Jake Ward

1,922 ranking factors for the 4th largest search engine in the world were leaked 3 days ago.

Yandex was built as a Google clone by ex-Googlers.

Google and Yandex results are ~70% similar.

Although there will be many differences between the search engines, it provides insight into how ranking factors are measured.

Here are 32 interesting ranking factors:

P.S. I'll link all sources in the comments below.

#searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing

SEO has been dying since the early 2000s.

Some notable 'deaths' include:

- Web 3.0
- Google Ads
- Social media
- Voice assistants
- Featured snippets
- Zero-click searches
- Every Google update

And now ChatGPT and AI.

Here's the reality:

- 15% of searches are brand new
- Searches grow by ~10% every year
- There are 3.7B Google searches daily
- SEO is a $100B+ industry (and growing)
- Search engines and SEO will always evolve
- Search habits will take a long time to change

Block out the noise.

Continue learning, consistently repeating the fundamentals, and adapting to new technologies.

SEO is only 'dead' for those that don't.

7 content formatting tips (ft. Jasmin Alić):

Go from the bottom of page 1 to the top of Google with 15 minutes of work by optimising for featured snippets.

They don't get enough love.

I win roughly 90% of snippets and go from getting 5% of clicks to over 23%.

Here's my snippet-winning process:

Too many people overcomplicate SEO tools.

Here's my simple 15-tool stack:

Strategy:

1. Ahrefs: All-in-one (competitors, keywords, etc)
2. Keyword Insights: Keyword clustering
3. SparkToro: Audience research

Content:

4. Byword: Programmatic AI content
5. Grammarly: Writing assistant
6. Frase: Content optimisation

Technical:

7. Screaming Frog: Website crawling and auditing
8. Google Search Console: SEO analytics and data
9. Detailed SEO Extension: Quick on-page analysis

Backlinks:

10. Connectively: Journalist requests
11. Hunter: Email address finder
12. Pitchbox: Link outreach

Underrated:

13. AlsoAsked: 'People Also Ask' keywords
14. Seed Keywords: 'Seed' keyword surveys
15. HTTP Status Checker: URL status checker

What would you add?

Steal my 15 blog title templates:

They've generated millions in organic traffic and revenue over the last 3 years.

See the best-performing title for each of the following types of content (with examples):

 1. Product list
 2. Versus
 3. Alternatives
 4. How-to
 5. Ultimate guide
 6. Review
 7. Ways
 8. Case study
 9. Statistics
10. Template
11. Examples
12. What-is
13. Tips
14. Difference
15. Types

P.S. There's a free bonus on the final slide that you don't want to miss (I should be selling them).

Stop creating new blog content.

Do this instead:

1. Go to Search Console
2. Filter for the last 28 days
3. Export your query data
4. Filter queries in positions 4-20
5. Prioritise queries to increase ranking

Then find ways to better optimise for those queries within your existing content.

For example:

- Write new sections
- Add to existing sections
- Optimise existing headings
- Write the featured snippet (if present)

Take the rest of the year to focus on getting more out of your current assets.

Your 2023 will start better for it.

P.S. I'll link my 25-step content optimisation checklist in the comments below (I posted it recently).

How I find scalable content ideas in 5 minutes:

Please STOP publishing new blog posts.

I see too many websites with 100s of blog posts that get 0 traffic, publishing entirely new content every month.

If you already have existing content, do this instead:

- Go to Search Console
- Filter for the last 28 days
- Export your keyword data
- Filter keywords in positions 3-20
- Prioritise keywords to increase ranking

Then find ways to better optimise for those keywords within your existing content.

For example:

- Write new sections
- Add to existing sections
- Improve existing headings
- Optimise for snippets/AI Overviews

You will get quicker traffic increases by optimising your existing content rather than creating new content.

Focus here for Q1 this year and watch what happens.

Fact check: 0 to 750K/mo SEO traffic with AI.

I've been saying this for 17 months. The data keeps proving the same thing.

Ahrefs released a study analysing 600,000 pages.

The data shows Google doesn't penalise AI content. The correlation between AI usage and rankings was 0.011. Basically zero.

This might sound familiar.

Back in April 2024, we ran a similar analysis at Byword across 5,000 sites right after Google's update that "targeted AI content."

Same result. AI content wasn't the problem.

But here's what everyone missed then (and what most are still missing now):

The sites that got hit weren't using AI wrong. They were doing content wrong.

