I’m Jen from Starchelle Communications, and today I'm continuing our series on content marketing. In my last post, we discussed tools and techniques for planning your content marketing. Today, I'm diving into SEO – a crucial part of ensuring your content gets seen by the right people. By the end of this blog, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to optimise your content for search engines and boost your online visibility.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s all about using the right strategies and techniques to help your content rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs), like Google. The higher your content ranks, the more visible it becomes to your audience.
Keyword research is the foundation of SEO. Back in the day, you’d have to invest in pricey tools like SEMrush or use Google’s Keyword Planner. But now, you can simply use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Google's AI to research relevant keywords. I highly recommend focusing on long-tail keywords—these are longer, more specific phrases that users tend to search for. They help your content rank better because they closely match what people are actually typing into search engines.
On-Page SEO: Optimising Individual Pages
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let's talk about on-page SEO—this is all about optimising your individual web pages. Here are a few key areas to focus on:
Meta Tags & Descriptions: These are brief descriptions of your content that show up in search results. Make them catchy and relevant to entice clicks.
Headings: Use proper heading structures like H1 for main titles, H2 for subheadings, and so on. This helps search engines understand the hierarchy of your content.
Clean URLs: Ensure your URLs are simple and descriptive (e.g., "yoursite.com/seo-basics" instead of "yoursite.com/page123").
Internal Links: Link to other relevant content on your site. For instance, link to related blogs or resources to keep visitors exploring your website.
External Links: If you're referencing external data or stats, link to authoritative sources to back up your claims.
Optimised Images: Compress your images for faster loading and ensure they have relevant file names and alt text, which describes what’s in the image for both accessibility and SEO purposes.
Quality Content is Key
Search engines love high-quality, relevant content, so make sure you’re delivering what your audience needs. Focus on creating comprehensive, engaging, and informative content that answers your audience's questions.
It’s also essential to use your keywords naturally. Avoid “keyword stuffing” where you cram as many keywords into your content as possible—that can actually hurt your rankings. Instead, use them where they fit organically.
Technical SEO: Speed and Mobile Optimization
There are a couple of technical tweaks you can make to boost your SEO:
Site Speed: Google prioritises fast-loading sites. You can check your site’s speed by using Google PageSpeed Insights (just search “Google PageSpeed” and enter your site’s URL).
Mobile Optimization: More people are browsing on mobile than ever, so make sure your site looks and functions well on mobile devices.
Sitemaps: Create an XML sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console so Google knows about all the pages on your website.
Robots.txt File: This file helps search engines crawl and index your website effectively. You can learn more about creating one [here](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots/intro).
Tracking Your SEO Success
Once you’ve optimised your content, it’s time to track how well it’s performing. I love using spreadsheets to track metrics like page views, bounce rate, average session duration, and keyword rankings.
You can also install browser plugins like Keywords Everywhere or use Google Analytics to monitor keyword rankings and overall site performance. If you need any recommendations for plugins or tools, feel free to reach out!
SEO in Social Media
SEO isn’t just for websites anymore—social media platforms are becoming more SEO-driven too. When writing captions for your posts, consider incorporating your long-tail keywords to help your content stand out in social search results.
In Summary
SEO is a crucial part of any effective content marketing strategy. From keyword research to optimising your website’s technical aspects, every step you take will help your content rank better and reach a larger audience. Keep these tips in mind as you plan and create your content, and don’t forget to monitor your progress regularly!
You can watch the video that goes along with this blog right here: SEO Basics for Content Marketing | Boost Your Online Visibility (youtube.com)
If you found this blog helpful, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel (170) Jen Heppell Starchelle Communications - YouTube or join my mailing list https://go.starchelle.com/mailinglist for more tips on content marketing and loads more.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one!
PS… download my free guide to jumpstart your content marketing strategy https://go.starchelle.com/marketing-made-simple. It’s packed with practical steps to help you create content that really connects with your audience.
