Have you ever been chatting with a client or colleague and they mention that they’re doing content marketing for their business? You think you know what it is, but also think you don’t know what it is? Like, you know that it has something to do with blogging or posting on social media, and there’s an SEO tie-in, but you’re still not fully sure how it turns into leads or helps your business?
You’re not alone. In fact, there are some marketing pros out there that still can’t quite explain the value of content marketing and how best to use it.
The word “content” can refer to a litany of things: service pages, product pages, blog posts, white papers, articles, downloadable freebies, videos, and infographics, just to name a few.
So why is content marketing such a confusing topic for business owners? More often than not, they’re not sure why they’re doing it. The push to do content marketing is overwhelming. That said, content for content’s sake is a waste of time.
It’s essential to be intentional with all your content, especially if it lives on the internet. But how can you be intentional when it matters most?
Keep Your Audience as the Focus
Valuable content goes far beyond content that’s stuffed with industry-specific keywords. In fact, if you write content that way, it actually can get your content penalized and result in lost rankings for your website.
Google has the end user in mind when indexing content. Not the product. Not the services. The end user. Google’s currency is attention. Eyeballs are the prize. If you write content that reads like it’s catering to a bot or search engine, humans will tune out and click away. If that happens, is Google happy?
Nope.
Google wants engaged attention. The more your audience pays attention to a piece of content, the more valuable it becomes to Google. They can sell more ads. They can sell more ads at a higher price. They can sell their own products.
Puts content in a whole new light, doesn’t it?
So what happens if you’ve already created several pieces of content and posted them to your site and social media without this in mind? Don’t worry—you can still revitalize your content to be more audience-focused for improved rankings and better results!
How to Improve Your Existing Content and Draft Sparkly New Content
Whether you’re planning to review your existing content and give it a few tweaks or just plan to write new content with more intention, here are four steps you should take before you scribe another syllable.
- Keyword Research. Keyword research is the process by which you research popular search terms people type into search engines. (See Pro Tip #1 below.)
- Keyword Optimization. Taking the best keywords and strategically, but organically, placing them in your content to improve how well they are found in a search is keyword optimization.
- Content Organization. The content on your site should be organized in a logical way. This is not only good for SEO, it encourages visitors to stay engaged with your site or content. The more engagement, the better.
- Content Promotion. One of the best ways to increase visibility to new content you create is by sharing it on social networks and building links to your content. (See Pro Tip #2 below.)
Now, you’re well on your way to making your content favorable to both Google and your audience on the internet!
Keep These Things in Mind When Improving Your Content Marketing Strategy
Each business is unique, and since content marketing can cover such a broad range of mediums, it’s important to put the content marketing strategy in effect that’s right for your particular business. Here are a couple pro tips to keep in mind to improve your content marketing!
- Pro Tip #1: Popular keywords are not necessarily the best choice when engaging in SEO. The more searched the keyword, the harder it will be to rank in the search results. Keywords with specificity are called long-tail keywords. For example, “plumber” is a very popular keyword. “hot tub plumber Charlotte NC” is a less popular keyword and may be more effective.
Long-tail keywords are a better way to go for a few reasons. The first is there is less competition and therefore they will rank faster. The second reason is that the searcher is looking for something very specific and is likely ready to buy.
- Pro Tip #2: Most people know that if they write a post on social media, they can hyperlink a keyword back to a blog post or sales page on their site. Pretty easy and a smart thing to do. What many people fail to do is build INTERNAL links. When you write a blog post on your site and then make reference to a service you offer, hyperlink that service to a service page on your site. The link never leaves the website, but is a powerful tactic to optimize your website.
The best thing you can do when building your content strategy is to begin with the end in mind. Set your intention for your communications and be mindful of the experience you want your audience to have. Pair that with some strategically placed, well-researched keywords, and you’re on your way to having some killer content that both Google and your audience will love.
Wondering exactly what your content is doing for your business? Find out if your content is working for you or if you need to make some changes—schedule a complimentary strategy session with us at GoBeyond SEO!
