Welcome to part 2 of our 10-part series on SEO! In the second part of this series, we will be discussing the importance of great content.
In part 1 we discussed how to rank on Google with proper keyword research. Choosing the right keywords is an important part of getting the highest ROI for your search engine optimization efforts. Proper keyword research, narrower searches, and search intent contribute to effective local SEO. However, without great content, keyword research is done in vain!
Step Two: Great Content Counts!
Google is evolving. Increasingly, over-optimized, poorly written content is being overlooked and even penalized while quality content that’s optimized appropriately receives high rankings on Google. How do you make sure your content pleases Google? Follow these three tips to create relevant content that will rank high on Google and other search engines:
1. Write Quality, Unique Content
High quality content not only reflects well on Google, but on your company, too. Placing poorly written, sloppy copy on your web pages is a major deterrent to potential customers. All content should be 100% unique (use Copyscape to make sure), and should target your specific audience. When deciding what content you want to place on your website, ask yourself the following questions:
1. What is your particular audience looking for when they get on the web?
2. How much research is required to complete each web page?
3. Who will be doing the writing? Are you an expert writer, or do have one on staff?
Let’s dig deeper into each question…
1. What is your particular audience looking for when they get on the web?
If you’ve completed part one of this series, you’ve already researched targeted keywords for your web pages. These keywords will guide you toward writing content geared for a specific audience. For instance, if you are a lawyer and have chosen “Minneapolis family lawyers,” as your keyword phrase, you know the people who land on your web page are looking for family law practice in Minneapolis.
2. How much research is required to complete each web page?
You may already consider yourself an expert in your field; however, true experts get to be experts by doing their homework. Do your research! The savvy customer will expect you to have answers to all of their questions. If you fail to answer even one question, you may lose a potential client as they leave your website and search for the answer elsewhere. Don’t let that happen!
Your web pages should provide as much information as you know. While suspense may work well for mystery novels, your website is not the place to leave your readers hanging!
Consider adding a blog to your website. Why? Constantly providing new information will keep visitors coming back, and just as importantly, will keep the search engine spiders coming back, too. The more you change your website, the more the search engine spiders will visit.
3. Who will be doing the writing? Are you an expert writer, or do have one on staff?
Perception is everything. A website that contains numerous spelling and grammatical errors is a turn-off to potential customers. If you are committed to attaining and maintaining high rankings on search engines, then realize the quality of the writing on your site can make or break all of your online marketing efforts.
A good writer can provide the following:
1. Clear, grammatically correct, smooth copy that is easy to understand yet conveys the message you want to send.
2. Sales expertise to help convert visitors to clients.
3. Invaluable outside perspective; a writer who isn’t an expert in the field is more likely to relay information in a way that other non-experts will understand.
Do you feel qualified to do your own writing? Make sure it is proofread and edited for both quality and content. If possible, find one or two people from within your target market and demographic and have them sift through your content. Ask them to provide honest constructive criticism. Don’t take a negative critique personally! Instead, use the experience as a way to see what a visitor to your site would see and think as they peruse the information you have provided.
Links Within Articles
Inbound links can boost your rank. There are a number of ways to drive traffic to your site, including paid advertising, PPC, etc. One of the most cost-effective ways to build inbound links is through article writing. Publishing articles can boost your rank in two different ways:
Increased Link Popularity: When you write an article and submit it to other sites to post, make sure they link back to your website. Suddenly, you have a quality link that directs potential customers to your site!
Exposure and Credibility: Writing an article automatically lends you credibility in your particular field. Couple that with the benefit of receiving visitors through that article, and the time it took to write the article and find the sources to publish those articles on is suddenly paid for! Only submit to quality, high-ranking sites. Links from poor-quality sites can actually damage your website’s search engine rank.
Finally, with high-quality content comes links generated by those who visit your site. If you provide relevant information other people find useful, they will link to your site of their own accord.
Make it easier for people to link back to your site by providing sections for specific areas (like articles). The easier it is to link to your site, the more people will feel compelled to do so. People may link to specific articles or your entire article index!
Links To The 10-Part SEO Series on How To Rank on Google
Part 1: SEO Success Starts With Keyword Research
Part 2: Why Producing Quality Content for SEO Is Important
Part 3: Structuring Your Website For SEO
Part 4: Content Optimization for SEO
Part 5: Internal Linking Strategies for SEO
Part 6: Human Testing for SEO Success
Part 7: Search Engines Submissions for SEO
Part 8: Link Building for SEO
Part 9: Monitoring Your SEO Efforts
Part 10: Extra Tools & Resources for SEO Success
