It can be challenging to regularly create good, usable content that helps people while at the same time, demonstrating to search engines that your content should be served up regularly in response to user queries.
So, how do you create high quality content for SEO? These tips can help guide you to make the most of your efforts.
Virtually no one is going to go to your website expecting to see a wall of text. Long, thoughtful, beautifully written content has its place, but on a webpage, users are looking to get information as quickly and easily as possible. To do that, you need to help them achieve that goal by:
Keeping these points in mind will help you organize your content in a more scannable and consumable way, making it easier to read and offer value to your audience.
We’ve written before about the importance of E-A-T, and it’s worth reviewing. Google is looking for expert, authoritative and trustworthy content to deliver, and your audience is, too! How does E-A-T improve the quality of your content? E-A-T-friendly content means:
All of the usual E-A-T recommendations also apply: sharing testimonials, awards, and other proofs of expertise, authority and trustworthiness boost the value of your content.
Every minute of the day, someone is asking a question that you may be able to answer, so use those questions as a jumping off point to creating valuable content. Here are a couple of ways you can determine what your audience might be asking:
The best content – SEO or not – is content that has a unique angle. And when users find that content, they want to link to it, share it on social media and generally drive people to it.
The best linkable content:
There’s an old saying that goes When you’re a hammer, every problem is a nail, and content creators (like me!) often fall into this trap. When you’re a writer, the written word often feels like the only approach to conveying information. Of course, it isn’t, and good SEO content should branch beyond a single format, making it more appealing to a broader audience. Here are some examples of ways you can create good SEO content that has variety:
Depending on your subject, this can be a how-to or explainer video, an interview, discussion or debate, a product announcement or demonstration.
Whatever it is, plan to host it on YouTube (which is the second-largest search engine in the world), and make sure you use a keyword-rich title, description, and video file name. You should also make the video’s purpose clear within the first 10 seconds, and be sure to add captions.
User-generated content (UGC) offers numerous SEO benefits. Not only is it content someone else has taken the time to create (score!), it’s also a great source you can mine for ideas, new approaches, and questions to answer.
UGC can take the forms of:
The key thing to remember about UGC is to give credit where it’s due, and to promote its use as a way to thank the creator(s) for their time and contribution.
Remember to ask yourself: what content format makes the most sense for the message I’m trying to convey here? What formats rank higher on the SERP (search engine results page) for this query? What content formats can I realistically produce?
Great SEO content doesn’t happen by accident: it takes critical thinking and analysis, creativity and hard work! If that sounds daunting, you may want to consider outsourcing this work to a reputable organization that specializes in great content for SEO, has the tools and talent to identify, create and measure the impact of the content, and the time to work at it constantly.
If you’re ready to hand off your SEO content creation to the pros, give us a call for a free consultation, so you can work on the things that you are an expert at!
Struggling to balance Donut Day posts with your client stories, product descriptions, and other sales-focused social content? We’ve got you covered. Download our ultimate guide to making social holidays work for you.
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Gary has forgotten more about technology than most of us will ever know. He’s worked in dozens of industries in a wide variety of roles and solves difficult problems recreationally. By the time you’ve formulated your question, Gary already has an answer, which would be annoying except he’s so darned nice about it.
When you put Adrian behind a keyboard, magic happens. On stage, that means he’s making music. At work, he’s bringing website designs to life. Adrian is probably the quietest member of the Unrivald Digital team, but when he speaks, we all listen because we know he’s got something important to say.
Shaheen is the guy you want in your corner when you’ve got a complex problem to solve in the next 15 minutes. He’s part MacGyver, part Tony Stark and part while still being the nicest guy in the room, hands down. His soft-spoken, down-to-earth vibe and ability to deliver makes him a client favourite.
Whether leading a meeting, riding his motorcycle, or running in the Banff Jasper Relay (for which he was Race Director for many years), Blair connects with the world around him. He inspires his team to work hard while never forgetting the value of the relationships he builds with clients.
