Thin content – table of contents:

1. What is thin content?
2. Why is thin content bad for your website?
3. Summary

What is thin content?

Google’s algorithms, especially the Panda algorithm introduced in 2016, emphasize the importance of high-quality content on the Internet. But what does this really mean? Essentially, content must not only be valuable to the reader by providing necessary information, answering questions, persuading them to make a purchase, and covering the topic thoroughly, but it must also be linguistically correct and unique. If the content we create fails to meet these requirements, search engine robots will classify it as “thin content” – low-quality content that reflects poorly on our website’s overall content quality.

Consequently, our website will rank lower in search engine results, reducing the chances of users finding our website and making a purchase. In other words, high-quality content is crucial for maintaining a good search engine ranking and attracting potential customers.

Why is thin content bad for your website?

When your website contains thin content, its visibility in search engines decreases, which undermines your efforts in search engine optimization, including technical optimization that you perform on your own or with the help of an external agency. But why does this happen? There are several key reasons for this, which we’ll outline below:

1. High bounce rate

If there is too much low-quality content on your website, it can lead to a significant decrease in the amount of time that internet users spend on your site. This will, in turn, increase the bounce rate, which is a metric that measures the number of exits from a page without any interaction. Although a high bounce rate doesn’t always indicate a negative situation, it can result from thin content on your website that fails to meet the user’s needs, causing them to quickly leave the site. This is especially true if they were redirected from a paid advertisement. Ultimately, this can lead to Google lowering the site’s ranking.

2. Keyword cannibalization

In the past, it was believed that the more keywords on a page, the higher the chances of a website appearing higher in search results. However, Google now emphasizes the importance of creating unique content that is created for users and not just for search engines. If you excessively repeat a keyword (especially in an unnatural form that is not reader-friendly), search engine robots will consider the content to be of low quality, and this will lead to a drop in your website’s position in search results. Additionally, if you repeat the same keyword too frequently on multiple subpages, you will create duplicate content, which is also disapproved since it does not provide any value to the user.

3. Lack of internal linking

Effective SEO (Search Engine Optimization) involves incorporating both internal and external linking strategies. Internal links that connect different pages within your website, as well as external links from other websites, can help to enhance your website’s visibility in Google. While it’s important to have other sites link back to your own, this will only happen if you offer users valuable and relevant content that they would be interested in sharing.

If your website has thin content or lacks substance, you risk missing out on opportunities for external websites to engage with your content, which could ultimately affect your search engine rankings. Additionally, if users are unable to find valuable content on your website, they are less likely to return or convert in the desired way.

Summary

If you want your website to be highly ranked by Google’s algorithms and appear at the top of search engine results, it’s important to have high-quality descriptions on your homepage, category, or product pages, blog articles, and other content. They should not only be informative, but also free of grammatical errors. Consider working with an experienced SEO copywriter who can help you avoid thin content and keyword cannibalization. However, it’s important to first commission an SEO audit for your website to find out which elements should be first improved and optimized.

Read also: How to optimize your website for SEO?

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What is plain language? – table of contents:

1. Combat verbosity
2. Avoid sophisticated words
3. Use short sentences and paragraphs
4. Put the subject and verb at the beginning
5. Write parallel sentences
6. Minimize passive voice
7. Forget about is, are, was and were
8. Watch out for of and wordy phrases
9. Turn nouns into verbs
10. Shun acronyms
11. Use a conversational tone
12. Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence
13. Build bridges
14. Structure your content
15. Summary

Combat verbosity

If the sentence is too long, its basic point tends to get lost. Cut to its essence, the thought itself seems more concise. While it is easy to turn a 15-word sentence into a 20-word sentence, reversing this process is a rare art. Tighten your content, but keep it natural and idiomatic. Get rid of unnecessary words, but never delete the ones whose omission might confuse the reader.

Avoid sophisticated words

When you write, think about how to convey your thoughts with the simplest words possible. Ideally, imagine that you are explaining something to a child or an elderly person. If you can describe a topic in such a way that a kid can understand it, it is likely that everyone will. Obviously, it’s not about using infantile language or assuming that the reader is stupid. It’s about empathy and understanding that everyone sometimes has worse moments.

Use short sentences and paragraphs

Your average sentence length determines the readability of your writing. Therefore, you should have some 30-word sentences and some 10-word sentences. Just monitor the average, and keep it to about 20 words. If you want to achieve a clear and readable style, don’t try to say too many things at the same time, with too much detail and too little relevance. Also, break long paragraphs up. This simple technique will improve legibility and generate both speed and interest.

Put the subject and verb at the beginning

The English language follows the subject-verb-object order rather strictly. Sentences are better understood if the subject and the predicate are close together at the beginning of the sentence. Add clarity to your style by following this simple rule. This will help readers understand what you are talking about, and will make it easier for them to follow your thoughts when they read your content.

Write parallel sentences

Many grammatical structures require parallelism. The most common correlative conjunctions are as follows:

• ���dzٳ�…a�Ի�
• �����ٳ���…o��
• ���𾱳ٳ���…n�ǰ�
• Not only…but also

Putting words in pairs will make your sentences clearer and easier to understand. Using the same pattern of words also indicates that two or more ideas are equally important.

Example 1

Not Parallel:Michael loves dancing, climbing, and to ride a bike.

Parallel: Michael loves dancing, climbing, and cycling.

Example 2

Not Parallel: Michael loves dancing, climbing, and to ride a bike.

Parallel: Michael loves dancing, climbing, and cycling.

Example 3

Not parallel: The student was asked to write his essay clearly, accurately, and in a detailed manner.

