Consistently producing quality content is hard enough for B2B brands. But ensuring that the content is actually seen by its intended audience is next to impossible. In fact, according to Ahrefs, nearly 91% of content published online receives zero clicks. Yes, zero. That’s a lot of time and resources spent with very little meaningful output.
That’s where search comes in and precisely what I’ll discuss in my 2022 Healthcare and IT Marketing Conference (HITMC) session. Using keyword data and foundational optimization principles, you can ensure your content falls into the minority portion that is seen. Even better, these changes don’t require seismic adjustments to your existing workflows to have an impact.
I hope you’ll be able to join me for the conference in Foxborough, Massachusetts, next week—but if not, I’ve compiled a summary of the top takeaways from my session below.
- Quality content surpasses all other criteria in SEO performance. Write for your target audience first and use the science of SEO data to improve your content’s visibility.
- Relevance and audience alignment are key. Never write just for SEO.
- SEO is essential throughout the lifecycle of the content strategy. Include search data in strategy development, content creation, and quality control.
- Don’t overcomplicate it—start with keyword research basics and identify 15 to 20 long-tail keywords to focus on in the next quarter. Remember to treat keywords as topics and include multiple variations within each bucket.
- Repurpose recently developed and top-performing historical content by optimizing it against the keywords you prioritize.
- Commit to the process. Quality SEO strategies take time but will deliver sustainable traffic growth. Leverage Google Analytics, Search Console, and SEO tools in your reporting to track progress and validate the approach.
Content strategies are never one size fits all, but there are common threads to the most successful programs. The first is tight alignment between your entire marketing and communications organization. Uniformity in the key messages to prioritize the market is key for efficient content development. The second is the constant integration of SEO data.
If you’re not using this science to complement the messaging, it will never be seen by the individuals you spent that energy trying to reach.
