A data-backed look at what it takes to optimize landing pages in the era of Google's core updates. How to align your landing pages to the authority your site has built.

1. Hi… I’m Mordy
Mordy Oberstein
Semrush, Head of Communications
@mordyoberstein

2. It’s A New
Ballgame…

3. People
Have
Changed

4. Far More
Tech Savvy

5. 5
Search Volume for Online Privacy Keywords
+402%
Keyword
Data Privacy
+1200%
Keyword
Online Privacy
& Security
+767%
Keyword
Why Is Data Privacy
Important

6. Even Grandma
Has Changed

7. 7
Search Volume for Online
Privacy Keywords
Keyword
This Site Is Not Secure
Internet Explorer
+189%

8. 8
Data Privacy Related Keywords
Since 2017
+83%
US
+104%
Worldwide

9. You can create
a slide with
an image only,
or provide the
image with the
emotional
statement
And ‘the Goog’
Has Changed

10. Breaking News:
Landing Pages Are a Part of the Larger Site!
10
The Core Updates
And the Era
of Site Quality

11. 11
I’m Not Making This Up!
There’s some signals that we
can’t reliably collect on a per
page basis where we do need
to have a bit of a better
understanding of the overall
site. And quality kinds of falls
into that category.
John Mueller

12. The Patents Confirm
12

13. Breaking News:
Landing Pages Are a Part of the Larger Site!
13

14. Breaking News:
Landing Pages Are a Part of the Larger Site!
14

15. Breaking News:
Landing Pages Are a Part of the Larger Site!
15

16. It’s NO Joke
16

17. 17
It’s NO Joke!

18. 18
A Bit Better

19. 19
A Bit Better

20. 20
Just For Effect

21. You can create
a slide with
an image only,
or provide the
image with the
emotional
statement
Same story…
...every core
update

22. A Landing Page
Data Journey

23. “You know, a lotta ins,
a lotta outs, a lotta
what-have-yous…”

24. Landing Page Average Rank
2017 2021
24
30
35
10K URLs 10K URLs

25. # of Ranking Keywords Per URL
2017 2021
25
33
42

26. 26
Deeper Look
1
1,150 Landing
Pages URLs
2
Comparing Rank
Performance
in 2017 to Current
3
Top 100 Positions

27. Keywords Ranking 100 or Better
2017 2021
27
35
39
Average Rank (Landing Pages)

28. Hooray!
Landing Pages
Now Rank
Better!

29. Not So Fast!

30. Keywords Ranking 50 or Better
2017 2021
30
32
30
Average Rank (Landing Pages)

31. Keywords Ranking 20 or Better
2017 2021
31
23
10
Average Rank (Landing Pages)

32. Landing Page URLs
Rank 2017 2021 +/-
Top 100 39 35 +5
Top 50 30 32 -2
Top 20 10 23 -13
32
Average Rank (Landing Pages)

33. You can create
a slide with
an image only,
or provide the
image with the
emotional
statement
The Core Updates
And th Era
of Site Quality

34. Home Page URLs
Rank 2017 2021 +/-
Top 100 46 52 -6
Top 50 44 51 -7
Top 20 43 49 -6
34
Average Rank (Home Page)

36. Home Page Average Rank
2017 2021
Landing Page Average Rank
2017 2021
36
47
33 44
10
Improved Landing Page URLs
(Top 20 or Better)

37. Home Page URLs
Rank 2017 2021 +/-
Top 100 46 52 -6
Top 50 44 51 -7
Top 20 43 49 -6
Improved LP URLs 44 47 -3
37
Average Rank (Home Page)

38. Lesson #1:
Landing
Pages Don’t
Exist In A Vacuum

39. 39
One More Stat on Improved URLs
# of Ranking Keywords Per URL
2017 2021
12
51

40. Top Ranking Keyword (Landing Page) *
Domain 2017 2021
The Pond Outlet Pond tools Garden pond tools
My School my school management
school management
Software price list
Auto Glass Only online glass quote auto glass only coupon
Freight Center Computer freight Get freight shipping quote
Redmire Stables temporary stables for sale
used internal stable
partitions for sale
No Shave No shave nov
how to participate in
no shave november
40
Better Rankings for More Specific Keywords

41. Lesson #2:
Better Rankings
for More Specific Keywords
● More specific user intent
● Google is better at content relevance

42. Brands, SEO, &
Conversions:
Worlds
Colliding

43. Brand & Site
Perception...
Is A Part
of SEO

44. You can create
a slide with
an image only,
or provide the
image with the
emotional
statement
The Core Updates
And th Era
of Site Quality

45. 45
It’s NOT Nuts

46. 46
What Would You Do?

47. 47

48. 48

49. 49
Would you
trust this article?
Would you buy
these products?

50. 50
We Already Know What Google Thinks

51. 51
Are You Landing Pages
Really Concerned
About Users?
● Start with empathy
● Start with understanding how
your site & content is perceived
● It’s all about empathy & identity

52. 52
Your Content
IS Your Brand.
Your Landing
Pages Included.

53. 53
The Future of
Optimization
Is “Experience
& Usability”

54. 54
Seriously, It’s Not Nuts

55. 55
Seriously, It’s Not Nuts
And I think that evolution will continue and there will be more and more
tools available and you’ll be able to do more and more things in a way
that kind of works fairly well for search engines and it’s not that the
SEO work will go away but rather it will evolve.
So maybe instead of like hand tweaking H2 tags and H1 tags you’ll
delegate that to a CMS that makes sure that the most important
content is already included as a heading on the page.
John Mueller
Yes, I quoted him… again.

56. 56
Practically Speaking...
● Connect your landing pages to your site as
much as possible
● Helpful content and specific content not just
“sales” content
● Don’t forget about the rest of the site
● Don’t go overboard pushing the conversion
(remember, even grandma has changed)