One advantage of having pages that say “X Best” for SEO ranking purposes is that they bring in more traffic and don’t require you to pay for ad space. When you pay for ads, they stop appearing and stop generating results once the period is up. However, the pages appearing in organic results cost no money. One reason why websites have these highly optimized sites is to provide value to users to appear on page one of search engines with organic results—all without paying a dime for ads.
One reason websites, especially blogs, have pages that say "X Best" is to match competitors that are currently ranking. If a business owner decides to do a blog post about a certain topic and finds that in the SERP the top results are "X Best" lists, they will want to match this. If "X Best" list format posts are ranking well, publishing a blog post in a completely different format won't bode well with Google's algorithm. Google is showing what type of page it favors for that specific keyword, so match what competitors are doing, and do it better.
Savvy companies include the term "best" on their pages in an effort for their site to appear higher in search rankings when potential customers are looking for their business. The strategy can work, because someone searching for 'Best _________' is probably in-market to purchase whatever service they are searching for. However, what's less talked about is the customer experience in using terms like "best". Making bold statements about who you are, and what you're the best at, helps customers understand what you do. So, yes there is an SEO benefit in calling yourself "the best", but you should also think first about how the statements position your company. It's an opportunity to stand out from the crowd, and help the RIGHT customers find you.
When you're looking for a product or service recommendation, you might ask your friends, you might ask your neighbors, but you're also going to ask Google. Your search terms might be "best summer hiking shoes," or "most affordable all-inclusive resorts." You're not looking for a brand to tell you about THEIR best summer hiking shoes. You want to hear from a (presumably) unbiased 3rd party. And because these search terms are so competitive, once you scroll down past the ads, you're likely to see big publications in the top spots. That's why it's so important for brands to go beyond getting their own content to rank for these high-intent keywords. They also need to be mentioned in as many of those top-ranking list posts as possible. The process of identifying and obtaining more mentions and, as a result, more share of search is called "Surround Sound SEO," and sometimes "barnacle marketing." It's worth pursuing if these kinds of searches are important to you.
Getting featured on a website’s listicle is a chance to earn a link, otherwise known as a “backlink” to your own company’s webpage, thus improving your SEO ranking. For example you might see a listicle entitled, “X Best Career Coaches in Los Angeles.” As a career coach in LA, if your business is not featured in the list, you can reach out to the article’s author and ask to be added. Offering said author something in return, such as a free coaching session to determine if she wants to add you to her page would be both generous and appropriate. If you are then featured in the listicle, page visitors will likely click on your backlink and your SEO will grow as if by magic!
\'X best\' search queries can drive a lot of traffic, and it\'s a common formula used by media sites - especially affiliate sites. Google loves to rank \'X best\' articles in the search results. \'X best\' search queries are extremely common, and those queries mean that the user wants to see a curated selection of the \'best\' of a particular thing. Rather than Google \'telling\' a user which content is best, it refers searchers to media sites that have (presumably) done rigorous research to discover the \'best\' of any category. For example, a music website might rank the \'best\' songs from a given artist. If Google recognises that website as being authoritative in the music niche, it will trust the content and serve it high in the rankings. Another example could be for technology products, such as TVs. If a user searches for \'best tvs,\' Google will want to rank authoritative technology review sites that provide trustworthy, detailed, well-researched reviews of a variety of relevant products.
From a linguistic perspective, across many categories, industries, and niches "best" is the most common search modifier. Many sites come across it in their keyword research and try to optimize for it. SEOs include a number at the front ("10 Best...") to try to increase click-through rates as this format makes it seem like a definitive, well-researched list. Users are aware of the format and are more likely to engage and visit the site when the information is presented in this way.
Brand Manager at Pure Relief
Answered 4 years ago
Websites use catchy slogans that fit popular searched keywords on search engines like Google because those keywords drive reliable traffic. Not only do these catchy titles and keywords drive better conversions, but they’re also more likely to be searched by users looking for “X Best” plants to garden, for example. This marketing technique targets direct and indirect traffic to attract leads to a business’s website or blog, etc. Users are undoubtedly using and browsing SERPs with these popular keywords, so many businesses capitalize on their guaranteed traffic, usually to make more sales. These titles also convey a sense of authority on the subject matter that businesses can leverage to share valuable advice and boost conversions. How would you know, "What is the Best” X without having some experience in that market?
