Getting found on Google. Is there anything more important for a small business?
While search engine optimization is important, brands must understand that improving their search results is about much more than keyword stuffing and back-linking. In fact, these practices are mostly outdated—if not completely irrelevant. As Google and the other major search engines have become more sophisticated, so too have the principles of SEO.
Now, the most important aspect of SEO is creating readable, informative and compelling content. Keywords certainly have their place, but it’s far more important to develop high-quality content that your audience finds valuable.
Today’s SEO article writers know what it takes to create this content. Below are a few simple tips from the best of the best:
Always focus on quality
This should go without saying. The best way to get people to read your content and come back for more is to provide content that’s useful, interesting and perhaps entertaining. Google will rewards sites with well-written, relevant content. Quality comes before all else.
Consider the length
Long-form articles are more likely than short blog posts to gain traction online. However, they must be well written.
In the past, brands could get away with 300- to 400-word blog posts, with each focusing on a single topic. That may no longer be good enough. An effective content marketing strategy today typically includes a mix of shorter content and long-form articles. Some of the latter can be 1,500 words or more.
Use keywords carefully
One of the reasons SEO article writers no longer worry so much about keywords is that writers were so obviously attempting to manipulate search engines through keyword stuffing that the content they created came off as spammy. This actually hurt their search rankings.
Choose your keywords wisely, and make sure they make up no more than 1 or 2 percent of the text on a page. Ideally, your readers will have no idea you’ve incorporated keywords into your content.
Use headers and sub-headers
Headers and sub-headers make your content more scannable, which in turn makes it easier to read and share. These sub-headers also help increase keyword saturation. They have the dual benefit of improving search rankings and increasing reader engagement.
Link to previous content
You can either add links to previous content you’ve published or to external sources that have high-quality, reputable content themselves. Quality links will have a positive impact on your search rankings. Just be sure to include links that support the topic you’re covering in your content.