Content marketing is one of the most effective techniques used to promote websites and ensure they are easier to find on search engines. If you want to make the biggest impact and take advantage of the benefits it brings, you need to get your strategy right and ensure you avoid the potential pitfalls.
With a content marketing strategy you need to understand your objective and what you want to achieve. The most successful strategies are take all parties into account, including the designers, the marketers and the writers.
There is often confusion about keywords in content but one thing is clear: the days of cramming as many keywords as you can into each piece is over. Instead, website users and search engines alike are demanding quality, well written content that engages and informs.
The biggest pitfall people make is by copying content. This is an immense faux pas and can see your website penalised for plagiarism. Original, unique content is a must and is rewarded by search engines, especially when it is well written and easy to read.
With any strategy there will be times when you need to make changes and freshen things up. If what you’re currently doing isn’t producing the results you expected, you should take another look and see what you can do differently and where you can improve. Never be afraid to change strategy – there’s no need to stick with a strategy that is failing.
Another issue is the quantity of content you need. Some people suggest longer pieces are the best because they contain more information and give more details. Others will promote shorter articles that are succinct and to the point. The truth is the length you go for largely depends on the topic and however many words you need to cover the topic. Quality remains the most important factor and you should never try to expand on something further than necessary purely to fill a page up.
When writing articles it is best to have a good mixture of topics and information. You can advertise your business and include a call to arms in pieces but try to avoid doing too much self promotion. Interesting pieces with news about your industry are always a good idea and will help keep people informed.
Keeping the content on your site fresh and up to date is important and will produce good results in terms of search engine rankings. If you have older posts, it might be a good idea to refresh them with a little rewriting or editing.
Getting your content marketing strategy right is important and should be near the very top of your list of priorities. Many websites fail because the content is a secondary consideration rather than a primary one. Always remember if you don’t look after your content it can’t provide the results you want.