurements are also found in the Google Search Console. WAVE - Tool with visual marking of accessibility You can also easily and freely test your website's accessibility using the WAVE tool. However, unlike the Lighthouse tool, it was not developed by Google itself. Lighthouse provides the advantage that the results come directly from Google and may be a more significant indicator for ranking. WAVE was developed by the recognized organization WebAIM and also adheres to WCAG guidelines. The results of the respective tools should thus not differ significantly when testing a website for accessibility. Therefore, for us, the clear presentation of results and the handling of the tool are in the foreground. There is also a paid version. The WAVE API is installed locally and can analyze your entire website. In this article, we present the free version and do not go into the WAVE API further. WAVE is available both as an online version and as a practical browser extension for Chrome and Firefox, allowing web content to be made easily and efficiently accessible. When using it, you stay visually on the website (see Figure 4). The tool shows accessibility hints and errors using small icons. This immediate feedback allows you to quickly identify and address issues. WAVE pays particular attention to critical aspects of accessibility - from alt attributes to the labeling of forms to contrast issues. It also shows whether your website has a clear structure. Additionally, the WAVE tool considers ambiguous or non-descriptive links and the use of ARIA labels, which can be used to provide an optimal web experience for people using screen readers. Using the WAVE Tool on the Google Store Error identification On the left side of the screen, there is a dashboard. It serves to navigate and display accessibility elements. The menu consists of six different sections and is intuitively usable. In addition to the summary of how many errors and contrast errors, warnings, features, structural elements, and ARIA usages there are, they are listed in the "Details" tab. Here you can click directly to the cause on the website. Under "Reference," you find a detailed description of the problem and how to fix it (see Figure 5). Dashboard of the WAVE Tool (Section 1 - 3) Furthermore, there is the option to disable styles or open the HTML code directly at the appropriate place. The WAVE tool ensures that every error can be found and identified. The tool for testing websites for accessibility also shows the tab order (navigation with the tab key to all interactive elements - links & form fields). It provides an overview of the structural setup with headings and offers the option to manually check contrasts (see Figure 6). This can be important, for example, for contrast ratios on relevant images, as the WAVE tool does not check these. In some cases, for example, when text is directly in the image, it is also important that it can be read by everyone. Interpretation of the results Errors and contrast errors are usually clear violations of WCAG Level AA guidelines and should be rectified before the Accessibility Enhancement Act takes effect. In the case of warnings, the WAVE tool identifies potential barriers that are not as drastic and not always based on a legal basis. However, all results should generally be critically examined and controlled before implementation. With the use of features and ARIA labels, these are HTML elements designed, among other things, to enable accessible websites. However, they should be used correctly. For example, an existing alt attribute of an image is marked as a feature. However, the quality or correct use cannot be captured by the WAVE tool. Alt attributes should ideally describe the content of the image as they are read aloud by screen readers. You need to check for yourself if they are well-chosen. Another example is ARIA labels. Here, correct use is also important. The WAVE tool shows all used labels. However, they can also be used incorrectly and cause more barriers. To check if they are used correctly, it's very helpful to use your website with a screen reader. For Windows devices, we recommend the screen reader NVDA , which is free to download and easy to use. Apple devices have the "VoiceOver" accessibility feature integrated. The tab order should follow a logical sequence of links, visually counting up from left to right and from top to bottom on the website. If this is not the case, the code needs to be adjusted. Conclusion - Lighthouse and WAVE The benefits of accessibility are clear. It's an opportunity for website operators to improve usability and make content accessible to all. At the same time, visibility also benefits from accessible implementation. But which tool should you use to check your website for accessibility? In this blog article, we introduced two tools, Lighthouse and WAVE. These are our two favorites. Both can be used as browser extensions or directly on the respective website. Lighthouse is a Google tool and has the advantage that the results may soon directly influence the ranking. Implementing the tool's suggestions puts you in a good position from an SEO standpoint. In our opinion, WAVE clearly has the edge in terms of result presentation. Errors and notices are directly visible on the page. From a contrast checker to the display of the structure to the option to disable styles, the WAVE tool offers a wide variety of applications. It remains clear and easy to use. The errors and warnings of the two tools are very similar according to our experience. However, it is important to emphasize that these are automated tools. The actual assessment and understanding of barriers require human judgment. Therefore, it is recommended to further review the identified results with screen readers to get a realistic picture of a website's accessibility. Another aspect is that they only analyze individual pages and not the entire website. This can lead to missing problems that arise from the interaction of different pages. Do you need help checking and implementing accessibility for your website? The warriors from Berlin are happy to assist you. By June 28, 2025, all affected websites must be accessible. Prepare now and stand out from your competitors! You can contact us for a non-binding offer at any time.

