Providing quality products and services and creating helpful content can`t profit you if nobody knows about your business.
To make profits, you must create brand awareness to show how helpful your business is. And one of the best ways to do that is by ensuring your business ranks high on search engine results.
Boosting your business to the first results page exposes it to many potential clients, and develops trust and authority, hence increasing sales.
These are every business's desires, but how can you, like other brands, push your business to the top pages of the search results? You must learn internet marketing and here is how you can do it.
Conduct Keyword Research
For a business to appear in potential clients` search results, it must align with their search terms. That requires using the appropriate keywords people use when searching for products or services related to yours.
To find the keywords, you need to perform keyword research, and here are the steps you should follow:
First step: Brainstorm several keywords related to your business.
To do this, put yourself in a client's shoes and list keywords you would type if you were searching for anything related to your business.
For example, suppose you are an internet marketing keynote speaker, you can write keywords like
A digital marketing keynote speaker in Houston
The best e-commerce digital marketing keynote speaker near me
An award-winning internet marketing keynote speaker in the US, etc
Second Step: After listing your keywords, paste each one of them on the search engine bar to perform keyword autocomplete and find more suggestions.
To do keyword autocomplete, paste the keyword in the search bar and type one more letter and you will get more suggestions like in the screenshot below.
List the suggestions relevant to your business, and also search online to get more ideas from other people's articles.
Third step: Analyse the keyword competition and search volume, and ensure the intent aligns with your brand goals and the audience`s needs.
Keyword Search Volume
When a keyword gets many searches, people are interested in it. Using such keywords increases your rank and the potential to get conversions.
Even though you can rank high, low search volume keywords won`t drive sales because they get few searches.
To examine keyword search volume, use keyword research tools. Paste your keywords in the tools and search. You will find the number of searches a keyword gets monthly so you can determine whether it`s the best keyword to use.
Keyword Competition
Keywords are more competitive when many authoritative websites rank for them. This makes it difficult for small sites to rank when they use the same keywords.
To rank, you should use less competitive keywords with a high search volume. Or use the competitive keywords, but make them long tail.
Competitive keywords are broad terms like digital marketing.
Here is how you can make a competitive keyword like digital marketing long tail: You can make it “digital marketing keynote speaker in Houston, Texas.”
We have made the keyword more targeted by adding the phrase “keynote speaker in Houston, Texas”. This keyword targets a specific digital marketing sub-niche in a defined location.
Since long-tail keywords are targeted to specific audiences, they draw quality traffic and increase the chances of driving sales.
Keyword research tools can help you understand how competitive a keyword is. All you need is to put your keywords in the tool and search. You will see the difficulty percentage and gauge how to tweak it to suit your business.
Keyword Search Intent
If your audience`s search intent aligns with your brand goals, you will increase the potential to drive conversions.
For example, if your goals are increasing sales, use commercial keywords, and if you want to spread brand awareness, use informational keywords.
Using any keywords avails content to irrelevant audiences that won`t help you reach your goals.
Here is a breakdown to help you easily understand keywords` intent and their purposes:
There is no importance in getting high traffic when you don't achieve your marketing purpose. Use the appropriate keyword intent to help match your content with the targeted users.
Check this content and learn more about conducting keyword research and using the right keywords that rank and drive sales to your business.
Create Helpful Content
No matter how helpful your products or services are, if you can't convince people to buy, you won't make sales.
Content creation is one of the best ways to persuade people to purchase your goods.
However, not any content can help you make any conversions. To appeal to both your audience and the search engines your content must follow E.E.A.T.
E.E.A.T. stands for expertise, experience, authority, and trust.
Content that follows E.E.A.T. solves the readers` problems and sets the author as an expert in their specialty.
To create quality content:
Create Catchy Titles
Your title should tell people what the content is about, how helpful it is, and how long it can take people to read it.
This enables them to know your content`s value and how much time they need to set aside for it.
You can do that by action verbs and numbers in your titles. For example, a title that says “Overcome Poverty in 9 Simple Ways” would be more effective than “Overcome Poverty”
The first one lets the readers know the exact number of ways they'll learn, but the second one doesn`t show how one can overcome poverty. Therefore, it can`t attract readers.
