SEO or Search Engine Optimization, helps us to rank our website better on different keywords when someone is searching for it.
On of the most important pieces of SEO is good content. You need to have good, optimized content that will draw your target audience. Keep them engaged and help them to solve their problems.
You might have noticed that sometimes articles have some parts that sound a bit out of place, or repetitive. That is because we need to optimize the content by adding certain keywords, and repeating it a few times, so we can rank for it.
So to rank your content good, you need to follow rules about formatting, length, use the right keywords, have the quality content that your visitors will like to read, and present the whole thing in a compelling manner.
Let’s see what we need to focus on in our content.
Keyword Research
Keywords are the words and phrases people type into search engines. Finding the right ones helps your content appear in search results.
Many times we have some vision of what the finished article should look like, but running a keywords research by using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush, or even free tools like Google Trend or just typing different prompts in Google and see what the autocomplete gives you, helps you to answer the questions that customers really want answered.
These insight helps us to break the content into smaller pieces, each answering a specific question, and use the keywords that visitors use to find it on the search engine. The result is a very targeted content that answers all the questions, and helps the customer solve their problem.
This usually translates to more visits and sales of our product or service. And the more visits we get, the better our content is ranked, which means our website gets a better general ranking.
Using tools for keyword research to find keywords with good traffic and low competition. Long-tail keywords (longer phrases) are often easier to rank for and match what users are looking for. Instead of just picking popular words, choose keywords that fit your audience’s needs. Using related keywords in your content can also help improve rankings.
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO makes it easier for search engines to understand your content. Use clear, keyword-rich titles and short, engaging meta descriptions to get more clicks.
One of the standard rules of writing good content is make sure you have your main keyword in the title, the meta-description and the first 100 words of your content. In the subsequent headings, make sure you use your other important keywords, and also use the in the text itself.
Organize your content with headings (H1 for the main title, H2 and H3 for subheadings) and make URLs short and descriptive. It’s a good idea to have the main keyword in the URL, and as we said before have it in the H1, while in the H2’s and H3’s you need to have the other significant keywords.
Add alt text to images so search engines can “see” them too. A well-structured page helps visitors navigate easily and stay longer, which can improve your rankings. Adding alts is valued by Google because it helps people with disability and also the algorithm to conclude what exactly is on the picture that you added.
So always try to be descriptive of the image in the alt field, if you have a boy throwing a frisbee, write “boy throwing a frisbee” and not some artsy alt like “boy and the beach”.
Content Quality and Readability
Good content is useful, easy to read, and engaging. As we wrote above, use the guidance of the keywords and write in a way that answers people’s questions and keeps them interested.
Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and images to break up text and make it easier to scan. Don’t have big walls of text, try to make every paragraph with 3-5 sentences. When you write lists add bulletin points, keep the descriptions on the list short. If you want to explain it further, do it in the paragraph after.
On every 300 words, use an image to illustrate your point and break the text. Make sure that your images are graphics, pie charts, or images connected to the text. Use stock images sparingly. If you can’t find a suitable image, try to search for a YouTube video on the topic and add that instead.
Avoid complex words and keep your tone friendly and simple. Adding examples or stories can make your content more relatable and interesting. Illustrate your points with examples, because people remember things better when you give them a real life scenario.
Write simple, be fund and interesting. Try to write a blend of facts, humor and advice. The easier your content is to read, the more likely people will stay on your page.
Internal and External Linking
Links help both users and search engines navigate your site. Internal links connect different pages on your website, making it easier for visitors to find related content. Always remember to add at least one internal link to your other content.
External links to high-quality sources add credibility and show that your content is well-researched. When you give out statistics or quote some other article, always add the source and link it. This will help your SEO but also the SEO of the website that you link, because it helps with their authority.
Regularly check and fix broken links to keep your website running smoothly. A strong linking strategy can keep users on your site longer and improve your rankings. Also, don’t forget to edit the link to open in a new tab, you don’t want to lose your readers.
Technical SEO Basics
A fast and mobile-friendly website improves both user experience and rankings. Make sure your pages load quickly by optimizing images and reducing unnecessary code. Open your website on your mobile phone and see how the content looks, is it all in place, do you maybe need to change something with the formatting?
Google ranks mobile-friendly sites higher, so your website should work well on all devices. Adding structured data (schema markup) helps search engines understand your content better. Schema markup is especially useful for a FAQ section on your website. Usually Google picks questions that shows as SERP results from the schema markup, so try to answer all the questions in the FAQ, and write a clear and short answers.
Using HTTPS for secure browsing also builds trust with visitors. Regularly check your site’s speed and performance using tools like GTmetrix. Good target is loading your website under 1 second.
Content Freshness and Updates
Search engines prefer updated content. Refresh old posts by adding new information, updating facts, and improving readability. Republishing with a fresh date can boost rankings and attract more visitors.
See what are the most recent statistics on that given topic and write them in, and of course don’t forget to quote the source. Or maybe if you have written about some technology, you can go back after 6 months and write an update on the development or add a review.
This is especially important for your most visited articles or content, because it will get it an additional boost in the search results. Revisiting older posts can also help them rank for new keywords, keeping your content relevant over time.
Measuring and Improving SEO Performance
Always track your SEO performance to see what’s working and what’s not. Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to check traffic, rankings, and user behavior.
Find underperforming content and improve it for better results. Keep an eye on bounce rates and time spent on pages to understand how visitors interact with your site. If your bounce rate is high, maybe it has to do with your website loading slow, or the start of the article is very bad, so users decide to bounce to another article or website.
Regularly update your strategy based on the analytics data. SEO is like piloting a plane, you have to constantly course correct your movement. Because the market is always changing, and you must keep up with it.
But it’s very interesting and with time you get a hang of it and start to develop your own style in how you want to optimize your content and get better SEO results.
To achieve better conversion rates, we focus on content optimization and content marketing by ensuring every new piece of content aligns with search intent and follows on-page optimization best practices, avoiding keyword stuffing while aiming for higher rankings on search engine results pages, ultimately driving organic search traffic to the landing page through well-crafted queries that enhance visibility on the results page.
If you need help with optimizing your SEO content, please contact us today. We have over 10 years of experience in digital marketing, and we run the best web agency in Montreal.
