What is the purpose of your website?
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If you don’t know the answer to this question, we will tell you: The goal of every website is to grow traffic, generate leads, and drive conversions. This is by no means an easy task, particularly when you know that 90% of pages get no organic search traffic from Google.
The majority of webmasters are struggling to attract a sufficient number of visitors because they find it difficult to combine content marketing with search engine optimization (SEO). It’s a time-consuming process because it demands a well-designed strategy, but we can help you get through it faster with five smart tips. Let’s check them out here!
Create In-Depth Posts
Do you know that the average Google first page result contains 1,890 words? This may seem strange given the fact that people don’t enjoy reading as much as they used to, but the truth is that high-ranking posts are long-form and comprehensive.
The secret behind this stat is fairly simple – long posts are more informative and educational than plain 400-word articles. Besides that, two thousand words or more give you enough room to showcase professional authority and serve users with premium content.
Search engines recognize it as they appreciate quality above all, while other websites are likely to link back to top-level content. The problem many content creators are facing is how to mix SEO practices with long-form content, but you can overcome it using these principles:
- Start with an amazing headline to grab attention and convince users to keep reading. A tool like CoSchedule Headline Analyzer will assist you in crafting a perfect title for each post.
- Structure the post properly by dividing it into smaller units and listicles. Leave enough whitespace between paragraphs to improve readability. Additionally, you should insert memes, infographics, or images to enrich your article.
- Insert links to trustworthy external sources if they can add value to the topic.
Choose Keywords Carefully
Gone are the days when you could just stuff in dozens of keywords into the post and expect it to earn the first page of search results. Google and other search engines have become much more delicate in the last few years and now you have to choose your keywords carefully and strategically.
First of all, there’s no way to avoid keyword planning platforms. Brainstorming can only get you so far in the attempt to pinpoint relevant keywords, but it takes a powerful data analytics tool to identify the most appropriate solutions.
Apart from Google Keyword Planner, our favorite platforms include Soovle, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, KeywordTool.io, and SECockpit. Each of these tools will give you an entire list of useful search terms and phrases, so do your best to shortlist your options and make a fine combination of basic and longtail keywords.
But the second part of the keyword research equation is what really makes the difference. Experience taught us that the most impactful strategy is to test keywords with Google Trends. Selected the desired region and timeframe and you’ll see how your keywords correlate with the most frequent queries.
It’s not a mandatory move, but it can definitely take your keyword planning strategy to a higher level.
Create a Comprehensive FAQ Page
A FAQ page represents a multifunctional website component, so it’s vital to make it as comprehensive as possible.
First of all, a FAQ page answers common inquiries and gives visitors the information they were looking for. And secondly, it also helps your customer service team because there is no need to answer the same questions all over again.
But how do you build an all-encompassing FAQ page? We can give you a few hints:
- Check your emails. A typical customer will probably send you a message to learn more about your content, products, or services. You can identify what’s missing on your FAQ page and add the corresponding explanations.
- Explore chatbot interactions. Almost all chatbot platforms collect and categorize messages, so you can easily find valuable additions to the FAQ page.
- Conduct a survey. The quickest solution is to publish a survey on your site and ask visitors what they would like to learn about your business. A platform like Survey Monkey enables you to do that within minutes.
The best thing about making a comprehensive FAQ page is that it helps you improve ranking in traditional and voice-based searches. Voice-powered queries demand a precise and straightforward explanation, which is why search engines prioritize websites with excellent FAQ pages.
Improve User Experience
If there is only one thing search engines pay attention to, it must be user experience. It’s a broad concept as it encompasses numerous factors and indicators, but we can certainly give you concrete tips on how to improve the experience of website visitors. Let’s see the most important techniques:
- Beware of design: You only get one chance to make the first impression, so you better make sure to craft an eye-pleasing website. Keep it minimalistic and avoid excess elements that are practically irrelevant to your audience.
- Keep it stylish: Website content needs to be stylish and reflect the overall style and personality of the brand. If customers recognize your company as witty and humorous, let it show in your posts.
- Make it fast: Increase page load speed to satisfy users’ expectations. It’s a major tip because a 100-millisecond delay in load time can cause conversion rates to drop by 7%.
- Simplify navigation: When a first-time visitor lands on your site, can they find the desired content in a click or two? If the answer is no, you should definitely simplify website navigation.
- Mobile optimization: Finally, don’t forget that we live in the age of smartphones. Make the website fully responsive to all sorts of electronic devices, mobile phones in particular.
Localize Content for Users and Engines
A recent SEO report reveals that nearly 50% of all Google searches are looking for local information. Users are searching for nearby places, stores, and events all the time, which is why you should try and approach people from your neighborhood.
To do it successfully, you need to create an account via Google My Business. It’s an intuitive step-by-step process and it won’t take you more than a few minutes, but it will have long-term repercussions. Here’s where you ought to add key information about your business, including the address, email, phone numbers, maps, and preferably some images.
Besides that, you should adjust the content so as to suit local searchers. We are talking about landing pages and event-related announcements in particular because they are supposed to attract the vast majority of nearby users.
Of course, it is always a good idea to take part in local events and publish it regularly on your website as it will earn you a solid base of recurring visitors.
Up to You!
Are you satisfied with the traffic your website is generating? If yes, you can keep executing the existing SEO and content marketing strategies. But if not, we strongly encourage you to test five tips that we discussed above.
They don’t guarantee to skyrocket website traffic instantly, but they can definitely help you achieve the desired results in the long run. Are you ready to use our tips?
AUTHOR BIO
Charlie Svensson is a digital marketer and a blogger from San Francisco, California. Apart from being an SEO geek, Charlie is also the first person to consult with if you need help with assignment. He is the father of a lovely toddler and a passionate traveler.