No matter how you approach content marketing it’s important you combine it with the right SEO approach. Content is NO good unless you have the right elements embedded within your post like keywords, bold text, italic text, etc. However, we are lucky we live in a time where you can find all this information very quickly so you can start implementing the strategy right away. Much of what I’ve learned has been from studying those before me, especially, those who have built a reputation over the years to be influential within my niche. They continue to provide awesome ways to incorporate content marketing, and SEO together. Next,
Google has been making major changes in the way they rank content so it’s important you stay on top of things. For example, content marketing is NO good unless you have the right SEO elements within your post. This means you have to make sure you do research looking for “target” keywords that actually drive traffic. Implementing this approach will ensure when you strive for content marketing, you’ll generated qualified at the same time.
Let’s look at some strategies which I’ve learned over the years, and how you can apply them to your website too. Your feedback, and opinion will be greatly appreciated.
Keyword Driven Content
It’s important to study what keywords bring traffic to your blog because these will ultimately tell you what your audience likes to read. As you continue to write content that your audience loves, you’ll have an easier time generating traffic, and meeting your bottom line. Before going forward, you should have a clear indication of your bottom line, and what you expect to gain from your blog. Next,
I often get asked what’s the best way to track what keywords are driving traffic to your blog, and the answer is very simple. You have a free tool available called Google Analytics which gives you all the data you need to get started. For example, they’ll provide you with a list of the following:
- Location
- Landing pages
- Search queries
- Bounce rate
- Referral
- And more
Here’s what I suggest you do going forward…
It’s important to link your GWT (Google Webmaster Tools) account with your GA account so you’ll have the entire breakdown in one place. When you are done linking the two, you’ll be able to find the search queries data from within your GA account. Head over to GA>Acquisition then Search Engine Optimization. Here’s you’ll find all the relevant keywords which drive the MOST traffic. Now the question is: How can you use this data to write more content?
You know what keywords people are typing, and clicking to get to your blog from the Google Analytics report…right? Start writing content based on these keywords because they are performing well with your audience. Research communities, forums, and competitors to find content around these keywords then creating something even more in-depth while engaging at the same time.
Quality Content Always
It’s widely believed quality content will give you enormous leverage when blogging and within the ranks. With quality content you’ll have the word count to play around with your on-page SEO. For example, imagine writing content which is 2,100 words? You’ll have enough space to add “target”, long-tail, and LSI keyword at the same time. However, with reduced content length you won’t have as much flexibility. It’s also important to mention that Google has tweaked their search engine to look for different types of keywords. This helps increase the user experience helping them find solutions to the problems they are encountering. Secondly,
High quality content has been known to attract the best type of links because others love to link to it. One of the best ways to get quality links is simply by writing the best content then sharing to get it in front of people. This will allow other authority bloggers to share your content too, and link back to it as an additional resource for their readers. What are the elements of high quality content? Here’s quick breakdown.
First, it’s in-depth and is focused around “target” keywords which all provide a solution to a common problem within your niche. Secondly, quality content is structured so it’s easy to read and navigate through. A solid structure will increase engagement simply because your reader will have an easier time pulling out the value from inside. Third, this type of content is very easy to share so make sure you include the right social share buttons throughout your content. I would recommend the top and bottom of your content. Forth, it is very easy to read so make sure you incorporate infographics, images, and even videos where necessary.
Personally, I have linked to so many other posts throughout my blog because it would provide an additional resource to my audience.
Guest Blogging Is Awesome
I started to guest blog late in my career, and it’s one of the biggest regrets I have because it would have jump started my business. Guest blogging is awesome to generate traffic, ROI, conversions and build loyalty with a whole new group of people. It’s also a great way to combine content marketing and SEO to dominate the search engines. You have to remember when your guest blogging, you’re MOST likely focusing on “related” blogs which can add value to your content. This means NOT only are you gaining relevant traffic, but a relevant link back to your blog from within the author bio. The key is to be very selective before you start blogging so you target the right niche blogs. Here are a few tips to follow before starting:
First, make a list of authority blogs within your niche so your blogging will be highly targeted going forward. Secondly, make sure you check out their social profiles because popular blogs will have a high number of followers. This is also awesome once your published because MOST likely your content will be shared on these same social platforms. Make sure you skim through the comment section of each blog to check what type of people have been commenting. I like to click on the user comment website to see what type of niche this person is in. The more relevant to me, the better when they decide to visit my blog. Next,
Pitch the best topic ideas which will increase the likelihood of your content being accepted. Finally, always follow the blogging guidelines as they apply to linking, topics, author bio, spamming, etc. Trust me when I say this process will get easier over time, however you have a good starting point right now.
Remember, the more niche relevant, the better for your content marketing because relevance does play a huge role in ranking content within the SERP’s.
Cross-Linking Is Vital
When creating a solid content marketing strategy, it’s important you cross-link between your different posts so the SEO juice is carried through. One of the best ways to increase your page authority, and relevance, is to link between pages throughout your blog. This will connect related posts together, and those with the same keyword structure. I know this can be hard in the beginning when you don’t have too many posts however overtime this will become much easier. Next, it’s important to understand indexing does take time so build your post profiles slowly, and make sure they are authentic relevant internal links. Here are some other strategies to apply to your cross-linking content marketing strategy.
First, make sure when you link between content, you are using relevant anchor text because it will add even more relevancy to your content. If you have been writing for some time, then you won’t have a problem finding relevant content for each post to link to. Secondly, make sure each time you link content you are providing value. I know so many bloggers who will link content, but they’ll link awesome content to poor quality. You are NOT adding page authority to your post because the user interaction will be decreased i.e. social shares, comments, and increased bounce rates.
Third, cross-linking is important to get other content noticed by influential bloggers within your niche. For example, if another blogger is on one piece of content, and you have linked to another valuable post then it increases the likelihood of them sharing both pieces of content. By cross-linking, you are getting related pieces noticed, and creating complete visibility on your blog.
It’s time to go through your blog cross-linking related content together. If you are using WordPress then there are several plug-ins which will allow you to do this quickly. You can even do a quick search in Google and find tutorials which show you how to do this correctly.
Final Thoughts
We all know the importance of content marketing however we forget about how SEO is important to this practice too. Above, we have looked at a few strategies which will make a huge difference when marketing your content. I would suggest you start applying these strategies right away because you’ll be able to generate momentum almost immediately. At the same time, you don’t want to over-do it with these strategies either because then your blog will start to look unnatural. Make things as natural and smooth as possible so your content provides value while being authentic at the same time. Here’s the game plan going forward.
It’s time to go through each one of these strategies finding the ones which will apply to you. Some of these you would have applied already, however I can guarantee there are going to be a handful which you haven’t even considered. Make a list of these tips for easy access then create a blueprint of how you’ll incorporate them into your blogging. For example, if you are going to fix your cross-linking then do around 3-4 daily until all relevant posts are connected. Spreading this process will ensure it gets done quickly, and you don’t get tired in the process. Next,
In order to do this right it’s important you have a tracking tool to check growth of your blog overtime. I’ve been using Google Analytics, and this provides me with all the information I need. Once you have implemented the changes above, you can start tracking things like:
- Where your audience is coming from so you can target your content and linking better.
- The keywords they are typing to arrive on your website. You can than write precise content catered around these keywords
- You’ll also find out where your audience is located so when you write you can create content which they understand. This can be in the form of infographics, images or even video.
- They also give you a good indication of bounce rate. Why is this important? With bounce rate you’ll be able to determine where the visitors go on your site, and what content they leave. If the rate is high, then focus on tweaking your content for better engagement.
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