You can’t just publish any piece of content on your website and expect it to rank higher.
There are numerous elements that drive the wins or losses of SEO content. They aren’t run-of-the-mill pieces with no or little planning in creation, optimization, and post-production.
In reality, the blog posts that truly dominate search engine result pages (SERPs) are exceptionally planned and strategized around competitors, business goals, market trends, and consumer behavior. They are beyond the standardized create-and-publish, push-and-pray model.
In this 3-part guide, that’s what we will discuss in detail. By the end, you will have a thorough understanding of what type of content works well on SERP, what type of content should you produce on your website for better ranking, and how to produce such pieces of content.
What is SEO Content?
Starting with the very basic…SEO content is any piece of content that is primarily created for search engines with the goal of improving a website/URL’s ranking on SERP. The main purpose of content SEO is to help you rank higher on SERPs for targeted keywords, thereby increasing organic traffic.
Other phrases that are often associated with or are used in the context of "SEO content" include "on-page SEO," "website content optimization," and even "text optimization."
11 Qualities of High-Performance SEO Content
SEO content has several traits that define its success. Here are 11 common qualities of high-performance SEO content:
- It is relevant
SEO content is written with a specific audience in mind - one that the business is trying to target and attract. If a company provides technical support for an advanced enterprise software product, its web content should reflect a certain level of expertise and knowledge on the subject. On the other hand, if it sells children's toys, its content should be written to appeal to a younger audience. Relevancy is very important in the SEO landscape.
- It is unique
SEO content that's copied from other sites will not get good search rankings because it doesn't provide anything new for consumers. If a company has competitors that are ranking well for the same keywords, it needs to offer something different (and better) - otherwise, those customers have no reason to move away from their current preference or choice.
- It targets long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are search terms that are more specific and usually longer than more common keywords (head terms). Long-tail searches are often more targeted and have less competition, and they convert better as they're closer to purchase intent.
- It is focused on a single topic
In order for a page to rank for a particular keyphrase, it needs to address that topic in some way. But simply mentioning the phrase a couple of times isn't enough - you need to focus on that topic in-depth and make sure the language used matches what your audience is searching for. A good tip for an SEO blog post is to write with one keyword in mind, but mention related ones where it makes sense.
- It solves a problem or answers a question
This is the most important quality of SEO content - if it doesn't solve an issue for your audience, then there's no reason for them to read it or share it with others. To identify problems and questions, you can use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Quora, and Answer the Public.
- It has compelling headlines
The best way to get someone to read your article or blog post is by having an informative headline that grabs their attention and relates directly to what they're looking for. That's why you should always start with your headline before writing the rest of your article. When creating captivating headlines, use power words such as "how," "why," "when," "what," "who" or "where."
- It has a high word count
Over the last year, longer blog posts with higher word counts have increased in visibility (on average) in Google compared to shorter posts with fewer words. While there is no ideal length for an SEO post, longer content tends to outperform shorter pieces in terms of search rankings and social sharing.
- It is linked deeply within the site
A solid site architecture helps search engines crawl your site efficiently. The best way to achieve this is by developing a keyword theme for each page that relates to the topic you've chosen for that page and then linking to related pages with relevant anchor text (keywords). For best results, you should also avoid creating orphaned pages - pages that exist but have no links back to them from other pages within your site.
- It is higher readability
Content that is readable and flows well will keep people on a page longer, which Google considers a good sign of quality SEO content. Highly readable SEO content also tends to be more informative and interesting, which makes the reader want to keep reading the article.
- It is fresh with regular updates
SEO content that is continually updated with new information is ranked higher in search results than static content that rarely changes. Google likes to see fresh, frequently updated content because it provides readers with something new each time they visit the page.
- It is often topical
High-performance SEO content is topical. It's about what's relevant and timely for your audience at this very moment. The best way to identify the topics that are generating the most buzz within your industry is to use Google Trends and Buzzsumo. Topical content also gets shared more; it also receives more backlinks. This, again, positively affects the search ranking of that content.
These are some of the key traits of SEO content that rank higher on SERP.
If you need more details and exact data points on this, consult experts. Google "digital marketing company near me" and reach out to SEO/Content specialists. They can give you more insights.
Similarly, if you need help in producing SEO content that has these mentioned characteristics, connect with an agency that offers content writing services.
In the next part of this 3-part SEO content series, we'll discuss a few hacks that can make your website content even more impactful on SERP, bringing more organic traffic.
Continue reading: SEO Content: A 3-Part Ultimate Guide to Dominate SERP (pt 2/3)
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