ntent Optimization Techniques That Increase Traffic & Conversions! //

A picture is worth more than a thousand words. Are words worth the time and effort that you put into writing them? Even if you write the most captivating copy, it may not be enough to bring in traffic from Google or convert the traffic that you pay to send. Your content will just be kind of…there without content optimization.

The final destination of optimized content

You can make your content more effective by implementing the right strategy. This will increase your chances of generating results for many months or years. It’s crucial to first understand the basics.

Table of Contents

• 
  What is Content Optimization?
  
• 
  Why is content optimization important?
  
• 
  9 content optimization strategies
  

What is content optimisation?

Content optimization is the process of optimizing your content to perform well for your audience, and get the results that you want. It reduces the chance that you will waste time creating content no one will read. This is worse than death to any writer.

Content optimization is often thought of as search engines optimization. Content optimization in this context involves keyword research, page optimization and more, with the goal to rank in search engines. There’s also optimization for social media and conversions.

The end goal is the same, no matter what the reason or type of content optimization. You want to tweak your content so that it helps you achieve your goals.

Why Content Optimization Matters

As the old saying goes, time is money. You’re more likely to waste time and money if you don’t optimize your content. When you optimize your content, however, you set yourself up for multiple benefits.

Your content will rank higher

It’s possible that a piece of quality content, which has not been optimized at all, will perform well on Google. You can increase your ranking chances by optimizing your content.

Old content can be reused.

You can also reoptimize content which is no longer performing as well. Google’s algorithms can change and the competition may shift over time. Your content, which was once at the top of page one, can fall into obscurity.

Content reoptimization or content refreshing is often faster than starting from scratch. Who wouldn’t like to save time, and maybe land a good spot on Google at the same time?

Your content can be seen by the right people

You probably know your audience and what they are looking for. You can optimize your content by targeting the right keywords and using best practices for on-page SEO. most.

Content can be tailored to specific goals

You could publish content at the top of your funnel to attract new website visitors. You could share content that is conversion-focused to convert leads into paying clients. Optimized content is more likely to achieve your marketing KPI, no matter what you are trying to accomplish.

9 content optimization strategies

There are no two identical pieces of content, just like there are no two identical brands. You can implement a variety of content optimization techniques, but some may be more appropriate for your brand or content at this stage.

1. Keywords strategically

Keywords helps search engines match content with the queries entered by users. You’ll want to make sure Google, and its competitors, know that you have content that will answer the questions of their users. To do this, you need to target keywords and add them into your content.

Ask yourself these questions as you write:

• What is the keyword of the introduction paragraph?
• Does the keyword appear in at least one of the major headings?
• Does the keyword appear in the title of the article?
• Does the meta description include the keyword?
• Does the URL contain the keyword?

Tip : Don’t stuff keywords! SEO has evolved a lot since the dark days of 2010. Stuffing with keywords is obvious to the reader and does not help your SEO. Your keyword mentions should be natural, but not excessive.

2. Include meta descriptions and titles tags

meta tags, like keywords, are important for on-page SEO. Meta description , title tags and are all types of meta tags which appear on search engine result pages.

Meta tags are important for optimizing content because they are visible to searchers. Meta titles and descriptions should include your target keywords, and be engaging enough to encourage people to click your search entry.

3. Make sure your website is technically sound

Your articles won’t be saved by all the optimization on the planet if your site isn’t technically sound. Technical optimization is the cousin to on-page and OFF-page.

Technical SEO (surprise!) is far more technical than the on-page optimization. Start by running your site through an Google PageSpeed insights tool. You will be able to see if the site is loading quickly and if it has any obvious issues.

Consider if Google can crawl your site, index it, etc. Cover all the technical bases using and our technical SEO audit guide to get your site technical up-to-speed in no time.

4. Create internal links (and vice-versa) to relevant content

External Links are great at increasing your Domain Authority. These links will appear as you build your brand and create high-quality content. It’s important to create links within your content.

