by Francois Muscat | Aug 20, 2020 | Blogging, SEO
Blogs and SEO go hand in hand in the digital marketing industry. If you’ve been neglecting your SEO strategy, you could spend a lot of time on creating content for your blog without seeing the organic traffic you’re aiming for. We’ve rounded up 5 SEO tips to help you drive organic traffic to your blog.
Driving organic traffic to your blog with our SEO tips
1. Don’t write blindly
The most common mistake made by bloggers and writers is to think that trending topics will drive massive amounts of traffic to a blog. While a trending topic may be a great way to grab attention, you’ll need to be an established, trusted name in the industry you’re writing for (with lots of followers) to benefit from writing about a trending topic. If you’re not a well-known expert in the industry, you won’t be the go-to resource, and the interest in the trending topic you just wrote about will die off long before a large number of readers find your article or post.
You can remedy this by writing what we call “evergreen content” that will keep attracting the attention of readers for a long time. Evergreen content is not time-sensitive, and stays relevant for long after it has been published, driving traffic to your blog over several months or (even better) years. Evergreen content does not rely on a specific event or trend to remain relevant, instead it remains valuable for readers over a long time and does not need to be updated often to remain factual and correct.
Research is key to understanding if your topic is trending or evergreen. You can research topics by using search engines, keyword research tools (to determine traffic) and by looking at what your competitors and other writers in your industry or niche are ranking for. Another great tool to determine if your content is evergreen is Google Trends. Do a quick search for your topic and you’ll be able to see if your topic has a notable “spike”. If there is a spike, it means that your topic could be trendy (or possibly seasonal) which makes it less applicable in your search for evergreen content. If the line is more or less straight (with spikes and dips), it might be an evergreen topic. Try searching for “Christmas” and “social media” for a demonstration of how this tool works.
2. Understand why people are searching for a specific term
If you want to rank better on SERP, then you need to have an understanding of why someone could be searching for a specific topic so you can write content that answers the question. Google wants to deliver the best search results to its users, so if you miss the “why” of the search, then your content will not be aligned in a way that will get you to rank.
When someone searches for “coffee” they’re most likely looking for a place nearby that sells coffee. So, if you’re writing about the history of coffee, you won’t rank above the results that provide direct, relevant information. If you’re in the coffee industry, think about answering some more pertinent questions such as “where can I buy a vegan latte” or “summer coffee recipes”.
3. Write deep, not long
Many resources about SEO and blog writing will tell you that your content needs to be over 2000 words in length or some other number. Instead of trying to hit an arbitrary number, rather take a look at what is typical for your industry and write enough content to answer a specific search query.
You need to focus more on covering your topic in depth so that your reader gets all the information they might need in one place. Google wants to provide its audience with great results, and that includes giving them results that answer their questions comprehensively.
Use the search engine results page (SERP) to ensure that you cover the most important aspects of your topic by reviewing the results that already rank and checking that you’re covering what your audience may want to know from a search query.
4. Earn links by creating valuable content
Google will know that your content is relevant and valuable to others if your content is linked to by others. While it seems simple, it is incredibly powerful to have other bloggers, writers and online sources to link to your content. It shows Google that you know what you’re talking about and that you are a trust-worthy source of information.
Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to buy links or gain them through similar schemes. This goes against Google’s user policy and can get your page(s) or entire website removed from rankings altogether.
There are ways to create link-worthy content, including sharing unique insights and personal experiences that people will genuinely be interested in. You could also curate information into a definitive guide and provide an insider look at the information that people would typically not have access to (data that you’ve gathered or research that you’ve done). The key here is to be ethical about how you provide information- be sure that you’re allowed to share information, credit your sources and don’t plagiarise information from other writers.
5. Spend time on your title and description (H3) title tag meta description
This is where you need to get a little creative without crossing the limits of what is displayed. Because Google truncates your title tag and meta descriptions, you need to keep them short and sweet while using your chosen keywords and attracting attention with powerful terms, also called power words.
Keep your title under 50-60 characters and your meta description under 160 characters. Put your keywords first (or as close to the beginning as possible) and create something that will get the reader to stop scrolling and click on your post.
If your SEO strategy needs a revamp, contact WSI OMS to find out how we can help you to drive organic traffic to your blog with an improved SEO strategy.
by Marianna Muscat | Aug 17, 2020 | SEO
Having a blog is a useful tool for businesses looking to increase their online visibility and connect with customers. However, to stand out in the competitive world of digital content, you need to implement SEO tips in your blogging. Here are five traffic-boosting SEO tips to use:
1. Keyword research
Research keywords of what your customers are searching for and what is currently trending, as this will save you a tremendous amount of time and effort towards driving more traffic to your blog. There are several useful tools that you can use, for example, Keyword Planner and Google Trends.
