As SEO continues to evolve, more and more websites are waking up to the plain fact that to attract interest and generate business, they must provide the right answers.
This might sound obvious, but with so many businesses competing online, and so many users asking questions, it requires a well thought-out strategy, as Jonathan Guy of Aqueous Digital points out.
“Google is especially good at providing the answers people are searching for, and it is vital that you position yourself to be a key source of the answers relevant in your sector. Your SEO and content strategies must work together to achieve this.”
Who Has All the Answers?
“We are used to the concept of searching for something on Google, to the extent that “Google” is now a verb as well as a noun. But when we “Google” something, we tend to assume that Google is providing the answers, when, strictly speaking this is not true.”
Although Google lists the answers, its index consists of content that numerous individual websites provide.
“Many of these answers will be freshly trending, because they are things people want answers to at a specific time. Some will be market-related, others the result of social media memes or items in the news and other media.”
For businesses looking to rank highly on Google, the answers they provide must be sector-specific if they are to connect with the questions their target audiences are asking.
Shaping Searchable Content
“SEO keeps changing, but at its heart is a very simple principle, that content must fulfil users’ requirements to be seen as having value.”
“Content for its own sake, stuffed with keywords, designed solely to attract clicks, is not going to work in attracting more people to a website”
“It is about optimising your content for the user experience, answering queries with genuine, quality material that draws on reliable data. This requires diligent research, and well-constructed content.”
However, content can go further than this.
The Undiscovered Country
An advanced strategy for using content that provides the right kind of answers is to try and devise the answer before the question.
“Over the past few years, Google has confirmed that between 15 and 20 per cent of its searches are new, representing an undiscovered resource that websites could be tapping into”
Not all these questions will be relevant to a particular business, but, if they are up to speed with developments in their industry, and issues that impact on their customer base, they can anticipate the types of questions their audience might ask.
“It comes down to understanding your audience, and having an intuitive understanding of what is trending with them, and what their concerns and pain points are.”
Competing effectively and profitably, online, for audiences is demanding, but businesses should put themselves in their audience’s shoes to gain the necessary insight to come up with the answers people are searching for.
Discover how you can attract interest and generate business through your website by calling Aqueous Digital on 0800 285 1424 or visiting aqueous-digital.co.uk.