How to go from the smallest seed of an idea to an impactful piece of content that can be repurposed to meet many marketing needs?There are many different methods used by content creators.
In this article, I'll share a process for creating SEO content that you can use for SEO initiatives and beyond.
Here are the steps we'll cover::
Idea
Keywords:
Organize
Competitive analysis
Content creation
Expert review
Optimization
Repurposing
FAQ: How to turn ideas into impactful, reusable SEO content?
The idea of the content often stems from a problem facing your target audience or a topic you want to educate them on.
Content ideas can come from anywhere. They could come from a marketing team dedicated to driving conversions, a customer service representative who is very familiar with your customer base, or from an idea that pops into your daily life and breathe your business and topic.
So, when you're looking for a content topic, always listen. Cast a wide net and invite all kinds of personnel from all walks of life in the company to actively contribute.
For more information on getting content ideas from **, read:
5 Places to Get SEO Content Ideas.
You can think of the work you did in the previous step as the basis for a new keyword seed list. A "seed list" is basically just a list of topics and keywords that you want to write about.
Once you have this list, you can use a keyword research tool to optimize the keywords you should target for that topic. These are the words, phrases, and questions that you will optimize the content of your web page.
For more information on how to find and select keywords, check out:
What is a seed keyword and how can I use it in my research?
7 keyword suggestions and research tools to find the right keywords for your SEO strategy.
What are keywords?Why are keywords important for SEO?How do you do keyword research?
How to do SEO keyword research.
This step is about planning where the content will be on the **.
Specifically, which thematic silo will it belong to?Will the page appear in the product or information section of the ** or blog?The location to which it belongs may be fairly intuitive.
Once you know how your new page will fit into your structure, you'll have a better idea of how you should write your content – is it sales copy or educational content?You will also know which relevant pages on your ** should be linked to in the body.
To learn more about what you want to organize, read:
SEO silos: what, why, how
You might be surprised that we're halfway through our content evolution and haven't even started writing yet!
But we recommend that you take another preparatory step before you start drafting your new page – analyze your top-ranking competitors.
Once you have your target keywords, you can use them to analyze the competition in the search results for these key terms. Why is this important?You want to know what content search engines like Google think are relevant and premium for that keyword.
You can figure this out by looking at who is ranking on the first page of your target keyword and what they think about the topic and what they have to say.
But it doesn't stop there. With the right SEO tools, you can dig deeper into the factors of your top-ranking pages.
For example, using the Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin tells you the target word count range you need to meet based on the real-time search engine results of the top-ranking web pages.
That way, you won't waste time writing 3,000 words when 800 words will be enough – or, if the top-ranking pages are long, you'll know if you need to spend more time writing an essay than planned.
You also get a target word count for the meta information on your page, as well as a readability score goal, so you can be sure that your content is written at the same level as your competitors.
The Summary tab in the Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin displays the target
For more information on analyzing keyword competitors, read:
Want to tailor SEO suggestions for each keywordThere's a plugin that does just that!
How to do SEO competitor research.
SEO Competitor Research: What, Why, How.
Now that you have the proper content goals, including angles, keywords, and grade levels, you're good to go.
Some people like to start with an outline that organizes all the ideas they came up with in the initial research of the previous steps. Others like to jump right in and start writing.
Every content creator has their own process, so how this step is executed is largely up to the content creator's own or company's process.
For example, a team might first create a content outline, sign it off, and send it to the author to get started. Another team might just give the writer keywords and word counts, and that's it.
Make sure you consider things like Google's EEAT and its guidelines for making content useful (see link below).
For more information on this topic, see:
What determines the quality of a web page?
A Complete Guide to Google EEAT Basics.
What to know about useful content updates (**.)
Useful content system for Google Search.
Create content that's useful, reliable, and people-centric.
Once the content creator has finished the first draft of a web page, it should go through at least one round of editing. Ideally, the editor is the same person (or multiple people) who proofread all of the company or department material. This ensures consistency.
It may also be subject to expert review by the company's subject matter experts (possibly before the editor sees it). This is especially important if you're producing content on topics that Google considers "your money or your life."
Don't skimp on this step, or you run the risk of not being able to rank. As outlined in its search quality assessment guidelines, expertise and experience with content is one way Google measures quality.
The review process itself may involve multiple people, or it may involve only content creators and editors.
