Gone are the days when you could simply stuff your landing pages full of keywords to trick Google algorithms, what determines your search engine rankings these days is the quality of your content.
Having identified your keywords and the appropriate locations on your website to insert them, you should now be able to populate your website with SEO-friendly content. Well-written content that is keyword dense and easy to read is what you want.
Now you just need to figure out how to do that - read on!
Q: What is content SEO?
A: Content SEO is essentially creating web pages that match Google searches with relevant content. This content can be located on a blog post, a press release, or a specific landing page. Doing keyword research is essential, however, to successful content marketing. Marketers have a tendency to equate “content marketing” with writing articles solely for human consumption, without consideration for the keywords/themes of the articles. This approach relies on a false dichotomy which assumes that you can write for humans or for Google. To be successful at content marketing for SEO purposes, you need to do both. To help your websites resonate with readers and rank on Google, you need to create write articles relevant to transactional keywords i.e. words that people search before making a purchase on your website. You should look for 6-12 transactional keywords and plan your marketing content around these words.
Q: How do I identify transactional keywords/themes for my content?
A: There are a few themes that apply to any content marketing plan, the specific content of these themes depends on your industry.
News and Trending Searches: news, trends, and recent developments relevant to your industry are what you are looking for here. For instance, if you’re in the business of developing dentures for retirees, then the discovery of a connection between degenerative diseases and the lack of dentures would be an excellent entry point for you to develop your latest content series. The type of content that would match these searches include press releases, short summary clips or blog posts.
Specific longtail searches: these types of searches typically focus on a very specific customer need or educational content. For instance, diving enthusiasts may be looking for a “one hand diving propeller permitted in overhead luggage bin”. Another example would be auto-repair enthusiasts who may be looking online for an answer to the “most environmentally friendly way to dispose of radiator coolant”. The appropriate matching content in this case would be blog posts or educational short clips.
Reputational searches: the average online shopper will look at at least 2 online reviews before making a purchase decision. It would make sense for you to Google your brand + reviews and see whether positive search results come up. Matching content here would be a reviews page on your website, since people are more likely to search for “reviews”, that’s what you should name the corresponding page (instead of “Testimonials”). You can go beyond your own website here and make sure that your brand page is well maintained on professional review websites like Yelp, Trustpilot, and Google.
Q: How do I do content marketing on social media for SEO?
A: Google search rankings are increasingly influenced by social media. You’ll notice that a company’s Instagram profile, Facebook page and Twitter account will be very close to the top of relevant Google searches.
In fact, Google is paying more and more attention to Twitter because of the immediacy and social sharing aspect of Twitter content. The best way to do content marketing on social media for SEO purposes is to create content that can be shared on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and any other social media platforms that encourage content sharing.
As a brand, what you need to do is not only create shareable content but also facilitate sharing by providing auto-generated links, clickable sharing icons, and providing incentives for social sharing. Having long-running contests with minor prizes such as gift cards, which can be awarded to individuals who engage the most with your content is a great way to get your customers to start sharing your content!
