When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), most marketers will tell you about the importance of keywords, on-page optimization and link building. While these are indeed important elements of search engine optimization, there’s more to a successful SEO campaign.
The right back links, proper page titles and targeted keywords may increase your rankings, but it’s your content that will keep them there, get them to buy, and bring them back again and again. Valuable, magnetic content is key to a successful SEO campaign.
Diverse, compelling content will naturally support all of your SEO strategies for a stronger and more impactful campaign. Here are a few ways to inject diversified content into your SEO campaign.
Say it Better with Video 
When it comes to capturing web traffic, it’s important to use different routes to drive attention to your website. Take YouTube. Deemed the second most important search engine on the web, YouTube receives over 800 million unique visitors each month. Video web content is an effective way to engage visitors both on your website an on alternate video sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. Tutorials, demos and how-to videos are great opportunities to engage users.
Make Social Media Your Friend
Really. Consider following a simple 80/20 rule when you are engaging in social networking. That’s 20% talking about your business and 80% talking about something of interest to your audience. Diversifying your content, even on social media, is a key to gaining new, long-term customers and people who will do your advertising for you. Whether you manage your own social media, or hire it out, the focus should be on building relationships as well as building a clientele. Be friendly, personable, funny (if you can manage it) and this will pay off in the long run.
Share Your Knowledge
Are you an expert on certain topics, or at least have a passionate interest in them? If you have a blog, make yourself useful to others by answering questions or posting tutorials. This does a number of things. It helps build your online reputation, establishes you as an expert, and is sure to keep your content fresh and diverse. This all, of course, also keeps search engines busy keeping up with your site, and gives visitors something to be interested in.
Make Yourself Useful
When it comes to setting yourself apart from the rest, it’s important to join and be an active part of online communities. That includes online forums, discussions and boards. Not only do you build exposure for your website and acquire credible back links, you are becoming a thought leader by actively participating and engaging with others in online communities.
Diversifying your content creates multiple search engine pathways, opening up new avenues for your business. With so many tools at your disposal, there is no reason to have just one type of content on your site, no matter the nature of your business.
When taking stock of your current content assets, ask yourself – is this compelling? Would my customers find this useful? If the answer is no, it’s time to rethink your content strategy.
