Always Lead With Your Best Foot Forward
Start your content with getting directly to the point. (See what I did there? No intro.)
No one wants to read through 3 paragraphs of text to find the information they came to your site for. That’s why Google snippets work so well. A user needs information, Googles it and get’s direct feedback to their query. If you are writing intros about your subject and lot’s of flowery text, stop doing so immediately. Visitors that have to scan to hard through your content in order to retrieve the information they need will quickly leave your site for a competitor. There is nothing worse than skimming through an article to find the information you want/need at the very end.
Create Digestible Content
Don’t just have a mountain of text in your content. That works great for Search Engines, but not for users. Most Internet users skim through content. They pick and choose the information they want to digest. If your content is overwhelming to a visitor they will shut off. There’s a reason why Twitter is so popular. It gives you short, concise, digestible content.
So how do you achieve digestible content?
- Break up your content with headings
- Use headings to point out topic talking points, not for keyword SEO
- Bold or italicize key points, not keywords
- Using pictures if applicable to your niche
- Infographics to sum up key points
- Make use of whitespace to give the reader a break
- Bullet point or numerical lists for key points
Far too often we think of quantity over quality. Make your content quality by only including what is important and not 45 sentences of flowery text you don’t need or read just to make it look more important.
Solve A Problem
A Google search is called a query for a reason. Someone is asking Google a question or requesting information and it’s up to you and your content to fill that need. Remember that the Internet was founded under the principle of spreading information to the masses. Remember when they called it the “Information Superhighway”?
Try to answer questions related to your niche. “How to I………….?”, “What’s the importance of…………..?” or give the reader information that will benefit them in some way or another.
As well, try and anticipate the types of questions your customers would ask.
Research
You don’t need to add citations or resources like you did in school writing an essay, unless you are quoting, but you should know what you’re talking about. Knowledge is power and the more you know, the more powerful your content is going to be on that given topic.
Google always states that “Content is King” and “Be an Authority”. You can’t be an authority or write good content if you have a minimal understanding of the topic. So do plenty of Googling, find the right people to follow for that subject on Social Media or through blogs.
Write for People, Not Machines
The days of writing for search bots is over. Focus on key topics, key terms, key talking points and NOT keywords! Don’t try and force keywords into your article for the sake of having them. Write organically, with your target audience in mind and the rest will follow.
2016 is about Search Experience Optimization, not Search Engine Optimization!
Design Flaws
You might have written some great, compelling, unique content that your visitors thrive for, but if it’s not formatted properly, you may never achieve the level of success you deserve.
Is your text easily readable?
Text that’s too small or big might be killing the potential your content has at being successful. Your font and color choices may also have a hand in how your content is accepted by the masses.
Have you ever been to a website with a black background and rich red text? It looks great at first, but then your eyes become fatigued as you begin to read.
Does your site look professional?
In a split second upon arriving at your site, a user has already made a visceral reaction to your design. That reaction is the difference between someone being engaged with your content or hitting the back button.
