Without good SEO practices, your content will miss out on the possibilities of earning traffic and leads through organic user searches.
The opposite, bad SEO, will make readers and Google look a little like Steve Carrell in this scene in the 2014 movie, Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day:
Not good.
That’s why, this April, I presented a webinar for Search Engine Journal on the top seven bad SEO tactics to abandon forever – ones that are dragging down your search rankings, confusing users (see above photo), and leaving your content in the dust.
We had an amazing turnout for this webinar. Over 300 people tuned in live!
For those who missed it, or those who want the highlights, keep reading – I’m recapping the major points, here, too. ✔
Before we get into the bad SEO tactics and practices people are still using, we need to answer one question…
[bctt tweet=”Get your own content marketing all geared up for the ROI you’ve been waiting for with the help of good SEO. Watch @JuliaEMcCoy’s @sejournal webinar about the 7 Do Not’s of #SEO in 2019″ username=”ExpWriters”]
Why Does SEO and Google Matter?
Two reasons:
1. Most Internet Users Rely on Google
About half of the world’s population uses the internet. That’s no joke. Of those internet-users, about 60% begin their browsing with a Google search.
Most web traffic comes from Google, and Google is all about that end-user. From their Search Engine Evaluator Guidelines to their Webmaster Central Blog, the user experience takes center stage. When your SEO and website experience tick off human users, you tick off Google, simultaneously.
Therefore, good SEO practices are all about keeping users and Google happy. The better you do, the more highly you will be ranked in search (and loved by users!).
With that out of the way, let’s get into the bad SEO tactics that will make your two most important audience members (humans and Google) confused, annoyed, and fed-up.
[bctt tweet=”SEO-focused content marketing has powered our own organic marketing at Express Writers for years. Know why SEO matters with @JuliaEMcCoy’s @sejournal webinar about the 7 Do Not’s of #SEO in 2019″ username=”ExpWriters”]
7 Just-Plain-BAD SEO Tactics You Shouldn’t Be Using Anymore
1. Using Your Target Keyword the Wrong Way
An outdated SEO practice we need to do away with is targeting one keyword per page – especially similar or semantically related keywords.
Instead, it’s better to target both focus keywords and secondary, related keywords in the same piece of content. This will align your SEO strategy with modern semantic search, which is what Google is focusing on moving into the future.
Semantic search looks at a page’s overarching topic vs. individual keywords to determine whether it’s relevant to a user’s search query.
On the right side of this diagram, each keyword is targeted individually. A better SEO practice is to target related terms like these within the same piece (left).
Using a focus keyword + variations, related terms, and synonyms all within the same high-quality content piece signals to Google AND users that the page is topically relevant to the search query.
2. Developing Thin Content That Doesn’t Go the Distance
Short, thin content pieces are not SEO-worthy. If you want a page to rank, you need longer, in-depth content.
How do we know? Look at the data: From BuzzSumo’s analysis of over 100 million articles, long-form content (over 3,000 words) was most-shared. A Backlinko study came to the same conclusion – long-form content = higher search rankings.
To write longer content, focus on answering the user’s question(s) thoroughly and deep-dive into your topic.
3. Posting Content Whenever You Feel Like It
You can’t post content erratically if you want to rank higher in search. Many studies have shown that consistently publishing high-quality content leads to more ranking opportunities.
For one example, a HubSpot benchmark study found that companies that posted over 16x/month earned the most traffic and leads.
That doesn’t mean you need to start blogging like a madman (or madperson), though. If you push out tons of posts but your quality sucks, you still won’t get anywhere. That leads us to bad SEO tactic #4…
4. Focusing on Quantity Vs. Quality
Pushing out blog posts just to get them on the web is never a good idea for SEO. Quality matters more than quantity for rankings and readership.
If you can’t feasibly publish fantastic blog posts on a consistent basis (say, 2-3x/week), cut back. One amazing post per week or month is better than 3 mediocre or crappy ones.
Tip: Check out the top 5 search results for your focus keyword in Google. Try to create a post that’s better than anything in that top 5.
5. Publishing Duplicate Content
According to SEMrush, a study of over 100,000 articles showed the most common SEO error is something we can all easily avoid: duplicate content. Nearly 66% of the articles in the study suffered from this problem.
It happens when multiple pages appear very similar or match 100%. Usually, this is unintentional, but some people do plagiarize content. Either way, you will be penalized.
Luckily, this mistake is easy to avoid. Do it by running all of your content through Copyscape before publishing. Rewrite any pages that have a percentage match.
