You’re not the first to have this problem, and you certainly won’t be the last. You’ve packed your site with search engine optimization (SEO) keywords. You’re creating quality original content every day. Your digital content engine is positively purring.
But where are all those conversions you’ve been promised?
The answer lies with the SEO techniques you’re using. The algorithms that rank your site don’t see all SEO techniques as equals; some get preferential treatment. And this means that these techniques deliver better results than others.
To widen up your sales funnel, and get it working at top capacity, you need to narrow down and optimize the SEO techniques you’re using and unlock the full potential of the keywords you’ve chosen. Let’s dive into the deep end of SEO and pull up some treasure.
Optimise your headings for search engine success
Have you heard of Crawler? It’s an algorithm Google uses to search for keywords in a body of text and analyse it for relevance. Like us readers, Crawler skims through the more eye-catching text first—headings and subheadings—before crawling its way through the main content.
So where should your keywords appear?
You’ve guessed it: head for the headings.
The most important part of your text is going to be your title tag. It’s the first thing Google (and your reader) sees when determining relevance so make sure you get the right keyword in there.
A word of caution though: Google long ago caught on to the overuse of headings and subheadings as keyword repositories. The search engine doesn’t appreciate keyword stuffing (more on this in a moment), and penalizes those that do it by favouring the use of keyword groups, used sparingly and effectively in a text that is natural-sounding, relevant, and engaging.
Headings should be artful. That’s why I use them to tell a story.
Narratives in the headings are good for SEO. When written well, they hook the reader, reinforce relevance, and punctuate your text with an authoritative voice. Most importantly, they draw the attention of the all-powerful algorithm that will propel your page to the top of the rankings.
Effective meta makes SEO better
See this description above? Without blowing my own trumpet, this is an effective meta description. Why? Because it concisely synthesises the services I provide, and so allows the reader to quickly deem whether my website is relevant.
Your title tag and meta description are the first things potential visitors see in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page). And if it accurately, eye-catchingly advertises what your page is about, you’re more likely to get click-throughs and conversions.
Okay, so this is not strictly an SEO hack. Google has explicitly stated that the content of your meta description doesn’t affect the ranking of your page—the spoilsports. Well, at least not directly.
So why should you spend time optimising your meta descriptions? Because while Google’s algorithms won’t reward your keyword-rich meta description with a higher ranking, Google’s users will.
An informative, relevant meta description increases your CTR (click-through rate). This is basically a jargony way of saying that more people will recognize your page is worth visiting, more people will click on it, and these clicks will push your page higher up the rankings.
Target the right readership with the right keywords
Your content needs the right keywords. But where can you go to find them? For SEO warriors like me, the first port of call is a keyword planner. My personal favourite is AHREFS; others prefer Semrush or Ubersuggest, while dyed-in-the-wool SEO veterans seldom stray from Google Keyword Planner.
First you feed in some keyword ideas. So say you want to promote your London-based tour company which specialises in tours of the Tower of London. You might write: Tours of the Tower of London.
Then you select the category and context you want results for. If you’re selling tours, you want to target terms users are searching when they’re looking tours of the Tower of London. You’re not looking for information about who built the Tower of London, how they built the Tower of London, or who was unfortunate enough to have been executed in the Tower of London.
Finally, you select your language, your audience, and—if you’re using Google—include a link to your landing page, et voilà! You’re in keyword heaven.
Add parent topic and terms match keywords too
Even experienced SEO writers often overlook keyword groups. But invest some time including them and you’ll be rewarded in the rankings. If you can pick out keywords from groups that Google has—for want of a better word—grouped together, your content will rank higher for relevance when it comes to the topic it’s dealing with.
“Does this mean I should fill my article with as many of these keywords as possible?”
No. Your text isn’t a chicken, and you shouldn’t stuff it like one. Good SEO writing is informative, pertinent, and fundamentally engaging. Like a master chef, a skilled writer will pepper their creation with enough keywords that it fits Google’s culinary requirements. They might sprinkle on a little more according to taste, and add their own stylistic flair for a little extra flavour. But they won’t overpower their reader.
