Can The Business Owner be the Content / SEO Expert?
Now, don’t misunderstand the point in this article’s title. Business owners have a lot on their plates, so tackling SEO and content marketing is not something many business owners either have the time for, or want to do. That being said, getting involved with your content marketing team can prove beneficial both to the quality of the content, and your placement in search engines.
So, how can YOU be the expert in an SEO content marketing strategy? Here are a few steps:
1 – Think of a Void in Your Industry’s Web Resources
Visual representation of a “void.”
The other day, a client called me with a blog series idea – a topic relevant to his industry that would help the layman understand a certain aspects of his services that specifically cater to the consumer’s passions. The concept was far more specific than that, and thanks to both the specificity and the identification of an pathos appeal, I think that it will work very well.
In this client’s industry, pathos (or an appeal to emotion) isn’t necessarily an easy thing to identify, but thanks to his expertise, creativity and his identification of a void in his industry’s online resources, he found a concept that worked.
Think about your business right now. Have you ever done a Google search and found that the results lacked exactly the info that you sought? Sure, there were some neat articles, but nothing that pinpointed the topic you’d hoped? Or, maybe you’ve read an interesting article, but thought that it lacked nuance, human applicability or new info regarding the most current info on the subject matter. Whatever the case, think about it, and then go to the next step…
2 – Check News / Pop Trends for Potential Synergy
Before you go to your content writer with the idea, try to identify news articles, social media trends or Google trends to identify any possible overlap. If you can relate your topic to something for which people already have interest, then you may gain more traction with shares, comments, etc.
3 – Develop a Brief Outline for Your Marketing Team
Don’t feel that you need to write the thing yourself, but definitely work up some sort of outline to guide your writers. Keep in mind, writers can do research and form coherent sentences, but they might need some guidance with a topic as specific as this. Make sure that they understand the void you seek to fill and at least three points that you wish to make in the article regarding this topic.
4 – Guide Search Query Research for SEOs
Whoa – a Google Search Query Screenshot!
Remember, you have two end goals with this content: informing the reader and Google ranking. So, provide at least one important search query for your writers to incorporate into the content naturally – especially a query that directly relates to the topic itself.
For example, if you are a watchmaker and you identify a void in internet content for the Google search “best watch functions for daily tasks” (for which I’m sure anyone could find plenty of articles), then why not make that your desired search query?
Article title: 5 Watch Functions that work Best for Daily Tasks
First sentence: For both those new to the world of watches and those who have collected for years – have you ever wondered whether a GMT or chronograph function would better suit you in your daily life?
Here, you’ve helped your SEO to identify a specific search query that a consumer might use. Furthermore, you’ve guided them further through the writing process, allowing them to prepare the unique content to rank in Google for the question that it presumably answers.
5 – Evaluate Content & Brainstorm Update Opportunities
After this content has been properly executed, consider how you could expand on the concepts to both rank for more diverse queries, and to help your consumers even more. To take the above example, how about the following post titles:
- 5 Moderately Priced & Reliable Watches with Daily Task Functions
- The Crème de la Crème – Masterfully Crafted Daily Task Watches
- Some Useful Watch Functions for Daily Tasks in Unique Industries
Notice that each article offers a different nuance on the same subject. By doing this, you expand the search queries for which you might rank, and you continue to serve as the “expert” on the subject.
Tags: Content Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines, SEO