Much like the age-old question that asks, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” there is the content marketer’s version, “If you develop terrific content but no one finds or reads it, does it help your business?” I can’t answer for the trees, but I know the answer for content marketers is “definitely not.”
For PR, marketing and communications professionals, content development is often a key priority. However, writing the content is really only half the battle – the other element to a successful content campaign is to make sure that that content reaches the right people at the right time.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a critical strategy that allows potential customers and other target audiences to find your content more easily, and also for organizations to reach people that might not have found it otherwise.
However, if you’re using random keywords and publishing blogs and other content assets without much knowledge of your readers, then you might be setting yourself up for failure. Julia McCoy, in an article for Search Engine Journal, advises that “You can’t create content randomly and expect to see results. That’s like throwing a dart at a bullseye…blindfolded.”
For quality inbound leads and profitable traffic, it’s imperative to develop content strategically that’s based on solid SEO principles. Every piece of online content – whitepapers, blog posts, product datasheets and the like – must be written not only to provide useful information, but to also achieve placement in search engine rankings.
Below are some suggestions for how content developers can leverage SEO to make their content easier to find:
- Keywords are key. Remember your target audience is human (we hope), so you should write your content the way that actual humans speak and read, rather than for search engine algorithms. Reusing a keyword or phrase in 20 different ways through a blog post, for example, is both irritating and off-putting; readers will see through it and likely not search for your content a second time.
Likewise, consider the phrases and words that your target audience might use when searching for your company or product. Those terms are often conversational and contextual. As Forbes’ contributor AJ Agrawal suggests, “Try brainstorming what kinds of language potential customers might use to ask questions or describe problems associated with your product or service.” You can also use keyword research tools like the Google AdWords Keyword Planner to come up with your keyword lists.
- Also, think beyond keywords. McCoy points out that “Keyword research alone does not an SEO strategy make. Instead, we want to begin by defining your brand’s purpose and expertise.” Identifying topics and areas where your organization has unique expertise and thought leadership can help guide audience and keyword research.
- Consider who’s in the audience. This seems simple enough, but before creating any type of content it’s essential to really understand who the audience is. What are their challenges? What motivates them? Evaluate your current (and future) customers, as well as the competition. Consider creating target personas for the “ideal” customer you’re aiming to reach and tailor your content to address their challenges….and then lead them to seek out your solution.
- Think globally. If your business spans to different countries, then localizing content can make a huge impact on search results. Often this can be a simple spelling change (realize to realise, for example), or it may require translating copy into local languages. Don’t forget too to include local contact information such as phone numbers and domain names (.com versus .co.uk, for example).
- Track the ROI of SEO. Measurement is key with SEO, and with any content development initiative. Begin by benchmarking where your company ranked for certain keywords before optimization efforts, and then track changes in keywork rankings ta various intervals to see how efforts are paying off.
I hope these tips are helpful as you continue building your content development and SEO strategies. Are there other tips you would include that have helped your business with search engine rankings? We’d love to hear about them!