“What’s another word for Thesaurus?” ~ Steven Wright
“Content is King!”
How many times have you heard that one?
And there’s no denying it. Without content, your Online Marketing efforts are futile.
But I would state it differently.
There is no king. There is no monarchy. Instead, there is a democracy.
In this democracy, power is vested in the consumer, and the consumer chooses which businesses win and lose. And they do so on their terms, when and where it’s convenient for them!
Bizeeo Marketing Agency provides Content Marketing Services that support your overall marketing efforts.
“SEO is Dead!”
Many Online Marketing industry “experts”, the same that claim “content is king”, also chant the “SEO is dead” mantra as well.
I don’t get it.
Maybe this all about semantics. (No pun intended.)
If you want to write good content, content that improves the search engine ranking for your business website and other web properties, you need to use the same words (and variations thereof) that your potential customers use when they perform an online search.
Whew! That was a mouthful!
And to discover the words (aka “keywords”) used by your potential customers, sometimes you need to do some research.
And that research is considered a part of the process called SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.
Bizeeo™ has a very broad definition of SEO. We consider ANYTHING done on the web that improves the online visibility of your business, whether it’s through your website, social media presence, video marketing efforts, local business listings, or a combination thereof, is an act of “optimization”.
“OPTIMIZATION : an act, process, or methodology of making something (as a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or effective as possible…” ~ “Optimization.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
Whatever you want to call it, we think “it” includes content, keywords, SEO and so, so much more.
Inbound Marketing
If forced to take a semantically correct stand, Bizeeo™ would proclaim:
“Inbound Marketing is Supreme!”
Inbound Marketing, also referred to as Permission Marketing, is a marketing practice where you “attract” customers rather than chase, pursue or badger them using “traditional” advertising techniques.
Our mobile, digital devices and lifestyle have changed everything. Digital IS the new traditional.
But, we quickly grow tired of these debates.
At Bizeeo™, we simply do the things that work for our customers. We’ll let others quibble over terminology and industry jargon, also known as “technobabble”.
Keywords and Content
Did you really think we’d let you get away without hearing more about “keywords”?
At Bizeeo™, we do a fair amount of keyword research. Maybe we do more than necessary. It’s difficult to gauge.
There are plenty of free and paid online tools for keyword “ideas” or “suggestions”, and we make use of several.
How does the process work?
Typically, you provide a “base” keyword and in return you are provided with additional “long tail” (or more specific) keywords.
For example, for a previous client that manufactured and sold pet products, “Dog Poop Bags” was an important “base” keyword. Long tail versions of the base keyword included:
- Dog Poop Bags Bulk
- Dog Poop Bags Biodegradable
- Dog Poop Bags with Handles, etc.
We also discovered variations and synonyms of the base keyword “Dog Poop Bags”, including:
- Dog Waste Bags
- Pet Waste Bags
- Pet Poop Bags
- Pet Poo Bags, and others
I discovered these variations, and their value, through my keyword research. They were fairly easy to find because these variations received a large volume of online searches.
Keyword Research – The Ups and Downs
Google has stated many times it doesn’t care for “keyword stuffing”, where you repeat the same words in the same sequence ad nauseam in your content.
That’s why varying your keywords and sentence structure can help you avoid any ranking penalties imposed by Google.
Just as important, if not more so, your content will sound more natural, be easier and more enjoyable to read, and keep your potential customers engaged (and happy).
Remember them? Your potential customers?
They’re the ones that choose the winners and losers.
Lessons Learned
It’s not always easy to find good keywords, and even more difficult and time-consuming to discover the right combination of synonyms and variations.
What’s the takeaway?
Bizeeo™ has learned, sometimes the hard way, that:
- Obsessing over keywords can be counterproductive.
- It’s easy to overthink the process.
- Content needs to keep the reader’s attention by being informative, quickly GETTING to the point and HAVING a point to make.
- There needs to be a balance between keywords that searchers use often and synonyms rarely used, because Google’s algorithm understands both and rewards content that is unique and diverse.
- There is no magic formula for the length of article or keyword density (the percentage of keywords used in any given piece of content).
- Sometimes the best content comes about as the result of a “brain dump”, where you spill your thoughts on paper (or screen) for no specific reason and with little or no preparation.
All of this is easier said than done. It’s a tough balancing act involving a lot of trial and error.
On A Lighter Note
One day while digging really deep, I decided to try one of those free “article spinner” tools to see what synonyms I might uncover. (Note: We DO NOT use tools like this to auto-generate content and we recommend you avoid them as well.)
I was still looking for keyword variations for my Pet Products client.
I copied a few paragraphs of text from my client’s website, pasted it in the “article spinner” window and clicked “SPIN”!
For “Dog Poop Bags”, and in less than 2 seconds, the spinner suggested “Canine Crap Sacks”!
I nearly collapsed on the floor with laughter!
After composing myself, I returned to the task at hand.
I thought, “maybe I better check this out”…
I searched for “Canine Crap Sacks” using Google’s Keyword Planner Tool and it reported ZERO searches nationwide for the previous year.
Okay, it was a keyword with no value…
Yeah, that’s what I thought all along…
But wait…
It IS a synonym…
Sort of…
But it’s an unnatural word pattern…
But I could easily rank #1 nationwide for that term…
And on it goes…