SEO Insights: Sowing the Seeds of Content Keywords

Keywords and SEO: These two words strike fear into the hearts of website owners everywhere. Some believe that getting to the top of the search engines is some kind of mix of constantly changing algorithms, secret keyword coding and a hint of voodoo.

A White Page article on Keywords, created by WebsiteBox.com columnist Jim Kimmons, outlines recent changes in Google and its SERPs. One of the key findings of Kimmon's research was that Google has made several changes to its SEO guidelines and is seeking out longer, more in-depth articles. "There is a whole new box of search results beginning to show up on Google, and it's titled "In-depth articles."

"These tend to be longer and more detailed articles that provide a lot of information about the topic of the search," he reported. "In-depth articles results appear in a separate block with thumbnail images."

"Another very important thing to understand is that they are never promotional in nature. These are informative and educational, NOT sales or marketing oriented at all."

This is great information and backs up with I have been saying for some time. Content is king. And quality content is worth its weight in gold these days.

But what is "quality content?"

In my writing, I work to achieve a mix that includes highly localized, in-depth and informative articles on subjects of interest to my particular readership. I make sure to include as many links as necessary to provide additional info. However, always check to make sure these links open in a new window as to not lose the potential clients.

My copy is keyword rich, but not forced. It is almost like weaving a tapestry with one paragraph flowing into the next. It needs to be readable, easy for the reader to understand. And, it needs a takeaway. Something that the reader will take with them when they leave the site. Something that will make them what to come back.

And don't forget the graphics and video. In addition to written content, you need to have a good mix of quality, informative and eye-catching graphics to complete the package.

When I worked for HouseHunt.com, one of my jobs was to do city write-ups. Here is a sample. Note the number of keywords that are included without the copy sounding forced.

"Murrieta is home to a rapidly growing business community featuring three major medical facilities and a new Town Square complete with a new police station and civic center.

The housing market offers everything from custom-built hilltop estates to sprawling ranches with horse properties to lovely themed housing tracts featuring a wide variety of prices and options for home buyers and sellers. All types of homes are offering excellent value in today's market.

The exclusive Bear Creek Golf Community is one of several in the area offering country club living at its best with a wide variety of homes featuring golf course and mountain views. The hilltop La Cresta area consists of custom built mansions on large lots with sweeping city views.

One the big draws to the area is the availability of investment and properties and land. Home prices in Murrieta range from $150,000 range up to move-up homes in the $300,000 range, all the way up to multi-million dollar estates, farm and ranches. The median price as of 2009 for a home in Murrieta has been calculated at roughly $300,000 dollars. Condominiums and investment properties are also available.

In today's market, the "Gem of the Valley" is definitely a great investment."

This is just a portion of the write-up, but you should get the idea. And, this is an informational piece, rather than targeted content.

So what kind of content do need and where do you get it? Here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Local Market Conditions
• New Listings
• Buyer and Seller Information
• Mortgage Rates and Options
• Community Information
• Investor Opportunities
• Local Events

For effective SEO, you want to set yourself up with a steady stream of "reader friendly" content that you can push down your channels regularly. Again, and I cannot stress this enough, it must be keyword-rich, highly localized custom content. Never forget your market niche.

Then, you will want to begin laying out your plan and collecting content for additional places to post your articles. Places like Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, WordPress, Twitter, etc. with the ultimate goal of tying the whole thing back into your website or websites.

The key is to provide your readers with good, local information on the topics they will have interest in. Not just a casual interest, but the kind of interest that will generate interest and leads. I covered Custom Content Creation in this column that ran on the WebsiteBox.com Blog recently.

The bottom line is that language has become a lost art to some, but the search engines are now actively seeking out content that is longer, more in-depth, well-written, keyword rich and provides focused content on a hyper-local level.

The SEO game is constantly changing, but one thing has stayed the same. When it comes to the Internet, content is king.

To view the original article, visit the WebsiteBox blog.