Written content has been our main method of conveying information for millennia. While video is hoping to disrupt that in the coming years, the Internet and businesses still need writing. A number of folks like to think that they are content writing gurus, but the fact is without the added component of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), it is darn near impossible to make an impact on writing skills alone. A recent study estimates that there are about 1.88 billion websites on the Internet at the moment. That is A LOT of competition. SEO gives readers a way to find your writing, website, and products. Without it, your content might as well just be a shout into the online void.
1. You’re in Control
SEO content writing is, at its core, strategic. In order to effectively create web-based content, you need to understand what SEO keywords to target based on what will bring traffic, have minimal competition, and convey the message you are trying to deliver.
In the past, I have heard gripes about SEO that boil down to, “it’s out of our control.” Personally, I couldn’t disagree more (just ask my past bosses and clients). Yes, SEO results do require patience, but you are very much in control of the strategy. By making informed decisions about what keywords your content will target, your site can tailor its story to what you want to be said and the ease with which users can find it.
2. Drive Traffic
Many marketers out there will tell you that driving traffic is the greatest gift that content provides. There is definitely some truth to that. For websites without an established brand name or product, they will need a way to drive people to their site. SEO content can be their solution. By putting out consistent content, sites can:
- Build their Domain Authority (DA)
- Increase the likelihood of receiving backlinks
- Provide highly-ranked solutions to common search queries
- Establish themselves as authorities in their space or market
Besides just making your content discoverable, SEO can make all four of the above achievable and each will have its own benefit in seeing a significant uptick in traffic.
3. Content Can Drive Sales
When looking at the content marketing funnel, most people can pretty easily comprehend that content is great for the top of the funnel (attract) and the bottom-funnel (delight), but the middle seems reserved for sales or paid ad teams. In actuality, SEO content is one of the rare initiatives that can benefit the marketing funnel top to bottom.
With cleverly crafted and placed CTAs, any piece of content can be weaponized into a force to drive sales. Additionally, a piece of content itself can have a monetary value. While paywalled content is harder for search engines to scrape, a free, optimized blog post can be a teaser for a longer-form, data-driven whitepaper that can be purchased onsite.
4. Express Yourself
Despite what we’ve been talking about, SEO content isn’t all data and marketing. It can be creative too. Once the SEO has done its job and people are on your site, then you have the opportunity to make your brand shine.
Just because SEO adds a technical component to an otherwise creative endeavor, it does not mean that your content needs to be stiff or lack personality. The best content understands the tone of its company and is then able to convey that to a reader. While SEO drives people to the site, the best way to keep someone from bouncing off of your site is to provide quality content worth reading.
5. Additional Touch Points with Audience
SEO content can do its main job of drawing people to a site, but that doesn’t mean that it then has to sit on the blog forever, get dusty, and never be used again. Having a full library of content presents your business with the chance to further connect with your engaged audience.
Let’s face it, most readership for a business’s blog comes from organic mediums—people who search for something and find the answer from one of your highly-ranked pieces of content. This means that people likely aren’t coming specifically to your blog daily. So there is a lot of unread content. Repurpose articles and include them in a newsletter or share it on social media. According to a recent study, 51% of companies say repurposing or updating old content has been their most efficient blog strategy.
6. Amplify Your Social Presence
Social media is a tool best used when you are able to share meaningful content, not just generic posts regurgitated from elsewhere online. This is another instance of where your SEO content can further be utilized. SEO doesn’t need to do all the heavy lifting of attracting traffic. And sharing interesting content on social can help provide more of a boost.
Additionally, there are naturally going to be some subjects that you will want to talk about through your writing where the target keyword doesn’t receive a ton of searches or there is competition that will likely outrank your content. Social media offers the chance to amplify your content to get some of that lack of traffic back or to potentially increase shares which will help your DA and SEO down the line.
7. Become a Thought Leader
By creating consistent high-quality SEO content that draws visitors and increases shares, the hope is that you’ll inevitably become a trusted source or thought leader. By repeatedly drawing viewership, SEO content can give you credibility and a reputation as an expert in the space.
Thought leadership pieces sometimes are not the greatest natural fit for SEO when they have titles that reflect a personal experience. But SEO doesn’t stop at the title. Even if your thought leadership piece has a personal or creative title that is not keyword-driven, SEO content writers will still be able to incorporate strategies in subheaders, image alt-text, and the copy itself to ensure your thought piece still gets organic visits.
8. Be The Entertainer You Were Always Meant to Be
Writing—SEO or otherwise—can be fun. The natural reaction of most businesses is to always ask, “what metric is this pushing?” SEO content writing is somewhat unique because while SEO does drive traffic, in certain pieces SEO can operate in the background. Remember, at the bottom of the content marketing funnel is “delight.” Providing reading material that is worthwhile will earn you loyal site visitors.
This type of content can keep users coming back to your site, ensure brand loyalty, and potentially turn a customer into a repeat purchaser.
To speak with me and Booyah’s team of content experts, please contact us.