If you are creating a brand new piece or updating an older one, make sure to include links to the new content in relevant spots within your old content. Do the same with your new piece, and use relevant anchor text to link out to any other pieces that you may have.

It is not just SEO that benefits from internal linking, but it’s also a better reading experience for readers. When someone asks a question and the link to the guide is there, they will be able to find the answer.

Tip Create a spreadsheet to track your articles and terms. Include a column to indicate whether you have linked from an article relevant to another. A spreadsheet is a great way to keep track of which articles are linked where.

5. Divide the text for better reading

No one likes to click a link and then be faced with a wall text. Your audience will leave quickly if you have a large article without any visuals. This will increase your bounce rate, and therefore your ranking.

We recently published an article about the YouTube Algorithm.

Have you noticed how the text has been broken up with headers, images and callouts. This is so that our readers don’t have to read as much. This allows people to skim through an article, and then jump straight into the sections that most interest them.

If you are writing an article, or updating one that you have written, give the reader breaks. Images can be used to add flow to an article, as well as provide SEO benefits. Use bulleted, numbered, or block quotes to make the article flow.

Break up your text using images, videos or block quotes, like the one below. “See how easy it is?”

John Shieldsmith is a complete Hack writer

Breaking up your copy will make it easier to read.

6. Check your search before you write.

It doesn’t matter if a keyword appears promising if it is not the right match for your brand. It’s crucial to Google a keyword before writing an article. Otherwise, you could waste valuable time on a poorly performing piece.

As an example, you might want to inform your audience on pepperoni if you own an online frozen-pizza company. Even though “best pepperoni”, especially if you are writing a guide about how to make the most delicious pepperoni might sound perfect, it is not the case. When you search for “best pepperoni”, you’ll find a variety of articles that rank the top brands.

You’re setting up the article to disappoint readers by using the term. They’re likely looking for the best brand of pepperoni. This will harm your bounce rates, and torpedo any chances you have of ranking.

Use our expert guide to keyword intent before writing a word.

7. Use relevant images

Images not only keep your article engaging, but they also improve your ranking. It’s especially important to use images that will keep your audience interested. Image Best Practices are not limited to just that.

• Include your own screenshots whenever possible. This will help you to establish credibility with your audience.
• Use an image only when it is necessary. Images should be used to help make a point or inform the reader.
• Watch your image count. Too many images will slow down your Page Speed, and negatively impact your SEO.
• Compress images with one of the free tools that are available. Ideal images should be around 100kb. Any image larger than 100kb will slow down your website. Your hero image and infographics can be larger as they are the most important images.

Tip : Check the speed of your page by running it through Google PageSpeed Insights. If you are not satisfied with the speed of your page, ensure that all images have been compressed and you don’t use too many.

8. Use attention-grabbing videos

Include relevant videos whenever you can. Videos can help break up copy and appeal to different learning styles.

If you are using a player to watch a video and not automatically playing it, then you do not have to be concerned about file size. File size is a factor if you embed the video from your server and load it directly.

9. Prioritize your audience over all else

When writing and optimizing, the audience is what matters most. Ask yourself, “What would I want to know?” and if your article answered the question they were searching for. Does the article make them feel better?

Ask yourself, when you finish your article, if you are proud to see your name or brand on it.

The optimization process is ongoing

The race to optimize is never-ending. Rankings and campaign performance may change at any time, so you should always be on top of the content.

There are tools available to streamline your efforts. Save time by using our keyword research tool. This will allow you to spend more time on improving your content or growing your business.

You can then revisit our content optimization strategies to ensure that your content is on track.

1. Keywords strategically
2. Include meta descriptions and titles tags
3. Make sure your website is technically sound
4. Create internal links
5. Copy is broken up into smaller pieces
6. Double-check your search terms
7. Use relevant images
8. Use attention-grabbing videos
9. Prioritize your audience

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