Because going overboard with keywords will make what you serve up indigestible.
Search engines like both long- and short-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are search phrases that consist of three words or more, while short-tail keywords are phrases made up of no more than three words. And that’s the long and short of it.
Naturally, long-tail keywords are much more specific than their short-tail counterparts. But they actually make up the vast majority of searches. In fact, around 70% of Google searches contain long-tails of four to six words. This means that the good folk at Google optimize content that balances short, general keywords with long, specific ones.
Effective SEO writers ensure their content covers the general topic while simultaneously attracting people who have come with specific queries.
Make sure your SEO copywriting provides answers
Why?
Because answers are what your reader has come online to find. Even the most independent researchers will admit that they like to have things explained to them once in a while. And people curious enough to read up on a topic in the first place are going to want to come away feeling like they’ve learned something they can actually apply in the future.
After all, that’s why you’re still reading 😉
But more than just feeding your curiosity, providing answers actually works wonders for your rankings. Not least because it forces you to use the GOLDEN WORD of SEO copywriting:
Any copywriter can command you to take a certain course of action. Few copywriters can tell you why it’s the course you should take. Actually explaining the reason behind something demonstrates a deeper understanding of the subject. And deeper understanding leads to more relevance which, in turn, leads to a higher conversion rate.
Reject the Dark Side of Black Hat SEO
Stuffing your headings with keywords makes for miserable reading. But this doesn’t stop some SEO copywriters from doing it. You must have come across plenty of web pages out there in the Wild West of Google that seem to have been written by someone with keyword Tourettes.
This copywriter has embraced their inner bad guy, spamming the page with clunky SEO TECHNIQUES keyword placement. And in their short-sighted attempt to get rich fast, they see a short-term spike in the rankings as a price worth paying for a practice that could get their content banned from the top search engines.
Thankfully, Google is on to these conjurers of cheap tricks.
Though it might seem I’m writing to ingratiate myself with Crawler (I’m not), Google is firmly on the good guys’ side in the copywriting Wild West. In fact, Google has explicitly come out and said which on-page SEO techniques it considers above board (White Hat) and which it considers below the belt (Black Hat).
But how do I know if my page has become a black-hat stand?
Ask yourself one simple question. Is my reader getting anything from reading this content? If the answer is yes, you have nothing to worry about. If the answer is no, and you think your content might be more spam than substance, you’ll want to rethink your strategy. Fast.
That said, even Black and White Hat SEO techniques can have their gray areas. And the fact there’s a thin grey line between what can get you more conversions and what can get you censored is scary.
Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to look through your content and tell you what we see.
Or, if you’d rather get yourself up to speed, check out this informative list of Black Hat Techniques.
Become a Winner with White Hat SEO techniques
You’ve followed all the advice so far and now Google is sending so much traffic your way you’re running out of parking. The secret is out that your page is the place to be; your users know it and so do your competitors. That’s why they’ve hired their own group of SEO copywriters party poopers to try to move the party to their place.
Your job is to make sure people stick around at your place.
We’re simple creatures in the end. While I’m not suggesting you fill your site with flashing lights and loud colours, some multimedia in the form of embedded videos, images, and diagrams will keep people interested and reduce your bounce rate.
And show them how much more you have to offer.
Google has come out and said it ranks supplementary content highly when determining the rankings. The most effective supplementary content comes in the form of relevant, informative links to other parts of your site, used in a way that doesn’t get in the way of your main content.
Want a perfect example of effective internal linking? Look no further than Wikipedia.
SEO techniques might be changing, but I know how to adapt
The reality of today’s world is you need to produce content that’s going to get you noticed. Not doing so means putting up barriers against maximizing your business’s potential.
Make time to talk to me today
I love working with inquisitive people, and the fact you’re here puts you firmly in that category. If you have any questions about anything I’ve written, or want to find out more about how I can help boost you up the rankings, shoot me a message.
