Content Optimisation: How to boost traffic by improving what you already have

Sometimes it feels like we're obsessed with creating "new" content. We prize content that's fresh and unique and focus on creating as much of it as possible with the hope that it will capture attention in the online marketplace. But what if this focus was actually harmful to your online prospects?

It sounds counterintuitive, but more can mean less if the way you present content isn't optimised for search engine ranking and usability. Similarly, you can waste resources creating completely new content when existing content can be adapted to serve just as well.

In other words, optimising your content could be preferable to pure content creation. So let's look in more detail into how optimisation works and how it could work for you.

What does content optimisation mean?

As we touched on earlier, content optimisation refers to the improvement of already existing online editorial and assets for marketing purposes.

For instance, the text of a website could be totally rewritten to improve its readability and SEO relevance. Alternatively, a site could be redesigned to offer a clearer path-to-purchase for customers or to make it smartphone ready. The meta tags of a site can also be checked to ensure they include the relevant words and titles that search engines and users look for.

The idea behind optimising content is that you can make better use of the work you've already done instead of creating totally new content for each campaign.

Why is content optimisation important?

Optimisation should be at the forefront of online marketing strategies for a host of reasons.

Efficiency

Firstly, it boosts efficiency. Think about how much content you have had published - only to write it off as ineffective a month or so down the line. Usually, the content itself remains valuable but has lost its relevance. It's often relatively easy to adapt content as circumstances change, and in doing so, you can release resources for other tasks.

Learning

Optimisation is also a powerful learning tool. By evaluating the assets you already have, you can get a feel for where you've succeeded and failed in the past and build your insights into future campaigns. The more you optimise your past content, the better you get at creating and presenting content.

High-Quality Content

Finally, as we've already discussed, high-quality content results in better search engine rankings. This became clear following August 2018's Google fallout, when information emerged that the search giant now heavily boosts content with "expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness". All of those qualities can be added and refined with existing content - turning SEO leads into gold.

Tips and tricks to optimise your content

So, if you have a huge archive of underperforming content, optimisation could be the solution. But how can you start an optimisation strategy? Here are some tips from our content team.

1. Go back and carry out a Title audit

Titles and meta tags have become more important in Google's search algorithms recently, but many organisations haven't gone back to older content to optimise these elements. Adding titles that are relevant to what today's searchers want can rejuvenate older content.

2. Think about "evergreening" your content

Evergreen content never goes out of date, at least in theory, and it tends to rank well in search engine queries. By going back to older blog posts or articles and retooling them as evergreen content, you can launch them back into search engine relevance for the long-term.

3. Focus on your best-performing blogs

It's usually a good idea to analyse your traffic to find content that performed well in the past. Even if it has tailed off, these texts or videos are likely to have the attention-grabbing qualities that great content demands.

4. Outsource content optimisation to professionals

Sometimes, older content might be useful and relevant but just not particularly well written. In these cases, pick the texts that you think have optimisation potential and use a high-quality content marketplace to get the re-writing done.

Optimisation is more than a buzzword. With changes to the way Google delivers results, and the need to make efficient use of scarce marketing resources, it could make a huge difference.

If you want to start a content optimisation strategy, get in touch with greatcontent. We'll be happy to offer content optimisation services or deliver whatever high-quality, expert content you need.

Text: Sam Urquhart
Image: unsplash.com