Parallel: The student was asked to write his essay clearly, accurately, and thoroughly.

Always remember to skim your text to check if any sentences need to be made parallel.

Minimize passive voice

The active voice is basically better than the passive voice since it requires fewer words, and thus makes the reading easier and faster. The passive voice, in turn, is wordy and complicated. Consider these two examples:

• They were painting the fence when I arrived.
• The fence was being painted when I arrived.

The second sentence feels academic, formal, and stuffy. Therefore, you shouldn’t use the passive voice in more than 10% of your text. Always scan your content in search of passive sentences, and then try to change them into active ones, if possible.

Forget about is, are, was and were.

Highlight every is, are, was, and were, and check whether you can improve your text by removing them. Many writers wrongly believe that a be-verb always indicates a passive voice. In fact, it’s only some part of the passive voice structure. Nevertheless, even if be-verbs don’t always make sentences passive, they can certainly weaken your prose. By reducing the number of them, you can enliven your text considerably. Let’s take a closer look at the following sentences:

• Jones is in agreement with Smith.
• Jones agrees with Smith

The second sentence sounds way better than the first one. Always try to use strong and precise verbs in your writing.

Watch out for of and wordy phrases

Focus on each of to check whether it’s forming a wordy phrase. You might be surprised how often it happens. Reducing the ofs by 50% or so can greatly improve speed and readability. Also, replacing bloated expressions with everyday words might help a lot. Take a look at the following list.

Improve your style by shortening your sentences, phrase by phrase.

Turn nouns into verbs.

It’s not just passive voice and be-verbs that can weaken your prose. So can abstract nouns made from verbs. Avoid using words ending in -ion when it is possible. Write that something illustrates something else, not that it provides an illustration of it. Take a deeper look at more examples:

Shun acronyms

If you would like to gain a lot of readers, make sure you understand the acronyms you use, and that you know for sure what they are saying. Jargon and acronyms can obscure your prose. Therefore, when using abbreviations, always remember to explain them. For example:

• RWD (Responsive Web Design)
• CTA (Call to Action)
• CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)
• CSO (Chief Security Officer)

Use a conversational tone

Whenever you write, the best approach is to be relaxed and sound natural. That tone communicates confidence. It shows that you are comfortable with your written voice. A relaxed tone can be achieved through contractions and pronouns. Make everything you write speakable, and address your reader directly.

Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence

Think about the subject matter of your writing and start each of your paragraphs with a topic sentence. It should express the main idea of the given passage of text and set its tone. Based on a properly written topic sentence, your readers will be able to predict what they can expect from the rest of the paragraph, e.g., figure out if the paragraph will contain a list, statistics, a narrative, or something else.

Build bridges

Bridge between your paragraphs. It’s not about a sentence started in one paragraph having its continuation in the next paragraph. Nor is it about linking the last sentence of a paragraph to the first sentence of the next paragraph. And even less about repeating a sentence literally. It is rather about connecting ideas with each other to make a unified whole.

Structure your content

Divide your content into visible parts. Doing so will help you and your readers. The more complex your project is, the simpler and more overt its structure should be. In fact, headings have many benefits:

Use informative headings, bullets, and highlights. These are signs that help readers know where they are currently and where what they are looking for. Experts at Nielsen Norman Group say it clearly: people read only 20-28% of the text on a webpage. They merely scan the rest. If you take care of the structure and make it easy for your audience to read selectively, they’ll still pull out what’s most important. And if they want more, they’ll definitely know where to come back.

Summary

Bloated expressions that displace everyday words are mostly unreadable. Therefore, when creating content, you shouldn’t blindly adopt the worn-out, ineffective writing habits of the past. Embrace simplicity instead. Learn to write clearly. Writing is like any other skill, so it can be improved.

If you want to write well, you can’t sound like a machine. You need to learn to sound like yourself. Use a conversational tone and write as you talk. Plain language should be the foundation of any piece of writing, but it is easy to fall into various traps and unknowingly complicate the message.

You’ve just learned the answer to the question: What is plain language? Want more advice on clear writing? Check out the following article: Web writing principles – how to write for the internet?

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How to optimize your website for SEO? – table of contents:

1. Headings
2. Meta title
3. Meta descritpion
4. Alt attributes
5. Valuable content
6. Page speed
7. Reviews

Headings

Headings are a signal to search engines about the content of a page. When using headings, make sure to use a clear hierarchy of them by starting the structure with the H1 tag. There should be only one H1 heading on each subpage. It ought to contain the most important keywords and be unique. You will find a picture describing the proper hierarchy of headings below.

Meta title

Meta tags are used to provide search engines with information about your site. Used properly and optimized properly, they will affect your site’s positions, visibility, and traffic.The page title is undoubtedly one of the most important meta tags, as it is relevant to both search engines and users.

The meta title tag should be unique for each subpage of your website, and its length should not exceed 60 characters, otherwise, it will not show up in organic results. The page title is a ranking factor, so it ought to contain your focus keyword, preferably at the beginning of the tag. It is also a good idea to mention your brand name in it, which will further help promote your business online.

Meta descritpion

Another meta tag that deserves your attention is meta description. Although it is not a ranking factor, meta description affects the CTR (Click Through Rate) and attracts search engine users to your site. The length of your meta description should not exceed 150-160 characters. Just like the meta title tag, meta description must be unique for every single page and contain relevant keywords.

Alt attributes

The next factor that is worth optimizing is the alt attribute, i.e. a tag that in HTML means an alternative description of images. You describe the content of image files using it. As an alternative text, it also provides information to users in case an image fails to load and display. The alt attribute is a ranking factor analyzed by indexing robots, so it’s essential to include keywords in it. Alt attributes should be unique, so make sure to differentiate them.