6. Using Shady Tactics like Link Buying
If you really want to get on the wrong side of Google, link schemes and link buying are the way to do it.
Google specifically states in their quality guidelines that “Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site’s ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.”
If you violate those guidelines, bet on getting de-ranked faster than you can say “blackhat SEO”.
Instead of trying to sneak your way onto the SERPs, make every piece of content you publish link-worthy. Then, amplify that content using every resource in your power (social media, email marketing, networking, and connections).
[bctt tweet=”Make every piece of content you publish link-worthy. @JuliaEMcCoy #SEO” username=”ExpWriters”]
7. Not Paying Attention to Customer Reviews (or Posting Fake Reviews)
70% of online consumers read reviews of a product or company before buying. If you’re forgetting or ignoring the customer review portion of SEO – why?!
Some marketers go in the opposite direction and resort to posting fake reviews to boost their reputation. (Did you know The Washington Post discovered 61% of electronics reviews on Amazon are fake? Yikes.) It’s not like this works, though. Review platforms are becoming more advanced at sniffing out and deleting fake reviews.
Fake reviews aren’t necessary if you know how to earn glowing ones from customers. A few tips:
Ask happy customers to review you on the platform that contributes most to building your reputation (social media, Google review, Yelp review, etc.).
Seek customer reviews when they’re super happy with your business. Say you exceeded their expectations or delivered a quality product early – those are prime moments to ask.
Offer free samples to influencers and ask them for an honest review in return. This works especially well if you have a feature-worthy product.
Online reviews are a big part of building your reputation and authority. Seek them out from happy customers instead of resorting to fakery.
Turn to the Light: Good SEO Practices Are Worth It
Outdated, blackhat, or downright lazy SEO practices will make human users and Google shun your site like it has the plague.
What you really want is a site and content that shine like a beacon, beckoning and welcoming users with the warm glow of usefulness, quality, depth, and insight.
Look at what we’ve achieved at Express Writers, for example. 99% of our leads and revenue have come to us through our SEO content.
That’s what good SEO helps you achieve. Avoid the bad stuff and focus on the good for best results. Come back into the light!
What’s one way to make sure your content gets search engine-indexed, ranked, and, ultimately, discovered by users in your target niche?
I’m sure you already know the answer from the headline – you need SEO keywords.
More importantly, you need to know how to find SEO keywords.
Why? Because the benefits are incredible.
When you target the right keywords and use them to optimize your amazing content:
You’ll start ranking for those keywords.
You’ll hit desirable top spots in the SERPS.
You’ll drive much more profitable traffic to your website.
Take a look at this chart from Ignite Visibility that shows how much your click-through rate increases as you climb into the top 5 spots on Google for a keyword. When you hit #1, your CTR makes a huge leap from 13.32% to 20.5%.
More clicks and more profitable traffic will lead to:
Leads
Conversions
Followers
Sales
Unicorns and rainbows (not literally, but you’ll FEEL just as magical as these things – like you’re an SEO wizard)
In essence, you’re building content people want to find.
It’s an investment for your future.
So, how do you find the right ones that will amount to traffic boosts, lead boosts, and conversion boosts?
I’m going to show you, step-by-step, using two of my favorite tools for keyword research and discovery (KWFinder by Mangools, and SEMrush).
Let’s do this.
How to Find the Right SEO Keywords for Your Online Content in SEMrush
The right keywords are ones that give you opportunities to break into the rankings – and maybe even climb past all the other results to hit that coveted #1 position.
These high-opportunity keywords all follow a specific formula. Usually, they:
Are specific (A.K.A. long tail keywords)
Have low search competition (don’t confuse this metric with keyword difficulty – competition shows how many advertisers are bidding to show up in paid spots in results for the keyword)
Have relatively high search volume (people are actually typing them into Google)
Have low keyword difficulty (a score that rates how hard it is to rank for a keyword)
Most keyword tools have their own method for calculating difficulty scores. For example, here’s how KWFinder does it:
If this is a lot to take in, I get it. These criteria seem like a lot to juggle at first.
But that’s what I’m sharing today – I’m answering the ultimate question:
How do you find SEO keywords that fit ALL of these factors?
Let’s see what that process looks like in SEMrush.
1. Start with a Relevant, Broad Search Term with Potential
To narrow down keywords in SEMrush, start by searching for a keyword you think has potential.
For example, if I sell graphic t-shirts in my online store, I would research the term “graphic t-shirts.”
As you can see, this keyword has an average organic search volume of 6.6K searches per month. But, check out the competition.
We’re looking at .93.
That’s almost 100% competition, which means you’re up against tough luck.
