We understand not everyone knows SEO (search engine optimization) like we know it. We've been doing it from the start of SEO, basically, and there's one thing you can do for SEO that always works...
Content.
If you have absolutely no budget for SEO, but you put out a top quality blog, full of original content that's super helpful... guess what? Google will rank your website high.
Why?
Yeah, it seems so simple - so simple that it can't be true, but it's true. Great content trumps everything. Why? People need answers... right?
You could have a pretty ugly website, but if the content is amazing, search engines will rank it high. How it works is, great content rises to the top.
Let me explain that some more...
Let's say your business makes ferret slippers. We all know that ferret slippers are high in demand. There are mobs of people heading to stores to buy them, right? (Maybe not.) Well, your website needs to be the top authority on ferret slippers.
So, you write about the benefits. You explain why ferrets need slippers so bad. You go over materials in depth. You do comparisons, shopping guides, infographics, videos, charts, graphs, studies, and white papers. You cover it VERY well.
What will naturally happen after that? People will start linking to you. Sure, you post 100 articles and maybe 15 get traction - that's fine. But, all of a sudden, with those natural links, your website starts climbing the rankings. Google sees people clicking on your site and staying there a while. People watch videos and enjoy your content. They're not getting to your site, then leaving and coming back to Google. Google sees this and ranks you even higher.
Pretty soon, you're ranking #1 for lots of ferret slipper-related keywords. This data gives you more ideas about what to write about, so you publish another 20 articles (blog posts).
Next, you see 17 of those 20 rank. Now, you've got loads of organic traffic. People are heading to your store to buy your products.
Then you rinse, lather, and repeat - write more content based on the data you have. Pretty soon, every article you post is ranking higher, pulling in more traffic from more keywords, You've already done the heavy lifting - you now just need to keep the momentum going... that's it.
Did any of that involve a website redesign or anything technical? No. You just need a way to post content easily, which is a blog.
That'll work fine in the ferret slipper business, but if there's more competition, then you'll need to do more, but you get the idea. Still, at the core, it's content, ya silly.
If you do everything else related to SEO, but not content, then you're really just putting the cart before the horse.
The problem is, most businesses / business owners don't want to sit and write content. Believe me, I get that. I used to post a ton, but now... where's the time?
The first thing to do is set up a blog calendar. You'll start a new document and list every month of the year. Inside of each month, list the articles you'll post. You don't need the final headline, but just the idea of what each post will be about. Each topic should be keyword-based (after doing good keyword research and gap research).
You now have a punch list so that you can start planning. Set dates on each one. Maybe you're setting a goal of 2 posts per month. Maybe it's 8 per month. Even if it's just once a month, get some kind of consistent plan in place.
Next, get some writers. Either hire them or hire our writers.
They key factor you must understand is simple - investing in content pays off. Once you post a great piece of content on your website, it works for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and even on holidays. Do you pay for it every day? No, you just pay for it once. What else works like this? Practically nothing!
If your brain didn't explode yet, go back and read that last paragraph.
Are brain pieces everywhere now? OK, read on...
First, agree that you're going to do get some great content on your website.
Next, get your plan in place - or set a meeting to plan it. Come up with topics for each month. Maybe tie content to seasons, or holidays, or things that happen that time of year. Make it relevant.
Next, assign writers to each article.
Each post should:
Put out quality. Remember E-A-T, which is expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Put your expertise into your posts. Show what you know. Provide value even though it's a free blog post.
Make your site a resource that begs to be linked to. Ask people to share it and comment. Share it on your social media accounts. Find influencers that may want to share it.
Next, contact Webstix to make sure the rest of the SEO bases are covered.
Your site also needs to:
If you can't find writers, let us know. We can help. We have copywriters that will interview you and help you develop a solid content marketing plan going forward.
Remember, invest in content once and it keeps working for you (the brain pieces everywhere).
Oh, and if you want me to post about the magic bullet that practically guarantees organic traffic over and over, leave a comment below.
-Tony
