7 Steps to Effective Content Optimization

Author: Kaitlyn Wilcoxson Category: Marketing, Social Media & Digital Date: January 14, 2021

It is a common question that many business owners and executives ask, “How do I get my company’s site to come up on the top of a Google search?” Content optimization.  Although the answer is simple, the process for creating optimized content marketing can be a time intensive. However, it adds significant value to your marketing strategy. With a commitment to content optimization, not only will you see the benefits from your organic search ranking over time, but it also gives you great content to share with your social media followers, email subscribers and other communities you market to. What are some ways you can optimize your content for SEO? Start with these seven steps:

Steps to Content Optimization

1. Consider the keywords you want to rank for: When working on digital content optimization, you really want to take time to consider the keywords that you want to rank for. How do you determine which keywords are best? You need to think about your audience. What are they searching? Does location matter to them? What phrases are they using to describe your business? As with many things in marketing, when it comes to content optimization, it isn’t about what you are searching for or the keywords that appeal to you, it is what your ideal target audience is looking for.
2. Optimize your content in the sitemap: Once you determine your keywords, the next step for content optimization is to look at the existing pages on your website and implement keywords that have a high search volume. Consider all of your site pages including services, about, how you work, and who you serve and what keywords are most relevant for each page. Once you determine the optimal keywords, you will want to integrate them appropriately which includes adding them in the URL, within the content, in the metadescription and the image alt tag.
3. Commit to regular blog writing: Search engines reward companies who consistently add new content to their site. You will want to determine your team’s bandwidth and plan to regularly add new blogs to your website. Whether you commit to every other week or once a week, maintain a regular schedule.
4. Create evergreen content: Coming up with a blog on the latest trend or news can be an important and timely communication to your clients. But, for the best content optimization, you also want to include evergreen content that people may come across at any time and can find value in the information provided.
5.  Start counting: When working on your marketing content optimization, quantity does matter. Search engines are looking for you to provide 500-1000 words of content. But be warned – don’t babble or repeat the same things over and over. It may help you reach your word count, but your target audience is going to read this. So, show your expertise, provide valuable insights, and share useful tips.
6. Add internal links: We always say it takes 9 to thirteen touches to really get your audience’s attention. When they visit your website, keep them there. Add internal links throughout your blogs to provide visitors with the ability to view other relevant information, access details about your services or contact your team.
7. Keep in mind other factors that impact your content optimization: Having highly searched keywords sprinkled throughout your blogs and site content is a powerful step in the right direction, but keywords are not the only factor in how search engines look at your site. You will also want to consider technical aspects of your website such as schema and site speed. It is also important to have location pages set up such as Google My Business. To really strengthen your SEO strategy, gain backlinks from authoritative websites. Reach out to organizations you are a part of and ask if you can submit a blog. Or write a press release to publications. When you do so, don’t forget to add in your company’s URL!

Content optimization is powerful. It shows that you are an expert in your field and are willing to take the time to share helpful insights and tips with your audience. Are you ready to take on content optimization but don’t have the time? Contact our team today to learn how we can help.