Life has a lot of lessons to offer. And so does your content. If you want to improve your content and have a more productive SEO strategy, here are five rules to live by:

1. ABO: always be optimizing
2. Know what your readers want or be irrelevant
3. Know what your competitors are up to so you can maintain your edge
4. Always make each and every webpage quality
5. Aim for a good balance of quality and quantity 

FAQ: How can I create an effective SEO content strategy that improves search engine rankings and drives organic traffic?

1. ABO: Always Be Optimizing

Content without optimization is like peanut butter without jelly. Sure, you can eat a peanut butter sandwich without jelly, but why would you?

Just like jelly gives peanut butter that finishing touch, optimizing your webpages puts the final touches on your content.

You can have the most incredible content in the world, but if your page is too slow to load or you have duplicate meta data, your content performance can fall short.

To make sure the content will perform for you, there is a lot to consider outside the words you’ve written or the video you’ve created.

That’s why optimized content and webpages are a cornerstone of SEO.

Read:

• What is Content Optimization?
• The Always-Up-to-Date SEO Checklist

2. Know What Your Readers Want or Be Irrelevant

Many people have asked, “Who am I?” at some point in their lives. When it comes to SEO content, however, you want to ask: Who are they?

In other words, do you know who reads your content? Do you know the unique challenges they face, their deepest desires, and what matters most to them? If not, then your content may fail to strike a chord.

Make a better connection with your audience by defining who they are. This is where creating audience personas can be key. Then, map your content topics to each persona.

Keyword research can be a great complement to this exercise. It will show you the types of queries your target audience uses when they look for what you have to offer.

Take those keywords and marry them with your personas. You’ll then have the foundation for content that can reach them at the moment they need it with what they need.

Read:

• Web Personas: Creating Jane
• What Are Keywords? 
• 7 Keyword Suggestion and Research Tools

3. Know What Your Competitors Are Up to So You Can Maintain Your Edge

All those research studies that come out telling you that content performs better if it is X, Y and Z is much too generic to follow.

In SEO, beating your competition is the name of the game. And you can’t beat your competition without first studying them.

And that means knowing who shows up on Page 1 of the search results for your target keywords and analyzing their webpages.

How are they presenting the topic and how can you stand out? What is the average length of the articles for the top-ranked webpages? What about the sweet spot for the meta data?

If you rely on general benchmarks, you will never truly embrace the uniqueness of your own SEO content strategy.

Read:

• Competitor Research for SEO: What, Why, How
• How to Do Competitor Research for SEO
• Want Customized SEO Advice Per Keyword? There’s an App for That!

4. Always Make Each and Every Webpage Quality

Any job worth doing in life is worth doing well. And when it comes to your SEO content, don’t skimp.

Quality content contributes to so many key aspects of SEO. Remember that experience, expertise, authority and trust are all factors in how Google assesses content and website quality.

This is important because you want to be able to compete in the search results. And demonstrating E-E-A-T can make your webpages more relevant to Google for a given search.

And don’t forget: If you have quality content, people will want to read and share it, which can help you earn links correctly.

Read:

• What Makes a Webpage Quality?
• The Complete Guide to the Basics of Google’s E-E-A-T
• The New Link Building Manifesto: A Complete Guide to Earning Links That Count

5. Aim for a Good Balance of Quality and Quantity

Over the years, the SEO perspective on content has changed.

At one point, it was that cranking out as much content as possible was the thing. Then Google stepped in and put its foot down; there were just too many subpar webpages out there.

So quality became a primary focus of the search engine. SEOs took a step back, played it cautiously, and adopted a quality-over-quantity approach.

But just like you need balance in life, you need balance in your SEO content.

It is true that you always want each piece to be quality, but does that mean you only publish once every couple of weeks? It depends on how fast you want to see results.

The fact is, if you want to see your website and blog drive more traffic, publishing more frequently can do just that.

To give you a real world example, we increased blog publishing frequency on our own Bruce Clay Blog beginning in early June 2023. You’ll notice in the image below that direct traffic to our blog sharply increased during that time. Our frequency increased even more in mid-July, and so did our traffic.

The Journey Begins with One Step

Every SEO content strategy is unique, but we can all learn from the wisdom of years of content creation and good SEO performance. Follow these five rules on your content journey and find out for yourself how they can improve your SEO content.

Our SEO experts can help you improve your SEO content strategy. Schedule a free 1:1 consultation here.

FAQ: How can I create an effective SEO content strategy that improves search engine rankings and drives organic traffic?

To start, thoroughly research your target audience and their needs. Understanding their preferences and pain points enables you to create content that resonates deeply.

Begin by conducting thorough keyword research. Identify relevant keywords and phrases that align with your industry and audience. A mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords will provide a balanced approach. Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush and other tools can provide invaluable insight into search volume and competition.

Quality content is non-negotiable. Crafting informative, engaging and original content is essential for retaining visitors and attracting organic backlinks. Leverage your expertise to provide value and establish credibility within your niche. Regularly update your content to reflect industry trends and address emerging topics.

Strategic content organization plays a vital role. Structure your articles with clear headings, subheadings, and concise paragraphs. This not only enhances readability but also improves search engine crawlers’ understanding of your content’s hierarchy and relevance.

Harness the power of on-page SEO elements. Optimize meta titles, descriptions and headers with your target keywords. Ensure your website is responsive and loads quickly across devices. Mobile-friendliness is a key ranking factor that directly impacts user experience.

Promote your content across various channels. Utilize social media, email newsletters, and online communities to amplify your reach. Encourage social sharing and engagement to broaden your content’s visibility and foster a loyal readership.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Creating an Effective SEO Content Strategy

1. Research your target audience’s preferences, pain points and search behavior.
2. Identify a mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords using tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush.
3. Create an editorial calendar outlining topics, keywords and publication dates.
4. Develop high-quality, original content that addresses your audience’s needs.
5. Incorporate target keywords naturally within your content while maintaining readability.
6. Organize your content with clear headings, subheadings and concise paragraphs.
7. Optimize meta titles, descriptions and headers with relevant keywords.
8. Ensure your website is mobile-responsive and optimized for fast loading speeds.
9. Implement a solid internal linking structure to guide users through related content.
10. Leverage high-quality images, infographics and videos to enhance user engagement.
11. Regularly update and refresh existing content to reflect current trends and information.
12. Promote your content across social media platforms and relevant online communities.
13. Encourage social sharing and engagement to expand your content’s reach.
14. Build relationships with influencers and collaborate for mutual content promotion.
15. Monitor your content’s performance using analytics tools to track traffic, engagement and conversions.
16. Continuously refine your content strategy based on data insights and user feedback.
17. Adapt to evolving SEO trends and algorithm changes to maintain your competitive edge.
18. Focus on providing value and relevance to your audience through every piece of content.
19. Stay patient and persistent; SEO results take time to manifest fully.
20. Review and adjust your strategy periodically to align with shifting market dynamics.

The post SEO Content Rules To Live By appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Keyword research is a big job, and you need the right tools to do it successfully. There are plenty of keyword suggestions and research tools on the market — here are seven of them (in alphabetical order) you should be using to better meet your audience’s needs and rank better in search.

1. Answer The Public
2. Bing Webmaster Tools Keyword Research
3. Google Ads Keyword Planner 
4. Google Trends
5. Keyword Generator (Ahrefs)
6. Keyword Suggestions (SEOToolSet)
7. QuestionDB

FAQ: How can I leverage keyword research tools to enhance my content strategy and SEO efforts?

1. Answer The Public

Answer The Public serves questions and phrases related to your keyword by using autocomplete data from search engines.

Add the data to your keyword research list, then write content to address each relevant question or phrase. You can write a separate webpage for each question or phrase, or include a bunch of them within one article (you might even rank for a featured snippet if you do it the right way).

You can do a couple of searches for free each day, or upgrade to a paid subscription.

2. Bing Webmaster Tools Keyword Research

If you’re trying to compete in Bing, then you’ll want to use its Webmaster Tools keyword research tool to discover the keywords and phrases people are using on the Bing search engine.

Take your seed list of keywords and input them into the tool. The keyword tool will suggest matching or relevant keywords related to them, including search volume and trends. Keywords suggestions fall into the following three categories: related, questions, or newly discovered.

Plus, the tool also provides the top-ranked URLs for the root keywords and can also give data on the keywords that are already driving traffic to your website. There are all sorts of filters you can apply to the data to refine it as well.

Bing Webmaster Tools keyword research feature is free for those who have an account.

3. Google Ads Keyword Planner

The Google Ads Keyword Planner is not just for advertisers; it’s also a handy SEO keyword research tool for websites competing in Google.

Input your seed list and the keyword suggest tool will help you find the most relevant keywords. Or, you can enter your website and Google will look for keywords related to the content.

The Keyword Planner gives data on search volume and will provide bid estimates for advertisers (which can also help gauge how competitive a keyword in organic search will be). You can narrow down your search by using various filters as well.

Keyword Planner is free for anyone who has a Google Ads account.

4. Google Trends

Google Trends offers — you guessed it — trends on search queries. You can enter a given keyword and get various data points on it, including:

• Interest over time
• Interest by region
• Related topics
• Related queries

You can also apply filters like what type of search — web search, image search, news search, etc.

You can also check out the Trending Now page to see what’s currently trending around the world. This can be useful for writing on timely topics.

Google Trends is a free keyword research tool.

5. Keyword Generator (Ahrefs)

Ahrefs’ Keyword Generator is a keyword suggestion tool that lets you enter up to 10 words or phrases and generates keywords for the search engine of your choice (there are nine of them), including Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon and more. Filter by country.

The data is offered up into six categories of keyword types, including: Phrase match, having the same terms as your seed list, keywords the top-competing pages also rank for, search suggestions via autocomplete, newly discovered keywords and question formats.

Get data like keyword difficulty scores and search volume for each keyword listed. You can use filters to find those keywords with good search volume and low competition (the sweet spot!).

Also, find out any SERP features associated with that keyword (a must when you are doing a whole-SERP SEO strategy). And, you can use this tool to find out SEO metrics on the top-ranked webpages for a term, too.

You can use the free version with limited functionality, or try a paid trial for a small fee. After that, if you upgrade to a subscription, the Lite version is $99 per month, and the Standard version is $199 per month at the time of writing.

6. Keyword Suggestions (SEOToolSet)

Of course, we have to mention our solution to keyword research, too, and that’s our Keyword Suggestions tool, which is part of our SEOToolSet®.

With the Keyword Suggestions tool, you can find terms that are semantically related to the keywords in your seed list. The tool can provide search activity for each keyword, three metrics to indicate competitiveness, categories, and a trending chart.

The SEOToolSet allows you to research keywords further by presenting more data, including keyword relative “activity” as a search query.

