Most businesses consider SEO and conversion efforts to be independent processes. Writing content that ranks high on search engines is one piece and knowing why customers don’t make purchases is a separate puzzle. However, the best SEO content captures ranking and conversion simultaneously. The challenge is that ranking and converting traffic doesn’t always work hand-in-hand. But it’s important for business owners to understand how to align the two.
Consider Search Intent Instead Of Just Focusing On Keywords
The primary mistake when writing SEO content is selecting a target keyword without understanding the reasoning behind people searching for that keyword. Search intent captures the reasoning behind the search query and Google is adept at understanding content and query relationships without a keyword-to-page approach.
Understanding The Four Search Intent Categories
The four categories of search intent are served with specific content frameworks. For an informational search, such as ‘how does X work,’ a content writer should avoid creating a sales page. Rather, that content should be educational.
The intent behind a commercial search, such as ‘best X for Y,’ is served with content that includes comparisons. A transactional search, such as ‘buy X,’ is better served with content that includes a call-to-action. Finally, a navigational search is satisfied with a specific brand or site.
Don’t Write For Algorithms, Write For People
Content creation is undergoing changes in how Google evaluates it. Content that was primarily created to rank in Google using keyword stuffing, ‘click-bait’ headlines and verbiage that contains a lot of filler rather than substance is now being actively demoted. It is likely that the content that ranks highest this year will answer questions, provide new insights that the reader is not already familiar with and demonstrate a high level of subject matter expertise.
Content Depth And Structure
Content that is presented with well-defined topics and subtopics, short paragraphs and a high level of logic to support the overall structure for a natural progression from asking the reader to providing them a suggested action, ultimately leads to high conversion rates and improves overall content ranking. Google evaluates content based on page engagement and content that answers the reader’s question which keeps the reader engaged.
Adding A Conversion Layer
Most content creators treat CTAs as an afterthought, simply tacking them on when they wrap everything else up. This is a huge mistake. The top performing SEO content incorporates CTAs as they make relevant points and weave them into the content. If you’re covering why something is problematic and expensive to resolve, that is the perfect spot to include the fact that you offer a free audit.
Answer The Question, Then Raise the Next One
The best converting content has a very predictable structure. It first answers the reason the reader visited the content, then presents the unconsidered follow-up question to which the answer is also contained. This structure is engaging, promotes reading retention and positions the writer as an expert with a command over the content. This structure also serves as an appropriate location to introduce a service or product offering in a frictionless manner.
Use Internal Links Strategically
Each piece of content should be driving the audience to read more. Incorporating internal links to relevant articles, case studies, service pages, or lead magnets can keep your site traffic flowing instead of returning to Google. Internal links can also evenly distribute authority throughout your site, creating better rankings for the most important pages. Consider your content as a path with signposts instead of a series of dead ends.
Technical Improvements You Cannot Avoid
Page speed, visual stability and interactivity are now considered technical SEO metrics and are important to ensure your website is of top quality. Research has shown that as the page load speed increases, conversion rate decreases. If you do not make speed, a responsive design, and clear site structure priorities, your content will likely never reach its potential.
Scheme And Data Structuring
Data structuring can be earned through search engines. Schema markup can lead to rich results such as star ratings, FAQs and featured snippets. Click-through rates have statistically improved with these types of reviews.
Evaluate What Truly Matters
This is the most overlooked area of the evaluation process. If there is no positive impact from the traffic, then keyword ranking is just a self-serving achievement. Monitoring keyword rank along with metrics is crucial, this includes organic traffic volume, page dwelling time, bounce rate, task completion and leads acquisition from organic search.
The benchmark is determined by pages that rank and generate conversions. If a page has a good ranking but low conversions, this can mean that the content is attracting a different audience from the target, or that the conversion system is ineffective.
