“We’re not focused on content right now.”
“We’ll build content later.”
These are common refrains we hear from our clients all the time. I get it. Content takes time. Content takes money. Content doesn't always come with an immediate payoff (though it can if you do it right, more on that later).
So we get the want to push content to the back of the line and focus on paid marketing, social media and email. But leaving content on the table and hoping your SEO will grow without it is a fools errand.
The quickest way for SEO to grow is to create content that continues to tell Google, and your target audience, what you do and where your expertise lies.
Let's say you have a website for your personal training business. Let's say the website has 3 page (home, services, contact us). It's going to be hard to convince Google or any other passerby that you're an expert in the field of exercise and nutrition. Let's say that same website has a thousand pages and hundreds of well written articles on exercise and nutrition. It's far more likely that Google will recognize your site as a destination with expert content around exercise and nutrition.
The truth is that building SEO and diamonds require the same thing: pressure and time. You can spend that time waiting for the world to recognize you, or you can spend that time applying pressure to the topic areas you want to be known for.
If you can create great content then you can reduce the time it takes to gain that authority. The results for your business can be transformational.
Of course, there's a science to creating content. You have to know the right content to create, and the right cadence to create it. I've never personally saw the benefit in organizations who dump 100 pieces of content at one time and then don't touch your blog again for months. In my experience the best thing you can do is to create those hundred pieces of content and release the same amount on a weekly basis. Consistently and credibility will get you pretty far. You need to know how your customer funnel works and the journey your customers are on and how to meet them where they are at in search. It's not easy to get right, but the worst thing you can do is nothing at all.
How Much Content Do I Need to Create?
That is a common question and a good one. The truth is, the more, the merrier. Budgets and writing resources are always an issue, especially for small companies, but the more content you can do the better.
A good rule of thumb I'd advise is at least 1 piece of content a week though the sweet spot for most companies is roughly 10 pieces a month. This gives you an opportunity to focus on the two to three content areas that you are most passionate about. These should also be the areas that are most aligned with you business.
The good news is that if you're an expert around the topic or product your choosing to write about the content you create will be easier. Many people think that you need to hire professional writing services to create your content. While I know there are many great ones and it can be worth it, what you need is someone with expertise. A decent writer with great expertise is always better than a terrific writer with no expertise. Expertise builds trust and when you're looking for a loyal audience and consistent traffic from Google, trust is everything.
What Do I Write About?
This is a loaded and complicated question. When you get deep in the weeds of content planning this is a very fun and challenging exercise that can transform your business. But if you're looking for a quick and dirty way to get started ask yourself this question:
What are things a potential customer of mine is going to google?
If you can start there it's easy to find 10-20 article ideas. Will that be enough to transform your business? Hell no, but it's a start and one good piece of content is likely to inspire another.
How Long Until The Content Starts to Work in Google?
Another question worthy of its own blog post. But for now, a good piece of content can start to show results in 3–12 months. That's not a guarantee, but it's a good rule of thumb. The more you write and the more quality content you put out, the faster the process usually goes.
Is it Better to Focus on Quality or Quantity?
Always quality. Of course, doing one piece a year is not advisable, so there's a sweet spot on that Venn diagram. You need to find a place where you can marry the two. Speed matters, but only if it doesn't sacrifice quality.
For more tips continue to read our blog and if you need a game plan to take over the world through SEO, we're here to help. Get in touch.
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