Creating fresh content on your website is one of the greatest ways to enhance your online visibility, increase SEO and connect with your ideal client, customer, or couple. However, if you don’t optimise your content for search and social media, there is a good chance that your content will never land in front of the right people.
There are several steps you can take before you hit publish that can increase the chances that your content will get noticed and help to move you towards your business goals. So, the next time you’re ready to hit “publish” on a piece of content, make sure you run through this very simple checklist.
Optimise for keywords
Have you carried out keyword research? This essential step will help you to confirm that the content you are creating fulfils a specific need. Company updates might not need keyword research, but informative or transactional blogs need to be backed up with the right research.
Try to include your main target keyword in the following places:
● The title
● The URL, or slug
● In at least one H2 tag
● In the content (aim for 1-2% keyword density)
TIP: Don’t stuff the keyword if it isn’t natural – particularly if you’re optimising for a geographical keyword – but try to include exact match keywords and variations throughout the content.
Read it aloud
If you aren’t sure if your article is making an impact, try reading it aloud before you hit publish. This will help you to catch awkward phrasing, very long sentences, and silly mistakes. Reading aloud will also help you to ensure you are writing in your own tone of voice. So, if you hit a sentence that sounds awkward when you read it, this could be a sign that you aren’t using your tone of voice. Think about what you want to say and how you would say it, and then rephrase any awkward phrases accordingly.
Check your title
Is your article title doing the hard work of tempting individuals to want to read more? If your title is bland, boring or run of the mill, don’t be surprised if individuals don’t click on or share your content.
You can use the CoSchedule Headline Analyser to determine how well you have optimised your title for things like emotional impact. This tool will also help you to construct more effective and impactful titles in the future.
Add a CTA – Call To Action
Every article should have a call to action at the end, otherwise, you risk capturing the reader’s attention and then letting them go without guiding them into the next step. Your CTA doesn’t always have to be a direct sale, it could direct readers to your newsletter, encourage them to follow you on social media, or even direct them to another blog post.
Add a relevant image
Articles with images get more views than articles without images. And images of real people are the most effective. This information should be enough to remind you to add an image to every single post. You can find free, royalty-free images on sites like Unsplash and Canva. Try adding multiple photos throughout your post to make it even more engaging and shareable.
Need help making your content work harder? The Infinite Management Company is here to help, contact us today,
Debbie & Becca x