Another thing to consider is that even though you may net many of these numbers in search volume, few will be qualified to buy. The search term is too broad: They’re probably at the early stages in the buying cycle, and haven’t made a decision on what to buy yet. So, this traffic potential is useless for your bottom line.
For even more proof, when I plug “graphic t-shirts” into Keyword Explorer, it rates 44 on a difficulty scale of 1-100. In general, scoring 50 or above means it’s impossible to rank for the phrase.
While this ranks below 50, it’s a best practice to only use keywords that rank at 40 or below. Lower difficulty = lower competition = higher ROI.
So, we’ve ruled out using this keyword in our SEO. We need to get more specific to find a better option.
We need a long-tail keyword.
2. Use Your Broad Term as a Root, and Go Long Tail
“Graphic t shirts” is too broad. How do we make this root keyword more specific?
We add to it.
Let’s try “women’s graphic t shirts.”
The search volume is 5.4K for this one. That’s better but still too high. Let’s look at the “related keywords” to see if there’s an option with lower competition.
“Women’s graphic tee shirts” has an average monthly search volume of 210. I would need to do a little more research on keyword difficulty and brand competition, but this could be a good option for SEO.
3. Dig Deeper – Check Keyword Difficulty and Search Volume
To dig deeper, I could click on “View full report” to view all the related keyword possibilities. Then I could sort them by keyword difficulty and search volume to find my sweet spot.
The sweet spot, where a keyword is balanced between low keyword difficulty, low competition, and high search volume, is ultimately what you’re looking for.
Tip: Use More Than One Tool to Find Great SEO Keywords (How to Use KWFinder)
One of my number one tips for how to find SEO keywords is to NEVER rely on one tool exclusively.
Instead, use multiple tools to double-check your research and compare how each tool rates keyword difficulty, measures search volume, and more.
Here’s what I mean:
In SEMrush, “women’s graphic tee shirts” looks like a solid SEO keyword option with high potential.
To make sure I’m on the right track, I’m going to turn to another one of my favorite SEO tools, KWFinder, to double-check.
As you can see, KWFinder gives this keyword a difficulty rating of 37, or “still easy.”
Plus, the search volume is 260/month, but many of those searchers could be in a later stage of the buyer’s journey.
There’s definitely potential here.
Now that I’ve double-checked the results for this keyword, I’m 101% confident I can use it in my content advantageously.
How to Find SEO Keywords: Research, Research, Research
To find profitable, high-ROI keywords that can net you fantastic results, you need to dig in and do the research.
These keywords are not going to fall out of the sky and into your lap. You won’t magically come up with them through brainstorming, either.
For the best results, you have to make sure the keywords you use are backed up with data.
Look at the numbers (keyword difficulty, search volume, and competition) and try to find the best balance of all three metrics for every keyword you go after.
This is the road to help your content not only hit the SERPs but also climb to the top of page one.
It’s not magic; it’s just smart, consistent, and sometimes grueling research.
Do the work, learn as you go, and that SERP mountain won’t seem so daunting anymore.
If you’re in the online writing or content marketing business, you may have heard the words SEO and SEM thrown around.
You may have even casually sprinkled them into conversation yourself while quietly panicking at the thought of someone asking you to explain further.
SEO and SEM are common marketing terms, but does anyone really know what they mean?
First things first, SEO and SEM do not mean the same thing.
Let’s clarify that now so that you don’t use them interchangeably. Both SEO and SEM aim to increase a website’s visibility.
One of the main differences, however, is that SEM includes more paid search tactics while SEO is a process of using organic techniques to build credibility for search engines.
That clarifies things, right?
Not so fast.
Let’s dive in to today’s topic.
What is SEO?
SEO is defined as search engine optimization. It is a process that uses various techniques to make a webpage rank higher in search results. Increasing your search ranking will also increase the traffic to your site.
Basically, great SEO = more visitors = more customers = more sales.
Google is constantly changing their algorithm, so it is a task to keep up with the best search engine trends. Unlike the quick return of some paid SEM tactics, SEO takes patience. It is a steady process that shows progress with time.
Main Components of SEO
SEO is comprised of two main components: on-site optimization and off-site optimization. These are also referred to as on-page and off-page.
Some on-page optimization tactics include:
Keyword incorporation into titles, headers, meta descriptions and content
Creating high quality blog posts and page copy
Optimizing page load speed by resizing embedded photos
Formatting proper URLs
Some off-page optimization tactics include:
Back-linking, or having other authoritative sites link back to your webpage
Posting on social media
Managing local listings
All of these strategies establish your site as a credible source in the eyes of a search engine. While SEO is a more organic way to optimize your site, it still takes hard work and expert knowledge to utilize the full benefits.