Your products are top-notch, but how about the visibility of your online store ? Technical and content optimization for search engines also plays a crucial role. How can the shopping experience of your visitors be improved with targeted measures in the area of online store SEO ? From efficiently fixing 404 errors to the significance of seasonal events and designing category and product pages – we provide important SEO tips for various aspects that affect your online store ranking . 404 Errors: Better Shopping Experience Through Online Store SEO Are there internal links in your store that might lead potential visitors to an empty or non-existent page? If so, you should act quickly. Fixing 404 errors is one of the most important measures for successful search engine optimization for online stores . Nothing is more frustrating than when page visitors click on a promoted product in the search results and receive an error message. This inevitably leads to frustration, and likely these visitors will leave the page early and return to the search results, increasing the bounce rate. This can be interpreted as a negative signal. The time spent on a page is considered one of many indicators of satisfaction with a search result . To ensure this doesn't happen to you and to offer your visitors the best shopping experience , you should keep the number of unreachable pages as low as possible. Identifying Faulty Links Manually check if your key products are still accessible. Using the Search Console, under Settings -> Crawl Stats -> By Response -> Not Found (404) , you can list all the faulty pages that currently exist or existed at an earlier time. You should especially pay attention to the date during the evaluation. You will also find information on where these pages are linked from. However, external links that potentially link to an incorrect or no longer existing URL are also displayed. Especially during active online campaigns, it is annoying if visitors are directed to a target URL that no longer exists. Figure 1: Excerpt from the Google Search Console - Not Found Pages   Creating a 404 Error Page If users do end up on a 404 page, there is a way to keep them on the website. You should create an optimized 404 error page . This is displayed when the actually requested page is not available. It is essential for any store that wants to conduct excellent OnPage SEO . Users should be given a clear and user-friendly experience here. They should be informed that the desired page cannot be found to avoid confusion. A well-designed 404 error page gives you the opportunity to redirect to other relevant content in your store or to offer alternative options, such as popular products. A user-friendly 404 page helps improve user satisfaction and helps you reduce the bounce rate. Ultimately, this leads to an improvement in your online store SEO ranking . A best practice example can be seen in the following illustration:   Online Store Events - Relevance for SEO Seasonal events and holidays are particularly important for online stores. They offer a great deal of sales potential that should not be overlooked. Start planning and preparing early to achieve the best results. Essential events of the year include Christmas, Black Friday, Easter, and school openings. Depending on the industry, buyer behavior varies. Therefore, you should analyze your target audience and focus on the most important events that have the greatest potential for your online store. To benefit from these, search engine optimization for online stores should be implemented at least three months in advance. Optimize your content for relevant products to be placed in search results for important keywords in time.   Seasonal Landing Pages By creating seasonal landing pages, the traffic on your website can be significantly increased. We recommend the following approach: First, a keyword analysis is important to rank for relevant search queries. The content on the page should be optimized based on the keywords. Additionally, a clear goal and a call-to-action element are essential. The landing page should ideally be prominently linked on the homepage after creation. After the respective event, your seasonal landing pages remain indexed, as they might be well positioned for high-traffic search terms. This way, you can benefit from them again the following year, provided the pages were still accessible to search engine crawlers. External links such as shares and likes can also point to the page, positively affecting the ranking. Even when creating seasonal URLs, you can ensure a future ranking advantage : you should not use a year in the URL. This way, you only need to create the landing pages once and can reuse them the next year. After, for example, the Christmas season is over, you don’t need to link the landing pages as prominently. You can link from a suitable themed page so search engine crawlers can still find the page and you don’t lose all rankings. Mobile Online Store: SEO Adjustments For many people, smartphones are already being constantly used for online shopping. Google, as the leading search engine, has adapted its indexing method accordingly. Since October 2023, the transition to Mobile First is complete. Websites are now only crawled with the mobile Googlebot. To remain competitive, an online store with an optimized mobile view is