Content is king, so the saying goes. Content is the lifeblood of any online business since in order to stand out we must have engaging content.
But content that is optimized for the search engine can be one of two types:
1. Get users to come to your website by answering a query
2. Enhance your online reputation or brand identity for people who are searching for you specifically.
The value of second type only really comes once your site is already big, has a decent amount of backlinks and authority on a given subject. Although both can be practiced right out of the gate.
Let’s dive into each one specifically.
This method of SEO is one of the most tried and true, but it's amazing how few people are actually doing it.
Many people think that SEO is about keyword stuffing or some black hat way of getting backlinks to your website.
The basis of SEO is just to create a good piece of content that can successfully answer a user’s inquiry.
We’ve all typed in a question just to see what Mr. Google has to offer us. Sometimes the queries are serious. Other times not so much.
Regardless of whether you’ve stumbled across an article telling you which shoes are in season or you are being a hypochondriac and researching all the ways that slightly old clam chowder could have made you feel, we are all helplessly relying on whatever the search engine feeds us.
The longer the keyword (and thus more specific inquiry) the more likely there are less people answering that question.
Though you may have a great answer to a question, nobody may be asking that question.
This is why keyword research is so important. I’ve spent time writing thousands of words and producing videos that no one will ever see because there was no demand for the content.
The problem with going for high volume keywords is that you likely have A LOT of competition.
Yes you might want to make content around high volume keywords, but only if they are very long and very niche specific. Then you are likely to make a dent in Google’s algorithm.
But our suggestion to most of our clients is to start with longer tail keywords that have a moderate volume. This suggests that these keywords aren’t so fought after.
The other way of creating SEO content is to create it around keywords that are not necessarily engineered to answer a general query; rather, you are creating content around your brand so that when people search about you they find your article.
We all know that when someone is searching about someone else, they are looking for something specific.
What do you know that they are looking for? If you already have a following and you write consistently on a topic you are obviously familiar with, then you have a leg up on other bloggers in your space.
Create original content on a topic that you know is relevant to your brand.
There is a chance that your search engine ranking will be higher if your content ranks high and more people click on your links, but it is also possible to get ranked by writing about a product or service that is very relevant to your brand.
To write original content, you need to understand what your brand stands for, who your ideal client is, and how you can create content that resonates with your audience.
For example, let's say you are a brand that sells sports cars. This means that you are not a general car company.
Your target audience is people who are looking for sports cars and you want to help them find the right car.
If you are writing about cars, this means you need to understand what makes the car unique. You also need to understand what makes sports cars desirable.
From there, you can write about the latest cars on the market and make sure you include information that makes it clear that your brand is the most desirable brand to buy.
A little research and thought behind your posts can go a long way in helping you with content creation.
Take your time to learn about your brand and make sure that you are writing about the right topic.
You will inevitably increase your search engine traffic and see a higher ROI.
