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5 Key Tools to Improve the SEO Potential of Your Content

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5 key tools to improve the seo potential of your content

Coming up with good quality content, consistently, is a difficult task.

You have to create something that reads, looks and sells well – but wait, as they say in infomercials, ‘that’s not all’. A huge part of a webpage’s success in the long term is also about which search queries the content ranks for, and for how long, ensuring you get optimal traffic flows to your site.

SEO is a whole other consideration –  four essential things you need to cover for perfect SEO writing are: 

  1. Pick the topics that attract a lot of clicks
  2. Discover the keywords needed for the search engine to rank you
  3. Write a piece of content that adheres to search engines’ best practices
  4. Attract organic links by engaging with your audience, and refining your publishing process 

There’s a lot of elements to consider – but luckily, there are tools to assist with each aspect.

In this post, I’m going to go over some of my go-to apps for each, and provide some additional recommendations to assist, which will help you improve your content SEO process.

Let’s get started.

1. Google Trends

google trends

All content creation starts with a question – ‘What should I write about?’

And, sure, you can just wing it, and you can create content that’s engaging for you, that you yourself would like to see online. 

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But unfortunately, most of us can’t afford to rely on luck and/or personal taste. What we need to know is what specific types of topics and posts are popular in our niche, and which will help us connect with our target audience.

For reliable search data, you can’t go wrong with Google’s own. Google is the world’s dominant search engine, and basically for whatever your business does, and wherever you are in your process, having a high ranking in Google Search remains a key way to gain traffic.

With Google Trends, you can see how the interest in your focus topics have changed over time, related queries stemming from them, and even which geographic locations are the “search hubs” for the topics you’re interested in. 

Advantages:

  • The data comes direct from Google
  • You can monitor trends locally
  • It’s free

2. Google Keyword Planner

google keyword planner

Keyword research is one of the best ways to increase your traffic – using the right keywords will ensure search engines are able to understand what you’re writing about, and how deep you’re covering your topic of choice. 

For example, let’s say there’s a search engine results page with top 10 ranking of pages for the search query “leather boots”. The vast majority of the pages displayed will likely have “women’s leather boots” sprinkled all through the text, headers, and/or title. Now the search engine is likely to consider “women’s” a vital part of the topic when creating a page about “leather boots”. 

Even though you want to rank for “leather boots”, “women’s” will also need to be covered to get some of that coveted relevancy. 

To know which umbrella of words is needed to be ranked for a certain query – that’s what keyword research is for.

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With Keyword Planner, you’re able to enter a bunch of seed keywords and the tool will come back to you with a range of suggestions, synonyms to cover, and possibly extensions for your topic that you haven’t thought of before. 

Keyword Planner will, of course, show you the average number of searches for the keywords you’re interested in, but that’s not the only criterion you need to be looking at. 

Use the “Historical” data tab to see how the stats for the keywords changed over time – and of course use Google Trends to see where and how intensely people searched/are searching for it. 

Advantages:

  • Again, the data is direct from Google
  • You can research up to 10 keywords at the same time
  • There are lots of ways to filter the keywords you’re getting
  • CPC/PPC information
  • It’s free

3. WebSite Auditor’s Content Editor

website auditor content editor

WebSite Auditor’s (disclosure: this is a tool from my company) Content Editor is, as the name suggests, a tool for creating and editing your online content.

It’s a word processor app with SEO features, so you get to create and edit webpages while having a wealth of custom SEO tips and tricks on-hand.

As you’re writing your future page, the tool will give you a bunch of SEO alerts to turn to – for example, if you’re using too many or not nearly enough of your target keywords (or words in general), or if you need to fill out a certain tag or image alt text – you’ll know immediately.

There’s also quick access to “People also ask” boxes about your topic, giving a continuous feed of ways to expand your page, while the tool will also automatically recommend additional keywords you might want to cover that you haven’t already to avoid missing any opportunities.

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Advantages:

  • SEO advice as you’re writing the page
  • List of highest-traffic competitors always on hand
  • You can create a new page from scratch, or edit an existing one
  • It’s free

4. Yoast’s Real-Time Content Analysis

yoast real time content analysis

Chances are that most people reading this are familiar with Yoast, given that it’s the most popular plugin for WordPress in the world, and helps millions of people do SEO on the fly. 

Their content editor, Real-Time Content Analysis, offers similar functionality to Website Auditor, but with a particular WordPress bent to it.

It also combines the word processor/SEO auditor functionalities under one hood – and thanks to the fact that it’s a web-based service, like all of Yoast’s SEO plugins, you get to edit your page anytime, anyplace. 

Advantages:

  • A list of SEO advice right near your writing
  • A cloud service, so you can write your page anywhere
  • It’s free

5. Buffer

buffer

As we’re all painfully aware, your content’s success (SEO success included) doesn’t stop at the content. 

Both SEO and content marketing need the same slippery thing to be successful — the buzz. And while in content marketing we’re talking about likes, shares, and clicks, what the search engines crave are organic backlinks

Organically attracted backlinks are solid proof for any ranking algorithm that your pages are great, that people enjoy them and find them useful. The chances of getting ranked higher increase substantially thanks to that.

To get those precious organic links, you need people linking back to your content – you need to inspire engagement and prompt sharing. This is where content marketing collides with SEO.

To manage the buzz of your content, you’ll need a tool like Buffer, both for coordinating the publishing process of your content cycle, and for analyzing social media data for higher engagement level with your audience. 

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Within Buffer’s dashboard, you can see exactly what kind of reach you get when you publish new content, and what kind of audience is responding. Armed with that kind of knowledge, you’ll be able to more easily improve the spread of your content – and ultimately, its position as a relevant and useful page that search engines will want to rank higher.

Advantages:

  • Manage your content strategy across all social media platforms
  • Analysis features included to improve your reach
  • Free trial available

Conclusion

Content marketing and SEO activities always have to go hand-in-hand for us to really step up our SEO rankings, and, consequently, the traffic we see.

Most people today use search to find everything, and seizing the opportunity provided to us by the search giants is key to ongoing success. 

Socialmediatoday.com

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.

The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.

According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.

Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.

Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.

The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.

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This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.

Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.

As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?

Only time will tell.

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.

When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.

“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.

Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.

“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.” 

“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.

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“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.

Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.

As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.

That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.

Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.

That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.

Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.

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Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.

We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.

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