How content can improve search engine rankings
The world of online search is changing. As Google’s search services deliver increasingly useful content, the websites best set up for success are now likely to be those that adopt an inbound marketing approach—developing genuine, helpful and high-quality content for their visitors.
Through its Penguin and Panda updates and regular tweaks to the algorithms that determine what shows up in search results, Google has clamped down on websites that stuff their content with keywords, create duplicate content or provide low value for users.
As a result, businesses are realising the opportunities that can come from creating high-quality and useful content. And one company that has seen particular success with inbound marketing after switching from traditional search engine optimisation techniques is Kuno Creative.
In a video discussing this shift, Kuno’s director of inbound marketing, Chad Pollitt, talks about how, by switching its focus, the business saw a 450 per cent increase in the number of unique visitors to their website, while online sales leads increased by more than 600 per cent.
If you're considering your own company's presence online, what can you learn from Kuno's experience?
- Focus on your audience. What questions are they trying to answer? What problems do they have that your company can help them to solve?
- Demonstrate your value. What knowledge do customers typically come to your company for? What can you share with your customers for free? How much value can you provide to a first-time visitor to your website?
- Use natural language. Not only will a first-time visitor more easily understand how you can help, but your website is also more likely to match the phrases your visitors are searching for (people don’t tend to use jargon when searching online).
- Remember to share. Think about developing content that can be shared by website visitors. The more you can create original, interesting or helpful content, the more likely you are to be found online and the more likely people are to spread your content further.
- Publish regular content. Google recognises and rewards fresh content.
- Consider the number of keywords you rank for, rather than simply your position. This is a tip from Pollitt, who notes that search is becoming more personalised and harder to track. As a result, he says, it will be less important to rank as number one for a few specific keywords and more important to focus instead on how many keywords are driving overall website traffic.
In short, you should aim to create quality content that provides useful information for people searching online and does so in natural, everyday language. The more you can do this, the more successful you are likely to be in the ever-changing world of online search.