SEO is a mix of many things, art and science with a little mystery sprinkled on top.
Today, strong SEO performance relies on a number of key elements – one of which is content.
While there are many excellent sources of information for SEO, such as the MOZ blog, we continually find that while SEO is on the agenda of all our clients, it’s not always as effective as it could be. When starting new projects there are always ways to significantly improve the existing SEO strategy.
And it’s not just our clients that have SEO as a key marketing strategy. Just under two-thirds (61%) of all marketers say that improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority.
Our focus is always on how content will generate better results. There’s no question that fresh, exciting and relevant content is any SEO strategy’s best friend.
But, when you consider that some 64% of marketers are actively investing in SEO, content must deliver if those marketers are to generate the desired ROI.
High Performing Content
With a focus on High Performing Content businesses will do this. This type of valuable, engaging, and relevant content, will not only attract better traffic but also capture attention, increase brand value and drive more sales.
So, what does 2021 look like? Will content continue to play a key role in a successful SEO strategy?
According to the Content Marketing Institute, the top predicted areas for content marketing investment in 2021 are content creation (70%) and website enhancements (66%) – both of which can be used to support and positively impact SEO.
Without High-Performing content, the full benefits of SEO cannot be achieved and vice versa.
So, what does getting this mix right actually deliver? As mentioned, there isn’t an exact formula to SEO, as there are just so many moving parts. But, there are specific ways to structure an approach that will help generate the kind of results you want, such as building a content matrix.
And from our experience of working with large, global organisations, there are some key areas to focus on and when you get your SEO content strategy right, there are a number of benefits.
We’ve put together a short-list of benefits you will see when content and SEO live harmoniously together.
- Click-through-rate (CTR)
Google considers CTR as a ranking factor. A higher than average organic CTR will positively impact your SERP ranking. When was the last time you reviewed your meta descriptions or page titles and, importantly, are you tracking any changes made? Are you encouraging more clicks by ensuring your content is relevant, reliable and enticing?
- Dwell time and engagement
SEO is all about user experience and dwell time is one indicator of customer engagement. Is your page taking too long to load? Boring – click back. Weak photography? Unreliable – click back. Incorrect keyword targeting? Irrelevant…and so on. While there are lots of contributing factors affecting dwell time, having authoritative, quality content will only help with retention.
- Backlinks
Look at backlinks like a vote of confidence. When other websites link back to your website it is affirmation for Google that you’re providing content of worth. Bear in mind though, quality and relevance are more important than quantity. The more quality backlinks you have, the better your SEO prospects. So, the higher quality your content, the greater chance of it being linked to from high authority sites.
- Keyword targeting
Content allows for the strategic use of keywords. While you want to be using keywords that drive traffic in volume, you don’t want the terms to be so popular that you get lost in the noise. Targeting your content and using niche keywords specific to your brand will help you stand out.
Does your organisation start out creating ‘normal’ content or SEO content? Are you producing content as a result of keyword analysis, or is it being created and then edited retrospectively for SEO? Google is becoming increasingly intuitive around organic, natural engagement and shoehorning keywords into an article won’t automatically trick the algorithm.
However, content does need to serve a purpose and respond to a need, and keyword research can highlight demand for information and the ways customers are discovering your brand.
Is your content meeting its full potential?
Content marketing is a rapidly evolving landscape. Algorithms are constantly changing, and the more sophisticated search engines become, the more that is demanded from your content. On every one of our projects, we consult closely with our team of SEO experts to maximise the value of your content.
If you’re responsible for content creation then we’d love to speak with you. Or, if you’d like to hear how we have impacted ranking, dwell time and conversion rate with content strategy for existing clients, we can take you through that as well.