BACK TO BASICS: Building a Web Site Theme with Silos, Part Five: Keyword Rich Content

by Bradley Leese, October 15, 2007

Content is King.

At least that's what they have been telling us all these years. The truth is that the importance of content has to be qualified. Content is King, but not all content is created equal. Your content needs to be written with specific qualities in mind to fulfill the standard that search engines are looking for today. It has to meet a number of guidelines before it is even considered worthwhile, and even then it might not be enough to satisfy your ROI in helping to improve your rankings.

Content requirements

The first step in creating keyword-rich content is to look at how much content needs to be written in order to be competitive in the top results. Knowing exactly how much content you will need in order to have a top ranking in the search engines can be incredibly empowering. While the content alone will not be enough to rank well in the search engines, it is essential in order to rise to the top of the search results. What's more, it is a knowable figure and even a competitor that has thousands more pages is vulnerable when the mystery of their ranking is unlocked.

Our series on building silos has been focused on helping heifer.org to target the audiences that draw donations and money going towards ending world hunger. We have spent a great deal of time looking at Google, as they deliver the greatest potential reward for efforts. We'll continue that focus as we discuss content. How does one determine how much content a Web site needs in order to effectively compete in Google? The answer is to use special Google operators to find the data that we will need to identify competition and content volume.

Google Operators

We determine how Google evaluates sites' content densities, and thus assigns rankings, using Google operators within the search box. This allows us to sort through Google's index and identify how many pages a site may have within the Google index.

http://www.google.com/help/operators.html

Site Command + Keyword Phrase

The first operator is the "site:". Combined with a keyword phrase, the "site:" command allows you to identify approximately how many pages a specific site has about that specific keyword phrase.

Example: [site:fundraising-ideas.org Fundraising Ideas]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Afundraising-ideas.org+Fundraising+Ideas&btnG=Search

Allintitle

The second operator is the "allintitle:" operator that helps to identify how many pages in the Google index use the keyword phrase within the title.

Example: [allintitle: Fundraising Ideas]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=allintitle%3A+Fundraising+Ideas&btnG=Search

The combination of these two search engine evaluation techniques will give you a good idea of how much content is needed to get into the game and what is required to get in the top results. It also removes the mystical quality of search engines ranking algorithm and puts the power into the site owner's hands.

Content Measurement and Evaluation

Let's revisit the nonprofit site Heifer.org and examine a sample of their primary and secondary silo categories. I am using two different types of operators within the Google index to determine how much content will be required to compete for a given keyword phrase. Now, typically a charity oriented Web site would have some existing content focused on many of the main fundraising and charity-centric subjects that they target. However, in this case, Heifer.org does very little to describe the people with whom they are trying to solicit donations from. I made the choice early on as their hypothetical analyst to change the focus of their site away from the organisation itself and towards targeting the very people that will give to their cause. For this unique reason, it means that Heifer.org has no real content about these target audiences and must start from scratch. Below is a potential breakdown by type of target audience and some possible related keywords.

Charity Giving / Individual Giving
Keywords: Giving, Charity, Poverty, Volunteer, Charities, Donation, Non Profit, Advocacy, Nonprofit, Charitable Giving Altruistic

Celebrity / Philanthropy
Keywords: Celebrity, Advocacy, Philanthropy, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Benefactor, Altruistic

Estate Planning
Keywords: Charitable Trusts, Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust, Charity as a Beneficiary, Charitable Donation, Wills and Estate Planning, Estate Taxes, Charitable Giving, IRA money, Contingent IRA Beneficiaries, Retirement Accounts, State Estate Tax

Governmental Giving
Keywords: Surplus, Poverty, Aid, Charities, Advocacy, United States of America, Nonprofit, Non-Profit Organizations, Donations, Tax Deduction, Property Law, Tax Exemption, Atonement, Humanitarian Aid, Bureaucracy

World Charities, Africa Charities, Asia Charities
Keywords: AIDS, Africa, Agriculture, Malaria, Apartheid, Genocide

Religious Giving / Charity
Keywords: Christianity, Judaism, Catholic Charities, Lutheran, Roman Catholic

Corporate Giving
Keywords: Corporate Identity, Commercial Law, Corporate Social Responsibility, Capital Gains Tax, Tax Deduction, Atonement

Fundraising
Keywords: Fundraising Ideas, Fund Raising Ideas, Fundraiser Ideas, Fundraising Companies, School Fundraiser, Churches, Church Fundraiser, Sports Teams, Day Cares, Charities

Competitive Research of Content Measurement

Beyond just measuring the quantity of pages, we must also investigate the quality of the content on the average page throughout a given site. We are going to evaluate how many words should be used per page and the complexity of how the content is laid out on the page.

