What Is a Content Optimisation Strategy?
SEO or search engine optimisation makes a company visible on the search engines that users type search terms (keywords) into to find relevant businesses and information related to the search. A content optimisation strategy optimises your content to attract Google to recognise you as a source that can help their users find what they are looking for.
This article will go through some of the basics for optimisation and list several free SEO tools that you can use to help guide you towards better results. If you are not an expert and don’t have the time to try to become one, search for well-respected local SEO services to help and advise you as the competition will be fierce in 2022.
Why do I need content optimisation?
Google has become the powerhouse in digital marketing for high-quality material and information for people worldwide to find what they are looking for.
By optimising the right content on your site, you can attract relevant visitors. If your content engages them, it gives you a high possibility of them turning into a lead and upping your conversion rates.
So How does it Work?
The core intent of content optimisation is to create engaging content around relevant keywords and topics. These must relate to your industry, services, products, and, importantly, to your target audience.
The higher you rank on Google, the more trusted you are today by online users, increasing traffic to your website. If you put yourself in the shoes of someone searching, ask yourself; how many times have I gone onto page 2 of Google and contacted a business? The answer will be not often!
Rough statistics show that over 75% of users never use page two of Google, so ranking is vital to success in 2022.
Different Types of Content Optimisation in SEO
To hit the heights of using content strategy in SEO, all facets of optimisation need to be covered.
So, let’s take a look at what needs to be done.
Optimising Your On-Page Content
The secret behind on-page content is to ensure it is high-quality and answers questions your audience needs. Once the content has been created, SEO techniques come into play; these include optimising your:
- Headlines
- Page Title
- Meta Description
- Images
- URLs
- Body Content
Optimising Backlinks Using Content
Backlinks are generally considered the next most vital ranking factor for the search engines after high-quality content.
By using various elements of creative content, you can attract quality backlinks to your site.
Suppose your content is uninformative and generally dull. In that case, it will be hard to persuade good quality websites to link to you. Therefore, you will struggle to rank for your chosen keywords since Google doesn’t just rank based on the number of backlinks your site has but on their quality.
Optimising Content for Conversions
Content marketing’s goal is to attract visitors to your site and keep the user activity on the site and slowly guide them to the point of sale (POS) to increase conversions. However, if your website isn’t set up to sell, direct them to subscribe or enquire.
A basic rule of thumb is that the longer you get someone to stay on your site, reading and clicking through internal links, the higher your chance of converting them.
Note: Google now ranks based upon the length of time a user spends on your website, and content plays a significant role in this.
Optimising is using strategies like a call to action (CTAs). These get users to engage and move through your site, answering questions and signing up for newsletters, blogs, and more.
4 Quick Steps for a Content Optimisation Strategy
Now that we have a basic understanding of the strategy and why, let us look at some initial steps to get you on your way.
1. Performing Keyword Research
Although there are now many other ranking factors out there for Google, keyword research is still the foundation of what you build everything upon. Finding what people are searching for and keeping abreast of new search trends is crucial to ensure your content matches what people are interested in.
The content marketing funnel relies on producing comprehensive content that covers your niche.
- Top of the Funnel (TOFU): Finding informational keywords that describe your services and products and answer any problems or queries and drive traffic
- Middle of the Funnel (MOFU): Search out commercial keywords finding users who are looking at various products or services to sort out the answers or problems
- Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU): Finding transactional keywords to target users that are genuinely interested in your products and services and getting them to the POS
2. Creating Topic Clusters
Once you have gone through the funnel and got your relevant keywords, it’s about getting them organised into topical clusters.
To explain: A topical cluster is a pack of keywords that can characterise a topic from several angles.
All of them subsequently link to a familiar hub page (also known as pillar content), which covers the core topic in detail.
So let’s take an example, the topic being ‘exercise equipment’. Therefore the hub page could be ‘The ultimate guide to exercise equipment’. So your keywords for this could be:
- Exercise equipment types
- Exercise mistakes
- Exercise tips
- Exercise after effects
By creating a cluster, you are building authority within your niche, making ranking quicker and easier for those target keywords.
3. Image and Multimedia Optimisation
In 2022, multimedia is playing a huge role in website success. The younger generation especially is more engaged by images and videos. Hence, coupling this with fun and engaging content is a win-win.
So try to mix it up as much as possible using screenshots, images and at least one video to accompany your content. But be sure not to overload your site where it affects your load-up speed. Make sure each file is optimised to its correct size, and in the alt text, use your keywords.
4. Internal and External Linking
Google likes to see people clicking through your site, which shows an interest in what you are providing. Therefore, they look at you as valid for that particular search term and rank you higher. It is a must to have links to help keep people on the site and click through.
Try to use around three to four internal links relevant to where the user goes next on each page. In conjunction with this, look to connect with reliable and informative sources pertinent to your industry. It would be best to back up the statistics you are quoting on your site; this also adds to your credibility with the user and Google.
Tools for SEO Content Optimisation
As I mentioned at the start of this article, I will provide you with excellent free tools to help start you on your journey or help to fix any existing issues you have.
These tools cover all bases, from keywords to search terms, what’s trending, who’s visited your site, engagement levels and many, many more:
SUMMARY
If you feel you do not have the time to do this yourself, don’t hesitate to employ local SEO services to assist you. What I have listed above is everyday work for a good SEO company. Although I have shown you some practical tools there that can help you figure out where you can do better, 2022 is the most competitive year ever on the internet. Suppose you are unsure about this side of your business. SEO specialists would move swiftly to far more technical strategies to outwit your competition and gain the edge you need to push your business forward. Good luck for the rest of the year!
