An effective SEO strategy is more than just adding a few keywords to your content and considering the task done. You want to create content and user experiences that target real people, not just an algorithm. And if you’re not integrating DEI best practices into your strategy, you could be falling at the first hurdle.

What is DEI?

DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It represents three core values that businesses should be striving to represent. Diversity relates to recognising different identities and backgrounds, from race and ethnicity to sexuality, gender and age. Equity means that your company provides equal opportunities to all, removing the barriers that could prevent some people from accessing the same prospects such as those from different socio-economic backgrounds. Finally, inclusion represents respect for all identities and circumstances without judgement and discrimination.

If your business is doing DEI right, you should have an inclusive environment where all employees feel comfortable working without fear or worry that they’ll be discriminated against for being who they are. Today, DEI goes beyond the workplace—it should factor into your marketing content too, because your customers deserve to feel accepted as well.

How to Incorporate DEI into Your SEO Strategy

While perfect DEI integration is never possible, because you’re targeting such a broad audience as a business, there are things you can do to ensure your SEO tactics are more inclusive.

Use Your About Page to Boost DEI Visibility

DEI starts within the company, so start by optimising your About page to authentically showcase your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion while improving search visibility for DEI-related queries.

“Any optimised website requires relevant, engaging content that satisfies specific search queries”, explains digital marketing agency Artemis Marketing, “This doesn’t mean including swathes of keywords and flooding your ‘Careers’ page with never-ending blocks of text. However, it does mean crafting enough text that incorporates some high-volume keywords to reach candidates”.

Incorporating natural keywords like "inclusive workplace," "diversity initiatives," and "equal opportunity employer" throughout the page can help promote your company as one which prioritises DEI initiatives. Likewise, featuring genuine employee stories and testimonials that highlight diverse perspectives and experiences can help—be sure to use semantic markup to help search engines understand the context.

Use the Correct Markup

Not only do H1s and H2s help your audience navigate through the page, but they’re a prime spot for SEO keywords and also vital for online readers using screen readers. A blind user, for example, will require assistive technology to scan the content so you need to ensure your HTML code (also known as semantic markup) is structured correctly. This ensures the hierarchy of the page is correct and can be understood by every viewer.

Fight Against Biases in Algorithms

Search engine algorithms learn from historical data and user behaviour, which means they can perpetuate existing societal biases and inequalities. Julie Rogers at IBM explains “Algorithmic bias is especially concerning when found within AI systems that support life-altering decisions in areas such as healthcare, law enforcement and human resources. Bias can enter algorithms in many ways, such as skewed or limited training input data, subjective programming decisions or result interpretation”.

This shows up in various ways, such as image search results that predominantly show certain demographics for professional roles, or language associations that reinforce gender stereotypes in different professions. For example, searching for "CEO" has historically returned mostly images of white men.

To counter these biases, SEO professionals can implement several strategies. For example, aim to create high-quality content that associates professional terms with diverse representations, using inclusive language variations in keyword strategies.

Additionally, build connections with diverse content creators and websites through strategic link building to help amplify underrepresented voices and create more balanced search results. This helps search engines learn more inclusive associations and ensures better content accessibility for diverse audiences searching for relevant information.

Be Mindful of Language

Words are incredibly powerful, and they can make or break your DEI success. Be careful with cultural references, including idioms, metaphors, and humour that could translate poorly to other cultures. Even common sayings might not be inclusive and could have discriminatory roots, so be careful with the choice of phrases you use.

Phrases like ‘rule of thumb’ and ‘grandfathered in’ have misogynistic and racist backgrounds, so be sure that any language you use has been researched and approved as inclusive. Steer clear from gendered defaults too, like businessman or salesman, opting for gender-neutral alternatives.

Make Content From Diverse Perspectives

Your SEO strategy will extend to images, video, and digital content, so make sure you’re supporting your DEI efforts with content that speaks to different perspectives. Authentic representation is essential in DEI initiatives, so look for (or create) imagery that’s genuine and moves past the stereotypical images. Similarly, ensure that your visual content is accessible to everyone by including alt text for screen readers and high contrast colours for easier visibility for those with visual impairments.

Monitor for Improvements

Auditing and monitoring your SEO strategy will no doubt be part of your company’s processes but be sure to monitor the DEI integration specifically as it’s an ongoing process that needs to be adapted regularly. Track your user engagement metrics across a host of demographics, to identify areas where your site might not be as inclusive for certain segments, and use accessibility testing tools that will help you fix those issues that might be pushing people away from your site. 

Many companies view DEI initiatives as separate from other elements of their business, but this could be doing more harm than good. At its heart, DEI is about unity and making sure that no matter who is using your site or products, they receive the same experience, representation and equitable access.

SEO goes such a long way to achieving this online, from improving visibility of diverse voices and perspectives in content, to the use of keywords and phrases that help different communities find what they’re looking for, and ensuring that you’re creating equitable search results by working to counter algorithmic biases. Integrating DEI best practices into your SEO strategy can help you craft your online space from a place of empathy and connect with a wider audience more authentically.