How to optimize your website for SEO? Create valuable content

Google gratifies sites that have unique and valuable content, so it’s a brilliant idea to set up a company blog within the site. Regular posting increases your site’s online visibility for so-called long-tail keywords, which in turn translates into an increase in organic traffic. Remember to post with a consistent frequency, and make sure your articles are long enough, SEO-optimized and relevant.

Page speed

Search engine robots also pay attention to the page load time. Your page speed affects not only its ranking, but also its usability and user behavior. Even the most attractive site in terms of graphics can discourage further visits if it loads very slowly. Therefore, you should always try to make your website as fast as possible. You can verify your site’s loading time with Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool, which will additionally point out elements that need improvement.

Reviews

Publishing high-quality product reviews on an e-commerce site or a product review site can help buyers learn more about a product before they buy. Reviews let shoppers choose a model that meets their requirements while staying within their budget. Google is now prioritizing reviews that offer unique value and come from people who have actually used the product. If your website offers product review content, make sure to provide evidence such as visuals, audio, or other links of your own experience with the product, to support your opinion.

You’ve just read how to optimize your website for SEO. Other resources: Things to expect from your SEO agency.

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Featured snippets and rich snippets – table of contents:

1. Google structural data – what is it and what is it for?
2. Featured snippets and rich snippets
3. How are featured snippets divided?
4. How to earn a paragraph within featured snippets?
5. Images and photos as extended results
6. YouTube videos – an apt tutorial to solve the user’s problem
7. How to make your results in SERPs more attractive? Where to start?

Star ratings, list of questions, thumbnail graphics – if you want to enrich your page with SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) try to follow the tips regarding featured snippets and rich snippets.

Google structural data – what is it and what is it for?

These are tools to mark the elements of the page’s source code. These are words, phrases and other elements designed to make your page stand out in the search results.

Once Google “learns” the marked string and “understands” the code, which enables to provide additional distinctions in SERPs.

The use of structural data doesn’t directly contribute to higher page rankings. Still, it makes a page’s visibility for Google more attractive which in turn increases the number of clicks by users.

Featured snippets and rich snippets

Both types are examples of enhanced results. Rich snippets concern the traditional results, characterized by longer description text along with a thumbnail image or user rating. For some time now, typing in Google queries the phrase “what is it + search phrase” – as part of the answer we get a concise text that provides basic information on your question. This is a piece of content taken from the first page within the organic search results.

The text with the explanation appears above the rest of the results in Google. And that’s what featured snippets are, also referred to as position 0. They let you know the answer to your query without having to go visit any site within the results.

How are featured snippets divided?

The most common type of featured snippets are paragraphs, graphic or images, lists, tables, videos or maps.

Of the options listed, paragraphs account for approx. 3/4 of the cases. A fair percentage of data comes from Wikipedia and features an image (not necessarily from the same source).

Ultimately, the user gets a condensed answer to the question posted on Google without having to go to any website.

How to earn a paragraph within featured snippets?

If you want to obtain such an effect, you should include a short answer to a query in the form of a text under the headline of the developed article.

It is important that the answer does not exceed 300 characters – otherwise, Google will shorten the content. It is also a good practice to write according to the scheme:

What is + phrase?

A phrase is …

Such an encyclopedic structure and the use of a keyword at the beginning of the explanation should become a habit when developing content for the Internet.

Images and photos as extended results

Google’s structured data also includes graphical elements and these are desirable especially for e-commerce.

This way of presenting results is an effective way to attract customers to an online store. In this case, it is necessary to properly optimize the graphics on the page – we are talking about consistent completion of “alt” and “title” attributes.

YouTube videos – an apt tutorial to solve the user’s problem

If Google “decides” that the video is the right answer to the user’s question – it will display it above the rest of the organic search results. From the channel owner’s point of view – to achieve this, it is necessary to optimize both the titles and the videos. This will generate additional traffic from outside the YouTube platform.

How to make your results in SERPs more attractive? Where to start?

It is necessary to apply the data schema within the chosen method.

If the website is hosted on WordPress – here the task is easier, thanks to the possibility of using one of the available plugins to implement the appropriate structure without advanced knowledge of HTML code. Other CMSs are also supported in the form of a number of handy tools to solve all the necessary IT hindrances.

To sum up, structured data means a more interesting presentation of search results, which helps to improve behavioral indicators and translates into higher CTRs. So, there is nothing left to do but to develop a strategy to optimize your site and get ahead of the competition by standing out on search results using featured snippets and rich snippets!

You may also like: SEO in times of pandemic. Important things to look out for

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Local positioning – table of contents:

1. What is local SEO?
2. The benefits of local SEO
3. Case study: local SEO for a pet store
4. What does local SEO involve

Promotion of a local company through local SEO is recommended primarily for entrepreneurs running small businesses: florists, home appliance repairmen, restaurateurs, hairdressers or vulcanizers – companies that provide services and goods for the residents of a given administrative area. How to start local positioning and what does it include?

What is local SEO?

Local positioning is a comprehensive process of building a high position for a website in search results such as Google. The second part of the phrase indicates the local aspect: it refers to positioning a website based on a word or phrase related to services/products offered e.g. in a particular town or city district.

If a company offering repair services of electronic equipment in Prague would like to position itself in Google, a good local search term might be “repair service of household appliances in Prague”. Positioning on the basis of location has a number of significant advantages, especially recommended for companies oriented towards local customers.

What are the advantages of promoting your business with local SEO?

The benefits of local SEO

Let’s face it: not every innovative product is capable of achieving international, or even nationwide, success. Most companies will focus on excelling in their industry within their local scope.

