What is a meta description?

The meta description is the information about your page that appears below the title of your piece and the URL on the SERP. You are generally awarded about 156 characters for this space, although recently Google has been experimenting with including more character spaces for certain results. This may be expanded in the future to provide more sites with the extra room.

Does meta description affect SEO?

Google has said that they do not use the information in the SEO meta description when determining the rank of a website. However, even if there is no direct impact on your placement in SERPs, there is still value to creating clear meta descriptions. Your description serves as a preview to the content on your site, attracting people to your result and convincing them to click to learn more. A compelling description can help you boost your engagement metrics while also encouraging more people to share your piece on social media and even include backlinks to your work. These are the factors that will impact your ranking.

How to write a meta description?

Since you are typically only afforded about two sentences for your SEO meta description, it is important to use the space wisely. Google has increased and then decreased characters for meta descriptions so, you could be seeing some longer snippets around. To create an effective, optimized meta description, you'll first want to discover what keyword you'll be using and optimizing for. Generally, you want to use your target topic keyword somewhere towards the beginning so that you can establish your relevance for readers immediately. You want to write engaging copy that demonstrates why your material is uniquely positioned to answer their questions and provide them with the value and information they seek. Consider these steps:

• Think about the topic that you are writing about and what interests people in this subject.
• Create an SEO meta description that serves as an introduction to this piece, answering why your particular material is so much more valuable that the other results in the SERP.
• Use the keyword naturally in your description to make your piece look more relevant and appealing.

While your SEO meta description might not be directly monitored by Google, it is still valuable real estate when it comes to boosting your brand reputation and reach. By creating an effective and optimized meta description, you will be able to appeal to readers and demonstrate to the search engines that you do have something of value to offer.

What are meta description keyword examples?

You can experiment with asking questions and testing readers knowledge in your description to get them interested in your article. An example of a meta description is, "Are you aware as to why meta descriptions are important? Discover more on the topic and how to optimize for meta descriptions." Here, 'meta descriptions' is the keyword you're optimizing for.

How do you increase your YouTube ranking?

YouTube is the second-largest search engine, behind only Google. It has more than a billion users and has seen 50% growth in viewing time year-over-year for the past 3 years. YouTube offers you tremendous opportunities for brand growth. When you create a well-received video, you have the potential to reach millions of active users.

YouTube is a well-regarded site by Google. Videos that appear well on YouTube rankings also have the potential to rank on the regular Google SERPs. Since videos are indexed individually, you have the potential to receive even more traffic through video-relevant queries on the search engines, which will then give your brand even more attention.

What is YouTube SEO?

YouTube SEO is the optimization of YouTube pages and videos. Like Google, the search engine has an intricate algorithm that determines how your videos will appear in their YouTube ranking. There are a few different criteria that SEOs have isolated that you should consider:

• The video description, title, and tags, which help tell YouTube what your video is about
• The number of watches that your video receives
• How well-regarded your video channel is, particularly how many followers you have and how popular your other videos are
• The number of thumbs up and comments your video receives
• How often your video is shared

How can I get more YouTube subscribers?

As with other types of content, doing research and following content best practices will help you create high-quality video content that is well received by viewers, YouTube rankings, and other search engines.

First, pay attention to the queries that are popular for videos. You can use the BrightEdge Data Cube to see which keywords have video results and use this insight to select topics for your video content.

Create high-quality videos using professional equipment for shooting and editing when possible. Remember that the video is an extension of your brand so you want it to reflect the same level of professionalism and quality. Create a video that is at least 3-5 minutes long with an engaging introduction to encourage people to stay on the page. Keep in mind that YouTube users are not on the platform for advertising; they want to be entertained and educated. Creating viddeo content that is poorly executed or that pushes your brand or product with little additional value will be a turn off. Viewers may drop off midway through and are unlikely to share it with others.

Optimize the video with a thorough description, tags, and a title that uses your targeted keyword and provides an accurate idea of what your video contains. Remember to promote your video throughout your website, social media platforms, email campaigns, and other marketing efforts. And don’t stop at just one! Follow up your high-quality video with more videos to create a respectable channel that can be relied upon as an excellent resource.

