Write to the right people with targeted keywords
Creating SEO content, i.e. content optimized for both search engines and readers, is a fundamental part of creating an online project that has the right visibility. If content is not optimized with targeted keywords, it will almost certainly not reach the right people.
We must therefore pay immediate attention to what we write, how we write and for whom we write. To answer the three questions you have to go and intercept which are the key terms and phrases for which the niche of the public is actively looking.
To find these terms, you must first identify them:
- Who are the segments of the public.
- What kind of information they need.
- Because they need that information.
- What keywords are they using to find that information?Apparently it might seem like a long and complicated job, but in reality the process is easily speeded up by doing:
- Audience search: Identify the type of audience you think wants/needs what you offer. Once you have identified the online sources that deal with these topics, you need to start talking to your audience, making yourself known and gaining credibility. In parallel, we will discover their habits, preferences, demographic data and personal statistics.
- Keyword Search: Find relevant keywords (and those with the best search volumes) directly related to your experience, products / services offered and the search intent of your audience.
- Topic search: Identify content topics based on the keywords above and everything the audience wants to learn or looks for reliable sources to know or learn more about topics of interest.
Improve readability
Once the written content has become SEO friendly you need to constantly improve it, so that the reader will find more and more ideas to stay on the page and increase his stay on the site.
For a content to be able to make its way to the SERPs, every single element of the page must encourage the reader to stay and read it (and reread it several times).
Google likes it very much when it understands that a site not only offers quality content but also facilitates the fruition by providing, if possible, also an aspect appropriate to the subject matter (even the eye wants its part).
Google constantly monitors the dwell time, or the amount of time that passes between the moment you click on a search result and the next time you return to the results page.
That’s why we need to improve readability. Readability helps to increase the length of your stay with some qualities that can be collected in the following suggestions:
- Clarity
- Organization
- Logic
- Simplicity
Long but in-depth content
Better short but clear content than talking about nothing for hours. You have to write for the user who is looking for information and if the information involves few but clear words it doesn’t make sense to go on and on.
On the contrary, Google is always happy when a topic full of insights is published.
A big SEO trend for 2019 is to create content that goes deeper and deeper on a given topic.
This works when you want to scale the SERPs and according to digital marketer Eric Enge, Google is “intensifying its focus” on content quality.
This is what Enge said in a recent post by Danny Goodwin on SEJ (link to the blog at the bottom of the page): “We have monitored the SEO performance of many sites. Sites that have provided exceptional depth in coverage of quality content have literally skyrocketed throughout the year. Sites that were weaker in the depth of their content suffered.
Let’s remember that this trend will continue and not just for 2019.
According to Enge, in order to create deeper content, it is necessary:
- Write long lasting blog posts: 2,000 words or more.
- Explore topics that have many different facets and points of view.
- Write updated guides.
- Go beyond superficial research. Instead of a quick search on Google, recommend trying Google Scholar, JSTOR or industry publications to find new data and studies always up to date.
Improve web page speed
If more than half of the searches made on the web are made from mobile devices, it is clear that the loading times of individual pages must be fast.
The slower the speed of your page, the more frustrated will be the users, who will most likely go back to look for information elsewhere.
According to a BBC News report, half of the buyers will not wait more than 3 seconds to load a page while the Nielsen Norman Group search revealed that most users will leave the pages within 10-20 seconds.
Choosing the best images
According to Skyword research, articles containing relevant images enjoy 94% more views than articles without images.
This is because our brain is predisposed to associate an image type with the content it is looking for online. That’s why the inclusion of well made and high quality images will have a stronger impact on the reader’s mind than a couple of random archive photos used by all.
The content will appear more professional and authoritative thanks to the use of the right images, so it’s a good idea to invest in them to get a better SEO.
Provide facts (and quote them correctly)
If there are sources, it is good practice to quote them precisely to help the user to deepen the subject.
The Internet has made everyone “expert” by allowing the possibility to make even extravagant statements without supporting data.
Seen from the opposite point of view, those who instead support the published facts, including the sources and the data in their content can easily differentiate themselves for the best.
The key to reliable SEO content is only one: search!
Formatting content for featured snippets
Featured snippets have been receiving a lot of attention in SERPs for a few months now, and this will continue throughout 2019.
According to Google these small blocks of information will increasingly be displayed on a results page when a user asks a question.
According to a study by Ahrefs snippets steal a lot of traffic.
Currently, snippets are ranked first at the top of the page, just where all SEOs would like to place their websites.
To increase the likelihood that content will be used for a snippet there are some tactics to try:
- Answer the questions permanently in your content.
- Make the content of the highest quality possible.
- Use numbered and bulleted lists.
- Include statistics and data.
Improve your reputation
According to Google’s updated search quality evaluator guidelines, the content creator and that person’s story both contribute to the quality of a page.
That’s why if you have specific experiences it’s always good to highlight them, as if you have the opportunity to post reviews, discussions in forums that mention the project online or the people who work there etc..
To this end, having an information page on your website and/or the pages of the author of a blog are essential to the creation of your online reputation.
Doing original and diverse research
The original search is a giant connecting magnet for SEO content.
If you can include fresh statistics, studies, information and relevant research in published posts, you will inevitably allow other websites to have the opportunity to link to the web project and quote the latest findings, not to mention the incredible value to your industry and your audience.
According to the report by Mantis Research and BuzzSumo 56 percent of marketers who use original searches in their content exceeded or met their expectations, with 74% reporting seeing more traffic on the website thanks to the original search and 63% saying they see more shares on social media.