We all know the age-old practice of search engine optimization (SEO). It is no secret that proper SEO can make a website from mediocre to remarkable in a short amount of time. Many things contribute to the success or failure of your SEO efforts, but it all comes back to one thing: content.
Let’s look at nine different ways you can produce great content for your site and boost your rankings on SERPs
1. Unique Content
The number one rule of SEO is “Content is King” because without quality, relevant information, there is not much chance an internet user will find what they’re looking for. By producing unique content and focusing on content marketing SEO services, you ensure that your readers leave feeling satisfied with their experience on your site. It improves your site’s bounce rate, time on site, and conversion rate.
2. Keyword Density
There used to be a day when keyword density was critical in SEO. Today, however, due to the Panda update, it is no longer about stuffing your content with keywords. For example, if your blog post title is “How To Make A Chocolate Mud Pie” but your keyword density for the word ‘mud’ is 19%, then there’s a chance that Google might ding or even delete your page.
3. Internal Linking
Like building links will help boost your rankings on search engines, internal linking. With internal linking, it is essential to use keywords when possible so that when someone searches for those terms, they will be able to find the article. For example, if someone searches ‘how to cook a turkey, and your internal linking keywords are ‘how to cook’ and ‘turkey,’ you would probably show up.
4. Title Tags
It is one of the most important SEO parts because it appears in search engines (i.e., Google). You want to ensure that your title contains relevant keywords and that they all fit within the character limit. Obviously, for readability purposes, you don’t want them taking up more than 60% of your title space, but used properly, they can help boost rankings in SERPs.
5. Social Media Optimization (SMO)
With many internet users heading towards social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to find news and information, it is important to optimize those posts so that search engines can find them too. It will take some time for this method to pay off, but it will be well worth it in the long run.
6. Cross-Linking
It refers back to internal linking. If someone reads one of your articles and has a related article that might be of interest, they should know about it! A clear sign that an internet user was interested in what you had to say is when they stop mid-way through your blog post and read another one on your site. Doing this increases their time on site, which translates into more page views.
7. Traffic
The number one reason content is so important in SEO is that it all comes down to website traffic. When users can find relevant and interesting information, they will keep coming back. If a user visits a site and there isn’t anything of value, then chances are they will not be visiting again soon. Remember, the better your content, the more likely you’ll be found on Google!
8. Optimize for local directories.
Just like you want to be sure that Google’s database is filled with correct information about your business, you’ll also want to make sure that all of the relevant directories are humming along as well. For example, if your dental practice serves both Aurora and Boulder, join those city-specific networks (e.g., Yelp), so you can connect with potential new patients or customers in those markets. Also, make sure you’re submitting photos to Facebook Business Pages for each location (we recommend at least one image per week) because this will help your listed pages rank higher in searches performed by local users.
9. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
If your site isn’t optimized for mobile devices, there’s a good chance that the pages will load slowly, potentially causing users to bounce before they can learn more. As mentioned above, Google has said that it considers a mobile-friendly site as a ranking signal, so be sure that you’re taking this into account when updating your site design.
Wrapping Up!
While SEO isn’t easy, that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun!
With the proper optimization and content practices in place, you’ll have a better chance of appearing on top of Google’s search results. Of course, other factors – such as site speed, technical SEO, etc. – should also be taken into account when optimizing your website for search engines.
