Content optimization goes far beyond keywords and meta tags. If you want to rank higher, it’s time to use advanced content design and development tactics.
These five actionable tricks will help you structure your SEO-driven content for stellar visibility, more traffic, and winning positions on search engine results pages.
1. A div snippet
Improving your ranking doesn’t always require significant content updates or heavy link building. It can be as simple as adding a content block that matches a user search intent using an element with an ID attribute.
This increases the chances that Google will use the content as a featured snippet (also known as position zero), typically a definition, list, image, or video clip on the results page.
The div element works for informational search intent indicators (what and how questions).
- If your target search is a “what” question, include definitions in your content using a snippet. Place this block under an H2 or H3 heading framed as, or including a question.
- If your target search is a “how” question, use the div element around a list. Structure each list item as short sentences or phrases that answer the “how” question under the content title or H2 heading within the text.
How do I add the div element to content?
Go to HTML in your website’s admin panel: Use the
formatting to structure a text block as a definition under an H2 or H3 heading.
For a list, add
at the end of the list.Â
2. APP or PPB Intros
APP (Agree, Promise, Preview) and PPB (Preview, Proof, Bridge) intros are formulas for writing SEO-rich introductions. Both come from noted SEO expert Brian Dean, who believes in concise yet informative and engaging opening paragraphs.
These intro styles can boost time on page and mitigate bounce rate because they hook page visitors and motivate them to continue reading. This signals to Google that your content is relevant to search intent and deserves higher rankings.
Generally for an opening paragraph:
- Be brief.
- Set expectations and entice your audience to keep reading.
- Answer the “What’s in it for me?” question.
An APP introduction begins with a problem your target reader would agree, promises to have a solution, and previews the content so users know what they’ll get.
InCMI’s article 7 Formulas for Writing Introductions That Convert Scanners to Readers, the author’s intro uses the APP approach. Olesia Filipenko wrote this intro (I’ve labeled each of the APP elements in the text below and in the screenshot):
- Agree:  readers only pay attention to about 20% of the words on a webpage. They prefer to skim tables of contents and subheadings. They want to know if your content is worth their time and effort. Add to that the few seconds you have to capture and hold readers’ interest, and the battle for eyeballs might seem lost.
- Promise:  it’s not.
- Preview:  an article intro is an under-the-radar yet powerful turning point in your content marketing arsenal. Here’s how to make that weapon work.
A PPB intro begins with a preview of the content, provides proof is worth reading further and adds a short transitional sentence (a bridge ) to lead readers into the next paragraph. This is what Brian does in his article on SEO copywriting, shown in the screenshot below:
- Preview: “This is the most comprehensive guide to SEO copywriting online. In this new guide, you’ll learn how to write content that appeals to users and search engines.”
- Hook: “(Included lots of advanced strategies that I haven’t shared anywhere else before.)”
- Bridge: “Let’s dive in”.
3. Custom Images
Proper image optimization can boost your page load time, influencing behavioral factors that Google considers for rankings. Visuals can also drive traffic when they show up in Google Images results or as image packs in featured snippets. (Images shown in search results don’t necessarily come from the page or article in the featured snippet.)
Creating original, high-quality, and informative images for your content assets increases the odds that your images will appear in the results.
Think about shareability. Design infographics, charts, graphs, screenshots, checklists, and product images that demonstrate relevant and practical data for your audience. Place your brand logo and industry info there, thus encouraging users to share your visuals and earning coveted backlinks to your web property as the image source.
To optimize image files:
- Use relevant file names for images. Make them keyword-rich and descriptive, so Google can understand the context.
- Pay attention to file size and compress images before uploading if needed.
- Create relevant, SEO-optimized
text for images. - Develop an image sitemap on the website.
- Place images near the most relevant text that describes their context.
4. 10x Content Assets
Google uses hundreds of factors to evaluate your content and decide where to rank it. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (“E-E-A-T) make up the bulk of its quality guidelines.
This means that it is not enough to write a good content resource. (Many content creators and SEO writers do this.) Your content should come from expert sources, be authoritative, trustworthy, valuable to users, and be created by an author with expertise in the niche.
To achieve this, write resources that are at least 10 times better than the content in the top three organic search results for your topic and keyword.
To write content that follows EEAT guidelines and improves top results, create a better version. It could be:
- More comprehensive: – do better research. Discuss different angles. Provide steps and examples, or add expert comments.
- More up-to-date: – share the latest data and trends. Structure the design for better usability that is easier to consume.
Remember to mention the content author on the page. Include a photo and add an informative bio to demonstrate expertise.
You could also implement these two ideas related to 10x:
- Organizing it intotopic clusters. Create a pillar page targeting a high-volume keyword. Create several related content assets, each targeting a more specific, lower-volume keyword. Link the clustered content to drive more organic search traffic.
- Optimizing it forcommon questions. Add an FAQ section with answers, or format relevant questions as subheadings in the content.
5. Formatting
Readers typically consume a small portion of the content. They also read more slowly online than in print. That being said, why make it hard for your target audience to consume your resource, thereby harming its behavioral factors and overall performance?
Instead, think about usability when formatting your content:
- Follow the rules of web writing. Keep paragraphs short. Use a simple text structure (nothing higher than an H3 heading in the text hierarchy). Consider conversational language and add transition words throughout the text to encourage further reading.
- Use typography for a better reading experience. Align text to the left. Use a color contrast ratio of at least five to one between text and page background. Publish text in a font size of at least 14 points.
- Prevent text from appearing shoddy. Use proper spacing around subheadings. Don’t use more than three font types and sizes. Maintain appropriate line height and length. Say no to large text fields and unwanted spaces between words.
- Make the most of images. Break up text with images, videos, screenshots, tweetable blocks, quotes, and other relevant details to improve readability and content consumption.
Start writing with SEO in mind
While you should optimize for keywords and meta tags, you must go beyond. Search optimization demands top-notch resources. Expert, comprehensive, and valuable content are now calling the shots. To please search engines and attract users, consider EEAT factors, create comprehensive content that matches your goals’ search intent, and format it with usability in mind.
Pubblicato in Digital Marketing, SEO
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