5 basic guidelines you need to audit content
Get to the top of Page 1 on search engine results pages (SERPs)! That should be the goal and mantra of any company looking to make it big in 2017. Every business should have a search engine optimization strategy which is tailor-made to the company’s abilities and strengths. Within said strategy, there is surely a content management component. After all, having a great content management plan set in place is one of the pillars of SEO and getting to the top of the rankings.
In order to have great content, you need to make sure your posts are optimized for SEO, this will give you higher chances of having your ideas read and shared. Ensuring that content is ready to be analyzed by web crawlers and ranked appropriately means doing one thing: content auditing. ReputationDefender is here with some guidelines you should take into consideration for successful content auditing.
Guideline 1: Guarantee there isn’t any copyright infringement
Before posting any content whatsoever, whoever is in charge of publishing must guarantee that content is original and not copied or paraphrased from other sources. This can be done in two ways. The first one is by having writers sign a copyright waiver where they state that they everything they create is of their own authority and that no copyright laws are being violated. The other way is to use anti-plagiarism software. The previous tool will help a company avoid any legal issues with another blogger’s content. For more effectiveness, the company should use both tactics.
Guideline 2: Get under the hood of content
Having content which is optimized for search engines is not only about guaranteeing its original, that it fulfills a minimum word count, or that it is grammatically perfect. It’s also about filling in HTML descriptions and tags that will make it easier for crawlers to index the content accordingly. In other words, publishers must make sure they fill in the following fields:
· Title
· Headings (H1 is must)
· Image title
· Image description
Guideline 3: Make sure links are current
One of the most recommended tips for creating great content is to refer to at least two other articles; one from your own blog and another one from an outside source. The link to your own blog helps you get more of your own content out there and referring to an outsider could lead to them linking back to you on another occasion. In both cases, it’s important to check the date on each article you are posting to. The date should be as recent as possible and the content should be relevant to the current state of what you are writing about. Avoid content that is more than a year old.
Guideline 4: Use keywords and analytics to your advantage
Getting a handle on what to write about can be tricky. It’s normal for inspiration to run dry every once in awhile. That’s where analytics tools come in rather handy. There is software out there that specializes in identifying keywords and what people in your demographic are searching for. Analytics tools are designed to fish out what people look for on search engines. The top results are usually the keywords you should be using to create content. Once you write up the blog post, make sure it’s not full of those keywords. In other words, you should avoid keyword stuffing; it’s definitely a punishable offense for search engines.
Guideline 5: Images are not for decorative purposes
Images can be one of the best allies a blogger can have. They are not for decoration though. A picture can serve as an introduction for the next paragraph. Images should give readers an idea of what to expect if they are going to read on. Additionally, they should be attributed to where they came from. A great way to add images without having to pay for rights is to search for those with a Creative Commons license. These types of images only need to be given credit to the original photographer to comply with copyright laws.
Keeping a close eye on content is crucial to the success of any search engine optimization strategy. The quality of the content you post will help search engines index a website more effectively and it can make a huge difference in where a site is ranked. This means paying attention to original content, using images that will elaborate on an idea, and analyzing keywords that will ensure you are writing about current topics in the industry. Furthermore, you should link to current articles to make sure you are up to date.
Finally, make sure that those in charge of uploading content use the appropriate HTML tags to help crawlers even further. And remember the goal. Get to page one of search engine results pages! Never, ever forget where you want to get to.