Fundraising

Review the tables below to learn how much content is required to compete for a given keyword phrase. There is more to ranking a Web site than just writing content. Use these samples to estimate the amount of content required on the site as a means to measure a trend of the top page results. The higher ranked the Web site, the more likely they have the highest number of pages about a subject. These estimates must fall under the same level of scrutiny you give any other siloing category and need to be considered as one factor in the overall silo construction.

Example: fundraising-ideas.org

Content Measurement

This site has a huge amount of content on their home page which highlights two major factors. One, that "fundraising Ideas" is potentially a very competitive term and that much of this information is built by volunteers. The information is lengthy and very generic with little adherence to an actual institution, which leads me to believe it was written by well-meaning teachers and other types of educators for school programs.

Example: fundraiserhelp.com

Content Measurement

Acting as more like a directory than actual guide, the home page of fundraiserhelp.com has generous content while the supporting pages tend to be far less in the realm of 50-100 words. However, it seems like there is no doubt that the home page of a site optimised for "fundraising ideas" is going to have to have a great deal of content on the home page.

Example: easy-fundraising-ideas.com

The majority of content on EasyFundraisingIdeas.com appears towards the bottom of the home page. Each site has numerous on page links, but this site far exceeds the recommended norm of less than 15 percent.

By putting the content higher on the actual page, the content might be seen as being more relevant. From these results we can determine a range of content that we should be aiming to meet. However, budget for writing the lowest content of the competition and make a goal to aim higher over time. It is much more important to get in the game, rather than becoming overwhelmed by a seemingly impossible task.

You might ask yourself if it is practical to pay very much attention to these figures. It is a legitimate concern because as we have already discussed in previous topics on "Siloing" within this series, content is only one slice of the pie. However, this data is valid especially in very competitive fields as many of them are likely to be implementing these strategic implementations. Set a realistic number and begin somewhere and chart the site's progress with each major content addition.

Content Required to Rank "Fundraising Ideas" in the Top Results

In this rare case it is actually the first page that has the least content. Use the lowest number in the top 10 and use that site as a milestone. So, in this case, the target would be to write 439 pages with 699 words on each page.

Keyword Densities

Beyond understanding the content volume of your own site and your competitor's site, it is also vital to evaluate and understand the keyword densities used throughout the content pages of the site. This number should be used as a model when writing and planning content. You must understand the emphasis of focus on the subject "fundraising ideas", as it is often used throughout most of the high ranking sites. Remember to pay more attention to the density percentage and less the frequency or repetition of keywords used throughout the content page.

I recommend using the Research Summary tools found within our SEOToolSet in the Ranking Monitor Section and following the step-by-step instructions in the SEOToolSet on "hitting densities" or compiling the top 10 rankings sites in the search engines. Below is how the tool appears in the toolset, followed by an example of the recommended density report.

1. Research Summary
   
   
   
   
   If you're not an SEOToolset subscriber, you can try our Research Summary tool free in Step One of our search engine optimisation methodology page.
   
