During our mid-year check-in, #ContentChat participants asked for additional conversations on SEO. This week we held the first of those conversations, with special guest, Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie). Here’s what we covered.
Q1: Why is it important for me, as a content marketer/creator to pay attention to SEO?
Most content is consumed thanks to a search engine query. SEO is what ensures your content will be served up.
A1: If you write anything for the web, SEO should play a role in it. I saw a stat recently that over 90% of online sessions begin with a search engine. If you don’t show up in these search results, users won’t know you exist. #ContentChat 1/2
— Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie) July 16, 2018
A1: Another statistic worth noting from @HubSpot is that 75% of users never look past page 1 of SERPS. If you don’t pay attention to SEO, you have little chance of showing up there. And with the growth of mobile search, this trend is likely to increase. #ContentChat 2/2
— Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie) July 16, 2018
SEO is the key to content distribution.
A1 #SEO isn’t really that important for content creators….unless you want your content found and read by your target audience. #ContentChat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) July 16, 2018
A1 To get found!!! If you need people to read your content you need to be where they are looking and #SEO will get you there…#ContentChat
— Shruti Deshpande (@shruti12d) July 16, 2018
A1 Do you want the content you create to be found? Then you should pay attention to SEO. Just that simple. #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) July 16, 2018
SEO allows you to measure content performance and success.
A1: It’s how we measure the success of our content. But a topic I continue to find challenging. #contentchat
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) July 16, 2018
A1: SEO is important for discovery of your answers to the questions of your intended audience. #ContentChat https://t.co/WRyNw7jexV
— Amy Higgins (@amywhiggins) July 16, 2018
A1: As a content creator you should know the impact your content can have on inbound traffic via search. Write with that in mind, keep keywords in mind, and keep up the volume and quality. #contentchat
— Josh McCormack (@joshmccormack) July 16, 2018
SEO is how you own your content traffic.
A1: You can “rent” traffic by purchasing advertising that drives attention to what you write, but you can “own” traffic” when you pay attention to SEO because that will dictate how people find your content long-term. #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) July 16, 2018
SEO helps you attract your ideal audience to your content.
A1: You want as many eyes on your content as possible…as many of the RIGHT eyes, that is! The better your SEO, the higher the chance of your target audience finding your content and entering your funnel. #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) July 16, 2018
Q2: Are SEO & content competitors? Doesn’t a focus on SEO conflict with my ability to create great content?
What’s good for content marketing is also good for SEO.
A2: In 2018, I don’t think they are. Google is no longer solely scanning for keywords and links, but looking at the whole topic, UX, UI, supplementary content, quality of the content (and writing itself). Therefore, what is good for content is also good for SEO. #ContentChat
— Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie) July 16, 2018
A2: It can feel like #contentmarketing and #SEO are frenemies but only when you are dealing with outmoded, keyword-stuffing notions of how to do SEO. #ContentChat https://t.co/c82Jkuzqfx
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 16, 2018
SEO helps your ideal audience self-select for the right content at the right time.
A2a. Nope! Great content is relevant to what people are looking for. SEO helps them determine whether your content is relevant by answering their questions in language that makes sense to them. #ContentChat https://t.co/sBaxQT3wkn
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) July 16, 2018
A2: I think the divide between “SEO” & “Content” is not as wide as many perceive it. Search engines want to serve up content that is relevant to their searchers. Writers will create content that talks about what the subject is. SEO Makes the connection between them. #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) July 16, 2018
A2b. SEO & creativity are not mutually exclusive. I believe good writing is about understanding your reader and serving them with clarity, style and grace. #contentchat
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) July 16, 2018
SEO and content marketing can be BFFs, but it takes some work.
A2: No, but they can take careful collaboration. Ex.: If you want video content, you’re going to have to make allowances for text in order to have good SEO. Both content & SEO should focus on user intent, but the technical nature of SEO MUST be addressed. #ContentChat
— Rebekah Meyer (@RebekahLMeyer) July 16, 2018
A2b I do think that writers who have more of an analytical mindset find SEO concepts less challenging than writers with a more creative mindset because there is this perception that SEO restricts the creativity of the content creator. #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) July 16, 2018
Q3: Fine. There’s no getting around the importance of #SEO for #contentmarketing. If I’m an experienced writer but new to SEO. What do I need to know?
Start by involving your internal content creators.
