How to improve SEO

One of the questions we try to tackle from time to time is, “how to improve SEO”. Let’s take a step back and talk about the importance of SEO, then we can figure out how to improve it.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the actions you take to ensure that your content can be found easily by the search engines and your users.

There are four main components of SEO

Technical: How well does your server and hardware environment work (think hosting)

On-site: How well your website shows data to search engines (think site structure and ease of use)

Content: Your content that engages, entertains, and/or educates your audience (think blog and informational content)

Off-site: How well your site demonstrates authority and trustworthiness (think inbound links)

The more content you create, the more chance you have that a search engine can find your content. When we say “content” we don’t necessarily mean just blog posts. This is any content that is on your website. This is the homepage that introduces you. This is your About Us page that talks about your team. This is your services and product pages. This is video and audio content you have embedded into your site. All content counts.

 Now that you have the basics of SEO, here are some tips on how to improve SEO.

Improve the quality of your website’s content

This goes without saying, but you should be creating content that your audience cares about. There are three major buckets that your content falls into; Hero, Hub, and Help. The majority of your content should be “help” content. This is the content that you publish regularly that answers questions and solves problems – the how. The next bucket is your “hub” content. This is content that you publish every few weeks that introduces new ideas and products – the what. The last bucket is your “hero” content. This is your quarterly thought leadership and research content – the why.

Not only should you be publishing a variety of content, but you should also be refreshing older content that is still performing well. Updating statistics and links will give search engines a reason to re-find your content as “new”.

Make use of a focused keyword list

The keyword list you use should be made up of terms that you want to be known for. Then you can use keyword research tools (such as AHREFS) to determine the volume (how often it’s used in search) and difficulty (how many other companies already show up for that term. This keyword list should guide the topics you’re writing about. For the advanced content marketing teams, you can use machine learning to create a predictive calendar that will tell you when people are searching for that term. You can see an example here: https://www.trustinsights.ai/blog/2022/08/cheese-of-the-week-predictive-forecast-2022-edition/

Format your content correctly

Use headlines, subheadings, and bullet points to break up text and make it easy to scan. You have two different audiences: machines and humans. The easier it is to determine what your content is about, the better your chances of it being shown. The machines are searching to find relevant results and humans are searching for answers to their questions. Keep both audiences in mind when formatting.

Promote your website through social media and other online channels

You’ve written the content, now you need people to know about it. Using social media to share your content is a great way to attract a new audience. You can also repurpose your content in your email. The more links you have pointing to your website, the higher it will rank in search engine results pages.

Having a plan when developing your content is how to improve SEO. Make sure you’re writing good quality content that your audience cares about. Make sure people (and machines) can find it on your site. Make sure it is easy to determine what your content is about.