{"id":27734,"date":"2016-08-18T21:01:02","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T13:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=27734"},"modified":"2022-10-16T19:42:08","modified_gmt":"2022-10-16T11:42:08","slug":"how-to-optimize-content-for-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-to-optimize-content-for-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Improve Google Rankings by Optimizing Content"},"content":{"rendered":"

Content<\/strong> is one of the primary ranking factors in Google\u2019s search algorithm that has more than 200 factors altogether. If you want to increase your search traffic, posting high quality content<\/strong> should be one of your main focus. Whether we speak about Google or Bing, search results are determined by three things: topical relevance, content quality, <\/strong>and context<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Webmasters understand how crucial it is to have quality content<\/strong> on a website to generate more traffic and achieve better conversions. In this article, I\u2019ll show you 5 easy ways to optimize your content<\/strong>, that can help you improve your search engine rankings.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tRead Also:<\/strong>\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\tHow Guest Posts Can Harm Your Google Ranking<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

1. Leverage Authority, Utility and Presentation<\/h2>\n

When preparing content for publication, it is crucial to understand the three pillars of content quality<\/a>, namely: Authority, Utility <\/strong>and Presentation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Three
IMAGE: Bing Blogs<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s look at them, one by one.<\/p>\n

Authority<\/h3>\n

Trust is the currency of the web, and to have good rankings, you need to gain the trust of search engines<\/strong> first. If they start to trust your website, it will rank it higher.<\/p>\n

Authority<\/strong> means whether users can trust your content or not. There are many things you can do to increase the authority of your content<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Always provide accurate and newsworthy information<\/strong>, and cite the sources<\/strong>. Add original research, reviews and testimonials<\/strong> to your content. Each piece of your copy needs to have clear information about its author<\/strong>, and it\u2019s the best if every author provides their social media profiles and is a subject-matter expert<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Get as many social shares as you can. The more you have, the better your audience and the search engines will trust in your site. Use secure HTTPS protocol<\/strong>, as it also adds a minor ranking boost<\/a>. If your site contains medical information, it should be written by a certified doctor or a health care professionals.<\/p>\n

Below you can see an example for a page with low quality content<\/strong>. It\u2019s full of ads, written by an unidentified author, and has confusing navigational elements:<\/p>\n

\"Problematic<\/figure>\n

Utility<\/h3>\n

Search engine algorithms try to predict whether your content is really about the topic it addresses. They want to know whether the overall content provides sufficient supporting information<\/strong> to the given subject.<\/p>\n

To increase the utility of your content, prepare it for no one else but your target audience<\/strong>. For instance, if your target audience consists of kids then the language should be simple, and accompanied by images and videos for easier understanding.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also crucial to provide unique content<\/strong> instead of recycling articles or web copy from other sources.<\/p>\n

Users want all the information at one place<\/strong>, so supply everything they may be interested in on the same page, and keep it simple and understandable.<\/p>\n

Content must be well-edited and detailed as well. Try to provide supporting multimedia and links to closely related articles if it\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

Presentation<\/h3>\n

Your website content needs to be well designed and visually attractive as well. Good presentation<\/strong> will better explain and educate your audience about your products and services. Websites with appropriate information and elegant layouts are usually preferred.<\/p>\n

To improve your content presentation, you need to reduce distractions<\/strong> on your site. Get rid of popup ads, in-text ads, top-of-the-content ads, etc.<\/p>\n

The goal is to make it easier for users to find the primary content<\/strong>. Also make sure you don\u2019t have any content hidden behind ads.<\/p>\n

Navigational elements<\/strong> also must be user-friendly<\/a> and logical. Always double-check whether your content is easy to scan<\/strong>. Using proper subheadings and relevant images can help you improve scannability.<\/p>\n

2. Add Fresh Content Regularly<\/h2>\n

Google measures all documents for freshness<\/a>, keeping your website updated and regularly publishing new content results in better search rankings.<\/p>\n

QDF<\/strong> stands for Query Deserves Freshness<\/a><\/strong>, and it\u2019s a component of Google\u2019s ranking algorithm. QDF queries are related to hot topics that suddenly surge in Google Trends<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Use Google Trends to identify these topics, and write about them. This may help you quickly rank for these QDF queries.<\/p>\n

To keep your content fresh, focus on actual topics<\/strong>, such as a recent political controversy or a popular sports event.<\/p>\n

Publish new content often<\/strong>, as this way you can rank for new keywords, but also keep updating your older content<\/strong> to prevent it from becoming stale.<\/p>\n

Add a relevant timestamp<\/strong> whenever you update your content, e.g. \"this page was last updated on mm-dd-yyyy\"<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Apart from publishing fresh content, also have content focusing on regularly recurring events<\/strong>, such as the Dancing with the Stars TV series or the NFL scores.<\/p>\n

It can also be a good idea to look up topics trending on social media<\/strong> and write about them.<\/p>\n

3. Prepare Panda-Friendly Content<\/h2>\n

Google Panda <\/a> was first released in February 2011. It was a major algorithm update that affected around 12% of search results<\/strong>. It targeted low-quality websites that had spun or duplicate content, and large content farms that generated similar content on long-tail keywords<\/a> adding little to no value to users.<\/p>\n

There were several updates in the Panda algorithm until January 2016 when it was integrated with Google\u2019s main ranking algorithm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tRead Also:<\/strong>\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\tGoogle Panda: 5 Tips You Should Know<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

You can improve your search rankings by impressing Google Panda. To do so:<\/p>\n