Content is still king: 4 SEO tips you need to know
Bill Gates declared in 1996 that “content is king” – and the statement remains true over 20 years later. Search engines today tell us that long-form, informative articles and the use of natural, conversational language is key to ranking higher. Here, we share four SEO tips on how to create content that gets seen.
1. Make your content matter
Content needs purpose. Every content marketer wants to create something of value and relevance to their audience. Yet, a study by Marketo showed that 56% of consumers think businesses need to have a better understanding of their needs, and that 51% of consumers believe brands produce too much irrelevant content. Good SEO content starts by addressing this disparity. A meaningful purpose is the first step to building an effective campaign.
Research by SerplQ found that the top 10 Google results were on average over 2000 words, suggesting that longer content yields higher search rankings. However, a long word count is not always synonymous with quality – while some informational articles may benefit from having one, others may succeed by offering users a quick answer. The word count must ultimately reflect the keywords being targeted.
The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has made this more important than ever. As businesses and consumers are experiencing unprecedented uncertainty, useful and informative content has never been more crucial. At the same time, audiences are more dubious of stories with little substance.
2. Want to hit your goals? You need a killer content strategy
Having established your purpose, the next step is to develop a killer content strategy. This includes finding the right tone and keywords to maximise your search engine success. As Google launched its natural language processing algorithm BERT in 2019, content that is natural-sounding and user-centred could receive a boost.
Choose your keywords wisely, integrate them into your content and focus on an audience niche. While ‘keyword stuffing’ used to be an SEO norm, search engines have become more discerning when filtering results.
Online resources like Google Keyword Planner and Keyword Tool are incredibly useful for generating keyword suggestions, which can give you a better sense of the available options.
3. Keep your eye on the ball
It’s never too late to start planning for the (content) future. Good content – especially long-form – is rarely written as an afterthought, which is why an editorial calendar can ensure the consistent quality of your output.
It is also useful for coordinating teamwork. Here at Speak, we use Airtable to track our content output across various production stages, creating the fast-paced newsroom service that we provide for clients like Barclays. This enables us to stay on top of content quality and to keep our long-term strategies in mind – the foundations of good SEO content.
Other useful planning tools you can use include HubSpot and Content Marketing Institute.
4. Track your content successes (and failures)
The content-creation process doesn’t end when you hit publish. Both the times and search engines are constantly evolving – meaning that SEO content will have to as well. Businesses that remain attuned to their audience’s needs will be the ones that continue to be relevant.
Monitor these changes by determining what content works and what doesn’t. If a project has achieved its goals, consider replicating its approach in future work. If it hasn’t, re-evaluate it and adapt your content strategy. Tracking SEO developments as well as those of the wider world will keep you adaptable, responsive, and ahead of the game.
Want to find out how to implement a best-in-class editorial strategy that connects your organisation with your always-on audience?
Contact Gabrielle Bridle from our client services team: gabriellebridle@speakmedia.co.uk.