In this day and age, content marketing is a necessity for any business that doesn’t want to get steamrolled by online competition. Businesses that aren’t utilizing content marketing as a means to drive traffic and increase conversion rates will be left behind in the dust.
But there’s a catch: Filling your website with low-quality content won’t do much good. Instead of driving potential customers away from your site, you’ve got to create quality content that engages readers, educates them on the product or service you offer, and inspires them to convert.
That being said, what are some strategies companies can use to create high-quality content? What types of content should they produce? And how can they inject these strategies into their current content marketing process?
#1: Optimize for Google RankBrain Algorithm
Two years ago, the folks who make up the SEO community were surprised when Google announced they were using an artificial intelligence machine-learning algorithm to help organize search results.
Today, many businesses are still trying to figure out what this means for their website and how it impacts the content they’re creating. Is there anything marketers can do right now to take RankBrain into account during the content creation process? And why does it matter so much anyway? Since January 2015 there’s been a marked increase in voice searches. This means that users are asking questions of Google instead of typing them. In part, this is due to mobile devices becoming more advanced at understanding natural language.
In order to stay ahead of the competition, marketers must optimize for RankBrain right now. Simply put: If a person asks their phone a question and doesn’t receive an accurate result from Google, they’re going to try another search engine. It’s as simple as that.
How can you optimize your content for RankBrain? Whenever you publish blog posts or create new pages on your website, ask yourself how users would search for information about what you have written. Use those terms in your keyword research process so you know which phrases people use when searching online. Only write content based on search engine intent.
#2: Leverage Long-Tail Keywords
Everyone knows about the importance of keyword research. But have you ever stopped to think about how people use different keywords in their search queries? People tend to be more specific when they want something – which means marketers need to create content that speaks directly to what visitors are searching for.
Instead of using generic terms, consider long-tail keywords that are tailored towards your customers’ exact needs. Long-tail keywords are phrases that include three or more words and represent a very specific topic or idea. They’re extremely helpful because since there is less competition, it’s easier for them to drive high volumes of organic traffic. How can find these types of keywords? Glad you asked!
One way to find long-tail keywords is through your Google Adwords Express account. In the account, you can see what people are searching for as related to your business and industry. This data will help you create content that speaks directly to those search queries.
#3: Focus on Relevancy to Optimize CTR
Creating relevant content isn’t just important for increasing organic traffic; it’s also an essential part of conversion rate optimization (CRO). After all, how can you expect users to convert if they land on a page that doesn’t speak directly about their needs?
To make sure this doesn’t happen, be sure to closely monitor the keywords that bring visitors to your site. Once someone clicks on a link from the SERPs, they expect content to be relevant and tailored to their search query. If it’s not, they won’t stick around for long – which means more abandoned carts and missed sales.
In order to continue driving organic traffic and maximizing your conversion rate, you need to create a customer experience that keeps customers front and center at all times. Just remember: Content is king – but only if you put the right content in front of your users!
#4: Develop an SEO Optimized Title Tag
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a blogger over the years, it’s that writing blog posts with titles that people click on can make or break my organic traffic numbers each month. In fact, studies show that the title of a blog post is one of the most important factors in driving traffic.
So what makes for an effective title? One word: Relevancy. Whenever I create a new post, I start by conducting keyword research to find out which terms people are using when searching online. Then, I utilize those terms throughout the article while also focusing on writing click-worthy headlines that will get users interested in my content right away.
Remember: You have 50 characters so use them wisely! Once you’ve written your headline, make sure each word counts by including keywords at strategic points throughout the body copy itself.
#5: Create a Content Promotion Strategy that Will Drive Leads
After you’ve spent hours creating stellar content, the last thing you want is for it to sit on your site and do nothing. Unfortunately, this happens all too often because marketers don’t know how to promote their content in a way that actually gets conversions.
We live and breathe organic traffic and conversion rate optimization (CRO). And now I’m about to give you some of our most effective secrets to boosting both of those metrics starting today:
- Promote Your Content Across Social Media Sites – If I had a dollar for every time someone told me “I don’t have time to post across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram,” I’d be retired by now.
- Creating content is only half the battle – promoting it is the other crucial part of success in this business. That’s why we recommend using six different platforms to get the word out about your posts in an efficient manner. Most platforms don’t cost anything and make posting across multiple social media sites super easy!
- Reach out to Relevant Sites – Now it’s time to start thinking outside of your own blog! Start sending emails or connecting with people at various sites related to your niche. Let them know about your post by sharing some helpful insights you included in the article.
- Optimize your site for mobile traffic – According to research published on Search Engine Land, more than half of all local searches on Google are now completed using mobile devices. No one wants to scroll through a huge blog post on their phone or tablet. So if you want your content to stand out (and get more engagement), make sure it’s optimized for mobile users.
- Work with an reputable SEO agency – Not only they have the capacity to create compelling content for you but they also have the expertise needed in optimizing your content so you can eventually increase your keyword’s ranking and drive organic traffic to your site.
#6: Incorporate Visual Content into Your Blog Posts
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the rise of Pinterest and Instagram, it’s that people love visual content! When we recently analyzed over 800 of our blog posts and nearly 100k organic tweets, we found that those with at least one image got 23% more clicks than those without any visuals. So what can you do right now? Start adding graphics, charts, and other images where applicable throughout your next post! It makes a real difference.
#7: Create Compelling Calls-to-Action (CTAs) to Drive Traffic
Even if you do everything else right, your traffic numbers won’t jump unless you have a well-crafted CTA. This is the last step in our process behind earning shares and likes, so it’s important that you don’t miss this part!
A poorly written call-to-action fails to grab readers’ attention or compel them to click through to the next page. On the other hand, an effective CTA can encourage social sharing, lead generation, and reader engagement. Here are some tips for writing CTAs that actually work! The basic rule of thumb is that before you even write your CTA copy, you need to understand your readers. This means that the more you know about their background, interests, and goals, the better your CTA will be. Another way to make sure your CTAs catch readers’ attention is to answer common questions within the copy itself.
In relation to #6, use Images. Do you know what successful companies like HubSpot, Moz, and Upworthy have in common? They all include compelling images within their CTAs. And for good reason! As we mentioned before, research shows visuals (like screenshots) are only second to video when it comes to increasing engagement levels.
#8: Promote Your Content at Relevant Conferences & Events
Blogging is great. But if you want to go “big time,” you need real-world tactics like speaking engagements, trade shows, and conferences. Not only can they help you reach new audiences, but they’re also a great way to promote your content to more people who may have missed it online.
This is exactly what happened when HubSpot presented at iStrategy last year. Our post about optimizing your Twitter profile for better engagement was featured on the conference’s blog, which helped us reach nearly 50,000 new visitors!
Now that you’ve read eight content marketing secrets to boost your organic traffic and conversion rate, are you ready to implement them in your own strategies?
About the author:
Ron Evan Del Rosario is a Digital Marketing specialist from Thrive Agency based in Texas, and a writer who enjoys writing about traveling, psychology, and digital marketing. Nearly four years ago, he accidentally stumbled into the digital marketing field. Some of his commentaries have been featured on websites such as Entrepreneur, Medium, UpCity, and Yahoo. He is currently based in Taiwan, taking up an MBA with a marketing focus.
