Keeping up with Google’s frequent algorithm changes is a constant issue for anyone planning a content SEO strategy.
It’s all good news for the search user, as the evolution of semantic search promises improved results. Any business aiming to increase their rankings (and who isn’t?), will similarly have to evolve its search strategy.
The new search strategy
A key takeaway from a recent post on the topic by the Content Marketing Institute is that there simply isn’t a standard first page of results in the new search landscape. In essence, the keyword strategy many of us relied on until now needs a major rethink.
That’s not to say that your business no longer needs a keyword strategy – tools like Google Webmaster Tools still have an important role to play in tracking search opportunities based on specific keywords or phrases from your site. What’s changed is how to best measure the effectiveness of your keyword strategy.
Paid, earned and owned media
Google now places equal weight on owned (your own published content), paid (PPC campaigns through to native advertising) and earned media (influence gained through social sharing), so all three should now be considered as part of an effective content marketing strategy.
According to the CMI, the same four V’s that govern big data approaches should also inform your content marketing strategies. These comprise Volume, Velocity, Variety and Veracity, drawn from David Amerland’s book, Google Semantic Search.
As you might expect, these principles relate to the amount of content you’re producing (Volume), as well as the speed with which you publish and promote it (Velocity), offering a wide range of content formats (Variety) and ensuring your content will be well-perceived by searchers (Veracity). Each component presents a case to Google that your content is worthy of ranking well in the results it presents to searchers.
Measure and monitor for success
Chances are you’re already using a preferred SEO tool to keep track of your position in the rankings. Monitoring which content is getting the most clicks and earning good impressions offers the clearest indicator of what content is working best for you – and what isn’t.
Keep taking this approach, but try combining it with a more proactive approach. Act as a user and conduct a Google search for your selected keywords and phrases. What content is qualifying in the first page of results? How does it compare to your own content?
Then, where your content is performing well – build on this. Link new related posts back to your best-performing content to build your credibility around this topic in Google’s eyes. The CMI also recommends monitoring which landing pages are attracting the most eyeballs. Establishing which referrer is sending the most traffic to your page – whether another website, Google, a guest post URL – offers an insight into which earned and paid approaches are working best. If a certain social media focused or PPC campaign isn’t delivering the expected results, optimise your strategy to improve your ROI from content marketing.
In summary
Incorporating paid, earned and owned media into your content marketing strategy can take your content creation efforts to the next level. This applies particularly in the semantic search landscape where however awesome your content, you can’t assume people will discover and share it.
Then, think combined leverage by promoting content across paid, earned and owned. If you develop a great infographic, pull out striking extracts to post as Twitter or LinkedIn updates. Remember that paid content promotion tactics can be very effective to encourage people to engage with content, comment on it and share. Paid, earned and owned media no longer sit in different silos, so take a combined approach to amplify your content efforts.