What is SEM?
SEM refers to search engine marketing. This type of online marketing involves both organic and paid strategies to optimize a site. SEO can be thought of as one component of SEM, but in a larger sense, search engine marketing is working to drive traffic to your site immediately.
(Now, SEM is something I’ve never personally used at Express Writers. Instead, we use foundational inbound marketing and do things like publish 1,000 blogs to bring in our leads.)
If your boss is looking for a quick boost in website analytics, paid search engine campaigns could be the way to go.
Some paid SEM strategies include:
PPC (Pay-per-click) listings and advertising campaigns
Ad campaigns designed to reach a target demographic
Hiring a copywriter to create relevant ad copy using selective keywords
Managing metrics like impressions, cost per click and click-through rates
The most popular SEM strategy is pay-per-click campaigns (PPC).
You’ve probably come across these ads without even realizing what they are for.
PPC is just fancy terminology for paid search results. Search engines like Google sell ad placement to the highest bidder. These ads will show up first when someone searches for matching keywords. It’s likely they’ll click the ad just because it’s the first thing they see. Honestly, who goes past the first page of search results on Google?
Every time the ad is clicked, the business pays a fee to the search engine.
Just try it. I searched “tires in Austin” to look for places to replace my flat tire. At the very top of the list there’s an ad for Good Year Auto Service. I click, they pay.
This type of targeted marketing helps increase your site’s visibility in a shorter amount of time. But it must always be turned on, like a faucet, with revenue – without revenue, it shuts off.
Rules to Follow for SEO and SEM
Maybe you’ve started a website without even considering online marketing strategies. Don’t rush to change everything just yet! The ins and outs of these terms can feel overwhelming but you’ve probably incorporated some key components without even trying. One major part of ranking high in search engine results is creating high quality content. Everything else is icing on the cake.
The Do’s of SEO
Develop a content strategy before writing and posting content
Focus on engaging, well-written and high quality content
Include links back to your website
Research keywords and incorporate them naturally
Insert links to credible and original sources
Find your voice and have a consistent tone throughout your site
Include a call to action (CTA) that is relevant to your brand
Incorporate photos, videos and GIFs that are labeled for reuse and resized to optimize the page’s loading time
Customize your meta descriptions to speak to someone searching for your content
The Don’ts of SEO
Avoid keyword stuffing. Don’t overuse your keyword in a way that negatively affects readability
Pay for links. They usually do not add value to your content
Repeat the same content or use the same titles and meta descriptions for different articles
Pay attention to A/B testing to figure out what ad copy is most effective
The Don’ts of SEM
Forget to utilize ad extensions to make it easier for customers to interact with your site
Write content for only one group of people. Instead, write different content for different demographics
Use excessive punctuation. Capitalizing every letter or adding extra exclamation points doesn’t emphasize your point. It just comes off as irritating
Where Should I Start?
Now that you know the difference between SEO and SEM, the first thing to do is to use terms correctly. You can even bring up the topic at a dinner party. Okay, maybe don’t go that far. At least you will no longer be confused.
The next step is to figure out how to implement SEO and SEM strategies to optimize your website.
If you already have a website you can start adding new content that incorporates keywords, links and calls to action. If you haven’t set up a website yet, now you have the guidelines to start building the most successful one yet.
We conducted a poll a while back to see which topics our participants were interested in. One of the topics that came out on top was Content Marketing SEO, so we made it the choice for this week.
Q1: How do content marketing and SEO work together? And why is it important to utilize both?
To kick off the chat, we asked everyone to share how content marketing and SEO go hand-in-hand and why both are important for content creators. Here are a few responses:
A1) They work hand-in-hand. If you spend a lot of time on one, but not the other, then your content suffers. If you rock both of them out, you will see ridiculous returns!#ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/wcYnBBVKjV
— Jason Schemmel – Podcaster. Speaker. #GSDChat?️ (@JasonSchemmel) December 12, 2017
Jason knows that if you spend more time on one or the other, your content is going to suffer. It’s important to implement both content marketing and SEO if you want to see major results online.
A1: They work together like peanut butter and jelly — they’re complimentary! You need both because they work together to improve each other.#ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/JuKtBudPeS
As Sarah said, they work together to improve each other.