Increase your overall content and YouTube ranking with the industry leading SEO platform, BrightEdge!

What is content syndication?

Content syndication is the process of republishing part of an article or blog post on another, more popular site. You might elect to republish the entire piece, only the title, or just a small opening portion. The goal with syndication is to attract readers by encouraging them to click from the blog post to your site to consume the content. Syndication provides you with the opportunity to expand your reach and demonstrate your authority and expertise to more people.

Will content syndication hurt my rankings?

Your site and brand reputation is a common concern for many when it comes to content syndication, but when done properly, the process will only help your rankings.

To successfully syndicate content, you want to let Google know that this content has been duplicated on purpose and that it is not an attempt to trick the search engines. You can do this by using a rel=”canonical” tag, which is Google’s preferred means of signifying syndicated content. Other potential options would also be NoIndex tags or including an attribution link. All three of these options let Google know that you are not trying to get two pages indexed and ranked, and that there is one page in particular that should be ‘counted’ for the search engine. Google’s main concern is to avoid having multiple copies of the same content appear in search results, as this can hurt the user experience. With the right tags, you can avoid being penalized.

Why should I syndicate content?

Syndicated content can help you grow your audience and attract the attention of new readers. Since your material will be posted on websites that have a larger and potential different audience than your own, you have an excellent opportunity to grow your reach and reputation. Ideally, the content you syndicate should be high-quality so that you attract positive attention and create a strong reputation for yourself. At the same time, do not syndicate all of your best content, because you want to have at least some material on your website for new users who arrive.

Why is SEO important?

SEO is important for business because it provides organizations with the visibility they need to attract customers during this digital era. Eighty-one percent of customers and 94% of B2B buyers will perform searches online before they make a purchase, so brands that do not have a strong online presence will find themselves falling behind the competition.

A strong SEO strategy will allow brands to position their website and their content highly on the SERPs for relevant keywords so that they can attract the attention of prospective customers and bring them into their sales funnel. Begin strategizing for important keywords using Data Cube.

What is SEO?

SEO describes the strategy that brands use to make their content more appealing to the search engines. The visitors who navigate to sites via this channel are referred to as organic traffic or SEO traffic. Although no one knows Google's exact algorithm, through careful study, SEO profession.

als have been able to uncover a number of different factors that seem to impact the ranking of sites. We refer to these factors as either on-page SEO, meaning strategies you implement on your own website; and off-page SEO, meaning techniques you implement off your main web property.

A well-developed SEO strategy will incorporate both on-page and off-page SEO.

For on-page SEO, it will include producing content related to high-value keywords and then optimizing the content to ensure that the search engine spiders know what the content pertains to. This means paying attention to the title tags, alt tags, meta descriptions, URL, and keyword placement. 

For off-page SEO, the content will also link to appropriate content both on and off the website. Brands need to develop strategies to attract backlinks to drive traffic and rankings. You can accomplish this by promoting the content across various platforms, such as through guest postings, social media, or content syndication.

Why is SEO important for business?

Google looks at a variety of different factors when determining the ranking of websites that show up on their SERPs. They want to find content that is relevant to the user’s query, but that can also be trusted to provide value for the reader. When content ranks highly on the SERP, it has a much greater chance of attracting clicks and attention than the content ranked lower. An estimated 30% of clicks will go to the search results in Position One on the SERP, falling to 12% by Position Three. At the bottom of the page, sites in position in nine and ten only receive about 2% of the clicks. (Smart Insights 9/2016)

The disparity between the top and lower ranking sites indicate clearly that brands desiring attention from online customers need to boost their rankings. The digital ecosystem is quickly becoming an essential part of the sales funnel for nearly all businesses. In 2016, for the first time, more purchases were made online than in stores (United Parcel Service Inc). Almost half of retailers also say that customers like to research online, even if they do end up buying in a store. Brands need to pay attention to SEO to ensure that their share of voice and visibility to customers is not compromised.

