Tips for Creating SEO Content

After managing hundreds (maybe thousands) of SEO campaigns… I've distilled content creation down to a science. Here are 6 core pillars that actually move the needle: 1. Smart Keyword Selection Search volume is a vanity metric. Focus on these factors instead: • Relevance to your business goals • Commercial intent signals • Click-through rate potential Pro tip: 60% of Google searches end without a click. Pick keywords where people actually click through to websites. 2. The Uniqueness Factor Google's drowning in AI-generated content. Your advantage? Being genuinely different. Here's how: • Conduct original research (even small studies work) • Share first-hand experience and opinions • Create fresh data sets • Build user-generated content around polarizing topics AI can't replicate human experience. Use that. 3. Perfect Intent Matching Want to rank? Match the format that's already working (while adding your unique spin). Simple process: • Search your target keyword • Study the top 3 results • Note the content format (list, guide, comparison) • Create something similar but better If Google shows informational content, don't try to rank commercial pages. Work with the algorithm, not against it. 4. Content Quality Standards Great content isn't about word count. It's about clarity and engagement: • Write like you're talking to one person • Use simple language (no jargon) • Break up text with headings and bullets • Add visuals that actually add value • Edit ruthlessly 5. Topic Authority Building One great page isn't enough. Build supporting content around your main topic: • Start with branded keywords (easiest wins) • Target competitor comparisons • Create problem-aware content • Build educational resources Each piece should link to others, creating a content hub that Google loves. 6. Technical Foundation All the great content in the world won't rank if your technical SEO is broken: • Page speed under 3 seconds • Mobile-first design • Proper URL structure • Internal linking strategy • Schema markup where relevant Stop pumping out random blog posts. Start building strategic content assets that serve your business goals. Every piece should either educate your audience or move them closer to becoming customers.

Most SEO content reads like a high school research paper - people just regurgitate what is already said in the Google search results. Let's look at how to create content that actually helps readers while still ranking well. (full video sharing examples in the comments) I'm going to share the contrast between "basic SEO content" and high-quality writing by contrasting two SEO articles we found in the SERP focused on targeting the keyword "omnichannel reporting." Basic SEO content: "Omnichannel reporting is essential in today's digital landscape where businesses need a 360-degree view of customer interactions across multiple touchpoints" Just empty words that say nothing specific. Better version: "To do omnichannel reporting right, you need to standardize data across channels. Example: Amazon shows pageviews while GA tracks users - you need to align these metrics to compare performance" Basic SEO content fills space with jargon: "Prevent data silos by implementing a holistic approach to reveal customer behavior and interactions across channels" What does this actually mean? 🤔 Better version: "Most companies store Shopify data separately from Amazon sales. This makes it impossible to see total product performance across all sales channels without manual spreadsheet work" Basic content relies on generic stats: "87% of businesses say omnichannel is important" Better content explains specific problems: "If you have multiple Shopify stores, you can't aggregate their data in one dashboard" Basic content tells readers obvious things: "First, identify the metrics relevant to your business" Better content assumes readers know basics and dives into unique insights from real experts. Basic content avoids mentioning products. Better content shows specifically how your product solves problems: "Our tool automatically standardizes views vs. pageviews across channels so you can compare performance" Key takeaways for how to produce better content: -Without subject matter input, writers default to basic "Google research paper" content. Use interviews to inform your writing if you're not the expert. -Use specific examples and real scenarios. -Don't be afraid to show how your product helps solve the problem.

