Search engines LOVE content. If you want to rank highly in the search engines, you’ve got to have quality content on your website. Content tells the engines what the page is about and gives the reader valuable information about the company and its products or services.
Text is a form of digital content that is often overlooked by developers who are looking to make a flashy, interactive site. In the same way that files downloaded to Amazon’s Kindle become text on the screen, search engines understand your site by reading the words on your website. This is why it is always important to make sure that your site’s text content is not embedded into images or file types that aren’t easy for search engines to read.
If your website is lacking in the word count arena, here are some tips to add some valuable content to your pages:
Include at least 250 words per page. Since search engines can’t see images (not yet, anyway) they rely on the written word to tell them what the page is about. Although your site may be filled with beautiful images and graphics, it doesn’t tell the search engines a lick about your website. When it comes to search engines, a picture is not worth a thousand words!
Optimize each page for your top keywords. Every page should have a unique set of keywords that have been chosen specifically for that page. For example, let’s say you own a website that sells camping goods and have the following pages on your website: tents, hiking boots, sleeping bags, rain gear and backpacks. Each page should include at least five high-ranking keywords related to its respective keyword theme somewhere in the body content.
Keep your content fresh. One of the biggest differences between digital media content and printed marketing materials (such as brochures, catalogues and newspaper ads) is that you can update your digital materials any time you want! Search engines reward websites that update their content regularly because it allows them to deliver to their users what it considers the latest and greatest on the Web.
Of course, digital content marketing is most effective when it’s developed in conjunction with other SEO strategies such as link building, keyword targeting and the creation of meta tags. But as with any other aspect of optimizing your website for the search engines, the key is to keep the content natural. Write for people first and avoid stuffing your content with keywords – and you’ll be well on your way to SEO success!
Tags: digital content
