Turn Organic Search into Your Most Profitable Growth Engine

The Query Fan Out (QFO)

When a user enters a complex prompt, the LLM breaks it down into multiple, simpler search queries—the QFO. Your content only gets cited if it ranks highly for one of those fan-out queries.

Actionable Takeaways for SEOs:

• Reverse-Engineer the QFO: Use Google Search Console to find high-ranking queries with zero clicks. These are likely LLM fan-outs.
• Track Referral Traffic: Measure LLM success by analyzing referral traffic in GA4 from sources like chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai.
• Optimise for the Drift: Update your content to include date-specific keywords (e.g., "2025") and long-tail variations to capture the ever-changing QFO.

The message is clear: Master Troical Authority and Traditional SEO, and LLM visibility will follow.

While schema is unnecessary for most standard blog posts it is absolutely critical for specific use cases:

1. Structured Data: Schema is essential for marking up specific, factual data points like Product reviews, Recipe ingredients, Flight times, or Event details. This is where it helps search engines delimit and understand content that is difficult to parse otherwise.

2. Voice Search Optimization (VSO): Schema is a powerful tool for VSO. Voice assistants (like Alexa or Google Assistant) prioritise fast, concise answers, often pulling directly from Featured Snippets or Knowledge Panels. Schema types like FAQPage and HowTo help search engines understand the intent and structure of your content, making it easier to serve it as a quick, spoken answer.

Source: Semrush: Query Fan Out Explained

What is Pogo-Sticking?

Pogo-sticking is when a user clicks on a search result, finds it unsatisfactory, and immediately clicks the "back" button to return to the search results page to choose a different option. This is a strong negative signal to Google that your page did not satisfy the user's search intent. If this happens frequently, your rankings will suffer.

How to Combat Pogo-Sticking with Superior UX:

• Answer the Question Immediately: Give users what they want "above the fold" – before they have to scroll. Whether it's an answer to a question or a "Buy Now" button for a product, satisfying the user's intent immediately is the number one way to prevent them from leaving.
• Improve Readability and Scannability: No one likes a wall of text. Use clear headings (H1, H2, H3), short paragraphs, bullet points, and plenty of white space to make your content easy to scan and digest.
• Optimise for Mobile: Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it evaluates the mobile version of your site to determine rankings. A poor mobile experience is a guaranteed way to send users bouncing back to Google.
• Intuitive Navigation: A clear and simple website structure with easy-to-understand menus helps users find what they need and encourages them to explore more of your site. This reduces the likelihood of them returning to the search results.

Ultimately, SEO gets people to your website, but a great user experience makes them want to stay. By focusing on the user's needs and creating a seamless, intuitive experience, you are also sending all the right signals to Google.

The Pruning & Refresh Strategy

Google prioritises fresh, high-quality, and relevant content. A large volume of outdated or low-traffic pages can dilute your site's authority. The solution is to strategically remove or "prune" content that doesn't perform, and reinvest that effort into updating and expanding your existing "near-winner" articles.

Actionable Takeaways for SEOs:

• Identify Low-Performing Pages: Use Google Analytics and Search Console to find pages with little to no traffic or poor engagement rates over the last year. These are your pruning candidates.
• Update, Don't Just Edit: For your "almost-ranking" pages, a full refresh is key. Add new, relevant information, expert quotes, recent data, and expand sections to turn a good article into a comprehensive resource. One B2B company saw a 427% traffic surge from this method.
• Consolidate and Redirect: If you have multiple articles on similar topics, merge them into one "skyscraper" post. Delete the weaker pages and implement 301 redirects to the new, authoritative article to preserve link equity.
• Strengthen with Internal Links: Use your highest-performing posts to pass authority to your newly refreshed content. Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text instead of generic phrases like "click here." This helps both users and search engines understand the context and structure of your site.

Focus on quality over quantity. A smaller, more authoritative site will outperform a bloated one every time.

Source: DigitalMarketing.org: Underrated SEO Hacks

This article clarifies the two most critical roles in search optimisation. We cover what each expert does, when you need them, and why a technical audit is the essential first step before investing in content.