Earlier this year, I shared How to Use Content Marketing to Improve Your SEO. As a follow-up to that post, I thought I would share how to build your content plan.
According to AppSumo, doing keyword research to create a few pillar pieces of content on your website can double your blog traffic and sales leads. But many people aren't sure how to go about building a content plan with keywords. As a result, they create content about what they "think" clients want to read about rather than what their clients are actually searching for online. Essentially, they waste time and money creating content that no one is interested in reading.
You'll see much better results when you create a content plan based on actual data from keyword research. If the idea of researching keywords sounds intimidating, it doesn't have to be. I've broken the process down for you below.
Step 1: Pick your key topics
To start, grab a sheet of paper or open up a new spreadsheet and write down your key topics. These key topics should align with your objectives and the services you want to promote. For example, if you want to get more strategic planning clients, "strategic planning" is a good key topic.
You can select several key topics if you want to promote several service lines. But try taking them one at a time and really drill down into what your clients and prospects want and need.
Step 2: Brainstorm
Now that you have your high-level topics, it's time to brainstorm other words related to the topics you've selected. During the brainstorming step, it's ok to shoot for quantity over quality — you want at least ten keywords for each key topic. Think about synonyms (plural and singular) and closely related words. Make sure you only select ones related to your business.
Some resources to use during this step include:
Search engines. Google your key topic, then check out the "related topics" list at the bottom of the first page of search results. Returning to our strategic planning example, some related searches include "what is strategic planning process," "strategic planning framework," and "elements of strategic planning." These are all great ideas to add to your list.
Google Keyword Planner. This free tool allows you to enter a key topic and get dozens of ideas for keywords, along with average monthly search volume and level of competition for that keyword.
Keywords Everywhere. Keywords Everywhere is a browser add-on for Chrome or Firefox. When you search for a key topic, the add-on will display keywords and volume metrics right along with your search results.
Step 3: Review
Now that you have a list of potential keywords, review the search volume and competition to ensure you selected the right words.
Ideally, you'll select keywords with high monthly search volume and low competition. Why? Well, think of it this way. If you write content for a keyword with a low search volume, you may end up ranking on the first page of search results for that keyword. But if nobody ever searches for it, it won't send traffic to your site. On the other hand, if you write content for keywords with a lot of competition — especially from high-authority sites like Forbes or CNBC — you'll have a much harder time ranking high in the search results.
Based on your review, pick your primary, secondary and tertiary keywords.
Step 4: Create your content
Take what you learned in the previous step and create your content. This can be a blog post or a landing page. You can also update existing blogs or landing pages to add new keywords to:
Title pages
URLs
Sub-headers
First paragraphs
Image alt-text
SEO should be in every aspect of the content you create, from writing to structuring your website. Focusing on the right keywords and structuring your website in a way that is easy for your clients to read and understand will pay off in the long run!
Are you ready to stop wasting money on business development and marketing initiatives that don't work?
Boomer Growth Consulting helps you create a clear marketing and business development roadmap that will help you reach more prospects and clients. Schedule a discovery call today and gain confidence that your firm's marketing and business development dollars are being used effectively.
As the Marketing Manager for Boomer Consulting, Inc., Heather’s primary focus is on developing the firm’s marketing strategy and brand awareness to help drive business results. She manages and executes marketing and business development initiatives, with daily oversight of the website, social media, and thought leadership content. In addition, as a part of the Business Development team, she provides leadership and strategic planning on marketing and communication practices for the firm.