SEO Content: How to take charge of your digital success

What to know about search engine optimization to make sure customers can find your website

In today’s digital landscape, your organisation’s online presence can have a major impact on its success. Customers, old and new, expect to be able to find and interact with your business on the internet, so a quality website is a must.
 
The flip side is that your competitors know this too, and they’re just as keen as you are to carve out their niche on the worldwide web. And if they’re easier to find than you? Ooof…
 
Studies show that a massive 75% of people won’t scroll past the first page of Google. So having a website that’s optimised for visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs) is the ultimate online game-changer.
 
Search engine optimisation (SEO) leads to higher organic traffic and better conversion rates. Read on to discover how you can help your website rank higher on search engines and help attract more of the kind of visitors that are actively seeking what you sell.

SEO might sound scary, but it really doesn’t have to be. At its heart, it’s just a series of strategies, techniques and best practices that help give Google’s algorithms reasons to prioritise your content over similar sites. 

Understanding search engine optimisation

SEO might sound scary, but it really doesn’t have to be. At its heart, it’s just a series of strategies, techniques and best practices that help give Google’s algorithms reasons to prioritise your content over similar sites. These can be grouped into three categories: on-page optimisation, off-page optimisation, and technical optimisation. The first two are copywriting gold standards; the third falls under your web developer’s area of expertise.

On-page optimisation focuses on making sure your content, meta tags, headings and URLs are working as hard as they can to get Google’s attention. Keyword research plays a big part here. You’ll want to identify the search terms that your target audience is most likely to use and incorporate them into your content. This is something a skilled copywriter can help you with, but you can absolutely DIY it if you prefer.

Off-page optimisation is just as important. This involves building high-quality backlinks from reputable websites (do NOT be tempted to buy these, though – Google’s wise to this shortcut and actively penalises websites that try this). A backlink is a clickable link to your content from another site, which Google treats as a vote of confidence. The more you have, the more likely you are to rank highly on search engine results pages. Again, a skilled copywriter can help with this – for example, by creating guest blogs on behalf of your business for a high-quality website, but there are many ways to build backlinks. It takes a bit of time, which is why SEO is a marathon and not a sprint, but it’s a sure-fire way to move your page up the rankings.
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Technical optimisation ensures that your website is user-friendly and easy for search engines to crawl and index. To keep on top of this area of SEO, you’ll want to make sure your website loads quickly, works seamlessly on mobiles, is easy for visitors to navigate, and so on. For folks with a bit of technical savvy, this is generally easy enough to negotiate, but there are some great tools – like Google Search Console, Ubersuggest and Siteliner – that can help those of us less gifted in that area to get the job done. Alternatively, your web developer can keep an eye on this for you.

Let’s talk about keywords

​Keywords are the foundation of SEO content, but they need to be used strategically. Gone are the days when Google could be enticed by cramming your keywords in any which way and as much as possible. These days, that’s known as keyword stuffing and it’ll earn your site a penalty from Google.

Keyword research involves identifying search terms relevant to your business which have a high search volume, and then smoothly and coherently incorporating these words and phrases into your content.

Google prioritises high-quality, helpful, and informative content, and the algorithm is phenomenal at working out exactly what the searcher was looking for in order to deliver results that answer their question. So it’s also a great idea to include secondary keywords and long-tail keywords (phrases that searchers might use to get the information they’re after) in your content.
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In fact, long-tail keywords, though they might deliver fewer results, tend to collect searchers at a later point of the sales funnel, so they’re great for driving conversions.

The impact of backlinks on SEO rankings

Backlinks are an essential part of your SEO content strategy when you’re looking to boost your rankings. The more reputable and authoritative websites that link to your content, the more valuable your site appears to Google and other search engines.

Remember, though, that not all backlinks are created equal. One high-quality backlink can have a greater impact on your visibility than a dozen slightly dodgy ones.
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Plus, building your backlink profile takes time, so your backlink strategy isn’t going to deliver results overnight. It takes a combination of outreach and networking on top of creating linkable content, so this is one area of SEO where it pays to build relationships within your industry.

Not all backlinks are created equal. One high-quality backlink can have a greater impact on your visibility than a dozen slightly dodgy ones.

The role of user experience in SEO success

While a lot of your website’s user experience – loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and so on – depends on technical SEO, your content strategy can also play a major part. After all, visitors to your site are looking for easy-to-access, valuable information. So focusing on your content is a great place to start.

You’ll want to make sure your layout is visually appealing and makes site navigation intuitive. The average page visit lasts less than a minute, so if users have to hunt for what they’re after, you’ve almost certainly lost them.

Google also likes to see fresh content on websites, so make sure yours is regularly updated. Consistent blog posts are a great way to let the algorithm know you’re actively focused on maintaining the content on your site. They also make sure you’re prioritising user experience by keeping your website relevant and answering common user queries.

​That’s not just good for SEO – it’s also a great way to build brand loyalty and keep visitors coming back for more.

When it’s time to bring in professional SEO content services

SEO doesn’t have to be scary, but it is… a lot. A lot of effort. A lot of things to remember. A lot of time. And time is usually in short supply when you’ve got a business to run.

So while you can absolutely DIY your way to SEO success, the reality is that for many organisations, it’s actually cheaper in the long term to outsource to a professional.
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A copywriter who’s well-versed in SEO best practice can help make sure your web copy is optimised to rank on Google. They can make sure your images are searchable (how many images on your website are named “Image18897889.jpg” for example?). They can create regular, keyword-optimised blog posts that attract both Google and your ideal customers. They know how to get the best out of headlines and meta tags. Plus, this is their actual job, so it’s not something they have to squeeze into a packed day of keeping a business running smoothly. They can give it the time and focus it needs, so that you can put your time and focus to better use.

While a lot of your website’s user experience – loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and so on – depends on technical SEO, your content strategy can also play a major part. ​

If you’re ready to jump up the rankings and make your website shine on SERPs, drop me an email. I love a bit of SEO, and I’d love to put my knowledge to work helping your ideal customers find you online. ​

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