The target audience of most small businesses are people living in the area unit the company operates. Positioning your website online for general queries in such cases does not make any sense at all. This leads to an increase in the rejection rate, which can prolong the process of building a ranking position.

To achieve measurable benefits, micro-businesses should focus on local positioning: this increases the chance of appearing in the minds of potential customers, even if the company is a relatively new market player.

Case study: local SEO for a pet store

Any process of searching for a result in Google is inseparable from three specialized issues. The first of these is the local query, or phrase with a location, which is typed by an Internet user.

Let’s assume that a potential client from Berlin wants to buy specialized food for his cat. To do this, he types in the following local search query: pet store Berlin. After clicking the “enter” button, search results appear grouped in two categories. The first are sponsored results, usually presented in the form of three paid links. Below are the local search results, which are additionally organic. The better the quality of local positioning, the higher the local search results will get in the organic ranking. As you can see, the Internet users are only interested in buying food as close to their place of residence as possible: perhaps he cares about time, or they want to support a local business. What follows:

• a large proportion of Internet users look for opinions about a company based on information obtained from the Google search engine;
• a potential customer is more likely to use the services of a well-positioned company if the competition does not convince him with anything else, e.g. much lower price;
• people looking for products/services “for now” willingly use the services of companies highly placed in the search results (e.g. in the case of a car breakdown, we type the phrase: “tow truck + city where we are located” because we need the service immediately).

What does local SEO involve?

Every process is a set of many elements, so also local positioning will have such characteristics. In the context of promoting a business locally, you can work in multiple ways.

The basic aspects of local positioning are:

• taking care of up-to-date information about the company in the business card on Google Maps (we place a location pin, complete the photos, add opening hours, describe the business);
• encouraging to complete the Google feedback section and adding “stars” (let’s convince clients to more willingly rate our company via online reviews);
• optimizing the site for SEO, taking into account the local aspect (taking care of valuable content on the author’s site, correct placement of menu sections, paying attention to the speed of loading the page, and many other activities associated with proper local SEO).

How to promote a local business? We can do it with the help of local positioning. It is also worth focusing on external activities, indirectly working on building up the position in search engines. The main goal of this process is to achieve the highest possible local recognition: so that potential customers prefer our company among local competitors.

You may also like: How to promote a small business

Blog positioning – table of contents:

1. How to promote a blog? Start with 4 effective methods
2. Load speed is crucial for blog positioning
3. What text length will ensure better blog visibility?
4. Valuable links – the background that supports blog positioning
5. Creating entries on current topics is one of the elements of blog promotion

If a blog is run with passion and commitment and provides unique content that engages the audience – then it has a good chance to achieve a high position in Google, and consequently to monetize the author’s passion.

How to promote a blog? Start with 4 effective methods

First, a bit of theory – what is SEO and positioning?

It’s a series of actions that lead to the improvement of a website’s visibility in the organic (free) search results. It is worth aiming high, because more than 90% of the world population uses Google, and the appearance of the blog at the top of the list will generate natural traffic and clicks. SEO techniques focus on consistently adjusting your site to dynamically change and enhance Google’s ranking factors.

Load speed is crucial for blog positioning

Time is a key-value these days, even in virtual reality. Users don’t want to wait even a few minutes for a website to load. If they don’t get the information they need quickly, they will move on to another site.

Page loading speed (both in desktop and mobile versions) is of great importance when promoting a blog and improving its visibility in Google.

The author has a great impact on reducing the weight of the site by optimizing the images on the page . The use of graphics not exceeding 100 KB helps the positioning of the blog, although this should not be treated as a rule – in the case of bloggers – photographers, attention to the captured details can be very important. Equally significant is to slim down the source code from unused scripts.

Taking care to optimize blog graphics is one of the key SEO strategies.

What text length will ensure better blog visibility?

Google places a premium on comprehensive content. Even the most specific but laconic entries have little chance of achieving high rankings.

One of the most influential elements of a blog’s SEO strategy is the creation of unique entries with a proper H2-H5 header structure.

This not only makes your text easier to take for the user but also for Google’s robots to read the content of the article by scanning the headings. This explains why it is essential to saturate headlines with focus keyphrases relevant to the text.

Valuable links – the background that supports blog positioning

The process of acquiring links resembles social proof – if people don’t know how to behave in a given situation, then they act according to the behavior of those around them. Google works similarly in this case – if it “sees” that the blog is referred to by links posted on forums or other valuable sites, then it adds points to such a blog. After all, naturally distributed content must have something valuable in it.

Creating entries on current topics is one of the elements of blog promotion

Generating articles covering current events or “trending” topics makes deep sense – such texts then have a chance to earn better blog promotion and reach users.

If you are wondering how to promote a blog – referring to current affairs that engage users is a good direction.

The described methods have a chance to prove effective and promote the positioning of the blog only through consistent action. Irregularity in the publication, long blocks of text without the division into headings, lack of strategy regarding the placement of keywords – all can lead to a situation when promoting such a blog is ineffective. Thus, the implementation of the described blog promotion strategies and systematic preparation of engaging content is the starting point of a long way to reach success with your blog.

If you want to learn more about SEO, read our other article: How to get links – complete SEO guide for WordPress websites

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How to get links for SEO -table of contents:

1. Linking – why is it worth it?
2. SEO dofollow and nofollow links – which ones are worth getting?
3. How to get links for WordPress pages
4. Create your RSS feed
5. Piggyback SEO, or promoting yourself on the backs of famous sites
6. Create a PDF with a link to your site
7. Private blog networks
8. Deep linking, or linking to important subpages
9. Buying an article on PR websites

Linking – why is it worth it?

