We know that Content is King. But how many of us actually practice what we preach?
A recent Google update made me think.
It was a core update. Website traffic dropped across the board – significantly. Cue SEO panic, and marketers diving into the cogs and machinery to get their traffic back.
A drop in rankings is never nice, especially when your primary job is to make sure your website stays on page one.
Yet what was Google’s answer to this update?
Improve your content!
Seems obvious, doesn’t it?
The whole point of Google is to crawl the web and provide relevant, helpful content. And while businesses of course want to make money, this should not be the reason we forget that Content is King!
Content IS King… So, Act Like It!
The harsh truth is that no one gives a monkey’s about your brand, your company or your products. Anyone who comes across your site is looking for a solution, and content is your number one chance to explain how you can provide it.
Your content should be easy to read, digestible and findable. Whether B2B or B2C, your website shouldn’t be a horrible mess that’s a nightmare to navigate. And while good structure is the backbone of an easy user experience, content is the guidebook.
Beyond SEO – Content Best Practices to Stay Ahead
SEO is there to serve content, and regularly-updated content serves to continually improve your SEO. This means taking your content operations seriously, hiring experts and making them an integral part of your overall marketing strategy.
If you want to kickstart your content operations, then it’s time to make a plan. I’ve outlined a few points to get you started.
Publish Regularly
Editorial calendars are standard for content operations. These cover what is published on your website(s), in your newsletters, what blog posts go out, and even your social media posts. Following a calendar will ensure that you stay on top of tasks and get content published at regular intervals.
An editorial calendar can serve as the backbone of your content operations. It can be chopped and changed depending on how your communication strategy evolves, however its main purpose is to ensure that you publish regularly.
Implement Content Enrichment Workflows
If you’re even a medium-sized company, you’re likely to have a rather large website with a lot of content on it already. While this is a good start, it likely means you have a lot of outdated content. Updating content needs to be done just as regularly as publishing new content. This includes:
- Research new keywords and search queries to enrich your current cornerstone content.
- Updating product pages with new information.
- Updating blog posts to reflect your company’s current values and mission.
Talk to Your Customer
Listen to their concerns on social media. Use social listening to find out what people in your industry are talking about and use this to guide your content strategy. Research long-tail search queries to find out what your customers are really looking for, and tailor your content accordingly.
Liam Hennessy 