You Are Missing in Content Marketing

8 SEO DRIVERS

Presented by:

You Are Missing in Content Marketing

8 SEO DRIVERS

Presented by:

SEO IS ALWAYS CHANGING.

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

WHICH MEANSyour content strategy — what you create and how it is found — is

ALWAYS CHANGING AS WELL.

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

BUT IS SEO ALWAYS CHANGING?

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

BECAUSE THE WAY

WE INTERACT WITH

RELY ON TECHNOLOGY

IS CHANGING.

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

is tough, and the search engines want to get it right so that they can meet our needs when we search. (Their business depends on it).

THERE’S DEEP SCIENCE INVOLVED, MOST OFTEN DICTATED BY THE LATEST SEARCH ENGINE ALGORITHM.

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

The current search engine

algorithms consider MORE THAN 200 UNIQUE SIGNALS

when choosing what to serve

as a search result.

Content marketers need to care about these algorithms, and must use SEO as the starting point to maximize their programs.

WHY?

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

Stuff keywords

in my content

SEO 2011: THE RANKING ALGORITHM USED TO FEEL LIKE THIS

RANKING

Get Links Launch a blog} }

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

Source: moz.com

Page 1. What is Epsom salt

Page 2. What is magnesium sulfate

Page 3. Uses of Epsom salt

Page 4. Uses of magnesium sulfate

Page 5. Health benefits of Epsom salt

Page 6. Health benefits of magnesium sulfate

SEO 2011

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

SO THE MINDSET WAS: I WANT TO RANK FOR THESE KEYWORDS.

SEO NOW: TODAY, IT’S MORE LIKE THIS

RANKING

Topical Relevance

Link Earning

10X Content

Mobile Friendliness

Social Signals

User Experience

Technical SEO

HTTPS (securing users’ info)

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

Topic 1. The many uses of Epsom salt

Topic 2. The benefits of Epsom salt

Topic 3. How it’s different from other salts

Topic 4. Its safety (ingestion, on plants, etc.)

Topic 5. Expert research (if it works, how it works)

SO THE MINDSET IS: I WANT TO BE AN AUTHORITY ON THESE TOPICS.

SEO NOW

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

How is all this relevant to your content strategy, and how does it impact your content marketing?

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

of marketers believe their CONTENT MARKETING has low to no effectiveness.

Percentage of the TOTAL MARKETING BUDGET that an average marketer spends ON CONTENT.

of marketers STRUGGLE TO PRODUCE CONTENT that truly engages their buyers.

of marketers say GENERATING TRAFFIC AND LEADS is their top challenge

70%

87% 63%

29% (Source: contentmarketinginstitute.com)

(Source: expresswriters.com)

(Source: curata.com)

(Source: hubspot.com)

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

HOW CAN WE MAKE IT BETTER? Two important steps to effective content marketing are:

CREATING CONTENT PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT

MAKING SUREPEOPLE CAN EASILYFIND THAT CONTENT

SEO is the only discipline that is WIRED TO DO THOSE TWO THINGS.

Make your content marketing program more successful by following 8 SEO best practices. >

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

1. TOPICAL RELEVANCE

2. LINK EARNING

3. 10X CONTENT

4. TECHNICAL SEO

5. HTTPS (SECURING USERS’ INFO)

6. MOBILE FRIENDLINESS

7. SOCIAL SIGNALS

8. USER EXPERIENCE

8 SEO DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

TOPICAL RELEVANCE (hint, it’s the relevance part that matters)

SEARCH ENGINES ONCE CARED ABOUT MATCHING KEYWORDS IN A SEARCH TO KEYWORDS ON YOUR SITE.

Now they want to know which brand is an authority on a particular topic – not what site uses a keyword more than another.

Use Google Instant to uncover search queries. Do you see any themes (topics)? Do you have a unique point-of-view on those topics? Enough to “own” those topics? Good! Write a series on those topics. Write naturally. Use relevant keywords but don’t stuff your copy with them. Become the expert and the search engines - and your target audience - will reward you.

#1 8 DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency Google Instantsearch engine optimizationsearch engine optimization tipssearch engine optimization definitionsearch engine optimization google

LINK-BUILDING ONCE INVOLVED GETTING LINKS PLACED ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE YOU COULD TO STUFF YOUR LINK BASKET.

