Content Marketing Tips
When it comes to Content Marketing, we've been there, done that, now serving 68 tips in 6 categories ranging from Content Creation to Search Engine Optimization.
4 Ways Content Creation Can Help Your Website
What's a website without content? Boring, for one thing.
Dynamic information, photos, breaking news, helpful articles and even videos keep people coming back to your Website. But high quality website content can help in other ways, too.
- Content on your site that includes your weighted keywords can enhance your Google pagerank. Not only do advertisers look at pagerank when they're deciding where to spend money, but pages with a higher rank show up earlier in a Google search. And who really surfs past the first page of Google when they're looking for information?
- Web crawlers (automated systems that surf the Web and rank pages) look for frequently updated content. If they see frequent updates, they'll evaluate your Website more often, which can result in higher rankings.
- Frequently updated, useful content keeps readers checking your site often to see what's new in their industry. Add value for your visitors with professionally-written content from a reputable content creation company.
Create SEO Content That Keeps People Coming Back
An exciting, dynamic SEO-optimized website helps the organic growth of your business by drawing customers in, building a relationship of trust, and establishing your company's executives as experts in your field. What kind of SEO content makes visitors want to return to your site again and again?
- RSS feeds: RSS feeds and fun widgets with unique tips and advice let your customers and prospects know that you deliver value. By setting up an RSS feed, people don't have to remember to come to your site – the best parts of your site come to them.
- eBooks: Offering free eBooks on your site (with your name as the author, of course) helps you build a mailing list and also gives people a reason to visit your site. Establish a reputation for giving away cool stuff – for free – and people will check back often to see what you have for them this week.
- Tip of the Day: Offer subscribers to your mailing list a short, free tip in their e-mail box every day. Include a link back to your website with more information.
- Twist that manual: Offer instruction manuals related to your products for download online. But don't make them the same boring material that most people don't read. Hire SEO content writers to create a fun, informative book full of tips for getting the most out of your product.
Exercise Caution When Hiring SEO Writers
Many people think they can write. Ads on the Internet selling courses to “become a writer overnight!” perpetuate this myth. But the truth is, talented SEO writers are specialists in a particular writing genre. The skills cannot be taught overnight, and quality SEO writers command good pay for what they do.
If you go through a job listing service or site like Craig's List, you don't know if you're getting an SEO professional. But here are some red flags that may alert you to less-than-professional SEO writers.
- Refusal to provide references – This is a major warning sign in any industry. If the only article writing the writer has done is for their own site or for content mills, that's okay. But they should have some sort of job or personal references to show that they are dependable, reliable and easy to work with.
- Inability to provide writing samples – If someone can't even show a sample from a site like Helium or Constant Content, this person probably doesn't have much (if any) experience with SEO content writing. If they don't have any existing samples but are willing to write a piece just for you, that shows a willingness to deliver. Nonetheless, be careful about hiring an inexperienced writer.
- Their samples show up on Copyscape - Copyscape is a free program that lets you test the contents of any website for duplicate material (the ugly word for that is plagiarism). Run away from any writer whose work has been copied word-for-word from other sources.
Would you rather have peace-of-mind that your SEO writer is experienced, knowledgeable and ethical? SEO content agencies like IdeaLaunch pre-screen writers so you know you're getting the best of the best.
Three Ways to Learn About SEO Marketing
Your business has a website, but you're not an SEO marketing expert. What can you do? Your best bet is to hire a reputable agency that will:
- create a customized SEO marketing plan
- provide writers to create content for your website
- test your site to ensure positive results
Start with Google.
Websites that seek to inform visitors about SEO best practices that rank well on Google prove they know their stuff. (They didn't get on the first page of Google using poor SEO strategies.) Read as much as you can on the topic. Make sure articles are current. SEO standards change so fast, best practices yesterday may not apply today.
Go back to school.
Your community college may offer night courses on SEO marketing that will help raise you from the status of “SEO beginner.” If time is at a premium, consider a convenient online course that will let you learn at your own pace.
Study other websites.
Study the layouts, content and images on top-ranking sites within your field and outside of it.
Beware of Tracker IDs
Though tracker identification of links can help measure conversions and sales, the best links to your site are direct links with no tracker ID in the URL. Spider bots can quickly detect likely "profit measurement" from the link, lessening the value in comparison to natural links. In order to get a positive result (more organic traffic from the search engines), you may have to relinquish something(accountability of your links).
Links: Think Inside the Box
One often overlooked opportunity is to build link strategy within your site that can support the optimization strategy of the landing page. Make sure you have keyword-rich, contextual links to your internal pages. Contextual validation can start within your own website.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Byron White |
