SEO in 2019:
The importance of keywords, meta-data, and long-form content

Your website is one of your most important marketing pieces. It’s often the first place customers look to understand what you do, why you do it, and how you stand out from the competition. It’s important to create website content with your customers’ needs and questions at the forefront.  You also want to write SEO content that will make it easy for your ideal customers to find your business. The rules of SEO are continually changing according to how we use and access information online.  If you’re wondering what to do for SEO in 2019, well, keywords are still the best starting point. We break down what they are, and how to design your site to use them well. Remember, the ultimate goal of Search Engines is to provide searchers with the most relevant results. These tips are designed to help search engines do just that!

What do you want to be found for?

Whether you’re just creating your first business site or updating an existing one, a very important step is to sit down and think about SEO keywords before you begin.  Taking time to understand exactly what you want to be found for can help you understand how to design and organize your website. If you’re not sure what your keywords are, a good place to start is taking a look at your competition – especially the competition that comes up in the top spots when you search.  If your business is focused in a certain location, it’s often helpful to include the location in the keywords. Other keywords can center around specific services you offer that people might be searching for. Often, the more specific you can be, the less competition you’ll have on searches.

If you need help researching keywords, a good resource is typing something into google and scrolling down to the bottom of the page to see similar searches.

What is Meta-data and why is it important?

Every page on your site should have something called “metadata” included.  Clear, well-written metadata that includes your keywords is extremely important for SEO. The metadata basically summarizes what your page is about for search engines, telling them which topics are the most important on the page.  Metadata doesn’t appear on the page itself, but search engines read your meta-data in order to help provide the best results to searchers. The metadata on your site is split up into three key elements:

Meta-title

The meta title is the bolded first line that shows on google when someone finds your site.  It also shows up on the top of your browser when you’re on the page and provides the default name for your page link when someone bookmarks it.  Why is this important?

Because if you have a clear, well-written Meta-title that puts the most important keyword as early as possible in the sentence, it will help guide people to click on your site. Make sure your Meta-title is clear for the reader to get the most clicks.

Meta description

If you don’t add a meta-description to your site, search engines will typically show a short snippet from your page content – whatever is the most relevant to a user’s search.  But that snippet, grabbed mid-paragraph, or cut-off, might not be very helpful to people. When you write a clear, easy to understand meta-description, you’re helping potential customers decide whether your content is relevant to their needs, so you want to make this one count! You also want to consider, what kind of content will help your customer, but also lead them to click for more information, so give a hint on the kind of helpful information they’ll find when they click through to your site.

Meta keywords

Adding meta keywords and/or key phrases tells google the key ideas that searchers will find on your web page. You want to identify keywords for every page of your site and list them in your meta keywords, separated with commas.  Whatever keywords you specify, you’ll want to try to use them a minimum of 3 times on the page to make them count.

Using keywords on your web page.  

Once you’ve identified your main keyword, and incorporated it into your meta-title and meta-data, you’ll want to make sure that you use it again, at least 3 times in your page content.  It’s also a good idea to use it in Header tags, in bold, or in bulleted or numbered lists. All of these styles on your page have more importance than big blocks of text, so putting keywords in these sections will reinforce their importance to search engines.

You should also identify some secondary keywords or key-phrases.  While you may not use all of your secondary keywords in your meta-data title and description, simply add them 3 times throughout a page.

The Value of Long-form content

While your general website might not always use long-form content, adding content that is around 2000 words long provides a lot of value for SEO in 2019.  The reason for this is that search engines see long-form content as in-depth information that can answer searchers’ questions in one easy place. You can create long-form content on your blog, in help guides, and pdf downloadable resources. Creating long-form content is a great idea for your business, because it helps your clients, proves your expertise in your industry, and on top of that, gives your SEO a boost!

While there’s a lot more to the SEO in 2019, carefully considering and using keywords on your website,  crafting good meta-data, and creating long-form content on your website will all help your SEO, and get more customers to your door.  

If you need help with your SEO, we’re the experts! Learn more about Prospect Solutions’ SEO services.