Of course, it is possible to build visibility without link building – for example, by creating valuable articles, improving the speed and design of the site, or buying paid advertising campaigns, but then the process can take longer and require more effort. SEO practitioners usually combine all these activities.

Linking makes it easier to navigate the web by signaling to its users where the content they may be interested in is located. It is therefore an important element of Internet navigation and should be viewed in this way.

SEO dofollow and nofollow links – which ones are worth getting?

Links on the web have different attributes that describe their properties. One of the divisions is the one between dofollow and nofollow links. The former give up some of their power from the linked site, the latter theoretically does not.

For example, when planning a guest post or sponsored article on a website, it’s worth checking what attribute the link will have. This does not mean, however, that we have to target only dofollow links. Getting only one type of link, especially in a short time interval, looks suspicious to search engines. Therefore, try to diversify your link profile so that it resembles a natural process in which web users recommend on their sites what they find valuable and interesting.

How to get links for WordPress pages?

1. Create your RSS feed

RSS is a content distribution channel that is used to collect updates from various sites and blogs. They allow users, through an RSS reader or aggregator, to keep up to date with the latest publications from all the sites that interest them. This method of providing information peaked in popularity at the time when blogs were created en masse, but there are still quite a few people who use it.

If you have a site on WordPress, you can find your RSS feed by adding the word feed after a slash to the end of the URL. That is, for example, www.yourwebpage.com/feed. Usually, the option to create an RSS feed is enabled by default in WordPress and it’s a good idea to stay with this setting.

The most popular sites – content aggregators are usually considered valuable by Google, so SEO links to our new articles appearing there speed up their indexing and support SEO activities. There is also no point in worrying about content duplication – Google knows what the source of the content is.

An additional benefit of using an RSS feed is also the possibility to increase traffic to your site because there are many engaged users gathered around aggregators, where you can search for pages from a given subject category. It is worth giving them a chance to find your feed.

2. Piggyback SEO, or promoting yourself on the backs of famous sites

The method called piggybacking means gaining links and traffic to your website with a help of other, valuable and popular websites. It involves creating user accounts on the most popular websites on the web, such as YouTube, WordPress, or Blogspot, and including a link to your website in their description (or name, if allowed), preferably hidden under a keyword for which you want to become visible on the web.

Of course, in addition to creating a user profile, you also need to ensure that the new account brings some value to the service it is on, such as creating content, being active, subscribing to other channels and interacting with other users.

Sites, where it is worth acquiring SEO links in this way, include (in addition to those listed above):

• Vimeo,
• Pinterest,
• Scribd,
• Tumblr,
• About.me,
• Quora,
• Reddit.

They must have what is called authority. The world’s most popular sites that consistently rank at the top of Google search results can be checked at alexa.com/topsites.

3. Create a PDF with a link to your site

Another underrated source of links is material provided in pdf format – e-books, articles or manuals. There are many sites on the web where you can publish such material and it is worth doing so, checking beforehand that the site has the right authority.

Having a finished article or e-book in doc format, let’s turn it into a pdf, making sure that the link in it is active. Then publish it on the page of your choice. Such actions can be repeated. However, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, make sure that the accounts from which you are adding the pdfs are not newly created and have some previous activity on the site.

Sample pages for posting pdfs:

• Issuu,
• Slideshare.net,
• Zippyshare,
• Scribd,
• Free-Ebook.net.
4. Private blog networks

This is a method that somewhat resembles the piggyback method, but goes a step further. It involves creating and maintaining blogs on one or more free blogging services (e.g. WordPress.org, Blogger, Tumblr).

These blogs must be thematically related to the page we want to link to and focus on the keyword of our choice.

Suppose we have a site that offers confectionery decorations. So we can create a blog of a confectionery enthusiast who brags about her cakes and methods of decorating them. In the articles of this blog, it is advisable to include phrases like ‘how to decorate a cake’, ‘cupcake decorating’ etc. Once the new blog gains some visibility in Google for these keywords, we can link it to our main page, or – for the advanced version – set up a 301 redirect to it (if you don’t know how to do this, ask the person who created your site).

A more advanced version of this method is to search for thematically related expired domains that are up for sale. However, you need to be able to recognize if such a domain has good authority and was not subject to Google penalties. If not, creating a blog on it or redirecting it right away can add some of that domain’s former power to our site.

5. Deep linking, or linking to important subpages

One strategy to increase a site’s visibility is to acquire SEO links not only to the homepage – but also to its most important subpages.

So if, following the previous example, we have a page about cake decorations and subpages: wedding cake decorations, communion decorations, cake markers, we order articles, create pdfs or blogs focused on the subpage titles and link to them from there.

This action also allows you to diversify your link profile – many site owners forget about this, linking only to their title subpage. This way we can gain an advantage over them.

6. Buying an article on PR websites

The most expensive method presented here is to order an article from one of the press release sites or send it to an online PR agency. Such sites usually have high visibility in Google and placing an article with an SEO link on them helps you to quickly get to the top of search results for a selected keyword.

The downside of such a solution, however, is the price – in the most reputable services it reaches a thousand dollars per publication.

Whichever linking method you choose, remember to keep your links diverse and spread them out over time. Google rewards the systematic… and the patient.

If you want to learn more about SEO, read our other article: SEO Landing Page – how to build it?

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So how do you take care of organic traffic to negate the impact of coronavirus on your business?