A1: Content marketing & SEO are like PB & jelly! They complement each other. Good content isn’t worth as much if it isn’t well optimized for your audience to find it. #ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/EQy9UxDXRc
— Julia McCoy | Author. CEO. Content Educator (@JuliaEMcCoy) December 12, 2017
Julia said you can’t have high-ROI without a firm strategy and knowledge on how to use both.
A1: Content marketing and SEO work together by amplifying one another. You need great content and people seeing that content. SEO is a great way to get in front of people who are looking for a solution to their problems. #ContentWritingChat
You need great content and you need people to actually discover it. That’s why content marketing SEO is so crucial these days.
Q2: What are some tips to help you create content that truly resonates with your audience?
No matter what, it’s so important that your audience enjoys your content. To create content they’ll want to read and share, here’s what you need to know:
A2: Get to know your audience first. Find out what information they want to learn about. If you don’t know them, you can’t be helpful to them. #ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/CcHvaXVOae
As Lexie said, it’s important to get to know your audience first. They will guide you when it comes to creating content they enjoy.
A2: Create content with your audience in mind. Your audience is the boss so always pay attention to what they’re talking about and what makes them tick. Use this information and channel it into your content strategy. #contentwritingchat
Cheval knows that listening to your audience is so important if you want to create amazing content.
A2: Listen. You need to see what your audience responds to, what they comment on, what they talk about, what they email you about, etc. Then deliver on that consistently. #ContentWritingChat
Amanda also said listening is crucial. You can see what your audience responds to, what they comment on, what they talk about, and so much more. That can help guide the direction of your content.
A2: Your audience is your compass. They’ll point your content creation in the direction that it needs to go. Always pay attn. to their topics of interest and be willing to pivot your strategy to accommodate them. #contentwritingchat
When you pay attention to your audience, the answers will follow. Don’t be afraid to tweak your strategy to best suit them and their needs.
a2 Start with knowing your audience persona – then provide content that showcases your expertise, authority, trustworthiness & how you can help. #contentwritingchat
Debi knows it’s important to share content that showcases your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
A2: Pay attention to your Analytics: what’s grabbing their attention/converting them already? Expound upon those subjects and milk them for what they’re worth! Do more of what’s working.#ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/7lUGj80ka4
Sarah suggests looking at your analytics. You can see what is grabbing their attention and earning conversions. Do more of what’s working to maximize your results.
If you’re feeling stuck for ideas, ask them! Danielle suggested surveying your audience to see what appeals to them. After all, they’re the best source to ask.
A2: Answer questions people are actually asking about topics relevant to your business/product/service. https://t.co/6nmT8gvegf is a helpful tool for this! #ContentWritingChat
Make sure you’re answering questions people are asking. You want to deliver on an actual need that’s related to your business.
A2: Take a look at what your target audience is talking about – use platforms such as @Quora to find the most common questions in your niche, and tools like @BuzzSumo to understand what kind of content works better.#ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/y1a9ccYUal
What is your target audience already talking about? Andrea suggests using tools like Quora or BuzzSumo to see what their conversations are centered around. This will give you a great starting point for your next piece of content.
A2: Listen to your audience and check out industry trends. That way you know what’s current (industry trends) and how to solve your audience’s problems. #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/9xiWBHF40N
Don’t forget to also check out industry trends. It can be very beneficial to talk about the hot topics of the moment.
A2) Use #Empathy! Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. What pain points do they have? What information do they wish they had? What problems can you solve?
Answer questions like those and watch your content soar!#ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/mptdxoLo3C
— Jason Schemmel – Podcaster. Speaker. #GSDChat?️ (@JasonSchemmel) December 12, 2017
Jason made a great point about putting yourself in your audience’s shoes. Figure out their pain points and what kind of information they’d like to have. Then, all you have to do is create it!
Q3: Does consistency matter to SEO when it comes to how often you post on your blog? If so, how often do you write new content?
Does it really matter how often you blog? Is there a magic number of posts you should be publishing each week? Check out this advice:
A3 Consistency is HUGE to SEO. If you go off schedule by a drastic amount, your rankings can and will drop (@hubspot did a study on this once). I always hit a goal of one long-form, comprehensive, SEO optimized piece / weekly. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy | Author. CEO. Content Educator (@JuliaEMcCoy) December 12, 2017
A3 On the flip side of consistency, NEVER published rushed or low quality.
Quality > consistency, but, remember you have to show up consistently to see results. Just be sure to never overcommit yourself. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy | Author. CEO. Content Educator (@JuliaEMcCoy) December 12, 2017
Julia knows that consistency is huge. You don’t want to drastically cut back on the amount of content you’re producing because your rankings can suffer as a result. However, you also shouldn’t publish somethings that’s rushed or low quality. You need both quality and consistency in order to succeed.
