Measuring Opportunity Through

Content EvaluationHow Positive Changes to

Website Content Can Increase ROI

MICHELLE LOWERY@MichelleDLowery

Before you buy a website,

you must evaluate the

existing content.

Two Main Factors

Quality

Optimization

Quality Includes:

Spelling and Grammar

Style

Length

Reading Level

Spelling and Grammar

Poor spelling and grammar can negatively affect authority and trust

If the content is poor, what does that say about the

product or service offered on the site?

Style

Is the content too casual? Too formal?

Does it use good vocabulary?

Length

Is the content:

long enough to be positivelyevaluated by search engines?

short enough to hold readers’ attention?

Reading LevelCan the content be easily understood by the audience?

The average American reads at the 7th grade level. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Social Services

However, it shouldn’t be too simplistic, either.

Optimization Includes:

Good Use of Keywords

Meta Tags

Titles

Good Linking

Good Use of Keywords

While keywords should be includedin page copy, the content should not be “stuffed.”

Longtail keyword phrases are important in light of the Google Hummingbird update.

Meta Tags

The two most important meta tags on anypage are the title tag and the meta description.

Are keywords included in the tags?

Are the tags well structured?

Do the tags adhere to best practices?

Meta Description

The meta description isyour first opportunity to convert.

Meta Description

The better the description, the morelikely the searcher is to click through to the site.

A compelling and eye-catching meta descriptionhas a clear effect on organic click-through rates.

Meta DescriptionMeta descriptions that cater to

longtail queries also raise click-through rates.

Source: Google CTR Study by Catalyst Search Marketinghttp://www.catalystsearchmarketing.com/pubs/google-ctr-study/

Titles

In addition to the title tag, actualarticle or blog post titles are also important.

Do they include keywords?

Are keywords well placed?

Are the titles an appropriate length?

Linking

Does the content contain strong internal links?

Does the content containappropriate outbound links?

Are outbound links appropriately structured?

Evaluating E-Commerce Content

Four Main Factors

Quality

Sourcing

Supplementary Content

Calls to Action

E-Commerce Content Quality

All the quality aspects previously

covered apply to e-commerce content,

with some additional considerations.

E-Commerce Content Quality

Are the most important productaspects covered? (size, color, weight, etc.)

Are product descriptions consistent?

Are descriptions long enough to inform,but short enough to hold customer interest?

E-Commerce Content SourcingDo the product descriptionscome from a vendor feed?

•Potential duplicate content issues

•Potential quality issues

•An auto-generated feel rather thanunique, attention-grabbing descriptions

Supplementary ContentIs there a blog?

If not, could adding one help boost sales?

Are there any resources?•How-to articles

•Instructions for use or assembly

Other content related to products

Calls to ActionAre they placed prominently and

in appropriate locations on the pages?

Are they worded well?

Are they usedappropriately throughout the site?

Making the Decision to Buy

Content issues need not prohibit purchase.

Despite any content issues,revenue and/or traffic may still be good.

Content can always be improved or changed.

Making the Decision to Buy• If revenue is good in current condition,

imagine what revenue could be likewith improved and/or added content.

• If traffic is good in current condition,imagine what traffic could be like withcontent optimization.

• One e-commerce site saw a 400% increasein traffic by optimizing their keywordsto be more in line with search terms.Source: Marketing Sherpa studyhttp://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/traffic-increase-generic-seo-keyword-effort

How to Address Content Issues• Determine what content needs to be

improved or replaced• Develop a priority list• Priorities will depend on factors such as

site type and purchase date• For e-commerce, product descriptions may need

updating before upcoming gift-based holidays

How to Address Content Issues

• Determine what content you want to add• Develop a priority list

• Create a schedule for content creationand/or editing

How to Address Content Issues

• In-House• Do you have the resources

• Writers, editors, content manager, content strategist• Do you have enough resources to accomplish

content evaluation and restructuring in a timely manner?

How to Address Content Issues• Outsourcing

• If you don’t have the resources in-house, youcan seek help from outside professionals for:• Content audit• Content strategy• Content creation• Editing• Consulting• Schedule/editorial calendar creation• Blog management• Overall content management

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