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When it comes to content marketing, it’s near-impossible not to hear about SEO. It has become a critical aspect of content marketing and a must-have for all businesses because it puts them in front of potential customers. However, business owners can feel confused by the role of SEO and all the terms surrounding it. Where does SEO fit in your content creation process? How do you make sure content and SEO go hand in hand to deliver better results? Can you have one without the other?
New to SEO? Here is What You Should Know
SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization. Simply put, it’s the process by which you drive search engines to find and rank your content higher. The goal of SEO is to increase the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through different practices. SEO is used with all types of content, most notably:
Landing pages
Blog articles
Product descriptions
Infographics
Videos
While there are a lot of terms and practices surrounding SEO, for the time being, you should focus on understanding its most critical aspect: how it relates to content.
SEO Helps You Determine What Content to Create
Keyword research is considered to be a crucial step in SEO and content creation. Before creating content, you should select topics that a have a good chance of being found by people.
All content marketers and SEO experts recommend looking for “longtail keywords”, keywords that target specific questions and needs. Consider the two keywords:
Headsets
Best gaming headsets under $100
The first keyword is too broad and if you rely on it, you will be competing against an infinity of websites, articles, and videos. The second is much more specific and so there is much less content around it. It’s easier to rank high in search results when there are fewer content sources.
Basically, the goal is to find that sweet spot where there is a good volume of searches for a certain keyword and not too much competition. To get started with keyword research and find longtail keywords, you can:
Search what keywords the competition is using to get high rankings
Pay attention to the “Searches related to (your keywords)“ section below Google’s search results
Look for trending and seasonal topics
Look for what keywords your website visitors are typing in the search bar
Note that you can also use several tools like SEO Moz or Google Keyword Planner.
Quality Content is the Number One Ingredient for SEO
SEO has evolved over the years to favor more content itself and less the technical aspects surrounding it, to the point where nowadays you can’t really have an effective SEO strategy without making content marketing part of it. Nothing beats quality, and no amount of SEO tips can save poorly created content.
Imagine a blog post consisting of one giant block of text, infested with typos, and relaying vague, convoluted or questionable information. How many visitors would read it entirely or share it?
Search engines reward quality content with higher rankings in search results, which means more visibility for your business. When your content is well targeted, well-crafted and it is not competing against other content that is already immensely successful, you may even find yourself in the few first.
Below are some of the most important factors that Google takes into consideration to decide the quality of your content:
Traffic
Readability
Length of the content
Time spent by visitors on the content’s page
Uniqueness of content
Links to high-quality content from authoritative websites
Number of likes and shares
As you attract the attention of search engines, they put your content in front of more and more eyeballs. Optimizing content for SEO helps people find it more easily.
How to Optimize Your Content for SEO
There is a large number of techniques to improve your content’s SEO. Some of the most important and easiest to implement practices are:
Putting your keywords in the headline, headers, and subheadings
Spreading the keywords throughout the content without overdoing it
Including the keywords in URL links, meta titles, meta descriptions, and names of pictures
Including backlinks
Making sure your content is well optimized for mobile devices
Enhancing the loading speed of all pages on your website
Attracting your local audience by using your city or state’s name in your keywords
This list is not exhaustive by any means but following it will take your SEO strategy from just okay to pretty solid.
In today’s online world, content and SEO are both crucial for success. It doesn’t make much sense to have one without the other.
Content and SEO work together to maximize your exposure and attract more clients. While you shouldn’t expect immediate results from SEO, it’s a necessary tool for your marketing efforts. Create your content that is SEO-friendly and keep an eye on periodic changes to search engine algorithms to update your content accordingly.
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When it comes time to pick a content provider, a bargain isn’t always the best way to go. Content is more than filler; it’s what draws visitors to your site, but inspired content keeps them there. It keeps them coming back. Content is a relationship. It’s your brand. We get it. Furthermore, we can deliver it. Contact us today for a quote.
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