Content optimisation is the biggest technical key to success for a content/digital marketer. Every approach to marketing online starts with this. They aren’t advanced, and any beginner can easily interpret and execute them. But what even the most seasoned professionals fail to do is maintain the quality of the content whilst fulfilling all the requirements of creating engaging and ranking content.
It is no secret that the quality of the content is of prime importance for better ranking in search engine page results (SERP). Therefore, it is important for any writer to keep in mind that there is more to SEO than just keywords. This article is aimed at exploring the basics of content optimisation that make a technically sound piece of content.
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Maintaining it can be a difficult task, but this is one of the most critical elements that make your website or content rank. So if you’re not current with it, begin by knowing the basics. Bear in mind that this article only brushes through the lesser-known or easily ignored techniques of SEO rather than a full guide.
As is visible, it can be understood that producing SEO optimised content is a priority, to begin with, any on-page activity. Here content refers to any/all text on the website, ranging from blogs, copies, meta titles and descriptions. As someone wanting to rank on Google or increasing your website's domain authority, it is critical to shaping your content keeping the following SEO tips in mind.
Best SEO Tips for High-ranking Content
This is a piece of content, and it will be worthwhile only if you stick till the very end to read the 8th bonus SEO tip we have for you in-store. See what we did there? That's arousing curiosity, and there are similar content writing strategies circulating in the market, trying to tell writers how to get heavy traffic through content. But to be honest, only a few of them, combined with excellent on-page SEO, practically work; the rest is all mumbo jumbo.
Similarly, there is a lot of noise when it comes to content marketing, and just like SEO, it is looked upon as a daunting task. It's better to listen to those aware of the ground reality.
5 random content marketing tips:
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) July 27, 2021
• Write clear copy
• Pay attention to promoting content
• Content repurposing saves time
• Distinguish yourself with a brand voice
• Create content that interests your audience + introduces your service/product
What would you add?
For now, let's begin by answering the burning question of all time - "How do I optimise my blog as per SEO?" We have gathered some tried and tested diverse content- blogs, articles, listicles, how-tos and here is our genuine advice on how to write the best content Google ranks, and the masses prefer:
Tip 1. Answer The Public
Seriously check out answer the public and feed your readers exactly what they so desperately search for. This is what search engines were made for, providing solutions to queries.
Whatever topic you choose to write about, seek to answer related questions and then implement keyword optimisation steps. This is the benefit of writing problem-solving content- it builds credibility, enables reader engagement which automatically generates returning users, consequently improving organic keyword searches for your website. The result? Low bounce rate, higher SERP ranking, possibility to rank on related keywords.
Tip 2. Be Original
The base makeup of any well-written piece lies in its originality. A piece of authentic first-hand information or experience will overpower all others and be applauded with a search engines reward- higher ranking leading to more visibility and increased traffic. Therefore, a good writer's practice should be to serve original content but hey, look up and down for inspiration.
Tip 3. Write Like You Talk
This point can be justified by two factors. Firstly, the emerging trends on voice search show that 1 out of 4 American homes was laced with WiFi and owned a smart speaker (as per Nielsen). This is indicative of a rapid increase in the number of interactions with an AI-infused speaker, resulting in higher voice searches. In fact, this number is multiplied to the extent that a Comscore study results show that 50% of all searches will be voice by 2020. Secondly, since mobiles are a universal amenity, it is easier to do voice searches through it.
The result? Searches become more long-tail, i.e. incorporates three to five keywords. In such a scenario, you have a chance to make your content more relevant to suit the algorithm of voice search. How? Write as you talk. Besides keeping the language easy to read, tailor it to be conversational. The best way to optimize your writing for voice search is to include long-tail keywords.
The same stands true for content marketing as stated by Gaurav in his Tweet:
In content marketing, less is more.
— Gaurav (@agarwal__gaurav) August 3, 2021
Keeping it simple takes time and effort.
Tip 4. Let Keywords Guide, Not Rule
Google, with its ever-improving algorithm, is super smart. It knows when you are too verbose or too wannabe (stuffing keywords makes you a wannabe. Period). A common mistake made by SEO experts and writers alike is allowing the keywords to take the lead. Understand this- the content is your dance partner and keywords is the music. You lead with your dance partner, not with the music.
‘n’ number of tools in the market produce a list of keywords in what? Less than 30 seconds? But it is up to your discretion to select the suitable ones and broaden the breadth of your content to fit in the relevant information. This again helps create content and boost SEO power as well as organic traffic.
Tip 5. Optimize The Meta Description
Your website is an amalgamation of content and visuals. Therefore, you ought to cater to words everywhere. Apart from structuring blogs as per SEO, satisfy keyword demand in the meta description too. The meta description is an HTML tag of about 155 character space. It intends to provide a summary for an article/page and increase click-throughs by using thought-provoking language. It's basically your representation on a search engine. Therefore, good meta description and title must be:
- A summary of the content on the page
- The right length
- SEO optimised to use a focus keyword
- Unique, interesting, inviting and actionable by using power words
- Targeted to highlight your unique selling point
All headlines need to include your value prop. A great headline promises that you’ll solve a problem.
— Christine Johnson ☀️ (@CJ_250marketing) July 31, 2021
"4 U’s" to create a compelling headline:
1) Urgent
2) Useful
3) Unique
4) Ultra Specific
Determine the most important "U" for your brand and make that the headline.
Tip 6. The Long or Short Post Dilemma
This just in- the human attention span has decreased from 12 seconds to mere 8 seconds. That puts all you writers in a pickle. While reader psychology demands something concise enough to meet a wee attention span, the search engine prefers to rank longer posts. All you have to do is find a middle path that’s probably the best- give valuable information in a digestible manner. A high-quality blog will outdo all other wordy content.
Tip 7. Target Hot And Effective Keywords
The primary method to attract heavy traffic is to write about flaming hot topics. Be in line with what’s actually happening in the market and address all that’s in vogue. Finding and targeting the right keywords is vital for SEO success. But how are you supposed to know what's in trend? Google trends. It tells you what exactly is happening. Based on tools like it, determining a keyword and analysing the search volume makes writing content around an effective focus keyword simpler.
It can be a tedious task to find keywords if you are not using paid tools, and free ones do not give an exhaustive keyword analysis. So, what's the trick to making your content rank? Ask SEO experts in the domain. We present a golden opportunity to connect with seasoned professionals and engage with like-minded people in your niche. Join the Kool community on the KoolStories app to start your upskilling journey today.
Bonus Tips
Tip 8. Keep Up The Optimisation By Refreshing And Updating
The job is not complete once you are able to write a rank winning article. It demands regularly updating and optimising the content. Check into Google Analytics to track the audience behaviour. Export the report as a CSV to analyse the traffic drop. Although there can be multiple reasons for this dip, pertaining to algorithm changes or trends, freshness or relevancy of the content is a huge possibility. Therefore, update content from time to time with the latest data to put forth a more compelling case.
Tip 9. Try CheiRank
CheiRank is a novel algorithm of ranking pages by factoring in multiple URL parameters, including the ones that are comparative. What this means that every URL’s score added up comes to 1 and that every competition is a zero-sum game. Essentially, as far as the content is concerned, the only way to rank before other URLs is by providing better content than them. This also includes SEO optimisation.
A search engine AI is meant to understand the human intention of a search query and mimic a human-like response to help answer the query through content. The Natural Language Processing (NLP) & Machine Learning (ML) protocols enable it to prioritise the resulting URLs from a query and keep updating their ranks based on several factors like relevance, quality and reliability. Guess AI really can be human!
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