In the game of content marketing, your goal is to turn views into clicks and clicks into sales. And writing helpful content is still one of the best ways to go about it.
Don’t just take our word for it. When asked what types of content are most effective at moving leads from awareness to consideration, 76% of marketers said blogs and articles are right up there with podcasts and short videos.
But, with AI writing tools entering the ring, you’re probably wondering why you need a content marketing strategy in the first place. Just plug in a few prompts, throw in some keywords, and you’ll have an SEO blog at the click of a button.
If only SEO were that simple. How do you decide what to write about? Who will read it? And how will they find what you’ve written in the crowded field of online content?
That’s where your SEO content marketing strategy comes into play. We’ll show you how careful planning and a bit of research can help you create quality content that drives traffic and generates high-quality leads.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a strategy that helps improve your website’s visibility in search engines like Google. The goal is to increase organic traffic, which is the kind of traffic you don’t have to pay for, so it’s worth investing in.
There are a few things that go into improving your SEO, including:
Mix these together, and your website will continue to gain authority and rank higher in search results.
So, what’s the difference between SEO and content marketing, you ask? This isn’t a question of SEO vs. content marketing but rather how they can work together to create a winning customer experience.
Combining the science of SEO and the art of quality content writing will attract the right customers to the right content at the right time in their buying journey. And getting your content front and centre always starts with your strategy.
Ready to start writing content that increases your search appearances and helps customers connect and convert? Here’s how to do it:
Before you can drive valuable traffic to your website, you need to know what that means for your business. Is your goal to build brand awareness or increase sales for specific products?
Knowing what you’re aiming for will help you create content that lands, rather than blindly writing blogs that often miss the mark. Making sure your content goals are tied to your business goals is a surefire way to deliver content that directly impacts your bottom line.
The next piece of the puzzle is figuring out who you’re targeting. Content marketing and SEO are both about delivering relevant and useful information that solves your customer’s problems. So, you need to understand who your customers are and how your products or services solve their problems.
Try and paint a picture of who you’ll be writing for, including their age, the media they consume, competitors they go to, and their pain points when buying what you sell. That way, you can write content that answers their questions and creates a positive customer experience.
Once you have a solid grasp of who your customers are, you’ll want to think about how they buy. Having a great customer experience is all about creating value and removing any barriers. And content is the driving force behind this. It guides your customers through the buying journey by giving them the information they need every step of the way.
The stages are:
Content pillars are themes you can use to create blogs, web pages, social posts, or emails based on your CX.
With a clear path forward, you can dive into the topics your content will cover. Give it a Google or use a tool like Semrush, Keywords Everywhere, or AnswerThePublic to find what people are searching for. Take note of any related or longer tail keywords and group them together.
Focus on keywords where you can offer information or insights that people would find useful and that match your products or services. Also, take note of where you can link to your other blogs or content for cross-promotion. Creating a logical flow of content through links adds to the user experience.
Now for the fun part. But before you get stuck in, make sure to ask yourself:
Having all of these bases covered will ensure that you meet Google’s quality guidelines. In the eyes of Google’s algorithm, quality content demonstrates expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Combining these with the right keywords will put you one step closer to higher rankings.
You know what your goals are. Now, you need metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) to show how your content is reaching them. Your reporting should include organic traffic, link clicks, and conversions. Your goals might change over time, but this data will tell you where you need to optimise or switch gears.
The nature of SEO strategy in digital marketing is that it’s always changing. Regularly check in to see how your content is tracking or whether there have been recent algorithm updates or changes in best practices. Keeping content fresh is how you can make sure it’s always relevant to your customers.
High-quality content is a game-changer for your website SEO. Not only does it position your products or services as the answer to all your customer’s problems, but it also builds your brand as an authority in the industry. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you create a strategic content plan that delivers real results.