Tag Archives: SEO Content

June 20, 2017 · 1:05 pm

6 Non-Technical Ways to Boost Your SEO

Search engine optimization isn’t rocket science—although, to be fair, it can sure seem that way at times. You can get pretty deep into the technical dimensions of SEO, which for small business owners who lack a tech background can be daunting. But here’s the good news: There are some completely non-technical, novice-friendly SEO strategies that can actually have a big impact on your site’s visibility and rankings. In this post, we’ll share just six things you can do to make Google love your site more—no advanced technical training required.

Simple Ways to Ramp Up Your SEO

Make a User-Friendly URL

Sometimes, URLs will default to random strings of letters and numbers—but that’s obviously not very helpful to users (or search bots) trying to determine what the page is about. Make sure each page of your site (and each blog post) has a short and descriptive title—for example, the page where you can learn more about the Grammar Chic content marketing services is www.grammarchic.net/content-marketing-services. Right to the point! Content management systems like WordPress usually make it quite easy to change your URL to whatever you want it to be.

Structure Your Site for Readability

You can enhance user experience (UX) and SEO by designing a website that guides the reader from top to bottom—that is, from headline to call to action. Make sure the headline itself is compelling, and that you break up the content with descriptive section sub-headings. Use bulleted lists when you can.

Place Keywords in Strategic Places

You don’t have to do a lot of complicated math to figure out the desired keyword density for a Web page. Instead, just naturally and judiciously insert keywords in titles, section headings, and meta descriptions, then perhaps once or twice in the content itself. Always make sure they feel natural, not cumbersome to read.

Enrich Your Content

Make sure each page has an image, video, GIF, infographic, or something else to provide added interest. You shouldn’t have just isolated blocks of black-and-white text.

Link to Relevant Resources

Internal linking is key to SEO success. If there are other pages of your site—or blog posts, for that matter—that augment the page in question, include strategic links to them. There’s really no right or wrong number of internal links. We’d just caution you to make sure the links you include really are relevant and helpful.

Encourage Social Sharing

When a piece of online content is shared on social media, that signals to the search algorithms that it’s useful—that is deserves a prominent ranking. Share your own content on social media, but also make sure you enable the social sharing buttons that let others quickly and conveniently share your content. Again, WordPress and other content management systems make this pretty easy.

Going Further with Your SEO

As you can see, there are plenty of small steps you can take to seriously improve your SEO effectivity. To go even further—to get content that’s written to rank and to convert—we encourage you to call the Grammar Chic, Inc. team today. Reach out to us at www.grammarchic.net or 803-831-7444.

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June 23, 2016 · 2:46 pm

5 Ways to Improve Your SEO Copywriting Today

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Search engine optimization (SEO) is a daunting topic: Because it’s ever in flux, you really never reach a point where you know everything there is to know about it—and that can be intimidating. Just when you think you’re a master, you realize how much you still have to discover.

That’s not to say that there are not some tried-and-true principles for you to lean on, though. This is especially true of SEO copywriting. The words you use to develop your Web content are crucial to SEO success—every bit as crucial as, say, page layout and navigation—and there are some reliable methods for making your SEO copy even stronger.

We’ll show you what we mean: Five ways you could improve the SEO value in your written content today.

Write for Actual Readers

This is so basic, but so important—and in many cases, so easily overlooked. You’ve got to break out of the mindset that you are writing for Google robots. You are, to some extent, but what those bots want is for you to develop content that is actionable and interesting to human readers—the people actually searching for information on the Web. That’s the audience to shoot for. As you write, ask yourself how you can answer questions and offer solutions to the people who might be seeking information on the Web.

Quit Keyword Stuffing

How many times should you use a long-tail keyword phrase in each piece of content? Two? Five? Ten? Three percent of the total word density? Frankly, if you’re getting caught up in these questions, it probably means you’re shoehorning words into places they don’t quite belong. Having a keyword or two to guide your content development is helpful, and including a keyword in titles and meta descriptions is always good, but beyond that, the best advice is to just be organic.

Don’t Let Your Words Stand Alone

Sharpen your words and enhance the impact of your copy by sprinkling in some other rich content—embedded videos, GIFs, and above all else some strong imagery. High-quality, relevant images can make the professionalism of your writing stand out all the more.

Spend More Time Writing Headlines

Your headline creates the first impression readers will have of your content, and in many ways the headline is what determines whether your content even gets read at all. It’s arguably the most important component in your online copywriting, then—so don’t rush through it. We’ve offered some specific headline-writing tips before.

Include Meta Descriptions

The meta description—a 150-characters-or-so snippet that’s displayed in Google search queries—is an invaluable piece of online real estate, and a free way to significantly boost your online traction. Make sure to use the full character count to provide a robust summary of your content; try including a keyword and a call to action, if you can.

