Module 3 – Create Content to Support Your SEO Strategy
As you've learned, relevant content is essential to SEO success. Now that you've chosen the pages you want to optimize and the keyword for each, it's time to develop content – either from scratch or by editing existing material. Extensive content strategy goes beyond the scope of this course, but this module will provide you with the basics to create content that supports your SEO strategy.
⦁ Lesson 1: Create Your Content Strategy
⦁ Lesson 2: How to Create Content That Will Rank
Lesson 1: Create Your Content Strategy
In this lesson, you will focus on creating your content strategy, looking at what your audience needs and what other top-ranking pages are doing. Don't reinvent the wheel: If you have existing content that will work for the 5-7 pages you are optimizing, use that, making edits as need.
How Will You Deliver Your Content?
For each page or post, reflect on the content and what you need it to achieve and determine how you will deliver the content. What type of post or page will best serve your audience and the keyword you are trying to rank for? For example, if they want to know more about how to create a digital marketing plan, a 'Top 5 List,' 'How-to,' or 'Step-by-Step Guide' would work best.
What Are the Top-Ranking Pages Doing?
Search your keyword phrase on an SEO tool like Ubersuggest to see the posts and articles that rank high for your keyword. Simply enter in your keyword/keyword phrase (remember, you only get three free searches a day!) and Ubersuggest will generate a list of content ideas, with the page title URL, estimated visits that pages gets, and the number of backlinks and a link to a list of backlinks (only 5 are visible to guests).
Review the top articles and then base your content on what works – but make yours even more valuable!
Don't Reinvent the Wheel
This isn't a course on content creation, which can be a lengthy and involved process. For the purposes of this course, focus on the 5-7 pages that you are optimizing and produce the best possible content for those pages.
You don't have to start from scratch. You are optimizing for keywords that are integral to your business, so you have probably already created lots of related content.
Search old blog posts, emails, proposals, pitches, ad copy etc. that are relevant to your keywords and adapt and use that content.
And for existing web pages that you are optimizing (e.g., Home, About), you are simply going to edit those pages to make sure they are relevant to your keyword/keyword phrase. Then add the keyword in natural, unobtrusive spots.
Now that you have determined…
⦁ The pages you are optimizing
⦁ The search intent for each page/post (e.g., commercial, informational etc.)
⦁ Your seed keywords
⦁ Which keywords you are trying to rank for
⦁ How content on each page/post will be delivered (e.g., How-to post, About page with your brand and product history etc.)
⦁ How you will create your content (from scratch or repurposed content)
⦁
…you are ready to map out a basic schedule for content creation.
Create a schedule to produce content, starting first with an existing page on your website that only needs to be edited. Then, alternate between pages with different intent, for example, don't do all of your informational pages first (e.g., blog posts with highly targeted keywords). Start with your Home page, then work on a blog post, then optimize your About page, and so on.
Right now, you are just focusing on creating relevant content and then going back and adding your keyword phrases in a natural, readable, unobtrusive way. In the next module, you will learn on-page optimization strategies, including more of the 'backend' techniques like optimizing headings, descriptive link text, page title, meta description, and more.
Key Takeaways:
⦁ Don't reinvent the wheel: for now, focus on the pages and posts you are optimizing for this course. Find existing content that you can adapt.
⦁ Create a schedule to produce content, tackling an 'easy' page first. Start with a page that already has content that just needs to be edited, and then alternate back and forth between pages with commercial intent and informational intent.
Action Steps:
⦁ Go back to your Keyword Planner to review the 5-7 pages you will be optimizing. Page by page, brainstorm pieces of content you already have that you can repurpose and reuse. Record your ideas and finalize your content for each page.
⦁ Determine the form each page or post of optimized content will take. For example, will your blog post be a How-to? Will your 'About' page contain your biography or just a quick product history? Think about the keyword you are optimizing for and let that guide you. Write your answers down in your Keyword Planner.
⦁ Search your keywords on SEO tools like Ubersuggest to see other people's posts and articles that rank high for each of your keywords. Review the articles for inspiration and think of ways you can improve upon existing articles and make your content even more valuable. Record your ideas for later use.
⦁ Using your Keyword Planner, create a schedule for content creation. Start with the easiest page first, and then alternate back and forth between commercial and informational pages.
Lesson 2: How to Create Content That Will Rank
As discussed in previous lessons, keyword stuffing will not boost your search engine ranking, in fact, it can be detrimental to it if you don't have the content to back it up.
Create Relevant Content
Google places value on relevant content that delivers on what your keywords promise. Write quality content, and lots of it. Think about what your target audience wants and produce content that solves their problems and answers their questions.
Write normally, keeping your keyword phrase top of mind without awkwardly placing it in every sentence. Once you have created the content, then go back and add the keyword phrase where appropriate and natural.
There are also SEO tools that can help you write and optimize your content for search engines, but be forewarned: they aren't cheap. One example is Surfer, which, among other services, provides you with live feedback on your content based on your keywords and top-performing pages. It also provides optimized AI-generated content that you can adapt to match your brand, tone, and voice. If you are time-strapped or feel like you don't have the skills to create content, let alone optimized content, tools like this might be worth the investment.