How do you take care of organic traffic -table of contents:

1. The impact of COVID-19 on e-commerce
2. Each site should have a page about COVID-19
3. Find new and emerging topics for content creation
4. Check what converts

The impact of COVID-19 on e-commerce

First of all, the belief that e-commerce is bulletproof has to be reconsidered. Yes, sectors that have so far not been on the cutting edge of digital commerce, such as groceries, drugstores and pharmacies, have seen strong increases in sales through this channel, but the rest – especially fashion and luxury brands -haven’t.

In general, the e-commerce market will also be strongly affected by the crisis. In recent years, fashion brands have been at the forefront of the most digitalized ones, which is best proven by the rapid career of the German Zalando. Thanks to the consumer-friendly policy of free delivery and extended time for returning ordered goods, we gained confidence in this form of buying clothes, but… circumstances have changed. Sure, not everyone lost their job, but the vast majority lost the mood to spend money on non-essentials. And just as we still need to buy food and medicines, which we have recently been doing most online, we have simply stopped buying new clothes, jewelry or shoes.

Does it mean that e-commerce is not worth investing in? Not at all! The fact that no crisis lasts forever is of course a truism that, but we need to realize that each crisis – to a greater or lesser extent – affects the change of society’s behavior. And use it to your advantage, as the customers you reach now may stay with you for longer.

SEO, which is largely based on providing valuable content, is an ideal tool for this purpose. The content we serve to users must provide them with real benefits and useful information. And it’s you who knows your clients and their needs best. This, in turn, means that you can do a lot on your own, without the help of external specialists, on whom you probably won’t want to spend your resources right now.

You should know, however, that your users’ behavior at home is different from what you might have observed before, and it’s a change that will continue. In addition to being less driven by the need of the moment, users are also much more meticulous in their searches. They are more likely to use long-tail, or expanded key phrases, and – in general – spend more time on online research. This is where your opportunity lies.

Every site should have a page about COVID-19

As cynical as it may sound, you should refer to the COVID-19 topic for at least two reasons. Firstly, it’s simply a high-demand and frequently searched topic. If you can capture even a fraction of that interest, that’s the first step to success. But don’t try to be an expert. Recently there have been so many home-grown virologists and statisticians that you don’t need to be another one, especially since Google has already implemented a number of tools that limit their reach.

Rather, focus on what your company is doing and, if possible, show that you are someone who cares. Many companies have gotten involved in pandemic relief efforts and you don’t have to be a large corporation to follow suit. Think about what you can do and just do it. Your finances don’t have to be a roadblock if you offer, for example, access to knowledge or simply your time.

Secondly, your actions should inspire confidence in your customers because from there it’s only a step to earning their loyalty. If you run a restaurant, tell what precautions you take to ensure the safety of both customers and your team. If you sell products, let them know how the production line has changed to minimize contact between employees; and if you run a stationery store, tell them when it’s closed and, if possible, arrange alternative ways to sell or deliver products.

Find new and emerging topics for content creation

Finding timely and desirable topics will be crucial in capturing traffic. But how do you go about it when the situation is unprecedented?

When it comes to content creation, Google Trends should be the first place you go for guidance. Given that there have been truly seismic changes recently, other keyword research tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, may not have the latest data. Google Trends, which collects real-time data, will keep you thinking several steps ahead.

But to attract traffic to your site with business potential, you need to identify those trends that have value to your business. Also, think about modifying your keywords to reflect the situation your customers are in, such as adding the “at home” element to some phrases.

Another site worth looking into is Exploding Topics. This platform aggregates data across search engines and conversations to type out topics that are promising. It then creates a list that you can then personalize and deepen by adding information related only to a selected time period or one industry.

Check what converts

Testing in your online operations is key to identifying what works best, but – under normal circumstances – there’s often not enough time to properly dig into it. Now, with the traffic you’re generating, you can more proactively work on making your site more effective at converting traffic into customers.

First of all, determine what keywords users are typing to find your site and what sites you are sending that traffic to. Review Google Analytics and Google Search Console to determine which pages have seen the biggest drops and which have the highest rejection rates. Are the messages on these pages meeting user expectations? If not, you may need to update your content and optimize it with more precise keywords.

For instance, if you’ve taken care of heatmap configurations (e.g. HotJara), it’s also the right time to take advantage of the data available there and – perhaps – improve your site’s information architecture.

Secondly, identify all the elements that hinder conversion and work on improving them. For example, test the number of fields that need to be filled out in the order form and remove the ones that aren’t necessary, Also make sure to provide users with the right choice of payment options and – in general – work on improving their experience.

And finally: hurry up, the world has changed. Creating content based on the trends people are searching for now will help you mitigate the potential negative effects of the new situation on your organic traffic To do that you have to analyse it properly, so here you can read how to do it with Google Analytics.

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SEO in times of pandemic – table of contents:

1. SEO in times of pandemic
2. The world after COVID-19
3. Things to remember

SEO in times of pandemic

Marketing budgets are being cut

Faced with an unprecedented lockdown, companies are struggling with major decisions on how to respond to the situation. Those that have to, are already cutting budgets, but most are wondering how to allocate resources (including non-financial ones) to minimize losses in the long run. Currently, 65% of marketers expect to cut budgets.

source:

Marketing channels that require direct investment, such as PPC, have already seen a reduction in budget.

Increased interest in SEO

Google search ads lost 7% between January 13 and March 9, 2020, but SEO – as a long-term, grassroots effort that involves optimizing content and nurturing UX – is a whole different ballgame. According to Google Trends, the search term “SEO” and related terms have seen steady increases in interest in the United States since February 2020. This directly influences the state of SEO in times of pandemic.

source:

Why the sudden popularity? Confined to their homers invariably rely on online content to find their way in a new situation. So you’re potentially losing out every time you don’t appear on the first page of results that Google throws up in response to “your” phrase.