You can use the Keyword Suggestions tool for:

• SEO research
• Content planning
• Discovering word associations for video descriptions
• Finding keywords you might want to exclude from your PPC campaign, and more.

The SEOToolSet offers a free trial and then is $24.95 per month after that. The free version of the Keyword Suggestion tool will serve up five related words and phrases to your keyword (entered one at a time) pulled from search engine data.

7. QuestionDB

QuestionDB allows you to enter a broad keyword and find relevant questions related to it, pulled from its database of more than 32 million questions that “have been asked on various websites over time.”

The generated list will give you the relevant questions for keywords, plus volume and difficulty data from DataForSeo, an SEO data API provider. (“Keyword difficulty represents the median backlink profile strength of the top 10 webpages ranking for a specific keyword,” according to DataForSEO.) From here, you can view related topics and download the list of questions.

QuestionDB is free with limited functionality, offering 50 results per search. You can upgrade for deeper dives into the data and unlimited searches for $15 per month at the time of writing.

Keyword research is not a small feat, and the right tools can help you get the keywords most relevant to your audience and your business. For more on keyword research, check out:

• What Are Keywords?

Don’t have the time or resources to conduct thorough keyword research? Let our SEO experts do the work for you. Schedule a free 1:1 consultation to discuss how we can help.

FAQ: How can I leverage keyword research tools to enhance my content strategy and SEO efforts?

Navigating the complexities of content strategy and search engine optimization demands strategic precision. Keyword research tools are beacons of insight, guiding your content toward relevance and your SEO efforts toward success.

Engaging in a comprehensive content strategy necessitates more than just high-quality writing; it involves strategic keyword integration. Keyword research tools serve as the compass in this journey. By delving into these tools, you uncover trending keywords and gain insights into what your target audience seeks. This valuable understanding empowers you to curate content that resonates deeply with your readers.

Seamless integration of meticulously researched keywords directly influences your search engine rankings. Search engines thrive on relevancy, and these tools offer you the means to align your content with user intent. As you strategically pepper your articles with these keywords, you provide search engines with clear signals, ultimately enhancing your chances of climbing the results ladder.

One key advantage of leveraging keyword research tools lies in uncovering untapped niches. These tools illuminate the uncharted terrain of long-tail keywords, where competition might be less fierce and relevance is more attainable. Incorporating these hidden gems into your content enriches your strategy and helps you reach a more targeted audience.

Beyond keyword discovery, these tools facilitate monitoring and adaptation. Continuously tracking keyword performance offers insights into user behavior shifts. As search trends evolve, these tools empower you to adjust your strategy in real time, ensuring your content remains aligned with your audience’s evolving needs.

Keyword research tools transcend mere words; they are the compass, guide and beacon illuminating your path to successful content strategy and SEO. By harnessing their power, you position your content to resonate with audiences and increase search engine ranks.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How To Leverage Keyword Research Tools for Enhanced Content Strategy and SEO

1. Understand the significance of keyword research in content strategy and SEO.
2. Familiarize yourself with different keyword research tools available in the market.
3. Research your target audience’s preferences, interests and pain points.
4. Explore trending keywords related to your niche using keyword research tools.
5. Identify long-tail keywords that align with your content’s focus.
6. Analyze the search volume and competition level of selected keywords.
7. Prioritize keywords with a balance of search volume and competition.
8. Incorporate relevant keywords organically into your content.
9. Ensure that keywords match user intent and enhance the overall reader experience.
10. Monitor the performance of integrated keywords using tracking tools.
11. Adapt your content strategy based on emerging keyword trends.
12. Utilize keyword research tools to identify content gaps and potential niches.
13. Create content that addresses specific long-tail keywords and user queries.
14. Incorporate keywords in key areas such as headings, subheadings and meta descriptions.
15. Regularly update your content to reflect evolving keyword trends.
16. Engage in competitor analysis to identify keywords driving their success.
17. Leverage keyword research tools to refine and optimize paid advertising campaigns.
18. Collaborate with your SEO team to align keyword research with technical optimization.
19. Continuously educate yourself on emerging SEO and content trends.
20. Keep a pulse on your audience’s preferences to consistently refine your keyword strategy.

The post 7 Keyword Suggestion and Research Tools to Figure Out the Right Keywords for Your SEO Strategy appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

We hear it all the time, but content truly is king — and essential to your position in the search results.

There are a variety of ways to create quality content that not only resonates with your audience, but also demonstrates to search engines that you are a trusted authority. And while there are many options, some content types are more effective than others, depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

In this article, I’ll outline content types and the business goals they drive, plus look at which content types are most common with digital marketers. Then, you can use the right-fit guidelines to decide which format is best for you.

• What content B2Bs and B2Cs create most often 
• Common content types, defined
• Overall content goals for B2Bs and B2Cs
• FAQ: What are the different content types and goals for marketing, and how can they be aligned with an SEO strategy?

What Content B2Bs and B2Cs Create Most Often

Content Marketing Institute’s 2022 research reports for B2B and B2C show that both types of organizations use a variety of content types to reach their audience.

The top five content types for B2Bs include:

1. Articles
2. Video
3. Virtual events/webinars/online courses
4. Case studies
5. Infographics

The top five content types for B2Cs include:

1. Articles
2. Videos
3. Infographics
4. Virtual events/webinars/online courses
5. Long articles (> 3,000 words)

As you can see, not much variation exists between these two organizational types.

Common Content Types, Defined

Blog Posts

A blog is a regularly updated publication on your website. Blogging is a great way to build the authority and expertise of your website and your brand. Blog posts (aka articles) can cover things like thought leadership articles, company news, reports and trends, products and services, events and conferences, or any other useful resources your audience might like.

The goal: A blog provides a great opportunity to support SEO goals as the frequent publication schedule provides the business with fresh, rankable content for search engines. As such, traffic generation, page views, and low bounce rates are major KPIs. Other goals include community building and associated social proof, sharing your voice in your industry, establishing authority, and demonstrating expertise.

The right fit: A blog is a hub for a business’s online communications. In short, the blog is the right fit for everything. If it’s worth spending the time to do something in your day-to-day business, use the blog to tell people about it. It should be used as a means of announcing everything, including the publication of other content types. For instance, if you’ve created a how-to video for using a new product, point people to the video through the blog. If an executive wants to voice an opinion, if you need to explain how a new law will affect your business offering, or if you started carrying a new product in the store, the blog is the right fit.

Case Studies

A case study is a summary of the results that your organization has produced. It usually follows a problem/solution/results format, which builds a story of the situation and the outcome. Case studies are usually brief — one to two pages is normal — so that readers can get a quick snapshot of what to expect from your organization.

The goal: Case studies are used in the sales funnel to help prospects convert. Case studies can be an excellent way to show people what to expect from your business, both online and via your sales team. Case studies should be displayed prominently on your website and forwarded directly by them when possible to prospective clients. If on your website, you can require a form fill to capture a lead, and then have the marketing or sales team engage those people further.

The right fit: If you are in an industry where proof points are important to closing a sale, then case studies are right for you.

Email

Email marketing is an effective way of reaching a targeted audience via email. People sign up for your email marketing list through various means – typically the website – permitting you to send emails directly. Emails are usually short messages to let your target audience know about products, services, educational materials and resources you created, events, and more.

The goal: The goal of email marketing is to build a list of potential leads, increase brand awareness and loyalty, engage your target audience, and drive conversions. There are all sorts of email platform-specific KPIs you can track like subscribers, open rates, clicks, conversions, and more.

The right fit: Email marketing can help keep in touch with your audience regularly (without overwhelming them with emails), nurture leads and drive sales or conversions effectively – and boost conversion rates too!

Infographics

Infographics are data presented in a visual graphic. Data can often tell an interesting story, especially for the appropriate audience, and infographics illustrate what might otherwise be difficult-to-digest numbers and facts.

The goal: As you masterfully weave data into easy-to-understand infographics, you entertainingly educate your customers. This can improve brand sentiment and awareness. You can also drive traffic to your website by creating content people want to share on social media or their websites.

The right fit: Are there a lot of statistics related to something in your industry or what you have to offer? Do you have survey results to share? Data can provide the basis of a compelling narrative or express an opinion on an important topic. As with writing articles, infographics require equal care in creating high-quality designs.

Videos

A video is a recording of visual media. For businesses, some of the most common video genres include tutorials and how-tos, product features, humor, and education.

The goal: Video is a highly engaging content type. It stimulates sight and sound and, when done right, is exceptionally shareable. Video content stands out on a search engine results page and is a favored content type of Google for specific query types (how-to, for example). The objectives of video are often search engine visibility, increased traffic, and customer brand awareness. Share of voice and search engine visibility is also video KPIs.

The right fit: A video is a right fit for you if you want to compete in the search engine results for target keywords that often produce videos in the results. If you have a potential audience on YouTube, videos are essential. Videos are also great engagement objects on your website when you want to explain concepts in an accessible way (some people like to watch versus read). And, if a story or idea hangs on the human element, it may lend itself naturally to video.

Virtual Events

A virtual event can be anything from a company-led webinar, to an educational event with many participants across companies, to an online independently-paced course.

The goal: Virtual events are an opportunity to educate an audience on a topic. But they are also a great way to drive leads and sales. People sign up and give you their information, some show up, some don’t — but then you let the marketing or sales team work their magic to drive them closer to a conversion. Or perhaps you’ve created an online course that you are selling for a fee.

The right fit: COVID-19 forced the business world into a new paradigm and in-person events were no more. Organizations had to adapt and virtual events grew exponentially. Today, businesses are more comfortable with hosting online events and do so mainly to educate their audience on a topic. Any aspect of your industry, business, or what you have to offer that deserves a deep dive can be turned into a virtual event. For a webinar, you present the information and allow room for questions at the end. If you created an online course, on the other hand, that is a product you can sell.

Website Copy

A business website is (mostly) a static representation of your business online. (A blog is, of course, a part of the site, but its goals and format are different enough — more on that later.)

For this section in the article, I’m talking about the static pages of your website, like those that make up the primary navigation of your website in your silo. These pages are usually crafted to explain products or services, build value around what you have to offer, or are educational — addressing any basic questions someone might have about a business and what it does.

The goal: Authority and expertise come together in your site copy to drive visitors to your website (by creating relevant pages that rank in the search results, and then further drive visitors towards conversions. The copy, or text content, of the site, should speak to the audience in an appropriate tone and reading level depending on the purpose of the page. Website copy should always be optimized with SEO in mind.

The right fit: Website copy is not only a right fit for every business, but it’s a must. If you want to drive organic traffic, engage your audience, and get conversions, you need website content. Plain and simple.

White Papers and E-books

A white paper is a technical report on a topic that requires an in-depth explanation. It usually follows a problem/solution format where the solution ends up being what you have to offer (and you can spend time discussing your particular product or service, too). It does include images but is typically text-heavy. An e-book, on the other hand, is typically a lighter read. It usually aims to educate an audience on a topic and provide helpful takeaways.  E-books are usually a good mix of text, images, and whitespace. Whether it’s an e-book or a white paper, they both help introduce readers to unfamiliar subjects.