Our data showed sites covering random topics saw a -26.4% traffic drop. While focused sites using AI actually grew 6.2%.

It was never about the tool. It was about the strategy.

The Ahrefs study confirms it again. They found 81.9% of top-ranking pages use a mix of AI and human content.

Pure AI content rarely hits position one, but neither does pure human content dominate.

The pattern is clear: Google cares about quality and relevance. Not your writing process.

If you've been avoiding AI because you're scared of penalties, you've been optimising for the wrong thing.

As Ahrefs put it: "Google probably doesn't care how you made the content. It simply cares whether searchers find it helpful."

Focus your content. Serve your niche. Use whatever tools help you do that better.

The data's been showing this for 2 years.

I literally live and breathe this SEO framework.

5 years ago, I watched a SaaS company burn through 6 months of content budget. 60 blog posts on topics like "what is email marketing" and "benefits of newsletters."

Their traffic skyrocketed, but their revenue flatlined.

Their entire content game was backwards.

So that's when I built my "SEO Content Pyramid" to flip it completely and start at the top.

Here's how it works:

1. Convert (Top of Pyramid)

High-intent content for people ready to buy.

A. Competitor Comparisons
↳ "beehiiv vs Kit"
↳ "Kit alternatives"

B. Product Reviews
↳ "beehiiv reviews" (brand)
↳ "Kit review" (competitor)

C. Buyer Guides
↳ "Best newsletter platforms in 2025"
↳ "Best newsletter tools for beginners"

D. Product Pages
↳ "Email newsletter software"
↳ "Newsletter platform pricing"

2. Discover (Middle of Pyramid)

Solution content for people exploring options.

A. Solve Pain Points
↳ "How to start a newsletter"
↳ "Newsletter best practises"

B. Case Studies
↳ "Email marketing case studies"
↳ "How [Brand] grew to 100k subscribers"

C. Data Studies
↳ "Open rate benchmarks 2025"
↳ "Email marketing statistics"

D. Templates and Tools
↳ "Newsletter templates"
↳ "Email subject line generator"

3. Awareness (Bottom of Pyramid)

Educational content for people learning and exploring.

A. Definitions
↳ "What is open rate"
↳ "Email deliverability explained"

B. Educational Guides
↳ "How to increase email open rate"
↳ "How to write engaging emails"

C. Industry Trends and News
↳ "Gmail manage subscriptions feature"
↳ "Email marketing trends 2025"

D. Ideas
↳ "Newsletter content ideas"
↳ "Email campaign ideas for holidays"

Start at the top with Convert content. Only move to Discover once you've covered every competitor comparison, product review, and buyer guide. Then tackle Awareness last.

This framework will 10x your SEO results.

After 3 years with AI, 100s of LinkedIn posts, and 70+ Kleo user calls… I’ve finally cracked my workflow.

Most people open ChatGPT and type:

“Write me a LinkedIn post on [topic].”

That’s why the output feels generic and nothing like you.

The problem isn’t AI.
The problem is your workflow.

Here's what my workflow looks like:

1. Inputs

AI needs context to write in your style, about your topics, with your knowledge.

- Past posts to match your style
- Info on who you are and what you do
- Call transcripts, SOPs, blog posts... for knowledge
- Proven post templates for winning formats
- Idea swipes from Reddit, X, LinkedIn, blogs...

2. Chat

AI rarely one-shots posts ready to publish. Instead, you chat with it and use your inputs to "build" the post.

Think of it like Cursor for LinkedIn posts:

You don’t expect Cursor to write perfect code in one go.

You iterate with it; ask for snippets, refactors, or alternative approaches. Each step compounds until you’ve got clean, working code.

Do the same with post writing:

- "What's trending on Reddit, X, LinkedIn..."
- "Give me post ideas from my knowledge base"
- "Give me a template for [topic]"
- "Write me 5 hook variations"
- "Write my post using this hook"
- "Rewrite this part"

3. Publish

By now 90% of the post is done, the rest is polish.

- Preview how it'll look on LinkedIn
- Tweak the formatting for content UX
- Add your visual
- Schedule and post

Your expertise goes in.
AI organises and sharpens it.
The output feels 100% yours (only faster).

This is the exact workflow we’ve built into Kleo 2.0.

I’ve also streamlined the entire process. Get it here for FREE: https://lnkd.in/eNjSWvjQ

In 2022, I had 0 followers and no idea how to write.