A3: Consistency doesn’t have nearly the effect that QUALITY does. You can blog every day but it probably won’t matter, vs spending a lot of time/effort/research on one post that’s stellar.#ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/pYDydCXPRy
Sarah also knows how important quality is. No one wants to read fluff content. They want something that’s truly going to provide value.
A3: Google likes unique content, so if you are continuing to update your blog on a regular basis you’re helping provide unique content, which can be helpful for SEO. BUT that content still needs to be quality. Quality > quantity always. #ContentWritingChat
Publishing regularly is great, but it’s only worthwhile if you’re publishing something that’s high-quality.
A3: I think consistency helps to a point. No one wants to follow a blogger or writer with a super inconsistent schedule. Define consistency on your own terms, though. Consistency could mean once a week, once a month, etc. #ContentWritingChat
As Amanda pointed out, no one really wants to follow a blogger who isn’t consistent. Create a schedule that’s actually manageable for you and stick with it. That way, your audience will always know when to expect a new post.
Q4: What is one SEO tip more people should know and implement in their content creation?
Is there an SEO tip you wish more people would use? Our chat participants shared some great advice! Check it out:
More people need to learn how to effective conduct keyword research for their content.
A4: If I can only pick one…I’d say to be sure to know how to tastefully use keywords in content. Keyword stuffing is still very much a problem. #ContentWritingChat
Lexie’s advice is to tastefully use keywords within your content. You don’t want to fill your posts with keywords in a way that’s unnatural. It’ll turn off your readers.
A4: Pick a keyword and literally use it for everything; in the URL of the post, in a image/tag, in the title, mention it multiple times in your content etc. #contentwritingchat
Once you have your chosen keyword, you need to sprinkle it in a few key places throughout your blog post. Use it in the URL, image alt tags, the post title, meta description, etc.
A4. Headlines are crucial. Make them interesting and use rich keywords. This also includes sub-headers – both show up in the search results. #SEO#ContentWritingChat
A great headline makes all the difference! Include your focus keyword and make sure it’s something that intrigues people enough to click.
A4: Every single time you write a new piece of content, LINK TO IT from somewhere else on your website. Internal links are a **huge** part of SEO.#ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/HERFtImp8l
Sarah said you need to link to your new content somewhere else on your site. Internal linking is a big deal for SEO!
A4: Alt text for images. When uploading images, give it a descriptive title so that viewers know what it is even when the image doesn’t load. Unclaimed images don’t help build credibility. #ContentWritingChat
Don’t forget to give your images a description by adding alt text. It helps to make your images searchable.
A4: Use an SEO plugin on your WordPress site and for all content: fill in your metadata title/headline (55 characters and spaces max) and descriptions (150 characters and spaces max) so they show up the way you want on search engine pages. #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/7fkX0uBx73
You can also use an SEO plugin to help. Yoast is a great one for this if you’re on WordPress.
Q5: How has SEO changed over the years? Is there a tactic you used to use, but have ditched in recent times?
There are a number of old SEO tactics that are no longer acceptable to use. You’ll want to make sure you stay clear of them! Here are a few our chat participants have ditched:
A5: Whew. It’s changed SO much. Used to be you could rank a blank page! Or you could keyword stuff a page to rank it.
Ranking blank pages and keyword stuffing are things of the past in the world of content marketing SEO.
A5 SEO has evolved into something that is more optimization, and less FOCUS.
The focus should be on your reader, and the quality of your content, first.
Always perform up-to-date keyword research to find new opportunities – then, create your BEST content. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy | Author. CEO. Content Educator (@JuliaEMcCoy) December 12, 2017
Julia said the focus should be on your reader and the quality of your content.
a5 SEO has changed a lot – yet stayed the same. We used to KW stuff, we wrote content for engines not ppl, some tried cloaking or doorway pages. Not Allowed. Yes #SEO has evolved. #contentwritingchat
Keyword stuffing, doorway pages, and cloaking… These won’t fly anymore.
A5: One of the biggest changes is related to link building. Previously, getting links from any site was beneficial, but not anymore. Sites you get links from need to be quality. Quality > quantity goes for content and links. #ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/kWM1HUz3U4
Lexie said link building has changed in recent times. It’s important to get quality backlinks from reputable sites, as opposed to getting them from any old site.
A5: I’m still sticking to “standard” #SEO techniques (HTML, long-tail keywords, link building, etc.), but I think this new age, with more emphasis on visuals, video, voice search and virtual assistants will require new ways to optimize our websites#ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/kXr2bO8HLx
Make sure you’re always staying updated with the changes Google makes to their algorithm.
