5 Tips To Optimize Your Online Content for Google

SEO optimized content makes it easier for search engines to scan your website and consider it as a viable source. Having SEO-friendly content helps search engines identify information and also entices readers to click on links whether in search, social media or email.

But, what is SEO exactly? SEO is short for "Search Engine Optimization." This is important for publishers to be aware of because it's essentially what draws people to your website and articles. Understanding how to create content that is SEO-friendly is a big factor in generating more traffic and engagement. 

We've put together a few tips for online magazines and newspapers to help improve their SEO and make their content more search engine friendly. 

1. Use Keywords in Your Titles

This is an important one, as it helps separate your article from others that are similar. Adding in specific keywords, such as the town name, year, etc, can help your article reach more people.

For example, instead of saying "5 Tips for Homeowners" say "5 Tips for Homeowners in the Folsom Area." 

2. Cross-link

Cross-linking within your articles is a great way to help search engines recognize your content. This simply means that you link to another page or business on your website within an article. It's all about being helpful. If you cross-link all throughout your website, when a search engine is reviewing your site (something that happens regularly) it signals related content and also keeps readers on your site longer which is another important ranking factor.

So make sure to tag that business next time you're writing about them!

3. Keep It Clean

The layout of your article is something that search engines scan and can affect how close to the top of the search you get. It helps when the overall structure of your website is clean and organized, such as the layout Locable's Community Content Engine provides.

You can help even more by including images, breaking content into short paragraphs with sub-headers to make it easily scannable (for readers). Headers should also use keywords specific to the following paragraph.

4. Create Mobile-friendly Content

Creating content that is mobile-friendly is another important factor when working to improve SEO. This includes how long content takes to load, and how it looks on a mobile screen. If the text is tiny or a user has to scroll back and forth to read an article then you are likely being penalized by Google and should consider an upgrade to your website.

5. Have High-quality Original Content

Original content that is high-quality is something that also helps with SEO. It might sound irrelevant, but it's actually something that search engines quantify using metrics such as links and social shares. 

Content doesn't necessarily have to be long to be considered high-quality and original doesn't have to mean written from scratch. (Repurposing old articles is a great way to do this.) Instead, focus on whether the content is informative, entertaining and relevant to your readers and/or provide unique context to an article written by someone else (normally called a pick-up). Locally-sourced stories about people, places and things to do tend to fit these requirements best.

Looking for a little help executing your digital strategy? Talk with us about Membership and Consulting Services.