2. Optimise images for SEO
Including images on your blog makes it easier to read, but also offers an opportunity to add keywords to the page. Use the image file name, alt text, and caption text to do further search engine optimisation on your blog.
3. Add internal links
Linking internally on your content helps search engines know the validity or relevance of your page and will keep your readers on your site for longer. Having a link building strategy will raise other related pages to search engines and boost your blog’s performance.
4. Mobile-friendly
Hitwise reported that almost 60 percent of online searches are done on a mobile device, and Google will first display mobile-friendly results. Ensure that your website design is responsive to mobile and only has one URL to help your SEO come back to your site.
5. Evergreen content
Focus on writing content that won’t go out of date within a few weeks or months. Plan your content marketing in a way that it is dateless and always relevant. Also, recycle your old posts by updating them once a year.
It is essential to use good SEO practices in your digital marketing strategy for your blog to get more traffic and will give you that edge over your competitors.
Contact us today to help you with your SEO or to update your blog web design that WSI OMS offers.
by Marelise da Silva | Aug 11, 2020 | SEO
Your SEO strategy is a massive part of your digital marketing effort, and if you’re spending time on link building, there are a few things you need to be aware of that could get you into serious trouble with Google’s spam team. In our latest blog post, we take a look at the types of links that get you penalised and how to avoid getting penalised.
A quick recap of link building terms
Inbound links
Inbound links are clickable links from any other site that links back to your site; that’s why they are often called backlinks. They bring traffic to your website.
Outbound links
The exact opposite of inbound links, outbound links point to other websites or webpages.
Manual penalties
Also called manual actions. Google can demote or remove a website (as a whole) or pages of a website that engage in spammy, unnatural link building which goes against Google’s terms. Webmasters are informed of such actions on the Search Console and the webmaster then has an opportunity to fix the problem and send a reconsideration request.
Link Schemes
Any link that attempts to manipulate the Google ranking system may form part of a link scheme. These include buying or selling links, using services that automatically create links to a site, and excessive link exchanges. Link Schemes are set out under Google’s quality guidelines.
Common link penalties you need to avoid
Spam links
Whether it is pure spam that adds no value to where it is posted, or user-generated spam that is created by posting in forums, discussions and blogs, Google does not like spam links. If your link building strategy includes adding your link to discussions and forums, you need to be very careful to only mention it when it is relevant and useful and directly related to the content you are commenting on.
Paid links
Google does not play well when it comes to the practice of buying and selling links. If you’re paying someone to add your link to their site or being paid to add a link to your site, then you’re going to get penalised. If you decide that you want to buy links, be sure to mark them as “no follow” links that will be excluded from your rankings. In general, the best idea is just to avoid this practice.
Private blog networks
Also called link networks, this is basically a network of sites that are all owned by one person and used primarily to link to each other. This tactic isn’t always effective because all the sites need strong inbound links to have an influence on ranking, and even if done correctly, Google still sees this as manipulative behaviour and may penalize you for using this strategy.
Low quality, foreign and irrelevant links
If you use links from low quality websites, sites that are irrelevant to your content and masses of foreign links, Google will pick up that you’re trying to cheat the system and will penalize you. The idea is to improve your ranking by proving that your website is relevant and useful so these types of links won’t contribute to your rankings and may hurt your link building efforts.
Business directories and bookmarking sites
While not all directories are bad, there are many web directories that are really low quality and if your website is listed on low quality directories or bookmarking sites, you need to remove it or disavow it to avoid penalties from Google.
How to avoid getting penalised
If your website is a source of quality information that has value to users, you really don’t have to do too much to avoid penalties from Google. The number one rule is to create valuable, quality content that will earn you organic links and improve your ranking.
Here are some more tips to help you avoid penalties:
- Don’t try to get links by paying for them or exchanging goods, services or links for them.
- If you’re promoting something, use the correct attributes to tell Google what your relationship with that page is
- Diversify keywords and don’t just dump keyword anchors in your text wherever it can go. Incorporate links in a natural way or leave them out of your content.
If you need help with your SEO, link building or digital marketing strategies, contact WSI OMS to discuss our service and package options.
by Francois Muscat | Aug 4, 2020 | SEO
Choosing the right keywords is an important part of SEO marketing, but don’t forget to optimise your pages for Google with well written meta descriptions. The 150 character limit can be challenging to get used to, but it is used to convince audiences to click on your search result. The more clicks you get from those search results, the better your click-through-rate (CTR) will be. If you’re looking to improve your meta descriptions, follow this step-by-step guide.
