Since 1996, those in the search engine optimisation (SEO) industry have agreed with Bill Gates that “content is king”. Yet, to create good content, you first need to plan. Whether you choose to hire copywriters to help or you want to do it yourself, planning is an important part of the process. So, we’re here to give you a few tips on how to schedule your SEO content.
Discovery
Everything we do in life comes from seeing what others do. From your first smile or your first steps to your first piece of content. You may have some brilliant and original ideas, but it’s always worth checking out what your competition is doing, too.
Research is a key part of discovery, whether you’re focusing on keyword research or competitor research. Not every site can rank for every keyword, so this is a time to pin down a particular focus for your site and define the goals for your content.
Relevance is a large part of an SEO content strategy. This is unique to your business needs, but there are a few questions you can ask yourself:
- How can you attract your audience to your website?
- What will your customers want to see from your business?
- How can you integrate your content into your site, marketing strategy and promotions?
- What kind of content are your competitors creating?
- What are the sites that are ranking in the top 10 search results doing?
Professionals within the SEO industry can be really valuable at this stage. Although it might seem logical to have an agency come in to optimise your existing content, they can be very helpful in the research phase and help to drive more relevant traffic to your site.
Use a Calendar
Once you know what content you plan on creating, you need to organise it into a plan. This could be a spreadsheet, a purpose-built calendar, or any other software you feel most comfortable with.
Ideally, it should be shared with everyone that is involved in the process, so everyone is aware of what is being created and when. Take note of any important dates for your business and shape your content strategy around them.
Prepare
Having fresh and up-to-date content on their site is the goal for most companies. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have some evergreen content saved away. You never know what delays or issues could arise, so having a few pieces of content ready to publish as and when you need them could be a lifesaver.
Being consistent is important, so give yourself a helping hand by being prepared. This can take many forms, such as having a document filled with future content ideas, planning the frequency of publication, or categorising and prioritising your content.
Review
Remember, the steps that we’ve discussed so far are cyclical, not chronological. Set aside time to keep discovering, researching and updating your content. You should also aim to review your old content yearly, if not more often, to ensure it’s still useful to your site. Think about the following:
- Have you made it into the top ten search results?
- Have your competitors changed their strategy, and what are they doing differently?
- Is the current content helping your business?
- Is there anything your site no longer needs?
Be flexible and willing to change direction when your strategy isn’t showing you the results you want. However, keep in mind that results take time, and a real asset to your site is a long-term investment.
Need a little help? Our team at It Works is here for you. Contact us today to find out what we can do for your business.