It’s no secret that search engine optimization (SEO) is highly technical. There are on-page and off-page, keyword research, white hat, black hat… The list goes on.
So how do you rummage through the jargon? By taking it back to the basics and focusing on your website content.
Why Is SEO Such a Big Deal?
Google, the search engine that has 90.46% of the search engine market, receives 63,000 new searches per second. For each new search, Google must deliver the best content available online to users. It uses over 200 factors to choose which content should rise to the top. To help satisfy these factors, we use SEO or search engine optimization.
Through SEO, you’re able to deliver your content to potential customers, thus generating qualified leads for your business. In fact, 57% of B2B marketers say that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing initiative. But, when 75% of people never scroll past the first page of the search engine, we must help our websites gain critical visibility. That’s where SEO comes in.
Back to Basics: 3 Things You Must Do to Optimize Your Website Content
You must optimize for search each piece of content you create for your website such as service pages, blogs or articles. Whether you’re an SEO beginner or seasoned expert, there are three things you should always consider first.
1. Understand the “Why” Behind the Search
When a user visits a search engine and enters a query, they’re searching for a specific type of content. For example, “best cat food” and “best cat food for kittens” are similar, yet totally different in their intent. Use this intent—the “why” behind the user’s search—to optimize your website copy.
Think about the keywords you want your website to rank for. Next, consider what a user might want to find in the search results after entering those keywords. Finally, create content that fits. Using our cat food example, a user searching for “best cat food” is probably looking for reviews of the best cat food available on the market.
2. Place Keywords in Specific Places
Speaking of keywords, you must use them in the correct places. In the past, it was common for website owners to flood their copy with keywords to try and gain higher ranks. Now, search engines think of keywords as clues to the copy on the page, not the whole. Start by placing your target keywords in:
- Your title: Whether a web page or a blog, always add your target keyword into the title.
- Your meta descriptions: A meta description summarizes the web page’s content for the reader and the search engine. Make sure to add in your target keyword.
- Your H1 headings: The H1 heading often appears on a web page or blog post as the title of the page or the most important text. Add your keyword here for emphasis.
3. Focus on Quality & Readability
While technical SEO tactics work, they’re no substitute for high-quality content that’s easy to read and understand. To write the best content for your website:
- Discover what your audience wants: It’s important to write all website content for your audience specifically. Do some research using social media or customer surveys to discover the content your audience wants.
- Solve a problem or share your insight: During your research, if you discover common questions or concerns about what you offer, write about them. Solve a problem for your reader or offer your insight about a topic that matters to them. This helps build trust between you and the reader, inspiring them to come back for more.
- Focus on readability: Use short sentences of no more than 20 words and paragraphs of no more than 3-4 sentences. Use readability tools such as Hemingway to keep readability scores at or below an 8th-grade reading level. Also, use headings and bullets to create scannable content your audience can consume quickly.
It’s Time to Help Your Audience Find You Online
High-quality and intentional content mixed with a bit of keyword placement is a great place to start, but there’s much more you can do to help boost your website in search. To learn more about SEO and content optimization, send us a message.