The goal: White papers and e-books educate readers on a topic so they understand the scope of a problem or issue. It’s a good way to showcase a product, service, or brand. When either is introduced into the marketing mix, it can help drive the audience closer to a conversion. Because driving leads and sales is a major goal of white papers and e-books, a business often requires the completion of a lead capture form before the user can download it.

The right fit: If your industry is highly technical or the service/product provided solves technical problems, a white paper is a solid fit. If your potential customers often need an explanation of an issue that comes up again and again, an e-book may be in order. Bottom line: If you want to educate and drive leads at the same time, either one could be a good fit.

A Note About AI-Generated Content

With the increased usage of AI and chat programs, I wanted to briefly touch on what it means for your content goals.

AI is a great tool, but it’s not a solution. The problem with AI is that it quickly and easily churns out content but at a surface level without a deeper, quality understanding of the subject matter.

As a business owner, you want to create content that passes E-E-A-T: experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. Content that doesn’t pass this check is typically flagged as spam. Too much spun content and you’ll be looking at a disastrous search ranking that can be hard to recover from even with time.

So when can you use AI? In its current iteration, it is best used as a tool. Need to research keywords, come up with new ways to start a sentence, formulate a new outline for a long-form blog post? Using AI to help you kick off your content plan is a wonderful way to incorporate the convenience of AI without undermining your content strategy dedicated to authentic expert human-written content.

Overall Content Goals for B2Bs and B2Cs

While each content type will have its own goal, B2Bs, and B2Cs look for certain metrics to measure their content success. And here are the top five for each:

B2B Content Goals and Metrics

1. Website engagement
2. Conversions
3. Website traffic
4. Email engagement
5. Social media analytics

B2C Content Goals and Metrics

1. Website engagement
2. Conversions
3. Email engagement
4. Website traffic
5. Social media analytics

While every content type should have a specific purpose and use case, many of the most common types are all essential parts of an SEO strategy.

Interested in aligning your content goals with a solid SEO strategy to drive revenue? Talk to us. 

FAQ: What are the different content types and goals for marketing, and how can they be aligned with an SEO strategy?

Content plays an integral role in a brand’s marketing because it drives the relationship between the brand and the consumer. To successfully drive a campaign with content marketing, it is necessary to understand all types of content as well as their goals. Aligning it with SEO will expand its reach and impact.

Here are the different types of content and marketing goals and how they can align with an SEO strategy.

• Blog posts: Blogging is a popular content type that allows businesses to provide informative and engaging articles to their target audience. By incorporating relevant keywords and optimizing meta tags, blog posts can attract organic traffic from search engines, thereby aligning with your SEO strategy.
• Infographics: Visual content such as infographics enables businesses to present complex information in a visually appealing manner. Optimizing the alt text and providing keyword-rich captions can help search engines understand the content, leading to improved visibility.
• Videos: Video content has gained tremendous popularity, offering a dynamic way to convey messages. By optimizing video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords, you can enhance their discoverability in search engine results.
• Social media posts: Social media platforms present an excellent opportunity to reach your target audience. By optimizing your social media content with relevant keywords, you can increase its search engine visibility – aligning it more closely with your SEO strategy.
• Website Copy: Developing website copy gives search engines the ability to understand the point behind your website and will therefore improve its rankings. Website users are also able to learn more about your brand and interact with your product or service by reading through the site. This establishes credibility with both website visitors and search engines.
• White papers and e-books: This type of content provides in-depth information to users. These resources are about engaging with visitors by providing true value. These content pieces can be used as a lead magnet as well and capture potential customer information through savvy email marketing campaigns.
• Emails: This content works best as a marketing tool because you can create personalized emails that directly share links with your customers. Emails are an excellent way to nurture customer relationships, encourage repeat website visits and generate user interaction and interest.
• Case Studies: Use case studies to demonstrate how your product or service truly serves customers. Real-world examples can be the difference between a client coming on board or a client looking elsewhere.

Aligning your content goals with an SEO strategy involves several key considerations:

Identify your target keywords: Conduct keyword research to identify phrases and keywords most relevant to your company with high search volumes, and optimize content in accordance with these phrases in order to make them more visible in search engine results.

Optimize the on-page components: Make sure that you include your target keywords into key elements on-page, such as headings and titles, meta-descriptions, and alt tags for images. This will increase the relevance of your content and its visibility in search engines.

Develop a content calendar: Plan and organize your content creation efforts by developing a content calendar. This calendar should align with your marketing goals and SEO strategy, ensuring a consistent flow of optimized content.

Incorporate internal linking: Integrate internal links within your content to establish a logical structure and guide users to relevant pages on your website. This practice improves user experience and helps search engines understand the context and relevance of your content.

Optimize for mobile: With more people accessing content through their phones and other portable devices, it is becoming more and more essential that websites and content be mobile-friendly and easily readable on smaller screens. Ensure your website meets these requirements by optimizing for mobile.

Use user-generated content: Encourage your audience to generate user-generated content related to your brand through reviews, testimonials, or social media posts. User-generated content provides unique perspectives that can support SEO efforts and could even contribute to positive SEO rankings.

Monitor and analyze performance: Regularly track the performance of your content using analytics tools. This data will help you identify areas of improvement, understand user behavior and refine your content strategy for better SEO alignment.

Utilize structured data: Implement structured data markup on your website to provide additional information to search engines. This markup helps search engines understand your content better and may result in enhanced visibility through rich snippets.

Monitor and respond to feedback: Keep an eye out for user comments, reviews, and feedback related to your content. Engaging with your audience demonstrates responsiveness and can lead to positive reviews and increased visibility.

Test and optimize: Continuously test different content types, formats, and approaches to identify what resonates best with your target audience. Use data-driven insights to optimize your content strategy for maximum SEO impact.

Adapt and iterate: As you gather more data and insights from your content performance, adapt your strategy and iterate on your content creation process. This ongoing refinement will ensure your content remains aligned with your marketing goals and SEO strategy.

Understanding the different types of content, setting goals, and aligning your SEO best practice strategy are all keys to putting together an engaging marketing campaign that connects with its target audience.

The post Content Types and Goals: Find the Right Fit for Your Marketing appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Google says:

“When it comes to automatically generated content, our guidance has been consistent for years. Using automation—including AI—to generate content with the primary purpose of manipulating ranking in search results is a violation of our spam policies” (per Google’s guidance about AI-generated content.).

Having many pages generated by AI instead of expertly created E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness) content is a clear spam signal, and failing AI detection tests is a clear signal that no effort went into their production. Collectively, that is the kiss of death for a website.

Google also says that it focuses on the quality of content rather than how it is produced. So if the quality and usefulness are sufficiently high, that would overtake the AI issues. But the key is E-E-A-T. So consider new content with these questions in mind:

• Have you contributed any time, resources or knowledge to making these pages expert?
• Has there been any personal investment of editing love in their generation?
• Has the information been checked for accuracy, recency and completeness?
• Do these pages reflect your brand’s voice, personality and experience?
• Or are these pages simply the results of pushing buttons?

The definition of quality is not simply that content exists, but that it is worthy of existing, has merit and contributes value to the visitor. Are you proud to have your name on it?

So, there it is — generate worthy E-E-A-T content OR your pages are spam. With human editing, AI-generated pages could be worthy, but the majority of pages never will be.

Here’s a typical example. Go to ChatGPT and log in. After logging in, at the bottom of the screen you will get a prompt where you enter your query. Start the stopwatch on your phone and enter (paste) this query: “write an article that has this title and discusses “how to repair a broken light switch”, list several types of light switches, add some statistics about the usefulness of multi-way and dimmer light switches, add a 1 question FAQ section.”

As you can see, an article is produced in about 30 seconds. Seriously, you think that you can earn a top-10 ranking out of a million results with 30 seconds of work? I think not. For sites that employ this method, ranking problems will only compound over time. The more low-quality content someone adds to a site, the harder it becomes for any of their pages to rank. Too much leads to a near-death experience.

I want to emphasize that we are unable to say when and if Google will consider your pages spam. But if they were generated easily, if they are based upon a consensus of content derived from many already published sources (hence are nothing new, especially if you did not seriously edit them), and if they fail tests of AI versus human, then they do not demonstrate E-E-A-T qualities. I think it is a serious risk to the health of the entire website.

The trends reported by many SEOs about other sites using AI pages is that traffic grows for about six weeks, then it crashes and the site cannot easily recover. Yes, you may luck out, but it is a risk to your entire business.

I am not here to tell you not to take the business risk. However, I certainly would not take it.

I just felt it necessary to warn you that this is nuclear fire. Be careful.

In my view, AI-generated content is a tool, not a solution.

I hope that this helps.

The post AI-Generated Content Is a Tool, Not a Solution. appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

1. Keyword research
2. Personas 
3. Old content
4. Company initiatives
5. Industry news and updates
6. Repurposed content
7. Subject matter experts
8. FAQ: Why is repurposing content a powerful approach in optimizing a website’s search visibility?

1. Keyword Research

One of the most obvious places to start is your keyword research. Your keyword research should drive endless new webpages on your website.

Keyword research helps you identify the things that your target audience is looking for. It helps you understand your customer journey, so you can create content to support them at every step.

As you research keywords, you get a sense of the type of content that is ranking for those keywords. That tells you what search engines like Google believe is quality and what other websites say about the topic.

To learn more, read: What Are Keywords?

2. Personas / Audience

Persona research and development can help you create content specific to the challenges your various audience members face. Brainstorm a list of topics that each persona would be interested in, then optimize that content with any of your target keywords.

To learn more, read: 3 Steps to Define Your Target Audience for Your SEO Program

3. Old Content

At one point or another, you’ve probably heard someone say you need evergreen content. Evergreen content is content that can stand the test of time. For many topics, it is hard to trust several years old content, but that might be the content that is ranking for your site.

This is true for any content but especially important for what Google calls “your money or your life” topics. These are topics that can impact a person’s health, financial stability, or some other important aspect of their life.

I’ve written in the past about how to do a content review, and that advice still stands:

1. Start by reviewing the top-ranked pages. These are pages that rank in the very top results on Page 1 and drive the most traffic.
2. Next, identify the rest of the pages ranking on the first page in Google’s search results, and driving good traffic.
3. Identify the pages that are ranking on Page 2 and beyond that have the potential to rank better.
4. Finally, find those pages that are not ranking well nor driving traffic, and are irrelevant or low quality.

For each of these categories, you’ll want to consider:

• How to handle the content: Will it be a rewrite? How will you handle duplicate content? Will you combine like-topics into one in-depth article? Will you get rid of some content altogether?
• How to optimize the content: For the pages that you want to give a boost, make sure they are optimized with the basics.