Q6: How do you know if your content is performing well? Are there certain metrics you like to track?
Once you’ve published a piece of content, it’s important to track how it’s performing. Metrics you’ll want to keep an eye on include:
A6: You have to consider your end goal. Is it sales, comments, email subscribers, ad clicks, or even simple page views? Once you know the end goal of your content you will better be able to see if a piece is doing well. #ContentWritingChat
What’s your end goal for your content? As Amanda knows, that’s what really matters because it’ll help you choose the right metrics to focus on. You might be looking for sales, comments, email subscribers, or something else.
A6: The easiest way is ask yourself a question “Is my audience responding to this piece?”. It is all about the audience. Write for the audience. If they are not engaging with the content, try something new! #contentwritingchat
Is your audience responding to the content? You want to know that what you’ve created is actually resonating with them.
A6: Is your content sustaining attention from the right audience? Return website visits, deeper site exploration, spike in traffic from a targeted ABM account. #ContentWritingChat
Are you attracting attention from the right audience? It’s not doing you any good if you’re attracting all the wrong people.
A6:
Avg. time on the page. Are they reading?
Click through rates. Are they navigating to other pages in your site?
Heat maps. Are they moving where you want them to?
Event clicks. Are they hitting the right buttons?
Social. Do they like, comment, and share? #ContentWritingChat
Average time on site, click-through rates, and heat maps are just a few things you may want to watch.
A6: Keep an eye on traffic to site and to the specific blog page, time on site, unique visitors to page. As of late, we’ve been taking a look at behavior flow charts to see how visitors move through our site. #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/YVIV9ST2ov
Website traffic and email responses are just a couple metrics Devin likes to track.
A6. Monitor the metrics like bounce rate, shares, views, likes, comments, and find out which content works and which is not then analyze what went wrong then implement! #ContentWritingChat
Bounce rate, shares, comments, and more! These are all things any content creator may be on the lookout for.
A6 Time on site (low bounce rate). Chats opened and started (if you have a live chat). Sales inquiries. Conversions. Make that $.
If you’re not sparking ROI conversations, analyze your content and your industry/your reader with a fresh perspective. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy | Author. CEO. Content Educator (@JuliaEMcCoy) December 12, 2017
Julia suggests tracking things like time on site, chats started for those running live chats, sales inquiries, and conversions.
Q7: Do you have any tools you rely on to create amazing, search engine-optimize content?
There are plenty of tools you can use to help with content marketing SEO. Which ones are the favorites among our chat participants? Check out these suggestions:
A few of Carla’s favorites include Content Marketing Institute and Medium.
A8: Searching hashtags on social media sites is a great way to see other professionals advice and ideas about content marketing & SEO. #ContentWritingChat
Twitter chats, blogs, and Google searches are all great, but sometimes it helps to just have a conversation with people in your industry.
Join us for the next #ContentWritingChat! The fun happens every Tuesday at 10 AM Central Time over on Twitter! You can follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat for all the latest.
Have you ever conducted an SEO audit for your website? If not, you should! However, if you’ve never done one before, you might be wondering how to get started… If you’re in that boat, there’s no need to worry! That’s exactly what we talked about in this week’s #ContentWritingChat.
And as always, our participants had some amazing advice to share. If you’re ready to turn your website into one that Google loves, keep reading for the valuable tips!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Conduct an SEO Audit for Your Website with Lexie Kimball of Netvantage Marketing
Our guest host this week was Lexie Kimball of Netvantage Marketing. Lexie is their account manager and she really knows her stuff when it comes to SEO! As a frequent #ContentWritingChat participant, it was great having her step into a guest hosting role.
Q1: Share the basic process you go through for an on-site SEO audit.
If you’ve never conducted an SEO audit before, you’ll need to know where to begin. To help you out, our chat participants shared some essential steps the process includes. Here’s what you need to know:
A1: The first step of an audit is keyword research. We use that keyword research for page titles, metas & body copy. #contentwritingchat
Lexie’s first step in conducting an SEO audit is keyword research. As she mentioned, the chosen keyword for a piece of content goes in page titles, meta descriptions, and body copy. The team at Netvantage also does a technical audit of the website to locate any red flags.
A1: In a nutshell: Discussion with client, keyword research, on-site recommendations, implementation of changes. #contentwritingchat
Michael, also from the Netvantage team, knows that chatting with your client first is a must. It’s important to understand their business and needs. He then suggestions moving on to keyword research, on-site recommendations, and implementation of changes.
