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SEO is all you probably see and hear when you try to get some advice on content creation, fortunately, with the advent of content intelligence tools, content optimization is way easier than before. Additionally, it helps getting those creative juices flowing with ideas and questions. Thus, content writers should be SEO literates if they wish to be improve their ranking in SERP. Trust us, a few minutes of research can largely improve user experience and improve your overall content marketing strategy.
When writing content without SEO (Search Engine Optimization) expertise, getting your content ranked decently in search results can be pretty tough. Without a grasp of SEO, you don’t know how its relevance helps your content be more visible and so much more. If this sounds like YOU present, then some of these best practices might benefit you. Keyword research is one of the vital elements of content success, and so is SEO. No matter how you feel about it, SEO copywriting is a significant factor for your overall success. Remember not to overuse keywords; nobody wants to be bombarded with the same word throughout the reading. Instead, think of all SEO best practices that can enable you to rank higher. We suggest following some of these tips to increase your overall content performance if you’re a beginner!
Read on for some of our best practices.
1. Get to know Google Analytics
Okay, so numbers are not your thing, and neither are stats, but guess what? There’s no running away from these two elements. As a content writer, you wish to focus on user experience and create content that your audience actively seeks. Google Analytics enables you to keep track of your performance as a content marketer, bounce rate (those who walked away), session duration, source of the traffic and more. Hence, a quick read is a must. You don’t have to be tech-savvy to get the hang of Google Analytics. The instructions will guide you through and enable you to target the audience of your web pages better.
2. Make the most of Content Intelligence
Content intelligence tools such as CONTADU, Frase, Surfer SEO, ClearScope or Marketmuse enable you to improve your technical writing skills since they analyze thousands of content pieces, provide you with a list of target keywords, and even provide tips on which keyword phrases should be included in the title tag, H2 and H3. Keyword tools conduct an SEO audit within seconds and help you optimize content with the proper structure and words that you cannot skip! (And, guess what? You can also keep an eye on your enemies. Oops, we meant competitors!) For instance, these tools help you identify gaps and respond to user intent through high-quality content. Content intelligence allows you to produce content within deadlines. Every piece of content is optimized according to the queries of your target audience. At the end of the process, you have a high-quality content piece optimized and likely to rank better.
3. Repurpose Old Content
Good news! You don’t always have to start content writing from scratch. Content optimization tools enable you to review the quality of your content and instantly improve it. Suppose you don’t want to use optimization tools, look up similar topic content and use new information to touch upon your old content. Use up-to-date, reliable sources to ensure that you’re creating quality content; use internal and external linking to increase your content’s authority.
4. Rethink Page Titles
Titles are more valuable than you think. It reveals whether your content is relevant or interesting and worth reading. Utilizing keyword tools, you can carefully craft titles that meet the needs of your audience. Great content is optimized, not simply written; therefore, ensure that all your web pages have optimized meta tags. Meta descriptions should be carefully formulated as they provide an overview of your content and guide search engines.
5. Optimize your images
Using alt tags for your images can help increase your content’s visibility. Since some users are usually looking for quick information, they prefer images to read. Therefore, by using keywords in your image tags, you are increasing the chances of being noticed. Ensure that your images convey vital and helpful information. By optimizing the pictures, you’re speeding up the page load time. It may seem like nothing, yet this is ultimately what differentiates your website from others and encourages visitors to consider reading your content. It is only by acquiring an audience that you can generate leads, therefore do not ignore image optimization; it’s a life saviour or, should we say, content saviour!
6. Structure your content carefully
Using lists is an excellent means to structure content and provides the option of getting right to the point; the reader does not have to scan the content and clicks on the relevant section. This easy tactic encourages the reader to subscribe as he can easily find the information he needs without much effort. It is almost like you’re offering assistance but in a subtle way.
Lists, H2, H3s, infographics are critical elements in content optimization. More on subheadings and headings here.
7. Faster Load Speeds
Speed defines everything, and it says a lot about how much you care about your users and their experience. According to Hobo, 53% of mobile visits are abandoned if pages take longer than 3 seconds to load.
Loading speed is a significant factor; however, achieving this as a non-tech user can be much more challenging. With Google AMP, you can quickly speed up the load speed of your websites for mobile devices. Mobile devices now play a significant role in how people use the internet; it’s essential that your page loads within a few seconds. If your website runs on WordPress, you could swiftly implement Google AMP using various AMP plug-ins for WordPress.
8. Utilize Natural Language Programming (NLP)
One of the most valuable tools that you can use to help optimize your content is to embrace Natural Language Programming. It helps to answer peoples queries with answers, not just further links. NLP enables computers to communicate with people in a language that they understand. NLP is what makes it possible for Google to read your content or conduct speech recognition. NLP identifies the bits of information that are the most consistent and uses numerical structure to the data for it to be recognized through speech recognition and text analytics. More on it here.
9. Make the most of semantics variations
So, you now know a bit about NLP; the next thing is that you should understand is that the basis of NLP is the assimilation of semantic variations of a specific language. Semantics enables you to get a grasp of the different ways millions of users can frame a single question. NLP focuses on the most relevant semantics and optimization tools enable you to pick the most searched phrases to increase your content’s visibility.
Semantics engines such as Tensorflow and IBM Watson are imperative as they assist copywriters in structuring content based on user intent.
10. Get multiple rankings for a single page
One of the best ways to optimize content and improve your business rank is to rank a single website for more than one search term. It simply means avoiding using repetition of one keyword or several key terms (known as cannibalization) but instead using semantic variations to help build up a list of keywords that the page could potentially rank for. So long as the keyword is a natural fit for the content itself, this can only benefit your ranking.
With these tips in mind, you should make more use of your website simply by making some intelligent yet pretty easy adjustments. Sometimes, all you need are small, incremental changes that can instantly re-tip the balance of your website and help it move upwards in SERP!
The purpose of these ten tips is to help beginners with some basics. What are your best tips for beginners? We would like to hear and learn from you in the comments!
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