Digital marketing, and the internet in general, change incredibly quickly. SEO is no exception, and drastic changes can occur within a matter of just a couple of years. Because of this, staying up to date is key if you want to continue to rank in Google well into the future.
We're already in the second quarter of 2017, and over the last year or so, there have been some significant changes in Google's algorithms. One of the biggest was the release of Penguin 4.0 back in September 2016, which changed the way Google addresses spammy backlinks.
If you're looking for tips on how to brush up your SEO strategy this year, this detailed article from the Content Marketing Institute might be exactly what you're looking for. They have some surprising, insightful tips on how you can up your search engine marketing game, generating more organic traffic than you've ever seen before.
But sometimes, the best ways to get ahead in the SEO game can be kind of surprising. The Content Marketing Institute highlights one of these nifty little tactics: answering questions.
You'd be surprised at how often people type full questions into Google, like “are oreos vegan?”, or “do keto diets work?”
By providing full, detailed answers to these question-style queries, you can rank for them. Many of them reflect a “buyer's mentality,” meaning a click-through to your site from the SERPs could translate into a sale.
Look for question marks in the queries
As Andy asserts, each visitor your content receives through search has an intention in mind; the searcher took the initiative to actively look for something. To find it, one of three main types of key phrases was used:
- Navigational: Phrases that help the searchers find the best path to a specific brand or experience they already identified
- Transactional: Phrases that indicate they are looking to make a purchase of some kind – either immediately or in the future
- Informational: Phrases that signal that they have questions and are looking for answers on a particular subject
As Andy explains, content marketers’ greatest SEO potential lies in optimizing pages to rank better for informational key phrases, as these searchers aren’t necessarily looking to achieve a quick task (like finding a brand’s page or purchasing an item right then and there) and move on. Thus, they are more likely to enter your sales funnel and become viable leads upon discovering the value you offer.
You can read more from our friends over at the Content Marketing Institute, including helpful tips for selecting the right keywords, gauging you competition, and more.
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