SEO is full of strategies, tactics and metrics, so it can be confusing to know where to start (and finish) your SEO marketing plan and how to measure it. But in truth, once you have the vital optimisations in place, content is what decides how successful and productive your website pages are.
So much time and attention are paid to keywords, page titles, schemas, internal linking, backlinking and, of course, the all-important heading tags that the actual words on a page become almost an afterthought. This isn’t to say that the technical aspects of search engine optimisation aren’t important — it’s more that content will always be the catalyst for a successful SEO content strategy.
Think of it like this: Technical SEO is the foundation that allows website content to rank organically in search results. Whereas high-quality and relevant content is what encourages people to click, linger, and be compelled to take action – be it subscribing, converting, or handing over personal information. Do both content and SEO well, and your website becomes an organic lead-generating machine.
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Learning how to write effective SEO content often starts with first getting out of the SEO mindset. You want to stop thinking solely about keywords and page titles and instead focus more on creating the right content for the right audience. For more help, visit our SEO for estate agents service page for a detailed explanation of the benefits and our winning strategy.
Going this route doesn’t just help you avoid some of the biggest SEO mistakes that businesses often make. It can also drive people to your estate agency site and improve those conversion rates. With that in mind, here are just a few things to consider as you bring together quality content and SEO best practices for websites, blog posts, and other marketing materials:
1. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes.
Products and services are meant to provide solutions to consumer woes, and it’s important to keep that top of mind when dreaming up content ideas. If you were a member of your target audience, what’s the biggest challenge you’re facing? What really gets under your skin? Think about those pain points and speak to them with your content.
2. Watch the competition.
Sometimes, the fix for a struggling SEO strategy can be found in the competition’s content. Not that you want to copy a competitor’s approach word for word, but it can certainly give you ideas about what types of content work well for them. It can also help inform timing, channel selection, and more.
3. Understand your niche in the marketplace.
Even if you’re in a relatively saturated market, something about your brand will be unique. Think about what sets you, your product, or your services apart from other players in your industry: Is it customer service? Is it user experience? Use this information and answer questions within your content to drive that point across. What do you provide to customers that no one else can?
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4. Research topics fully.
Although researching topics might sound obvious, many businesses fail to search the internet to see what’s already out there. Google a topic to review what the competition might be saying — and whether anyone is talking about it at all. Often, the quickest way to see results is with content topics that have decent search volumes but low competition. Tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner are free, easy to use, and can help identify these “holy grail” topics and search terms.
Bottom Line.
Content-first marketing done right not only increases SEO rankings, but also boosts website visits; creates thought leadership; and ultimately drives new conversions, leads, and sales. Just make sure to develop an SEO content strategy that works for your business. You never want to bite off more than you can chew. Start slowly at first, and then grow from there.
I hope this helps!
Paul 😀
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