Google’s Policy on Keyword Stuffing

According to Mueller, Google doesn’t consider keyword stuffing in title and meta description tags a problem, but the company doesn’t recommend it either. Google considers keywords in title and meta description tags when it ranks websites. Companies sometimes fill their tags with as many keywords as possible to improve their rankings. That practice can make it difficult for Google’s algorithm to figure out what a page is actually about and provide results that are relevant for users. That’s where things could backfire on you if you do it this way. 

Mueller said creating tags that focus on relevant keywords, rather than stuffing them with lots of keywords, can help Google deliver results that users are seeking and improve a website’s click-through rate. Mueller also noted that having a higher click-through rate is so much more important than achieving a higher ranking in search engine results pages at the end of the day. 

So what should you do?

He recommends that companies, particularly small businesses, focus on creating title and meta description tags that include relevant keywords, as well as information on their location as this data will help them to better rank in their local geographic area.

Get Professional Help with Search Engine Optimization

It can be difficult to figure out the best way to design your company’s website and how to improve your search engine rankings and click-through rate. Many people don’t understand Google’s rules and policies or have enough time to learn while trying to grow the business itself. There is a lot of conflicting advice online and you want to be sure to choose a company you can trust to handle these pieces of the puzzle. In addition, the SEO landscape continually changes, so strategies that worked in the past may no longer be effective. 

Keyword Performance offers search engine optimization services. We understand best practices and stay up to date on changes in the industry and how they can affect businesses and implement those winning strategies to your site and campaigns.

Get started today! 

Our team can review your existing website and look for ways to draw in more traffic. If you don’t currently have a website, or if you have one that isn’t serving you well and you would like to create a new one, we can also work with you to design a website that will showcase your company’s strengths and attract more customers. 

Contact us today to learn more!

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How to Draw Holiday Customers

Many shoppers enjoy the convenience of online shopping but also like to support local retailers when possible. Make sure that potential customers know where your business is located. Include your address on your website, Google My Business listing, Facebook page, and other accounts. 

Let customers know the steps you’re taking to protect them and your staff from COVID-19. If you offer home delivery, curbside pickup, or other options that can allow consumers to get the merchandise they want without going to a physical location, make sure that is clearly laid out online.

Offering discounts can help you attract customers, whether they’re visiting a local store or placing an order and having it delivered across the country. Coupons, limited-time offers, and items that are only available in limited quantities can create a sense of urgency and spur shoppers to fill up their carts and check out quickly. Running ads on Facebook can even help to bolster the momentum around these deals!

Use Your Blog to Get Attention All Year 

If your company doesn’t already have a blog, consider creating one. The process is relatively simple and straightforward. You don’t have to publish new blogs every day, but you should share content that is unique, informative, and helpful on a regular basis to develop a following.

Identify your target audience and figure out what’s important to them. That will allow you to create content that addresses their wants and needs and that will capture their attention. Provide a mix of timely blogs and evergreen content that will be useful long after it’s published.

Depending on the type of business you run, you may want to write about new products or services you’re offering or explain the benefits of your products and services and how they differ from those your competitors offer. You can also share photos of your work or testimonials from satisfied customers and have guest bloggers who are well known in the industry submit content that draws interest.

You can also build a larger following by linking to your website and social media accounts so potential customers can get more information or share a link to your blogs on social media to make sure that existing followers see them.

If you’re getting lots of attention for the blogs you’re posting, you may also want to use advertising to make money from the blog such as restricting some content for paid subscribers only.

Get Professional Help with SEO and Blogging

If you’re unfamiliar with search engine optimization and blogging, Keyword Performance can help. Our copywriters can create unique content using keywords and phrases that customers are searching for so they will find your company’s content. We can publish blogs on a regular basis to generate interest in your products and services and earn you a reputation as a trusted source and help you run successful paid advertising campaigns on Google and Facebook. Contact us today to learn more.

The post SEO and Blogging Tips for the Holidays and Beyond! appeared first on Keyword Performance.

How fast the page loads, how original and in-depth the written copy is, how user-friendly the design of the page is, all of these are factors that can help (or harm) your site from reaching the masses.

Over time, and with more Google updates being released, we’ve learned what areas are specifically important to focus on as we write, post, and make changes to our content. The one we’ll be focusing on in this post is something not everyone thinks about as they’re trying every other tactic to rank their site: Image Optimization.

If you think that there isn’t much weight to how and where you upload images to your website – guess again. In fact, image optimization is one of the growing areas of importance as image carousels overtake the top of search results, and as consumers demand more images in media than ever before.

If you’ve been wanting to get your images right in terms of optimization, here are 3 things you should always be doing.

1.      Name Images Properly

The first thing you want to do is choose an image that goes well on your page. Something that is clear, eye-catching, and memorable is best. When people can engage with images they tend to stay on pages longer, which is only more beneficial to your efforts.

Once you’ve selected and downloaded an image, be sure that it is formatted properly. You need to tell the crawlers what the item uploaded is. This should include naming the file in a short and easily identifiable way (example: child-eating-cake instead of IMG_4359) and use target keywords whenever possible.