It’s also important to have an understanding of your goals/your client’s goals and who the target audience is. From there, you can create an effective plan.
A1 FIRST step: Talk to your client and outline solid KPIs you’re judging content by when auditing. #ContentWritingChat
For Julia, she feels talking to the client is the first step. This allows you to outline solid KPIs you’re judging content by when auditing. From there, she also likes to use Screaming Frog to grab all site links.
Q2: Where do you start with keyword research?
When it comes time to conduct keyword research, where do you begin? Check out this great advice from Tuesday’s chat:
A2: We always ask clients first. They know their business the best & have the best suggestions for keywords. #ContentWritingChat
To get started with keyword research, Lexie knows it’s important to talk to the client before beginning. Because the client has plenty of knowledge on their business, they’re able to provide some great suggestions for keywords. She also suggests looking at competitors to see which keywords they’re using and ranking for.
A consultation with the client is a must for Sarah! Sarah and her teammates use that opportunity to question the client on their ideal audience, products, and services.
A2: Ask client to provide a list of what they consider high priority keywords. It helps our KW research stay relevant. #contentwritingchat
Michael knows it’s helpful to ask the client to provide a list of keywords that are high priority. After all, they likely have a good idea of which ones are best for their business.
Dennis knows it’s important to define which keywords you want your site to rank for. You can then record your current ranking for each one and watch it grow.
A2: May be a bit of a @google fangirl, but data from AdWords/Analytics about how people find you is my first step. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/k3S4ztJACv
Abbey, another Netvantage team member, also agrees that asking your clients for keyword suggestions is a great way to begin. From there, she likes to look at queries in Google Search Console.
A2: Also good to review popular forums and sites where customers hang out to look for topics & KWs. #contentwritingchat
Adam’s advice is to review popular forms and sites where customers are spending their time online. It’s a great way to see what they’re talking about and to determine the right keywords and topics to use.
A2. I really look to twitter chats because this is where I get a strong idea of what type of content readers want #contentwritingchat
Cheval recommends checking out Twitter chats for content topics. This can help a lot when it comes to your keyword research.
Q3: What tools do you use for keyword research?
Fortunately, there are a plethora of tools at our disposal that can help with keyword research. If you’re looking for some great ones to use, check out these suggestions:
A3: Google’s Keyword Planner is usually the first tool we use for keyword research. #ContentWritingChat
Sarah provided a list of amazing tools that are worth checking out! As she said, there’s no shortage of tools so you have plenty of options to find the ones that work best for you.
Sarah said the client conversation is an opportunity to lay out a sitemap of pages and sections. You can then get chosen keywords to fit into that structure.
A4 Focus on ONE long-tail, high-opportunity (low-competition) keyword per long-form post. Use synonymous keywords. #ContentWritingChat
As Abbey said, make sure keywords are placed on the most relevant pages. And of course, no keyword stuffing! Keywords should always be used in a natural way.
Q5: Do you create the content the keywords go in on the website?
Are you the one who creates the content that includes your chosen keywords? Or does someone else have this task? Check out what some of our chat participants said:
A5: It varies. If we can work off content that is already on the site, we usually do. #contentwritingchat
On the flip side, sometimes they add a paragraph or two to what’s already on the site. This helps increase content length. In some cases, they’ll recommend new pages for the website when doing the SEO audit. The Netvantage team will then create the content for those pages.
A5 I write a lot of the keyword-focused content at @ExpWriters, and our team of 40 amazing writers help me do even more. #ContentWritingChat
When doing an SEO audit, sometimes you’re lucky to create the content and other times you have to optimize what’s already been published. It just depends on the client!
Q6: What technical aspects do you look at for a website when doing an audit?
Don’t forget that it’s not just about the website’s content. There’s a technical side of things to check on as well. Here’s what else you need to look for:
A6: With Google putting an emphasis on site speed, we use Google’s PageSpeed Insights & @pingdom. #ContentWritingChat
Abbey seconds that by encouraged you to check for canonical errors on a website, as well as site speed. Make sure you’re also looking at whether or not it’s mobile-friendly and if there’s duplicate content.
A6: Sitemap and Robots.txt file errors. Crawling errors (4xx pages) both from internal pages and external websites. #contentwritingchat
The Netvantage tame uses Majestic to with a few key metrics during an SEO audit. They look at the number of linking domains to the root domain, as well as citation flow and trust flow of the homepage of the website.
A7.3: We’ll use @Moz Open Site Explorer to look at the domain authority & homepage authority. #ContentWritingChat