To learn more, read:

• What Are “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) Webpages?
• Complete Guide to the Fundamentals of Google’s E-E-A-T

4. Company Initiatives

There will always be company news, a product or service announcement, or a new section of content that needs to be added to the site based on an initiative. Save space on your SEO editorial calendar for these types of announcements and webpages.

Target an 80/20 mix here, where 20% of the content you create is company-focused and 80% is educational or useful in some other way. This helps ensure you are not inundating people with sales pitches.

5. Industry News and Updates

Your industry will likely have news, trends, reports, or something else interesting to report on from time to time. Keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your sector, and plan to write about attention-grabbing headlines.

6. Repurposed Content

There’s so much potential in a single piece of content. So make sure you look at the entire library of resources your company is creating, and think about how to repurpose that for your SEO program. Videos, webinars, training materials, ebooks, and much more can be repurposed into web content.

To learn how read: What’s the Best Way to Revive Dead Content and Get New ROI?

7. Subject Matter Experts

There are a lot of people in your company who know a lot about what they do. Take the time to get to know the subject matter experts and what topics they might be able to come up with.
In particular, we always suggest talking with your customer support staff or reviewing support tickets to get ideas for content that will answer real questions. As a bonus, you can talk about common pain points and issues in your customers’ own words.

Among your in-house experts, some people like to be guest contributors on the company blog, while others can just give you really great ideas to write about.

More Tips

As you are creating content for your SEO program, here are some tips:

• Always strive for quality. Google and your website visitors are scrutinizing the quality of your content. Make sure that every webpage is something to be proud of. Read: What Makes a Webpage Quality?
• Always have a tech or editorial review. To further enhance a webpage’s quality, ensure you have a dedicated editor. In some cases (like technical topics or YMYL webpages), you’ll also need a technical/expert review.
• Always optimize your content. Having great content is the first step, and optimizing it comes next. Read: The Always Up-to-Date SEO Checklist
• Use tools to track your SEO calendar. A simple shared spreadsheet works great to track the topics you want to write about, what’s in the queue, what’s published, and more.

With a little creativity in how you go about it, it’s easy to find inspiration for content. Use the seven steps outlined in this article to get your SEO content plan going.

We develop content for many of our SEO clients. For information on our content services or help with your SEO projects, contact us today for a free quote.

FAQ: Why is repurposing content a powerful approach in optimizing a website’s search visibility?

Optimizing a website’s search visibility is a cornerstone of a successful online presence. One highly effective yet often underestimated strategy in this pursuit is content repurposing. By repurposing content, you harness the power of creativity and resourcefulness to maximize the reach and impact of your digital assets.

The Versatility of Repurposing

Repurposing content involves taking existing pieces of content and adapting them into different formats or for various platforms. This approach leverages your existing knowledge base, allowing you to present your expertise in fresh, engaging ways. The possibilities are vast, from transforming a blog post into a visually compelling infographic to converting a webinar into a series of informative articles.

Search Engine Visibility and Repurposed Content

Repurposing content can significantly boost your website’s search visibility. When repurposing content, you create multiple entry points for search engines to discover and index your material. As each repurposed piece gains traction and attracts links, your website’s authority and relevance grow, further elevating its search engine ranking.

Captivating a Wider Audience

A key advantage of content repurposing lies in engaging different audience segments. Not everyone consumes information similarly—some prefer videos, while others lean toward podcasts or written articles. By repackaging your content to cater to varied preferences, you expand your reach and captivate a broader audience, driving more organic traffic to your site.

Evergreen Value and Time Efficiency

Repurposing content breathes new life into evergreen topics. Even though the core message remains unchanged, the new format provides a fresh perspective that resonates with both new and returning visitors. Moreover, repurposing allows you to optimize your content creation efforts. Instead of starting from scratch each time, repurposing enables you to create valuable content while efficiently ensuring consistency across all platforms.

Integrating Repurposing into Your Strategy

Incorporating content repurposing into your SEO program requires a thoughtful approach. Begin by identifying high-performing content that can be repurposed for different channels. Tailor the content to suit each platform’s requirements while maintaining its essence. Ensure seamless integration across your digital ecosystem to maximize its impact and benefits.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Enhancing Search Visibility Through Content Repurposing

1. Identify Existing Content: Review your website’s archives to pinpoint high-performing and evergreen content that can be repurposed.
2. Choose Repurposing Formats: Determine the various formats (e.g., infographics, videos, podcasts) suitable for repurposing each piece of content.
3. Tailor for Different Platforms: Modify the content to align with the characteristics and preferences of each platform or medium.
4. Optimize for SEO: Incorporate relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt tags to ensure the repurposed content is search engine-friendly.
5. Maintain Consistency: Ensure consistency in messaging, branding, and tone across all repurposed materials to maintain a cohesive online presence.
6. Create Engaging Titles: Craft compelling titles that resonate with the target audience and encourage click-throughs.
7. Leverage Visual Elements: Use visuals such as images, graphics, and videos to enhance engagement and convey information effectively.
8. Distribute Strategically: Share repurposed content across appropriate platforms, including your website, social media channels, and relevant industry forums.
9. Monitor Performance: Track the performance of repurposed content, analyzing metrics such as traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.
10. Adjust and Refine: Based on performance insights, make necessary adjustments to optimize the impact of repurposed content.
11. Encourage Social Sharing: Encourage users to share repurposed content, expanding its reach through organic sharing.
12. Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments and engage in discussions to foster a sense of community around repurposed content.
13. Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with industry influencers to amplify the reach of repurposed content.
14. Repurpose Regularly: Continuously identify opportunities for repurposing as new content is created.
15. Update and Revise: Periodically revisit repurposed content to update statistics, refresh visuals, and ensure relevance.
16. Analyze Link-Building Opportunities: Seek link-building opportunities by contacting other websites that may find value in your repurposed content.
17. Measure ROI: Evaluate the return on investment of repurposing efforts by assessing factors such as increased traffic, higher rankings, and lead generation.
18. Optimize Over Time: Fine-tune your repurposing strategy based on insights gained to improve results continually.
19. Educate Your Team: Train your team on the benefits and best practices of content repurposing to ensure consistent implementation.
20. Stay Current: Keep up with industry trends and content consumption changes to effectively evolve your repurposing strategy.

By following this comprehensive procedure, you can harness the power of content repurposing to optimize your website’s search visibility, engage a wider audience, and establish your brand as a trusted authority in your field.

The post 7 Proven Ways to Come Up with Content Ideas for Your SEO Program appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

A lot has changed since the days SEOs used press releases for stuffing keyword-rich links to their websites. Today, issuing a press release takes a lot of care. You have to keep in mind both SEO and media best practices if you want it to be effective. I’ll explain how in the following sections:

• Brief history of press releases and SEO
• Why press releases still matter
• Press releases: SEO best practices
• How to write a press release that entices media
• FAQ: How can I optimize press releases for search engines and media exposure to enhance brand visibility and authority?

Brief History of Press Releases and SEO

For a while, press releases stuffed with keyword-rich links were the norm. Writing a press release was one way to try to boost SEO value of the URLs on your own website. But, of course, those links were self-serving and not natural.

Google spoke about this tactic on several occasions. Back in 2011, former Google representative Matt Cutts said that “the links in the press releases themselves don’t count for PageRank value, but if a journalist reads the release and then writes about the site, any links in that news article will then count.”

Cutts reinforced this in a 2012 Google Webmaster Help Forum when he wrote: “I wouldn’t expect links from press release websites to benefit your rankings.”

Then, in a Google Webmaster Help video from 2012, Cutts went into detail about the difference in value between a press release (at the low end) and an article in the New York Times (at the high end) of the “continuum of content and the quality of that content and what defines the value add for a user.”

However, some evidence suggests that a link from a press release could pass some value as a ranking factor. So SEOs pressed on.

For example, SEOPressor conducted an experiment where they issued a press release. In it, nonsensical anchor text — “leasreepressmm” — linked to Matt Cutts’ blog, and the Matt Cutts blog ranked No. 4 for “leasreepressmm.”

This suggested that the links in a press release had some noticeable affect, especially for noncompetitive and infrequently used search terms.

Google realized keyword-stuffed links in press releases were a problem. So in 2013, Google devalued links coming from press releases. In a Google Webmaster Central Hangout, Search Engine Land’s Barry Schwartz asked Googler John Mueller for more details about the update of the Webmaster Guidelines to include link schemes related to press releases.

“This (update is) just following up with other changes that we’ve made in the past,” Mueller said. “These are links that were essentially placed by the webmasters themselves; that’s something that we would consider … unnatural. A lot of these (press releases) cases kind of fall into that, where essentially … the webmaster is generally creating a bunch of links.”

Links in a press release aren’t “something that an external person is … recommending,” Mueller continued. “It’s more something that webmasters are creating themselves to promote their websites.”

Mueller concluded that “generally speaking, promoting your website is perfectly fine and a reasonable thing to do, but (press release links aren’t considered) natural.”

Today, this policy holds. Certain links in press releases are considered spam. According to Google, these are the links that violate their guidelines:

Links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases distributed on other sites.

For example:
There are many wedding rings on the market. If you want to have a wedding, you will have to pick the best ring. You will also need to buy flowers and a wedding dress.

Why Press Releases Still Matter

Press releases have been around forever, and they are still good for what they were originally created for: increasing your visibility. If you have something newsworthy to announce, writing a press release still makes sense.

In terms of results, press releases can lead to increased traffic and branding.

Press releases have strong branding value, especially if a journalist turns your press release into an article that will reach the masses and live online.

Plus, press releases can contribute to your business’s and website’s perceived expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) — which are quality metrics from Google.

If a business is getting a lot of mentions, especially in the press, it can help with the authority factor. I wrote about this more in my guide on the basics of E-E-A-T.

Press Releases: SEO Best Practices

In the grand scheme of press releases, links do come into play since companies naturally point back to themselves. For example, “For more information, visit www.Macys.com.”

Here, it’s important to distinguish between navigational and transactional links. (Skip this part if you’re well-versed in SEO jargon already.)

• Navigational links use a domain name, a company name, or “click here” as the anchor text. They point to an entity and usually take a person to the homepage of a website.
• Transactional links use keywords in the anchor text. This passes some additional information in the link about why a person would click it, such as “best ski blog” or “buy snowboards here.”

As an SEO best practice, having one navigational link in a press release pointing to your website is OK. But steer clear of transactional links, or at least ensure their link tag includes a specific attribute such as rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored.” This makes it clear to search engines that the link is not trying to pass PageRank value for SEO ranking purposes.

I’ll note that some press release distribution services still tout the “link-building benefits” of press releases. Some even encourage the use of “keyword-rich anchor text” in those links. But don’t be fooled.

