Content marketing can make or break your SEO efforts. Here is what it takes to develop a content marketing plan that Google will love.

When it comes to choosing the right marketing tactics for your business, nothing beats content. In fact, content marketing has been proven to produce three three times the leads for every dollar spent, compared to paid search tactics.

But utilising content to boost traffic and conversion is far from simple. You’ll have to master Google’s algorithms for ranking sites. You’ll have to research and write content that is relevant and informed. And you’ll have to integrate your current SEO strategies at the same time.

If you’re ready to create a content marketing plan that will complement your SEO strategies and help you increase traffic, keep reading. I’m breaking down the steps you need to take and the tricks that can take your content to the next level.

Invest in Quality Over Quantity

When it comes to creating a content marketing plan, it’s tempting to try tactics that seem as though they’d produce quick results.

One of those tactics is creating loads of content quickly, packing that content full of keywords, and hoping you’ll see a Google ranking boost. It’s true that websites that have been around a while that have a lot of content and keywords usage do rank well. But there is no “get-rich-quick” approach to SEO. Producing a high quantity of content fast can actually hurt your SEO strategies.

It’s likely that your content will feature low-quality writing. It may also include inappropriate keyword usage and topics that aren’t relevant or useful to your readers. Even if your content and keywords land visitors to your site, they won’t stay long if they don’t like what they find. Great content is the first element of a successful conversion rate optimization plan.

The main focus of every content marketing plan should be to produce high-quality content. Even if it means producing only a few pieces each week or even month. Creating this high-quality content is time-consuming, but the results will be well worth the effort. If you can’t tackle this content on your own, outsourcing to a professional SEO service is a great solution.

Offer Information Instead of a Sales Pitch

High-quality writing and proper keywords usage aren’t the only guidelines that your content marketing plan should include. Readers will lose interest in even the most well-written pieces if they come off as sounding like a used car salesman trying to peddle their wares.

Don’t get me wrong, the purpose of any and all content on your site is to boost sales. But that doesn’t mean that your content is a sales pitch. Or at least not an obvious one. Rather than telling your readers why they need to buy your product or service, your content should show them why they need it. For instance, if you’re an accountant who helps small businesses get their affairs in order, your content shouldn’t come right out and say that. Instead, your content marketing plan should include topics like “5 Financial Mistakes Small Businesses Make” or “How Proper Bookkeeping Can Benefit Your Business.”

Web surfers running a search for topics such as these will land on your site and read your content. If they find it useful, it’s likely that they’ll find your products or services useful as well. Then they’ll begin sifting through the rest of your website, leading themselves to other pages that do have your sales pitch ready.

Build a Foundation of Evergreen Content

A great content marketing plan is one that will remain useful to your website for the longest amount of time possible. Having to revamp or change your plan takes time, and could require even more time-consuming updates to any existing content.

One way to make sure that your content marketing plan remains relevant is to include plenty of evergreen content in your plan. Evergreen content is pieces that don’t have a timeline. They are relevant to readers now and will remain relevant for weeks, months, or even years after they are published, without needing to be updated. For instance, an article about the latest Google algorithm updates would not be an evergreen piece because the next update would make that article useless. But an article about how to ride a bicycle is evergreen.

Non-evergreen pieces are still essential to your marketing plan. They give you the chance to create unique content that other sites won’t have. They draw in readers looking for the latest information.

Mix evergreen and non-evergreen content into your marketing plan for maximum impact.

Update Your Keyword Usage

When you create your initial marketing plan, you’ll also choose a set of relevant keywords that you’ll focus on including. Many keywords will be directly related to your area of business and will remain good keywords choices for years to come. But you should also include a constantly-updating list of keywords. These keywords are ones that may be popular one moment and useless the next.

For instance, keywords associated with current trends, like the #metoo campaign or the popular slang use of “extra” might be good to include in your content now. But eventually, these terms and trends will be replaced by others. Your keywords should be replaced as well, with new ones that will be just a relevant.

One great tool for staying up-to-date on what people are searching for online is Google trends.

Creating a Successful Content Marketing Plan

From choosing keywords to producing evergreen or cutting-edge content, this process is a challenge. But if you want a successful content marketing plan that will boost your SEO efforts, its an obstacle you have to tackle.

Luckily, you don’t have to create that content entirely on your own.

Outsourcing your content to a professional SEO service gives you quality content every time. But it also ensures that your content is optimized for Google’s ranking algorithms. You’ll rank faster, without sacrificing the quality that your readers expect.

Need to get your business on the first page of Google? No worries, we’ve got you covered. Simply call (02) 433 94034 for a no-obligation quote. The first page of Google is only a phone call away.