Achieving success with content optimisation requires a lot of effort. However, the basic rule in the world of online content remains that you must always think globally while acting locally.
Contents Evolution and Need for Optimisation
Everyone knows what contents are, but what about optimising it? Content optimisation can be described as the process of optimising your content so that it is more compelling enough to attract customers, and ultimately convert. This is done by understanding and applying certain improvement techniques, which you will learn about later.
Content optimisation is relatively new and most likely restricted to the digital world only. The need for content optimisation arises with the constant evolution of the way humans communicate – talking, listening, and understanding. For instance, at least a thousand words are added to the English language almost every year. A quick look at the global level of communication will reveal a lot of changes – ongoing modifications to our communication system.
The digital world is not left out of this evolution, with systems like Google and Google’s algorithm changing by the day. However, in this piece, we will be highlighting the three main trends that are responsible for this shift in the digital world.
Content Optimisation Trends You Should Know
1. Understanding Personal Search
Google is always committed to providing the best results to the people that use its search engine for various queries. And this is where the concept of personal search applies. Interestingly, for every search query we make, Google has a way of checking our intents. And in providing you with results, they first consider a couple of factors, including your location, where you are, your search history, what's some of the other websites that you have been to. Interestingly, all these are happening in real time, and Google will leverage your personal present and past search records to come up with results they think it is the best for you.
2. Location-influenced search
The advent of smartphones means everyone can access websites, including Google, right from their phones. However, these phones are packed with GPS, which offers users all services relating to physical locations. Whenever the location option is enabled, and you are making a search query on Google, the search engine tailors your results to be more inclined towards your present location. For example, if you are searching for a café in the Brisbane, Google already knows you are in Brisbane, and will most likely bring you local café as the first set of results rather than options outside your vicinity. This is another way the digital world is shaping the contents we get fed with on the internet.
3. Voice Search
With voice search, people can now make their search queries by speaking. There are special devices like OK Google, Alexia, and the rest capable of executing this function. However, smartphone devices are not left out – many phones can perform voice search perfectly. This has affected the relevance and ranking of results on Google, which in turn influences what we get as feedback from our inquiries. We now have audio messages as search results when you make you do your search through speech into Google. Such search will most likely bring one answer, considering that the speech question you asked is quite specific.
Currently, voice search is mostly via mobile, but it is fast becoming a new trend in homes too. Google Mini, Amazon’s Echo, and even Apple’s HomePod are all voice command devices (ie smart speakers), designed for home use, and which are capable of taking up voice commands. All these culminate the fact that the digital world is fast advancing and we can only expect more. Although it will take the next 5-10 years for these technologies to be widespread, it remains an important factor that must be considered.
The three trends discussed above have changed the approach and style of optimisation to adopt when making your website contents suitable for the Google search engine. So, while doing content optimisation, we need to be mindful of the offline changes the English language is undergoing too. While the changes are not rampant, they become pronounced over three or four years. Hence, you must always revise and revisit your content optimisation strategies, so that your website contents remain relevant in the face of the Google search engine every time. Endeavour to make smaller changes regularly, rather than a major change in a few years – that is the only way to improve truly. These little tweaks can go a long way in enhancing your website contents, giving it a new feel and look than it was a few years ago.
So, if you want to get the best out of optimisation, make it continuous; these tweaks and upgrades must be frequent. Thus, you need a proper restructuring plan for your website, as well as an efficient way of managing it from time and dollar aspects.
Here are some helpful tips for achieving content optimisation:
1. Don’t focus too much on being number one on Google Ranking. It actually doesn’t matter when it comes to SEO, and this is due to factors like personal search which brings about tailored results.
2. Try out Google Search Console. Perhaps, Google understands the kind of dilemma we are going through with its constant algorithm changes and offer Google Search Console as a soft landing. This software is free, but it is important that you know your way around it. Google providing you personalised results for your website in keywords that they understand your website to be. The best thing about Google Search Console is that you can see the other keywords people are bringing to your website and the number of impressions for each keyword.
3. The more your website shows up in the Google Search results; the more your impressions share will be. The impression count shows how often that page is showing for that keyword on Google. With this, you can measure your performance, when you eventually start content optimisation.
4. In line with the relevancy rule of thumb – thinking globally, acting locally - it is always important to achieve local domination first before aiming for global relevance. Still wondering why? Google’s primary goal has always been to provide its users with the best individual or tailored results for their enquiry. And in doing this, they offer the best answer with regard to local results to them. Hence, by concentrating on your local audience first, you get the most relevancy and more importantly, a top place in the rankings. This is one of the services we offer at Crocodile Marketing, as Co-marketing.
With co-marketing, you can work with other businesses to build your popularity. Likewise, using the “sharing a quote” technique, you can exchange backlinks with local businesses, and thus helping each other to improve the reach as well as the quality of your contents. By backlinks, we mean another website linking to your website, so the links are envelopes. For more information on this, get in touch with by contact us here.
Keep in mind that popularity is still a major factor, but you need to help Google work out what the best results are, and you can only do this by staying relevant with your content optimisation game, especially through backlinks. A good place to start is by collaborating with other businesses in your area, in your general proximity, with a focus on how you can collectively improve or enhance your contents for each other and in the process, share a link. Shared links can be a game changer for your content optimisation strategy.
Again, understand that contents are changing, and as an entrepreneur, you must be aware of these changes and adjust our content planning and management plans to suit them. While this is not about massive changes or implementations, the simple tweaks that are involved must be done regularly.
Good luck!