SEO has become a critical component to the online success of businesses. Those who want to make sure that their organizations have a strong presence and are ready to engage the modern customer need to invest in learning SEO and becoming domain experts..

Does keyword placement matter?

Keywords should be strategically placed throughout content to make it clear both to the search engines and the users what topics the content will cover. This means that keywords should be used naturally throughout the content, but they should also be included in the headings and tags, including the H1 and H2 tags, the title, the meta tags, and the meta description.

Note that some of the features, such as meta description, are not directly used by Google in determining the relevance and value of a site, but they are displayed to users on the SERP. When people scan their search results for the website that is most likely to answer their question, they look at the title, URL, and meta description to see if the site will be helpful. Including the keywords in these important areas will help to increase your click-through rate from the SERP.

Start Your Keyword Discovery

Do keywords still matter for SEO?

Keywords matter because they tell Google, and other search engines, the topics that your content covers. The search engine spiders crawl your content to find particular terms that articulate the ideas that your content covers so that it can better match users with the right websites.

It is important to note that although the search engines do look at keywords as a means of determining topics and relevance, keyword stuffing will hurt your rankings. Overusing them such that they end up sounding unnatural will turn off both readers and search engines.

Instead, brands should focus on developing natural-sounding content that employs the keyword where needed, but also makes use of related terms. This is called semantic search: Google’s efforts to better understand content by not only looking at the main keywords, but also the related terms used to better understand content relevance.

Without keywords, you could struggle considerably to align your content with user preferences. Keywords tell you what your prospects want to learn about and then they tell Google the focus of your content.

How do you choose keywords?

Uncovering the right keywords for your content is called keyword research. You perform keyword research by looking at the search trends for different words, allowing you to understand which terms and ideas have been drawing a high number of searches and which haven't. This will tell you where consumer focus lies so that you can create the content to address their needs.

Keyword research will also tell you about your competition. Certain keywords will have impacted SERPs, populated with many highly authoritative sites with relevant content, making it very difficult for new sites to create high-ranking content. On the other hand, keywords that do not have such a highly competitive first page will be much easier for brands to break into.

Brands should focus most of their priorities on creating content for keywords that are highly relevant to their industry and customer funnel while also having strong search rates and low-to-medium competition. This will help them grow their rankings and maximize the number of pages they have on the first page.

Smart keyword usage is an essential part of a successful SEO strategy. Understanding the role of these terms in the modern optimization strategy will help brands create content that ranks well and guides high-intent traffic to the site.

What is an infographic?

An infographic is a form of content with information that is easily read and understood by consumers. Infographics convey data and statistics in an easy-to-read manner and provide quick learning opportunities for viewers. They can include graphics, charts, various colors, and more in order to clearly convey the information shown. They prove to be useful and valuable pieces of content.

Track The Success Of Your Infographics

How to make an infographic?

Before you create infographics, you need to have the topic to guide your creation. The right topic will bring focus to your visual content and together they will draw in and engage your readers. Whether you're creating education infographics, business infographics, health infographics, or other industries, it's valuable to recognize the content works for all types of businesses and audiences.

The BrightEdge Data Cube is a great place to get started with this search. Start investigating popular keywords that drive a lot of traffic but would also translate well to visual representation. With SEO infographics, you generally want to incorporate strong statistics to back up your opinions or assertions. Therefore, you do not want to select topics that are largely opinion based or do not have strong research to give you the statistics you need. Instead, look for topics that are popular and allow you to construct a factual argument to back up your ideas.

In addition to Data Cube research, you can also look at the traffic on your website, including your most popular articles and blog posts. This will give you insight into what your website visitors are most interested in, so that you can create the infographics to engage them further.

What are the benefits of infographics?

SEO infographics provide you with a fantastic platform to share your message by tapping into the visual part of the brain. The human brain processes visuals roughly 60,000 times faster than text. Infographics are easier for people to remember. You can generate more traffic and help readers better comprehend infomation with SEO infographics. By having enough data to create a pleasing-to-the-eye infographic, you can be seen as an expert in your industry. 

