SEO/AEO Tools and Guides

What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps your web pages show up higher in search engine results, like Google. The goal is to help more people find your content when they search for topics related to your page.

What is AEO?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) helps AI tools, like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, use your content as a direct answer to a user’s question. The goal is to make your content clear, accurate and easy for AI to understand and cite.

SEO/AEO tools

There is no single SEO/AEO tool used across UC Davis. Each department chooses the tool that works best for its needs.

The Office of Strategic Communications recommends Semrush for UC Davis communicators. Semrush helps you see how your website ranks in Google and AI search results. It also helps you find keywords people search for to improve your web pages. If you’re new to SEO and working on a new website, we recommend Semrush’s lowest-priced plan.

If you need a free keyword research tool, try AnswerThePublic. It can help you find questions people ask online. Keep in mind that the free version has a daily search limit. If you plan to do SEO regularly, a full SEO tool like Semrush is a better long-term choice.

To learn more about these options, email [email protected]. 

SEO/AEO guides

Use these guides to optimize your website for search engines and AI results. Remember, what’s good for your users is often what’s good for search engines and AI as well. By following SEO best practices, you can ensure UC Davis’ high-quality content is found online and reaches relevant audiences.

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SEO Best Practices

Develop the most optimized web content using best practices for tags, keywords and URLs.
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SiteFarm SEO Guide

Put SEO best practices into action by using these step-by-step SiteFarm instructions.
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Keywords

Use this general keyword guide to learn about keyword psychology, selection and queries as well as the differences between short and long keywords.
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Applying Keywords

Master the keyword selection and mapping process — including search volume, user intent, and competition  — in this keyword application guide.
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Canonical Tags

Make sure search engines only choose to show your content instead of duplicates by using this guide on canonical tags.
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YouTube SEO

Use these SEO tips to optimize your videos using keywords, engagement, video length and thumbnails to boost your rank and views on YouTube.