SEO and Content: There’s an Essential Connection

If you’re going to be in business in the 21st century, you must take the correct steps in your marketing program and communication with clients.

This may seem like stating the obvious, but you’d be surprised how few small business owners use the old and unsuccessful method of throwing some advertising out and hoping for the best.

To take your commercial efforts beyond this, you’ll need a better understanding of the connection between search engine optimization (SEO) and content.

First and foremost, you must believe that SEO is not easy. But anything worth doing is exceedingly tricky and still worth doing well.

This short space is not enough to look at SEO and those ever-present algorithms, but you can definitely apply two key elements when implementing your plan:

• SEO requirements and methods will evolve.
• You must be methodical when implementing your SEO plan.

You may ask how it’s possible to be methodical and flexible simultaneously, but you’ve already read that SEO is not easy!

The Connection

So, what is the connection between SEO and content? You must never start writing or accept writing from your staff that is produced in a free-form style. This doesn’t mean you can’t reward quality writing.

In fact, you will be more successful if you pay a bit more for better content. But, even the most thoroughly researched article must show that the writer always kept an eye on SEO requirements.

All content for websites, for landing pages, for blogs, should be written with the idea that information is meant to be shared.

For ideas to be shared, they must be found. A century ago, you could write your newsletter, pamphlet, or sales brochure and mail it to potential customers. You might also include your marketing information in the local newspaper or have the copy read on a radio program listened to by dozens, if not hundreds, of people. However, this is not 1920.

In this century, a growing business will use electronic communication to share the ideas it wants prospective buyers to consider.

Of course, it’s no secret that online messages can be effective if they are adequately framed, written correctly, and found among the millions of similar items in the giant ocean of commerce known as the Internet or “the Web.”

This infographic from Autodoc is an excellent example of focused content and is obviously part of a marketing strategy.

Asking the Right Questions

To get started on the path to business sccess, you must ask the right questions.

For example, stop for a moment and ask if you have a content strategy. Do you clearly define how you will create and deliver helpful content?

If you have the correct content, how do you intend to deliver it to the people who can help you achieve your business goals?

Are you making your choices daily based on clearly defined goals?

In addition to focusing on your business goals, you must tailor your content to meet the needs of your users (readers, potential customers).

With that in mind, consider this crucial question: How can you structure your content so those users will find it?

The answer to that question is close to the connection’s heart. How do you know it will be used if you write the content, or have it written, so it leads to your goals and to satisfying user needs?

It’s at this point that SEO and algorithms enter the picture. You must understand how to use search terms and keywords strategically, of course.

But it’s essential to weave those factors into quality content if you expect the reader to take you seriously. You also must achieve social validation, delivering value immediately evident to potential clients.

According to Search Engine Journal Google’s algorithm can recognise high-quality content and that content comes in many forms. Audio, video and text are forms of content used for SEO. Review your content and tick ‘yes’ for these qualities, and you’re on the way to having content that’s relevant and useful.

Review Your Content

Add Images

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Must Be Relevant

Your content needs to be relevant for it’s intended audience. If your audience is business people who like our blog, write for them on topics that interest them in the here and now.

Credible

Do your research and reveal your sources in your articles and blog posts. Supporting your opinions and statements with statistics and facts found online strengthens your position and adds providence to your content.