SEO content can work...without being crappy "SEO content." A few tips: 👉 Be clear on your audience and their intent. Someone googling "how to advertise on CTV" does NOT need the first paragraph to cover "What is CTV?". But someone searching for "ctv advertising" might actually need that high-level intro. Think critically about why someone would search for the given keyword—and then provide content appropriate for that situation. 👉 Include expert takes. Talk to internal and/or external SMEs. Use their insights in your content. Quote them if possible. Go BEYOND what lives in your head or has already been published on Google. 👉 Use colorful examples and case stories. Examples and case stories make hard concepts tangible—and they're another way to make your content stand out from everything else on the interwebs. 👉 Include useful visuals. Turn processes into graphics. Record a video explainer of a dense topic. Grab a screen recording to show how something works in your platform. 👉 Ignore suggested word counts. Use however many words you need to help the person searching get what they need out of the search. That may be more or less than SEMrush or Ahrefs tells you to write. 👉 DON'T ignore formatting. Make sure to use headers, lists, pull quotes, etc. as appropriate to illustrate your points—while making your content easier to consume. *** Your turn—What tips do you have for creating SEO content that doesn't suck?

If you want to future-proof your SEO, do this: ✅ Focus like crazy on your ICP. Develop content that truly resonates with them. (Stop publishing content solely for the sake of traffic.) ✅ Speak to your ICP’s frustrations and pain points. Help them overcome problems and achieve their objectives. ✅ Align your content with user intent. Prioritize contextual relevance. ✅ Build your brand just as much as you build content. (SEO & PR are like peanut butter & jelly!) To that point, don’t forget about the many off-site opportunities to engage with your community and be seen. Stronger B2B brands are the ones that more often get included in buyer shortlists. ✅ Be mindful of how search is evolving. Reverse engineer what's happening on AI answer engines today. Develop a Reddit strategy if appropriate. Tomorrow, there will likely be something new. Keep an eye on the way your audience is looking for answers, and take action accordingly. ✅ Make sure your content is of exceptional quality. (As I always say, you cannot optimize mediocrity.) ✅ Figure out how your content is going to cut through all the noise. Be creative. Be different. ✅ Share unique research and data. ✅ Create expert- and experience-driven content. ✅ Include customer and audience voices in your content. ✅ Create product-led content that truly solves a problem. ✅ Take care that your content looks good. Content design is important, as it deepens user engagement, increases backlinks, and drives conversions. ✅ Make your content ridiculously easy to consume. Include takeaways, FAQs, lists, etc. ✅ Include value-added opportunities for the reader in your content. Where can they learn more? Where can they see this in action? What other contextually-relevant resources can you guide them to? Etc.? ✅ Continually refresh your content. Keep it current and useful. Let’s Destroy Mediocre Marketing!

If I had to start SEO for a brand new SaaS website, here’s where I'd begin SaaS SEO isn’t just about picking the right keywords, having a technically sound site, or cranking out blogs like a machine. It's evolved into something more. I’ve spoken with countless SaaS founders who, honestly, are stuck. They aren’t sure what to write about, or worse, how to even start. SEO feels like a mystery, and traditional advice often misses the mark. So, here’s what I’d do: 1. Focus on Users, Not Keywords Think of your content not as a collection of keywords, but as conversations your audience is craving. What questions do they have? What keeps them up at night? Address those topics, and the traffic will follow. 2. Target Low or Even No Search Volume Forget about writing content just because a tool says so. Instead, write about what truly matters to your audience, even if it doesn’t show up on the radar yet. Those are the pieces that resonate deeply and build trust. 3. Understand the SaaS Buyer’s Journey Not every piece of content leads to a direct conversion, and that’s okay. You need a mix of all contnet. ✅ TOFU: Definitions, High-level content. ✅ MOFU: Product-focused pages and case studies. ✅ BOFU: Comparison and alternative pages—these are gold for signups, even with lower traffic. 💡 Pro Tip: When building out your battle card, create a killer comparison page. It’s a quiet powerhouse in converting visitors into customers. 4. Product-Led SEO Build free tools tailored to your ideal customer profile. It’s a strategy that not only brings traffic but also creates genuine value, driving discovery and engagement. 5. Integrated SEO SEO isn’t a silo. The more content you create and the more you promote it across channels, the stronger your search performance. But here’s the kicker—authority is everything. To build it, mix in thought leadership content that positions you as a trusted voice in your industry. SEO is no longer just a game of keywords; it’s about becoming a credible source in your niche. And that takes more than just content—it takes a strategy that integrates your expertise, your voice, and your commitment to your audience. Have any questions about SEO? Happy to answer them in the comments 😁 I help SaaS founders scale their GTM and marketing impact. If you want to learn how, let's connect. Send me a DM, and let’s chat. #SEO #GTM #SeoStrategy #Marketing #SaaS #SaaSSEO

