Top Content Optimization Tips

One of the most obvious elements of a good SEO strategy is having tons of high-quality content. Not just any content. It should be high-quality so that it would serve its purpose of giving value to the readers and would help search engines understand what your whole page is all about. In this article, we will be focusing on content optimization tips that will surely help you craft quality content for your target market and search engines.

What is Considered High-Quality Content?

Almost every single website on the web crafts content. However, not all websites have ‘high-quality’ content. The problem with some websites is they craft content for the sake of having content where they can place internal links or other elements that can boost their rankings. 

When this happens, the primary purpose of crafting content isn’t achieved. It only serves its purpose for some of the technical aspects of your site. This includes an avenue for incorporating keywords and internal links. But, what you don’t know is that low-quality content can also play a huge role in bounce rates and higher conversions.

So, how do we determine if a piece of content is high-quality? Simple: the readers will decide. This factor alone makes it difficult for site owners to craft the right content. Plus, every web user is different from each other, they have different preferences, and their intent for reading your content varies.

That might not be the answer about what qualifies you expected right? Don’t worry, even if the quality of content is determined by your readers, there are a few techniques you apply to ensure that your content is deemed high-quality.

The major factors you need to consider when aiming for high-quality content is that it should be well-thought, readable, and interesting. Without these three, you can’t expect your content to hit the spotlight. In addition, your content should also be trustworthy and credible. Keep in mind that all your efforts in crafting high-quality content will take some time, but trust us, everything will be worth it in the long run.

Your Content is for Your Readers

Plan Your Content Properly

Yes, we know that you want to start sharing all your ideas or descriptions about your products. But hold your horses. Before crafting content, you need to plan it carefully. The most common mistake that most site owners do is creating content that interests them or benefits them alone.

You should remember that your content is for your readers, not for you. That is why you need to consider what topics would interest them, what are the intentions that led them to your site, or what information they need that could be found on your site. 

When you don’t consider your readers, you end up with pieces of content that won’t give them value. This will lead you to lose readers or visitors since they don’t really get much out of your content. In addition, if you write content without considering the level of the readers, you might be losing traffic coming from beginners or mid-level audiences since they can’t fully understand what your content is.

Assume Everyone is a Beginner

Before writing content, it is a good idea to assume that all your readers are beginners in your industry. However, if you think that your industry is specialized and most of your target audience is already highly skilled, you can focus more on giving specialized information. Still, it would be wise to create a section on your site that would cater to beginners and mid-level readers.

Credible Information is the Key

Once you’ve considered your target audience, it is time for you to start crafting content. This step focuses on gathering accurate and credible information that you will incorporate into your content. You need to make sure that the information you use is what your audience is looking for.

A good technique when looking for topics that your target audience searches for is to conduct keyword research. This way, you can research the subjects they want to read and write about your chosen subject. If your content is what audiences are looking for, they’ll want to stay longer on your site and navigate it until they get all the information they need.

Thus, your bounce rates, user experience (UX), and user on-site time are greatly improved.

Craft Readable and Engaging Content

Focus on Readability

Getting your message to your readers is a challenging task for most writers. To do this, you need to make your posts easy to read by picking the right text structure and words used in the content. 

Large blocks of text without proper headers usually scare readers away as it looks too hard to read. To prevent this, you need to section your article and provide headers for every subtopic. Doing so will give them a little time off from reading and process what they just read before proceeding to the next paragraphs.

It is also a good practice to not use difficult words unless necessary. The last thing you’d want to give your readers is difficulty in understanding your content.

Engage Your Visitors

Just have fun when crafting pieces of content and use variations in your text to make it more engaging. Don’t just stick to the common words you use. Try to look for synonyms of frequently used words in your content and alternate between long and short sentences. Lastly, try to be personal when writing (don’t do this for formal content though). Doing so helps you connect easily with your readers and it makes your content different from your competitor’s/ 

You Might Want to Consider Intent

What is Intent?

Search intent is defined as the reason why a person would search about something. Basically, search intent is the main purpose of why you’re in a search engine: Do you need answers? Do you want to buy something online? Are you looking for an apartment?

These are only some of the most common search intents that people have. The search intent of a person is significant to how they grade your content. They will judge your content whether it provided them with what they needed or not. Search intent is so powerful since if it doesn’t align with your content, you can expect that your audience will leave as soon as they find out about it.

Imagine looking for an answer to a mathematical question, but when you arrive at a site, it tells you to buy their latest books on mathematics. When this happens, people sometimes get annoyed since their purpose for visiting the site wasn’t achieved. This leads to them leaving the site immediately which affects your bounce rate, on-site time, and their perception of the quality of your content.

Matching Visitor Intent to Your Goals

Matching your own goals to the different search intent of your target audience can greatly improve how they grade your content. If your primary purpose is to sell a product, then make sure your visitors will land on the right page immediately. 

Suppose someone searched about buying a house. You shouldn’t be directing them to an article that talks about the beautiful sceneries in the city they’re planning to live in. You probably need to direct them to pages that give them options on which house to buy.

Aside from helping you craft the perfect content for your audience, search intents also give you an idea on which call-to-actions (CTAs) to use in your pages to increase conversion.

Be Trustworthy

Trust is among the most important aspects of a piece of content that makes the audience read what you write and come back for more. Building trust should be among your top priorities when a person lands on your site. And, one way of doing so is by providing them with clear, accurate, and user-oriented content.

One of the common mistakes that mid-level websites make is the use of stock photos. Using stock photos instead of genuine ones may make your content lose its ‘personal’ aspect. If possible, invest in photoshoots of your products, services, or anything that would relate to your site.

Another way of establishing trust with your audience is to have your previous customers rate your products and services on Google, give testimonials, etc. This way, potential audiences will have an idea of what other people feel about what you offer. If they see that you have good reviews, then their trust in your site will increase even if they haven’t tried your services yet.

Always Refresh Your Content

To complete the list, keeping your content updated with the most recent information can improve its quality. Once you’ve posted a piece of content, it is your duty to update the content periodically to prevent misleading people. 

Doing so will also show people that you genuinely want to give them the best information there is. When they see your intention, their trust for your site and its content will also increase.

Top Content Optimization Tip: Drive Organic Traffic Through High-Quality Content

Publishing high-quality content won’t instantly bring you up to the top spot. But, as long as you’re consistent with providing readable, trustworthy, updated content that matches your target audience’s search intent, you’ll eventually find your site as one of the most sought sites for information.

Once you’ve crafted high-quality content and performed content optimization, it is time for you to start linking them together through internal links. Check out Internal Link Juicer’s premium plugin to see if it fits your specific needs.