Now links should be earned. Write a piece with high topical relevance, amplify it, and let the links and mentions flow in naturally. Even unlinked mentions - also known as implied links - have SEO value.

LINK EARNING Like earned media, Google wants you to earn links, not acquire them.

#2 8 DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

10X CONTENT is content that’s 10 times better than the best result that can currently be found in the search results for a given keyword phrase or topic.

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgencySource: moz.com

#3 8 DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

10X CONTENT

- Provides a uniquely positive user experience through the user interface, visuals, layout, fonts, patterns, etc.

- Delivers content that is some substantive combination of high quality, trustworthy, useful, interesting, and remarkable.

- Is considerably different in scope and detail from other works on similar topics.

- Loads quickly and is usable on any device or browser.

- Creates an emotional response of awe, surprise, joy, anticipation, and/or admiration.

- Has achieved an impressive quantity of amplification (through shares on social networks and/or links).

- Solves a problem or answers a question by providing comprehensive, accurate, exceptional information or resources.

10X CONTENT

CRITERIA FOR 10X CONTENT

#3 8 DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

Source: moz.com

Use meta tags, intuitive site structure, breadcrumbs, friendly URLs.

Create meaningful internal links and disavow bad inbound links.

Tell your developer to use schema markup and structured data.

Set up domain canonicalization.

Optimize site speed.

TECHNICAL SEO

#4 8 DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

In 2014, Google posted a blog detailing the fact that HTTPS was a ranking signal. Why? It’s safer than HTTP, and search engines like safer. Safer means a better ranking, a better ranking is good for SEO, strong SEO is great for content marketing, and great content marketing attracts quality prospects, which is great for business.

HTTPS (SECURING USERS’ INFORMATION)

#5 8 DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

Mobile is the way of the future. Build with the mobile user in mind first. Then if need be, adjust for desktop users.

Make sure that your website looks great and performs effectively on all mobile devices and browsers. Also, optimize your website using the technical SEO elements we discussed in SEO Driver #4.

An important word about voice search. With the advent of personal assistants like Alexa and Siri, mobile search and voice search are converging. Forty-one percent of adults use voice search more than once a day.* With voice search, the searcher only hears the first result. That means being #1 is all that matters. To capture voice search customers, consider creating content that represents the questions your audience is likely to ask during the buying journey. Create an individual page per question. You can ask your web developer to link them all together on one FAQ page as well.

And mobile should make you think about how you write: shorter paragraphs, smart use of headlines and subheadlines, great images.

#6MOBILE FRIENDLINESS

8 DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

*Source: Google.com

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS INFLUENCE SEO.

Make your content marketing work harder by AMPLIFYING IT TO REACH MORE PEOPLE FASTER.

TURN YOUR MOST ENGAGING SOCIAL CONTENT into organic content, and vice versa

Make SHARE BUTTONS prominent

Make it EASY for people to SHARE KEY SNIPPETS of your content

OPTIMIZE your content FOR SOCIAL SEARCH

LINK POSTS TO APPROPRIATE LANDING PAGES where people can learn more

#7SOCIAL SIGNALS

8 DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

YOU WANT PEOPLE TO FIND YOUR CONTENT, AND STICK AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO LOVE IT AND SHARE IT.

GOOGLE CARES ABOUT POGO STICKING. POGO STICKING OCCURS WHEN A USER

PERFORMS A SEARCH, CLICKS ON A RESULT, VERY QUICKLY CLICKS BACK TO THE

SEARCH RESULTS PAGE, AND CLICKS ON A DIFFERENT RESULT.

HIGH RATES OF POGO STICKING = LOWER RANKINGS ON GOOGLE

Make your site/app a place people want to visit and intuitively know what to do once they arrive.

#8USER EXPERIENCE

8 DRIVERS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

It all boils down to this: Create content that your prospects care about. Write naturally, employ technical SEO best practices and amplify your content to give people - your prospects and your influencers - a safe and easy way to share it. Knowing how your content is positioned in the engines, and the factors that impact its ability to be seen, is a critical lesson for all brands and their content creators.

#8SEODrivers | @MowerAgency

To learn more, contact the smart folks at Eric Mower + Associates | Mary Owusu, Director of Analytics.