Search engine optimization (SEO) is a moving target with a mysterious algorithm that no one seems to be able to define precisely. While this fact can be frustrating, if you can look at it from a positive standpoint, it can be to your benefit. Why?
No One Else Has the Exact Answer Either
We are all at the same disadvantage in our inability to crack the Google SEO code. You can count on the fact that no one else knows the code, so if you stay up to date on SEO techniques like the ones we are about to discuss in this series, you will stay on top of the SEO game.
There Are Ways to Stay at the Top
There are many techniques to staying at the top of Google’s search engine results page (SERP), though you’ll never find the exact formula. Let’s say you’ve been blogging for a couple years, continuously creating new content and seeing engagement with your blog. All that content does not have to have an expiration date. Take some time to review your collection of blogs and see if there are any particular articles that received more traffic than others. These articles will be the starting point for a blog refresh and update, which can yield a significant increase in website traffic.
Now that you have this list of top performing blogs, look to see if there is a relationship between any of these articles. If there is a relationship, can you seamlessly combine these articles into one longer-form, more in-depth article? Find a common thread to connect a few of your blogs, especially if they are around 250-400 words each. You want to combine them to make a longer blog of at least 1000 words.
What’s the reasoning behind this? User-generated content has become prolific ever since we all figured out that generating fresh content is one of the best ways to receive a thumbs up from Google. Look how far we’ve come! From the days of totally useless, “keyword stuffing” articles that had no value other than attracting Google’s attention, to the days of more valuable, readable and meaningful articles, to today. Google has essentially learned how to read over the years, which forced businesses to start writing that real content. And now that real content needs to be even more meaningful and in-depth to offer users and searchers even more valuable information. Google’s reading level is rising.
Now, think about it – this is not a bad thing! Who needs loads of shallow content that offers readers no insight or useful information? While more thoughtful, in-depth content takes longer to create, it is more helpful to your audience. At the end of the day, helping your customers and potential customers is, simply, the right thing to do. They are the lifeline of your business!
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