Everyone that does online content marketing keeps singing that content is king. However, not many people take the time to really think about this assertion and what it really means. Well, if you are thinking about succeeding in SEO, content marketing, and any other digital campaign, you need to start figuring out the role which content plays because algorithms like Google panda are here to stay and as long as your site is considered thin, top rankings may remain a dream. But, precisely what do you need to do to improve the quality of what you are posting.
Freshness and Originality
There is a content marketer who always asserts that there is enough garbage content out there, and that new content creators are better off not adding to it. This is the first mistake that content creators fall into. They are used to Googling everything that they need to know, so, even when creators are writing content, they rarely bring their own point of view or research to the table. Some are so terrible that they will reword similar articles word for word. While you may escape the wrath of Copyscape and other plagiarism detection tools, Google will still figure out the idea theft, and this will lead to penalties. So, it is time to go back to the good old days where content writing was taken as seriously as journalism. When a topic comes to you:
- See every angle that has been done in the past from online sources
- Think of a fresh and innovative angle or twist that you can give to it
- Go out to the field and do some actual research so that your data will be backed up by facts.
Content Readers Appreciate
Over the past couple of years, there has been a serious shift in the way people interact with online content. For instance, video content has gained a lot of popularity, and it is estimated that by 2020, video will be the primary type of content getting shared across the social media channels. This does not mean that video will put an end to other content types, but it means that the video needs to become more central to your content strategy. Therefore, in addition to the written pieces that you post, consider doing short video podcasts that will take less than 10 minutes to go through for your followers.
Be Concise
Another thing that you need to think about is the usefulness of the content that you are putting out there, and its relevance to your website title, niche and the topic you are writing about. When someone is clicking through to your website after searching a keyword, they are looking for information that is relevant to that topic. To prevent high bounce rates, you always ensure that content provides answers to questions the reader will have in mind. Before you write, therefore, put yourself in the position of the reader and think about the things which you may want to find out about a topic. Make sure that you address all these things. To make this possible:
- Put down the significant points to discuss as a content brief at the start of the article
- Give yourself a word limit for each content section-this will stop you from veering off topic
- Read the content after you have finished writing it to double check and make sure that it answers all the questions that you needed to address.
- Have someone go through the content before posting and let them judge its relevance.
Evaluate Your Content
Content marketing is all about improving yourself over time. You need to make sure that you continually measure the success of everything that you put out there. Have tools that can help you with the evaluation installed on your sites. Tools like Buffer, Google Analytics, and others will come in handy when you want to know:
- Which demographic loves your content the most?
- When do most people interact with your content?
- Where are your readers from and what are their content preferences?
- Which content topics are the most popular?
These are all the steps which you can take to make sure your content moves from the regular everything else found online to an authority in your niche. With time and dedication, you can become an actual thought leader in your niche and when this happens rankings will automatically improve, and your content marketing will be on the path towards complete success.
References:
https://www.moz.com/blog/evaluate-content-quality-the-easy-way
http://www.socialmarketnews.com/7-tips-every-content-marketer-should-know-of/
https://www.inc.com/robbie-abed/how-to-create-content-that-people-actually-want-to-read.html
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