If you read the latest marketing trends, you’d assume advertising is a thing of the past and that it’s all about organic traffic now. Well, you may be surprised to learn that 70% of businesses don’t even have an SEO strategy. Luckily for you, that means there’s less competition.
However, some business owners and marketers don’t know what type of content is best for their marketing strategy. Fear not, we can help you with that! Let’s talk about the different types of SEO content to help boost your marketing efforts!
Why Content Marketing Is So Important
Briefly, if you don’t know why a content marketing strategy is so crucial, then let’s put it in the simplest terms possible. When you have a standard DIY website, you probably have about five total pages.
That’s a homepage, one for services, an “about us,” and a contact page. From there, maybe a portfolio or something more particular to your business. No matter what it is, that’s five weak chances to rank on a Google search.
For example, if you have a company called “XYZ pet grooming,” how is anybody going to find you with your standard five pages without typing in “XYZ pet supplies?” Well, they won’t.
However, when you have a blog or other type of killer content outlet, then you have endless opportunities to rank for much better searches. From there, you can have content about “how to clip your cat’s claws” or “how to get rid of mats in my dog’s fur.”
Remember, people search for information far more than brands, and content marketing is a great way to offer that information and draw traffic to your site.
The 5 Best Types of SEO Content
Online content can take any form that you want it to, so don’t think of the ideas on this list as the only possibilities. However, they are some of the most popular types to choose from and you can always implement them along with anything else you have in mind!
1. Blog Content
Of course, the written word has to be on this list. Blogs offer too many advantages to overlook.
For one, if you’re reading this article, you are literate. Because of this, with a little SEO knowledge, you can implement a blog SEO content strategy by yourself if you choose. If not, you can easily find someone who can, as writing is a widely available skill for hire.
Another major advantage of blogs is Google’s ability to understand it. Google can easily index large walls of text, pick up keywords, and match pages to relevant searches.
Also, you will have plenty of flexibility. Blogs come with little to no restrictions. They can take visual content, as much text as you want to add, and cover nearly any topic.
The only downside of blogs is that people tend to want quick information, and Google sometimes shows them the snippet they wanted before they even click on your site. If they do click, people tend to skim through the text looking for the answers they wanted, essentially ignoring the bulk of it. However, this isn’t a problem for bringing in new traffic to your site.
2. Visual Content
Infographics, photos, and videos are excellent ways to build SEO value, but they come with some pros and cons.
One major benefit is how captivating they are. Google and users both love visual content, as it’s more eye-catching, easier to understand, and is more shareable than large walls of text. Believe it or not, people process visual images up to 60,000 times faster than text.
Also, you’ll have the opportunity to rank on more than just the normal search results. YouTube carousels, Google Images, and others will likely display your imagery, potentially driving more content.
Another major benefit is that, with killer content, infographics (and other visuals) act as “link bait” for other websites. Website owners are constantly seeking captivating visuals to add to their website, so if you want to build backlinks and boost your SEO score, visual content is the way to go.
However, Google has a hard time understanding visual content, in many cases. Abstract photos will need strong alt attributes for context, and Google can’t rely on its algorithm in the same way it would with a blog. Although, if properly executed, this won’t be a disadvantage, especially if you build authority through backlinks.
3. Audio Content
Podcasts, internet radio, music streaming, and other audio content are excellent for standing out. You could show up in carousels on google searches, effectively skipping the line from much of the blog content available.
Uploading transcripts to Google can help you rank even higher, as Google will trust your content more if it knows what you are saying. However, audio content is a great way to stand out on search results and improve user engagement among certain target audiences.
4. Interactive Content
Online games, courses, quizzes, and webinars are excellent ways to help your content stand out on search results, avoid heavy competition, and offer value to users. If you intend to hold events with interactive abilities, hold onto the materials and share them afterward for future visitors on your site.
5. Research Findings
PDFs or posts of scholarly articles, case studies, and other research findings are beloved by Google, as they often come with a notion of authority. When done correctly, it’s also wide open for building backlinks from other websites, as other content marketers love citing scholarly articles and research data.
How to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy
Of course, filming a video is different from creating an animation, and both are very different from developing an online quiz. However, there are some general best practices to follow for your content marketing strategy. Here are some key examples.
Find Your Niche
It’s great to use multiple types of content in your strategy! One may take off before another and help drive your other content to success. However, it’s a good idea to choose a niche and double down on it early on.
Research the Competition
See what your competitors are using and try to generate ideas that way. If something is working for one of them and they’re ranking ahead of you, then consider changing your strategy. You don’t necessarily have to copy their ideas, you may simply find something they are missing and fill that void for your target audience instead!
Develop a Keyword Strategy
No matter what type of content you’re using, headers and metadata (at least) need to utilize the right keywords. Keep them relevant to your business, but also aim for variety.
Most importantly, you should use a variety of long-tail and short-tail keywords, as this will offer the best short-term and long-term success.
Short-tail keywords are the World Series. If you’re running a car dealership and you rank at the top for a term like “new car,” “used car,” or “best car,” then you’re going to get a lot of traffic to your site. However, it’s an uphill battle with that amount of competition.
Long-tail keywords are the lower-hanging fruits that are highly relevant to your business, have less competition, but also less search volume. Ranking for terms like “used 2016 Toyota Corolla in Boston” will bring in highly relevant traffic, but not a lot of it. Combining the two types of keywords offers the best results.
Always Focus on Quality
No matter what type of content you choose as your primary focus, there’s no substitute for quality when it comes to long-term SEO value. Search engines like Google penalize websites for ranking higher than their quality should allow them to rank, which could cripple your SEO prospects.
When creating content, like writing a script or post, always ask yourself what purpose everything serves. Every word, every button, and every image should serve a purpose. Remove anything that doesn’t.
Remember, Google has a job to do, and human intervention can’t manage such a large number of websites. Consequently, its algorithm is designed to match users with relevant, quality web content. If Google were to consistently promote low-quality websites, then perhaps users will switch to Bing.
The best way to ensure that your website and its content is living up to the appropriate standards is by checking out a Local SEO consultant here. There’s no substitute for professional services.
Find Your Voice!
Now that you know the most popular types of SEO content in the marketing industry, you can use them to start ranking as soon as possible. Stay up to date with our latest marketing news and feel free to reach out to us with any questions!
