There is a lot of debate about how creating content can help a website improve its search rankings. While some would like you to believe the “if you build it, they will come” theory, most realize that isn’t going to be the case. I could write the greatest blog post EVER tomorrow and it never see one single visitor.
So the question is, how does content equate to improved search rankings? The answer is through optimization and promotion of that content!
Content Optimization
Once you have developed a great piece of link-worthy content, whether it is a video, infographic, presentation, whitepaper, or simply an awesome blog post, there are a few things you need to take care of before you start promoting.
Craft a Compelling, SEO Friendly Title
The title of the page your content is placed upon your site is going to be powerful. It is what search engine visitors will see first when the page comes up in search results, and it is what social media users will see when the page is shared on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networks.
Hence, you will want the 60 character title of your content’s page to include your main keywords but also be something that makes someone want to click on it. So if it’s an infographic on content marketing strategies, you wouldn’t want it to be just Content Marketing Strategies but Content Marketing Strategies You Need to Implement Today.
Write a Strong Meta Description
I know there’s confusion about whether the meta description helps with rankings, but I want you to ignore that for the time being. Meta descriptions do not only show up in search results – they are usually what social networks pick up when people are sharing your content page.
Hence, you will want to create an extended version of your title – this time you are looking to write 160 characters that convince people why they would want to visit your content.
Add Image Tags (If Applicable)
If your content includes images (especially infographics), be sure to name the file with the main keywords (content-marketing-startegy.jpg) and use the appropriate ALT and TITLE tags including keywords so your content can be found through image search as well.
Promoting Your Content
If you want to think in link builders terms, consider promoting your content as sending informal link requests throughout the social media and blogging world via status updates, retweets, blog commenting, and so forth. The more exposure your content gets, the more likely someone might see it, think it’s valuable, and link to it on their website.
So each time you create an amazing piece of content, you will want to make sure to promote it using one or more of the following methods.
- Social Media Networks – Sharing with your social networks, especially the main three (Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn) should be standard when it comes to promoting content. If you do not have a large following for these networks, you should start building your following now!
- Mailing Lists – If you have a mailing list, share your new piece of content with your subscribers. It’s a great way to break up frequent sales emails with something that is simply informative.
- Blog Commenting – I’m not just talking about building links with your blog comments. If you go for CommentLuv enabled blogs that allow you to leave your latest blog post behind as a link beneath your comment, then of course you’re getting a link. But more importantly, instead of someone just seeing your name with a link to it, they’re getting to see the title of your content which, if it’s compelling, will lead to more click throughs.
- Blogger Outreach – If you have produced infographics, video, or something that is embeddable, then you can reach out to bloggers and let them know about your content. Be sure to explain why you think your content would be valuable for their readers – if you can prove its value, the blogger will be more likely to share it to their audience.
By utilizing both good optimization as well as hearty promotion of your content, it will help in building rankings and authority for your website, brand and business.