2.      Always add ALT Tags to Images

There’s another area that the engines will look at too and it’s called the “alternative text” for the image. Also known as an ‘ALT Tag’ this is included with the image tag and tells the search engine what’s on the page visually. It is important because like the naming of the image file on your computer, it associates keywords with what’s being depicted in the picture.

ALT tags are also key for accessibility reasons such as providing attribute data on the page for those who are using screen readers. In case an image doesn’t load, it’s also a great back-up to let users know what image would have appeared there – improving their overall experience.

3.      Use the Smallest File Size Possible

Even if you name your image properly, and add the correct tagging, you can still be left behind when it comes to SEO optimization if you are not considering the file size. One of the most important things you need to consider with a website is page speed and load time. Users have been notorious for clicking right out of a website if the page doesn’t load immediately.

If you want to maximize load time, you need to ensure your images are scaled and using the smallest possible size so they load instantly. There are a number of free image optimizer tools online you can upload your images to and adjust. You will follow steps to allow these tools to compress the file as well as format the pixels and resize the photo for optimal placement.

So the answer to our original question, Does Image Optimization Matter in 2020? Yes! Absolutely. And it will continue to play an increasingly important role as voice searches and AI become a regular part of everyday life. Plus, taking all of these steps translates to better rankings in the SERPs and that’s what everyone wants, isn’t it?

Want to improve your website? Looking to get new, effective content written? Give us a call today to talk to an SEO Expert about how Keyword Performance can help.

The post Does Image Optimization Matter in 2020? appeared first on Keyword Performance.

Most anyone can string together some sentences and describe a problem and solution, but it takes more than that to truly write effective copy online. Especially today where websites are flooded with so much content and as attention spans continue to decline.

Highly effective writing for the online channel that is written with the purpose of increasing search engine ranks must be done with a certain set of skill and technique.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the newest types of copywriting being done today – in 2019 that are already showing promising results and threw a couple of our old-time favorites that have stood the test of time.

Follow along and jot down how many of these you’re using each day as you plan for your websites domination on the SERPs.

Headers Still Matter

Remember when we said that title tags were just one piece of the puzzle? Well, those and the Headers on the page are actually pretty important. So are titles. Anything that is going to be prominent needs to be creative, focused and strategic. You wouldn’t have a web page about Auto Insurance and have all of the headers talk about seatbelt safety. Maybe in the copy, if it’s relevant, but your main points, your keywords, and content should be focused around the term “car insurance.” Not just the keyword but important, impactful and original things you will say are going to raise the quality of the page as a whole.

The same is true if you’re writing an article for an online publication or a blog. You want your headline to grab the attention of readers. Pique their interest and draw them in to click and read further. It’s your one shot to engage them and make a great first impression so do your research, and do it well.

Quality Content Will Always Win

Once you have a killer headline or the best headers possible on a page that truly provide readers and search engines with structure for what they’ll find out from reading the page, you need to do the legwork of creating all the copy to support it.

Have you ever been drawn to an article because it sounded like it was going to be an interesting read only to be disappointed by its novice approach and lack of detailed analysis or original thought? Think this way when you’re copywriting too. No matter what you’re writing – a product description, About Us page copy or an Employee Spotlight series – you need to write copy that people want to read.

Study the audience, get a feel for the brand and write from that point of view.

Ideas on Types of Blogs

Even if you’ve got the things we mentioned before this down to a science, you might still be lacking in the rankings department. For all of those operating in highly saturated markets, you need to take things a step further and build content plans that test out theories and use new methods to attract readers to your site.

• Focus on Relevant News / Trends

One of the best ways to draw in new readers is to talk about the things that are on their mind. You can do this by writing about trends and recent news. Set-up Google alerts, pay attention to local broadcasts and keep a pulse on the markets a company serves. Chances are there will be a way to draw a connection between the two. This level of freshness is unlike covering any other topics when you write and it’s a sure way to get your content noticed. Combine the relevancy of the “hot topic” or current news event with the product or services offerings available on the site and users will come.

• Write a Series

Keeping readers engaged and coming back for more requires a really good idea that lends itself to detailed posts. Come up with a plan for 3-10 dedicated posts diving deep into a main topic and call it a series.

This Arbor Energy Direct blog series targets new homeowners with in-depth information they’ll likely want to know regarding the heating source in their newly purchased home.

A series won’t just entice the reader to revisit the page, it also gives you the perfect chance to interlink and do it with reason. Quality linking is another important strategy for SEO.

If you get a strong set of articles at the end of this, it could even be an opportunity to package this new expansive content into an e-book.

• Make it a Point to Revisit & Revise

Don’t be afraid to keep a running spreadsheet of all the posts you’re creating with calendar reminders set-up for when to revisit the content to see how it’s performing. When there, add more relevant links and find ways to make improvements. That’s the real beauty of SEO and the online world. Nothing is permanent. There’s always a chance to track performance, revisit, change and optimize anything you put out there. When it comes to quality content writing you’re only as good as you continue to push to be.

If you’re looking for high-quality SEO copywriting that’s backed by years of experience on the Web, look no further. At Keyword Performance we follow all industry standards and best practices to create effective content that will meet the needs of your company to assure the best possible results.

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