How To Make Your Content SEO Friendly
In our previous posts about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), we discussed the basics and technical aspects of your keyword selection for your website’s URL structure and web page architecture.
Now it’s time to make all of your content SEO friendly as well!
Search engines rank websites on the relevancy of the content in regards to the users search query. The more relevant, informative, and helpful the content you provide on your website is, the more you increase your chances of that user returning as well as a new user searching for the same information.
Search-engines crawl through all aspects of your website looking for various factors which are then used as data to show how engaged a person is in your content. Essentially, Google can assess how interesting, informative, or helpful your content is based simply on how users are interacting with it.
In order to rank well on a search engine, the content on your website and web pages need to be properly optimized for the search engines to be able to “crawl” through and decide that your content is relevant to that specific query. This requires you to plan as you write so that every piece of content you produce needs is properly crafted to stay on Google’s good side and drive more traffic to your site.
What exactly does this mean, what is Google looking for?
Your content should be easy to read and digest. It is not filled with the overused jargon and buzzwords that an average web user wouldn’t understand. Another thing to note is that users scan content, so it must be presented in a format that is quick to process and easy to find the main point.
How to Make Every Piece of Content SEO-Friendly:
Make it easy to read!
Break up content in chunks – Large, bold headings and subheading followed by a list broken down by bullet points allows the reader to instantly see what you’re talking about and easily find the points they are looking for.
Use easy to understand terminology – Industry-based buzzwords don’t impress website visitors, especially if those users are in the same industry as you. If you absolutely need to include a higher-level word or phrase, make sure to continue to explain it in layman’s terms to ensure that users don’t feel intimidated. You could also include a link to another article or page on your site that better explains the concepts and also encourages longer browser sessions.
Include images – Internet users have the attention span of a goldfish these days. Incorporating visuals like infographics and videos allow users to digest a large amount of information in a shorter format. Adding an optimized “alt-text” (which we have talked about in previous posts) will help make sure Google “sees” your images, too.
Make it easy to take more action:
Include relevant links – If you’re writing a blog post that relates to any of the content on your website, ensure to include a link (that opens in a new tab) to encourage users to continue looking around your site for more information. This will also help your brand’s authority.
Add social sharing links – if a user enjoys your content, they may want to share it with their other online peers. When users share your content, it sends a signal to search engines that they enjoyed it and found it valuable enough to share with others. Including social sharing icons make it easy for users to share from your site.
Consider SEO Best Practices for Keyword Placement:
Include your target keyword or phrase in title headings, sub-headings and in the body of your content. Do your best to Include your target keyword or phrase as naturally as you can throughout the body of your content. Remember you do not want to stuff your content with keywords thinking it will get you ahead in search engine rankings. In fact, it will do the complete opposite and Google may penalize you for doing so.
If you would like to read more in-depth information about content and SEO, visit Google Analytic’s resources. They offer a ton of information and great tips to further what we just discussed today!