therefore essential. You can also keep the number of bounces and purchase cancellations low by doing this. To significantly increase user-friendliness, you should consider the following three SEO tips : We recommend a responsive web design . Here, the content automatically adjusts to the screen size and is scaled and arranged accordingly. This ensures good readability and user-friendliness. Besides design, two technical criteria are essential for successful search engine optimization that should be met by online stores. To minimize purchase cancellations, common mobile payment systems should definitely be offered. These include, for example, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Nothing is more frustrating than interested visitors who abandon the purchase process because the desired payment method is missing. You should also absolutely avoid pop-up windows . Especially on mobile versions of online stores, these lead to longer loading times, failed Core Web Vitals, and therefore worse rankings in search engine results. Successful Search Engine Optimization for Online Stores: Interaction of Crawlability and User-Friendliness The most important prerequisite for good on-page SEO is that all relevant content of the domain can be fully crawled and indexed by the Googlebot for both the desktop and mobile website. Therefore, check your robots.txt again for possible instructions that may exclude certain directories or product pages from crawling by search engines. In addition, both search engine bots and the users of your website should be able to navigate it smoothly and intuitively. Crawler help from the sitemap, which should also be optimized for efficient crawling, is required. You can learn what a perfect sitemap looks like in our blog post. The link structure should be designed to be as natural and user-friendly as possible for the users. A particularly important aspect is the theme-relevant linking , often referred to as siloing (see Figure 3). According to this principle, visitors to an online store who are on the product detail page of a soccer shoe should not be shown a link to products from the "T-shirts" or "Pants" categories. These are most likely not relevant in this situation. Instead, it makes sense to provide a link to a soccer shoe from a different brand, as the users are obviously interested in this type of product. The internal linking should therefore be limited to the respective category where the users are located and only refer to the home pages of other categories. Figure 3: Overview of Optimal Linking Between Subdirectories of a URL OnPage SEO for Your Store: Category and Product Pages There are important SEO tips to consider for the content optimization of your pages. For an online store, it's best if the category and product pages land as high as possible in the search results for important keywords. Many make the mistake of having category pages be just a list of products. To guarantee successful search engine optimization for online stores, individual content must also be written for these pages. We recommend 400-500 words, with a shorter section (around 50 words) above the products and the longer text below. The quality of the content plays a major role. Google evaluates the content according to the E-E-A-T criteria. The abbreviation stands for Experience , Expertise , Authoritativeness , and Trustworthiness . Therefore, make sure that the texts on category pages also offer an important added value for the visitors. You can also optimize individual product pages. On the one hand, this makes a ranking directly for the product name more likely, and on the other hand, it avoids the risk of thin content. Google refers to URLs with low quality as thin content, which leads to penalties in the search results rankings. The same applies to duplicate content. For similar products, it is therefore particularly important that the content is unique. For this reason, you should never use the manufacturer's descriptions. If other online stores also save time on their content creation, duplicate content quickly develops. The better alternative is to focus the product texts on specific keywords for which your page should ideally rank. Readability and usability should not be impaired. To create a clear product page, it is important to use bullet points and headings for good structuring. A well-structured page is very important for on-page SEO. The primary keyword should be embedded in the H1 heading. Conclusion of SEO Tips for Online Stores For online stores, SEO is crucial if you want to achieve a long-term high number of organic visitors . In the world of e-commerce, the visibility of your online store is just as important as the quality of your products. Our SEO tips range from efficiently fixing 404 errors to designing seasonal landing pages. To ensure your online store consistently generates high traffic, we also recommend mobile adjustments as well as ensuring crawlability and user-friendliness. Implement these SEO tips to achieve long-term success selling online. We are happy to support you with optimization. During an SEO analysis , our experts will identify the potential in your online store. Together, we can define measures and implement them for you to achieve maximum success. Contact us now without obligation for an offer or if you have further questions.