If you have previously used press releases as a link-building tactic to try to influence rankings (with followed links), then you might want to start the process of disavowing potentially harmful links. Google requires that paid links include the proper attribution; see Qualify your outbound links to Google for more details.

Tips for Press Release SEO

Here are some SEO best practices to follow when it comes to press releases:

• Research keywords: Perform keyword research on the topic you are writing about. Include those keywords in your press release, making sure they show up in the headline and first 250 words.
• Make it unique: Focus on creating unique content. Press releases are no exception to this general rule. If you create a compelling press release, then it is more likely to get picked up for an article, and that article may earn you quality links.
• Limit links: As I stated above, use only navigational links in your press releases. In most cases, there will be only one link. There are some exceptions, such as if a press release is announcing a merger, for example, then it would make sense to link to both companies’ websites. Be sure to use the company name or domain as the anchor text.
• Nofollow links: Make sure your press release distribution service uses “nofollow” or an equivalent attribute on your links. If they don’t, then it’s time to get a new press release distribution service.
• Distribute it, then post and share: Use a reputable press release distribution service to send out your article, and they should provide statistics on media outlets that picked it up. Once it’s out in the world, you can share it in your social media channels and also post it (or a summary, if you choose) on your own website with a link to the main PR post. For an example, check out our press page.

Now that you know some SEO dos and don’ts, let’s talk about how to write a really effective PR.

How to Write a Press Release That Entices Media

When a press release gets picked up, it’s not by chance. Press releases that get turned into stories are often written with the publication’s editor and the journalist in mind. They’re relevant, concise, engaging, and error-free.

If you want your own press release to stand out, make sure that you:

• Create original, engaging content
• Issue newsworthy press releases
• Follow formatting best practices
• Make it engaging

Let’s look at each of these in more detail …

Create Original, Engaging Content

Press release distribution sites send out thousands of press releases per day. So you can imagine that journalists experience some sort of press release fatigue. Translation: You need to stand out.

Step 1 is writing original content about something people would want to read. Don’t think of it as just an ad for your company or product.

Issue Newsworthy Press Releases

Press releases often serve a dual purpose: inform your own audience and get media exposure. You want to issue news about your company and have it on your website to keep your target audience and visitors up to speed on your business. Beyond that, though, you would love to spread the word to new audiences through media coverage.

Not every press release topic is going to fulfill both goals. So you might surrender to the fact that a press release about an award might be good for your website’s newsroom, but it might not be the stuff of media headlines.

That said if you are trying to entice the media to pick up your story, make sure it’s newsworthy. Keep in mind that a company that continuously issues press releases that aren’t newsworthy may be more quickly dismissed by journalists when the company puts real news out.

So what are some newsworthy topics?

• Proprietary research findings
• Crises and how you manage them
• A new product or service
• A grand opening or company event worth highlighting
• A donation or volunteer effort
• A merger or acquisition
• VIP hires or departures
• A partnership announcement

As you are writing the press release, think about the angle too. In its guide to writing a great press release, Cision says it should be written like a news article with “a clear news angle.”

An angle is the story’s main theme or perspective. This can make the press release more appealing and more of a story. For example, the angle could be meant to invoke emotion, address a conflict, or highlight progress somehow.

Follow Formatting Best Practices

Journalists answer the who, what, where, when, why, and sometimes, how as quickly as possible in their news stories — usually within the first paragraph. So you should too.

Make it very clear what the story is right away in your press release. Check out the inverted pyramid style of writing for more tips on how to do this.

You’ll want to consider length too. Conventional wisdom says to keep press releases between 300 and 500 words (or roughly one page).

Another thing you want to be diligent about is spelling and grammar. If you want to lose credibility fast, then having a press release with spelling and grammatical errors is one way to do it.

Furthermore, make sure the press release has the proper press release structure, including writing it in Associated Press (AP) style.

In its guide to writing a great press release (linked to earlier), Cision offers the following tips and more:

• Keep headlines and subheadlines brief and shareable — and include your company name.
• Start with a dateline.
• Make your call to action obvious (the sooner, the better!) if you have one for this story.
• Use headers and lists to segment your release, especially if it’s long.
• Limit paragraphs to four or fewer sentences, and vary sentence length and structure.
• End with contact information.

Make It Engaging

As mentioned earlier, you want to write a press release as if it were a news story. So think about what sort of engaging information you can include to grab the reader’s (aka the journalist’s) interest.

This includes things like:

• Statistics
• Quotes from key stakeholders
• Image(s)

All of these things can be reused by the journalist when they pick up the story, and it makes their life easier to have these included.

Final Thoughts

I’ll come back to the question I opened with: Can press releases help with SEO? The answer is yes, but indirectly.

There’s a lot that goes into writing a press release. You need to make it stand out in hopes of getting media coverage, and you also need to follow SEO best practices. Done right, a press release can turn into a valuable asset for your brand, raising awareness, driving traffic and contributing to your brand’s authority.

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FAQ: How can I optimize press releases for search engines and media exposure to enhance brand visibility and authority?

Brand recognition and authority are pivotal. Optimizing press releases for search engines and media exposure has become crucial. By meticulously aligning your press release strategy with SEO best practices and media preferences, you can effectively boost your brand’s visibility and enhance its authority in the industry.

To embark on this journey of press release optimization, start by conducting thorough keyword research. Identify relevant keywords that resonate with your brand and industry. Seamlessly integrate these keywords into your press release’s headline and the opening paragraph. A well-crafted headline captures readers’ attention and is a vital SEO element that search engines consider.

Crafting an engaging press release is an art that balances newsworthiness and brand messaging. News angles that invoke emotion, address conflicts, or highlight progress are more likely to resonate with both media outlets and their audiences. By focusing on originality and engaging content, you enhance the likelihood of your press release being picked up by journalists and shared widely across platforms.

The role of links within press releases cannot be underestimated. Utilize navigational links that direct readers to your website’s relevant pages. Avoid transactional links laden with keyword-rich anchor text, as they can be manipulative to search engines. Remember, the goal is to create a seamless experience for both readers and search engine crawlers, ultimately contributing to your brand’s online authority.

A critical factor in the success of your press release lies in its distribution strategy. Partner with reputable press release distribution services that understand the nuances of SEO. Ensure that any links embedded within your press release are tagged appropriately, using “nofollow” or “sponsored” attributes when necessary. This adheres to search engine guidelines and safeguards your brand’s online reputation.

Optimizing press releases requires a strategic blend of SEO tactics and media appeal. By crafting original, engaging, and informative content while following best practices for links and distribution, you can elevate your brand’s visibility and establish authority within your industry.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant keywords.
2. Seamlessly integrate selected keywords into the press release headline and opening paragraph.
3. Craft an engaging press release with a compelling news angle.
4. Focus on originality and create content that resonates with both media outlets and their audiences.
5. Utilize navigational links within the press release to guide readers to relevant pages on your website.
6. Avoid transactional links with keyword-rich anchor text that may seem manipulative to search engines.
7. Partner with reputable press release distribution services that understand SEO nuances.
8. Ensure any embedded links in the press release are tagged appropriately with “nofollow” or “sponsored” attributes.
9. Balance newsworthiness and brand messaging to create a captivating press release.
10. Opt for news angles that invoke emotion, address conflicts, or highlight progress to resonate with readers and media outlets.
11. Craft a well-crafted headline that captures attention and aligns with SEO practices.
12. Focus on delivering informative and engaging content that offers value to readers.
13. Follow best practices for link usage, adhering to guidelines set by search engines.
14. Maintain a seamless experience for both readers and search engine crawlers.
15. Choose navigational links to enhance user experience and brand credibility.
16. Embrace reputable distribution services to share your press release effectively.
17. Ensure all links are tagged appropriately to uphold your brand’s online reputation.
18. Consistently monitor and adapt your press release strategy to evolving SEO trends.
19. Evaluate your press releases’ effectiveness in visibility and authority enhancement.
20. Continuously refine your approach based on insights and feedback for optimal results.

The post Why Press Releases Still Matter to SEO and How to Write a Press Release That Entices Media appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

But what actually determines webpage quality? I’ll outline the various aspects that impact the perceived quality of a webpage, by both search engines and users, in the following sections:

• Experience, Expertise, authority, and trust
• Journalistic integrity in your content
• Content optimization
• Technical SEO
• Tips for consistently improving webpage quality
• FAQ: How can I ensure my webpages maintain high-quality standards for better search engine performance?

Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust

Google is notoriously protective of its search ranking algorithm. As a result, much of what we accept as best practice in SEO is based on educated guesses, experience, and simply seeing what works.

When it comes to on-page SEO and what Google is looking for in a quality webpage, though, they’ve been surprisingly transparent. In its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (SQEG), the search giant shares what its search quality raters should consider as indicative of page quality.

The SQEG explains the following are the most important factors for quality raters to consider in determining a page’s quality rating:

• The purpose of the page
• Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness
• Main content quality and amount
• Website information or information about who is responsible for the main content
• Website reputation or reputation of the person responsible for the main content

That second one — expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, also known as E-E-A-T — is so important that it appears a whopping 130 times in the SQEG.

While not a ranking factor, E-E-A-T is a great framework by which to gauge the quality of your content. Specifically, Google advises that its raters consider the E-E-A-T of the people who create the content, the content itself, and the website as a whole.

Here’s what the SQEG says to consider:

• The expertise of the creator of the main content
• The authoritativeness of the creator of the main content, the main content itself, and the website
• The trustworthiness of the creator of the main content, the main content itself, and the website

Again, this isn’t a part of the core algorithm. Rather, parts of the core algorithm look for E-E-A-T signals; for example, I believe that the Panda update was about expertise, Penguin was about authority, and Medic was about trust.

How can you make sure your webpages are trustworthy and authoritative, showcasing your expertise? For this next tip, I take a page from the most experienced content creators out there.

Journalistic Integrity in Your Content

Even if you’re fairly confident that the information you’re sharing is accurate, it’s important that you make it easy for Google (and your readers) to verify it. Journalists have “Cite your sources!” drilled into their heads from the earliest days of training.

Fact-checking should be an integral part of your publishing process. In fact, Google cares about this to the extent it provides a fact-checking tool that enables searchers to input a claim and see what’s been verified about it online.

Always consider the expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness of the sources you’re citing on your webpage, too. Restating something as fact is your personal endorsement of that information.

Another important tool for improving the quality of your content is to choose a style guide to go by. Adhering to one style guide gives your content clarity and consistency. For example, the Associated Press Stylebook is the style that journalists use when they write content.

Sticking with one style tells all of your writers, editors, marketers, and others who publish content on-site how to handle links and citations, capitalization in titles and subheadings, punctuation, presentation of statistics, and more.

Essentially, you want readers and visitors focused on your quality content, not trying to overlook omissions or inconsistencies in how the information is presented.

