SEO and content creation seem to go along all the time. However, many websites either lack optimization or valuable content. Remember if you’ve seen one of the following:
Quick Links
- A really great website you have found on the 2nd or 3rd page of Google search with useful info. The site is poorly structured and there seem to be no keywords or formatting, though;
- A site on the top of the first SERP with tons of keywords and almost no information. The design is great and the article seems structured, but there’s no value to it.
Both of these lose the game. The first one wins over with the content but can’t be found easily because there’s no structure and the author is oblivious to the notion of SEO. The second one is run by someone who only cares about the rating. People click the link every time and leave disappointed. All they see are keywords and offers to buy stuff but no use.
How to take the best of both worlds?
Here, we’ll talk about the main factors that align SEO and content writing in terms of ranking your website higher and getting more traffic. We’ll overview the importance of research and bringing value, and how you can unite everything on your website without making common mistakes.
What Does SEO Optimization Include?
Search engine optimization consists of an array of actions involving keywords, text volume, etc. The goal? Making your website visible to the engine, easier to crawl and index, and good enough to rank higher than competitors.
Here are some things SEO includes:
- A suitable title.
Your H1 has to include the focus keyword (long-tail) the closest to how people will look for the information you provide online. You have to research the keywords and use their longer variations. - Keyword density.
3% density is the rule of thumb. When distributed evenly throughout the text, they will help search engines and potential visitors find the page faster. Include the focus KW in the title tag, headings, and the main text. Write them in as naturally as you can. A professional copywriter will help you with that. - Text structure.
Making the content scannable and interactive will help you rank higher. Use lists, subheadings, images, infographics, video content to provide more value and actually answer the question of the searcher. - Text uniqueness.
Even if the topic is very popular and you still need to cover it and promote the page, aim for 80-100% uniqueness. There are many ways to write a unique text by including your own experience and mentioning studies and thoughts of industry leaders without quotes.
Starting with an About Us section and finishing with a “How-To” article in your blog, every page needs a focus keyword (a different one) used according to the SEO rules. There are no strict rules, though. The algorithms of search engines are always changing, so keep in mind that you may need to adjust the pages as the changes come.
It’s All About Research
This section is divided into two parts:
- Keyword research for your website;
- Research of competitors to make your project better and/or different.
Keyword Research and Proper Use
The major thing that combines both content writing and SEO is keywords. For starters, it may seem that you can think of your own keywords and it will be fine. However, there are some rules:
- Don’t go for words that are too general. If you sell flowers, don’t just go for “flower delivery” or “flowers in New York”. It will be difficult for Google to catch one page and hold it on top for a long time.
- Don’t go for the most popular keywords for the same reason;
- Go for medium to high-ranking keywords and make sure over half of them are long-tail.
Why Use Long-Tail Keywords?
Img cr: seomoz.org
Why choose the long-tail ones? First of all, you can embed them in a natural way. They are usually questions or statements. Then, one long KW combines dozens of regular, short phrases. So, you’re using one shot but shoot 5 or 10 times. Pretty cool, right?
“What if there’s a keyword that really matches my goals but isn’t suitable for any of the major pages?”
Use them in blog posts! Having a blog on your website is an excellent opportunity to bring more additional phrases to your source. This means more clicks and more visitors that may convert into buyers.
Don’t Use the Same Focus Keyword Everywhere
There’s a thing called keyword cannibalization. When you’re using one focus keyword for many pages, Google gets confused about which page to choose. You may harm your ranking by doing that.
Choose a focus keyword for the main page and avoid using it even in a small blog post on the website. There are plenty of similar phrases you can use as main ones on additional pages and in your blog.
Don’t Forget About Meta Tags
Search engines first look for meta information about the page. Your title and description have to be concise and include the focus keywords. This is how you talk to the engine and tell it what your content is about.
The title also shows when:
- Your page is shown on SERPs;
- As a heading in the browser;
- The heading of your backlink.
Before clicking, many people will read the title and description to see if the site is worth their attention. So, including a small hook there to create urgency or cause interest is also a great tactic for your meta tags.
Competitor Research for Content Improving and Higher Rankings
Researching your competitors’ website layout, keywords they use, places they get backlinks at is the second part of your investigation.
Researching the Keywords
Make a list of all KWs your competitors use. Take only those sites that have a higher rating, as well as domain and page authority. You can find out this information with Moz tools. They have to be on every SEO specialist checklist.
If you see that their pages rank very high, maybe try to go for different variations of the same keywords for your main pages. Competing with powerful opponents may be a struggle until you build your own authority.
Website Structure Research
Next, you have to analyze their strategies. An intuitive site structure can elevate you on any list in a short time. Look for:
- How the menu is built;
- How deep the links are;
- If it’s an eCommerce website, how the clocks with bestsellers, recently viewed products, relevant products are located.
Then, you can choose the same way or a completely different one and make it your “thing”. Keep in mind, though, that deeper links don’t tend to get as many clicks, so even if the largest site in the industry has them, you may not need them at the moment.
Backlink Sources
When researching their backlinks, find out what websites are posting them. You can do it with tools like Ubersuggest and other SEO instruments. To improve your own backlink profile, collaborate with guest posing services, like Adsy, where professionals will get you highly-rated, quality links that will make you visible in your niche.
As you build your profile and find where your opponents get links from, try to contact a portion of those websites and be included in a TOP article or a separate one. Delete the low-ranked sites from the list first, though.
“But does my ranking really matter?”
Yes, it does. 10 years ago, there was a study by Search Engine Watch which showed that websites ranking first with their focus keyword got a click-through rate of 36.4%. The second? Only 12.5%. The third got 9.5% and so on.
You don’t want to lose over 20% of visitors, right?
Although the research is old, it shows just how important your ranking is. And now, when most businesses work so hard on promoting online, it’s essential.
Providing Value with Your Content
It’s not all about just being higher on Google than your competitors, is it?
Respect every click you get. If a person goes far enough to visit a page on your site, make it meaningful. Keyword research is nice, but how much of that do you do for every article?
Here are some tips:
- Study the industry.
Before writing about something as a specialist, do your research. Read studies, learn proper vocabulary, get support from thought leaders. - Make the content scannable.
Include subheadings, lists, infographics, blocks of important information on the side. Think of how you would perceive your own text as you finish. If there are inconsistencies, get rid of them. - Encourage questions.
Answer questions people ask under your posts. Thus, you’ll promote your products and raise brand awareness even more.
Make it better or different. Don’t copy a successful strategy of a well-known brand. You can either offer a better product and optimize your useful content or create something in the niche but different.
This is a topic for another article, though. The bottom line is: keep the balance of SEO and the sense of your content. Eventually, you’ll get the attention, clicks, and sales your eCommerce product deserves.