I was never a fan of social media, but knew LinkedIn could change my business forever (and it did).

So I went down the rabbit hole:

1. Spent $1,000s on courses and coaching
2. Consumed (often conflicting) advice
3. Tried every writing tool out there

I met Lara along the way, and we started working towards our first 10,000 followers.

But what actually worked?

- Scrolling through socials
- Reading industry news
- Staying on top of industry trends
- Screenshotting posts for ideas
- Saving content for "knowledge"

Not just on LinkedIn, but Twitter, Reddit, and blogs too.

That became my swipe file: inspiration for topics, hooks, formats, angles, the content...

This was the biggest unlock that helped me hit 100M+ impressions and grow to 200K followers.

But I've realised:

The problem wasn't finding inspiration, it was turning inspiration into execution.

And this is where every writing tool has failed me.

- Generic templates
- Simply recycling my old content
- Limited databases with basic outputs

None of them could take my ideas and turn them into expert-led content that sounds like me.

So I rebuilt Kleo with Lara to solve our own problem.

The first version worked. You could see viral content instantly, but copying others isn’t a worthwhile strategy.

Building your own voice that can scale itself is.

I’m building Kleo to take ANY inspiration:

- Twitter thread
- Podcast insight
- Client conversation
- Random shower thought

And turn it into posts that feel like you.

If you’re struggling to stay consistent, you’re not facing a creativity problem.

You’re facing a systems problem.

Kleo 2.0 is that system.

To help get you started, Lara and I have put together 101 Templates (for free): https://lnkd.in/eeUyfjtD

Google: Handles 90% of all searches, 16.4B queries per day, owns YouTube, has 14% stake in Anthropic, powers Claude with TPU chips, owns Gemini, tracks the world via Maps, builds self-driving cars at Waymo, owns Android, powers 3B devices, sends 831x more visitors to sites than all LLMs combined.

ChatGPT: New browser basically powered by Google.

Google is the internet.

I got locked in building. And locked out of posting.

Haven't posted on LinkedIn in 3 weeks.

Not because I had nothing to say. But because I was too busy building a LinkedIn tool to actually post on LinkedIn.

I realise how daft that sounds.

I'm creating Kleo to help people write better content here, and I've been completely silent.

Every morning I'd think "I should post something today."

Then I'd get pulled into bugs, testing features, talking to our 1st batch of users.

By evening, posting was the last thing on my mind.

Here's what changed for me during those 3 weeks:

Literally nothing.

Your audience isn't going anywhere. Take the break. They'll be there when you're ready to return.

I could've written 15 mediocre posts in that time. Instead, I built something that actually helps people create better content.

Sometimes shipping beats posting.

And we've opened more Kleo beta spots after shipping our latest big update yesterday.

If you want in, drop a comment and I'll DM you the link.

Google's leaked documents confirmed it.

They use a secret metric called siteAuthority to determine who to trust.

The sites dominating search in 2025 and beyond aren't chasing keywords. They're owning entire topics.

7-step framework for building topical authority:

1. Define your core topic domain

Pick a niche you can actually dominate. "Email marketing" is too broad. "Email marketing for SaaS companies" works. Most people fail here by going too wide.

2. Uncover your entire topic universe

Map every subtopic and user question. Use Reddit, Quora, People Also Ask, competitor analysis. You need 1,000s of keywords, not 20.

3. Group keywords into content clusters

Use SERP-based clustering. If two keywords show 70%+ overlap in top-ranking URLs, they belong on the same page. Pattern-based tools miss this completely.

Tool tip: I cluster keywords with Keyword Insights.

4. Plan your topic hubs

Create pillar pages for broad topics. Build cluster pages for specific subtopics. Internally link them both ways. This signals comprehensive coverage to Google.

5. Execute content gap analysis

Find every cluster where competitors rank but you don't. Prioritise by search volume and difficulty. These are your highest-ROI opportunities.

6. Create content with information gain

Add unique value. Original research, firsthand experience, expert analysis. AI 'consensus' content doesn't tend to build authority.

7. Weave strategic internal links

Hub-and-spoke model. Every cluster links to its pillar. Every pillar links to all clusters. No page should be orphaned (left on its own).

Sites that master this see 57% faster traffic growth than those that don't (Graphite, 2024).

The question isn't whether to build topical authority.

It's whether you'll build it before your competitors do.