Which style guide you choose is up to you, and in fact, many organizations create their own style guide to maintain consistency. That’s great, too. What matters most is that you choose one and apply it to all of your web content.

Content Optimization

Once you’re satisfied with the quality and accuracy of the content on your webpage, it’s important that you optimize it. How else will Google understand that your webpage is the best answer for relevant queries?

I won’t go into great detail here, as we have an excellent, always up-to-date SEO checklist here. Work through it as you optimize new content, and soon, it’ll become second nature.

Technical SEO

We’ve focused heavily on content and other on-page SEO factors to this point. But even the best content will underperform without the solid underpinning of a technically sound website.

Technical SEO is the practice of optimizing your website so Google and other search engines can easily crawl and index your webpages. It also applies to user experience in that visitors expect webpages to load quickly and smoothly.

Google aims to give each searcher the best answer for their need, and these technical SEO considerations are part of that experience:

Site Speed

How fast your webpage loads has a massive impact on your visitor’s experience — and the actions they will take as a result.

Google’s research shows that “…faster mobile site speed makes people view more pages on the site, convert more, and buy more on most brand sites.”

Page speed has long been a ranking factor, but speed and other core metrics have grown in importance with Google’s 2021 page experience update.

Learn more about how to make your site faster: How Fast Should My Webpage Be and Why Should I Care?

Mobile-Friendliness

Is your site responsive to the device on which the visitor is viewing it?

Does your page load quickly on mobile, and is content formatted for easy reading on different screen sizes?

These are major considerations for Google and in fact, mobile-friendliness is a ranking signal within the page experience update. This impactful update also includes:

• Core Web Vitals, a set of three metrics that help Google understand the experience visitors have on any given webpage: Largest Contentful Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, and First Input Delay
• HTTPS compliance for secure browsing status
• Intrusive interstitials — specifically, ensuring that you don’t have any

There are many technical factors that can impact your site’s mobile-friendliness — responsive design, properly configured text and buttons, and page loading speed, among them. See Page Experience Matters: The Mobile-Friendly Site to learn more.

A whole host of issues may impact Google’s ability to find, crawl, and index your webpage. Cloaking, redirects, 404 errors, robots.txt status and more are among the more common technical SEO issues that could impact your website quality.

Check out these Technical SEO Tips to learn more about optimizing the back end of your site.

Tips for Consistently Improving Webpage Quality

As you apply best practices and begin looking at all pages through a quality lens, the process will become faster and easier. Run through this list of tips with one of your existing pages and see where you can improve:

1. Focus on demonstrating E-E-A-T in all of your content — written copy, photos, videos, and other elements, too.
2. Remember that the reputation of the content creator and website as a whole matters. Include the author’s name, a short bio (either on-page or linked), and links to social profiles.
3. Fact-check all information and statistics, citing your sources in accordance with the style guide of your choice.
4. Ensure that the page’s content delivers on the expectation a reader will have upon navigating to that page from the SERP.
5. Proofread carefully! Don’t let simple typos or small errors take away from your page’s perceived quality.
6. Create a sufficient amount of content and include enough information to satisfy the need that brought the searcher to your page. (Our WordPress SEO plugin can help you know how much to write in order to compete.)
7. Optimize content to help Google understand how and why that webpage meets the needs of searchers using relevant queries.
8. Make sure preventable technical SEO issues aren’t standing in the way of your page’s accessibility and rankings.

Making a quality website is impossible without SEO-friendly, high-quality content. At Bruce Clay Inc., we have a team of experienced writers who can help meet your needs. Interested in learning more about our content development services? Contact us for a free consultation today.

FAQ: How can I ensure my webpages maintain high-quality standards for better search engine performance?

Maintaining a high level of quality for your webpages is pivotal for driving better search engine performance. In an era where user experience is paramount, search engines like Google are placing increased emphasis on ranking pages that offer genuine value. To ensure your webpages meet these high-quality standards and deliver exceptional results, consider the following strategies:

Prioritize Content Relevance

Craft content that aligns precisely with your audience’s needs. In-depth research into your target audience’s preferences and pain points will help you create content that resonates and provides genuine value.

Incorporate E-E-A-T Principles

Experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) are foundational for high-quality webpages. Showcase your expertise by offering well-researched insights, share your personal experiences and opinions with the subject matter, back your claims with authoritative sources, and foster trust by maintaining transparent and reliable content.

Implement On-Page Optimization

Optimize your content for both users and search engines. Pay attention to title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and keyword placement. Balancing keyword usage with natural readability is key to maintaining high quality.

Streamline User Experience

User experience directly influences search engine performance. Ensure fast page loading times, responsive design for various devices, and easy navigation. Users should be able to find what they need without any friction.

Focus on Technical SEO

Technical SEO forms the backbone of webpage quality. Prioritize tasks like improving site speed, optimizing images, and ensuring mobile-friendliness. These factors enhance both user experience and search engine rankings.

Transitioning seamlessly between these strategies is essential for maintaining a cohesive approach to webpage quality. By prioritizing content relevance, incorporating E-E-A-T principles, optimizing on-page elements, streamlining the user experience, and emphasizing technical SEO, you can effectively elevate your webpage quality and secure better search engine performance.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Strategies to Enhance Webpage Quality for Improved Search Engine Performance

1. Conduct thorough audience research to understand their preferences and pain points.
2. Align content topics with audience needs to ensure relevance.
3. Utilize authoritative sources to back up claims and enhance expertise.
4. Provide clear author credentials to establish authority and trustworthiness.
5. Craft compelling title tags and meta descriptions that accurately represent content.
6. Use header tags to structure content for easy readability and navigation.
7. Integrate relevant keywords naturally into the content.
8. Optimize images for fast loading times and improved user experience.
9. Ensure responsive design to guarantee usability across various devices.
10. Implement a content delivery network (CDN) to enhance page loading speed.
11. Conduct regular site audits to identify and resolve technical SEO issues.
12. Create XML sitemaps to aid search engine crawling and indexing.
13. Improve site speed by compressing images and minimizing server response time.
14. Eliminate duplicate content issues to enhance content uniqueness.
15. Implement schema markup to enhance search engine understanding of content.
16. Monitor user behavior and make adjustments based on analytics data.
17. Regularly update content to ensure accuracy and relevance.
18. Engage in reputable link-building practices to enhance authority.
19. Collaborate with industry influencers to gain credibility and exposure.
20. Continuously monitor search engine algorithm updates and adapt strategies accordingly.

This article was updated on December 19, 2023.  

The post What Makes a Webpage Quality? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

“Your money or your life…” It sounds like something you’d hear in an old spaghetti Western, doesn’t it? This content type is no joke though.

Your money or your life (YMYL) is how Google describes “types of pages or topics that could potentially impact a person’s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety.”

Understanding the implications of YMYL content and how to keep within Google’s expectations is essential for website publishers and SEO professionals.

In this post, you’ll find answers to the most pressing questions about YMYL content:

• What Are Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) Webpages?
• Why Is YMYL Important to SEO?
• How Do You Optimize for YMYL?
• Raise the bar for YMYL webpages
• FAQ: How can I ensure my web content meets Google’s YMYL standards for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness?

What Are Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) Webpages?

YMYL webpages contain information that could potentially impact a person’s life in serious ways. In its most recent Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, Google explains that its Page Quality rating standards for YMYL content are “very high” because low-quality pages could have negative consequences for searchers.

YMYL pages aren’t just places where you can make a purchase. Examples of YMYL content include:

• News about important topics and current events, especially in business, politics, science, and technology.
• Information about civics, government, and the law, such as content about voting or social services.
• Financial advice and information about taxes, savings, investments, etc.
• Shopping pages, whether for products or services.
• Health and safety content including medical information and anything to do with drugs, emergency preparedness, hospitals, and more.
• Pages about groups of people, specifically claims or information about religion, sexuality, race, or other shared traits/demographics.

Google notes that the list in its guidelines is not comprehensive. Any webpage with information, advice, or claims “related to big decisions or important aspects of people’s lives” can be considered YMYL.

Why Is YMYL Important to SEO?

Google holds YMYL pages to a higher standard than other types of content. If you want webpages on these potentially sensitive topics to outrank the competition, all of the content on the page must pass the search engine’s rigorous quality checks.

This includes:

• Main Content (MC): The part of the page that directly helps the page achieve its purpose, including text, images, videos, reviews, and other user-generated content, etc.
• Supplementary Content (SC): Parts of the page that contribute to user experience but aren’t necessarily driving the purpose of the page, such as navigational links, for example.
• Ads: Paid media and monetization designed to make money from the webpage, including affiliates or any other monetized links.

Website publishers must understand that even a YMYL webpage with high-quality content may not be up to snuff if there are affiliate links or ads directing readers to dubious information that could negatively impact them.

Think in terms of the overall experience a searcher has on the webpage in question.

How Do You Optimize for YMYL?

You can’t talk YMYL without running into another impactful acronym: E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness). E-E-A-T is not a ranking factor; rather, it is how Google describes what it’s looking for in quality web content.

E-E-A-T is important on all types of websites and pages, from forums with strictly user-generated content to fashion blogs and gossip websites.

It is even more important on webpages that users turn to for advice and information about the topics that could seriously impact their livelihood — YMYL pages.

From Google’s guidelines:

The amount of information needed for E-E-A-T assessment depends on the type of website. For example, YMYL websites demand a high degree of trust, so they generally need satisfying information about who is responsible for the content of the site.

There are a few aspects Google looks at in particular when considering E-E-A-T. Make sure your webpage clearly answers these important questions:

• What is the purpose of this page?
• How does it demonstrate expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness?
• Is the quality and amount of the main content indicative of a high-quality resource on this topic?
• Who is responsible for the main content on this page?
• What sort of reputation does this website and the person responsible for the page content have?
• Does this site sell ads or offer links to questionable and, thus, potentially harmful content or sites?

Publishers will also want to pay particular attention to “Needs Met,” a section in the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines added in late 2020. Needs Met measures on a scale of “Fails to Meet” to “Fully Meets” how well a search engine results page and the landing page associated with the query meet a mobile searcher’s intent.

Optimizing YMYL content, pages, and sites means making it as easy as possible for both site visitors and search engines to see that your resource will not negatively impact readers. Use these tips to improve your page’s E-E-A-T.

Experience

In December 2022, Google extended the acronym to E-E-A-T, emphasizing Experience. This shift highlights the significance of firsthand, real-life expertise among writers discussing specific subjects. Pages crafted by individuals possessing ample personal experience tend to be trustworthy and proficiently achieve their goals. For example, evaluating the reliability of a product review is influenced by whether it comes from someone who has used the item versus someone who hasn’t.

