Before you start reading, I’ll forewarn you that this article will start with a tweet and end with a challenge. Sound good?

From one of my favorite SEO role models, and

What to do if your engagement metrics are underperforming

On page optimization

Optimizing your published content is an easy way to improve the quality of your traffic and increase engagement. To do so, you want to look at applying keyword research that matches search intent. Group keywords with similar topics and identify the right terms to target through each page of your site.

Other specific on page optimizations include:

• Incorporating your target keyword in the first 200 words of your copy

• Your page title and meta description to have the acceptable Google length (72 characters for title and 170 for meta description)

• Your target keyword is included in H1 and subheadings

Now, let’s focus on design. 

Think of content design 

Another quote for you from Ginny Redish, Consultant Specialist in Web Usability and Writing: ​“Content is the user experience”.

With that in mind, the layout of your website and the way visitors consume content has a gigantic influence on your user experience. Not only can creating human-first content design improve your SEO, it can consequently enhance your traffic and engagement metrics. 

Here are some pointers on how to make this happen:

• Avoid large images and videos that take up a lot of page ‘real estate’

• Split your content into short paragraphs and headings

• Emphasize important words and elements to improve readability

• Use lists and tables where possible

Up next, what to include in your blogs to ensure an excellent website experience.

Write articles that provide the right amount of information

Articles should be comprehensive, not too long just for the sake of word count and not too short where information is missing. Users will know if you’re keyword stuffing or simply providing fluff content that doesn’t actually solve their problems. 

To make sure this doesn’t happen check out these tips:

• Create articles that match the word count of top-ranking competitors but also make content succinct enough so that it doesn’t overwhelm your readers

• Create longer articles that can be promoted on other channels such as social

• Create longer articles that increase time on site metrics

Use the right language

There should be a balance between SEO language and copywriting. Ensure you’re using the right language with these tips:

• I said it before but I’ll say it again…Avoid keyword stuffing (user’s can smell a keyword stuffed article a mile away!)

• Avoid language that is not understandable from the user

• Use simple language with the right amount of keywords and spread those out evenly across your content.

Study the way your audience communicates, and model your content and copy after that. You want your audience to feel comfortable and drawn to your content, not confused and repelled. 

Improve User Experience (UX)

Look at your website and assess how easy it is to read, navigate, find out key pieces of information, and perform any actions.

Here are some quick reminders:

• Place CTAs in the right spots

• Ensure readability is consistent 

• Make sure information is easy to navigate

• Make sure the site architecture has a solid flow

Ensure the website’s design works well on both desktop and mobile

As more consumers buy online for just about everything, the mobile user experience will contribute to your overall rankings. Here are five tips to optimize your responsive site:

1. Check Page Speed Insights for mobile vs desktop

2. Ensure all elements are properly visible and readable on both desktop and mobile

3. Optimize image scale on mobile

4. Simplify navigation

5. Shorten your text 

What to do if your conversion metrics are underperforming

Use direct-response copywriting techniques

Use compelling language that encourages users to take immediate action. Copy should be targeted and to the point. To support that statement, 54% of American adults read at a sixth grade level, or below according to the U.S. Department of Education. So the simpler the copy, the better.

Optimize call-to-actions

Make sure CTAs are placed in the right spots within a page, have the right color and the right text. Use powerful and emotionally driven words that’ll entice quick wins. You’d be surprised at how a single word tweak or color change can drastically increase conversions. Not to mention, this is the precise method to ensure that SEO is bringing in conversions and leads.

Avoid any elements that could distract the user

Although some may suggest pop-ups, let’s be real here— the majority of the time you scramble to click the x so you can get back to scrolling. With that being said, avoid pop-ups, numerous CTA’s, and banners. If people are always in a rush to leave your site, that certainly won’t help any element of your marketing strategy.

What to do if your relevance metrics are underperforming

Target the right keywords 

Before creating a page or a blog, start with keyword research to identify which keywords you should target through your new piece of content. Think like your customer and identify exactly what their intent is and what’s trending in your industry. Also, pinpoint long-tail keywords that are highly specific to the niche you serve. This way, the content you put out will be for a very targeted audience, therefore conversion rates will be higher. 

Review the topic and focus keyword search intent

If the keywords you have selected are not performing well, review whether you selected the right ones and if they match search intent. Research what competitors are doing, so that you can put your own spin on the content around these keywords. 

Localize your content so you’re targeting the audience in your target market

Create content that’s relevant to where you’re located. For instance, if you own a pizza shop in Chicago, you might create a blog about the best places to get fresh cheese in Chicago. So instead of just developing random content, think about localizing content and examples that’ll attract the most qualified audience.

Work on site speed (slower websites have higher bounce rates)

In this day and age consumers want information at the speed of light, in fact 1 in 4 consumers will abandon a website that takes longer than 4 seconds to load. Tough crowd, right? To ensure speedy load times, visit Google’s Page Speed Insights to assess where the site stands in terms of page speed and to identify elements that slow down your website.

Use Google Analytics data to measure and improve the quality of your SEO traffic

At the end of the day, more qualified traffic = more money in the bank. 

So your overall goal should be working towards creating the highest quality content, website, and user experience to convert those visitors into loyal customers. 

To reach these goals, make sure to map out engagement metrics like time on site, and pages per session, conversion metrics like form submissions, and relevance metrics like bounce rate and user geo-location. 

Now, in the beginning I said I’d end with a challenge, so here it is: Create a list of 3-4 priority metrics and craft a realistic goal for each of those. Can you do that? Great! And, for on-going reflection, bookmark this article so that you can refer back when need be. You’ve got this!