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SEO texts are becoming more complex. It used to be that pages stuffed with keywords would rise to the top of the list. Now this does not work. The first positions belong to sites with high-quality and useful content. If you want to be ahead, you have to meet the requirements of search engines and the interests of readers.

In this article, we'll find out:

• What distinguishes a good SEO text;
• what materials and how exactly to supplement the text;
• what requirements should be met by texts on different types of pages.

The quality of the text that will get to the top of the search results

A good text meets the 5 criteria:

• Relevance. The text should respond to the request and cover the topic as fully as possible. It is necessary to take into account non-obvious nuances, clarify controversial points.
• Utility. A useful text contains answers to the reader's questions. The more questions that can be closed, the better. If a person reads the text and does not go back to the search to look at other pages on the query, then the text is useful.
• Uniqueness. Not so much technical as semantic. A unique text carries something new - something that has not yet been said or written. It has added value.
• Credibility. Gross "bloopers" in the content pulls the text to the bottom of the rendition little by little. The text should not contain untruths, outdated information or conclusions that are based on disproven statements and assumptions.
• Readability. It consists of clarity of presentation and beauty of design. Paragraphs and subheadings, illustrations, quality layout - all this affects readability.

Content is primary. There should be keywords, but in moderate quantities and in a natural form. It is not possible to simply fit the text to the keys.

SEO-text is not a mess of a couple thousand characters with key phrases. It is useful, reliable and easy to read material, in which the reader will find what he or she typed into the search box for. The exact occurrence of a key is not necessary at all to get into the top of the results

Search engine robots determine the quality of website pages primarily by behavioral factors and social metrics. The more useful and credible the content, the lower the bounce rate and the longer the time spent on the page. Yahoo and Google realize that the text is interesting to people, and the page rises in prominence.

To write quality SEO text, you have to go one of two ways:

• to write about something you're an expert in;
• immerse yourself in the topic, research all sources, and ask questions of experts.

It is difficult and time-consuming. But such text will rank well in search and will quickly repay all the costs.

Images and videos as part of a page's content

Text is not everything. Media files make it more informative and easier to understand. A photo can say more than a paragraph of text. A single screenshot can replace a wordy description: a glance and it's all clear

Images in the article can be divided into illustrations and scenery. Illustrations organically complement the text, reveal it more fully and confirm what you are writing about:

• on the "About the Company" page, photos of employees are suitable as illustrations;
• on the page of installation company's services - pictures demonstrating the work of installation specialists;
• in the product card - a photo of the product (for example, a smartphone or a board game) from different angles;
• in the portfolio section - the result of the work in the "was/still" format;
• in an informative article - screenshots, graphs, infographics and everything that corresponds to the topic and confirms the author's arguments.

Decorations are images that are not directly related to the topic and content of the text. Their only purpose is to "dilute" the text canvas, to make the page more visually appealing:

• these are screenshots from movies and clips;
• memes and "funny pictures."
• stock photos and template graphics.

Illustrations are better than scenery. Try to choose illustrations whenever possible.

Images need to be optimized:

• The optimal format is JPG. Such pictures weigh little, so the page loads faster - and the loading speed is important for the evaluation of the site by search engines.
• To make the images easier, you can save them in Photoshop using the "Save for web" function (Ctrl+Shift+Alt+S). Reduce the quality to 75%. If you don't use Photoshop, try the Tinypng service.
• Title - according to the headline. It is worth including the main keyword in the title. If we write about a vacation in Thailand, the pictures can be called thailand-1, thailand-2, etc.
• Spell out the Alt and Title tags. They should reflect the essence of what is shown in the picture or photo.

Videos, too, should bring out the theme of the text more fully.

• video review of the product will perfectly complement the product card in the catalog of the online store;
• video testimonial of a satisfied client can be placed on the page with the description of the service or on a landing page;
• Analytical and expert videos will add value to an informative article or blog post.

There are times when you need to show something in motion or attract attention, but you don't want to upload a "heavy" video. Use animation. Animation is "lighter" than video and more informative than a picture, and it looks great too.

