When it comes to SEO, content is everything. Creating content that’s optimised for search engines can significantly help boost your search ranking, but only if it’s quality content.
What do we mean by quality?
Content quality is one of the top ranking factors in Google. The content you produce should provide relevance and be of value to the user, enhancing their overall experience.
You can’t pull the wool over search engine algorithms. They can identify whether the content you’re creating is to blatantly improve your position on the SERPs. The good old tactics of keyword stuffing – once an effective method to rank highly, will these days negatively impact your website’s rise up the ranks
So what is the right approach for SEO? We asked our expert SEO writers to share their top tips for creating quality SEO website content.
1. Focus on people not search engines
Understand your audience and what’s important to them and the search engines will follow. There’s no point creating content if it’s not going to be meaningful and appeal to the interests of the user. Integrating your keywords naturally is key to getting your SEO content right. Concentrate on the value you’re providing, not the word count.
Write clearly and succinctly – it’s what all good writers do. If you have a blog on your website, use it to show you’re an expert in your industry, a go-to source for information. Mix up your topics and don’t always focus on content that directly relates to your products or services.
You can also optimise your keyword targeting by utilising Google’s semantic search in your content. This refers to the ‘related search’ results that can be found at the bottom of a Google search results page.
2. Write compelling headlines
We call it ‘click worthy’ headlines but it’s much more than that. A headline needs to grab attention, be clear and relevant, not be too long and make use of your primary keywords where possible.
In addition, you should also make sure your meta descriptions will draw interest and elaborate on the topic of your blog article or webpage copy. Never underestimate the power of your headline and meta description as these are what show up on the search results.
3. Weave in SEO keywords with caution
The #1 rule here is: Use keywords sparingly and with meaning. Keywords are still essential so let’s not disregard them completely, but pay attention to how you use them and how they fit into your overall SEO strategy.
Are the keywords relevant to the topic? Keywords should flow naturally as you write from beginning to end, and by doing so search engine spiders will be able to pick up what your content is about. Spam your page and you run the risk of being penalised for your not-so best practice SEO efforts.
Aside from your headline and meta description, you should also utilise keyword-rich phrases in your first sentence or paragraph, sub headings, image file names and alt text, within links to related content, and if it’s for a blog take advantage of blog tags in your posts.
4. Create a sound content structure
We’re all skim readers at the best of times when we read anything online, so make sure the format of your content reflects this. What you have to say may be great, but the reader could lose interest if your content isn’t set out with readability in mind.
Keep readers engaged by making use of short sentences and paragraphs, break up content into sub headings or bullet points, and from a back end perspective remember to use proper H tags.
5. Promote natural link building
Engaging content will encourage sharability and link building is still considered important for SEO. Linking to your own articles or website within your content means you’ll have a trace back to your website if your content is used by another site.
Use embedding codes on your video content and infographics to make it easier to share your content. In doing so it also provides a link back to the source – you!
Including page links – be it your own or other sources, demonstrates to Google that you’re in the know, you value the content that others create and you make it accessible for others.
Put simply – produce quality content and Google will love you for it. By using these tips and following basic SEO rules, you’ll be on the right content path to boosting your search ranking.
Want to see how developing quality SEO content can help improve your search results? Get in touch with the Perth SEO experts at Cloud Cartel.
