Monday S.E.O's - Are You Using This Strategy? - 8/04/24

Welcome to the first instalment of Monday SEO's. Our weekly newsletter delving into search engine insights and topics that come our way while working within the industry.

We hope you find this to be a pleasant morning read. Any positive or negative feedback is welcome, so feel free to drop me a message :)

Each week, we will delve into three main topics that have caught our eye, with many more segments and expansions to come in due time.

Oliver Eardley - Principal SEO Consultant @ Add People

Are you targeting question based keywords?

Did you know that there are a staggering 680 million questions searched on Google every day? Your product or service could be the solution to many of these inquiries, but is your website optimised to provide the answers? Are your keywords targeting the questions relevant to your niche, or are they merely focusing on broader topics?

Consider this example: Instead of solely targeting the keyword "Family Law," why not also aim to address specific queries like "Which are the best family law firms in Manchester?" By incorporating question-based keywords into your SEO strategy, you tap into a wealth of untapped potential.

(check out our blog on SEO for Solicitors a 2024 guide currently in the top positions on google)?

But why bother with question-based keywords? Because these queries constitute a significant portion of all Google searches, accounting for 23%. Within this segment, you'll find highly specific searches with lower competition, presenting excellent opportunities for you to rank higher in search results.

Ai Content writing. Does it work? …… We asked Chat GPT ourselves to find out!

Nobody is going to read that and if you did you were probably bored instantly by the un-necessary overuse of complex terminology. But does that mean Ai can’t be used to create well ranking captivating content??

In our experience any novice can ask Chat GPT a question and copy + paste their way through a campaign. However the teams that utilise AI for its current best strengths whilst applying their own skillset are the ones that are getting the most out of AI.

Looking at this from an SEO perspective Artificial Intelligence is more than capable of captivating Google's attention. However in recent news Google is now taking strong action against AI generated content that is designed to manipulate algorithms and elevate false rankings.

As we discussed in our effective blog writing post. You want to create content that does two key things. 1. capture attention 2. Retain it.

One thing we are sure of is that AI content lacks the human element behind content writing. It strips it down of its personalisation that really captures people and their interest. If it reads like AI it more than likely is.?

Our recommendation would be utilise AI for its strongest suits, saving you time and energy on the basics researching keywords to target and providing an effective framework for your writing. Just don't get lazy and let it do all of the work for you.

Working alongside professional content teams will always prove more effective in the long term.

‘’Should I be working on my SEO before I launch my website?’’

So you've just launched a website or even a brand new website to update the old. Great! Now you need traffic. We often find people asking us ‘should we start working on our SEO before we launch the website or once its been active for some time first’?

Here's the answer - Yes. Yes you should.

Implementing SEO sooner rather than later is a critical step in maximising your online visibility, but the question remains. When do I start? While some argue for post-launch optimisation, laying down SEO groundwork beforehand proves advantageous.?

Here’s another way of looking at it. Imagine that your website is an F1 car. You want your car to outperform your competition and race towards high value keywords. Would it be beneficial to put the car out on the track before first optimising it for the best results? Aligning the wheels. Calibrating the engine (can you tell I know very little about cars).

Early optimisation ensures that your website aligns with search engine guidelines Whilst also allowing you to focus on aspects of CRO in the initial build time. Making sure that your website does not have any issues with page speed or broken links.?

By speaking with an SEO specialist and having them onboard during the initial build phase. You set yourself up for long-term success, establishing credibility and attracting relevant visitors from the outset.

Oliver Eardley