Optimising Your Content for Better SEO: The Complete Guide

Auteur(s) de l'article

Susana
Susana
Organic search (SEO) has become an essential element for any company that wants to gain visibility on the web. At the heart of this strategy, content optimisation plays a key role.
This article will give you best practices to implement an effective SEO strategy and create high-quality content, or optimise content you already have, so that it meets the expectations of search engines and, above all, of users.
Here are the different steps that make up SEO best practices.

I. Understanding search intent

Search intent is the goal behind every query typed into a search engine. Understanding and responding to users’ search intent is Google’s role.
It is therefore essential to know the different types of search intent so you can choose the one that is most relevant for your content.

The 4 types of search intent:

  • Informational: A query is informational when the user is looking for specific information.
  • Navigational: In this case, the user is looking for a specific website or application.
  • Commercial: The intent behind the query is commercial when the user is researching a specific product but has not yet made a final decision.
  • Transactional: Here, the intent is to buy. The user has already decided to purchase a specific product or tool.
    To conclude this step: by integrating relevant keywords and answering users’ queries precisely, you can significantly improve your site’s position in search results.

    II. Completing the title tag and meta description

    The meta title and the meta description of your page are two essential tags for good SEO. 

    The title tag (or meta title)

    The title tag is the title that appears in Google results and is clickable by the user.

    The meta description tag

    The meta description is a short summary of a page that appears under the title tag in search results.

    How do I optimise my page’s title tag and meta description?

    It’s important to know that a meta description does not directly influence ranking in search engines. However, it remains important because it helps users understand what the page is about. 
    Here are the main rules to follow:
    • Do not exceed the recommended length set by Google, as it will not display all the content if it’s too long
    • Write unique content for each tag on each page. Google hates duplicates!
    • Include your target keywords, while avoiding over-optimisation by adding lots of “useless” keywords.
    • Write descriptive but precise content that matches the search intent.

      III. Optimising images

      Image optimisation is crucial to reduce page load time, which is a key factor for improving user experience and rankings in search results.
      As explained in our previous article on image optimisation, this needs to be done both before and after publishing the image on your site:
      Before publishing:
      • Choose the best file format (PNG, JPEG, or ideally WebP)
      • Use a file name that contains optimised keywords for the page
      • Compress your images
        After publishing:
        • Provide alt text for every important image in the content

          IV. Optimising the user experience

          Search engines analyse how users behave on your site. A good content structure makes it easier for them to browse and improves your SEO.
          To do this, a few tips can help you structure your content and improve the user journey: 
          • Use subheadings (H2, H3, H4) to structure the content and help search engines easily analyse the page.
          • Make the content visually appealing by using optimised images and videos
          • Avoid intrusive pop-ups on your pages.

            V. Building a good internal linking structure

            Internal links are important because they establish a hierarchy of information on your website and also help Google better understand your page content.
            To improve your SEO, it is recommended to create links between your best-performing pages and those that need a little boost in terms of ranking.
            Technically, to do this you simply need, for example, to add hyperlinks in the content of your “strong” pages that point to more “weak” specific pages.

            VI. Making your URLs SEO-friendly

            URL structure is an often overlooked aspect of SEO. But a good URL structure gives both users and search engines a clear idea of what the destination page is about.
            “ A site's URL structure should be as simple as possible. Organise your content so that URLs are constructed in a logical and easy-to-understand way. Whenever possible, use meaningful words instead of long IDs. ”

            – Google

            Here are the rules to follow: 
            • Use short URLs 
            • Include your target keyword in the URL
            • Include categories or subfolders where relevant, to help users and search engines navigate your site.

              Having relevant and trustworthy backlinks

              Search engines consider backlinks as a ranking signal for your website. Google recognises backlinks as votes of confidence.
              If your pages have many high-authority backlinks, they are more likely to rank well in search engines. It is therefore important to analyse a site’s backlinks and clean up links that could be “toxic” for your rankings.

              Conclusion

              Content optimisation is an ongoing process that requires regular analysis of results and adaptation to changes in search engine algorithms.
              By following the tips in this article, you will be able to significantly improve your website’s SEO and attract qualified traffic.
              If you don’t have SEO expertise in-house, don’t hesitate to call on an SEO professional who can guide you and help you put all of this in place.