Content optimization in SEO is the process of improving your content to boost its performance and give it the best chance of meeting your marketing goals.
Whether you’re publishing a blog, sending out an email marketing campaign, or converting leads through your website, content optimization needs to be a part of your content marketing strategy. Often closely linked to search engine optimization (SEO), content optimization can help your content rank higher, get more views, and generate leads.
What we’ll cover in this guide on content optimization in SEO
- What content optimization is (and how it links to SEO)
- Why content optimization is important
- When content optimization should happen
- The best practices to follow when optimizing content for SEO
- What you can do if you don’t know where to start
What is content optimization in SEO?
Content optimization will mean slightly different things for different content mediums, such as text, video, imagery, audio, and news content.
When it comes to text-based content, content optimization largely refers to the process of helping that content to be crawled, evaluated, and ranked (hopefully highly) by a search engine. In other words, content optimization is about search engine optimization or SEO.
What are the keys to content optimization for SEO?
Optimizing content for SEO can involve a few different on-page optimization tactics, depending on the specific piece of content we’re aiming to optimize.
However, here are seven keys to content optimization that you should endeavor to incorporate into your strategy:
- Focus keyword: Does it have a suitable traffic potential and keyword difficulty?
- Length of the content: Is it long enough to compete with top-ranking content?
- Intent of the content: Does the intent match with the SERPS?
- Keyword cannibalization: Do any of your other pieces of content already target this keyword?
- Metadata: Have you included a title tag and meta description that include the focus keyword?
- Keyword density: Have you included semantically related keywords and avoided overstuffing?
- Topic completion: Have you addressed the topic in-depth, answered key questions, and delivered value to the reader?
Why is optimizing content for SEO so important?
No matter how good your writing is, you’re unlikely to see it gain the visibility you’re hoping for without optimizing content for SEO.
90.63% of content gets absolutely no traffic from Google—and it’s not just because it isn’t any good. Ahrefs’ Search Traffic Study found 4 key reasons why content didn’t get viewed, and 3 out of 4 of those were directly related to content optimization:
- The content didn’t have any backlinks
- The content didn’t address a relevant topic with search potential
- The content didn’t match the search intent of the keyword
Without optimizing your content for SEO, you’re potentially missing out on search visibility, which quickly translates to lost opportunities for conversion.
To ensure your content is visible enough to make an impact, it’s essential to have a content optimization strategy in place. That’s why at Ranq, our monthly content upgrade week is dedicated to the process of identifying and implementing content optimizations for our client’s existing content.
When should I optimize content for SEO?
Content can be optimized before or after publishing.
Ideally, content optimizations should take place before publishing. However, not only is this not always possible for various reasons, but ongoing content audits can reveal necessary updates and optimizations that are well worth addressing post-publication.
Examples of this might include updating statistics or research, adding newly relevant keywords, updating internal or external links, or updating imagery, tags, and headings.
If you’re just starting out with SEO for your website, content optimization is a great process to build into your SEO content management strategy from day one. If you’re in the process of upgrading, optimizing, or migrating your content, then a full website audit can help you prioritize and schedule optimizations for existing content.
SEO content optimization best practices to keep in mind
As you initiate your SEO content optimization strategy, be sure to keep the following SEO content best practices in mind.
Make sure you’re targeting the right keyword
Keyword research is the foundation of content optimization. A solid focus keyword with a high traffic potential, reasonable keyword difficulty, and intent that aligns with the content you want to create is the best starting point for well-optimized written content.
Scope out possible keywords using a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush, and use these to build a comprehensive content strategy for your business.
Target related keywords as well
Targeting related keywords can be an excellent way to prioritize topic completeness while simultaneously optimizing your content for SEO. Related keywords—or semantically related keywords—are terms that are contextually related to your primary keyword.
If you’re wondering how many keywords you should target (and how many are too many), the answer will depend on the length of your content, the intent of your keywords, and how they are used. A good rule of thumb is to select one primary keyword and a breadth of secondary keywords. The latter type should be used in a way that enhances your content and avoids keyword stuffing.
Cover the topic in-depth and in a unique way
One of the best ways to optimize your content for SEO and please your readers is to make sure you’re publishing content that’s thorough, helpful, and unique. Google made this explicit in their Helpful Content Update, which states that the search engine will place a higher value on “helpful, reliable, people-first content.”
What does helpful content look like in practice? As you review your content, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the content relevant to my audience?
- Does the content provide accurate information?
- Is the content original and/or add value to existing content, rather than replicating it?
- Does the content offer a comprehensive overview of the topic?
- Does the content avoid “clickbait” titles, headings, and language?
- Has the content been edited for spelling and grammatical errors?
- Does the content appear authoritative, and does it link to its sources?
Answering “yes” to those basic questions will help ensure that your content is offering an in-depth, unique, and valuable take on a topic.
Go through a technical checklist with each post
Common technical SEO issues can easily derail the progress of your content.
As you upload new content (or audit existing content), run through the following checklist to ensure these essential technical elements are present:
- Title tag (relevant and including the focus keyword)
- Meta description (under 160 characters and including the focus keyword)
- A singular H1 tag (including the focus keyword)
- Internal links (to relevant content and landing pages)
- External links (to authoritative websites)
- Alt text (for any imagery)
Hitting these key technical elements consistently is essential to ensure your content is optimized for SEO.
Interlink to related content on your website
Internal links are hyperlinks that direct the user to additional pages within the website they are browsing. External links, on the other hand, navigate the user to a website or page outside of the one they are visiting.
From a user experience perspective, interlinking your content can be a great way to keep your readers engaged and active on your site or direct them toward your product/service.
When it comes to SEO, internal links help a search engine understand your website’s structure, improving the ease with which your site can be crawled and indexed. An internal linking strategy can be an incredibly powerful content optimization to prioritize.
Add visuals and interactive elements
Visual content is a great way to boost your written content. Consider adding multimedia or rich media elements such as:
- Images
- Videos (including auto-play)
- Graphs and charts
- Infographics
- Podcasts
- Slides
- Interactive banners
High-quality infographics are 30% more likely to be read than text-based articles and can be a great way to optimize your content. Not sure how to start incorporating infographics into your content? Make sure to check out our handy guide to all things infographics.
As with the text-based elements of your content, imagery and rich media also need to be optimized. Be sure to include appropriate alt text, title tags, and file names, and be conscious of the effect of file size on load speed—especially on mobile.
Audit and update your content regularly
Even the most optimized content needs the occasional update.
Carrying out a regular content audit can help improve your SEO rankings, boost audience engagement, and even improve conversions. Aim to audit your content once or twice a year, taking note of performance metrics, on-page SEO factors, and content relevance and accuracy. Having a birds-eye view of your content inventory can set you up to schedule any necessary content optimizations in terms of priority.
Not sure about content optimization in SEO? Ranq can help!
If the SEO content optimization best practices above have left you wondering where to start with your content optimizations, it might be time to bring in an SEO expert.
Here at Ranq, our full-service content marketing and SEO services let you place your content strategy into the hands of a world-class team. Whether you’re looking for on-page content optimizations for your existing content, or keyword research to kick off a new content strategy, Ranq has all your digital marketing content needs covered. We even set aside a week every month to check up on content and work on any “content upgrades.”
To find out more about what we have to offer, reach out to Ranq today!