Search engine optimization (SEO) is more than just a cryptic phrase that makes digital marketers sound “techy”. In fact, it’s a constantly changing scientific approach to the way that we look at marketing. ‘Sticky’ SEO content works to draw new clientele, engage the old ones, and to keep your online content valuable to the people who might be reading it. It’s all about optimizing a writing style to appeal to both search engines and your target audience.
As we said before, SEO is also constantly changing. This means that what worked last month, or last week, may not be as effective this month or this week. Digital marketing professionals must work hard to monitor new trends and the mysterious Google algorithm—that rapidly evolving set of equations that measures the way that the internet magnifies certain search criteria over others.
Yes, it’s not quite rocket science, but SEO isn’t something you can tackle without serious research, solid understanding and even some professional help.
SEO in Layman’s Terms
When SEO first came around two decades ago, it was all about man vs. machine. We were writing to try and keep the search engines interested. Now, in 2018, we can write for people again! Hurrah!
This is because Google and other search engines have learned from us. That’s right. They have learned what organic human searches look like. This translates into a more finely tuned internet experience that allows the machine to respond to us in the way that appeals to how we speak, what we look up, and how we write. This negates old tactics like keyword stuffing and variations and means that search engines are now capable of helping you find what you’re really looking for. They give a response to descriptions, questions, and lingo that just wasn’t there in 2001.
If you are new to SEO and want some ideas on improving your reach, these tips can simplify the process and help you be more effective:
- Focus on Solutions: Write with a purpose. Focus on solving a problem and on providing more valuable information. This gets responses from different angles.
- Keywords are Less Important than they Used to Be: It’s now important to include information that may be related to the keyword rather than just the actual keywords themselves. Understanding the user’s intent is the goal and offering them valuable information is what builds your audience.
- The Title and Headers Matter: Keywords in the body may be more fluid than in the past, but they need to be included in the title and headers. This puts them on the search engines’ radar and creates more visible content.
- Value Trumps Length: While most experts recommend that content in the body (blogs and articles) will need to be at least 500 words long, the value of the content reigns supreme. Fluff and filler concepts and words will end up dragging your page to the bottom of the search results. So, keep in mind - Quality over Quantity.
If you’re struggling to keep up with changing trends, the professionals at MintCopy are here to help. We eat, sleep, and breathe SEO and can keep your content up-to-date and valuable to your target market.
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