Ever found a great website on page 10 of Google? No? That’s because all great website content can be found on the first page. In fact, it’s been said that websites on the second page of Google’s search results lose out on about 90% of traffic!
1-grid provides that in recent years, the battle for the first page of Google has been tough. More importantly, it’s harder than ever to stand out in the ocean of online information. So, how do you get your content found by potential customers? Through content optimisation, of course. Or, in other words, the updating or adjusting of the content on your website to make it more attractive to search engines.
Once you have created your website, you are ready to optimise your website to rank high on Google.
Here’s how to create optimised website content:
1. Write excellent website copy
Consider your target audience
Create website copy that is relevant to your target audience. How? Your audience is looking for information to guide them towards making decisions. Use your copy to answer important questions you think your audience may ask. Make a list of the questions your customers may have and address each of these with bullet points or numbered lists. Always ensure that you wrap up each customer question with a clear and concise call to action, summary or directions on next steps to take. You can add even more value to every concern by making it easy for your audience to share the information on social media.
Keep SEO principles in mind
Writing good website content means that you must create copy that is Search Engine Optimisation-friendly (SEO-friendly) by selecting keywords targeted at your specific audience. These keywords are the terms your audience might be entering into Google to find your products or services. You must include these keywords in your website content in a structured way. Once you have determined these keywords with a keyword planner tool you can write your copy using the following structure.
- Include the keyword in your page URL
- Include the keyword in your page META Title
- Include the keyword in your page META Description
- Include the keyword in the main heading of your webpage
- Include the keyword in 3 – 5 sub-headings
- Elaborate on each heading
- Write 2000 – 3000 words for you page
- Don’t overuse the keyword
- Make it easy to read!
Readability is another point that is often overlooked. Make sure your content is optimised for readers who skim content by using short but striking sentences and numbers or bullet points. Headlines are just as important. Use the main ideas in your headlines to catch your audience’s eyes quickly. Also, ensure that your website is easy to read on mobile devices. Most people will gather information on a mobile device and decide to buy or download it on a desktop. There are also tools you can use to measure the readability of your content.
2. Only use great quality images
People are attracted to visual content, and websites with visual content gain a lot more traffic. Images bring your product or service to life and make content easier to read and consume. Images can consist of photos, infographics, GIFs, or other visual elements – use a mix of these or stick to one high-quality medium.
The question is always “what if I don’t own any good photos”? You can use stock images. These are images that are freely available for you to use on your website or blog. Here is a list of websites where you can get free stock images from:
- Pixabay
- Pexels
- Unsplash
- Canva
3. Create video content
Selling is about telling stories, and stories can effectively be told through video. Videos are more important than ever – Google now displays video in their search results, so you have an even better chance of being featured. You can host your videos at no cost on YouTube or Vimeo. Remember that YouTube is a Google service, so it is worth using it for creating and producing your video content.
4. Don’t ignore Metadata
Still as important as ever, Metadata, a set of data that describes what is presented on a website, helps Google to identify what your content is about, and in turn, rank your website. Metadata includes meta descriptions and the web page’s meta title.
5. Display a contact form
Make your contact form prominent on your website. Gone are the days to hide a contact form on your contact page – make it easy for visitors to reach you. Make sure the form does not have any unnecessary fields. You mostly need to capture the customer’s name, phone number and email address. The rest you can get from them later if need be.
6. Use a map
Lastly, don’t forget to add a map to your website if you have a physical store. A map forms an important part of local SEO.
With millions of websites on the internet these days, you must maximise your content to ensure you stay ahead of the ranking game. Start today and see how your site climbs the search engine results ladder.
For more visit: thesmallbusinesssite.co.za
