Smiling’s one of our favorite things to do around here, right behind laughing until tea spills from our noses. We also enjoy making other people smile with our work. Not only do we want happy customers, but we also want a giddy Google. That’s a win-win in our book.
As a business owner creating copy for your website, you should seek to make Google smile with your work, too. Why? When Google receives 3.5 billion searches per day, you’re going to want to show up there to capture business-changing leads.
The way to make it happen? Impress Google’s algorithm with your content.
How to Impress Google With Your Website Content
Before we jump in, please read this: Always write for your audience first. They’re the ones that matter most. Plus, by focusing on your target customer and their needs and desires, you’ll start your content out on the right foot every time.
Okay, with that caveat, we can now talk Google.
1. Stop It Already With the Keyword Stuffing
“Our cat food is the best cat food in the cat food market. The cat food we create is the perfect food for your cat. Buy our cat food for your cat today.”
Stop it. This is an age-old tactic that should be long gone by now. Unfortunately, it isn’t. And readers see it and run for the hills.
Don’t stuff keywords inside your content expecting to trick the system. Instead, consider the keywords your ideal customers will use to find your content before you start to write. Any specific keywords will come through naturally if you’re writing copy focused on your target audience.
2. Give Your Audience What They Ask For
Google says, “Provide high-quality content on your pages, especially your homepage. This is the single most important thing to do. If your pages contain useful information, their content will attract many visitors and entice webmasters to link to your site.”
When your audience lands on your website, deliver the content they need immediately, whether that’s an answer to a question or a service to purchase. Google places priority on websites that are valuable and useful.
Additionally, when your content is valuable, other websites may choose to link to it. Backlinks help search crawlers find your site for greater visibility. They also help with ranking.
“Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote by page A for page B. Votes cast by pages that are themselves “important” weigh more heavily and help to make other pages important.”
3. Don’t Use Images to Convey Critical Information
Images are great, especially when they’re used to accompany your content—not deliver it. Google’s crawler doesn’t recognize text contained within graphics. So, make sure your images don’t display critical content or links. Instead, use alt text and attributes if your content contains graphics.
4. Leave the “Tricks” Up Your Sleeve
Black hat SEO. Spamdexing.
These are terms used to describe malicious SEO “tricks” that are supposed to game the Google system. Don’t fall for these tricks that violate Google’s terms of use. The use of keyword lists or crawler-only pages can result in Google flagging your content as deceptive, which results in the cold shoulder for your website.
The Bottom Line: It’s All About Creating Quality Content
Quality content can make or break your website’s ability to show up in search. If you’re struggling with creating high-quality content for your website, we can help. Reach out to the Word Nerds by sending us a message.