What else could you add to the text?

Sometimes it is impossible to find suitable photo and video material. If the text is long enough, without illustrations it turns into a canvas that is difficult to read. Then other visual elements save the day:

• Highlighting the most important parts of the text: frame, fill, indentation;
• beautifully designed tables;
• a block of text in 2-3 columns;
• order or subscription forms;
• slider with a photo gallery or carousel of testimonials.

Use interactive elements. These are tests, games, or windows where the image changes as you move the cursor. Interactives engage visitors in the text and help with promotion:

• a person is playing, watching an animation, or taking a test;
• is spending more and more time on the site;
• behavioral factors are getting better;
• the site rises faster in search.

Dilutions are not an end in themselves. Pictures, videos, galleries should simplify perception and/or complement the text. If the text is easier to read without visual elements, they are not needed. Do not upload small texts that are already easy to read and understand.

Texts for different types of pages

Home page. By the content of the home page, people try to determine the content of the entire site. For search engines, it is also important.

• The home page of an online store should communicate what you sell, what your prices and terms are.
• The home page of a service website is about what the company can be useful for, what problem a person or business will solve with your service, how you work.
• For the main pages of blogs and info-sites you don't have to write text - it will be replaced by announcements of new articles, news collections, lists of topics and headings.

Place blocks of dynamic content on this page: lists of recent articles and comments, sliders with reviews, etc. This has a good effect on promotion.

Service Page. Here it is important to tell about the service in as much detail as possible:

• label the result of the work;
• write about conditions, guarantees, prices;
• to explain your benefits;
• describe the operating procedures.

The purpose of such a text is to close the reader's objections and motivate him to leave an application. The page mainly uses commercial queries: with the prefixes "buy", "order", "price", "price list", etc.

Section of the online store. The text in the section plays an auxiliary role. The main thing is the products. The text should briefly categorize them, tell about the main differences, give useful advice on the choice. The buyer will know what to pay attention to.

Product Card. The basis of this page - high-quality photos and a list of technical specifications. In a short description you should tell about the features of the product, how to use it and what it will be used for.

There are products for which no description is needed. Usually these are the simplest products: towel hooks, electric cables, a pack of printer paper. Everything is clear with them. A description along the lines of "this nail should be hammered into a wooden surface with a hammer" is not useful.

Informative article. Search engines love such materials. On average, info articles are quite voluminous (from 3000-5000 characters). Their task is to reveal some relevant topic and give the reader a guide to action. Or at least food for thought.

Additions to the article may include:

• graphs, charts;
• information and comparison tables;
• links to sources (official announcements, news).

Informational sites get traffic from search due to a large array of articles. Such articles are usually promoted on low- and medium-frequency non-commercial queries.

Landing page (LandingPage). The text on the landing page is tailored to one task - to lead the buyer to make a target action. Usually it is filling out an application form, less often it is a phone call.

Landing pages are a lot like service pages - the text should be written according to the same principles. Optimizing them is a bit more difficult, because every word is important on the landing page, and keywords are immediately eye-catching. Put the main query in the H1 header, write meta tags and robots.txt.

It also makes sense to optimize one-page sites. If there are no keys, Google may consider the page irrelevant. Because of this, the cost per click in contextual advertising ads will increase. One-page sites move slowly in search, but if you sell something unique, after a while you will get organic traffic.

Contact section. There should be as much contact information as possible. This is a full legal and actual address with a dynamic map, all valid phone numbers, e-mail, feedback form, if possible - links to communities in social networks.

What's the bottom line?

Superficial and over-optimized texts no longer make it to the top of the list. Search engine algorithms are getting smarter. Every day it is less and less necessary to think about keywords and more and more about content and simplicity.

Ranking is strongly influenced by behavioral factors. The sites that visitors spend more time on and return to again and again rise in search. That is why it is so important to create useful and informative texts. This applies to informative articles, descriptions of services, and product cards.

To increase the value and simplify the perception of the text, you need to supplement it with thematic illustrations and videos, use visual elements. This also affects behavioral factors and the site's position in the rendition.