Let’s address a few common content misconceptions
The world of search engine optimisation can be a confusing place, especially when there are so many myths and misconceptions floating around that are, in many cases, actually obscuring the truth. We love debunking a good myth, so let’s take a closer look at some of the most common.
Keyword density
We’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve been asked how many keywords should be used in a piece of online content. The fact is, however, that there simply is no precise percentage or number that will boost your traffic overnight.
So, keywords don’t matter?
Well, no. Although search engines are arguably placing less emphasis on keywords as searcher intent becomes more important, it would be irresponsible to suggest that keywords don’t matter at all.
Focusing on context when considering which keywords will deliver the most value is crucial. Let’s take the term ‘family law solicitor’ as an example. Such a generic term simply doesn’t contain enough detail to communicate the context of your content to search engines and certainly won’t help them to match your post with the intent of an individual user. Are they looking for a solicitor in a specific location? Do they want to become a family law solicitor? Or do they want some specific advice on how to file for a divorce?
Remember, variations of your keyword and the overall context behind your content are always far more important than keyword density.
Ideal word counts
We also see a lot of questions surrounding ideal word counts, because business owners want to know how to manage their time and their budgets in the most effective and efficient way. After all, why invest in or spend time writing a 2,000 word long-form article when a 600-word blog post will achieve the same results?
We know that people are looking for specificity here, but there are simply no hard and fast rules. Identifying how long a piece of content should be is a process, so let’s take a few moments to break down each step into actionable points.
Purpose
Are you writing a sales page or a landing page, or is your goal to inform your audience on a particular topic though a dedicated blog post? Different forms of content will naturally vary in length, so it is important to understand your motivations behind a piece of content before you sit down to write it.
Informational blog posts can easily stretch to several thousand words, but almost nobody will want to read 2,000 words of copy on a landing page. Sales pages might only need a few hundred words to encourage users to convert, but a web page or a blog post will typically need to offer more information to persuade users to complete a call-to-action (CTA).
Consider your competition
This is particularly important if your closest competitors are outranking you. If you find that they are using long-form content to get ahead, it makes sense to consider adopting the same strategy to boost your standing in search engine results pages (SERPs). Just make sure that your long-form content is better than your competitors and tailored to the needs of your unique audience.
Remember, although optimising your content for search engines is important, writing for your audience is critical. Many search marketing agencies get to caught up in optimising for a keyword not a customer.