This is a Guest post by Maria Jones
All content marketers need to use search engines to enable their content to attract new readers, listeners, and viewers who afterward can be converted into customers. While you undertake search engine optimization to ensure that you get the best possible search engine page rankings for your content, many times you end up making mistakes in the content that prevent you from attaining your objectives; some common examples.
Content Is Too Short
Google always attempts to deliver to users the best possible content relevant to their needs. It is evident that comprehensive content that is more likely to satisfy user queries and thus Google frown on content that it perceives to be too short. Even though Google prefers content to be long, it does not mean that you have to unnecessarily make your content long; you just need to ensure that the content is detailed enough so it can satisfy the user’s query. A good way to determine how detailed your content should be is to first establish the main keyword and Google it. Analyze the top three results and ensure that your own content surpasses them in both length and quality.
Lack of Images or Design Elements
To attract the attention of users and retain them, web pages should be really attractive to look at. If you make the mistake of just including text without any relief provided by images and design elements, you can be sure that most users will not bother to find out how useful your content is. High bounce rates will also act to convince Google that the page has minimal utility. According to a Tayloright.com SEO consultant, design elements and images serve two main purposes; they make the appearance of the content page more attractive encouraging users to spend more time on the page and also serve to communicate better as the human brain is able to process images far faster than text. Attractive-looking content is also shared much more on the social media.
Unimaginative Presentation of Text
Most content marketers overlook the fact that the attention span of readers is extremely short and it is very important that the content is presented in a way that the attention of the reader is locked in for the entire length of the article. Rather than using one single mass of text that can put off users, it is better to break the content up into short paragraphs, making liberal use of subheadings, bulleted lists as well as images to give the reader the variety he seeks. Be sure to check your content thoroughly for errors in spelling and grammar that can distract users from the main purpose of the content and ruin your credibility.
Optimizing websites for better search engine rankings has many other dimensions as far as content marketing is concerned. These include link building, content promotion, the inclusion of effective call-to-action buttons, Meta optimization, etc. While addressing them and more are important in the long-term, focusing on the three errors discussed above will pay rich dividends almost immediately.
Guest Author: Maria Jones is the chief of digital marketing of a reputed gym equipment manufacturer. A frequent blogger on online marketing trends, she advises small business owners without their own IT resources to engage with SEO agencies like Tayloright.com to boost their search rankings.
