If you have a website promoting your goods or services then you might be asking yourself, does my website really need SEO content?
The short answer? Absolutely! As for the long answer? I’m unpacking everything you need to consider when asking yourself whether or not your website really needs SEO content.
What is SEO content?
Let’s break it down:
- “SEO” is an acronym for search engine optimization. In plain ole’ English, it’s basically the process of optimizing your website so that people can find it when they’re searching for something on Google.
- “content” refers to any and all information that lives on the internet.
SEO content is then any content on the internet which has been specially written to attract traffic from search engines.
How do you make content SEO-friendly?
- Keyword research: always do your keyword research before you start writing. When you know your keywords for a blog post or article before you start writing, you won’t have to spend more time editing and including them later on.
- Keyword optimization: throwing them around here and there isn’t going to do anything, you need to know exactly how to use your keywords and where to place them.
- Content organization: content on your site should be organized in a structured way. This is good for SEO but it also helps visitors easily and quickly find what they are looking for. This is especially important because the longer visitors stay on your website, the better.
- Content promotion: you have the content and now what? A simple way to get eyes onto new content is by sharing it on social media.
Sidenote: you could do all the above and still not rank on Google. Why? Because search engines want to know that you’re 1) providing relevant content but 2) also writing for humans. If you’re using content to simply rank your website, you won’t get the results you really want. Potential customers will land on your website, consider your content to be fluff and then leave.
Google will then penalize you because of low conversion, short visits stays and a high bounce rate. Your content always needs to serve a purpose.
Types of SEO content:
- Product pages: almost every e-commerce website will have one of these. Not only are they a great way to display your products or services, but they can also serve as SEO content and as a landing page for ads.
- Blog posts: A blog section is a great place to publish regular posts that meet your SEO goals. While product pages aim to inform people about what you do, a blog post can start a conversation, add extra value and perform a soft-sell.
- Articles: This can be a news article, an interview, a feature piece or even a review. This type of content is popular on most newspaper or magazine websites.
- Lists: think “7 reasons your website needs a blog section” or “70 ways to get more customers”. This type of content is both easy to scan through and the catchy title often gets many clicks.
- Guides: this type of content is a great way to provide an immense amount of value, AND generate leads. Guides will always be a much longer form of content. Once it’s published you can use it as a way to grow your subscribers and email list.
- Glossaries: I consider Google to be my personal dictionary and translator. If you work in a highly specialized industry or niche then this is a must for your website. It’s a great way to include those industry terms on your site for SEO purposes but you’ll also show potential customers that you’re there to add value in a way that they can understand.
- Directories: think of this as a mini Google. A directory houses various links and resources about a specific topic. This is a great place to include affiliate links or direct traffic to collaborators.
The benefits of SEO content:
- Get local rankings organically
Bigger companies tend to rank higher because they’ve been publishing content for longer and they have an entire team making sure they retain their number 1 spot. But what about smaller businesses? If you stick to it and post regular content that always makes use of specific keywords, then you’ll start to be discovered on Google too.
- Be seen as an expert in your industry
Customers are always looking for value and someone who knows that they’re talking about. Instead of simply telling a potential customer that you know what you’re talking about, you can show them. Provide extra value by discussing various industry topics in longer-form content.
- Create a new sales funnel
Remember those guides I mentioned earlier? Use them to 1) steer people into a specific sales funnel or 2) ask people to sign up to access the guide and use that very landing page to grow your email list.
- Find out more about your audience
Measure, measure, measure. Keep a close eye on what content gets the most views, conversions and traffic. This will give you an idea of what your customers want to know more about and what they’re not really interested in.
- Get the conversation going
Always activate your comments section. It’s a great place for people to ask questions and start talking. Share your content on social media as a way to get people talking in the comments of the post.
- Be heard
People connect with people. Through longer-form content you can share your unique perspective and allow potential customers to connect with you through your specific story.
