Keyword Obsessed? 4 Ways to Cure Your Content

This is probably going to sound a bit bizarre coming from someone who makes her living writing SEO copy for clients. Here goes anyway: Do not rely on SEO keywords to rank well on Google.

You did not misread that. I did, indeed, just suggest that you should not rely on SEO keywords to rank well on Google. I told you it was going to sound insane coming from an SEO copywriter. There is a method to my madness, though.

Don’t get me wrong. SEO keywords are a valuable tool for any website. The mistake is in making them your only strategy. For years, SEO experts like myself have worked hard to raise awareness about the importance of SEO keywords in all branded content. The downside to our efforts is that some organizations have gone all-in with SEO, thinking it some miracle cure-all. There is such a thing as keyword stuffing, and the golden hand of Google can and will smack you down if you engage in it.

While it’s true that Google likes making things … challenging … for content providers, earning a page one Google ranking organically isn’t some golden chalice from which the average peasant will never drink. It is attainable when you commit to a multi-tiered approach to SEO. Here are 4 ways to kick your game into gear and get your brand noticed.

1. Populate your pages with quality content
   This doesn’t just mean SEO-rich content. It means content that sets you apart from every other brand in the marketplace. To be blunt, the problem with most content online today is that it’s been spun. Someone decided they liked a blog post their competitor did and asked for something similar for their site. The problem is their content is not original or groundbreaking in any way. Website crawlers are smart enough to detect this and will not reflect kindly on your page when they discover this kind of unimaginative content.
   
   Sure, you’ve gotten something on your page, but is it something worth talking about? If the answer is no, then you need to look elsewhere for quality content. A top-notch SEO copywriter can help identify your brand’s point of difference and shape your content around it. Every piece of content that is written for your brand should be backed by thorough research and feature the right experts within your organization. The goal should be to make your page an authority that others aspire to emulate. When it is done well, you may even earn some of those coveted backlinks everyone is always talking about.
   
   
2. Attract website crawlers with advanced meta tags
   If you are asking yourself, “What the heck is a meta tag?” you are not alone. Most people are blissfully unaware of what they are and how valuable they are to online visibility. Metatags are a form of metadata easily read by search engine web crawlers. Metatags give web crawlers extra information about a webpage. It is then used for ranking in search results, and for displaying snippets of text from pages in search results.  
   
   There are three important kinds of metadata on every page. Make sure you are touching on each of them for maximum results:
   
   Title metadata is the code used to generate page titles at the top of your browser. They also serve as the headline for your page’s search engine results. It is, without doubt, the most important kind of metadata on your page. Remember to use SEO keyword phrases in the title metadata to add relevancy to your page.
   
   Description metadata is the text that browsers use in the search results for your page. This text should include top-ranking SEO keywords for your brand and clearly explain the content found on that page. As a rule, search engines love description metadata that is no more than two sentences and 156 characters max.
   
   Keyword metadata is rarely used for search engine ranking purposes. These are the SEO keywords that are most relevant to your brand. They should be worked into all branded content and include between 3 and 7 phrases, with each phrase consisting of 1 to 4 words.
   
   
3. Boost your website’s user experience
   If we all close our eyes and think hard, I’m sure we can come up with a memory of a website we’ve visited that’s been anything but user friendly. Flashy graphics, confusing navigation, and the failure to optimize for mobile viewing are some of the most common issues with websites that make site visitors cringe. With more than half of all website traffic originating from a mobile device, it is imperative your website display well on both desktop and mobile devices. Here are some things you can do to make your page more engaging and attractive to visitors.
   
   • Leave some white space. No, really. There is no need to pack every nook and cranny of your webpages with content and graphics. Leaving some empty space, especially around text and titles, makes it more pleasing to the eye.
   
   ​• Improve page loading speed. People are busy. They don’t have time to sit and wait for your images and other graphics to load because you failed to optimize them for quicker loading. Even an extra 5 seconds of wait time can increase your website’s bounce rate by more than 20 percent.
   
   • Use simple (and well-placed) calls to action. Just like the rest of your content, any calls to action should be natural on the page. You want them to feel like a helpful street sign directing your visitors, not a Dumpster fire they can’t help but stare at but adds little value to their experience.
   
   
4. Engage your target audience on social media
   I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Your website is a destination. Think of it as the train station where all passengers must get off. So, if your website is the station, where is the train? If you guessed social media, you would be correct. Failure to engage your target audience on social media can hurt your brand’s online visibility. 
   

Need help getting your webpages noticed online? Reach out to the experts at The Write Reflection to schedule your no-obligation consultation today.