7 SEO Steps For A Killer Content Marketing Plan
Like the game 'Clue', SEO is often a game of trial and error: Content marketers typically gather audience data, form a theory on what will work and look for evidence to confirm that they are making the right decisions.
1. View SEO and content marketing as partners, not either/or adversaries
Though often considered separately, you'll acheive better results if you plan for these two disciplines to function as accomplices. Create your content to appeal to humans; then use the tenets of SEO to help the right people to find it when they need it.
2. Gather vital evidence with an SEO audit
If your website has domain issues, low-quality links, or indexing errors, your search rankings will suffer, even if you are targeting the right keywords. Conduct a thorough SEO audit to eliminate these suspects and uncover vital clues to understanding your audience's needs.
3. Carefully investigate your keyword choices
Though context is critical, you still need to select keywords that will lure your target audience into your domain. Follow our checklist to home in on the most relevant terms and phrases and look for traffic building opportunities that your competitors may be overlooking.
4. Build links, but only those that are above suspicion
Filling your site with spammy or low-quality links will kill your credibility, and if Google suspects you are trying to game its algorithm, your content may be at risk of its retribution. Play it safe: get your content ranked, found and read by publishing valuable content. Case closed.
5. Help your content arrive on the scene, at the perfect time
This means using keywords in your headlines, subheadings and meta-data, as well as in your body copy and avoiding deceptive practices like keyword stuffing. You can also optimize your use of keywords with techniques that go beyond the usual suspects.
6. Think of social media and SEO as a pair of super-sleuths
For a more effective content marketing plan, integrate social media and search. Use SEO to deliver content-rich answers to searchers in need, and let social media complement those efforts by providing the means to connect with them and engage them more deeply in your content.
7. Use rich snippets to add intrigue
There are several ways this type of structured data can be used, all of which provide vital insights about your content to search engines. In return, the enhancements that working with rich snippets produce can make your content more distinct and appealing on SERPs.
