In 2021, content is still king. And, SEO is a queen that complements her partner’s efforts to lift him up\u2014she will ensure that your content is seen by more people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See, the problem with only<\/em> producing content is that it doesn\u2019t matter how valuable and engaging it is. If your content isn\u2019t backed up by a solid SEO strategy, it won\u2019t be placed at the top of SERPs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, when content marketing and SEO develop a partnership, they drive organic traffic to your web pages. In this article, let\u2019s take a quick look at how to do exactly that by creating a powerful SEO content marketing strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what\u2019s in store: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we dive into the specifics, SEO is the process of improving your website (and content) so that it acquires organic traffic. The better your SEO practices are, the more likely it is that your website will rank higher for specific search terms on the SERPs. SEO is one of the most popular marketing tactics: even low-growth SaaS companies acquire 31.4%<\/a> of new customers through organic traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And because Google wants high-value content, this is obviously a major ranking factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s now take a look at how to create your powerful SEO content marketing strategy<\/a> in four, easy-to-follow steps. Here, we\u2019ll touch on audience, topics, keyword research, and content optimization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s impossible<\/em> to create SEO-friendly, useful content when you don\u2019t know who your target audience is (and what they want). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could go ahead and write the best piece of content the planet has ever seen<\/em> — Pulitzer Prize winning, even. But, content is useless to your business if it\u2019s aimed at the wrong person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do you define your audience? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a few ways you can do this. The easiest way is to take a look at your existing customers and create a buyer persona<\/a> based on them. If it helps, create a few buyer personas. For example, Adidas sells to pro athletes just as much as they sell to the casual gym goer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next, you can use tools like SpyFu<\/a> to \u201cspy\u201d on your competitors so that you learn who they<\/em> are targeting. You can also simply find out who your competitors are before checking their social media sites and customer reviews in order to learn more about their target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When businesses implement an SEO content marketing strategy for the first time, some jump straight to keywords. But, before you have your keywords, you need to know your audience first, then your topics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your topic area is what will define how you research your keywords. Thus, it ultimately lays the framework for your content creation. This then allows you to create high-quality content that attracts readers – and converts them. Bingo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To define your topic area, you need to take a look at your brand and ask yourself what your purpose<\/strong> is. What are you here for? What are you offering people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Answering this question will help you to define your expertise<\/strong>. And when you know what your expertise is — be it digital marketing<\/strong><\/a>, social media, coffee, travel, and so on — you\u2019ll have a better idea of how many unique content topics there are to create.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t talk about SEO and content without mentioning keywords, as they are the core of any powerful SEO content marketing strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What does a keyword do? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A keyword does a few things. Mainly, it is the word used by your target audience as they perform a search online. But it does more than that. A keyword reveals the intent<\/em> behind a user\u2019s search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it\u2019s the intent that defines your content. See, there are four types of keyword intent:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If a customer is using the word \u201cbuy\u201d in their search, it suggests commercial intent. This means your content must<\/em> be centered on selling your products or services. If, instead, you focus on relaying information, you will miss out on conversions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keyword intent, then, needs to form the backbone of your keyword research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of keyword research, it doesn\u2019t have to be as tricky and time-consuming as some people may believe. First, you need to begin with a exact search term<\/strong> that\u2019s related to your area of expertise (see above). For instance, if you run a digital marketing agency, you might start out with the keyword \u201cdigital marketing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naturally, such an exact term is very hard to rank for. Why? Because too many competitors will be fighting over it, which will make it difficult for your content to get seen (no matter how good it is). This is why you then need to broaden your search term while bearing in mind intent (see above) and factors including the specific services you sell, its features, specific questions your customers might have about your<\/em> brand, as well as variations of those keywords. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve done all that, you should be in a position to write down a list of possible keywords. Here are some: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These all look okay<\/em> but we don\u2019t know how much potential they\u2019ve got unless we run them through an SEO tool (I prefer Ahrefs and, no, I am not an affiliate). Our aim here is to find the keywords that have the best ranking opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve found the standout keywords, it\u2019s time to move onto the next step\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thing is that keywords can\u2019t just be randomly added to your content. They need to be thoughtfully<\/em> added if they\u2019re to improve your ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, if you want to boost your ranking and get your content seen by more people, the general argument is that you should add your main keyword to your first paragraph. You should then sprinkle it around your content 3-4 more times, including at least once in a H2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You should also add your target keyword to your metadata, including your meta description and title tags. This is just basic, rudimentary optimization that works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, keywords are just part of the puzzle. In order to fully optimize your content for better ranking success, you need to make sure that your content is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Relevancy relates to your target keyword. How relevant is your content to your main keyword? If it\u2019s barely relevant, the reader will immediately realize what\u2019s going on and exit your website. This will cause your bounce rate to rise, which is bad for SEO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Value is key, too. The more value you\u2019re able to offer your site visitors, the higher you will rank. Why? Because Google is on the lookout for high value content that improves the user experience. And if your content is full of value, readers will stick around on your page for longer. Google will realize this, and will rank you higher because you\u2019re clearly doing a good job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your articles must also be comprehensive. In other words, they need to cover all the bases of the particular topic related to your keyword. To help you cover all the bases, and to help you cover more bases than your competitors, it’s a good idea to use a tool like BuzzSumo<\/a>. This tool shows you the most popular content in your niche. You can then check the content related to your target keyword and look for any weaknesses and ways you can improve<\/em> on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, don\u2019t forget your alt text\/markers\/attributes – these are the characters that load on a screen if your photos fail to display properly. Alt text is also used to help visually-impaired site visitors \u201cread\u201d your pictures, which is why it\u2019s a requirement for many institutions. As a bonus, proper image attribution helps search engines understand image content, thus ideally boosts search presence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key to bear in mind when creating a powerful SEO content marketing strategy is that, while you shouldn\u2019t forsake the SEO elements of your content, you must still prioritize high value content that is readable, engaging, and that answers the end user\u2019s query as comprehensively as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kkeyword research and related tactics exist to enhance and improve your content. Get SEO and content creation just right, and you\u2019re onto your next win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn How SEO Copywriting Services Can 13X Google Search Traffic [Case Study]<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Estimated Reading Time: <\/span> 6<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span> In 2021, content is still king. And, SEO is a queen that complements her partner’s efforts to lift him up\u2014she will ensure that your content is seen by more people. See, the problem with only producing content is that it doesn\u2019t matter how valuable and engaging it is. If your content isn\u2019t backed up by…
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