There are three pillars in search engine optimisation or SEO: authority, trust, and relevance. Get these three right and you will see your website get that coveted spot in search engine results pages. In this guide, we will talk about one of them – page relevance.
Relevance is essentially how much a website’s content corresponds with the user’s request. This very important indicator affects the search results. The more a website’s content matches with the search term used, the more likely it is that the web page will appear higher in the search results.
Suffice it to say, you need to constantly and consistently work to increase your relevance by monitoring your content’s utility.
Page Relevance: What It Is
Think about this scenario. A person types in the phrase “how to play Jenga” in a search engine. It seems quite clear that the user is not looking for a Jenga per se. Rather, he or she probably already has one and just wants to learn how to play it.
Therefore, search results directing the user to online stores selling Jenga will not be relevant. Most likely, the relevant pages are pages where the rules and instructions for the game is described.
Now think about this next scenario. A person types in the phrase “DSLR camera”. This one is a little bit vague. What does he or she want? Does the user want to buy a DSLR camera? Or simply check different models, brands, and prices and compare them with one another?
Since the second scenario is a little vague, search engines will have a harder time determining the relevant pages for the query.
The Hiccup
Users usually do not describe what they need correctly or sufficiently.
This means that search engines give them a bunch of pages that do not really match what they need.
This also means that search engines have to use complex algorithms to determine the relevance of a website or a web page to the users’ query.
Another hiccup is that no SEO specialist in Australia, or the world for that matter, would disclose this information to prevent rank manipulation and keep the internet playing field level.
Nevertheless, Sydney SEO experts have identified a list of things you can do to effectively increase the relevance of your content, your web page, and your website in general.
Page Relevance: How to Increase It
Here are some ways to increase relevance.
- Content must be unique and strategically placed. The content of a web page must be unique, complete, and related to the search query. Queries must be distributed across pages. This means that only one key phrase or a few related ones should be used per page.
- Understand your users’ intent. Making a list of keywords might seem like the first thing to do. Rather, a clear strategy of understanding your users’ intent before coming up with a keywords list. To do this, you must know and understand your users. Research and analysis are extremely important.
- Keywords must be embedded strategically. Keywords and phrases must be embedded in the title and meta tags.
- There must be interlinking withing the site. Anchors and links from a website’s pages must link to other pages in the site.
- Texts must be broken down into sections. The use of headings and subheadings to divide paragraphs is ideal. This also helps in readability. Keywords and phrases should also be included in headings.
- Search queries must be used logically. Search queries must be used meaningfully. The number of times it is used in the content must be proportional to the volume of the text. Instead of spamming the text with the search query, use synonyms.
- Use media. Images, videos, and other media content must also be relevant to the subject and provide answer to the users’ query. The text and media content must also provide direct and relevant answers to any secondary questions.
- There must be links form authoritative sources. It is not about the quantity of the links to your site; it is about the quality. The resources linking to your site must be authoritative and the content surrounding the link must lead to a specific and relevant result. Nevertheless, the more reputable resources link to your site, the more your page relevance increases.
- Create evergreen content. Relevance is also bound by time. Your content must match current and timely events. One good idea is to create content that is evergreen. Evergreen content.
- Solve a problem. Here is an idea: solve a problem. Useful information is considered relevant information. Find out what your users’ problems are and then solve it. If your web page’s content can do it, your content becomes relevant.
How to Check Your Relevance
Relevance really depends on the users’ location, the accuracy of the search queries, and many other factors. This makes relevance an indicator that is difficult to reflect.
Additionally, search algorithms change so fast. It is almost impossible to maintain your relevance. Constant and consistent checking and validation is necessary to keep up. Checking relevance can be done using online tools or through the help of Sydney SEO experts.
Conclusion
Page relevance is one of the three pillars of good SEO. Relevant content that solves users’ problems or answers their questions can help catapult your web pages to the top of the search results list.
Using complex algorithms that change so quickly, search engines try to determine if a website’s content is relevant to a user’s query. These algorithms are not public knowledge. That makes relevance one of the most, if not the most, difficult SEO pillar to get right. To increase the relevance of your content, and in turn, your pages, consistently working on your content’s utility is necessary. This work is on-going and never ending.
Nevertheless, with hard work and dedication, your content will not only put your page on top of search engine results; but also solve your users’ problems, gaining their trust and establishing your place as an authority in your subject area.