How to improve your meta descriptions and boost your SEO marketing
Keep the tone simple and conversational
The tone of the description must be straightforward and conversation while still being in line with your brand voice. This may seem like a delicate balancing act, but there’s no need to overthink it. The important thing is to encapsulate the essence of the page content in a simple and attractive way.
Don’t forget about your primary keyword
This is a fun challenge for a copywriter: to include the primary keyword and a natural way that makes sense to the description. It’s vital to include the keyword in your description, as well as your meta title.
Include a call to action
Finish off your description with a tangible call to action for the reader. “Find out more…” or “Learn more here,” for example. A basic description of the content might be enough to attract a click but often, readers need that definite nudge.
Use active voice
Passive voice has its place, but it should be a no-no in most marketing writing, especially in a meta-description, which is meant to be short, sharp and direct. So always stick to active voice.
Provide an accurate description of the content
Don’t try to trick the reader into clicking with a description that doesn’t actually fit the content. Let your description be an accurate reflection of your page’s content.
Keep it as short and start with primary keywords
Although the maximum length for meta descriptions is 150 characters, only the first 120 characters usually get displayed in the search results. This means you need to be sure to get your main message across before that cut-off.
Write a meta description for each page
Don’t copy and paste one meta description across various pages. Each and every one of your pages must have its own meta description.
As a leading digital marketing agency, WSI OMS specialises in providing you with effective social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, mobile content marketing, and SEO marketing. If you need help with your SEO marketing strategy or any other digital marketing activities, contact us for more information.
by Marianna Muscat | Jul 24, 2020 | SEO, Website Design
If you want the best eCommerce website, you need to ensure that quality web design, quality images, and excellent product descriptions form part of your content marketing strategy. Your product descriptions need to tantalise your audience with emotive language that highlights the details, features and benefits of your products while keeping it easy to read.
Aspects to consider when crafting product descriptions for your eCommerce site:
Write for a specific buyer persona
Create a buyer persona by breaking down the characteristics of your potential customers and define the product features they would be most interested in.
Show some personality in telling your product story
Telling the product story should fill any gaps the customer has about the product. Write where and when the product should be used, how it works and what benefits it will provide.
Watch your tone
The product description should use natural language, like a conversation you would have with someone else. The tone must also be natural and in line with the general tone of your brand.
Make it digestible
Make the product description easy to scan by using short paragraphs, bullet points, different size fonts and lots of white space.
Never forget SEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is one of the best ways to attract new customers to your pages and product. Use great keywords for quality SEO.
Amp up the quality of your visuals
A great image draws the eye faster than a great product description. Use quality images to show the customer the key features of the product and complement the product description.
While web design and content marketing go a long way to present your products and information in a readable and visually pleasing manner, your product descriptions are essential to convincing the audience to buy your product. For more information, visit WSIOMS to create an eCommerce website that has web design, SEO, and content marketing at its core.
by Marelise da Silva | Jul 23, 2020 | SEO
SEO services and local SEO can lead consumers to your business by helping them to find your website, YouTube channel and other social media profiles. Over 2 billion people watch content on YouTube, every month, so this platform can give you fantastic exposure as long as you optimise your YouTube marketing videos.
How to Optimise your YouTube Marketing Videos with SEO Services & Local SEO
Keep your brand consistent with your overall branding strategy
The branding of your YouTube channel must be consistent with that of your website and other social media accounts.
1. Use keywords in the title of your videos
The title is what makes people want to click on your video, and adding keywords to the video title ensures the audience and SEO algorithms will find it.
2. Put keywords at the beginning of your video description
Only the first three lines of a description are displayed before you must click ‘see more’, so include the keyword in the first three lines.
3. Use keywords in the video file
The YouTube algorithm will find your video more easily if you include the keyword in the video file.
4. Use thumbnails to attract attention and show the video’s topic
Customise thumbnails to be eye-catching and accurately reflect the content of your business video.
5. Use relevant tags
Tags tell consumers and YouTube what your video is about. Keep your tags relevant and use keywords to promote content and context.
6. Pick the right category
For the best ranking, do thorough research and find a category the reflects your audience, style and content.
Search engine optimisation is not the only way to optimise your YouTube marketing videos. Post videos regularly, make them mobile friendly and easy to share, include a call-to-action in every video and create playlists that feature your videos with others.
Need more SEO marketing tips? Contact WSIOMS, your local SEO and SEO Services experts, for help with keyword research and SEO integration that will help your audience to find your carefully created content.
