How to Get the Right SEO Balance in Your Content
Have you ever wondered what makes an article pop on top of the list in Google Search? The answer lies in the beauty of SEO.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. You optimize your content so that the search engine shows your post when someone presses search. It generates more website traffic to your page by increased exposure through Organic search.
Now you might wonder what Organic Search is? It simply means unpaid search results. These are natural search results shown by your search engine. Oftentimes you see an article that has AD written beside it, which means people have ‘Paid’ the Search engine to display their content on top of the search page.
And people don’t usually go down that path because there’s the part where they paid. It doesn’t really instill trust, does it? That is where SEO comes into play. According to Forbes, the first page of Google Search gets about 90% of the traffic. Hardly 10% of the people even bother to jump to the second page.
Why Do You Need SEO?
Search engines scour billions of sites in seconds when you press search. They then rank and display the links that match the most with your search. The higher the rank, the more relevant the site.
To rank your content high, you need to make it SEO-friendly. SEO allows 20x more traffic to your page. This way, your page will appear on top of the list, and more viewers will click on it.
How to Get the Right SEO Balance in your content?
I interviewed an award-winning SEO company in New York City to find out the best practices to get the right SEO balance when writing an SEO-friendly article, and the following are my findings:
Using Keyword
A target keyword can make or break an article. Search engines like Google rank and display pages based on the searched keyword. The general rule of thumb is to keep the keyword density around 1-2%. This means your keyword should appear once every 100 words.
Try to use your targeted keyword at the start, in the middle, and at the very end of your article. This ensures that the search engine notices your content and displays it on the search page.
Using Proper Headlines
Adding headlines that pack a punch can help in ranking as well as making your content easier to understand. If your article has, let’s say 3 headings add a keyword in one. Just to make it more SEO-friendly.
Using the ‘People also Ask’ Feature
While doing research, keep an eye out for the people also ask feature. These are relative searches that can make your article more SEO-friendly. Try answering these questions in your article. This way, your audience will get the more detailed information regarding their search and may visit again!
The magic is in the relativity of it all! The more relative the content, the more exposure there is.
Post Tile
Your post title is the main title of your article. It needs to include a keyword in it. It’s rule number one, always include a keyword in the post title.
Meta description and Meta title.
Oftentimes beginners forget to write Meta titles and Meta descriptions. These additions play a major role in search engine rankings. A Meta title and Meta descriptions are those snippets of information that appear on the search page. These include the keyword, a catchy phrase that lures the viewer, and a brief explanation of what your article is about. A Meta description should not be more than 150 words!
Adding links to your other Posts
A good way to make viewers stick around is to interlink your article with previous ones. Free publicity and more exposure!
Readability
Make sure that your article is easy to read as well as understand. There should be a flow to your article. Each paragraph should be relevant to the other.
Mistakes to Avoid
The right way to achieve the perfect SEO Balance is to avoid these mistakes.
Excessive Use of Keywords
Using too many keywords can be repetitive and annoying. The search engine may drop your rank because of it. Avoid stuffing of keywords.
Lengthy Sentences
Using long and complex sentences can put off viewers. Try using small sentences that are to the point and deliver the information precisely!
Not Structuring Content
To keep the SEO balance in your post you must use headings and subheadings. Make proper paragraphs that are short and perfectly placed.
The bottom line is to maintain a good balance between SEO and great content. Focus on addressing the real topic instead of making your post too SEO-friendly. Using too many SEO techniques can mess up your article. SEO and great content go hand in hand keep that in mind!