Good content is not enough to run a successful blog. SEO techniques need to be applied to get more traffic.
Optimizing content for search engines is a challenge that never ends. With algorithms that change all the time, SEO work needs to be continuous and based on tracking.
When it comes to creating content and managing it on the web, some essential details need to be considered to achieve the best results.
This post will show the 15 SEO techniques that will drive more traffic to your blog.
Keep reading and check it out!
1. Create evergreen content
Evergreen content is those that will always be interesting for the reader. They are timeless since they address topics that are constantly searched by users.
Thus, these types of posts will always receive high traffic volumes. This means that the more of them you have in your strategy, the better the blog will perform, in general.
There are some more usual evergreen content formats that you can use with several topics. They are:
- products or software pros and cons;
- case studies;
- checklists;
- market statistics (these need to have the numbers updated at least annually);
- “how to” content;
- beginner’s guides.
Considering the positive impacts evergreen content can bring to your blog, it is recommended to keep searching for new topics that may be timeless to your audience.
2. Use videos in your posts
By 2022, videos will be 82% of all web traffic. Undoubtedly, there is a lot of demand for this media format, and that is why Google ranks content with video higher than content without it.
Some statistics can help to understand how videos can drive more traffic to your blog:
- with videos, your content is 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of Google results;
- 81% of companies use video content as part of their marketing strategies;
- videos increase organic traffic to a website by 157%;
- users spend 2.6x more time on pages that have videos compared to those that do not.
Search engine algorithms are programmed to deliver to the public exactly what their browsing habits show they prefer.
In this way, your blog can take advantage of this as long as videos are part of your strategy. This way, your posts will be more easily found and will generate more traffic to your blog.
3. Invite experts and influencers to contribute to your content
Influencer Marketing has an increasing impact on how audiences perceive brands.
That’s why it is a good strategy to count on these people to offer their knowledge and opinions about a specific subject in the content you want to create.
Besides well-known influencers, it is also important to count on experts, mainly if the subject in question is more technical.
Whether it’s a video or a blog post, promote the content, always reinforcing that specialists will participate by providing opinions and knowledge.
Always use titles like:
- “More leads for your business: 5 experts give valuable tips on how to achieve this”.
- “How to dress well with basic clothes: we invite 3 fashion influencers to share their tips”.
Relevant individuals to a segment can drive more traffic to content simply because they are seen as a reference by the audience.
4. Update old blog posts
Old posts can still earn good positions in Google SERP.
Updating content is one of the easiest ways to get well-ranked posts without starting from scratch.
A good practice is always to produce more evergreen content than news content. That’s because evergreen pieces last longer, are always relevant to the public, and you can update them whenever you have more information on the subject.
To optimize the post’s performance, search for new keywords related to the piece that will be updated. You can also add visual content to the piece, like videos, infographics, images, etc.
When updating posts, you take advantage of content that already has authority on the web, which means a high potential to generate more traffic.
5. Create benefit-focused content
Users are looking for solutions to their problems on the web, and the right content can help with this.
They don’t want to know, for example, “What are the 10 best running shoes today”. There are already too many posts about this.
It is much more likely that your audience is looking for a product or strategy that solves a specific situation.
Therefore, this user must be more interested in something like “Increase your running performance with these 10 shoes”.
Content focused on benefits to users is pretty much an answer to what they are looking for. When a post is written around benefits, the chances of attracting more traffic grow considerably.
Users already know that in this type of content, they will learn how to get a benefit. So, it’s very likely that they will access the post.
6. Perform a technical SEO audit on your blog
An audit is one of the most essentials SEO techniques. This work is focused on detailed analysis in search of optimizations that can be made or errors to be corrected.
The task is to search your entire blog and check if it fits the main SEO parameters. Some points to check are:
- use of alt text images;
- URL optimization;
- use of meta descriptions in all contents;
- broken links;
- content optimized for mobile;
- page loading speed;
- on-page SEO;
- if the site is loading on HTTPS;
- if AMP is enabled for mobile;
- semantic markup (use of H1, H2, and H3 headings);
- possible 404 errors.
It is essential to analyze if these parameters are adjusted and are being properly accomplished. If you find problems, you will understand why your content may not be ranking well and driving traffic.
7. Search for keywords on Reddit
Reddit is a forum platform where users talk about absolutely everything.
It’s hard to find a subject that hasn’t been covered there yet, and that’s excellent for your content strategy. The reason is that people use keywords to create topics, often in the form of questions.
This means you will find a series of long-tail keywords that portray your audience’s real needs on Reddit.
Select a topic on which you want to create content. On Reddit, enter this theme in the search bar and check how people have referred to it.
You will find many terms that you can perfectly use as keywords. Traffic that goes to Reddit can go to your blog if you use the right keywords.
