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New Year, New SEO Content Strategy!
Digital marketing has changed drastically in the past few years alone, which means if you haven’t been staying on top of the latest trends, you may have watched your clicks plummet.
So who is to blame? You thought you were implementing the latest SEO content strategy tips and tricks to boost your organic traffic, but now you hear that SEO may be a thing of the past.
While you’re trying to run a business, you’re also scrambling to figure out how to keep your content fresh and relevant and stay up-to-date on both the latest marketing trends and your industry’s trends.
It’s a lot of work.
Rest assured that SEO is alive and well. Organic traffic is still responsible for 53% of total website traffic, while paid traffic is only 15%.
We’ll explain why it doesn’t feel that way, and give you solutions to refresh your SEO content strategy based on your goals, the latest trends, and Google’s constantly updating algorithm.
Let’s talk 2023 marketing strategy! Schedule a free session.
Is SEO dead?
SEO isn’t dead or dying — it’s changing!
If we examine the rapid changes involving technology, marketing, and even search over the past few years, it’s understandable that the way SEO used to work just doesn’t quite cut it anymore.
SEO in the past
Remember that SEO used to be all about the keywords, which led to “keyword stuffing” practices or hiding keywords on web pages so Google could find them, but readers couldn’t.
SEO also became about producing as much content as possible, because search engine algorithms preferred websites that not only were keyword-rich but had a steady stream of new content flooding in.
In many cases, the result of following these SEO trends was websites that were filled with tons of poor-quality content.
Thankfully, that SEO is dead.
SEO today
In the past few years alone, Google has made significant strides in evaluating quality over quantity and understanding what users want from search.
It’s pretty impressive, but it’s encouraging marketers across industries to step up their game and learn how to produce the types of high-quality content that readers are searching for.
SEO trends in 2023 also take into account that search engines aren’t the only way people are searching for things.
Social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok are more frequently being used as search engines, too, which means content across platforms has to match a user’s search intent.
Companies frustrated with chasing SEO are turning to other marketing methods such as paid ads to make up for the lack of organic traffic.
What is the future of SEO in 2023?
The future of SEO is going back to the basics of good content: Relevant, informative, quality work that addresses the needs and pain points of the audience and matches their search intent.
The future is also about using the numerous tools at our disposal to plan, execute, and measure our SEO goals.
There’s no need for painstaking manual work when we have tools to help us optimize, audit, and track our content. Examine your existing content and update it to reflect the latest marketing trends and trends from your own industry.
We’re in a rapidly evolving landscape when it comes to our own businesses as well as general marketing trends and updates.
A successful future strategy applies SEO’s core principles to your updated business goals and objectives.
How to refresh your SEO content strategy in 9 steps
If you think it’s time for a content refresh for 2023, consider the following steps to aid you in your planning and execution.
You’ve already done the work up to this point in creating and optimizing your content to the best of your ability.
Use the following tips and tools to audit your existing content and make room for a more tailored and targeted strategy.
Skip ahead: Schedule your free strategy session with Kaleidico.
1. Re-evaluate your marketing goals
The first step to refreshing your SEO content marketing strategy is re-evaluating your marketing goals based on the latest news and trends in your industry.
For example, the mortgage industry experienced a wild year of volatile rates, high home prices, and a resurgence of mortgage products to meet consumer needs.
If you’re a mortgage professional, how did these changes impact your business? What products did you add to accommodate a wider range of borrowers? How will these changes affect your content strategy in 2023?
Once you answer these types of questions, you can redefine your marketing goals.
Examples of common marketing goals include:
- Boosting traffic
- Building brand awareness
- Generating more leads
- Converting more leads into sales
- Optimizing all content
- Discovering new tools to track success
Your updated goals will guide every other step in this list, from your target audience to the types of content you create.
2. Redefine your target audience
At its core, SEO strategies are about improving your content’s rank on search engines such as Google so your website will earn more traffic.