To keep up with the demands and innovations in the digital world, continuous education is crucial for companies. Understanding the latest technologies is also extremely important for the employees at internetwarriors . Therefore, we are proud to announce a media partnership with Rheinwerk Verlag . A German specialist publisher , playing a key role in digital topics by providing quality educational literature that imparts skills and information. Knowledge dissemination offers much more than just books. In this article, you'll learn what further education opportunities Rheinwerk Verlag provides and which topics are covered.     Figure 1: Rheinwerk Verlag Logo Upcoming Event: Rheinwerk Digital Marketing Camp 2024 The next specialist conference will take place in the coming year. From April 24 to 26, 2024 , Düsseldorf will become the hotspot for everyone passionate about digital marketing. The renowned Rheinwerk Verlag invites you to the " Rheinwerk Digital Marketing Camp " – an online marketing conference, presented live on stage for the first time in five years. Participants can look forward to a wealth of marketing knowledge delivered at the modernly equipped Düsseldorf youth hostel. The three-day event kicks off with a conference day, followed by numerous workshops and masterclasses over the next two days, providing practical learning opportunities. Covering everything from content marketing, conversion optimization, SEO, social media, marketing automation, web analytics to artificial intelligence, the program encompasses all major digital marketing topics.   Figure 2: Digital Marketing Camp Banner   The Rheinwerk Digital Marketing Camp is not only a knowledge platform but also a networking venue. Beyond intensive learning, the event provides an opportunity to discuss current trends and challenges with industry experts. The unique mix of learning and socializing is emphasized by the "camp" character of the youth hostel, which is conveniently located directly by the Rhine in a green area. A campfire, ping-pong games, and delicious food allow for networking in a relaxed atmosphere. Up until February 29, 2024, there is an early bird discount on the tickets . Various ticket combinations allow everyone to choose between attending individual events or experiencing the entire three-day event. Highlights include inspiring talks from renowned speakers such as Björn Tantau, Britta Behrens, Christian Solmecke, Markus Hövener, Petra Sammer, Felix Beilharz, or Andreas Berens.   Figure 3: RDMC Speaker Andreas Berens   Our Top 3 Reasons to Attend the Camp 2024: 1) Comprehensive & Quality: All online marketing topics are offered in verified Rheinwerk quality. 2) Network with Industry Experts: A pleasant atmosphere in a great location provides optimal networking. 3) Individual Time Management: Whether it's a conference day, day courses, 2-day masterclasses, or the entire package: Everyone can tailor their participation to suit their needs. The Impressive Development of the Publisher Rheinwerk Verlag has an impressive history. Founded in Bonn in 1999 under the name ‘ Galileo Press ‘, the company became a pioneer in IT knowledge dissemination in Germany. Over the years, the offerings were expanded with video trainings, the program was thematically extended, and books were made electronically accessible. In January 2015, the company was renamed to Rheinwerk Verlag due to trademark reasons. Four years later, the company organized the Rheinwerk Online Marketing Conference and the Rheinwerk Social Media Marketing Days . The comprehensive training offer was expanded with in-person and online seminars, followed by additional online conferences from 2021 to 2023. Next year, Rheinwerk Verlag returns to in-person events. The Digital Marketing Camp 2024 – an event not to be missed by experts and eager learners in digital marketing . Topics & Offers – Diversity in Focus What makes Rheinwerk Verlag stand out is the broad range of topics it covers. The extensive collection of books and e-books is geared towards both beginners and experts. In the following areas, anyone can expand their digital horizons: Online Marketing Professional Computing SAP Graphics & Design Photography Computers & Office The quality of the content is highly valued. The publisher’s expert authors are industry insiders who communicate their knowledge clearly and practically. Readers can purchase media individually or subscribe to a monthly digital subscription , which includes all books and e-books within the selected category. Alongside a wide range of topics, there is also a variety of offerings. In addition to books and e-books, regular seminars and webinar series are offered in collaboration with the heise Academy online. This variety enables learners to choose their own learning path and develop flexibly. Additionally, large specialist conferences are held, where industry experts come together, give presentations, and discuss current developments. Conclusion: internetwarriors x Rheinwerk In an era where lifelong learning is becoming increasingly important, Rheinwerk Verlag is a trailblazer for the future of education. The media partnership with Rheinwerk Verlag helps increase the reach of educational content and provides our readers and employees access to premium knowledge. Moreover, alongside renowned speakers, we will also share our expertise at the Rheinwerk Digital Marketing Camp 2024 . If you don't want to miss out, head here directly to the official website .   Figure 4: RDMC 2024 in Düsseldorf   We look forward to shaping the future of digital education together and empowering people worldwide. Contact us to hear from us before the event.