This strategy took my blogs from page 5 to page 1 (Writing content but not ranking? Read this) When I first started writing SEO content, I had no clue. ↳ I stuffed keywords like my life depended on it ↳ I chased trends instead of solving problems ↳ I focused on word count, not quality None of it worked. My posts got buried. Here’s the ranking framework that changed everything: 1. Intent First 2. E-E-A-T Always 3. Optimise, Then Publish Let me explain 👇 1. Understand Search Intent ↳ Google wants to give users exactly what they're looking for ↳ Know the 4 types: Informational, Navigational, Commercial, Transactional ↳ Match your content format and tone to the searcher's goal ↳ Stop guessing analyze the top 5 results for every keyword 2. Show E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust) ↳ Add personal examples or real stories = Experience ↳ Mention credentials or cite expert opinions = Expertise ↳ Build topical authority with interlinked, deep content = Authority ↳ Keep your site fast, mobile-friendly, secure = Trust 3. SEO Polish Before You Publish ↳ Use one main keyword naturally no stuffing ↳ Add semantic keywords (LSI) for context ↳ Write catchy, clear meta titles & descriptions ↳ Use headers, bullet points, and images to improve readability Bonus Tip? ↳ Google ranks helpful content, not robotic text ↳ Write like you’re helping a real human (because you are!) ↳ Focus on value, not just volume SEO content isn't just about writing. It’s about aligning with Google's mission: "Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” —-------------- P.S. Was this helpful

SEO tip worth repeating: stop producing content that looks like every other article on page 1. Covering the same topics is wise, but don't forget to add unique value! Think about it from Google's perspective. Does ranking 10 identical articles provide a good user experience? No! In fact, it's a problem for Google; in most cases, users want diverse information. So go the extra mile with your research or, better yet, incorporate real-world knowledge into your content. Stuff that's not readily available with a quick Google search. One easy way to research obscure information is to search Google for "keyword + filetype:pdf" This will yield PDFs relevant to your topic. 99% of your competition isn't doing this, and PDFs offer a great source of in-depth information (you can do the same thing with .doc and .ppt). Then, throw them into Chat to summarize them! Another thing you can do is interview subject matter experts at your company. You can also interview co-workers who speak with customers and ask them what common questions they get asked. Lastly, have Chat scan the ranking pages and ask it for information that hasn't been covered. These are great ways to take your content to the next level and add that extra value that will make Google and its users fall in love. May the SERPs be in your favor! 📈 #seonotebook

Are you struggling to turn website visitors into paying customers? Here's a comprehensive guide I use to help you get started: 1. Understand your target audience: Research their demographics, interests, pain points, and preferences to create content that resonates with them. 2. Define clear conversion goals: Clearly define your goals to guide your content creation. 3. Conduct keyword research: Identify relevant keywords and search terms your audience uses and incorporate them naturally into your content. 4. Craft compelling headlines: Write attention-grabbing headlines that highlight the benefits of your offer. 5. Create engaging and relevant content: Develop high-quality, informative, and visually appealing content that aligns with your audience's interests and provides value. 6. Utilize clear call-to-actions (CTAs): Incorporate clear and persuasive CTAs throughout your content to lead users towards your conversion goals. 7. Optimize content for readability: Make your content easy to read and digest with short paragraphs, bullet points, subheadings, and simple language. 8. Mobile optimization: Ensure your content is mobile-friendly and responsive to reach more users. 9. A/B testing: Conduct tests on various elements of your content to identify what works best for your audience and improve conversion rates. 10. Build trust and credibility: Showcase customer testimonials, case studies, and trust symbols to establish credibility and build trust with your audience. Remember, optimizing your content for conversions is a continuous process. Keep testing and refining to achieve better results!

