Developing website content is often ignored for other, seemingly more urgent, priorities. Yet if high search engine rankings are important to you, few things could be as critical. What’s more, the stronger your web content, the more likely that customers will think of your site first, rather than your competitors.
Here are 10 suggestions for building content that will boost your search rankings and attract more prospects:
- Product Descriptions. Make sure your product descriptions are keyword-rich and include your most important search terms in subheads. One way to include a lot of product information without excessive scrolling is to use tabs for different sections, such as features, benefits, and customer reviews.
- Customer Reviews. One of the best ways to boost sales is with customer comments about their experiences, positive and negative, with your products. Don’t just wait for customers to post reviews; ask them to do it. Good places to request reviews are on your packing slips, and in emails sent a couple weeks after products ship.
- Product Comparisons. If you sell several products that fulfill similar needs, product comparisons can help customers determine which is the best choice for them. In the process, you’ll be able to emphasize search terms used by customers who are close to a buying decision.
- FAQs. Posting answers to frequently asked questions has several benefits. You can provide a definitive answer to common questions that customers can access at their convenience. What’s more, doing so will undoubtedly reduce your customer service calls. And of course, FAQs provide another opportunity to incorporate keyword-rich text within your site, which will in turn help your search engine rankings.
- Newsletter Archives. If you’re already producing a newsletter, there’s no simpler way to build content than to post past issues on your site. You’ve already done the work – why not reap a continuing benefit by archiving your newsletters online?
- Blog. There’s scarcely any better “spider food” for search engine spiders than a frequently updated blog. Search engines love fresh content on targeted topics, and that’s exactly what blogs provide. They’re also a great way to keep customers up-to-date with company news, new products, or tips on getting more from your products.
- Videos. With increasing frequency, search engine results include videos. Click-through rates for video search results are reported to be some 40% higher than similar plain-text counterparts. Make your videos clear and brief, but don’t worry about high production values. They can be simple how-tos or product demonstrations. Be sure to include a headline and brief text description that includes your most important keywords.
- How-to Guides. Depending on what you’re selling, consider adding a buying guide, planting guide or installation guide to your site. Not only will your customers find it a useful reference, but it will help your search engine rankings as well.
- User Forums. User forums offer another means of providing fresh content and practical advice without much effort after the initial launch. A little monitoring and occasional comments are all that’s required after it’s gained traction. Forums can be a great way to foster a sense of community among customers.
- Facebook Like Buttons. It may be a stretch to call Facebook “Like” buttons content, but they can help generate more website traffic. Read the “Commerce Stats” section of this article on How Facebook Says Likes & Social Plugins Help Websites for some interesting examples of what Like buttons can do for you.
As you can see, online content covers a lot of territory. Don’t let that overwhelm you. You don’t have to tackle it all at once. Pick one or two areas to concentrate on, and devote a little time each week to adding new content. Once you’ve developed it, it will continue to help your search engine rankings for months or years after — a rare and wonderful thing for any type of marketing activity.
