The baseline of digital marketing is content writing, while the baseline of content writing is SEO. Many are puzzled about what SEO really is. Most digital marketers struggle with how to improve SEO performance. In this article, let us discuss SEO and tips on how to improve it!
WHAT IS SEO?
SEO is the abbreviation for search engine optimization. A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong defines SEO as a strategy of increasing the quality and quantity of traffic to a website through organic search results. When we mean organic search results, these are unpaid marketing content. These types of content rank on search pages because of their relevance to the search term.
Google is a website where people can search for information by typing on the query box or speaking through a voice command. Recently, Google has also been testing visual searches. Being the largest search engine in the world, Google gathers all the content they can find on the Internet and indexes them. When a searcher types a query, Google’s crawlers rank the indexed information based on the CORE algorithm. They will then show the 1s and 0s ranking on the search results.
Google’s core algorithm is ever-changing. It is also something that does not have a fixed guideline. But a social media agency Hong Kong lays out that the main factor influencing search ranking today are keywords relevancy, location, and mobile optimization. As such, marketers should focus on creating content using relevant keywords for common search terms in their niche. They should at the same time update their business location to increase the chance of ranking on top of searches. Technically, their social media pages and website should also be optimized for mobile users.
HOW TO IMPROVE SEO PERFORMANCE
Are you looking to rank on top of search results and drive traffic to your website? Here are some tips on how to improve SEO Performance.
- Find the right keywords and topics for your content. The most important step to improve your SEO performance is to search for the right keywords and topics related to your industry. Prioritize the user’s search intent. These may either be commercial, informational, or transactional. Use a piece of product information and reviews keywords for commercial search intent as searchers are looking for a solution to their pain points. Use industry keywords for informational content as searchers might be looking for broader information. Use specific buying or shop keywords for transactional content as the searcher has a solid intention to make a purchase. The key is to focus on keywords and topics suitable for your web pages’ authority and size. Alternatively, you can use free keyword research tools to make the job easier. Google Keyword Planner, Keyword Generator, and Keyword Surfer are some examples.
- Avoid keyword stuffing. This year, the ideal length of a standard SEO blog post is 2,100 to 2,400 words. There is no standard percentage on how many keywords are too many for certain content. But the rule of thumb is to use it 5 times within a standard blog post. As such, if you will be using keywords within a webpage with limited text or words, using it once or twice is enough to improve SEO performance. Avoid keyword stuffing as Google’s artificial intelligence may tag your web page into spam. Or it may appear that you are tricking the search engine for your page to crawl. The key is to use context clues, synonyms, and variations to your keyword in order to cover them within the whole content. If you want to make it easier to track your keyword counts, you can use free online keyword density checker tools.
- Include visuals on your content to increase engagement. Visual content provides a ton of value over web pages. As they increase engagement, they can boost the time a searcher stays on a page, which is, an SEO critical ranking factor. They also make content easy to consume, which increases the likelihood of a page being shared. A video marketing agency Hong Kong notes that placing a video in the middle of content can greatly improve SEO performance. If visitors go to your website and leave after 10 seconds, Google will tag it as bad or irrelevant. Adding a video makes the viewers click the link and stay longer. They typically end up watching the whole short video. Thus, it can decrease your bounce rate as it lengthens the time a visitor stayed on the page.
- Interlink your content with other pages on your website. Internal linking allows search bots to crawl your content. Interlinking your website content gives Google an idea of how you organize and structure your website. Related content makes Google rank you higher among search results. Another advantage of interlinking your website content is that you can rank pages according to their importance. As such, Google searches will display the most important content you want people to discover. Backlinking, on the other hand, gives authority to a web page. By linking your content to credible sources, Google will rank a page higher by providing accurate and reliable information.
- Use CTAs to drive action. Another way to improve SEO performance is to use the right CTAs to drive action. Call to Action should be clear, well-designed, and well-position within the content. They should relate to the user’s search intent whether they want information or are ready to make a purchase. Use CTAs like “click to know more”, “download now”, etc. for informational searches. Use CTAs like “buy now”, “shop here”, etc. for searches with a solid intent to buy.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Following these 5 tips can greatly boost your SEO performance. But since Google’s CORE algorithm is ever-changing, the main key is to constantly update your content.