Although some people believe that the numerous algorithm changes in the not-too-distant past have essentially killed SEO as an industry, SEO remains an integral part of online marketing.
That said, if you want to attract more visitors to your website in 2016, below are some of the SEO mistakes you need to avoid if at all possible:
These days, people use software for just about anything. Chances are your company uses at least a platform or two to power your day-to-day operations. Email software like Microsoft Outlook is one example. A cloud-based time tracking app is another good example.
However, when it comes to SEO, cash-strapped mom-and-pop businesses, one-man operations, and even small businesses think that SEO is something they can handle on their own.
That’s a gamble that might not be worth taking. SEO experts spend years learning their craft and discovering what works best. And if you don’t have the time to do the same, you need to be brutally honest about what you hope to achieve from your efforts.
On the other hand, if you want to maximize your SEO dollar, you can do one of two things:
• Hire an Expert: For those with an SEO budget, you can opt to hire an SEO expert. Make sure to only consider those with rock-solid experience. Ask how their previous SEO efforts benefited their clients, then, confirm their claims through actual client testimonials. Also ensure that the candidate is reliable and easy to work with.
• Use SEO Software: If you’re not financially equipped to add an expert to your employee roster, great results can still be reaped through SEO software such as WebCEO, Traffic Travis, or Moz Pro. Vendors of these tools normally provide plan options that work for any budget.
In 2016, if you don’t have adequate SEO knowledge or experience, don’t force yourself to master the craft, especially if you’re better off doing something else. Instead, employ the services of an expert or use a quality piece of software to give yourself a better shot at success.
Content is an essential part of SEO. As a matter of fact, content and SEO are, according to a Business2Community article, two peas in a pod. They work together, so there’s no use arguing which one is better for marketing.
That said, whether you create your content in-house or you outsource the job, it’s vital to remember one thing:
Short content no longer works.
Sure, there are exceptions, but if you want a general rule to follow, Google tends to reward sites that consistently create long-form content. A serpIQ study quoted in a Kissmetrics article discovered that “the average length of the content in the top 10 results of search queries” was 2,000+ words.
What does this mean for you?
First, it means you need to stop focusing on 500-word blog posts. There was a time when those worked, but in 2016, more detailed articles get recognized.
Not a lot of people are willing to go deep into a topic and do the required research, which means consistently creating helpful long-form content already makes you a cut above the rest.
Be warned, however, that long-form content isn’t just about the word count. Hitting your target word count is nothing if there’s not much substance to your content. You won’t do yourself or brand any favor with this strategy.
Writing longer pieces doesn’t have to be a daunting endeavor. They take practice, yes, but they also provide you with a number of opportunities.
Someone with absolutely no interest in what you’re selling will most likely jump ship the moment they realize your piece is at least 2,000 words long. Not that you’re trying to be a snob or something, but let’s face it, not everyone who visits your website will buy from you.
Publishing longer pieces allows you to easily separate serious buyers – or leads, for that matter – from those who are simply just “passing by.” Visitors who are ready to buy normally read every piece of information they can find on a product or service before making a purchase.
According to WordStream, long-tail keywords “are longer and more specific keyword phrases that visitors are more likely to use when they’re closer to a point of purchase.” These keywords normally are phrases made up of three or four keywords that are very specific to the product of service you’re selling.
Posts that are timely, in-depth, well-researched, address a pain point, or answer a pressing question generate buzz, and the next thing you know, your content is getting a lot of pingbacks from other blog owners.
Your article being mentioned on A-list sites and linked to by reputable bloggers is sure to send a lot of traffic to your website.
It’s not a game of who publishes at breakneck speed. Unless you’re running a news site, there’s no automatic upside to posting one blog article on your website every day. This means you can afford to put more time and effort into your longer blog posts.
How to measure your content’s ROI – this has always been one of the most challenging parts of blogging.
One way is to end every post with a CTA, (call-to-action) that asks readers to buy from you. If they take action and do as you expect them to, then your strategy is effective.
While there’s no questioning the power of this form of CTA, the problem is that over time, it can lose its potency and may trigger a phenomenon similar to banner blindness, where readers willfully (or not so willfully) ignore displaying advertisements.
Readers may stop visiting – worse, even urge their friends and relatives to do the same – if they know that every post on your website asks them to spend money on your product or service.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way around this: the content upgrade.
What is a content upgrade?
According to LeadPages, a content upgrade is a “lead magnet or ‘opt-in bribe’ created specifically for readers of that blog post.”
It’s similar to a regular lead magnet, in that it’s available to the reader after first supplying their email address. The difference is that the content upgrade functions as an extension of the content the reader just consumed.
Content upgrades give you two main benefits:
• Click-throughs and opt-ins. They allow you to gauge how persuasive or compelling your content is. You can do this by measuring your click-through and opt-in rates.
• More subscribers. Content upgrades allow you to grow your email list, which you can then work into your sales funnel.
One thing to keep in mind: Don’t expect your upgrades to do much if you’re not providing great content upfront.
To stand out in a sea of websites that offer similar products, services, or information, stop creating posts that sound like everyone else has said online.
Put yourself in your readers’ shoes. If you’re looking for information to help with your purchasing decisions, varying points of view allow you to understand the product or service better, and if it’s actually right for you.
In short, people don’t like reading the same thing over and over.
If you absolutely must cover the same topic as one of your competitors, at least craft a title for your post that’s completely different. Otherwise, when someone sees you tweeting out your new blog post, they may refrain from clicking, thinking they’ve already read about the same topic on someone else’s site.
While the jury is still out on whether social media links do impact SEO, marketers are united in saying that a strong social media presence can boost SEO. Generally, content that gets shared a lot on social media generate considerable traffic, which is then rewarded with better search engine visibility.
But if you’re simply parroting what others are saying, the chances of your content being shared and consumed are slim, and your SEO results will reflect this.
A lot of what we’ve covered so far had to do with content. However, there’s more to SEO than just the words on your page.
Keywords are no longer central to SEO as they once were. Nowadays, SEO writing has a lot to do with reader experience, which is why you must be aware of your website’s load time.
If your page loads slowly, readers will readily abandon your site to find better-performing ones. This increases your bounce rate, which can negatively affect your SEO.
When it comes to your website’s load speed, remember that goldfish have longer attention spans than humans, nine seconds and eight seconds, respectively.
The final word.
As is always the case come year-end, businesses are busy crunching numbers to gain better insights into their 2015 SEO performance – what worked, what didn’t, and what can be improved.
2016 will prove to be an exciting year for SEO. To ensure your SEO is tightly in place when the new year comes, remember that keeping the above pointers in mind definitely won’t hurt.
Mariame Bakkouri is the content marketing manager at Cloudswave. She loves writing about entrepreneurship and marketing. Always seeking new experiences, she likes traveling and discovering new cultures. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.