Importance of Content in Search Engine Optimization
The What is Content? presentation at Search Engine Strategies, NY was started off by Kent Lewis of AnvilMediaInc. Kent used the example of his Melonoma client and besides their reluctance to implement basic title and meta tags into their site, how useful original and targeted content has been for achieving high search engine rankings.
Kent reviewed basic “organic” content building techniques highlighting the importance of FAQ Page and how it can be used to increase keyword density in a search engine friendly fashion. He also used examples of garnering information from your customer base via user feedback to build content around.
One interesting point was the implementation of a site map on 404 Error Pages. Many websites suffer from error or badlinks from years of being linked to. Instead of receiving an error message, users are taken to an optimized navigational table of contents which can then lead to a conversion or sale. Plus, this helps to solidify sound search engine placement.
Other points of Interest:
+ Balancing objectives with optimization – goals of page balanced with optimization of site. “Rather have a #10 placement with a site that reads well than a #1 full of optimized keyword jibberish.”
+ Build vs. Buy – educating your staff on using keywords in content and leveraging their expertise
+ Leverage the content – syndication and inbound link strategy
Top Performing Content
+ Press releases / sits in newsroom on site, looks like news, sounds like news, strictly for search
+ Articles and Blogs – fine tune the density
+ FAQ – easy to double up on keywords without using blackhat optimization
+ Directory listings – Partners and client lists on the site
+ Glossary – Not huge keyword density but misspellings can be used
Jennifer Siegg of JenSense was the next speaker on the panel. Jennifer specializes in creating content for monetizing it through affiliate and contextual advertising along with building content for the purpose of selling in house products and services.
Jennifer reviewed the following Content Creation Tools
+ Comprehensive Statistics Based – building content around analytics stats – What are your users searching for?
+ Customer Service Requests – People asking questions, add content
+ Copywriting Books are useful
+ Dictionary and Thesaurus for professionalism
Don’t Only Focus on Competitive Keywords and Rankings
+ Target Secondary Keywords – Underestimate the searches for secondary terms
+ Seasonal and Lifetime Topics – Cashing out a 401K was an example
+ Catchy Titles – Using “come here” copy in SEO, action based text
+ Article Length – Create short articles – 250 to 300 words is enough
+ Content Ideas – Questions in Content “What is Web Hosting?”
+ Do not ignore topics that may be basic for you, remember people are always learning
MORE CONTENT IDEAS
+ Message boards as content – up to 15,000 pages of additional content, needs moderators but great traffic generators
–> Must be spider friendly
+ Spin off additional content from current content – used technique to create 100’s of new pages
HAVE NOT WORKED WELL
+ Free article sites – write an article specifically for this, but not many pages linking to the site, stripping of name and article, email newsletter links
+ Duplicate content filter – last month stepped up even more, stealing of content, Google considers the thief as the better site in some cases
Anthony Garcia of Future Now ended the presentation with a theme based on the fact that most people write content to reach the masses, so boiling down the copy … your audience is one single reader, and writing to that one person.
Points included:
+ Process of knowing your customers, not necessarily basic SEO. Increases conversion percentages as well as SE listings.
+ Algorithms change but end goal of delivering relevant content does not change
+ Content informs, copy persuades, relevant content does both
+ Know the customers, walk in their shoes, create archetypical personas
+ Know your Topographics, Psychographics, Demographics
+ The importance of Scent in Search Engine Content- users are more successful at finding targets when description words are on homepage