It all depends on the industry

Current circumstances leave no illusions that COVID-19’s impact on organic traffic will vary from industry to industry.

Tourism is experiencing huge declines and optimizing SEO strategy is no remedy for that. Yes, you can benefit from it in the long run, but for now, it would be naive to think that it will change the situation dramatically.

However, if you operate in other industries, less sensitive to the politics of social distancing, things are already optimized. The media and financial industries are seeing increased interest, while e-commerce is at least mixed.

What’s the takeaway from this?

It’s still worth investing in content. It’s the most cost-effective and accessible way to survive today. It requires a small investment and pays off long after. However, given the current situation, the content may not be the same as it was just a few months ago.

The world after COVID-19

Consumers expect more

According to Forrester’s research, consumers feel divided, distrustful, and don’t believe that organizations will behave as they should. Still, they are looking for a way to fill the void with both entertainment and learning, because unfortunately they also feel they are slowly losing control.

According to the Conductor study, brands providing educational content are therefore more trustworthy than ever. Examples can be multiplied. “The Washington Post” – although closed behind a paywall daily – provides coronavirus-related content for free.

Mailchimp, which provides an email marketing platform, offers free accounts for organizations that provide public health information.

And Moz made all of its courses available for free.

Specialized, educational and credible content is key

Specialized and educational content is one of the primary ways to gain the trust of customers who are looking for a foothold during this difficult time. However, actions cannot be branded. Neither users nor Google, which updated its E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Credibility) guidelines in 2018, will fall for it.

The more credible your website is, the more likely it will appear high in search results. However, outdated or inadequate information can do more harm than good.

Things to remember

If you want to stand out with SEO in times of pandemic, there are some things you should remember.

Update structural data

Structured data helps Google understand what it “sees” on a website and tells it when to enable additional features and enhancements, such as Knowledge Graph or Rich Snippets. This helps Google display exactly what users expect.

If you’re an e-commerce company, update your product availability chart first and foremost so they don’t waste time searching for products you don’t have in stock.

Update your information in Google My Business

Let customers know how the current situation has affected your current business. If you’re running a traditional store, take into account changes in operating hours and – if you have the option – try to redirect them to another sales channel.

Watch for changes in Google Search Console

The information that Google Search Console aggregates show what is becoming most important to customers. And if you’re thinking about SEO in times of pandemic it should determine your responses soon.

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Cooperation with a seo agency – table of contents:

• Customer requirements – what are the things to expect from your SEO agency?
• How should a SEO strategy look like?
• SEO activities – cyclical and long-term
• Realistic requirements and realistic promises

Customer requirements – what are the things to expect from your SEO agency?

SEO report

The client has the right to demand transparent actions from the agency, so it should receive regular reports. The first one, after the initial audit; and subsequent ones – periodically.

SEO audit

During the audit of the website, its current position in Google is analyzed. The report should therefore include an assessment of the technical condition of the site, including an analysis of the server performance and quality of the site code and content analysis, as well as suggestions for any improvements.

SEO recommendations

Recommendations should be calculated to give the website a chance to appear in higher positions in Google.

How should a SEO strategy look like?

Positioning activities

If we decide to cooperate, among other, things to expect from your SEO agency is a strategy of positioning activities, including for example defining the phrases for which the website will be positioned.

It is important to appear in the top search results for the queries that are of interest to us, and therefore potentially converting.

Link building strategy

The strategy should also include preparing a plan for the growth of links leading to the website from other websites. Here it is important to check where the links come from and what happens to them in case of termination.

There are still companies that make their clients dependent on them by linking their sites to their back-end pages (these are pages used only to link to clients’ sites, with no real value for the user). Removal of links may adversely affect the positions of the site in search results.

SEO activities – cyclical and long-term

How should cyclical reports look like?

Among things to expect from your SEO agency are cyclical reports. In cyclical reports, the agency should present the number of phrases for which the website is in the top search results. It is important to present data in a broader time perspective because the positions change from minute to minute.

As the main task of an SEO agency is to increase organic traffic to the website, the report should include information about its growth. It is also good if there is information about which sections of the website achieve the best results, and which should be worked on, e.g. by expanding product descriptions.

SEO is a long term process

Optimizing a website for Google is a long-term process and it is very difficult to verify the quality of services provided by an agency in short notice. Remember about this when thinking about things to expect from your SEO agency.

The effects will be visible after a few months at the earliest, but the exact time depends on the industry in which the company operates, the initial state of the website, and the scope of work that needs to be done. For this reason, agencies often sign contracts with clients for a longer period, for example for a year.

Realistic requirements and realistic promises

You can’t fully predict SEO outcomes

Unfortunately, in this period, the client will have limited room for maneuver and will gain confidence in the competence of the agency only after spending a lot of money. It’s a difficult deal, especially since a guarantee of, for example, occupying a specific position in Google can never be obtained.

The search engine algorithm is too changeable and unpredictable for any serious entity to make such declarations.

Don’t look for agencies which offer immediate results

It is worth being aware of this and not trusting the entities that guarantee immediate results. There is a big risk that we will find a partner who uses practices incompatible with Google regulations. In such a case the consequence may be a penalty imposed by the website i.e. exclusion from search results or significant lowering of the website position.

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How to link well within a website? Below we present a handful of proven tips:

• What is internal linking and what is its purpose?
• Take care of the service expansion
• Anchor texts in the service of linking
• Two mistakes when linking internally – avoid them!
• Use the right links
• Benefits of internal linking

What is internal linking and what is its purpose?

Internal linking is the linking of pages within the same site using links.

