There are a number of things you can do to improve the performance of what you write for your website. Here are 11 tips for achieving better SEO results that really work.
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- First and foremost, write for people, not for search engines. It’s people who need to discover, engage and share your content. If you understand who you are writing for and why you are writing to them you’re already on your way.
- Preparation and planning are essential. Be sure to consider how your audience speaks, queries things online, what digital platforms they use, what words they use. Test your research in Google, on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and wherever else your audience is. e.g. Try Google.com/trends as a useful keyword tool.
- Think hard about searcher intent and set out to write, organise and display your content to meet that intent. e.g This might impact the mix of content you present such as images, tables, reviews etc.
- Distil your core message because online you could realistically have as little as 4-8 seconds for people to survey your content to determine if it is relevant to their query.
- Keyword stuffing doesn’t work and repeating keyword phrases excessively makes your copy read badly, so don’t do it.
- Building trust in your content is critical. Reflect on how you present your content. Consider the overall design and your use of images, headings and subheadings. It needs to look professional.
- Utilise links as a way of demonstrating your connectivity to the rest of the internet and an easy way for visitors to corroborate your credentials and expertise. Don’t buy links, earn them and cultivate them.
- Don’t write overly long sentences, choose popular and targeted words and integrate your well-researched keyword phrases throughout your piece. Consider how your URL, heading, first paragraph and subsequent paragraphs and images all support and reinforce your core message ( keyword phrases). Never lose sight of your target market though. “Google wants to see documents that intelligently use words and phrases that connect — semantically, lexically, and logically — to the queries searchers are using” Moz
- Don’t forget your metadata. e.g. Alt tags on images are essential. And consider all the SERP features available to promote your content including basic meta descriptions. They don’t directly impact SEO per se but they will affect your conversion rates.
- Don’t ever forget to have a personality, a clear point of view and a distinct and entertaining voice that reflects and distinguishes your brand.
- And be sure to proof read each piece one last time before it goes up. Spelling mistakes are just the worst.
If you need help to master these 11 tips for achieving better SEO results give us a call or drop us an email at brett@leadinghand.com.au