Not all site content is targeted for a keyword, or designed to rank well in search engines. When I write about a Case Study, like I did in the previous post, it’s purpose isn’t to show up for the term “case study” and attract millions of dollars in business. It’s simply a post to build content, and to give the website depth. Many companies create blog posts for this very reason – simply to continue adding to their website.
But some content is absolutely keyword targeted. You’ll occasionally have a piece of content designed for one purpose: to rank well in search engines for relevant search terms. When you have this type of keyword targeting, you need to do more than make sure that your content is keyword optimized. You need to make sure that you’re answering the visitor’s question.
What is the “Visitor Question”?
When someone searches for any given keyword, they are looking for some type of answer. Whether it’s finding a business related to their needs, getting tips for some type of do-it-yourself activity, or simply looking up information, they are entering their keyword into the search bar for a reason. It’s your job to figure out that reason and answer that question.
Why is This Important?
Of course, from your perspective actually answering the question may not matter. You simply want them on your site. Yet there is tremendous value to making sure that you answer any question they may have. Reasons include:
- Search engines now measure things like bounce rate and time on page. The less valuable your content is, the more likely someone will bounce out of it without reading it. That can lower your search engine rank.
- Visitors are not necessarily a measure of success. Yes, it’s nice to have visitors, but if those visitors leave immediately after then you provided no real value. Useful information keeps people on the page, and when they’re satisfied with your answer they immediately become more likely to continue browsing and possibly make a purchase.
- Useful information increases the likelihood of incoming links, social media shares, etc.
It’s great to have a page appear first in Google, but that is only valuable if it leads people to a purchase. If your keyword doesn’t answer a question, it probably won’t.
This topic became of personal interest because of some research I completed on a health topic for a client – namely, how gallstones cause right eye pain. Right eye pain is listed as a symptom of gallbladder diseases, and yet even now I can’t seem to locate any information on why. I’ve seen articles targeting keywords related to this symptom, but none of them say how it happens. All they say is that it happens.
If this information was available within the targeted articles, they would certainly receive more incoming links, and I would use the website as a reference in the future. Instead, they are simply fluff pieces that were unable to answer my question, and my trust for those websites has decreased.
It’s an example that affects a lot of writers, websites, business owners, and even potential customers. Every time someone types in a question, they’re looking for some type of answer. Does your content answer that question, or is it just another fluff piece targeting a keyword?
