Planning a Content Strategy with SEO in Mind

3 minute read

Upland Admin

An important component of content planning is SEO—or Search Engine Optimization—and keyword planning.

Search Engine Optimization is the process of affecting the visibility of your site from search engines. Through strategic keyword planning, your business will not only become more visible through search engines, but attract the right kind of buyers.

Identifying  Keywords

A great way to get started is to perform a keyword audit. Audits identify keywords people actually use to search for your product, and illuminate which short- and long-tail phrases are most frequently searched. You want to identify keywords that maximize your visibility and also:

  1. Reflect your business expertise
  2. Reflect the words that people would naturally type into search engines when looking for your product/service
  3. Represent the areas of your industry that you want to own.

Implementing Keywords into Content Creation

The goal is to prove to search engines that you own your keywords, that your organization is the true “result” for those specific terms.

To do this, consider SEO and keywords during all parts of the content creation process. You have doubtless heard the adage “content is king.” This holds true in the eyes of search engines, and quality content is essential in moving the SEO needle in your company’s favor.

“Think quality not quantity when using your keywords…” @chrisboulas

Place your keywords thoughtfully throughout blog posts, social media updates, web copy, images, site mapping, meta data—basically everywhere and anywhere content is being created.

Since Google’s Hummingbird algorithmic update, the more “natural” and “organic” and “unique” your copy is, the more your business is seen as the true “answer” for those search queries.

A Few More SEO Tips for the Road

These additional tricks will also help your keyword strategy effectiveness:

  • Think quality not quantity when using your keywords and associated words throughout your blog, website, and associated sites. This bolsters your site’s semantic-associations.
  • Put keywords into H1 tags, inbound and outbound links, and site-maps. But don’t just link keywords. Link longer phrases to provide context.
  • Keep refreshing your copy. Search engines like to see that your site is lively. Updating and polishing your site maintains your keyword freshness.

SEO can be feel like an inundating task, at times. If you don’t have an in-house analytics person managing your online marketing strategy, I recommend working with companies like Conductor—experts in the most up-to-date search strategies. They give your company its best, and most progressive, chance at owning those #1 search positions.

But regardless of who manages your SEO strategy, it needs to be part of the planning process. Otherwise, you’re missing out on opportunities to grow your business with content.

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