The infographic is not just a fancy way to write numbers. Instead, your goal is to help the brain process the information you are presenting, so that your prospects understand your point more quickly. Since you are bringing together a variety of different statistics about the subject in a pleasantly designed format, you also provide your viewers with a helpful resource that encourages clicks and backlinks. Easily digested information keeps readers coming back.

How can infographics be used to rank?

Creating a strong SEO infographic requires the intersection of data and design. Here are a few tips for creating a winning infographic:

• Start with strong data that tells a story. Although SEO infographics can be made with opinions, numbers will present the strongest argument and will hold the most weight with readers.
• Brainstorm designs that will work well with the story you are trying to tell. You want to come up with a theme or design that will help the data flow and easily bring the viewer from the first point to the last one.
• Before you start designing, think about what you want the viewer to get out of the SEO infographic and use that insight to guide your creation, including your data placement and color choices.

Why are visuals important in marketing?

The human brain can process visuals up to 60,000 times faster than text. Considering that the written word has only been around for a very small part of human evolution, this makes sense. When it comes to marketing, this means that content created with visuals is naturally is more engaging and interesting for users. Tweets with images, for example, receive up to 5x times the engagement of those without. Articles with visuals receive 94 percent more views. It is clear that customers like visuals and prefer the content that contains them. See how this BrightEdge customer increased ranking image results by optimizing visuals using image SEO efforts.

What are advantages of visual communication?

The right visual will complement your materials and support the points you want to make. You do not want to pick images that are just there to fill space. These images will seem out of place and will not add value to your material. Instead, think about the ideas that you want to communicate to users and find images that will help to cement these messages.

Your visuals should also tie in nicely with your brand so that people can easily make the connection between the two. For example, color schemes and language of the visuals can be valuable ways to personalize images and enhance their value.

Remember also that images can help form associations for users with your brand. When customers see images of real people using your products, it becomes easier for them to imagine themselves doing the same thing. Similarly, when they see images of your employees, they begin to feel as though they are building relationships with people instead of just an entity.

Selecting the right image for your content does not have to be a challenge. Here are a few guidelines to help you make the right choice:

• What stories are you trying to communicate to the audience?
• What type of image could help draw people further into the content?
• What images fit well with your brand?

Images are powerful motivators, encouraging readers to engage with your content. Understanding how and which visuals help you accomplish your marketing goals will help you make the right choices for your site, resulting in positive growth for your organization.

What types of images should I use for my content?

There are different types of visual representations that can be used to enhance your content. These are the main categories:

• Infographics
• Pictures
• Videos

1. Infographics. These images present a visual story that help you articulate the statistics and data that you have to support a particular opinion.
2. Pictures. Particularly those of real customers, personnel, or products. Customers like to see images of people to feel connected to the content and your organization. Images of real people are preferable to stock images.
3. Videos. Videos are quickly becoming a preferred type of content. More than half of senior executives prefer videos over text content.

Each of these types of visuals can help you further the performance of your content.

How many visuals should I include for my content?

There is no set formula to deciding how many images you should include for your content. However, here are guidelines that can help you make the decision that is right for your material:

• Do my pictures complement my content?
• Do my pictures add to the message I am trying to convey?
• Do I have a picture near the beginning to draw in readers?
• Do my images align with my brand identity?

Images are an important part of building an effective brand and creating engaging content. Selecting the right images can help you take your marketing efforts to the next level to more effectively connect with prospects and customers.

Should I use Google Ads or SEO?

Comparing SEO or Google Ads, previously known as Adwords, is like comparing apples to oranges - both help to get your brand on the SERP in front of prospective customers. SEO works to get your site higher in the organic rankings so that you rank for customers typing queries applicable to your content. Ads allow you to target particular keyword phrases and then create an ad that promotes your site and content for those using those keywords.

Both of these channels can help enhance your overall visibility in Search, but it is important to remember that trying to determine which is best is like comparing apples to oranges. A strong and lasting digital presence requires brands to use both channels and craft a strategy that can employ the two together to maximize the online potential of the brand.