Expertise

Google is specifically looking at the expertise of the person who created the page’s MC. Expertise is particularly important in YMYL topics. Google wants to see that the person who created the content has professional experience, accreditation, education, first-hand experience, and/or other qualifications that make them an expert in the topic.

To help improve your content’s expertise:

• Be clear about who created the main content and what makes them an expert on the topic. This may mean hiring experts, and you may want to include author names with brief bios in your content.
• Properly source and cite credible information to support any claims that are not common knowledge. Remember that outbound links to expert sources boost your credibility.
• Where content is user-generated, ensure there is an oversight process so that low-quality, potentially harmful information is removed.

Authoritativeness

In gauging authority, Google is looking at the authoritativeness of the creator of the MC, the MC itself, and the website as a whole.

To improve your authoritativeness:

• Ask yourself, does this page leave questions unanswered? While word count or the volume of main content is not a ranking factor, Google does want to see that the amount of content is sufficient to satisfy the reader’s needs. (By the way, you can see the word count for the top-ranked pages by using our WordPress SEO plugin.)
• Attract links from other reputable, highly authoritative websites in your niche, such as industry associations, recognized experts, and reputable publications. For more, see The CMO’s Guide to the New Link Building Strategy.

Trustworthiness

As with authoritativeness, Google is considering the trustworthiness of the MC creator, the MC itself, and the website. This is particularly important where the content offers advice on personal finance, legal issues, taxes, etc.

Ways to improve a website’s trustworthiness include:

• For sales and store pages in particular, Google is looking for a “satisfying” customer service experience. Make sure the page proactively answers common questions and that the path to service — whether by online chat, phone, or any other method — is crystal clear.
• Incorporate testimonials and reviews into pages rather than leaving them only on third-party websites or on one dedicated page. Don’t make users go looking for them; chances are, they won’t bother. Google says, “We consider a large number of positive user reviews as evidence of positive reputation.”
• Display any industry associations, relevant qualifications, badges that illustrate how you protect visitor/shopper data, refund policy information, and other information that builds trust with visitors.
• Google says that “when a high level of authoritativeness or expertise is needed, the reputation of a website should be judged on what expert opinions have to say.” What would a top industry expert say about your YMYL webpage?

Finally, look at your webpages on YMYL topics with a critical eye:

• Would I give this website my money?
• Would I consent to a medical treatment or investment plan based on what I see here?
• How confident am I in the accuracy of this information?

Read our Complete Guide to the Fundamentals of Google’s E-E-A-T for more helpful tips and examples. And also see: 5 Times When SEO Siloing Can Make or Break Your Rankings for how siloing can help with YMYL webpages.

Raise the Bar for YMYL Webpages

The bar rises substantially when you’re optimizing YMYL sites and content. Be that reputable, trustworthy source for your visitors, and Google will reward you with higher rankings and greater online visibility.

Make sure you revisit and reevaluate YMYL pages often, particularly in fast-moving spaces such as medical technology and treatments, politics, or investments, for example.

What was a great resource last year may be outdated today. You can maximize the ROI of your content by consistently updating what you’ve already invested in creating to keep it performing year after year.

If you need expert help with your SEO or content, please contact us today for a free quote and consultation.

FAQ: How can I ensure my web content meets Google’s YMYL standards for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness?

Creating web content that meets Google’s YMYL standards is essential for maintaining a strong online presence and building trust with your audience. YMYL, which stands for Your Money or Your Life, encompasses content that can directly impact a user’s well-being, finances, or safety.

Here are key strategies to ensure your content adheres to these critical standards:

Understanding YMYL Content

Start by comprehending what falls under the umbrella of YMYL content. Financial advice, medical information, legal guidance, and news are prime examples. Recognize the importance of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness in these niches, as Google holds such content to higher standards due to its potential impact on users’ lives.

Adding Experience 

You want to share your personal experience and opinions. High-quality content frequently showcases the creator’s direct involvement in the subject matter, validating suggestions as tested and verified, ensuring authentic insights.

Elevating Expertise

Demonstrate your expertise through in-depth research, citing reliable sources, and showcasing your qualifications. Include author bios and credentials to lend credibility to your content. Collaborate with industry experts for guest posts or interviews, adding diverse perspectives and enhancing your content’s value.

Establishing Authoritativeness

Build authoritativeness by consistently producing high-quality content over time. Create a content calendar that covers important topics within your niche. Back up your claims with data, case studies, and references to authoritative sources. Encourage user engagement through comments and discussions to show that your audience respects and values your content.

Cultivating Trustworthiness

Transparency is key to gaining trust. Disclosure of affiliations, sponsors, and potential conflicts of interest is paramount. Provide accurate and up-to-date information – any outdated or inaccurate details could severely undermine your credibility. Implement strong security measures on your website to protect user data, assuring visitors that their privacy is a priority.

Regularly Updating and Reviewing

Stay current with industry trends and changes in Google’s algorithms. Regularly review and update your content to ensure accuracy and relevance. Collaborate with peers for peer reviews to gain insights and perspectives that can further enhance your content’s quality.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Ensuring YMYL Compliance

1. Identify Your Niche: Determine if your content falls under YMYL categories such as health, finance, legal, or safety.
2. Research Thoroughly: Conduct comprehensive research on your chosen topic, citing reputable sources.
3. Highlight Credentials: Showcase your expertise and credentials in author bios and content introductions.
4. Collaborate with Experts: Engage with industry experts for collaborations, interviews, or guest posts.
5. Create a Content Calendar: Plan a schedule to consistently produce authoritative content within your niche.
6. Reference Authoritative Sources: Support your claims with data, studies, and references from reliable sources.
7. Encourage Engagement: Foster user engagement through comments and discussions on your content.
8. Ensure Transparency: Disclose affiliations, sponsorships, and potential conflicts of interest.
9. Provide Accurate Information: Regularly update your content to maintain accuracy and relevance.
10. Prioritize Security: Implement strong security measures to protect user data and privacy.
11. Stay Updated: Keep up with industry trends and Google algorithm changes that affect YMYL content.
12. Review Content: Conduct periodic content reviews for accuracy and quality.
13. Peer Reviews: Collaborate with peers for feedback and insights on your content.
14. Improve User Experience – To provide visitors with an effortless browsing experience, provide clear navigation features, and an attractive design to make the experience painless.
15. Mobile Optimization: Optimize your site to be visible on mobile devices.
16. Page Speed: Improve page loading speed for a better user experience and SEO ranking.
17. Structured Data: Implement structured data to enhance search engine understanding of your content.
18. Avoid Clickbait: Craft honest, accurate headlines that reflect the content’s purpose.
19. Minimize Ads: Avoid excessive ads that can detract from the main content and user experience.
20. Monitor Analytics: Regularly analyze user engagement, bounce rates, and traffic sources to refine your strategy.

Ensuring your web content meets Google’s YMYL standards requires a holistic approach prioritizing expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Following these strategies and steps can enhance your online credibility and provide valuable content that genuinely benefits your audience while aligning with Google’s guidelines.

The post What Are ‘Your Money or Your Life’ (YMYL) Webpages? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

“If you build it, they will come.” That mantra may have worked for Kevin Costner in the ‘80s film “Field of Dreams.” But it does not prove true in the SEO world of Google search.

So, what if you have a bunch of old webpages on your site (like on your blog) that aren’t getting much traffic, but they’re still good content? How do you breathe life back into them? Optimize, promote, and repurpose, of course!

This is a topic we tackle in one of our “Ask Us Anything” videos from our SEO training membership site. I’ve posted the video below, and after, I’ll summarize it by showing you some ways you can reanimate your old content and make it perform better for you.

• Optimize it
• Promote it
• Repurpose it
• FAQ: How can I effectively optimize my old content to improve its SEO performance?

1. Optimize It

Review and Update
The first thing you want to do to optimize old content is to bring the information up to date. Are there any old stats that should be updated with new data or guidance that has changed since you wrote it?

Once done, you can republish the article with a new date if you made substantial changes. But if your changes were only minor, I suggest you put an editor’s note at the top of the page stating when the content was last reviewed and updated. That way, if you have dates on your blog, people won’t be turned off by seeing an article that’s three years old, thinking it might be irrelevant.

Remember: Even if you update the article, always keep the content at the same URL because that URL may have built up links and traffic over time. (That is, of course, unless you need to 301 redirect it for some reason.)

Use Tools
Did you optimize your content before you published it last time? Even if you did, there may be some new, missed opportunities. Take some time to understand how you can improve the optimization of the webpage.

One of the best ways to do that is with the use of SEO tools. SEO tools can tell you quickly how you can better optimize a webpage. (Or you can always follow an SEO checklist as well.)

Take, for example, the Single Page Analyzer tool in our SEOToolSet. This tool can analyze your webpage and give you data on:

• Keyword usage and distribution
• Tags and headings
• Linking and anchor text
• Readability
• Any problems with cloaking
• JavaScript rendering
• Mobile-friendliness
• And much more

You could also use our Multi Page Analyzer tool to compare your webpage to your competition in the search results (meaning, the top-ranked pages that you are competing with). This can show you what they’re doing with their optimization, and you can get recommendations for keyword usage.

This is great because in SEO, it’s all about beating the competition, not the algorithm.

Optimize for Featured Snippets
Another way to optimize your content is to think about reorganizing it in a way that allows you to compete for a featured snippet. A featured snippet shows up at the top of Google’s search results. It’s meant to answer a searcher’s query right away.

Also known as “position zero,” it will feature a snippet of your webpage content with a link back to your webpage. And the best part is that it shows up above all the other organic listings.

I give tips on how to optimize for featured snippets in an article I wrote on surprising on-page SEO techniques you may not know about.

2. Promote It

If you have old content that’s performed well in the past, consider promoting it to generate new traffic and buzz.

First, you can share it on your social media channels. Be sure that the promotion of your old content fits seamlessly within your social media schedule, so be strategic. For more, Sendible has an article on how often you should post on social media channels.

And don’t let your social media posts get stale, either. Think about how you can vary the content in your social media updates for each article you are promoting to make it seem new and exciting.

This can be a great way to not only get more visibility and clicks but also fill up your social media calendar.

Second, also consider how you can create fresh links to your updated page from within your own site. Look for related pages, or create new articles on a similar topic, then include a link.

You might also add a “related content” section to your blog pages for more visibility. This can feature posts you want your visitors to read next. You can see how we do that on the Bruce Clay blog:

3. Repurpose It

Another thing you can do to breathe life into old content is to repurpose it into other types of content. This may or may not boost the original webpage, depending on if you link back to it or reference it in some way. Either way, it is another step you can take to make your content work for you.

Think about it: You put in a lot of time and resources to publish that original piece. Why stop there? Get more ROI from your content by using the same topic in various formats.

You might use an old article as:

• Inspiration for a podcast
• Script for a video
• Text for an e-book
• Content for an infographic
• Topic for a webinar
• Seed for a case study — and the list goes on.

