Search engine optimization (SEO) is something companies can no longer afford to ignore. How can you be sure that every piece of content you create is working to boost your website’s performance in search? SEO is an ever-changing field, so even if all your content was perfectly optimized just a few months ago, it may be time for an update.
As you take another look at your content through the lens of the search engine, ask yourself these questions:
Does your company have a short list of targeted keywords for which you want to move up on the search engine results page? Is your entire team aligned around that list? If not, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and conduct initial keyword research. This post from MOZ is a great place to start.
If you are already working with a master keyword list, you’re a step ahead of the game. Next question: have you picked 1-2 specific keywords from within that list to focus on for each individual piece of content? A single piece of content cannot possibly deliver on all your keyword goals, and you should never try to write a piece with a focus on more than a very small group of targeted keywords.
If you’ve done a good job of conducting your initial keyword research, the answer should be yes. Your company should be focused only on keywords that strike a healthy balance between search volume (enough people are actually searching for them) and competition. If competition is in the low to moderate range for a keyword with a reasonably high search volume, you’re directing your efforts in the right place.
Choose “long-tail keywords” that feel natural when incorporated into your content, and add them into your URLs and image alt tags as well as the visible body of your content. Effective keyword usage is about incorporating keywords naturally, not stuffing them into spots where they don’t fit or make sense.
Search engines like to see significant text content on a site page. In fact, data tells us that top ranking blog posts run an average of ~2,500 words. Rankings also take into account whether images are used appropriately and incorporate the effective use of alt tags. Add value for both your readers and search engines by incorporating both in-depth text and visuals in your content.
After recent changes to Google’s ranking algorithm, mobile-friendly digital content is more important than ever. To keep your content ranking, do as much as you can to adopt mobile-responsive design and best practices for small screens. For example, keep links separated so that someone using a touchscreen can easily select the one they want to open, and use larger text with adequate spacing that improves readability on a phone or tablet.
Want more of our thoughts on best practices for B2B and healthcare marketing? Check out our white paper on what makes strong brands:
Photo by Sebastiaan ter Burg via Flickr Creative Commons
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