SEO content is the content created for the purpose of attracting search engine traffic. SEO refers to ‘Search Engine Optimization’ which means to optimize a piece of content so that it ranks higher on the Google search engine and people can easily find it. There is absolutely no doubt that SEO and content work together parallel to each other.
In 2020, SEO content will be all about the target audience. The content that drives highest traffic and is ranked higher in the searches is the one that focuses on the needs and requirements of the users.
Here are the Top 9 Essential Rules to Craft out quality SEO Content in 2020.
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Rule # 1: Knowing Your Target Audience
Before writing any piece of SEO content, it is crucial to know who your target audience is. It is not that easy as it appears to be. The focus must be to write content that engages the target audience and provides them with the answers that they are looking for. It is important to understand that not all posts and blogs should focus on selling products and services. Some content pieces can be just about your industry vertical. An in-depth research and analysis of what your target audience is really looking out for will really go a long way in ensuring your content performs much better on the search engines.
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Rule # 2: Using the Appropriate Targeted Keywords and Keyword-Rich Phrases
For your SEO content to reach the right set of people, optimizing it with the targeted keywords that your audience is actively searching for is a must. It is important to include relevant keywords and keyword-rich phrases in the headline and throughout your content to communicate to the readers and the search engine what your article is about. Content optimization is all about using the right keywords at the right place. However, you must take care to avoid keyword stuffing. Including too many keywords is likely to put off your readers and may also lead to search engine penalties for keyword stuffing. It is important to use keywords sparingly and wisely to give a natural look and feel to your SEO content.
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Rule # 3: Structuring and Organizing Your Content
Your SEO content may be the best but it is likely to get lost in the search results if it is not structured properly and written in an unorganized way. It is essential to break down your content into small paragraphs that makes it easier to read. This will keep the users engaged for a longer time. Structuring and organizing your content will result in people being hooked to it for a longer time. This will also help to boost your Google rankings.
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Rule # 4: Writing a Catchy Headline That Makes an Impact
The headline of your content is what is displayed in the search results. Hence, it is important to have a headline which is captivating and interesting. A headline should include keywords too. A headline is an effective means for you to create a lasting impression in just a few words.
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Rule # 5: Enhancing Page Speed
Page speed is an important factor that affects SEO and Google rankings. Hence, it is important to optimize your page speed in order to increase the traffic. Enhancing the page speed would reduce the loading time of the website, thus displaying the content faster. This helps to improve user experience resulting in a higher time spent by users with the content.
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Rule # 6 : Investing in Visual Aids
SEO content having visual aids such as images, videos, animations, and graphs helps to achieve a higher rank on the first search page. Articles, blogs and posts having relevant high-quality images and videos are likely to get more views than those without visuals. Hence, it makes sense to invest in visual aids to complement your content and give a better look and feel to it.
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Rule # 7: Incorporating Facts to Support Your Content
SEO content having relevant facts and figures standout from those that do not provide facts to support their statements. Hence, while writing any piece of SEO content, it is important for you to support your claims with authentic facts from reliable sources. The mention of the source from where the facts and figures are taken would be the perfect icing on the cake.
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Rule # 8: Diving Deep into the Content
If you want the visitors coming and spending time with your SEO content, you have to make sure that you go deep and wide with the information you are providing to them. Hence, it is important to write a long, detailed yet engaging content. Your focus must be to cover all the possible facets and angles to an article. At the same time, it is the need of the hour to provide something new, distinct and unique for the readers. An in-depth content would obviously drive more traffic and rank higher on Google than a piece of content that only has superficial information.
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Rule # 9: Keeping Track of Your Content
Google Analytics is a simple and effective way for you to find out how your content is performing on the web. Using Google Analytics, you can track the total number of page views, average time spent on the page, bounce rate, and exit percentage.