   
2. Density Recommendation Report
   
   

   Recommended "fundraising ideas" Configuration
   	META Title	META Descr	META Keywords	Heads	<!--	ALT Codes	Hyper Links	First Words	All Body Words	ALL Words
   Page Total Word Usage	7	18	30	26	1	24	1	200	1157	1264
   fundraising	14.3% (1)	5.6% (1)	10.0% (3)	7.7% (2)	100.0% (1)	20.8% (5)	100.0% (1)	4.5% (9)	2.1% (24)	3.0% (38)
   fundraising ideas	28.6% (1)	11.1% (1)	6.7% (1)	7.7% (1)	200.0% (1)	16.7% (2)	200.0% (1)	2.0% (2)	1.0% (6)	2.2% (14)
   ideas	14.3% (1)	5.6% (1)	13.3% (4)	3.8% (1)	100.0% (1)	8.3% (2)	100.0% (1)	2.0% (4)	0.8% (9)	1.6% (20)
   fundraising

This chart demonstrates ideal recommendations for "keyword densities" to be used on individual page edits throughout the site. However densities alone are not enough to build subject relevancy and rather this should be used as a guide.. As you will discover in content strategies, the volume of content that sites are accumulating can no longer be expected to be accomplished by balanced density article creation. It is no longer realistic for site owners to compete for high volume content rather adapt new ways to enable users to build subject relevant content. (See User Generated Content.)

From this chart we can glean the following critical pieces of information:

Meta Tag Density: What density to use with the keyword phrase in the Title, Description and Keywords tags.

Body Tag Density: What density to use with the headings, alt attributes and link text density.

Content Density Counts: What density to use within the first 200 words and keyword phrase in the Title, Description and Keywords tags.

Content Building Strategies

Now we know how much content we need to write and what is required to be competitive. Often dedicated yourself to writing this much content involved hiring a publishing staff and spending a considerable amount of money. This may be a wise move for many companies in the long run, but it's not always possible for smaller companies. A small company isn't going to be able to compete against organisations with a seemingly mammoth Web site and budget unless they get creative. A small shop doesn't have the budget to hire a full time writer to create the content like a large company would. There is another answer, however, and here are some ideas for the exploration of content writing for the new generation.

Traditional Articles, Newsletters, Blogs

It is time to evolve and to think Web 2.0. Evolution is a must for adapting to the new environment on the Web. What exactly is involved in this metamorphosis from traditional static sites to dynamic interactive sites?

User-Generated Content Building

There is a new philosophy for building content which solves the problem of small to medium size companies' Web sites who cannot compete with the mass creation of content. There are ways to build relevance by encouraging users to become involved in an active way with your brand. Customers can contribute within the form of a review, testimonial or comment or go beyond that with their own ideas, generating content through creative projects.

Example: Amazon's reviews

Reviews are a great way to get users to build content-rich extension of your site, but they can only go so far. Let's face it, how can we get users to create content practically for free and also increase the link popularity of expertness of your site?

User Personalised Content Building

Allow users to move right into the Web site with profile pages, digital identities, as well as becoming inducted experts for your products and services. Create a growing and active community that will keep people on your site and creating unique, keyword-rich content that new customers are looking for. It is on the level of community building where your Web site becomes infused by the presence and influence of your visitors and supporters of your product or services. Give the power to your community to create living and breathing testimonials of their devotion and advocate for the company / organisation. Allow users the freedom to flesh out their own communities within the Web site and build content, not via a passive testimonial, but volumes of their insight.

Example: Yahoo's Answers

A great example of this that we see replicated throughout the Internet is Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! Answers combines all the elements that define a Web 2.0 community fulfilling both content creation and becoming a subject authority.

Having the knowledge to decode how search engines evaluate and categorize content brings a seemly mysterious method into the light. Setting the bar too high by trying to compete with only the top results will lead to frustration and hesitation. Instead, measure the group of top competitors and pick the most achievable goal. When writing content, get a solid idea of what the keyword density is so that you help to increase keyword and subject relevancy. Finally, write quality content that users want or get your users to generate their own content in their own personalized space.

Next: Part Six: Site Maps, Sitemaps

 

Having a site map in the root directory of your Web site has long been of central importance to helping search engines identify all the major sections of your site. Now Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask.com have upped the stakes with the new sitemaps.xml standard. Instead of having to change the HTML file by hand, you can run a free tool that will spider your site and spit out what it thinks is the logical structure of your site in the form of a site map that can be submitted to all four major engines. Learn to use site maps to illustrate how organize the content on your site and format the new XML Sitemaps to best serve your site's subject relevance.

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