Of course, you can also shape up your SEO copy by hiring the pros: Contact Grammar Chic at 803-831-7444 or www.grammarchic.net to learn more.

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October 19, 2015 · 12:29 pm

7 Ways to Write Exceptional SEO Content

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Content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, they’re both at their best when working together in tandem, something we’ve explored as recently as last Friday. Good written content beefs up your SEO game, creating online assets that are appealing to human readers and thus acceptable to Google. Conversely, minding some SEO best practices helps you give your written content focus and clarity.

So what are some practical ways to master both of these disciplines? Specifically, how do writers and bloggers strike a balance between creativity and readability on the one hand, and search engine concerns on the other?

Writing for Humans—and for Search Engines

It’s not as hard as you might think. In fact, if you’re writing good, natural content that offers value to human readers—perhaps sprinkling in a keyword or two, without going overboard—then you’re probably 90 percent of the way there.

And for the other 10 percent, keep in mind these seven quick tips and guidelines.

Write a snappy title. We say this all the time, but if you don’t have a compelling, kickass title then you might as well not write the content at all. That’s how important it is. Good SEO requires you to grab a reader’s attention, and that means thinking up a catchy headline. Also try to include one SEO keyword in your title, but not at the expense of clarity or readability.

Write about an interesting and valuable topic. It’s actually really hard to optimize content that is inherently uninteresting. Make sure you’re leveraging current news stories, providing useful tips, addressing pain points expressed by your readers, or taking some other creative approach. If you wouldn’t read your content, then go back to the drawing board.

Format for readability. Ensure that it’s easy to skim your content—and that means including some white space, keeping paragraphs short, using bulleted lists when you can, and breaking up your content with sub-headings.

Rethink keywords. Overdoing it with keywords can cause your content to crumble under the weight of overoptimization. Usually, you want a keyword density of less than 1 percent, which may mean just a keyword or two in your content. Another way to think about it is to come up with topics, not keywords, and use your topics to naturally, organically guide your writing.

Include links. Link to a couple of other pieces of content on your website or blog, as they are relevant, and if possible include a link to an external, authoritative site.

Write a call to action at the bottom of your copy. You should be doing this anyway!

Don’t forget to include a meta description! And make it a good one.

Remember: If you’re writing good, clear, descriptive, and value-adding prose—the kind of stuff people might actually like to read—then you’re probably doing alright on the SEO front. Hopefully these tips will help you feel even more secure in your SEO writing skills.

Request help with an SEO writing project by calling Grammar Chic at 803-831-7444, or by visiting us at www.grammarchic.net.

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May 15, 2015 · 9:39 am

SEO Elements: What’s Essential for Your Web Content?

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We talk to countless small business owners who want help with their website—and the #1 question we’re asked goes something like this: Sure, I want you guys to write some compelling, persuasive Web content—but what can you do for my SEO?

Business owners know that the reports of SEO’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, and the only way to ensure that your website is found by search engine users is to take it seriously. That doesn’t mean you don’t also need quality content; what it means is that quality content and search engine optimization can and should go hand in hand, feeding and supporting one another.

In fact, the single most essential SEO element for your company website is quality written content. Google knows gibberish when it sees it. It can detect if your content is vague, grammatically troublesome, or simply not engaging—and it will punish you in kind. Getting truly strong website content is an SEO must.

But what are some of the other SEO elements you need to think about as you prepare your Web content? A few considerations:

  • You need to have targeted keyword phrases included on your site, preferably toward the beginning of your content; you also need to keep from overdoing it. Keyword stuffing is a big SEO no-no. You may want to rank for the phrase Charlotte property management, but saying Charlotte property management 50 times on a 200-word page is going to do more harm than good. Be natural. Don’t force anything.
  • Remember to use keyword variants—something Google increasingly prizes. Say Charlotte property managers a time or two, but also throw in property mangers in Charlotte, or managing Charlotte properties, or something similar.
  • Remember that, both in terms of your human readers and search engines, the first 100-200 words of text are make-or-break. Convey what the page is about. Get to the point. And use your keyword early on!
  • Make sure your title is compelling for human readers and succinct enough for Google to display it; that means 55 characters or less!
  • Use different headlines– H1, H2, H3 tags—to convey your message and organize your content. Note that these headlines are good spots for keywords!
  • Ensure, for the search engines’ benefit, that each page of content you write has a short meta description—150 to 160 characters long. If you use WordPress as your CMS, there is a field where you can add the meta description, quite easily.

Your written Web content matters—for your readers, and for search engines. To learn more, we invite you to contact Grammar Chic today at 803-831-7444, or www.grammarchic.net.

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