If you’re in business and you have a website, or designing one, you’re probably aware that search engines like Google use algorithms to rank websites and establish the order in which they present those sites to Google users.
When users search for something on a search engine, they’re given a set of Search Engine Result Pages that best match their criteria. Most people know that much, but what many do not realize is that 95% of search engine users on Google, Yahoo, and Bing visit a website on page one of their SERPs, and go no further. Websites that aren’t ranking on page one of their most relevant search terms only stand a five percent chance of ever being seen by search engine users.
Using Content Marketing To Improve Search Engine Rankings
Effective content marketing is largely aimed at working successfully with Google’s algorithms, because Google currently commands nearly 64% of the search market, and runners-up Yahoo and Bing tend to follow suit with Google’s requirements. In an extremely simplified explanation, the search engine algorithms use a digital checklist to tally a website’s score of both positive and negative attributes; Google calls them ranking signals. On average, about 64% of business websites’ traffic comes from organic search (the user is directed to the site by a search engine), which means it is critical to learn to effectively work with search engines and their ever-evolving requirements to get the best value from your business website. This is why many businesses work with SEO companies to design and maintain their sites and develop ongoing, effective content marketing material.
Fresh Content Keeps You In The Spotlight
One ranking signal Google and other search engines weigh heavily is fresh, valuable Search engines are for-profit businesses, and they make their money from advertising, so they need to ensure that their users are getting on-target search results that lead to content the users find valuable, or those users will go find a different search engine. If your site is continually updated with content that users actually read and find useful, your SERP rankings will rise. If your content is stale or falls into what search engines consider “spam,” your ranking will be penalized.
Originality Matters
In addition to providing fresh, high-quality content, your content needs to be original. If the same content appears elsewhere on the web, it will incur SERP ranking penalties. If you want to publish an article that appears on your site to a trade magazine, for example, that article needs to be re-written so that it can pass a plagiarism check like Copyscape before you submit it for publication.
Correct Keyword Optimization
This is one of the most misunderstood areas of content marketing. It seems like packing your content with as many keywords as you can and repeating them as frequently as possible should result in higher SERP rankings, but in fact, the opposite is true. This practice, called keyword stuffing or cramming, can actually get your content labeled as spam by search engines. Google actively searches for keyword cramming and penalizes the pages and sites where it detects this practice. Correct keyword optimization involves careful research and writing for a human audience, as opposed to trying to game the search engine.
For Effective Content Marketing, Jacksonville Companies Count On Integrated Webworks
Search engine optimization and content marketing are highly specialized, high-stakes areas that are continually changing. Keeping up on the latest ranking signals and how to create marketing content that positions your site for the best possible SERP rankings is a time-consuming undertaking, and it’s easy to make mistakes that actually harm your site’s traffic. Integrated Webworks is an SEO company in Jacksonville, Florida, and we specialize in helping companies like your develop effective websites and marketing content. Contact us to learn more about how you can improve your website’s SERP rankings, traffic, and conversion rate with improved content marketing.
