Following yesterday’s blog post, we examine the SEO copywriting process. Firstly, although the length of the content isn’t a ranking factor, there is a strong correlation between longer content and top rankings.
Longer content is much more likely to display the quality signals outlined yesterday, plus studies have shown that longer content generally earns more backlinks and social engagements.
You need to explore your content in detail; keyword tools can help expand your content by showing you subtopics related to your keyword goal.
Google had a Passage Ranking update in early 2021, and as a result, Google no longer indexes and ranks web pages but for specific passages of content., i.e. content provides a thorough answer to the search query,
“Passage Ranking” means that your content has many opportunities to rank for multiple queries, so using structure, headlines, and answering questions is key to helping your content rank well in search.
Use Content Optimisation Tools
Tools such as SEMRush, have content optimisation software that eliminates some of the guesswork of the SEO copywriting process by identifying common words and topics used in top-ranking content and suggesting similar terms to include in yours. As long as you incorporate them, then the results can be significant.
Provide Answers To Related Questions
Another way to improve keyword rankings is by answering common questions users ask about your target keyword. Use Google Search and a keyword tool to discover what these questions are.
Even looking at “People Also Ask” on Google and using autocomplete to see what common questions people ask about the topic. Then include those questions and their answers in your content.
Synonyms And Keywords In Headings
It’s essential to include your keywords in your H1’s and H2’s, Google is smart enough to understand synonyms and other related terms. With this in mind, choose words with a semantic relationship with your primary keyword target. Adding these terms into your headings can help your content give strong signals to the search engine but without keyword stuffing!
Long Sentences, Long Paragraphs and Misspellings Should Be Avoided
In terms of readability, you will your content to be easily understood by anyone who reads it. If your wording is too academic or technical some people will bounce back to the SERPs.
Likewise, poorly written content or full of typos will deter readers.
Shorter sentences and paragraphs will improve reading experience.
Rich Media Will Break Up Your Content
Include images, videos, or infographics to break up long text passages. Google, and your users like to see content that incorporates rich media, so leverage it to your advantage. Make sure any rich media is fully optimised for speed and performance.
Include Relevant Links With Contextual Anchor Text
Internal and external links and the anchor text of those links are essential quality signals to Google.
- Anchor text should always be relevant to the destination page.
- Don’t use too much exact match anchor text.
- Avoid generic “click here” anchor text
- Use Contextual anchor texts as often as possible.
Finally, if you have a particularly long piece of content, you could use a table of contents and jumplinks to make your content more user-friendly and easier to navigate.
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