Optimize for users not returning to search
Software engineer turned curator and community builder
The most important SEO signal in modern search is whether a user returns to the results page after clicking your link. If they do, Google reads it as "this page did not answer the query" and your ranking erodes. If they do not, it reads as "problem solved" and your ranking compounds. This reframes SEO from "rank for keywords" to "fully resolve the intent behind each query." Audit your top pages: does the reader actually get what they came for above the fold, or do they have to scroll through filler and ads? Fix the ones that force users back to search.
Related advice
SEO blog posts that solve real pain points drive organic growth
Raul wrote 25 blog posts, all addressing problems he'd personally experienced. They rank well because they're genuinely helpful, not because they're optimized for keywords. "Signs of a toxic workplace" and "how to recover from burnout" are searches people make when they're frustrated, and content written by someone who's been through it resonates differently than generic advice. Write fewer posts, but write them from real experience.
Internal linking is the first lever when a page starts ranking
The moment epolita.ro started ranking, Raul's first optimization was internal linking: connecting related pages with descriptive anchor text. It is the cheapest, fastest SEO lever there is, and it works precisely when a page has authority worth distributing. A ranking page is a source of link equity you can route to the pages you want to lift next, and descriptive anchors tell Google what those pages are about. Before chasing new backlinks, make sure the authority you already have is flowing through your own site. Internal linking is the first move, not an afterthought.
For apps, a marketplace listing beats most content backlinks
For an app, a backlink from a relevant marketplace or directory is worth more than most content-driven backlink tactics, because the marketplace's entire purpose is to send qualified, ready-to-buy traffic to tools like yours. That link carries authority and high intent at the same time, while a generic guest-post link carries neither. If your product is an app, prioritize getting listed where your buyers already shop over grinding out articles purely for links. The best backlinks come from pages whose job is to route buyers to you, not from content you wrote to game a ranking.
Create infographics for blog posts and backlinks
Infographics get shared and linked to far more than plain text. Create one per major blog post. Use Canva or Figma to visualize your key data points, then offer an embed code below the image so other bloggers can easily reuse it. This is one of the most reliable passive backlink strategies.
Extracted from
Indie TM #7: News as a Traffic Locomotive