In fact, I repurposed the content you’re reading right now from a video we created.

Yet another idea is to use your older article as part of a “roundup” on your blog. A roundup can get old content in front of a new audience while still providing value and generating new ROI.

It may be that your website needs SEO-enlightened content to bring your ROI back to life. If you’d like expert assistance, check out our content services and request a free quote today.

FAQ: How can I effectively optimize my old content to improve its SEO performance?

As the digital landscape evolves, maintaining the relevance and visibility of older web content becomes paramount. Optimizing existing content to maximize its impact can save you money and be an extremely effective means of increasing its value. Revising old posts and making necessary updates will increase SEO performance, and your audience will continue receiving value from it.

Conduct a comprehensive audit of your existing assets to optimize your old content for improved SEO performance. Identify articles, blog posts, or webpages that have the potential to generate value but may be hidden in the depths of your website. This audit will provide you with a clear picture of what content needs attention and how you can strategically approach its optimization.

Updating and refreshing the information within your old content is a crucial step in the optimization process. Verify all data, statistics, and insights are up-to-date and accurate – this increases the credibility of your material and shows search engines that it remains pertinent.

Build an interlinked web of content within your website using internal links. Identify related articles or webpages and incorporate well-placed internal links to guide visitors to other valuable resources. This enhances user experience and signals to search engines that your content offers comprehensive insights on a particular topic.

Converting articles to videos, podcasts, or infographics is an excellent way to add fresh life to your digital assets. By turning an article into something engaging, such as an attractive video or infographic, new life can be breathed into them. Repurposing broadens your content’s reach and caters to diverse audience preferences, boosting engagement and SEO performance.

Optimize your content for featured snippets—the coveted position zero on search engine result pages. Identify common user queries related to your content and structure your information in a concise, clear format that directly answers these queries. By aligning your content with featured snippet requirements, you increase the chances of capturing the attention of search engine users and driving organic traffic to your site.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Optimizing Old Content for Improved SEO Performance

1. Perform a comprehensive audit of your website’s existing content.
2. Identify older content that can be revived and optimized.
3. Update and refresh the information within the identified content pieces.
4. Verify the accuracy of data, statistics, and insights.
5. Implement internal linking strategies to connect related content.
6. Integrate well-placed internal links to guide users to valuable resources.
7. Strategically distribute keywords within the content for SEO enhancement.
8. Repurpose selected old content into new formats, such as videos or infographics.
9. Cater to diverse audience preferences with various content formats.
10. Leverage the power of featured snippets by structuring content to answer common queries.
11. Align content with the requirements for appearing in the featured snippet position.
12. Craft concise, clear responses to user queries within your content.
13. Optimize content headings and subheadings for readability and keyword usage.
14. Implement schema markup to enhance content visibility in search results.
15. Regularly monitor the performance of optimized content using analytics tools.
16. Track changes in search rankings and organic traffic for optimized content.
17. Continuously update and refresh content to maintain relevance over time.
18. Engage with user comments and feedback to address queries and concerns.
19. Share optimized content across relevant social media platforms for increased visibility.
20. Stay updated with evolving SEO trends and algorithm changes for ongoing optimization success.

By following these comprehensive content optimization strategies, you can effectively rejuvenate your old content and witness a significant improvement in SEO performance.

This article was updated on December 19, 2023.   

The post What’s the Best Way to Revive Dead Content and Get New ROI? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

In this article, let’s explore:

• When duplicate content is deceptive
• When your own site duplicates content
• What’s considered duplicate content?
• FAQ: How does duplicate content affect my website’s search engine rankings?

To start, it’s important to understand there are two types of duplicate content:

1. Duplicate content involving webpages on your site only
2. Duplicate content involving webpages on your site and other sites

When Duplicate Content is Deceptive

Let’s start with the deceptive type of duplicate content.

If you have content on your site that is duplicated on other sites, it lowers the quality of your website. That’s true even if you didn’t intend to deceive the search engines. Why would your pages rank if they’re pretty much the same as hundreds of other pages?

Worse, copied content could be seen as deceptive. That definitely can harm your search engine rankings. While Google does not have a “duplicate content penalty” per se, the search engine reserves the right to remove your pages from its index altogether.

In a help file, Google states:

Duplicate content on a site is not grounds for action on that site unless it appears that the intent of the duplicate content is to be deceptive and manipulate search engine results. … if our review indicated that you engaged in deceptive practices and your site has been removed from our search results, review your site carefully.

This usually happens when a website has scraped content. Some examples of scraped content, per Google, include:

• Sites that copy and republish content from other sites without adding any original content or value
• Sites that copy content from other sites, modify it slightly (for example, by substituting synonyms or using automated techniques), and republish it
• Sites that reproduce content feeds from other sites without providing some type of unique organization or benefit to the user

When Your Own Site Duplicates Content

Now let’s turn to a common problem for many: duplicate content within the website. If you have duplicate content within your site, it is not considered deceptive. And your site won’t suffer a Google penalty or be in danger of removal.

To support that, let’s go back to the Google help file referenced earlier, which says:

Duplicate content on a site is not grounds for action on that site unless it appears that the intent of the duplicate content is to be deceptive and manipulate search engine results.

Google’s John Mueller discusses duplicate content in this video, saying it’s not a negative ranking factor:

However, duplicate content on your site can still impact rankings. When you have duplicate content on your website, Google may filter out some of your webpages from the search results. Filtered means they won’t rank.

Here’s how that works: When Google is presented with two webpages that appear to be too similar in content, Google picks the page it believes to be the best for that query and leaves the other page out of the results.

And the page that Google picks may or may not be the page that you want showing up in the search results for a particular keyword.

In the video above, Mueller confirms:

“With that kind of duplicate content it’s not so much that there’s a negative score associated with it. It’s more that, if we find exactly the same information on multiple pages on the web, and someone searches specifically for that piece of information, then we’ll try to find the best matching page.

So if you have the same content on multiple pages then we won’t show all of these pages. We’ll try to pick one of them and show that. So it’s not that there’s any negative signal associated with that. In a lot of cases that’s kind of normal that you have some amount of shared content across some of the pages.”

Another way duplicate content can impact your site is by lowering the overall quality of the site. Having 1 million faceted search pages certainly lowers rankings. Is it a penalty if an algorithm determines you are low quality? I would argue yes.

So, What’s Considered Duplicate Content?

Google defines duplicate content as:

Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar.

Reputable sites are not engaged in scraping, so most website publishers create duplicate content inadvertently. A long list of issues could result in duplicate content, so it’s worth understanding.

Duplicate content can be a result of common issues such as:

• Two site versions
• A separate mobile site
• Trailing slashes on URLs
• CMS problems
• Meta information duplication
• Similar content
• Boilerplate content
• Parameterized pages
• Product descriptions
• Content syndication

To learn more, read our in-depth duplicate content article to understand how to handle each of these root causes.

So, to sum up: Is duplicate content bad for search engine rankings? In most cases, yes. If you care about having better control over which webpages rank in Google, then you’ll want to ensure that the content on your website is original.

Our team of experts provides content services and SEO consulting to help improve your search rankings. Reach out to us today for a free estimate.

FAQ: How does duplicate content affect my website’s search engine rankings?

Duplicate content—the presence of identical or substantially similar content across multiple website pages—can significantly influence how search engines evaluate and rank your web pages. This issue stems from search engines’ commitment to delivering diverse and relevant user results. When search engines detect identical content, they grapple with deciding which version to show in search results, often leading to unfavorable outcomes for your rankings.

Google and other search engines prioritize unique, high-quality content that provides value to users. Duplicate content, however, dilutes this commitment by fragmenting the relevance and originality of your content across various pages. Consequently, search engines might choose to rank a single version of your content, relegating duplicates to lower positions or excluding them altogether. This dilution can thwart your efforts to secure prominent search engine rankings and reduce the visibility of your website.

Beyond these direct ranking concerns, duplicate content can also lead to missed opportunities for link consolidation. Inbound links are vital for SEO, as they signify the authority and credibility of your website. When identical content exists on multiple pages, these valuable links might get dispersed among various versions rather than accumulating to bolster the authority of a single, consolidated page. This decentralized link equity can hinder your overall SEO strategy and hinder your website’s ability to compete effectively in search results.

To address these issues, consider implementing these expert insights. First, conduct regular content audits to identify and consolidate duplicate content. Utilize canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page to search engines. Additionally, focus on crafting compelling, original content that provides unique value to your audience. Investing in creating engaging and informative material can mitigate the risks of duplicate content and strengthen your website’s search engine rankings.

Duplicate content poses a substantial threat to your website’s search engine rankings. By understanding the intricacies of this issue and adopting strategic measures, you can enhance your website’s visibility, authority, and overall performance in search engine results.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Address Duplicate Content for Improved Search Engine Rankings

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Content Audit: Identify duplicate content on your website using specialized tools or manual analysis.
2. Prioritize Quality Content Creation: Focus on generating original, valuable content that caters to your target audience’s needs.
3. Implement Canonical Tags: Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page, helping search engines understand your content hierarchy.
4. Consolidate Similar Pages: Merge pages with duplicate content into a single authoritative page to concentrate link equity and improve rankings.
5. Use 301 Redirects: If necessary, set up 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the preferred page version.
6. Utilize URL Parameters: Leverage URL parameters to ensure dynamic content variations are not mistaken for duplicates.
7. Employ Noindex Tags: For non-essential duplicate pages, use noindex tags to prevent search engines from indexing them.
8. Syndicate Carefully: If syndicating content, use canonical tags or noindex tags to specify the original content source.
9. Optimize Product Descriptions: E-commerce websites should craft unique product descriptions to evade common duplicate content issues.
10. Create Authoritative Backlinks: Earn high-quality backlinks to the preferred version of your content to bolster its authority.
11. Regularly Monitor Indexing: Keep tabs on how search engines index your pages and make necessary adjustments.
12. Leverage Google Search Console: Utilize this tool to identify and rectify duplicate content issues Google encounters.
13. Prioritize User Experience: Design your website intuitively, ensuring users can easily navigate to the desired content.
14. Utilize 404 and 410 Status Codes: Properly handle pages that are no longer relevant by using appropriate status codes.
15. Educate Your Team: If you have content contributors, educate them about duplicate content risks and prevention techniques.
16. Stay Updated: Keep abreast of search engine algorithm changes to adapt your strategy accordingly.
17. Engage in Guest Posting Carefully: If guest posting, ensure the content is exclusive and not duplicated across multiple websites.
18. Regularly Review Syndication Partners: If you syndicate content, verify that your partners follow best practices to avoid duplication.
19. Utilize Webmaster Guidelines: Follow search engine guidelines for best practices to maintain healthy SEO practices.
20. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously monitor your website’s performance, rankings, and duplicate content issues, adjusting your strategy as needed.

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