10 Reasons your content isn’t taking off – Part II

Previously, we introduced you to some basic mistakes which could be keeping your content success at bay. Today – surprise, surprise – we’re taking this topic further. Here are another 5 reasons why your content isn’t taking off…

6. You’re neglecting the technical basics

With all of this strategic planning, as we showed you last time, it can be all too easy to neglect the basics. SEMrush has compiled a list of the most frequent weak points for on-page optimisation. According to their analysis, every second website contains copied content, which Google will never be fond of. Other errors include missing title tags, meta descriptions, and issues with H1-titles. Remember that there should only be one H1 tag per web page!

Further finds indicate that you should definitely have social sharing buttons implemented on your page. This makes it easy for your users to share your content. And when it comes to sharing, it’s equally important to make sure any infographics you use have a code for embedding the image. An embed code enables third parties to comfortably and correctly display your infographic on other webpages.

There’s more to an embed code than just that, though. You can also include backlinks to your page as well as a short description or your logo. Sites such as embed.ly will help you get your embed code set up.

7. You’re extreming the SEO

Successful content is always written for the user, not the search engine. That said, your content still has to satisfy a few SEO basics, as keeping Google happy is one surefire way to make sure your readers see your content in the first place.

Satisfying impatient readers and search engines is possible – just make sure you keep the important, relevant words and formatting in the right places in your text:

• In the headers, especially the H1 title
• In the meta description and meta tags
• In the page title
• At the start of paragraphs and sentences.

You should only have one H1-title, and this should contain the most important keyword. Depending on the structure of your article, format the other subheaders with H2 or H3 tags.

Don’t overdo the SEO, though. Stuffing keywords and H-tags into your article like there’s no tomorrow will see your website relegated to the bottom pages of the search results.

8. You’re on the wrong topic

Do you know what really interests your target audience? Does your expert knowledge position you as the thought leader in your niche? Because it’s these factors that will really mark your content out from the rest.

Creating Personas is the ideal springboard from which you can write your user-targeted content. A Persona is a recreation of a typically ideal visitor to your site, and all you have to do is make sure your content is written to meet their needs, interests and goals. Start analysing what your users like and find out what they search for online. Together with this, find out where your site is popular. Use tools like those at Buzzsumo to discover which social media channels are working well for your site.

9. You’re not distributing your content correctly

It’s not enough to just publish your content on your site in the hopes that someday, someone will read it – you have to distribute your work by targeting the sites and channels where your target group is active. Obviously, this means you have to know where your target audience is active…

There are multiple distribution options open to you. As well as using your social media channels, you could consider a paid-media strategy. You could also utilise your newsletter to share your most recent entries, too. Working with thought leaders in your area – guest posts or by sharing articles, for example – are one method to promote your content with success.

10. You’re not producing high-quality content

There’s more than enough dull rubbish out there online. These lifeless, poorly designed articles and webpages don’t satisfy Google and certainly aren’t going to grab any readers soon. Make sure you focus on producing high-quality content. Keep your message loud and clear (and error-free). Think about:

• Making it unique
• Keeping it relevant
• Maintaining a clear understandable structure
• Correcting any errors
• Writing in an engaging, informative way

So there you have it! There are a number of reasons your content might not be performing as well as you want it to. Keep these points in mind, though, and you’ll be well on your way to online content success.

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