Using New Content to Improve SEO
In previous blog posts, we’ve discussed the need for search engine optimization (SEO) and how it helps people searching for your products or services find your website. One of the best ways to build and maintain SEO is to frequently add new content to your website in the form of new pages, blogs, videos, news items and more.
Why Content is Important
The pages on your website help prospects understand what you do and communicate the value your business can provide. The look and feel of the website also have a lot to do with it as well. However, while people can interpret images, search engines cannot. Sleek and design-heavy websites are visually stunning but often don’t answer many questions for prospective customers. People want information as they research whether your company will meet their needs. A variety of informative content will give them what they need and help improve your SEO at the same time.
Search Engines Love New Content
Google, Bing and other search engines are constantly looking for new content to add to their search results. For most, recency is a factor that contributes to page rankings and overall website quality. A website that hasn’t published any new content for months may be viewed as stale and inactive by search engines. Eventually, the website will fall in the rankings, no matter how well optimized it is in other ways. Adding new content at a minimum of once per month is essential to build and maintain SEO. An original blog post, a news item relevant to your industry or your company, or a new video on a page on your website are simple and effective ways to add new content.
Opportunity to Focus on Keywords
Most websites start with only a handful of pages with limited opportunity to work in all of the long-tail keywords relevant to your business. Adding additional content to your site allows you to focus on important keywords that are not fully optimized on the main pages. Having multiple pages on the website containing related keywords is also favourable for SEO. For example, you could write a series of blog posts about a particular topic, each with similar keywords. Search engines will begin to see your website as having greater authority – or being a better source of information on that topic – than other websites.
Example: Here are three blog titles for the fictitious website World of Bread.
- The Rise of Sourdough Bread
- Don’t Let Deflated Sourdough Get You Down
- Sourdough Starter: Caring for 1 Billion Microscopic Pets
Over time as you expand into new business areas and learn more about the search terms customers are using to find your website, you can easily add those keywords through new content.
- 3 Types of Rye Flour and How to Use Them
- Guide to the Best Loaf Pans for Bread
- Sourdough Scones Offer Endless Possibilities for Happiness
Bridge the Gap Between Inquiry and Lead
Content on your website helps to ‘warm’ prospects before they are ready to talk to you. People who find your website through search terms may not yet be willing to fill out a form or talk to a salesperson. The buyer’s journey is often longer than that and requires some research. Blog posts, FAQs, ‘How it Works’ and other educational content helps to push people closer to the point where they are ready to talk or purchase. Good content can weed out the people that may not fit your ideal customer profile by signalling information about price, benefits or service. Content also helps set expectations and convince prospects of the value of your products which could be the tipping point if they are comparing you against competitors.
Be Strategic
While regularly publishing new content on your website is beneficial, you also want to avoid posting just anything. Be thoughtful and strategic about what your potential customers need to see. What questions do they ask frequently, and how can you address them? Decide what type of content will work best to deliver the information and add it to your website.
Added Bonuses
Original content created for your website can be reused and recycled on social media. New and engaging content is a good reason to email prospects regularly in a newsletter-style communication. They will appreciate the helpful information and may learn something that converts them from prospects into customers. You can even stitch together related blog posts into a longer piece of content that can serve as a hook to generate new leads!
Optimizing your website for search engines is not a one-time task. It takes time and ongoing effort to ensure that the website is technically sound, with well-written content. Get in touch with us to find out how we can support your business with content and SEO strategy to get your business noticed.
Let’s talk about how you can improve your SEO with a sound content strategy and content creation. Contact us using the form below, using the chat function on our website, or by calling 1-855-656-5262. Follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn. We look forward to hearing from you about using new content to improve SEO. We are located in Burlington, Ontario.