Either way, depending on the process outlined by the content creator or company, editing will continue back and forth until the content is deemed "final".
Learn more: What is Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) page?
The content creator may have included the target keyword throughout the content, in which case this is actually an SEO review of that optimization.
However, in some cases, optimization isn't done until the content is finalized.
It's useful to have a professional SEO do this part – unless, of course, the content creator is well-versed in SEO best practices when it comes to optimization (or at least a guide for the company, as long as they're good guides).
Something you want to avoid is over-optimizing or including keywords in a way that doesn't look natural.
In the absence of an SEO professional for the ultimate optimization work, using SEO tools can help. For example, our WordPress SEO plugin can help anyone – even content creators with no SEO experience – learn how to properly optimize content in the right way.
Keyword distribution visuals in the Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin
For more information, see:
What is Content Optimization?
How WordPress SEO plugins can help you optimize your content with keywords
Once this step is complete, the content is ready to be published. The next step is how to repurpose your content and leverage the work you've already done.
Once you've published your web page, you can start thinking about how you can repurpose that topic for other content for marketing purposes.
Repurposing content makes the most of all the effort you've put in ahead of time. Once you've done the initial legwork, it's much easier to convert that web page into another form of content.
Here's how to repurpose a web page:
You've just published an article on your blog, and you've already published four other articles on the same topic or topics on that blog. You decide to turn these five blog posts into an informative eBook on a topic.
You can learn how we turned our Page Experience series into an eBook here. ）
Then, you'll think about how you can use that eBook for various marketing or sales purposes. You decide to create a landing page that can be ebooked and then drive traffic through your blog and social.
When people arrive at the landing page, they'll give you their email address in exchange for ** voila!You're growing your email list. Then you start brainstorming all the other ways you can leverage that content ......
You give it to a potential customer after you've typed it, use it as the basis for a webinar presentation, use it to create a series on your YouTube channel, and then use it to create a course.
With a little creativity, you can infinitely make an optimized web page work for you in different ways.
It takes time and process to create high-quality, actionable content. Use the steps outlined in this article to jumpstart the content creation process from idea to publishing, and beyond.
FAQ: How to turn ideas into impactful, reusable SEO content?
Producing SEO content that resonates and remains versatile is a key skill for success. To embark on this journey, it's essential to understand the complexities involved in turning ideas into impactful, reusable content.
Idea Generation:
Generating impactful content starts with understanding your audience's needs. Engage in in-depth conversations with your customer service team to learn about market trends and explore industry forums to gather diverse ideas.
Keyword Strategy:
Once you have an idea, start doing keyword research. Explore buyer intent search terms that are relevant to your idea. Optimize your keywords with tools to make sure they align with your content focus.
Content Organization:
Plan the structure of the content within **. Consider the relevance of your topic in different sections. A well-organized ** facilitates effective content placement and user navigation.
Competitor Analysis:
Analyze your competitors' strategies before creating content. Identify ways they handle similar content. Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses to tailor a unique angle to your content.
Content Creation:
Start creating content while keeping Google's EEAT principles in mind. Focus on producing comprehensive, informative, and engaging content to meet user needs.
Expert Review:
Hire a subject matter expert to review your content. Their insights ensure accuracy, authority, and reliability, which is essential for content that falls under the "Your Money or Your Life" category.
Optimization Techniques:
Seamlessly integrate researched keywords into your content. Strike a balance between optimized and natural processes. Utilize SEO tools for guidance if needed.
Repurposing Strategy:
After publication, explore reuse options. Convert your content into formats such as eBooks, webinars, or series to maximize its reach and usefulness.
Step-by-step procedure:
Understand your audience's needs by interacting with customer service teams and industry forums.
Conduct comprehensive keyword research with a focus on buyer-intent terms.
Content structure within an organization** for easy navigation and relevance.
Analyze your competitors' strategies to create a unique perspective on your content.
Create informational content that conforms to Google EEAT principles.
Engage subject matter experts for content review to ensure accuracy and authority.
Seamlessly integrate optimized keywords for effective SEO.
Explore post-publication diversification repurposing strategies to maximize content utility.
Turning ideas into impactful, reusable SEO content requires a meticulous approach. By understanding your audience's needs, employing an effective keyword strategy, and optimizing your content, you can create versatile and engaging materials that will stand the test of digital growth.