SEO Advice I Wish I Had Received 15 Years Ago When I Started... It’s so disheartening when you start a website and publish a bunch of content and crickets... Whenever you write a piece of content, it's a ghost town. Nothing. Especially when it is your own writing at play. Starting a blog can feel like publishing into the void. However, the digital landscape is ripe with opportunity for those who navigate it with savvy tactics and wise strategy. Here are simple and actionable steps that will transform your content efforts from unnoticed and underpaid to overbooked and richly rewarded: Keyword Research is God: Before you write, know what your audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find keywords that are not only relevant but have a decent search volume with low competition. This is your foundation. But everyone does that! Embrace Topical Clusters: Don't just focus on individual keywords; build your content around topical clusters. This means creating a series of interlinked posts that cover a broader topic in depth. It helps establish your authority in a niche and improves your site's SEO structure. If you need help with topical clusters, this is by far the highest ROI thing you can do for your content plan. Dive into NLP Keywords: Natural Language Processing (NLP) is changing the game. Tools like Surfer SEO or Writer Zen analyze top-ranking content and suggest keywords that are semantically related to your primary keyword. Incorporating these can help your content resonate not just with readers but with search engines too. Optimization with SEO Tools: Using the aforementioned tools, optimize your content for both humans and search engines. This means balancing keyword usage without overstuffing, ensuring readability, and structuring your posts with proper headers, meta titles, and descriptions. Quality Content with SEO in Mind: Always prioritize creating valuable and engaging content for your readers. Use your keyword and NLP research to guide the structure and focus of your posts, but remember, the goal is to inform, entertain, or solve a problem for your audience. Track Your Progress: Implement tracking from day one. Google Analytics and Google Search Console are indispensable tools for monitoring which content performs well and understanding your audience's behavior. The journey from a ghost town to a hub of engagement and traffic is a process, but with the right strategies, it's inevitable. Approach your blogging with a fine mix of creativity, SEO, and patience. Remember, every successful content business started exactly where you are now. Keep pushing forward, stay consistent, and the results will follow.

How I Build Winning Content Strategies with SEO For My Clients That Actually Improves Cash Flow. (4 Tips) When it comes to SEO, content is king. But creating content just for the sake of having content is not enough. You need a strategic, intentional approach to build content that works for both search engines & site visitors. Follow these key steps to develop a high-performing content strategy: 1) Define Target Keywords Through Research Kick things off by identifying the terms & topics you want to rank for. --> Analyze keyword difficulty --> Analyze search volume --> Analyze competition to prioritize targets. You may aim to rank for your primary brand & product terms first before targeting more competitive keywords. Revisit keyword priorities regularly & adjust as needed. For example, a SaaS company would start with product & brand name keywords before targeting higher competition terms like "project management software". 2) Build a Content Blueprint --> Next, develop a blueprint for mapping content to keywords. --> Group keywords into relevant categories or themes to identify content gaps. --> Use tools like Lumanu to visualize your site's content structure. --> You want to create cluster content around topics. --> Build cornerstone pieces like guides & roundups first. --> Support those with related articles that naturally target other keywords. 3) Audit Existing Content * Take stock of current content to determine optimization opportunities. * Look for where you can add more content to existing pages to increase authority. * Repurpose evergreen content that still resonates. * Identify where internal links can better connect content. For example, you may have blog posts already targeting keywords that would perform better as standalone pages with more content. 4) Develop Content Intentionality --> Build content around topics & themes rather than jamming in keywords. --> Google's semantic search understands context & meaning. --> Support cornerstone content with clusters of complementary articles. --> Don't over-optimize! Craft useful content, & relevant keywords will follow. Following this structured approach will help you develop content that works for both search engines & site visitors With core pillars in place, you can scale content more easily over time What steps are you taking to build a strategic content foundation for SEO? Let me know in the comments! PS: Want us to build out a content calendar that can explode your business in 2024? Click "book an appointment" & let's discuss a personalized content strategy for your business #b2b #contentmarketing #content #marketing