Produce Content Consistently
Optimization isn't a "one and done" process. Consistency is key. You need to constantly add new content that is relevant to your keyword(s). The best way to do this is to frequently update your blog. Build blog posts around the keyword phrases you want to rank for, plus, add new ones based on new product launches, an upcoming event, discounts and sales, and more. But always keep your seed keywords in mind as you develop new keywords beyond the ones you are working on during this course.
Make Sure it's Readable
This has been touched on in this course already, but it is worth repeating. Your content has to be enjoyable, relevant, and easy to follow.
Here are some tips to make your content more readable for your audience (and Google!)
⦁ Keep your messaging concise and clear. This doesn't mean that you produce short, brief posts or pages. Long-form content, posts that are between 700-2000 words, is actually favored by Google. But each section of your post should get to the point quickly. Don't pad your content or tell irrelevant stories. Stay focused on the keyword phrase and topic.
⦁ Break up your content. Use short paragraphs and avoid long blocks of uninterrupted content. Add visuals, graphics, bullet points, and subheads. This will make even long 'Epic' posts seem manageable.
⦁ Keep it clean. Use simple fonts and make sure it is laid out in a way that people can read it with ease.
Incorporate Images
Incorporate and optimize images (more on image optimization in the next module!). Images capture your audience's attention and can communicate information more succinctly and powerfully than words alone.
Make it Valuable
Ensure that your content always provides value for your target audience. It should answer the question it poses and always deliver on the keyword promise. People should feel like they've learned something by reading it.
The content you create should stand alone. Visitors shouldn't need to purchase something to get the 'rest of the story'. If they searched for something specific and found your page, then it should answer that query succinctly and fully. This isn't to say that you can't introduce them to a product/service that will provide them with a more lasting or comprehensive solution, but the upsell should not be the primary focus of the content.
Key Takeaways:
⦁ Google places value on relevant content that delivers on what the keywords promise. Consistently write quality content, and lots of it.
⦁ Make sure your content is readable, valuable, and delivered in a way that makes sense for your audience and the keyword phrase.
Action Steps:
⦁ Review the pages you are working on during this course and make sure each page is relevant and readable. Is the text broken up with bullet points, headers, or images? Does it contain valuable content related to the keyword you are trying to rank for? Make any adjustments based on the recommendations in this lesson.
⦁ Start brainstorming image ideas for each page/post. Is there any place you can add an infographic, product photo, illustration?
Go to Module 4
As you've learned, relevant content is essential to SEO success. Now that you've chosen the pages you want to optimize and the keyword for each, it's time to develop content – either from scratch or by editing existing material. Extensive content strategy goes beyond the scope of this course, but this module will provide you with the basics to create content that supports your SEO strategy.
⦁ Lesson 1: Create Your Content Strategy
⦁ Lesson 2: How to Create Content That Will Rank
Lesson 1: Create Your Content Strategy
In this lesson, you will focus on creating your content strategy, looking at what your audience needs and what other top-ranking pages are doing. Don't reinvent the wheel: If you have existing content that will work for the 5-7 pages you are optimizing, use that, making edits as need.
How Will You Deliver Your Content?
For each page or post, reflect on the content and what you need it to achieve and determine how you will deliver the content. What type of post or page will best serve your audience and the keyword you are trying to rank for? For example, if they want to know more about how to create a digital marketing plan, a 'Top 5 List,' 'How-to,' or 'Step-by-Step Guide' would work best.
What Are the Top-Ranking Pages Doing?
Search your keyword phrase on an SEO tool like Ubersuggest to see the posts and articles that rank high for your keyword. Simply enter in your keyword/keyword phrase (remember, you only get three free searches a day!) and Ubersuggest will generate a list of content ideas, with the page title URL, estimated visits that pages gets, and the number of backlinks and a link to a list of backlinks (only 5 are visible to guests).
Review the top articles and then base your content on what works – but make yours even more valuable!
Don't Reinvent the Wheel
This isn't a course on content creation, which can be a lengthy and involved process. For the purposes of this course, focus on the 5-7 pages that you are optimizing and produce the best possible content for those pages.
You don't have to start from scratch. You are optimizing for keywords that are integral to your business, so you have probably already created lots of related content.
Search old blog posts, emails, proposals, pitches, ad copy etc. that are relevant to your keywords and adapt and use that content.
And for existing web pages that you are optimizing (e.g., Home, About), you are simply going to edit those pages to make sure they are relevant to your keyword/keyword phrase. Then add the keyword in natural, unobtrusive spots.
Now that you have determined…
⦁ The pages you are optimizing
⦁ The search intent for each page/post (e.g., commercial, informational etc.)
⦁ Your seed keywords
⦁ Which keywords you are trying to rank for
⦁ How content on each page/post will be delivered (e.g., How-to post, About page with your brand and product history etc.)
⦁ How you will create your content (from scratch or repurposed content)
⦁
…you are ready to map out a basic schedule for content creation.
