There is a science to search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines reward pages with the right combination of ranking factors. In this post I will talk about your content, and how it relates to your search engine performance, placement and how it can help you grow a loyal user base.
Bad, boring content is punished by search engines and will upset your visitors
Are your pages well written and do they have substantial quality content?
It’s important that your content is well written, informative, unique and benefits the user. Your content will help you place in search results, and if it’s good content that users find helpful, will generate inbound links to your website. Poorly written content that doesn’t read well, is stuffed with keywords, or duplicate content (content that exists word for word on other websites) will not rank well and readers will not particularly appreciate it. Spend some time to do it right, write only great content. Quality over quantity.
Have you researched the keywords people may use to find your content?
Before you begin writing your content, you should do research on the keywords people actually use to find content like yours. If your business sells XYZ Widget and you’re writing content with the purpose of obtaining organic search traffic for keywords related to your product, you’ll want to understand what users are actually typing in to find it. You might think they’re typing in a particular phrase, but then find out it’s something completely different. This research will help you better understand your customer and help you write content that will get found.
Are you engaging your visitors? Do they spend time reading your content, or “bounce” quickly?
You want your visitors to spend time reading your content, either educating them on your product or service, convincing them to convert, or providing quality informative information that will keep them coming back for more. You do this by engaging your visitors. Asking them to comment on your blog post, asking them to follow you on Facebook and Twitter, asking for their input on a particular issue, product or service. Create content that is fresh, funny, informative, controversial (taking sides on a subject and creating a lively debate), goes against conventional wisdom, etc. This is how you create a following and regular user base.
Is your content fresh and about “hot” topics?
You should be creating content that is timely and that discusses current events, especially if your write blog posts or articles. These could be current events in your industry, current events that are relevant to users or consumers, business topics, social, political, etc. Writing content on current events will help with your engage factor (see above) and if you have taken a side on a particular subject, can help create discussion and debate that will bring users back for more.
If your business needs help writing content or developing a strategy, get in touch with us today.
