 Google has ushered in the era of big content by assigning increasing importance to it from a search perspective. But it placed one large stipulation on content creation. It has to be “good” to be worthwhile.
What is “Good” Content? Google depends on your audience for this answer. If they are sharing your content, clicking on it, interacting with it, and showing you appreciation for it across the social spheres, Google is taking notice and factoring that into its ranking. Here are a few tips to making your content more SEO-friendly. How Do I Create Good Content? Know Your Audience You cannot expect your audience to connect to your content, nor can you produce quality content from Google’s perspective, without knowing who your audience is. “My ideal customer” is not specific enough of a definition. Drill down to things like age, gender, income, schooling, preferences, etc. Only when you know your target connection, can you begin effectively creating content for that person. Think of Keywords The practice of keyword stuffing, adding the same word over and over in your content because you’d like to place highly for it, is dead. You must now create good content using your keywords as subtle flavoring not coating your content with them. When you think of keywords and your business, there will be some that come to you immediately. For instance, an OB/GYN may use “city obstetrics” (the city being the specific town in which she operates her practice). However, placing for those keywords will be costly and she’ll be competing with very large, established clinics and hospitals. In addition she may want to look at long-tail phrases that people would search under such as “pregnancy care after 40” or “infertility treatments after miscarriages.” If she specializes in these things, they could be very lucrative and less competitive. Use Google’s keyword planner tool to help you find some that relate to your business. Ask Questions People don’t search for keywords or answers. They search using questions. Brainstorm questions your ideal customer asks about your product or industry. Create content based on this. Ask your employees for the questions they hear most. Create content about these too. Type in questions into Google’s search box (or your search engine of choice) and see what comes up in its auto-fill in. Scan the results. Create content that fits. Do More of What’s Working If you notice a particular kind of content is being shared often by your audience, do more of it. Try experimenting with a variety of media types. Google loves pictures and videos too but take care to tag them for maximum SEO. Do More But Not The Same Google is like a really smart teacher who knows when you’ve copied your work from somewhere else and you will pay just as dearly, even if the person you are copying from is your own site. Search engines like fresh content, new content. It’s hard when you’ve created a masterpiece not to want to use it again but Google will penalize your site if you duplicate content. This counts for content you’ve written as a guest blog poster somewhere else and reposted on your site verbatim. Reword. Rewrite. Don’t Duplicate. The key to creating SEO-friendly content is to concentrate on the likelihood of interaction you’ll derive from it. Google has no way of knowing if your audience is ultimately buying from you, but it does know how it is relating to your content. From a search perspective conversions are less important than shares; so if you’re being helpful and creating a top resource for your industry or niche, and your content is shared, you will see your organic rankings improve and your sales will follow. Christina R. Green teaches small businesses, chambers and associations how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives’ Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, and Socialfish. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.com and Memberclicks. She’s a bookish writer on a quest to bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere.  Selfies are no longer the domain of duck-faced teenaged girls. (That’s not an insult. It’s a description. Google it.) They’re gaining in popularity among adults and businesses too. Selfies are a way of showing customers and potential customers a “behind the scenes” look at your business. They also are an effective way of telling your business story.