A3. Know there are plenty of experts (your internal marketing team, or people who will consult) and tools (free!) that can help you. Check blogs, play with Google’s adwords tool, etc #contentchat https://t.co/L9mAV2IQDO
— allison ryder (@allisonryder) July 16, 2018
Aim for the long-tail search.
A3: That 50% of search queries are four words or longer. #ContentChat
— Leah Hunt (@Leah_Hunt_PR) July 16, 2018
The better you know your content audience, the better performing your SEO.
A3 A deep understanding of your target audience’s needs, search terms and your own brand’s existing content is a good place to start. #ContentChat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) July 16, 2018
Get friendly with the relevant metadata.
A3: There is a lot to learn so take one piece at a time. Start with the basics and learn how to optimize the metadata and content on a page. Prioritize 10 pages, then measure the impact. Once you positively impact these pages, make a plan to optimize more broadly. #ContentChat
— Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie) July 16, 2018
Where you use your keywords is just as important as how often you use them.
A3: Where you use keywords in your content is as important as how many times you use the keywords. For a keyword to make an impact, you’ll want it in the URL, headline, and a subhead in addition to the body copy. And don’t forget the image alt text! #ContentChat https://t.co/yuQx9i06fZ
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 16, 2018
SEO connects your content.
I like the “SEO as a connection” concept.
Th/ere are many more uses for content past the Awareness stage that search engines help with. #Content uses:
– Awareness
– Nurturing propects
– Sales Enablement
– Onboarding
– Ongoing relationship building #contentchat https://t.co/djLGT9usKA— Tod Cordill, MBA (@todcordill) July 16, 2018
Invest in keyword research.
A3: Make sure that your keywords are the “right” keywords. Pull your website analytics and google adwords results to understand what search terms people are associating with your brand and then look for areas for growth. #contentchat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) July 16, 2018
A3. I think the hardest thing, whether you’re new to SEO or not, is determining what the keywords/phrases should be. You have to express things as the audience would, not the way your product positioning is worded. Connecting those dots comes later, in your content. #ContentChat https://t.co/hu8x4I5g91
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) July 16, 2018
A3: you need to know what people are searching for & what content you have that meets their needs. Export your Queries from Google Search Console. Export your top 10 Landing Pages in Google Analytics. Evaluate your content and what’s ranking to improve your top pages #Contentchat
— Holly Miller | Marketing & Content Strategy (@millertime_baby) July 16, 2018
Treat Google like a reader—not your robot overlord.
A3: I vote to go for the long view- where is Google at on the spectrum of understanding language… and where it’s going. As a word person, I can adapt my language to my reader. Even if one of my readers is Google. I just have to understand it. #contentchat
— Rebekah Meyer (@RebekahLMeyer) July 16, 2018
I love the idea of thinking of Google as another reader your content needs to address, versus seeing them as the master gatekeeper you are trying to convince to let your content pass. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 16, 2018
Be prepared to test and learn what works for you from an SEO standpoint.
A3 I like the idea of targeting one page/section/strategic objective at a time and building around that and evaluating your progress. Just remember that SEO magic doesn’t usually happen overnight! Patience and discipline are critical. #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) July 16, 2018
Q4: How many keywords is too many keywords to try to optimize a page of content for?
Keyword stuffing is bad—don’t do it!
A4: Bottom line: Keyword stuffing is bad. There is no hard and fast rule about how many keywords a page can be optimized for, but it needs to read naturally. Your keywords should blend into your words, not stick out saying, “KEYWORD HERE! KEYWORD HERE!” #ContentChat 1/2
— Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie) July 16, 2018
Target your keywords.
A4: Keywords in online articles are like hashtags in tweets–keep them focused and targeted. Focus in on one keyword/phrase that you want to optimize and then support with a few others that are other ways people might search for that main topic. #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) July 16, 2018
A4: Any more than is necessary to adequately discuss the topic at hand. Google knows how to recognize synonyms and related keywords, so using a specific keyword a bunch is no longer important #contentchat
— Kristen Hicks (@atxcopywriter) July 16, 2018
Optimize your content by topic not keyword.
A4: Pages should actually be optimized for a topic now, as opposed to a keyword. Keywords are still important, but the point is to take user intent and context into account as well. Don’t just blindly use a keyword because it has a high search volume. #ContentChat 2/2
— Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie) July 16, 2018
Q5: How do I keep my SEO optimized content to still sound like it was written for people and not robots?
Hire an experienced, creative professional writer who understands SEO.