“X Best” might not be the most creative blog post title, but there is a reason everyone uses it - it works. Think about how you use Google to search for products in a world of information overload. Generally, we see loads of users looking up not just the generic catch-all “black sandals” but “best black sandals” to find the black sandals that are purchased most often by consumers like them. Then, search terms in the format “Best (blank)” start to perform really well, and content creators notice. Blogs titled “X Best Black Sandals” start cropping up as sites try to cash in on the SEO gold that the term becomes. Admittedly, it's not the most creative approach but a basic technique that can pay off very well for brands and marketers.
To improve your page's SEO ranking, make sure the meta title, description, and content are all optimized for high search volume, and long-tail low competition keywords. You have to hit everything you possibly can. Your targeted keywords should be used in the URL, title, description, H1 and H2 tags, body text uniformly spread around the page, and non-text elements such as alt-text. Schema markup must be used consistently and correctly throughout the web pages.
One reason that websites have pages that say "'X' Best" for SEO ranking purposes is because these types of pages tend to rank highly in search engine results pages (SERPs). By having a page that ranks highly for keywords related to your business, you can increase the visibility of your website and attract more traffic.
It's because of the "Best Of" concept. When people search for something, they want to see the best results first. They don't want to read through every option, they just want the best one. So if you're trying to rank well in Google, you might as well give them what they want!
Pages that say "X Best" are often keyword-loaded, which can help with SEO ranking. This is because Google's algorithm considers a variety of factors when determining how to rank a website. One of these factors is the number of times a keyword appears on a page. If you want your website to rank higher in Google search results, you'll want to ensure that your site contains plenty of relevant keywords. You can do this by including them in the titles and meta descriptions of your pages and in the body text.
One reason is how Google interprets the title and displays this information on the SERP, within their featured snippets. By showcasing to Google your article has "X" number of items in your blog post, it indicates to them you're either ranking something or providing the user with steps -- Google then tries to match the "best" results with the "best" matching user search query. Take for instance the article: https://www.growann.com/best/partner-management-software-prm We rank the software 1-7, which is used in the title as well as within the H3s of the page too. This provides the user with multiple options to research even further.
"X best" is a common query entered in search engines, making it more likely that a website will pop up when a person is searching for relative information. Lists are more likely to get clicks than explanation posts. In marketing studies, it's also been found that odd-numbered lists get more views than even numbers. The psychological explanation behind this is that odd-numbered lists appear more authentic since they appear to be written based on how much information was found on the topic. Even numbers seem like an attempt to make a symmetrical list, decreasing its appeared authenticity despite how valid the information truly is.
Senior SEO Specialist, SEO & AI Trainer and Affiliate Marketer at Corso Intelligenza Artificiale
Answered 4 years ago
Affiliate marketing is a branch of web marketing that allows you to earn commissions on the sale of third party products or services. Therefore, without the need to own your own product or service, you can promote a third party product through affiliations. Affiliation allows you to get a commission on the sale of the product (not yours) and forget the rest; you will not have to think about customer service, returns and you will not have any contact with the final seller. You can do affiliate marketing with both organic traffic (SEO) and paid traffic (advertising). It is precisely for this reason that on the web we find websites that compare products: those web pages receive clicks from SEO and payments from the affiliate marketing.
Website blog posts starting with “X Best” are proven to be both user and bot friendly; thus, they are effective for SEO. Humans naturally love numbered lists because they are simple, informative, and highly readable. So, pages containing a list of “X Best” have higher chances of being clicked through when they come up in online searches. Numbered lists also have higher chances of becoming “featured snippets,” which appear on top of SERPs as Google’s quick response to a query. So, writing website pages with numbered lists can help boost SEO as it opens doors for featured snippets and higher click-through rates.
The purpose of a "X" best page is to provide the searcher with an answer to their query as quickly and accurately as possible. In this case, the searcher has a commercial intent with that query and is looking at recommendations before making a purchase. Moreover, adding a number in the article's title is a proven way to increase CTR (Click-Through Rate), which is a major ranking factor for organic search. When a page has a consistent high CTR in google's index, it indicates to Google that the page is relevant and useful for that particular query, which will result in better organic rankings.
Listicles are effective for SEO because they enable you to guide crawlers through your pages with subheadings easily. Because of their nature, listicles feature several subheaders, which give you a chance to improve technical SEO, which crawlers interpret as easy-to-read content. Moreover, listicles also get preference when crawlers search pages to display as snippets when someone enters a search query online.
A list post conveys the same information as a regular article but in a shorter, more digestible form. It also delivers a consistent layout, which makes it easier for your readers to skim. This can help encourage more readership, which boosts your SEO ranking. But, that's not the only reason list posts work for SEO ranking purposes. They also work because they help readers retain information more easily. It's easier to grasp the meaning of a list post than a regular article, making it more likely that your audience will want to share what they've read with their friends.