![\"SEO-BFF\"](\"http:\/\/content26.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/SEO-BFF-300x300.png\")
There\u2019s a tense discussion going on lately<\/a> in the big, beautiful world of online content. If you\u2019re using old SEO rules, your content can be nigh unreadable, doing little to help the consumer once they\u2019ve Googled their way to your product page.<\/p>\nHowever, the perceived boost in sales from that traffic can outweigh the demerits created by keyword-stuffed, link-impregnated word salad made for software and not humans. New SEO rules are forever being tailored in the wake of perpetual updates of Google’s search algorithm. That requires adaptation, which warrants experimentation, which introduces a new possibility of failure.<\/p>\n
[Tweet “The problem with A\/B testing is that either A or B must lose.”]<\/p>\n
And failure is more than many manufacturers and online retailers are willing to risk. The problem with A\/B testing is that either A or B must lose, and not everyone can afford to value the acquired knowledge over the (projected) lost sales.<\/p>\n
Our advice: err on the side of good content. The rest will fall into place. Useful content has now solidly supplanted thin, factory-farmed content, thanks in part to the efforts of Google. While some resent the search giant\u2019s power over the evolution of online content, this is one area where we think Google is fighting the good fight<\/a>. Here are a few ways to ensure you are, too.<\/p>\n Despite their well-earned reputation as the unwelcome guest at the good content table<\/a>, keywords can serve the reader and also serve the whims of Google or your search engine of choice. When you get your keywords right, it means you\u2019re practicing good SEO, sure. However, it also means that you\u2019re speaking your intended customer\u2019s language.<\/p>\n Learn how they search, and you learn how they talk, which gets you closer to learning what they\u2019re really searching for and creating content that meets their needs. The key to keywords: use them to bring the customer to what they want, and then stop. When it comes to the language your customers use, SEO best practices and effective communication are a both\/and proposition, not an either\/or one.<\/p>\n [Tweet “SEO best practices and effective communication are a both\/and proposition, not an either\/or.”]<\/p>\n There is power in repetition, yes. We often explain to clients that one of the advantages of enhanced content is that it will inevitably get scraped and end up everywhere. By producing that enhanced content, you control brand messaging, even when it\u2019s lifted from preferred retailer sites and reposted elsewhere without permission. At least you know your product information is correct, which you owe your past, present, and future customers.<\/p>\n Unique content, however, gives you the opportunity to move past that basic consumer need to also meet your business need to be found online. Unique content lets you fill the SERPs with variations<\/a> of accurate information about your product. And beyond that, you can target your intended customer audience with information and<\/em> approach. So your SD card can maintain the sustained write speeds required for Full HD video? That\u2019s great, but your video nerd customer will respond favorably to a different header and presentation of details than will your new parent, freelance reporter, or student customer.<\/p>\n You may create unique content because Google suggests it or your online retailer requires it of you, but it\u2019s also an unparalleled chance to tailor your message to specific demographics. Ask your online retailers for guidance if they don\u2019t volunteer it, or consider engaging the content services of someone well versed in what your retailer demands.<\/p>\n [Tweet “Unique content is an unparalleled chance to tailor your message to specific demographics.”]<\/p>\n Sometimes, though, it just makes sense to repeat some content across products. It isn\u2019t helpful to anyone to have ten different versions of care instructions for high-end cookware. And the paragraph that talks about the rest of your product line or your company\u2019s history doesn\u2019t need to be poetically reinterpreted for the customer\u2019s sake. But Google penalizes duplicate content, as we\u2019ve discussed before<\/a>. So the key is to make that repeated content a small percentage of the product page.<\/p>\n If the product page is on your website or an online retailer that lets you post files for download, such as Costco or Babies R Us, consider putting duplicate content on a separate linked page or in an attached PDF. Of course, you want to make the reader\u2019s journey as simple and intuitive as possible. But if they really need a troubleshooting guide or care instructions, they\u2019ll find it with your help. The simple matter of downloading a file or following a link won\u2019t dissuade them.<\/p>\n Ah, content length, the much-debated, much-prized measure of importance. Here\u2019s the thing: content that\u2019s designed for SEO without thought of the customer can make you look a little divorced from reality. Content length should be determined by the specific narrative requirements of your products.<\/p>\n It\u2019s absurd to expect or ask for the same product description length for products as different as over-the-counter cold medication, an SSD, a reusable water bottle, or a professional-grade table saw. Each has wildly different needs, and the length of product-page content length should reflect those needs<\/a>. Even so, some retailers hold fast to lengthy content requirements, haunted by tales of Google\u2019s emphasis on \u201crich\u201d content. This creates hurdles many brands can\u2019t leap over, at least not on their own. Many manufacturers compromise on content requirements to meet needs for ubiquity and availability in the big world of online retail.<\/p>\n To those manufacturers, we suggest pushing back (especially if you\u2019re a larger company with many evergreen products and, thus, clout). We\u2019ve seen brands stymied by heavy, illogical content requirements from online retailers with an overly SEO-dominated view of what content is for, and our hope is that enough conglomerates say no that those retailers reconsider their content guidelines. For most products, a thousand words is 400-800 words too many.<\/p>\n [Tweet “The evolution of search isn\u2019t restrictive.”]<\/p>\nKeywords Can Light the Way<\/h2>\n
Unique Content with a Purpose<\/h2>\n
Size Isn\u2019t Everything: Content Length<\/h2>\n
From SEO to Search<\/h2>\n