Create a schedule to produce content, starting first with an existing page on your website that only needs to be edited. Then, alternate between pages with different intent, for example, don't do all of your informational pages first (e.g., blog posts with highly targeted keywords). Start with your Home page, then work on a blog post, then optimize your About page, and so on.
Right now, you are just focusing on creating relevant content and then going back and adding your keyword phrases in a natural, readable, unobtrusive way. In the next module, you will learn on-page optimization strategies, including more of the 'backend' techniques like optimizing headings, descriptive link text, page title, meta description, and more.
Key Takeaways:
⦁ Don't reinvent the wheel: for now, focus on the pages and posts you are optimizing for this course. Find existing content that you can adapt.
⦁ Create a schedule to produce content, tackling an 'easy' page first. Start with a page that already has content that just needs to be edited, and then alternate back and forth between pages with commercial intent and informational intent.
Action Steps:
⦁ Go back to your Keyword Planner to review the 5-7 pages you will be optimizing. Page by page, brainstorm pieces of content you already have that you can repurpose and reuse. Record your ideas and finalize your content for each page.
⦁ Determine the form each page or post of optimized content will take. For example, will your blog post be a How-to? Will your 'About' page contain your biography or just a quick product history? Think about the keyword you are optimizing for and let that guide you. Write your answers down in your Keyword Planner.
⦁ Search your keywords on SEO tools like Ubersuggest to see other people's posts and articles that rank high for each of your keywords. Review the articles for inspiration and think of ways you can improve upon existing articles and make your content even more valuable. Record your ideas for later use.
⦁ Using your Keyword Planner, create a schedule for content creation. Start with the easiest page first, and then alternate back and forth between commercial and informational pages.
Lesson 2: How to Create Content That Will Rank
As discussed in previous lessons, keyword stuffing will not boost your search engine ranking, in fact, it can be detrimental to it if you don't have the content to back it up.
Create Relevant Content
Google places value on relevant content that delivers on what your keywords promise. Write quality content, and lots of it. Think about what your target audience wants and produce content that solves their problems and answers their questions.
Write normally, keeping your keyword phrase top of mind without awkwardly placing it in every sentence. Once you have created the content, then go back and add the keyword phrase where appropriate and natural.
There are also SEO tools that can help you write and optimize your content for search engines, but be forewarned: they aren't cheap. One example is Surfer, which, among other services, provides you with live feedback on your content based on your keywords and top-performing pages. It also provides optimized AI-generated content that you can adapt to match your brand, tone, and voice. If you are time-strapped or feel like you don't have the skills to create content, let alone optimized content, tools like this might be worth the investment.
Produce Content Consistently
Optimization isn't a "one and done" process. Consistency is key. You need to constantly add new content that is relevant to your keyword(s). The best way to do this is to frequently update your blog. Build blog posts around the keyword phrases you want to rank for, plus, add new ones based on new product launches, an upcoming event, discounts and sales, and more. But always keep your seed keywords in mind as you develop new keywords beyond the ones you are working on during this course.
Make Sure it's Readable
This has been touched on in this course already, but it is worth repeating. Your content has to be enjoyable, relevant, and easy to follow.
Here are some tips to make your content more readable for your audience (and Google!)
⦁ Keep your messaging concise and clear. This doesn't mean that you produce short, brief posts or pages. Long-form content, posts that are between 700-2000 words, is actually favored by Google. But each section of your post should get to the point quickly. Don't pad your content or tell irrelevant stories. Stay focused on the keyword phrase and topic.
⦁ Break up your content. Use short paragraphs and avoid long blocks of uninterrupted content. Add visuals, graphics, bullet points, and subheads. This will make even long 'Epic' posts seem manageable.
⦁ Keep it clean. Use simple fonts and make sure it is laid out in a way that people can read it with ease.
Incorporate Images
Incorporate and optimize images (more on image optimization in the next module!). Images capture your audience's attention and can communicate information more succinctly and powerfully than words alone.
Make it Valuable
Ensure that your content always provides value for your target audience. It should answer the question it poses and always deliver on the keyword promise. People should feel like they've learned something by reading it.
The content you create should stand alone. Visitors shouldn't need to purchase something to get the 'rest of the story'. If they searched for something specific and found your page, then it should answer that query succinctly and fully. This isn't to say that you can't introduce them to a product/service that will provide them with a more lasting or comprehensive solution, but the upsell should not be the primary focus of the content.
Key Takeaways:
⦁ Google places value on relevant content that delivers on what the keywords promise. Consistently write quality content, and lots of it.
⦁ Make sure your content is readable, valuable, and delivered in a way that makes sense for your audience and the keyword phrase.
Action Steps:
⦁ Review the pages you are working on during this course and make sure each page is relevant and readable. Is the text broken up with bullet points, headers, or images? Does it contain valuable content related to the keyword you are trying to rank for? Make any adjustments based on the recommendations in this lesson.
⦁ Start brainstorming image ideas for each page/post. Is there any place you can add an infographic, product photo, illustration?
Go to Module 4
