Content is king.
This simple sentence forms the basis for all content marketing, and is a huge part of what makes an SEO strategy successful.
Nobody likes a hard sell. If you ask us, the best way to convince someone to seek out your business is to make them want to call you.
The decision a potential customer makes usually comes down to two things:
- Whether they can find you
- If you can convince them you’re the best person for the job
Search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing are two of the most powerful tools you have to make that happen.
A quick recap: what is SEO and content marketing?
Long story short, SEO is all about pushing your web pages as high up on Google’s results pages as possible.
Effective SEO focuses on getting you found by the customers you want for the goods and services you want to push.
Why does this matter? Because people won’t come to you if they can’t find you in the first place!
Pushing your site as high as possible in Google’s search results is key… especially when 75% of clicks are claimed by results on the first page (that is, the top 10 results).
How do we do that? We use content
Content is what persuades Google that your site is exactly what potential customers are looking for.
High-quality, original content makes your site credible in Google’s eyes, which means your site is more likely to pop up over competitors’ sites.
That’s not all content does. Interesting and unique content is also a powerful sales tool.
Strong, unique content builds trust in you and gently nudges your customers towards their next step, whether that’s submitting a contact form, picking up the phone, or making an online purchase.
But how does each different type of content impact sales or influence search engine optimisation?
Blog posts and SEO
Ask any digital agency, and chances are blogs are the medium of choice for SEO.
It’s not hard to see why.
A regularly-updated blog is a regular stream of content. That means your site always has relevant written content, images and other content being added to it.
Blogs also increase your rank by:
- Building up backlinks – being linked to tells Google your site is popular
- Bringing in more visits – more pages mean more chances of being found, and more visits means higher ranking
- They plug gaps in your content – your site has to be navigable, meaning there’s no such thing as creating too many pages: blogs let you cover thousands of topics and keywords!
Regularly updated and high-quality blogs optimize your website and push them up Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
That’s because Google favours newer, “fresher” content – and so do most readers.
What would you prefer, a recent article that’s up-to-date with current trends?
Or an article that hasn’t been updated since 2013?
It mightn’t seem that long ago, but in the digital world, it’s an era.
Regular blogs are also part of the sales process. Just like your product pages, blogs help sell visitors on your business by providing an avenue for you to get across your expertise.
Write about some insider knowledge, or tips-and-tricks related to your profession – they’re sure to make visitors pay attention.
Reviews and SEO
Reviews are a powerful tool in content marketing Melbourne.
Any business can say they’re good at what they do. But when its customers come out to bat for them, that’s a sign that it’s true – the proof is in the pudding, after all!
As a piece of content, reviews are extremely effective at turning visitors into paying customers. Here are just some of the stats:
- 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 91% of customers check online reviews before making a purchase
- 40% of consumers form an opinion based on the first couple of reviews they read
Beyond motivating your customers however, reviews also directly impact your search engine optimisation.
According to some marketing professionals, Google reviews account for approximately 7-13% of your rank. While not as big as other factors, it definitely has a role to play.
Not to mention, reviews on third-party review sites give web users additional ways to find your site.
Many sites like Yelp or WOMO link to business websites – while not as important as they once were, inbound links like this still have a direct impact on search engine rankings.
Click here to learn more about the link between search engine optimisation and online reviews.
Infographics, images, and SEO
A picture says a thousand words. If you’re laying out a new website or updating an existing one, this is something you’ll want to remember!
Walls of text are hard to read. They make your visitors mentally switch off… or worse, click off your site altogether.
It’s tempting to just dump information on your site. You want visitors to know everything about you, your business, and what it is you do, after all.
However, without images to break up the text or infographics to illustrate your points, nobody’s going to be sticking around to read your site!
Infographics and images also make your page more searchable. Take it from us, Google loves pages that use multimedia. A page with plenty of appropriate images is going to rank much higher than one that’s just plain text.
Images and infographics also make your site findable through image searches.
Videos, podcasts, and SEO
Images aren’t the only multimedia that improve your SEO.
Videos and podcasts can also dramatically improve your SEO.
Both of these are like the superheroes of the content marketing world: ultra-engaging, compelling, and great at grabbing attention.
If your goal is to build conversions and turn your site into a sales tool, two types of multimedia can’t be overlooked.
It’s also worth considering their impact on SEO.
Well-optimised videos help your video stand out to Google. Google likes sites that use multimedia in their pages, making video and podcasts powerful tools.
Additionally, both videos and podcasts increase your search engine rankings by getting visitors to stay on your site longer.
According to WordStream, dwell time directly impacts page rankings – Google sees a site that people are staying on for a long time and concludes the site in question must have great content or be super compelling.
Either way, the result is the same: your pages go up in rankings.
iformat makes your content count!
Creating content is one thing. But creating content that actually works for you is a whole other challenge!
iformat’s SEO strategies are built around quality content. We produce content that:
- Is well-written and compelling
- Is optimised for the business and customers you want
- Pushes your website to the front page of Google
- Helps customers understand you, your products, and services
- Answers the questions readers are searching for
Our content leaves a lasting impression without the hard sell – our content persuades, convinces and builds customer relationships.
Most importantly, we create content that aligns with the results you want.
Contact us today on 1300 88 64 50 or tell us a little about your business here to learn how we can turn your business around with great content.