In addition to selfies, photo bombs can be lots of fun as they are extremely shareable content. Photo bombs start off as portraits, similar to selfies, but the person in the foreground is upstaged by what’s going on behind him/her. Here are 5 types of selfies/photo bombs you should take for your business and post to your social streams: Your History A selfie of the business owner in front of something historic about the business or the year it opened. Good ideas include standing in front of an old picture of the business from way back when, standing in front of a former owner’s portrait, or the first dollar made in the business. If you founded the business yourself, recreate a picture of you taken when you first opened and display them side by side. What Makes You Unique (and the same) This picture is all about showcasing your personality but remember it is for business as well. Try taking a shot in front of a favorite collection or hobby, a picture of you in your favorite spot in town, or you enjoying your favorite meal. When you post it ask a question of your audience, so while it appears to be about you, you are opening it up to a greater connection with them. Have fun with it. For example, taking a picture of you in the morning with your coffee/favorite mug. The caption could read, “You should’ve seen me before I had my first cup. Anyone else unapproachable before their morning coffee?” You and Your Right Hand Not literally. This selfie is a picture of you and the person (or people) who helps you beyond measure. It could be someone who works for you, or a vendor partner, your entire team, or your best customer. The point of this selfie is anything but self-serving. Show some appreciation on a grand level. Mention how thankful you are for that person in the post. Answer the Most Common Question Asked of Your Business This selfie is a unique way of answering the most commonly-asked question you hear in your business. For instance, if you are always asked your hours take a picture of yourself Vanna White style showcasing your open sign and listing your hours. Make it funny and you’re more apt to see shares. Show the Busy-ness This idea is more of a photo bomb than a selfie but sneak up on your employees hard at work, or sneak into a meeting and take a picture of yourself with them in the background. The key to this shot is the caption you use when posting it. Something funny like, “This team is always hard at work, regardless of what I’m doing.”, makes people laugh. Let’s face it, people identify with jokes about hard-working employees and their bosses. Selfies and photo bombs lend a humorous air to your social media shares. They delight your audience and show a fun side of your business. All social media posts should either educate, entice, or entertain. With selfies you have the last one covered brilliantly. Christina R. Green teaches small businesses, chambers and associations how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives’ Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, and Socialfish. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.com and Memberclicks. She’s just a bookish writer on a quest to bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere.  As business people we sometimes envy those marketers who have "sexy" brands to market, brands that appeal to customers on an emotional level. Brands like Harley Davidson and the Parisian Tourism Bureau seem to have it made because their product screams sexy. What about those of us who have decidedly less heart-thumping, albeit needed, products?
How do you get people excited about plumbing, for instance? Tell Your Story The story behind your product or service is interesting. It's about people and people are always interesting, if you look for it. What brought you to your business? Who are you? What's the best thing about your team? How do you help others? Don't talk in marketing superlatives - we are the best - that's simply not interesting. The story is in the why, and the how, and the people who make it so. Answer Their Questions Even the most mundane of businesses has unknown aspects and curiosities about it. What do potential customers ask you over and over again? Answer them in a blog post, video, or podcast. Become the resource for the product you sell or the service you offer. You can also create memes or image quotes about little known facts and oddities on your industry. People love interesting statistics and facts. Be Personable Here's where social media can be your very best tool. Social media allows you to connect with people even when they're not in your store. You can place a friendly face on your industry. Search social media platforms for conversations going on about your product or service. Don't swoop in with a hard sell. Answer their questions in a personable way even if you can't sell directly to them because of geographic location or other hindrance. Become a personable resource and join the conversation. Help Them Solve Their Own Problems This suggestion may make a few small business owners roll their eyes but it's important to understand that when you help someone, even if it initially takes business away from you, it will benefit you in the long run. The person you help for free today (through content) will view you in a very complimentary light. When they do need help, something more advanced than what your content can solve, you can be assured that they will remember your earlier kindness. If you're a plumber for instance, you could create an entire line of content based on easy do-it-yourself plumbing fixes. Sure that may mean you won't receive an initial call from them, but if they visit your site and spend time there absorbing your content (and hopefully sharing it), this will notify Google and other search engines that your content is valuable. Plus you've educated your potential customer. Education helps them make an informed decision later on. If you're a dry cleaner, creating a chart of ways to get out tough stains is sure to be shared and appreciated. Think about problems your customers have and how you can help them solve them. That's one of the ways you create a loyal customer base. While some products and services are challenged when it comes to turning heads immediately, making your business sexier isn't hard when you think about why your customers need you. Appeal to what's in it for them and you'll win them over every time. Christina R. Green teaches small businesses, chambers and associations how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives’ Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, and Socialfish. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.com and Memberclicks. She’s just a bookish writer on a quest to bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere. |
AuthorTeam of authors contribute. Germaine Ross, Chamber Director, Nancy Beck, Board Member. Archives
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