Great online content doesn't
matter without an equally smart strategy to get your message in front of key
audiences.
Contributed By:
Aaron Agius
Source: Entrepreneur
Ignore
search-engine optimization (SEO) and focus on content.
Worst.
Advice. Ever.
SEO still
is kicking. The rules have changed and some of the starting lineup
were in the minors a few years ago, but you need a plan.
Look
at just a few recent stats:
- 93 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine
- 75 percent of users
never scroll past the first page of search results
- 70 to 80 percent of
search users ignore paid ads
Is
SEO necessary? Yes, it is.
SEO
simply "translates" your website into language that's easily
understood by search engines -- so users see your pages when they go hunting
for offers, products, services, information or answers to specific questions.
The "how" is SEO, and even a beginner’s guide can seem overwhelming.
The
exact formula used by Google and Bing is subject to debate. RankBrain,
content and links that point to your site are three
of the biggest ranking signals. But other factors play their role, too.
I’ve
seen businesses make the same mistakes over and over again. Here are the three
most frequent offenders.
1. Keywords.
Keywords
used to be ... well, key. But then content became king.
You
still need keywords. Two mistakes that novices and “experts” alike continue to
make? Stuffing keywords and targeting the wrong words.
Stuffing
aims to trick the engines by using an exact keyword phrase in
an unnatural frequency. Observe:
“Our
car polish is the best car polish on the car polish market. If you’re looking
for the best car polish, then look no further than our best car polish. It’s
the best car polish money can buy!”
Horrible.
Do that, and the engines will penalize you. It sounds stilted, it offers
nothing of value and it’s obviously meant to game the system.
Google
uses Latent
Semantic Indexing (LSI)
to analyze your page's intent and determine keyword variations. Trust
it. Use naturally occurring synonyms and alternatives instead of
word-for-word repetition.
Have a
keyword focus, but don’t force it. Include the keyword and its variations
in the title, opening paragraph, meta-description and throughout the body
of the text (within reason).
Use
the Keyword
Planner to
identify words that pop in searches, but resist the automatic urge to go
after those with the largest search volume. Instead, find the relevant long tail keywords (three- to four-word
phrases that make up the bulk of searches) with a decent volume. Use Trends to determine what’s popular and
what’s so last year.
A
little homework goes a long way.
Related: How to Master
Keyword Research, Production and Promotion for Your Content Marketing Campaign
2. Anchor text.
Anchor
text -- the
clickable words in a hyperlink -- can land you in hot water.
You
want your page links to point toward other content on your site as well as
relevant material on external sites. Businesses used to get away with
exact-match or keyword-rich anchor text. Not anymore.
Your
best bet is a healthy mix:
- Branded text, as in
"QuickSprout has
a great user guide"
- Naked links, as in "www.entrepreneur.com"
- Long tail links, as
in "use a wide variety of
anchor types to stay
safe”
Just
don’t rely on “anchor text” as your anchor text in a piece about anchor text.
3. Image optimization.
We
love visuals, and they increase engagement. Visually charged content gets
more clicks, likes and shares. But
there's a problem: Search engines can’t “see” images. Engines need textual
explanations to understand what the image represents and how it connects to
your topic.
Include
a highly relevant file name, alt-description (a description of the image, as if
you were telling a friend what the image depicts), caption, and image title.
Some studies found captions
are read 300 percent more than body text.
Consider
a compression tool such as PunyPNG or JPEGmini to reduce file size and load
time, with very little loss of quality. Faster page = better SEO.
4. Link strategy.
Backlinks
matter. In the 2016
State of Link Building Survey,
90 percent of respondents reported they use content publication/promotion
and guest posting as part of their link-building strategy. And 78 percent of
survey participants believe it's the most effective SEO-boosting strategy.
It's
still a case of quality over quantity. You run the risk of Google's wrath if
you include links from penalized sites or those with a domain authority less
than 20. Populating with too many backlinks, too quickly, also could have
negative effects.
Spammy
guest-blogging or link directories will hurt
you. Instead, write high-quality content. Share it with influencers in
your niche, and promote it on social media. Establish relationships with
influential sites so you can pitch useful ideas that fit with their
subject and theme to offer real benefit to their readers.
Yes,
it will take longer. But three to four relevant, high-authority/high-quality
backlinks are infinitely better than 100 backlinks from questionable
sources. Commit yourself to playing the long game.
5. Fans and followers.
Social
media is fantastic, but your number of fans is irrelevant.
It’s
about engagement: How are you connecting and interacting with people, and
how are they engaging with you?
Google’s
Webmaster Trends Analyst, John Mueller, would tell you that your
social-media following has no direct affect on your SEO. All the same, an active community of
members who share your content and link back to your site can
spread your brand awareness and authority. In turn, this increases
your site traffic. Social activity signals to Google that people are interested
in your site and spreading its message.
Remember
this mantra: It's not about numbers, it's about activity -- the actions
you generate and the engagement your audience takes forward.
Mistakes
are bound to happen.
SEO is a complicated beast, after all. Avoiding these common pitfalls will
help you play it smart and pay off in the long-term.
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