{"id":428,"date":"2017-06-26T17:11:02","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T17:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ferzy.com\/blog\/?p=428"},"modified":"2017-06-26T17:11:02","modified_gmt":"2017-06-26T17:11:02","slug":"9-seo-best-practices-that-will-help-you-outrank-the-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ferzy.com\/blog\/9-seo-best-practices-that-will-help-you-outrank-the-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"9 SEO Best Practices That Will Help You Outrank the Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The battle for SEO rankings is intense and ranking high gets harder as the years go by. I remember back in the early 2000\u2019s when SEO best practices were keyword stuffing and producing low-quality content daily was enough to get you a decent flow of organic traffic. <\/span><\/p>\n

Content marketers, SEO\u2019s, and business owners focused on writing for robots\u2014not humans\u2014but Google realized that this lead to poor user experience. As one of the most innovative companies in the world, they decided to improve their algorithm to provide the best and highest value content to their users. <\/span><\/p>\n

This changed everything. Due to Google updates throughout the years (RankBrain, Hummingbird, etc.), on-page SEO became more difficult. Though no one knows how Google\u2019s search algorithm actually works, we do know a couple of factors that affect your search rankings. <\/span><\/p>\n

At Ferzy, our goal is to help you rank higher on Google and other search engines. In this article, we\u2019ll be sharing SEO best practices that will help you outrank the competition. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Continue reading below to start creating better, high-value SEO blog posts that Google and your audience will love! <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Choose Keywords Wisely<\/span><\/h2>\n

The first SEO best practice is to choose keywords wisely. Choosing the wrong keywords would do you more harm than good. Targeting the right keywords can help you bring your article to a relevant audience\u2014people who are actually looking for answers your article has. <\/span><\/p>\n

We won\u2019t explain how keyword research works in this article, instead we\u2019ll be showing you the best keyword research tools you can use. If you want to get better at keyword research quickly, check out our <\/span>5-day Keyword Research Crash Course<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are two keyword research tools you can use: <\/span><\/p>\n

Google AdWords Keyword Planner<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Probably the most popular keyword research tool out there, <\/span>Google AdWords Keyword<\/span><\/a> Planner offers a quick, easy solution to content marketers and business owners looking for keywords to use. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great tool from the largest search engine in the world, Google, and you can even look for keywords related to your product or service. <\/span><\/p>\n

You get to see the competition and average monthly searches for each keyword but take note that Google doesn\u2019t give exact search data. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Great for most people but if you\u2019re trying to rank higher than your competitors, it would be better to use a tool with accurate search data and more relevant data you can use. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ferzy<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Ferzy is a user-friendly yet powerful keyword research tool that can help content marketers and business owners like you find profitable and easy-to-rank keywords. Our users describe our platform as \u201cthe easiest way to do keyword research, hands down\u201d and you\u2019ll say the same once you try our tool.<\/span><\/p>\n

With Ferzy, you can easily do advanced keyword research. We provide up-to-date data such as keyword SEO difficulty, related keyword suggestions, and actionable data of your competitors (domain age, page authority, domain authority, links, linking domains, estimated visits, and more). <\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike Google AdWords Keyword Planner, Ferzy shows a more exact search data and competitor information that\u2019s crucial to building an effective SEO strategy. <\/span>
\n<\/span>If you\u2019re interested in learning how to use Ferzy, read our <\/span>quick tutorial page<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

2. Create Long, High-Value Content<\/span><\/h2>\n

SerpIQ conducted a <\/span>study <\/span><\/a>that proved longer content dominates Google\u2019s top search results. Out of 20,000+ keywords, the average word count for top search results was 2,416 words. Also, the 10th spot had an average word count of 2,032 words. <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: <\/span>http:\/\/blog.serpiq.com\/how-important-is-content-length-why-data-driven-seo-trumps-guru-opinions\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Even <\/span>Neil Patel<\/span><\/a> found that writing high-value blog posts with 4,000+ words has made his blog get at least 100,000 visitors per month in a year. <\/span><\/p>\n

The reason? Google wants to bring the highest-value content in front of their users. This increases their user experience, which is what they\u2019ve been focusing on ever since. If your blog post provides answers that your audience is looking for (and maybe even more!), Google will reward you with a higher search engine rank. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you used to believe that 500-word articles are enough, we\u2019re telling you now that no longer works. We recommend that you write blog posts with at least 2,032 words but keep in mind to focus more on value. <\/span>
\n<\/span>Here\u2019s the golden truth: <\/span>
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\n<\/span>It\u2019s better to publish high-value content less often than to publish low-value content frequently. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

