If you’re a writer, crafting your website strategically may not be your forte. If you’re a designer, the words on the page might be an afterthought. News flash: SEO content and website design are interwoven, and each one is just as important as the other. Here’s my take on how to totally optimise your website content with an SEO boost.
What Differentiates SEO Website Content from Regular Copy?
There’s no denying that copywriting is a science as much as an art. Nonetheless, SEO content is the key ingredient to driving traffic to your website. Regular old copy serves as a way to brand your business. Without it, your audience won’t know who you are or how you can help them.
On the other hand, content marketing helps to inform and educate your readers. When you’re talking about optimising individual web pages, you get on-page SEO. You’re educating while garnering visits. You’re informing while boosting your searchability. It’s methodical to the core, and it’s utterly necessary for real world business success.
Before Writing Your SEO Content, Do This
If you need to craft words for your website, the last thing you want to do is start typing all willy nilly. Trust me, your landing pages will perform far better if you approach your SEO content strategically. A major part of each and every SEO audit is keyword research.
Research keywords your audience is actually searching. Perform your own Google search of these keywords and see what kind of content is ranking. Take a peek into the first 10 results of the first page on Google. What do you like or dislike about each of these pages? What can you do to perform as good as them? This puts you in the position of your buyer persona. It helps you empathise with them.
The Elements of a Page
When it comes time to tackle your on-page SEO content, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.
- Keyword Selection – What keywords will you prioritise on this web page?
- Page Title & Subheadings – Don’t forget to format your web page to feature keyword-rich headings.
- Meta Title & Meta Description – If your web page does rank on Google, what will show up? Your meta title should be 60 characters or less, and your meta description shouldn’t exceed 160 characters.
- Geotags – Add global positioning data or simply include the names of local areas you want to prioritise.
And don’t forget about the off-page SEO content, too!
- Alt Text – Add keyword-rich descriptions for every image on your web page.
- Backlinks – Internal, external and social media links help boost your SEO.
The Secret to Keyword Optimization
Keywords, keywords, keywords—you hear about them all the time, but did you know you can overdo it? Keyword stuffing can send your SEO plummeting, so using synonyms and related terminology is a great way to get around the bots.
Let’s talk about LSI keywords. Latent semantic indexing helps keep your keyword density at the right level while still inputting related words and phrases that direct search engine users to your page. For example, I could say “hospitality” over and over again, but I could also talk about hotels, beaches, tourism, management, awards and more.
And, if you have a multilingual website, don’t forget to optimise your website for all languages. This is made easy by installing the Weglot Translation plugin; a translation tool that translates your website in multiple languages.
Boosting Your Website with SEO Content
If you’re in the process of building an effective website that reaches your audience, it’s time to start thinking about the words you’ll use to convey your brand. Concise, keyword-oriented content is exactly what brings your website up a notch. If you don’t know where to get started, feel free to drop us a line.