A5: This is where creativity has to step in. It’s worth it for brands to hire a quality, talented writer (or multiple writers) to make this content as engaging as possible. It’s simply the truth that not everyone can write great content that it also optimized. #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) July 16, 2018
A5: This is where creativity has to step in. It’s worth it for brands to hire a quality, talented writer (or multiple writers) to make this content as engaging as possible. It’s simply the truth that not everyone can write great content that it also optimized. #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) July 16, 2018
Treat those keywords as a guideline, not an iron-clad rule.
A5: I suggest you begin by letting your keywords guide your topic, not dictate the words you will use. Then go back and see if it makes sense to add specific words in that weren’t included on the first pass. #ContentChat
— Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie) July 16, 2018
A5 This is why they pay us. I usually write for tone and effectiveness first, then try to make sure H1 and a few other places support the topic, but it’s kind of an art IMHO #ContentChat
— Dan Goldberg (@Jonas419) July 16, 2018
Make sure to write for your personas—not the robots—first and foremost.
A5 I think it’s important that you don’t treat GoogleBot or BingBot as a persona. I agree with @writtenbyemilie that you should edit your document with an eye for SEO keyword opportunities after its been written with your customer personas in mind. #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) July 16, 2018
Q6: Should I just hire someone to manage SEO? Or do I need to have all my content creators understand and optimize for it?
It’s important to have in-house SEO expertise.
A6: If you have the budget for it, someone with SEO expertise in the company is ideal because there are on-page and off-page factors to consider. Either way, it is best that all writers have at least a basic understanding of how their content should be optimized. #ContentChat
— Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie) July 16, 2018
A6. Probably depends on the size of your company/team. If you’re putting out content that needs to be found through organic search, a dedicated resource might help. Either way, everyone should know basic best practices IMO. #contentchat
— allison ryder (@allisonryder) July 16, 2018
A6 Totally a question of company type/size, budget and staff. As @RebekahLMeyer said earlier, just don’t expect someone to apply magic dust on your garbage pile and turn it into #SEO gold. #ContentChat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) July 16, 2018
It can be helpful to have an external SEO strategy specialist.
A6: Both. Or at least, there should be someone thinking about SEO at the strategy level, along with content creators knowing at least the basics #ContentChat
— Kristen Hicks (@atxcopywriter) July 16, 2018
A6: Some balance of both if possible. Anyone creating content should have an understanding of how SEO works, so that an SEo specialist doesn’t need to re-create every piece of content for your site. #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) July 16, 2018
A6 If you have a writing team it might be good to have an SEO strategist involved with the editing process. Writers should know about SEO but my if you force a change on a writer’s style they tend to rebel. Find a path that makes sense and produces the best result. #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) July 16, 2018
Q7: Today’s #SEO must-do is tomorrow’s Google penalty. How do I keep up with the latest and greatest SEO tactics?
Keep a focus on content relevance. Relevant content will never be penalized.
A7: Create content for your audience and focus on relevance. Those have always been the most important things for SEO. But also keep an eye on SEO trends over time so you know when and how to tweak your strategy. #Contentchat
— Kristen Hicks (@atxcopywriter) July 16, 2018
A7 Relevant content is absolutely key to #SEO and so make the connection with the audience via your content..This will never be penalised #ContentChat
— Shruti Deshpande (@shruti12d) July 16, 2018
Don’t chase SEO gimmicks—stay the course.
A7: Don’t go chasing waterfalls. Stick to the rivers and the lakes that Google tells you to.
Real talk: any legit tactic won’t be penalty bait tomorrow. Just don’t be fooled by the get-rich-quick SEO schemes out there. That’s then you set yourself up for danger. #ContentChat
— Rebekah Meyer (@RebekahLMeyer) July 16, 2018
Keep an eye on SEO industry publishers like these:
A7: SEO does change rapidly and there is so much info out there that it can be overwhelming. I find that following a couple of knowledgeable blogs is a good way to keep up.
A couple of my favorites: @Moz @Searchmetrics #ContentChat
— Emilie Moreland (@writtenbyemilie) July 16, 2018
This post can also help 😉 (at least for now) https://t.co/HeDIB5SyD9 #contentchat
— Kristen Hicks (@atxcopywriter) July 16, 2018
A7: Read, read, read! Follow the business blogs of sites like Google, Facebook and Twitter; Sign up for email newsletters; Be active in LinkedIn groups. It’s your own responsibility to take your continuing education seriously. #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) July 16, 2018
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