How to Optimize Content for SEO in 2024
Businesses are constantly looking for new, innovative ways to increase their web traffic and gain more customers. Sometimes, the old ways are the best, and organic SEO still remains one of the most effective ways for businesses to grow their presence online. Regularly producing high-quality content can be a great SEO strategy, yet many are unfamiliar with exactly how to generate the type of content that Google will rank. Today, I provide a few helpful tips to better optimize content for SEO in 2024.
The SEO landscape is always evolving. Several major changes to the industry have taken place over the past few years, some of which have impacted content marketing. Continue reading to learn how you can create the type of content to help your business gain authority with Google.
Create Content that Benefits the User
For many years, content marketers could simply add a focus keyword several times into a blog and earn a rank on Google’s first page. This was called “keyword stuffing,” and allowed sites with low authority and minimal traffic to gain valuable positions on the world’s biggest search engine. Google has improved its algorithm over the years and now aims to give high rankings to content that is truly beneficial for users.
This should be a key strategy for any content marketer in 2024. There is no reason to create generic, unhelpful content filled with keywords in an attempt to reach Google’s first page. That will not work anymore.
Google wants to see content that demonstrates EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). With that in mind, it’s recommended to create content that will truly provide usefulness to readers. Before writing any content, create an outline and ensure the information you create is worthy of a spot on Google’s coveted first page.
Content marketing is one of Digital Biz Pros’ key services. We ensure the content we create is informative, from proven experts within its related field. This is a must-do for any business that relies on content for SEO in 2024.
Aim to Rank for Longtail Keywords
There is no doubt that providing user-beneficial content is crucial for SEO nowadays. That is not to say that there is no place for effective keyword usage, though. It is still important to undergo extensive keyword research when generating written content and include relevant keywords that you are aiming to rank for.
I often recommend businesses, particularly those with low authority and traffic, to aim for longtail keywords in their content. For those unaware, longtail keywords are keywords consisting of at least 3-5 words. These are more specific and can be significantly easier to rank for than more common, shorter ones. This makes it one of the best strategies to better optimize content for SEO in 2024.
As an example, let’s pretend a business that sells sports gear is looking to increase its traffic using content marketing. They create numerous articles centered around the keyword “football gear,” yet none of their blogs are ranked and traffic remains stagnant. Instead, this business could create content using keywords such as “football gear for youth” or “quality football gear for sale.”
Using these longtail keywords can help your content rank far more easily. Interestingly, over 70% of all search questions are for longtail phrases, meaning your content still has a chance to reach a massive audience. Create content featuring longtail keywords that you have a realistic opportunity to earn a high ranking on Google with.
Optimize Your Content for SERP Features
Not only has the way that Google ranks content changed over the years, but the way in which search results are presented has also changed in many ways. Google’s SERP (Search Engine Results Page) features have changed in a way that Google feels will better suit users. A quick Google search can reveal what I am highlighting.
Google the phrase “Best airline in the world.” On the SERP, you will see a drop-down menu that features the most common queries related to this search. The snippet answers that are featured in this drop-down menu are taken from web pages and their links are provided.
You don’t need to have a huge, high-traffic website to be featured on Google’s SERP features. The key to end up in this spot is to optimize your content specifically for the SERP. One way is to ask, and accurately answer, questions related to your content. I recommend doing so in a list format.
It’s recommended to format your page in a way that can be optimized for SERP features. It’s also a great idea to look at some competitors and identify what they did to earn a spot on the SERP. Always keep the SERP in mind when creating your content, as it can be a quick, effective way to significantly boost your traffic.
Competition in the digital marketing industry is more fierce than ever before. For this reason, it’s extremely important to effectively optimize content for SEO in 2024. Contact Digital Biz Pros today to receive a free consultation on how we can help with your content marketing today.
