There are two elements to an effective digital marketing strategy: content marketing and SEO.
Merely a decade ago, the two were viewed as unrelated. Content marketing was an entry point to digital marketing, which would then be followed by an SEO plan to help optimize a site. However, over time, it has become obvious that the two are interdependent. The old approach does not drive search traffic as it used to.
Creating Your Content Marketing Strategy
Often, content marketing is seen as a necessary evil. We take offense to that.
For starters, content marketing is not evil. It’s effective and essential. Secondly, content marketing is based on quality content.
Yes, optimization of keywords in the content is important. However, it must make sense to the reader. Content should be relevant, educational, entertaining, and creative. It should engage the reader and in turn encourage them to share it with others.
For more on getting the most out of your content marketing strategy, check out last week’s blog, Content Marketing: From Tweets and Blogs to ROI.
Steps to a Successful SEO Strategy
So, how do you develop an effective SEO strategy? I turned to the expert, Uptick SEO strategist, Lance Moore. From managing projects to conducting research, Lance knows how to optimize one’s online presence. So, I asked him for some wisdom and insight. He shared with me two keys to SEO development: keyword research and auditing. He says, “Good SEO starts off by asking the right questions.”
Keyword research. Keyword research is about figuring out what relevant terms/phrases your consumers would search for in order to find your business. “You’ve got to figure out what you can rank for, not what you want to rank for,” says Lance. For example, a family-owned hair salon located in Hoover may want to rank for the phrase ‘stylish hair.’ However, because that phrase is so general and various companies across the nation are competing for it, it is highly unlikely that trying to rank for that term is worth it. Instead, choosing a more specific, more effective keyword phrase like ‘Hoover hair salon’ can prove to be more beneficial.
- Auditing. Checking the web for duplicate content, websites with similar URLs, and website penalties is important. Data collected from this research can give you a clear idea of what type of strategy you need to develop in order for your marketing efforts to provide results.
Though it may seem that content marketing and SEO have little in common, it is important to see how the two actually work hand-in-hand to provide results (much like the work that Lance and I do).
Ready to develop your own content marketing and SEO strategies?
Take your digital marketing strategy to the next level. Contact our team at Uptick Marketing today, located in Birmingham, Alabama, and Destin, Florida. Let us help your business grow with the awesome power of online marketing!
