So you want to improve your search ranking with content creation for your website – Great! Have you considered blogging yet?

You might be thinking, “Blogging? Isn’t that so 2015?” Actually, it’s as relevant as ever, according to this recent HubSpot survey. Not only can blogs boost your search engine ranking, overall site traffic, and online presence, but they can also help prospects learn more about your industry, brand, product, or service. And the best part: blog posts can actually lead to purchases. So, it’s time to start writing killer content!

Search engines love new content

Killer content basically means that your content follows several Search Engine Optimization (SEO) methods perfectly but is also enjoyable for people to read. New blog posts and articles are a good way to improve your search ranking, since Google and other search engines have great admiration for websites that add new content on a regular basis. As a result, some website owners began writing about their business, products, or projects to better align with search engine ranking criteria. And Presto! – the ‘blogging phase’ was born.

Blogging means adding new business-related content to your website every once in a while. For those who are just starting, around two to three posts a month is a good guideline – but the more the better. These posts could be about business news, fun facts, or accomplished projects (for example). Just make sure you stick to your website subject and don’t start writing about stuff that isn’t related to your business or website. If you do, you confuse search engines. They fail to see the similarities between non-relevant posts and your core business. So, adding too many dissimilar or business-irrelevant posts could actually harm your search rank position.

Keep in mind that an increasing number of companies are blogging. Therefore, it almost becomes mandatory for you to also add new content regularly on your website just to stay competitive.

Old SEO versus New SEO

In the past, marketers focused on how they could rank their business website high on the search engines without too much effort. In addition to ranking high in the search engines, marketers consciously over-exaggerated SEO techniques.

Search engines noticed that too many websites were abusing SEO techniques and didn’t provide the visitor with relevant, high-quality content. As a result, they have changed the way content is rated. Search engines nowadays put more emphasis on relevant, well-written, high-quality content, rather than only rating the applied SEO techniques.

The image below demonstrates the old SEO versus the new SEO perfectly. In addition to serving the visitor better, marketers are forced to answer the question(s) users have instead on focusing how to rank high for a specific query.

Killer content tips

So, how do you create killer content? We have three tips.

#1 Do not exaggerate SEO techniques
You shouldn’t exaggerate SEO techniques in your content or your website in general. Google actually penalizes websites where SEO techniques are applied excessively. Just be polite, use SEO techniques the way search engines want you to, and write for your visitors, not for search engines.

#2 Structure your content well
How do you write Killer Content without breaking search engines rules? We found a great example from Yoast. We present to you: The Perfectly Optimised Page.

Okay, let’s run through this from top to bottom. First of all, the page URL is important. In this case, the URL is ‘http://marysbakery.com/chocolate-donuts’. Google and other search engines read like humans. If we can guess what the page is about, search engines can too. Because Google can understand what this page is about – in this case, chocolate donuts – it’s able to index this page quicker and better. A page called ‘http://marysbakery.com/20160513-pagetype-2’ doesn’t tell humans or search engines what the page is about. So, we suggest to always include important keyword(s) in the page URL. Also, always use hyphens to separate words in your URL. For instance, ‘http://mywebsite.com/my-first-blog-post’.

Next, take a look at the page title. From the page title ‘Chocolate donuts | Mary’s Bakery’, we can tell this page is about chocolate donuts from a bakery called ‘Mary’s Bakery’. Please follow this example and always place your most important keywords in the page title.

In the meta-description, you can find a little summary about the page. Always include your (most) important keywords in this section. Write the meta-description that both informs and attracts online visitors to your website. Furthermore, the meta-description should never go beyond 155 characters (spaces included), as Google doesn’t display anything longer than 155 characters.

The page title tag displayed above the meta-description in the search results shouldn’t go beyond 55 characters. The page title tag is often the same as the actual page title. With search ranking optimization, we always advise you to include your business within the page title tag. For example: ‘Online marketing services – Globally Cool’ or ‘How to be SEO proof in 2021 | Globally Cool’.

The keyword ‘chocolate donuts’ also reappears in the H1 (also known as ‘header 1’) of the article. Use headers to create paragraphs and to structure content, and aim for a clear and user-friendly layout. There are about 6 headers for you to use. Play with these different headers, as they vary in size. Don’t forget to always include your (most) important keywords in the H1!

Another great, yet often forgotten, SEO method is related to the images used in the post. Check the image on the left in the chocolate article. Notice that this image is given the filename: chocolate-donuts.jpg. You also see that the actual title of the image is called: Photo of Donuts. So, make sure you do the same thing. Include your relevant keywords in both the filename and title of every image you insert into the post. Also, don’t use the same title or filename more than once. Duplicate keywords are allowed, but give your images a unique title and filename.

The ALT attribute is called ‘Chocolate Donuts’. This attribute is displayed when an image doesn’t load on a site. Rather displaying an empty box where the image should appear, the website will now display the ALT attribute. Therefore, the ALT attribute should explain and define what is/should be displayed on the image.

Another note regarding ALT attributes: it helps search engines to determine what’s on the image. As search engines can’t visualise items or images (yet), they use the ALT attribute to read what’s in the image. In order to assist search engines, you should explain the image in detail.

Next to the rather technical part, you can see on the ‘The Perfectly Optimised Page’ image that keywords are spread throughout the entire article. As you can see, the keyword ‘chocolate donuts’ is separated into parts but also used as a complete keyword in a phrase. Note that the important keyword phrase is located in the first paragraph, in the middle and at the end. Stick to this way of writing, and don’t forget to mention parts of the full keyword on a regular basis.

In conclusion, before you publish new content, pay attention to the following items:
• Page URL
• Page title
• Meta description and title tag
• Headers (H1 – H6)
• Image filename
• Image title
• Image ALT attribute
• Use keywords in the whole article

Finally, you should re-check any used keywords, taking out any spelling mistakes. Google appreciates well-written articles that benefit and please readers.

#3 Don’t think too hard about blogging
We all know the dream: to create and distribute amazing, engaging content all the time. But we all know the reality: staring at a white screen with a blinking cursor, breaking into a sweat. You might wonder, what should I write about? How do I answer the questions my visitors have?

Of course, in order to answer a question, you need to know the question. Imagine you trade international goods, for example, say… fruits. What kind of question(s) could your online visitor or customer possibly have? Do they have questions about exchange rates, import and export rules, import certifications, transport safety measures, national taxes, shipment possibilities, and so on?

So, there you go! You already have six blog topics to write about. You satisfy Google and other search engines with high-quality and related content, all the while answering valid and interesting questions of your (potential) customers. A third advantage is that you will improve your credibility, create confidence, and create a great resource for social media posts. Blogging and writing articles therefore is a win-win-win situation.

Some really good Killer Content topics are how to’s, checklists, what to do’s, and manuals.
For example:
• 10 Tips on how to import international goods
• Follow this checklist to successfully start international trading
• Learn what to do to improve your business opportunities
• A starter’s guide to international trade

Why is this Killer Content? Because these methods are written for your visitors. They help visitors to solve a problem, so they are automatically valuable for people to read. That’s why search engines love them. Combine the content suggestion mentioned above with SEO techniques, and your search engine’s rank might just get a lift-off!

This is part of a blog series about SEO. Want to read on? Check out our other blog about SEO and how to work on your SEO magic.

Do you lack the time to focus on digital marketing? As seasoned experts, we understand digital marketing can be overwhelming. Contact us – we’re glad to help!