As a rule of thumb, three goals guide this:

• Indicating site hierarchy,
• Making navigation easier for users and search engine robots,
• Strengthening the overall value of the site.

Properly done linking will keep the user on the page for a longer and will guarantee a clear path for bots.

How to carry it out effectively?

Take care of the service expansion

The starting point for internal linking is to have a large number of subpages to link to. Without such a base, performing further operations will be impossible. If you generate a lot of content focused on the topic of the portal – then you naturally gain the opportunity to add links to other places on the site. This will strengthen its value and keep the users’ attention for longer, as they will stay within the site and browse through other interesting content.

Anchor texts in the service of linking

If the domain of SEO or copywriting is close to your heart – you will surely have come across this term. An anchor, or anchor text, is a piece of content that hides a link that redirects to another page. It allows users to know what a particular subpage is about even before they go to it. When building a linking strategy, ensure that anchor texts are diverse and not just about a selected keyword.

Two mistakes when linking internally – avoid them!

Linking to the homepage is a popular trend, but it is worth keeping it in moderation. In practice, most sites have too many links just to the homepage. It is much more beneficial to strengthen other pages, hidden in the depths of the site. This will increase the effectiveness of positioning.

This tip also applies to another frequently linked page – the contact page. This is quite a common practice among beginners in content generation and internal link placement. As a rule – avoid adding links to pages from the main menu.

Use the right links

Internal linking should not happen carelessly, as a result of chance. Only the development of a strategy and its consistent implementation will allow you to achieve higher positions in Google and retain users inside the site.

For example, if you run a diet catering business – on a subpage describing vegetarian dishes you should avoid linking to meat dishes. It will not bring you any benefits and these two subpages should not be linked together. A better practice would be to redirect the user to the most popular vegetarian dinner offer.

Benefits of internal linking

Skillful linking is your ally on the way to building better website visibility.

It is one of the basic SEO strategies that will help in keyword positioning. Clever placement of links in the form of important phrases is a way to tell Google’s robots what your website is about. By properly covering these links with content, you will keep users on the site for longer – and this will help in creating the image of an expert in a particular subject.

Internal linking is one of several ways to effectively market and promote your business. If you’re interested in this particular topic, you can get to know some more of our ideas and where you can upload your new product.

Thanks to the diversification of positioning methods, it is possible to achieve better effects of such actions. One method that is often used is long tail positioning, i.e., positioning based on detailed, usually multi-word keyword phrases. Thanks to this method, you can promote your website even on hundreds of different phrases at a low cost. What exactly is long tail positioning and what benefits does it bring to website owners?

Long tail positioning – table of contents:

• Long tail positioning – basics
• What does long tail SEO consist of?
• Input = action
• How to choose the right long tail phrases?
• The benefits of long tail
• How to tailor SEO for long tail?

Long tail positioning – basics

The method is not new in the SEO world, and its strategic importance for obtaining specific results (attracting customers interested in the offer, service, purchase) has been known for a long time. By choosing for positioning not five, not ten and not even twenty keywords, often very popular and competitive, but several hundred or even several thousand phrases, you can significantly improve the visibility of your site.

At the same time, you do not have to worry about the cost of such an undertaking. Positioning services for long tail phrases are very attractively priced.

What does long tail SEO consist of?

Simply speaking, it can be described as positioning based on the promotion of a website for many different key phrases with a specific, precise and detailed structure. Most often these are primarily:

• exact product names,
• specific service names with detailed location,
• personal information linked to a business, such as an artist,
• models with partial technical description, e.g., phones, computers.

Long tail is based on supplementing traditional positioning for main keywords with positioning for numerous phrases that increase the chance of conversion of actions.

Input = action

Conversion in the world of e-marketing and SEO it’s a situation in which an Internet user, after entering a website, makes an action on it. From the point of view of a seller in an online store, it will be primarily the purchase of a product. The entries obtained from a detailed long tail phrase make the conversion rate higher.

This is due to the fact that long tails allow Internet users to find websites and stores with content they are actually interested in. After entering them and finding the product they are looking for, they usually decide to buy it right away. That is because they do not have to click through dozens of subpages, but find everything with one click in the search engine.

How to choose the right long tail phrases?

First of all, do not limit yourself. Long tail SEO is about describing your website with as many different words and key phrases as possible. We can divide positioning not only into the homepage and a few tabs, but also subpages of categories or products in the case of online stores. Phrases should be chosen according to, for example, the assortment available in the store, thematic content discussed on the site, location of services provided.

Although long tail gives virtually unlimited possibilities, the phrases must remain related to the content of the page. Choosing words related to a completely different industry completely misses the point.

The benefits of long tail

The owner of a website, which is positioned in this way, can expect specific effects of these actions. This is primarily the increased conversion rate mentioned above, but not only. SEO long tail means also a higher number of visits to the website. Also more Internet users getting to know its content and remembering its name.

Since there is less competition for long tail phrases, it is much easier to “knock” them into the TOP and keep them on high positions. Additionally, such long tail positioning is financially beneficial: it allows for promotion of many keywords with even a small budget outlay.

How to tailor SEO for long tail?

The role of an SEO is to look at the content of the site and its subject matter. It should assess whether the website is suitable for long tail SEO, whether it has a sufficient number of bookmarks and subpages that could generate traffic.

If not – it is worth suggesting to the owner to expand it and take optimization actions. The positioner should also use advanced tools to facilitate the selection of appropriate phrases. Actions taken must be consistent and at the same time complement, not completely replace traditional positioning.

Another thing, that is connected to long tail positioning is voice search. It seems to be crucial from a SEO point of view and you can learn more about it here.