Learn more about how to write intriguing titles in this content.
Craft a Compelling Introduction
It's easy to lose readers if your introduction doesn't deliver the title's promise.
Besides, even when it delivers the promise, but it's boring, people will still turn away.
One way to bore your readers is to start introductions with dictionary definitions. That works in formal writing, but not in blog writing.
Here is how you can make your introductions compelling:
- Use personal stories
- Include quotes from authoritative sources
- Add emotional or shocking sentiments
- Incorporate scarcity words to create a sense of urgency
Ask the readers questions
Here is an example from Quicksprout that uses a question as an introduction opening line:
“Wouldn’t it be great if every single person who clicked on one of your articles read it from start to finish, unable to pull their eyes away from the screen?”
This raises readers` curiosity because everybody wants their articles to be read.
Here is thorough content about how to create a catchy blog introduction.
Create Content That Aligns with Your Title
Clicking on compelling article titles that don`t deliver their promises in the body disgusts.
Your content should answer the title: period.
Wondering off on an unrelated idea only to give a quick answer at the end of the article bores readers.
For example, if you are writing about how to become an SEO speaker, ensure to give the process right after the introduction.
Do not start by defining what SEO is, why one should learn SEO, where one can learn SEO, or how one can earn as an SEO speaker.
If the readers want to learn about these, they will search for content on specific topics.
Start by answering the title in-depth, and if you want, you can add some more content targeting the semantic keywords later.
Here is an example of how you should write if the title is how to become an SEO speaker:
“If you want to become an SEO speaker, first, learn the SEO basics, which are knowing how to use keywords, create scannable blog content, and use SEO tools and public speaking, then keep honing your skills and building your portfolio.”
Such content is focused on showing people how to become expert SEO speakers.
Create Readable Content
You can create valuable content and optimize it with SEO, but if it is illegible, it will fail.
Compare the examples below and decide which one could earn your attention–probably the second one.
Bad Version
Chris N. Cheetham-West, MBA is an international speaker, author, and Founder of LR Training Solutions. Global brands, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies seek out Chris and his company for their events and trainings. In his former position at Google, he managed marketing programs and strategies for key products. Experienced and driven, Chris’s career has allowed him to present in 48 states and to teams in various countries including Serbia, Germany, Canada, and France. Voted top 50 Black Entrepreneurs in 2020 by D-Mars.
Better Version
Chris N. Cheetham-West, MBA is an international speaker, author, and Founder of LR Training Solutions.
Global brands, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies seek out Chris and his company for their events and trainings.
In his former position at Google, he managed marketing programs and strategies for key products.
Experienced and driven, Chris’s career has allowed him to present in 48 states and to teams in various countries including Serbia, Germany, Canada, and France. Voted top 50 Black Entrepreneurs in 2020 by D-Mars.
It's almost impossible to read the first text. So, what's the solution? Here is how you can make your content readable:
Write Short Sentences and Paragraphs
Long sentences are hard to read and easy to make grammar mistakes and confuse your readers.
To make your content easy to read, write short sentences and paragraphs.
Twenty to twenty-five words are enough for a sentence, and a good paragraph should be one to three sentences.
One paragraph should carry a single idea and each sentence should support the main idea.
That's how you can make it possible for one to read and easily understand.
Use Simple Language
For your blog content to reach many people, use simple language.
Write your content as if you are talking to your friend. A friendly conversation does not include difficult vocabulary.
People don't have time to look up in the dictionary for your difficult jargon. They will, instead, move on to other websites, which drops traffic.
Even when you are writing technical content, explain it in a simple language that everybody can easily understand.
An example is if you are writing content about SEO, people of different educational levels will easily understand if you explain what SEO is.
Add Visuals
If one picture is worth a thousand words, what if you combine it with words? How impactful will that content be!
Visuals make content entertaining and easy to follow.
Therefore, ensure to add photos, graphs, or tables that relate to your content.
When people relate your text with your visuals, They will easily remember what they read and where they read it. This can lead to repeat readers who can convert into clients.
