How to create rank-worthy content

Hi there,

Greetings from the city of Lagos!

And welcome to my Substack 😁.

Excited about this adventure - you know how it is when you get a shiny new tool.

It’s been an interesting week for me - asides the rising COVID-19 numbers.

Does anyone else notice that it seem Nigerians have moved on?

But hey, this is no health newsletter.

My insight of the week: No one knows exactly how the Google algorithm works, but you can influence where you rank on Google’s SERP by creating rank-worthy content.

Here’s how:

1. Length of content: How much is enough?

The sexist answer is to use the ‘Bikini Rule:’ Cover just enough but not too much. You typically want your article to be longer than competing content. Always ensure your posts are a minimum of 2,000 words.

2. Primary Keyword: Plan on one per post plus secondary related keywords.

The primary keyword should always be at the beginning of the headline.

But a number before the keyword won’t hurt.

Your introduction must contain the primary keyword in the first 100 words at least once and at least one of the H2 headers should contain the primary keyword.

3. Secondary keywords: Google expects secondary keywords and related terms.

Add a few secondary keywords to your H2 headers. After writing your article, edit them in across the post.

But please make sure they sound natural.

You can also use secondary keywords as your image alt tags whenever possible. However, this step isn't that important.

4. Meet Google’s content expectations: covering what Google thinks you should cover.

If you don’t you may be penalized in the rankings. Look for patterns in competing posts to determine which secondary terms are in the headlines. Follow the leader and don’t try to stand out. Being clever is not a good idea with search engines.

Google expects your post to answer questions that searchers have, which you can see in Google’s Q&A boxes. Check “Related Searches” at the bottom of the search results to find these related topics.

5. Images and Videos: Favor substance over sizzle.

Don’t overuse stock images. Place a relevant image every 100-200 words or embed YouTube videos.

What have I been up to all week?

• No new article, but you can catch up with the last one I updated - https://dozieanyaegbunam.com/2020/01/16/boost-social-media-engagement-rates/

• Still reading "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding" by Al Ries. You should jump on this…

• And you, what have you been up to?

Stay sharp,

Dozie