You want to create a great, in-depth article that you know will provide value to readers. In addition, you want the article to rank highly in search engines so you can receive a lot of traffic. How does one create a quality article readers will enjoy while making sure that the search engines rank it well?
There are many different factors that determines how high your article will rank in the search engines, but before you begin doing things like building links, it’s important that you have the basics down. In order to increase your ranking, you must first optimize your article. This is called on-page optimization. On-page optimization involves deciding what keywords to target and including them in the text.
First, decide which keywords to target. Ask yourself what you think potential visitors would type into search engines in order to find your article. Choose 2-3 keywords that you wish to rank for. It’s important to focus on a few keywords rather than many. Attempting to optimize your page for too many keywords is like attempting to catch many things at once. When you try to catch everything you end up catching nothing.
Once you have your keyword(s), you can begin adding them to the text. First, ensure that your keyword is added in the title. The title is the most important part of the page. Also, try to include your keywords in the headings on your website.
Many webmasters run into problems when they begin optimizing the paragraphs of text in their article. They become overzealous and start “keyword stuffing.” Keyword stuffing is when a writer artificially inserts keywords into the text. This hurts readability, and search engines will penalize your website. When it comes to using keywords, less is more. Use your keywords naturally and don’t worry about increasing your keyword density. A keyword density of 2 to 4 percent is plenty. Also, consider bolding keywords throughout the article, but use this technique sparingly.
Don’t overcomplicate things. As long as you use the keyword a decent amount of times, the search engines will rank you for your targeted keyword.
Another great optimization technique that is underused by webmasters is providing a few relevant links in the text. You should link to authority websites that help your readers further understand the topic.
After you use good on-page optimization practices, you can begin optimizing your page for search engines in other ways. On-page optimization serves as a base from which you can branch out from. By following these techniques, your page will be ready for search engines.