But this goal means nothing without the attention and clicks of your audience. If you aren’t creating content that resonates with your audience, it’s time to redefine your current audience.
The best way to manage your audience data is to create separate client personas.
Client personas identify your customers by the following information:
- Demographic information
- Buying behavior
- Pain points
- Goals
- How they interact and engage on your website
- How they use social media
The detailed information in a client persona helps you understand the exact types of people you are targeting, which allows you to create specific content that addresses their pain points, questions, and motivations.
For example, if you’re a corporate attorney, you would detail a fictional client who is similar to the types of clients you currently serve.
You can then tailor specific types of content to this client and even create a separate section on your website for each client group.
If you already have client personas, it’s helpful to periodically redefine and re-evaluate these clients to acknowledge whether they’re still relevant or how the client persona has evolved over time.
3. Perform an audit on existing content
Once you have created or redefined your client personas, the next step is to evaluate whether your existing content is still relevant and whether your website is functioning properly.
You can perform a manual audit on your content by scrolling through your website landing pages and blog posts, or you can use a website auditing tool.
The purpose is to update outdated content, get rid of content that is irrelevant or low quality, and rewrite or replace the content with an SEO boost.
The goal of an audit is also to evaluate your website performance and help you locate issues such as broken links or slow page-loading times.
All of these factors contribute to a poorly performing website. Once you’re able to identify these issues and improve them, you’ll be shocked to see the boost in traffic.
If you’re curious, here is a brief rundown of the key factors in Google’s Search algorithm:
- Meaning of query: Uses language models and a synonym system to best match the user’s query to the most useful content
- Content relevance: Searches for content with the same keywords as the user’s search query, and whether the page contains other relevant related content such as pictures or videos
- Content quality: System identifies content that exhibits authoritativeness, expertise, and trustworthiness
- Content usability: Determines if the content is mobile-friendly and loads quickly
- Location, settings, and history: Takes user information into account to present the most relevant, personalized content
Understanding the processes behind Google’s Search algorithm can help you as you update your content.
As you can see, it takes much more than keywords and fresh content to rank. Your content must be relevant, high-quality, and perform well.
Consider also the other places you can show up on SERPs, such as “People also ask,” and under videos and images. Tailor your content to fit the areas you want to appear.
4. Brainstorm new content ideas
Your content topics are based on the information your client personas need to be successful — and ultimately is what will lead them to your services.
You already have developed content ideas in the past, so now you can take a look at what worked, what didn’t, and why.
If you are feeling stumped, take a look at the types of content your competitors are creating.
Work with your sales team to determine the most frequently asked questions from customers and their biggest pain points. FAQs and customer pain points generally are the main drivers for content.
Consider directly connecting with your audience on social media via polls or surveys to inquire about the types of content they would like to see as well.
Then, create a content calendar to ensure you are staying organized and consistently producing the content you need.
Remember, it’s not about quantity over quality anymore, but Google does like websites that are frequently updated with fresh content. But they must have both fresh and quality content.
Schedule your free content strategy session with Kaleidico.
5. Use keyword tools to examine search intent
Since you’re not new to SEO, you likely already have a basic understanding of keyword research and have used relevant keywords in past articles.
But how does today’s SEO keyword research differ from the past?
Keywords are still an essential component of SEO, but they are incorporated much more naturally today.
It’s not about stuffing keywords wherever possible but using them appropriately throughout the article. It’s also about using related keywords and synonyms, which Google’s algorithm searches for whenever a user makes a query.
Make sure the content writers are aware of the keywords and synonyms for each piece of content. This allows them to organically work them into the copy and pick and choose where they best fit.
Of course, there are still some spots where keywords are necessary to rank, including:
- Meta description
- Title tag
- Main heading
- Subheadings
Instruct the writer to work them in as naturally as possible.
Here are some popular keyword tools that can help you zero in on the most appropriate keywords for your content:
The most simple yet powerful advice for using keywords to improve your 2023 SEO content marketing strategy is to be sure that your keywords match the user’s search intent and journey.
