Anyone can create content. Just string a few words together, hit “publish,” and you’re in business. But not just anyone can create successful content. The kind of content that drives website traffic. The kind of content that goes viral. The kind of content that gets you leads and sales. To create that kind of content, you need to know how to incorporate keywords and use other SEO strategies.
Ideally, you would hire an SEO company to do this work for you since the company has highly trained professionals who are always learning the latest strategies and know how to get maximum results. But if you simply cannot hire the professionals, here are a few things you can do to get more from your blogging with SEO:
Use Keywords Appropriately
Google has shifted its focus away from merely matching keywords to better understanding a site organically. But keywords still have a place in SEO, and you still need to use them to help Google understand what your site is about, as well as what that individual piece of content is about. You need to choose at least three or four related keywords to use in each piece of content, and you need to use them about three or four times for a 500 to 700-word post.
Make sure you are selecting the right keywords to target. Use the Google keyword tool, as well as other keyword tools, to find out what kind of search volume the keywords are getting, as well as what competition they have. These tools will also give you suggested keywords, which can help you identify top-searched terms that you might not have thought of yourself. Also look at your analytics to see what keywords people are using to arrive at your site. You may find some gems there, as well. Develop a master list of keywords, and choose from it regularly when writing your content.
Include Authority Links
Authority plays a key role in how Google ranks your content and your site. One way to get authority is to link out to highly ranked and respected sites. The links should be used to accentuate your content or to back up its claims. For example, a link can give a little more information about something that you reference but that is not the focus of your post. Or a link can be a reference, such as a table that shows tipping rates when you are writing about the etiquette of tipping. Finally, a link can back up what you are claiming in your post, such as a study that provides the statistics you cite.
Always choose the best, most authoritative sites you can when you are choosing where to link. The more authoritative those links are, the more authoritative your site will appear. And, of course, include at least one link to your own previous content. That will support the topical cues around your page, and it will lend authority to your content.
Include Optimal Images and Video
Readers love content that includes compelling images and video. Think about it: Would you rather stop to read an article that was nothing but a wall of text or an article that had several beautiful and interesting photographs, a video, and an interactive graphic? We know which article we’d rather read. The text could be exactly the same, but readers won’t know it because they will be drawn to the post with the graphics.
Images and video also help your SEO. They give you more opportunities to rank in search. Your content can appear in the image search, as well as the video search. When your content has compelling imagery and draws in more readers, that additional traffic also helps your page increase its rank. Just be sure that any images or video you include load quickly. Any drain on your page’s loading speed will lose you traffic and bring down your SEO.
When you have a well-designed website that’s mobile friendly and you pair it with great content, you’ll quickly get the web traffic you want to drive sales and leads. Follow these tips when writing content for your site, when creating guest posts for other sites, and even when creating social media articles.