8. Use titles that generate interest
Copywriting is also a valuable SEO technique if used properly. Titles need to be written based on this technique, especially when they include keywords.
Titles need to be appealing, always focused on delivering something valuable to the user.
For example, if your audience wants to know how to create amazing content for YouTube, your post’s title must show that, by reading your content, the reader will achieve this goal.
In this example, a title capable of generating interest would be something like:
“Reach millions of views: learn how to create the perfect video content!”
It is essential to know that an attractive title is not enough. Your post must carry relevant content and fulfill the proposed promise for the text. Otherwise, you will frustrate your audience.
9. Link to websites with authority
Backlinks are an essential part of any SEO strategy.
The more your blog has, the better. Besides quantity, it is necessary to have quality links, meaning that you need links from websites with good authority.
These sites usually have high traffic, and that’s why they are considered authority. Of course, if your content links to them, Google will also recognize it as a relevant page.
Remember that links need to make sense considering your strategy. It’s essential to link only for pages that are related to your blog and its content.
Any backlink that doesn’t follow these guidelines can generate a bad perception about your website. Google may penalize you for understanding that this practice is inappropriate.
10. Create review content
Because of social media, consumers have more platforms to express their satisfaction or discontentment with brands and products.
While more people are producing reviews, others search for this content to decide on a purchase.
Producing reviews can be a great way to drive traffic to your blog. Statistics help to justify that:
- 91% of young consumers are looking for reviews;
- for each 1 star increase in Yelp, stores have an increase of up to 9% in revenue;
- around 95% of consumers check reviews before buying.
If there is a relevant search for review content, your blog needs to produce it to feed your audience’s search.
Your content must be based on reviews you have actually done. If those contents have videos, the chances of attracting traffic are even higher.
11. Adapt the content to mobile
Over 50% of web traffic comes from mobile. This means that at least half of your audience is accessing your blog using a smartphone or tablet.
The user experience needs to be flawless. Otherwise, Google may penalize your content. That’s why optimizing for mobile is critical today.
This work begins with your website. It needs to be responsive, ensuring that content is viewed without any problems when accessed by mobile devices.
Sites that experience failures when accessed on smartphones cannot rank well. Consequently, the blog’s traffic tends to drop significantly.
12. Optimize for voice search
Voice search is no longer a future perspective. This search engine is real and current, which forces your blog to be ready to rank adapted content.
Smart assistants have helped drive the increase in this type of search, which now accounts for 20% of Google’s app searches.
As for the use of these devices, 25% of adults in the US already own one. Based on these statistics, it is clear that it is necessary to optimize your content for voice search:
- use long-tail keywords;
- optimize your website for local SEO;
- register your company with Google My Business;
- create a FAQ page.
13. Write long descriptions on YouTube videos
Producing videos is part of the possibilities of a Content Marketing strategy.
Besides using them, if your blog also creates its own, it is essential to give extra attention to the video descriptions area on YouTube.
In this space, you can use not descriptions per se but mini-posts of up to 200 words. As long as they contain relevant keywords, it will be possible to rank them on Google.
This way, your strategy will use another important tool to place relevant content on the web and attract traffic to your content.
14. Get local search traffic
There is always someone looking for a service or product near you.
On Google, 46% of searches are from people looking for information about businesses in their neighborhood. Your company needs to take advantage of this traffic to generate more visits.
If you have a retail store, you can place your content to be ranked for this local search. It is essential to follow the correct steps to achieve this.
The first and easiest is to register your business on Google My Business. Thus, it will be registered as a company that has a physical location to receive customers.
Another important strategy is to create local landing pages. It is essential to use keywords that make an exact reference to the area in which your business is. By doing this, you will be able to rank in the SERP with accurate information, appearing to the users this way:
Finally, make use of the Schema markup. It will allow you to add useful additional information that will make your business page rank better.
To get these results, just register your business data directly in schema.org. With this, the site will appear as follows in Google SERP:
15. Create content with more than 500 words
Google does not usually rank content that is less than 500 words on the first results page.
This is not a rule, but researches indicate that texts that usually are in the first positions of the SERP have, on average, 1.890 words.
Those results do not mean that their contents always need to be too long, but staying within this average can bring outstanding results.
However, it is not enough to focus on the number of written words and the wide use of keywords. One of Google’s main ranking parameters is still the quality of the content.
In general, you should worry about creating detailed, complete, and high-quality posts.
Ranking better and generating a large traffic volume are two daily challenges for those who manage a blog. In addition to creating quality content, it is important to ensure that your posts are placed in Google’s spotlight.
For this, SEO techniques are essential, and you can attract even more viewers with the tips you saw in this post.
Do you feel that your content and your website can still be better optimized for the web? Download our complete SEO guide and reach the top of the Google results page!