Google’s algorithm is able to detect whether the intent matches your copy, and won’t rank anything that doesn’t make the cut.
6. Consider the rise of voice search
If you’ve been keeping up on the latest marketing news and trends, you might have noticed that voice search is constantly making the ranks.
So, is it something you need to take seriously, or is it just a fleeting trend?
Consider this: 40.2% of the U.S. population uses voice search, including on their smartphones and through smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
People using voice search are changing the ways they search by asking their devices full questions and expecting the searches to return what they need accurately.
Sometimes, this is still a struggle. Have you ever asked Siri a question and your device responds that it didn’t find anything, or brought up unrelated results?
To meet the rise of voice search, marketers have to adjust their content to accommodate the ways we search when we speak rather than type.
In 2023, consider the ways you can adjust your content to include keywords for voice search, including using full questions as headlines or incorporating longer keywords.
7. Nurture customers with email campaigns
While there are plenty of marketers who are convinced email isn’t as effective anymore, there are plenty more who still swear on the value of it. We’re among these people!
Successful email campaigns have the power to boost your SEO efforts by sending personalized content directly to your targeted audiences.
While SEO and email may seem like two separate endeavors, you essentially would use email to promote relevant SEO content and boost engagement.
According to 99firms, it takes about five to 20 touchpoints for a lead to convert. Nurturing leads via email is an effective way to consistently offer valuable content that will eventually lead to conversions.
Email offers plenty of opportunities for a range of engaging, entertaining, and informative content, including videos, infographics, photos, and articles.
A 2023 twist? Experts are saying if you haven’t combined your PPC and email efforts yet, you should give it a try.
8. Plan video content for all channels
Video is definitely here to stay in 2023.
Consider these video stats from Wyzowl:
- 92% of marketers consider video an important part of their marketing strategy
- 86% of businesses use video for marketing
- Among those who don’t use video for marketing, 79% expected to start using it last year
The study also found that a majority of customers (73%) prefer to watch a video over reading an article or viewing an infographic when it comes to learning about a new product or service.
The marketers who didn’t use video said they lacked the time (23%) or didn’t know where to start (16%).
Fortunately, video is more accessible than ever to businesses today. Once you’ve brainstormed the types of new content you want to create this year, determine which topics would be best suited for video or should have a video component.
Post frequent videos on your social media channels to boost your engagement, and make sure to measure the types of content with the best performance.
One of the simplest ways to create a video that will boost engagement is to hop on a social media trend. In other words, take a hint from your most influential competitors to see what’s popular right now on their pages.
9. Measure your content performance
Perhaps the most important part of your revamped SEO content strategy in 2023 involves measuring your results to track your successes and failures.
The only way we can improve is by understanding what works with our audience and what doesn’t.
Use the tools available to you on your social media channels, website, email, and paid ads to track your traffic, conversions, and rankings.
We’ve discussed Google a lot in this article because Google is by far the most popular search engine. However, you’ll also want to understand how you rank on Bing, which still reaches a significant amount of users.
Of course, you probably already have certain metrics in place to track your successes, but it’s worth a look to determine whether you are making the most of these tools.
A digital marketing agency can help you evaluate your tracking tools and match the right tools to your specific goals.
Refresh your SEO content strategy in 2023 with Kaleidico
Kaleidico is a lead generation agency with over 15 years of experience and focuses on industries such as mortgage lending, legal, and senior living.
We can help you refresh your SEO strategy by going back to the basics of your customers’ wants and needs and building a framework that is guaranteed to generate high-quality traffic.
Our closed-loop collaborative framework includes:
- Discovery
- Strategy + Design
- SEO research and analysis
- Competitive research
- PPC
- Email Marketing
- Ongoing Collaboration + Iteration
We will work with you where you are, whether that means redesigning your website, creating content, or building lead-generation campaigns.
