What You Need to Know About SEO and Content Strategy

We know that being on top of search engine results page (SERP) is a big deal for your business. Those coveted slots see a lot of action. The higher you are on the list, the greater the click through rate to your website. Click through rates tend to be higher on organic search and higher the further up on page one you are. Some say you have 7 seconds to grab a user’s attention another number I’ve heard is that most users stay on a site less than 59 seconds. Don’t give them a reason to click away because they can’t find what they need. There are a few things you need to keep in mind for webpage optimization best practices:

User Experience:
​·        Search Algorithms are not your customers. A user should be able to find what they’re looking for in 3 clicks or less.
·        Fast loading webpage. Get rid of plugins that bog down load time.
·        Mobile Compatible. An absolute necessity.
·        Accessible to those who use screen readers.
Clear, well-organized sections. Not crowded or confusing.

Content:
·        Update content often. This gives the search bots another chance to crawl and index your site.
·        Relevant, valuable content. Emphasis quality over quantity.
·        Use Long Tail Keywords when writing content. This allows you to drill down and target more specific and relevant topics. Instead of boots as a keyword, your long-tail keyword could be women’s brown suede ankle boots in sizes 2-10.
·        Voice Search. Increasingly people are searching the internet using the voice search options on various devices, whether it’s asking for the nearest coffee shop on their phone or asking a device such as an Amazon Echo on their counter to find a recipe, voice search will increase in popularity as voice recognition technology improves. People speak search differently than they type search; taking that into account when creating content, will increase your chances of being found.
·        Latent semantic indexing key phrases or (LSI)- Google analyzes the content for relevance. The algorithm doesn’t just record the keywords a document contains, but it analyzes the collection documents on a site as a whole.  A string of keywords crammed onto a website is no longer sufficient for a good ranking; it’ll get you penalized.
·        Social Media Strategy. I’m putting this up under content, because this is where you can create content that is fun and engaging, connect with your customers and build relationships, and hopefully drive them to visit your website.
 
There are many moving pieces and parts to a holistic content strategy. SEO takes time and dedication to reap the rewards. It isn’t a set it up and forget it type of thing. I didn’t even touch the aspect of technical SEO or link building in this post. Most business owners want to concentrate on what they do best, which is run their business. Content creation and social media strategy can fall by the wayside, even though you know how important it is to your business. Want to know more? Contact me today.
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