Many people ask themselves what they can do to drive their content up to the first few places in Google’s search results. That’s no easy feat, especially when you know that the search engine regularly updates its algorithms and quality criteria to choose the best content that will emerge in the top spots. There’s really just a single rule for creating web content that will let you achieve such a feat. And it lies in a single word: quality. Because mediocre content will have very little benefit for your SEO results. Here are a few tips that will let you achieve the results to which you aspire.
Tip #1: Write truly original articles
The first thing to understand when you launch a content marketing campaign is that you absolutely cannot base your content on existing content. In other words, it’s absolutely useless to duplicate articles already published on the web, or even rework them and paraphrase their content. Not only will Google probably notice this very quickly, but you risk losing your existing reputation!
Our first tip is therefore to create original, novel, and attractive articles. It’s also a good idea to work on the titles of your articles so that they attract as many people as possible. Stay positive and clear, since your audience should be able to immediately understand what your articles are about at a glance.
Tip #2: Boost your content into relevant information
If it’s generally true that it’s better to avoid publishing flat articles without content, it’s also true that long articles (1000 words or more) are generally more likely to be noticed by the search engine. There are two reasons for that: not only are these articles more detailed and therefore often more relevant, but they also include more keywords related to the same field, which can only improve your ranking.
But to write this type of article, it’s often preferable to focus on content that’s educational for your potential clients. List-based articles, such as the one you’re currently reading, are especially popular among internet users since they respond very specifically to the questions that they have about your field of expertise. Don’t hesitate, therefore, to go into detail in order to offer the most valuable and relevant information possible.
Tip #3: Work on your layout
The problem with long articles is that you often tend to get a little lost in the jumble of information. It’s, therefore, essential to offer your readers a clear, hierarchical layout. Typically, laying out your articles with subtitles will let your target audience browse through all your content at a glance and easily find the information they’re looking for.
Furthermore, using illustrations, images, or videos will let you increase not only the attractiveness of your articles but also their readability. A little point also on the overall layout of your pages: it goes without saying that a well-designed, easy-to-read, modern-looking site will have every chance to meet with the success it deserves.
Tip #4: Stay reputable
If you write articles with very precise or even quantified assertions, it’s particularly good form to cite your sources. This will obviously have an impact on your trustworthiness as an expert and a fortiori on your reputation. Don’t forget that links to sites recognized by the search engine – such as leading sites in the field, for example – can only help you prove your legitimacy with regard to your keywords!
Tip #5: Attract interest and comments
When you’re writing your content, try to think of the future comments that it might receive. There’s nothing more effective than many comments to make the Google bots understand the interest that your article is generating! Therefore, don’t hesitate to solicit the opinions of your readers or stir up certain questions that you’ll have left deliberately unanswered in your article. For example, you can absolutely provoke certain questions about the concrete implementation of your advice in the lives of your readers. That will let them participate!
Tip #6: Think SEO, SEO, SEO
There’s no point in creating content if it’s not interesting or won’t be read by anyone. As we’ve discussed in several of our articles on editorial strategy, we strongly recommend doing keyword research before you begin creating content. Based on this preliminary research, which will help you determine the relevant topics for your business, you’ll be able to create an editorial plan that will let you include these topics in your content. After that, you just have to integrate the discovered keywords and phrases throughout your texts… in a natural way, of course, since the search engine will quickly notice an overly intensive use of certain keywords.
Make sure you incorporate this advice when drafting the titles for your articles since they’re the building blocks of your SEO strategy.
Tip #7: Keep an eye on the competition
A very good tip when you’re still in the keyword research phase is to “test” queries yourself to see which results come up for them. You can, therefore, take advantage of the weak points of your competitors who are currently in the top spots by creating longer articles than them or articles that respond to certain issues not addressed by their content.
Tip #8: Demonstrate consistency
Finally, don’t forget that consistency is key for good SEO. It’s not enough to write one or two relevant articles since Google likes new content and will strongly favor your site if you write regularly.
You have to understand that the work of creating content is far from being clear and that it requires certain resources (including financial) that are necessary for its proper implementation. If you don’t think you have an adequate budget, don’t try to circumvent the problem by hiring low-cost labor or trying to reuse existing content. It’s better, in that case, to do nothing at all rather than creating an editorial strategy without a real return on your investment.