Optimize Your Content for On-Page SEO
Providing helpful content is essential, but if search engines can't understand it, it won't reach the clients.
Search engines are the paths through which your content reaches your target audience. That's why you need to optimize it for On-Page SEO.
On-page SEO refers to optimizing your blog content so the search engines can align it with the audience`s search queries.
Here is how you can do On-Page optimization:
Optimize your Title Tag
Title tags help search engines understand the focus of your content. Ensure to use your focus keyword, but don't stuff it.
The appropriate title length is 70 characters. Titles longer than that are truncated in the search results.
Besides, do not duplicate titles. Each page title should be original.
Duplicate pages confuse search engines on which pages to rank for the same title tag.
Moreover, it reflects unprofessionalism and puts off readers, lowering websites` rank.
Optimize Your Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions show the relationship between content and the title.
Ensure to make it as descriptive and compelling as possible.
Use your keywords and make it brief so the readers can quickly understand if your content contains what they are looking for.
Meta descriptions have 155 characters. So, put only the relevant information but don`t make it too short; utilize the given characters.
It should also answer your title; therefore do not repeat the title or put the content URL.
Check out more about how to write effective meta descriptions here.
Add Internal and External Links
Web Pages without links are called orphan pages. They don’t show a relationship with any page on the website or from a third-party site.
Interlinking your web pages makes it easy for people and search engines to navigate your site and increase traffic and rank.
However, interlink relevant pages so you don`t mislead and lower your readers` trust in you.
For example, you can link the phrase “Internet marketing” in digital marketing content to redirect people to Internet marketing content. Such content is related and can help readers find more information about the topics you cover.
See how to add internal links and increase your website rank on this content.
Check Your Site Speed and Mobile-Friendliness
You miss opportunities if your site doesn`t work on various devices.
According to Statista in the second quarter of 2022, mobile phones generated 58.99% of the global website traffic.
You can see what opportunities you can miss for having a mobile irresponsive site.
Your website should be accessible through computers, tablets, and mobile phones. This enables people to find your business despite the device they use.
However, even when your site is accessible on all devices, if it's slow, users will ignore it.
Therefore, check both the site speed and mobile friendliness.
You can check site speed and mobile friendliness by using Google Page Insights and Google Search Console.
If you find your site is slow or mobile unresponsive, check the problem and debug it to enhance better user experience.
Optimize Your URLs
URL optimization makes websites navigable.
The audience and the search engines need to know the sources to which your URLs are redirecting them.
Therefore, ensure your URLs are short and descriptive.
Include words that are relevant to your page and incorporate one or two main keywords. This lets search engines understand the relationship between the links to the content.
It`ll be easy for one to follow links when they know if it leads to their desired resource.
Put Your Website in Business Directories
Availing your website to your locality makes it reachable, which attracts many local clients.
To make your business available in your locality, list it in business directories.
That enables your business contacts, working hours, and location to show so people can know when, where, and how to reach you.
Here is a list of reliable business directories:
Here is a guide on how to optimize your site for local SEO.
Publish Content Regularly
Readers want to learn new information. Publishing new content regularly enables the audience to regard you as a source of information.
Besides, search engines can`t index the same content more than once.
Publishing fresh content regularly enables search engines to index content frequently, which raises your website rank and traffic. It also helps increase keyword variations and be found on different searches, increasing traffic and conversions.
Analyze Your Results with Rank Tracker Tools
After optimizing your website for the required practices, don’t relax. You need to know its performance.
You can measure your performance by using ranking tools. They help identify your weaknesses so you can improve.
You will know which keywords bring more traffic and which don't so you can revamp your content.
Here are some of the best tools you should consider:
Boost Your Website Rank and Increase Conversions
The internet can help you reach a wide audience and increase sales to your business. But if you don`t know how to optimize your website as is required, you can`t reach your goals.
But the good thing is that optimizing a website is not complicated. All you need is to do keyword research and incorporate the words people use when searching for related content.
Then create readable content that shows people how they can benefit when they read.
What`s more, publish content regularly, analyze its performance, and make improvements where needed.
Your content will rank and you will attract clients and increase sales.
0 Comments