How can you keep your SEO ahead of the pack?

It seems that everybody is producing content these days, but there is only so much space on the first page of search rankings. That means having excellent SEO is crucial for your content to be visible.

 

In an age where the phrase ‘content is king’ still rings true, the number of blogs and articles out there seeking to help sell goods and services is staggering. However, by definition only a small amount of it can reach the first page of the search engine rankings.

 

That, of course, is where search engine optimisation (SEO) comes in. Knowing how to optimise content is essential if it is to find its way to page 1. In addition, it is also important to be aware of changing search engine algorithms, which means you are dealing with a moving target.

 

For all these reasons, you need to undertake a combination of steps to establish and maintain strong SEO.

Why staying relevant matters

Relevance is an important element in your content. In the early days of SEO, people could attract web traffic by inserting popular search terms that had little or nothing to do with the content. Then search engine providers wised up and changed their algorithms to penalise such content.

However, while completely irrelevant content may have been filtered out, it remains true that being very relevant is better than being just slightly relevant. When writing content, make sure it is speaking straight to the needs of your buyer persona and engaging with the issues or desires they want to resolve. 

What about backlinks?

Good authority helps bolster your ranking and having strong backlinks with a lot of hits can aid this. As well as making sure your articles contain these, it’s important to check your old content and remove any broken or toxic links that could lead to you being penalised.

How to ensure you use the best keywords

Keywords are the biggest tool you will use in SEO. They are, after all, what people are searching for, so corresponding to the terms people enter in search engines is vital.

However, over time the most popular keywords used in search relating to a particular topic can vary:

•          A short-tail keyword may lose popularity as a long-tail keyword increases in prominence

•          A new keyword may become more relevant due to new developments in the subject, such as the arrival of a new product

•          Other circumstances may render a keyword less likely to be used, such as if it relates to something obsolete.

A good way to stay on top of keyword usage is to use analytical tools like SEMRush or BuzzSumo to establish what keywords are currently most likely to be searched for or attract responses from readers. This can be used to update your list of the best keywords to use.

 

 

What difference do images make?

There are several things that add value to content and increase relevance. Good, relevant images is one of them. Many readers will be much happier to stay on the page if what they see is broken up with attractive pictures, rather than consisting of a huge block of text.

However, poor quality, low resolution pictures will be penalised, as will irrelevant images, so don’t just use any picture or this will not go down well with search engines.

Why should you use video?

If still pictures are useful, video is even more so. As well as being a highly effective marketing tool in its own right, video scores highly with the likes of Google and Facebook. Quite simply, embedding a video in your content makes it much more likely to be seen on page 1.    

What else should you do?

There are a few other things you should also do to help improve your SEO:

•          Competitor analysis - What are your rivals doing with their content? What is working (or not)? Find the things that you can copy to your benefit

•          Mobile-friendliness - make sure your website is mobile friendly, partly because that is where the majority of searches come from now but also because a good mobile user experience is a positive ranking factor.  

•          User experience and technical SEO - make sure your website does not have broken links, poor navigation or slow load-up time. These failings can penalise your SEO and undermine all your good work when writing content.

What can BeUniqueness do for you?

BeUniqueness offer a wealth of experience in SEO, ensuring optimised content is produced to get your brand name and your products and services to the first page of the Google rankings in 6-9 months. By addressing all the different areas of SEO and staying up-to-date with best practice, we can provide the best optimisation service for you.

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