SEO Content Marketing. At last count, more than 33 million small businesses operate in the United States. In and of itself, that's a lot of direct and indirect competition.
Beyond that, though, the pandemic triggered a new wave of entrepreneurship among Americans. Just in 2022, there were around 5 million new business launches.
The pandemic also triggered a mass influx of businesses operating online. For small businesses, that means quickly getting up to speed on digital marketing techniques like SEO content marketing.
If your content marketing isn't where you want it, or you want more of an edge, keep reading to learn how content marketing has evolved for 2023.
What is SEO Content Marketing?
Content marketing differs from most traditional marketing and advertising because it spends comparatively little time promoting a brand directly. Instead, it focuses on generating interest on the part of the audience.
There are lots of good reasons to take this approach. One of the most reasons, however, is that it generates a lot less irritation or outright frustration on the part of your audience.
Most traditional marketing relies on interrupting the audience in some way. Think of TV ads as an example. The reason you watch TV is so you can see a show. The ad interrupts the show with content you don't particularly want.
It's one reason why people pay for streaming services. They'll shell out money to avoid that kind of marketing.
Content Marketing Basics
Content marketing relies on a handful of best practices to generate that all-important interest on the part of the audience. Content marketing aims for content that is:
- Valuable
- Relevant
- Consistent
Regardless of the exact type of content you produce, it must meet these primary aims.
Valuable
Let's start with value. Valuable content is content that provides the audience with something they want.
In some cases, that's simply information or context. For example, an article or blog post that explains industry trends falls into this category.
In other cases, content tells the audience how to accomplish something. For example, a video that walks someone through a process also falls into this category.
Relevant
Relevance can vary based on need, but there is one general parameter you should observe. Your content must be on-topic for your website, brand, and audience. No matter how intelligent your review of a new novel proves, it's only relevant if you run a book review site.
If you run a cooking industry blog, that post will matter to around zero percent of your visitors.
Consistent content is essential to SEO Content Marketing
Consistency is all about delivering your content. If you run a blog, you must post on a regular schedule. If you run a YouTube channel, you must pick a posting schedule and stick with it.
You'll never build a dedicated audience if you don't deliver new updates regularly. Consistency also matters for Google SEO purposes. If you don't add new website content regularly, your site won't rank well.
In many cases, businesses treat all new content as SEO content. Therefore, they do their best to use relevant keyword phrases to improve rankings.
With those basics covered, let's consider what will be significant in content marketing in 2023.
Long-Form Content
Marketers, bloggers, and even YouTubers often prefer short-form content. It's not necessarily that short-form content is better, so much as short-form content is often easier to produce.
With that being said, don't ignore long-form content. An in-depth blog post can attract a lot of attention over time.
The same goes for video. Sure, a one-minute video is excellent for an interview snippet or brand-building. However, a five-minute video lets you cover much ground, whether it's an interview or locking in your complete brand story.
If you will do long-form content, make sure you plan it out. This is particularly important for videos. A long, rambling video won't help you much.
Live Video
Live video is another area that has seen a lot more interest in recent years. This is because live video provides the spontaneity you lose in a more polished video piece.
Just as importantly, live video is a great way to reinforce your brand values. For example, let's say you run a toy company and have fun as one of your brand values. A live video allows you and your employees to have fun on camera.
Local SEO and SEO Content Marketing
Local SEO isn't a new trend, but it's become an increasingly important form of business promotion for brick-and-mortar businesses. Local SEO does a lot of heavy lifting to get your business to turn up in online searches.
It usually relies on a combination of factors, such as setting up a Google My Business profile, getting your business listed on Google Maps, and creating content that uses local keyword phrases.
Hub-and-Spoke
The hub-and-spoke content marketing approach does its best to keep your audience on your site through liberal use or related content. For example, you might write an in-depth blog post about a key industry topic. That's your hub.
Then, you'll create content on closely related topics and go in-depth on those. Those are your spokes.
Repurposing Content
Repurposing content isn't new, but it's an easy way to generate relevant "new" content without engaging in the entire creation process. For example, you might create a video based on your blog post.
You might also film your podcast while it's being recorded. Then, you can turn that video into short-form or even long-form videos.
SEO Content Marketing and You
The power of SEO content marketing cannot be underestimated. By producing high-quality, relevant content, you engage your audience and boost your SEO efforts.
However, keeping up with the latest trends and techniques is essential to stay ahead of the game.
This year, consider incorporating long-form content, live video, local SEO, hub-and-spoke content, and repurposing content into your strategy to make an impact.
At Quick Web Designs, we offer various content marketing services to help businesses grow and succeed. For more information, contact Quick Web Designs today.
