Content is king in any SEO strategy. You’ve probably heard that so much that it’s starting to get old. While that one statement tells us that content is important, it really does nothing for telling us what it means to create great SEO content in 2018.
So, with no other guidance, businesses go forth and create content that fits the standard definitions of SEO. Keyword research, keyword saturation and socially sharable content all come to mind. But, what’s missing from this equation is the human factor of content that generates serious love. SEO algorithms aren’t just about keywords, and it’s time we start adapting content with strategies that are going to drive real engagement.
What does this mean for the content you’re creating today? Let’s take a look.
You’re Writing for Your Audience, Not for Google
You need create content with SEO triggers that search engines are going to pick up on, but if you get too stuck on that alone, your content is going to lack relatability, which is crucial for generating engagement. Considering that engagement is important for SEO, this becomes the catch 22 of creating SEO content.
Here’s the thing. There’s a ton of analytics that go into the ranking system. Keyword use is only one small part of the equation, and most of the other factors center around user experience. This means that you’re going to get better SEO results when you stop worrying so much about Google, or any other search engine, and start paying more attention to the people you actually want to read your content.
No matter what type of content you’re creating, remember that your target audience is human, not a robot. Create content that’s easy to read or watch, and use natural language and keywords in places where it makes sense and doesn’t seem forced. If you can generate some type of emotion, be it happiness, empathy or excitement, then that’s even better.
Remember that all the help from Google won’t help you if nobody’s interested in your content.
Create Content with the Customer Journey in Mind
Each person that engages with your content is a potential conversion. The customer journey always starts with an interest, and great SEO content catches on to that and further lures the customer further along the path.
Ok, this is great for conversions, but what does it have to do with search engine optimization.
Let’s start at the beginning. You’ve created a piece of content that’s a great introduction to your brand. Maybe you shared it on social media and generated some real engagement. This alone provides an SEO advantage.
Some of the people who engaged with your content visited your site, and now they’re considering purchasing from you, but they want to know more. So, you continue to put out fresh, engaging content that’s relevant to your customer’s journey until they eventually convert.
What’s happened here is that you’ve continually created content that drives engagement. Search engines recognize your content as being worthy of their attention, and the fact that you’re putting out fresh content regularly is another bonus. Both things affect SEO, and all you had to do was create content that made your brand irresistible to your audience.
The key here is to keep them coming back, and to promote new, fresh content. Start by discovering what works for your audience and then build on what you already know to be successful.
Rethink What Content Means to You
A lot of times, when someone hears the word “content” they immediately think of a blog or the block of text on their landing page. Yes, the written word is still an important element, but SEO friendly content can take on many guises.
If you’ve been hesitant to dip your toes into other types of content, now’s the time to shed your inhibitions. Today, visual and audio content is more crucial to your SEO success than ever before. Take, for example, that video drives a 157% increase in organic traffic from SERPS.
The reason that multimedia content is important for SEO is that users have become lazy, but in a good way. They know that that there’s other options besides sitting there reading through a lengthy blog. They also know that they’ll get a better feel for a product or service by watching a video than they would just reading about it.
This is especially true for mobile users who are working with a smaller screen. SEO rich video content that fits perfectly on their screen is going to be easier to consume than text that needs to be scrolled through.
So, to get the most out of SEO, start mixing up the types of content you’re creating. Videos, blogs, podcasts, memes…get creative and break out of your shell.
Keep Attention Spans in Mind
At any given time, there are probably multiple things fighting for your attention. This has become even more of an issue with the surge in mobile usage. There’s always something going on, and we don’t want to miss out on a bit of it. So, we’ve learned to adapt by keeping our attention spans short, so we can quickly move onto the next thing.
It’s incredibly important to keep this in mind when creating content. This isn’t to say that shorter is better, but you need to break it up into shore digestible chunks.
You can do this by writing attention grabbing headlines, using plenty of subheadings, adding images and creating content that’s actionable. Giving them a reason, and the tools, to stay a little longer is a great SEO strategy.
Connect with a Professional
Is your current content strategy built to help your SEO success? These strategies are only the beginning of the many ways that great content can propel your search engine results. There’s a ton to know and understand about creating perfect SEO friendly content, and it’s a smart move to connect with someone who can help you navigate it all. We’re the digital marketing agency that can help. Contact us at Knowmad today, and let’s begin building your brand’s success with an amazing SEO content strategy.
