How User-Generated Content Impacts Your SEO Strategy

How User-Generated Content impacts Your SEO Strategy. A Talk

A picture is worth a thousand words. So when you have a thousand pictures representing your brand, the effects are exponential. Since the advent of smartphones, user-generated content has been on the rise, from selfies to homemade videos to blog posts.

Smart marketers have recognized the potential behind UGC

Brands have realized that utilizing content created by users has multiple benefits. Not only does it reduce the cost of marketing and content creation, but it also provides them with a supply of unique and exciting content.

Moreover, UGC helps to build a strong relationship between consumers and businesses, especially on social media platforms. According to zdnet.com, 92% of consumers trust organic, user-generated content more than traditional advertising. As interactions grow, so too does brand loyalty and a deeper understanding of consumer preferences.

But in all of this, one significant advantage of user-generated content is a boost in SEO.

How can UGC impact your SEO campaign?

Sometimes even after all the hard work, your SERP ranking hasn’t improved. Maybe it’s time to add a bit of flavor to your current SEO campaign. User-generated content can do that and more. Here are just a few of them.

1. It’s a way to get more content

User-generated content comes in different shapes and sizes. Typically ones include:

• Reviews and testimonials
• Discussion forums and Q&A sections
• Posts
• Comments
• Images
• Videos

Source

One of the greatest benefits of UGC is that there’s a lot of it. When a brand uses UGC, it has more content to offer search crawlers. And because consumers are providing it, it’s more relevant- and cost-effective.

2. There’s an abundant supply of fresh content

One of the factors that influence rankings is the freshness of content. And as well know, people love posting and commenting, especially on social media.

The freshness and the amount of UGC can provide more context to search engines as well as improve visibility on search. Moreover, the content resonates equally with both the online shoppers as well as search engines.

3. Harvest a diverse collection of relevant search terms

The use of UGC shows how brands and consumers are effectively communicating with each other. As visitors comment, post, or leave reviews, they use various terms and phrases to discuss your content. They’re often used solely by individuals for search, and brands may not think to include them in their marketing campaigns. So this leaves you with a variety of long-tail keywords that you can use to update your SEO campaign.

By analyzing the terms and phrases frequently used by your audience, you can refine your keyword optimization research. Moreover, a motivated consumer that is seriously searching for a product or service will be more likely to use these long-tail keywords. So the benefit is that even though they get less search traffic, long-tail keywords usually have a higher conversion value because they are more specific to a particular audience.

4. You get higher Click-Through Rates

Online reviews are the right way of helping Google learn more about your business and the products or services you provide. But positive customer reviews can improve your brand’s SEO strategy and search rankings. The equation is relatively simple.

Great reviews = More stars = More clicks

CTR influences SEO rankings. Consumers prefer to interact with a business that has good reviews and more stars. When more people click on your site more often than others, Google rewards you with better rankings on SERPs.

5. Google trusts consumers

According to adweek.com, 81% of consumers research online before making a purchase. Shoppers actively search through reviews, comments, testimonials, etc. They seek trustworthy sources of information to help them make up their minds.

Source

And UGC is there to help. Stackla.com states that 79% of people say UGC impacts their purchasing decisions. Not only does it increase sales (viewers that interact with UGC are twice more likely to purchase), but it also enhances online visibility. The steady supply of fresh and relevant content provides vital information to search engines. It sends a signal to Google that not only is the business really, but it’s also one that consumers have positive interactions with. So yeah, the content your customers post about your brand helps to boost your search rankings.

6. Enhances backlinking strategies

Websites need to have a comprehensive SEO strategy in place, whether they do it themselves or hand over the job to established digital agencies like SEtalks. But no matter what the choice is at the end of the day, the website will need to be optimized for search with essential techniques involving keywords, titles, internal links, and backlinks.

So when a person publishes content on their own blog backlinking to your website or includes links in product-centric testimonials, your SEO ranking can significantly improve.

7. Magnifies social reach, growth, and optimization

No SEO campaign is complete without the mention of social media. Since social media platforms are created for sharing large amounts of content with an even larger number of people, it’s the jackpot of user-generated content.

Here, brand owners have access to fresh, innovative content. Moreover, the content gets a great deal of visibility. The more people share content linked to your brand, the more followers there will be who will also link to it. And we all know just how relevant links are for SEO.

A UGC campaign on social media platforms can build brand awareness, strengthen customer relationships, and increase traffic. In fact, according to HubSpot, consumers find UGC 9.8 times more impactful than influencer content. So UGC can support:

• Growth of KPIs such as likes, shares, comments, etc.
• Expand the follower base
• Increase web traffic
• Extend reach

8. Gain insightful awareness of your audience

UGC can provide your brand with massive amounts of data. By analyzing the type of content your audience is sharing, you can identify what engages them as well as their preferences. Using these insights, you can apply a data-driven marketing strategy and generate content that aligns with your customers. And this will further encourage them to contribute more content.

Final thoughts

User-generated content is creating a lot of noise in the digital world nowadays. It’s allowing brands to earn extra SEO points through various means. Therefore, marketers are incorporating them in SEO campaigns and other marketing tactics to get impressive results.

The question now is, are you ready to reel in the power of user-generated content and give your SEO strategies a much-needed boost?