SEO is still alive and well in the world of online marketing, despite rumours you may have heard to the contrary. SEO may be changing to accommodate the way search engine algorithms classify and rank content, but the underlying object of SEO strategy remains the same: to drive visitors to a website, thereby increasing the site’s productivity as a marketing tool. For example, consider SEO articles.
The whole purpose of posting articles to a web page is to gain new visitors while maintaining the interest of those who already regularly visit. Doing so is just good business. However, in order to accomplish both goals, visitors need to know your site exists and that it is worth spending some time on. That’s where SEO comes in. Below are the five most important on-page elements of productive SEO articles. If your content contains each of them, you will find it to be very productive.
1. Quality
Search Engine Land created an SEO periodic table a while back as a means of categorising various on- and off-page elements that make for good content. To the surprise of many, the element in the number one position was quality. Thanks to Google and the other search engines making a concerted effort to rid the web of junk developers only interested in ad revenue, quality of content is now the most important SEO factor of all. Quality is that which gives your visitors a valid reason to return to your site repeatedly.
2. Updated Content
Search engines have a monumental task in organising and ranking websites that they believe internet users want to see. So one of the things they look for is the regular site update. A site that is frequently updated is one that will rank higher on a consistent basis. According to Forbes contributing author Jayson DeMers, organic search engine traffic increases several times over when website is updated daily with relevant content.
3. Attention Grabbing Titles
The industry used to pay very little attention to titles due to the search engines not caring much about them. Nevertheless, as with most things in the SEO world, that has changed. The most successful SEO articles today have attention-grabbing titles that are combined with appropriate keywords and phrases to tell a search engine algorithm what a particular article is about. Attention-grabbing titles offer the secondary benefit of inviting readers to actually read.
4. Target Keywords and Phrases
The emphasis placed on targeted keywords and phrases has certainly been diminished over the years. Nonetheless, that does not mean they are no longer important. They are. They just need to be used naturally and selectively within the context of a given article. They should also be used in titles and first and last paragraphs when possible.
5. Heading Tags
Algorithm developers know that the average web reader is more likely to skim an article while paying close attention to headings. The idea is that the various headings can give the reader a general idea of what content is about without reading the entire article. There is only a need to read the entire piece if information found in the headings clearly demonstrates the user has need of the information. This makes heading tags incredibly important. All SEO articles should have an H1 and as many H2 headings as are necessary to convey the depth of content.
With these five on-page elements in place, most SEO articles should do fairly well. Anyone interested in going deeper can include other on- and off-page elements as necessary. Using SEO articles to increase the visibility and productivity of your website will help your business grow.
Here at Connotations, our staff of expert writers can produce all the content you need for your website. From SEO articles to sales copy, we have the knowledge and experience to create the content that will take your website to the next level. We can also produce content for printed materials including pamphlets and brochures.