3. Focus on Creating Actionable Content <\/span><\/h2>\n

Some years ago, Dr. Jonah Berger from the University of Pennsylvania conducted a <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> to discover what made content go viral. <\/span><\/p>\n

He found that highly actionable or practical content was 34% more likely to go viral than regular content. This is why most content marketers and industry experts out there are starting to create content with practical tips readers can apply as soon as they finish the article. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not creating actionable content for your blog, you should start creating right now. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Optimize SEO Titles and Descriptions<\/span><\/h2>\n

According to <\/span>Wordstream<\/span><\/a>, Google\u2019s algorithm, RankBrain, measures how users interact with your site and ranks your page according to user experience signals. The article mentioned a correlation between CTR (organic click-through rate) and SEO rankings. <\/span><\/p>\n

They found that content with a high CTR outranked pages with a below average CTR:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"seo Source: <\/span>http:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2016\/03\/16\/rankbrain-seo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

When users search for a keyword you target for and click on your link, this tells Google that your content is relevant and valuable to its users. This is why sites with a higher CTR get better search rankings on Google. <\/span><\/p>\n

This leads us to believe that RankBrain most likely considers CTR as a key ranking factor in its algorithm. Additionally, Larry discovered that pages with a bounce rate lower than 76% tend to rank higher. You\u2019ll want to lower your bounce rate as well. <\/span><\/p>\n

So how can you maximize your organic CTR while minimizing your bounce rate? Here are SEO best practices when it comes to improving your SEO titles: <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Make your SEO headline and description as clear as possible<\/span><\/h3>\n

Make sure that they specifically target the readers you want to attract. Truth be told, many content marketers and SEO\u2019s neglect this because it doesn\u2019t directly affect SEO but it does affect organic CTR and bounce rates. <\/span><\/p>\n

2. Include numbers in your title<\/span><\/h3>\n

Ever wondered why local magazines almost always have numbers on their cover? It\u2019s because numbers are attention-grabbing! According to a <\/span>study <\/span><\/a>conducted by Conductor, headlines with numbers get 36% more clicks than regular, number-free headlines. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: <\/span>https:\/\/www.conductor.com\/press-room\/5-data-insights-headlines-readers-click\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

3. Add brackets and parentheses in titles<\/span><\/h3>\n

According to <\/span>HubSpot\u2019s study<\/span><\/a>, they found that, after studying 3,000,000 headlines, brackets and parentheses in titles boosted CTR by 33%. It\u2019s a very interesting study and probably the reason why a lot of industry experts and content marketers are now using brackets and parentheses in titles as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: <\/span>https:\/\/research.hubspot.com\/charts\/comparison-of-blog-titles-with-and-without-brackets<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

SEO titles and descriptions are often neglected by content marketers and SEOs. Make sure never to make this mistake again and optimize SEO titles and descriptions for all your blog posts!<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Add Multimedia in Content<\/span><\/h2>\n

Adding multimedia in your content may seem like a golden rule that most people already know but it wouldn\u2019t hurt to mention it again. Using images, videos, and\/or charts in your content will make it easier and more pleasing to read. <\/span><\/p>\n

The logic is simple: Multimedia in your content = better user experience <\/strong><\/p>\n

With Google, it\u2019s all about user experience and they tend to penalize sites that offer poor user experience (ex. high bounce rate and a low dwell time). We\u2019ve recently published a blog post about <\/span>why dwell time matters and what you can do to improve it<\/span><\/a>, so make sure to check it out! <\/span><\/p>\n

In our experience, infographics get shared the most, around 230% more, compared to other content types. People like infographics. They present even the most complicated information in bite-sized, engaging pieces. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can use a tool like <\/span>Canva <\/span><\/a>to create stunning infographics\u2014even if you know nothing about Photoshop. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Use Your Keyword Naturally and in the Right Places<\/span><\/h2>\n

Another golden rule we just couldn\u2019t stress enough. Keywords are placed strategically throughout your content\u2014that\u2019s just how on-page SEO works\u2014but we do not spam keywords and write content that reads like it was written for search robots. <\/span><\/p>\n

Use your chosen keyword naturally throughout the content. Yes, don\u2019t overuse it. Just make it flow naturally. This is one of the best SEO practices you shouldn\u2019t ignore. <\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from having the keyword sprinkled throughout your blog post, your keyword should ideally be in the following places:<\/span><\/p>\n

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