Your website content (or wording) may be more important than you realise. For example, did you know that Google’s ranking algorithm will punish your website if your content is too similar to another site? This is because searchers prefer websites with relevant, unique and interesting copy. In a world where everyone is competing for attention online, well-written content makes a huge difference. Not only will good copy help your search rankings, it can also improve your user experience and increase customer loyalty.
The most important thing to remember with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) when it comes to content is that you are primarily writing for people, not an algorithm. If you create content that people like, Google will reward you. With that in mind, here are some simple SEO tips on how to write great online content and improve your Google rankings.
Use Keywords
Keywords are important! Carry out some keyword research to find out what people are using to find sites like yours. You can use tools such as Google Trends to test and compare search data for certain keywords. If you have a Google Ads account, the Keyword Planner tool is also a great way to find keywords. Once you have some data around which keywords are most searched for, simply base your copy around those words. It is also a good idea to aim for one ‘focus keyword’ per page, at a keyword density of around 1% to 3%. In other words, if your page has 300 words, your focus key phrase should appear at least 3 times. However, putting your keyword in your content too many times can signal to Google that your content is repetitive and result in a lower search ranking.
Concise & Structured
Visitors want information in bite-size chunks. You won’t be surprised to learn that most people tend to skim web pages to get the information they want. Therefore, it helps to divide up your content into sections through the use of subheadings. Shorter content also enhances readability, so try to get to the point as quickly as possible and cut out any unnecessary information. For Google ranking purposes, it is recommended to limit your sentences to a maximum of 20 words where possible. It is okay to have the odd long sentence if necessary, just don’t make a habit out of it.
Read & Research
It is important to be knowledgeable about your content. With so much information on the internet, readers on the web can be skeptical. It is therefore very important for your content to be convincing. Remember, NEVER copy and paste content that is not your own. Write with your own voice. Put things into your own words. Where appropriate, you can also link to other authoritative websites to back up what you are saying. This will make your content more credible, and may even cause other people to link to you!
Update Often
It is important to add new pages and update existing ones regularly. No one is interested in old, outdated content (including Google). If Google is weighing up between a page from last month and a page that was last updated in 2014, guess which one it will rank higher! Try to plan ahead and brainstorm about future topics. Freshening up your website content often will make search engine ‘crawlers’ come to index your site more regularly. This will give you a greater chance of moving up in the ranks.
Use Visuals
Images and videos make content easier on the eye and more visually appealing. As the saying goes, a picture can be worth a thousand words. Just make sure you keep it relevant and don’t overdo it. Ensure to resize your images so that they don’t increase page load times which will negatively affect SEO.
Proof & Edit
Spelling and grammar mistakes will make your website seem less credible and deter potential website visitors. It can also affect your website negatively in search engines. Be sure to reread and edit your website content before posting. Then have someone else read it, and edit it again. It will rarely be perfect after your first draft.
Website Content Matters
Well-written content is important for your website visitors and essential to having good SEO. Combining good web design with relevant and unique web copy makes for a positive online experience resulting in higher search rankings.
