Our continuing series on SEO and digital marketing strategies from marketing experts and small business owners and C-Suite execs.
“One trending SEO strategy is to create high-quality, engaging content that answers users’ queries and provides value,” said Guna Kakulapati, Co-founder and CEO of CureSkin.
This strategy also aligns with Google’s Helpful Content Update, released in 2022.
“Google Search’s helpful content system generates a signal used by our automated ranking systems to better ensure people see original, helpful content written by people, for people, in search results.”
– Google Search Central
While it sounds simple, many small businesses and online sellers fail to do the basics that can help make content succeed.
Kakulapati says it goes beyond just producing good content, including taking the time to:
- Conduct keyword research to identify relevant topics
- Optimized content with targeted keywords
- Incorporating visual and interactive elements to enhance the user experience
- Building backlinks from reputable sources
Search engine optimization is essential.
“So many people create useful, valuable content that never gets seen,” said Paul Dughi, CEO at StrongerContent.com. “More than 70 million posts are published every month just by WordPress users.”
With 46% of websites getting less than 15,000 visitors per month, what are the chances one of those visitors lands on your content?
Content Discovery
In today’s competitive environment, the biggest challenge is typically discovery. Search on any topic and you’ll get tens of thousands of results (or more). Yet, if you’re not on page one of Google, the odds anyone will find your content or click on a link are extremely long. According to Backlinko’s analysis of four million Google searches, the top 3 search results get more than half of all clicks.
Page two? Only 0.63% of Google searchers ever click on page two. Beyond that, forget it.
So, developing high-quality content is just part of the solution. Promotion to help people find your content is crucial.
Technical SEO
Trending on Google also requires attention to technical SEO.
“This includes ensuring a website is mobile-friendly, fast-loading, and easy to navigate, as well as implementing schema markup to help search engines better comprehend the content,” said Kakulapati.
Advanced users may also consider using data analysis and testing to inform their SEO strategy, such as conducting A/B testing to optimize page elements or analyzing user behavior metrics to identify areas for improvement.
It takes a well-rounded SEO strategy, combining content creation and technical optimization to drive visibility and engagement.