What are the different roles of SEO and Google Ads?

SEO and Ads have unique but complementary roles. The discipline of SEO management revolves around making your site appealing for customers as well as creating content that addresses their needs and engages them. This not only involves the material you write or the videos and infographics you create, it also involves optimizing site layout and design to ensure that it is user-friendly, and easy to navigate, moving users through your site in a logical way.

Google Ads, on the other hand, are a form of online display advertising. It allows you pay each time a person clicks on an ad you create. This ad is displayed to users who type in particular keywords on the search engines, allowing you to target users interested in particular topics. Google Ads, therefore, can help you gain the visibility you want for important keywords, even before you have the site reputation and SEO rankings needed to see results from your organic efforts. Combine both SEO and SEM to maximize SERP real estate.

Do Google Ads help with SEO?

When used properly, SEO and Google Ads can work well together. Brands that accurately track their rankings and organic traffic can strategically use Ads to increase visibility for important keywords, driving paid traffic where they do not have the organic ranking to get on Page 1. Google Ads can also be used to test consumer response to particular keywords. For example, brands can create ads for keywords that they are considering optimizing for. They can then track the customers who click on the ad and see how well they respond to the landing page and the rest of the site. Keywords that bring in visitors with higher conversion rates and more engagement will then take a higher priority to those that do not see as much success.

Similarly, keyword data from SEO efforts can also be used to find the right opportunities for Ads. Uncovering keywords that have high search rates, but that also have high competition -- meaning that it will be difficult for a site to earn a slot on the front page of the SERP -- will likely be good candidates for Ads campaigns. This refinement process can be done across both the major search engines as well as newer avenues for SEO work like vertical and native search engines.

As a brand builds a digital strategy, understanding the different roles of Google Ads and SEO in building a web presence is critical to success. The better that companies can use these two different features together for their advantage, the better their potential results in Search.

What is a content audit?

A content audit is a process of systematically reviewing all the content you have on your site. This process allows you to look closely at your optimization efforts to see how well you are meeting your business objectives. When done correctly, you will be able to find any gaps in your content so that you can adjust your process to better serve your intended audience. This will allow you to mature your content and digital strategy so that your organization can more effectively and efficiently provide the material that audiences need.

How do you perform a content audit?

A successful audit should follow these steps:

1. Create a thorough list of all your content available. This list should also give you important information about your content, such as its level of optimization and its quality.
2. Research how successful your various pieces of content have been, including your page and keyword statistics from the BrightEdge platform. For an even more complete picture, look at how well different groups of material, such as your early-funnel-stage content, impacts site conversions and revenue to better understand your success at each stage.
3. Map your available content to your different ideal customers and their buyer journeys so that you better understand how your content is serving the customers and guiding them towards conversions.
4. See how well your content aligns with different business functions, including PR, customer services, social media, and SEO, to name a few. A digitally mature organization will use their content to stretch across different specialties to create a strong online user experience.
5. See how well your site is organized. Search engines and users want to see sites that are easy to navigate so that they can find the information they want quickly and easily.
6. Determine what content is missing. At the end of your audit, you should be able to carefully determine where your weaknesses lie and what you should be doing to boost your overall performance.

What is the value of content certifications?

The world of digital marketing continues to change at a rapid pace. In the last handful of years, Google has introduced major SEO updates, like the Hummingbird algorithm update, the introduction of RankBrain, the BERT algorithm update, content quality, and mobile updates.

Because the digital marketing world continues to change so quickly, content certifications can help digital marketers, writers, and SEOs remain current and relevant with their skills and the latest industry developments. Many courses only take a few weeks to complete, making it easy for marketers to learn the latest best practices on SEO and digital marketing. They also provide credentials so that content developers can show they are prepared to create the material that aligns with the latest search engine updates.

Discovering the newest and best certifications on a yearly basis will help marketers develop their knowledge and skills alongside the industry leaders. Falling back in a fast-paced industry like digital marketing could be a hazard to your business and your career.