Summer’s winding down fast, which means students across the country are gearing up for another school year. Of course, the content marketers of the world don’t get a summer vacation, and the best, most forward-thinking of us understand that you can’t ever take a break from learning about the latest trends, updates and technologies.
That’s why the Content Marketing Weekly is so devoted to the spirit of education and the never-ending pursuit of bettering ourselves as digital marketers. With that in mind, let’s dive into this week’s edition, which is chock-full of SEO dos and don’ts, among other helpful tips for even the most seasoned content marketing pro:
5 SEO Tactics That You Should Try Out Now
Adhering to SEO best practices can sometimes feel like hitting a moving target: What was standard just a year or two ago can quickly become outdated and potentially even hurt your search performance. So, even if you’re feeling a little burnt out on the seemingly endless stream of SEO advice out there, it can be helpful to – every once in a while – stop and listen to the what the experts have to say.
Over at Search Engine Journal, VIP contributor (ooh la la!) Winston Burton offers up five tactics that could help jump-start your SEO strategy. There’s nothing really Earth-shattering in his recommendations – at least not for content marketers who have their ear to the ground – but all are worth considering, especially if you have a particular SEO blind spot.
For instance, Burton suggests targeting keywords that you consistently appear on the second page of search results for to quickly increase site traffic and get more visibility. That’s a heck of a lot easier than jumping straight into the fire and trying to compete with the big boys and land on the first page right out the gate.
Elsewhere, Burton highlights the importance of internal and external linking and ranking for Google’s Answer Box. Too obvious? Maybe, but sometimes the best and most effective SEO strategies are just that.
Flying Close to the Sun: SEO Tactics That May Get You Burned
On the other end of the spectrum, you have Search Engine Land contributor Stephan Spencer’s latest piece, detailing what not to do with your SEO strategies. One would hope that some of these suggestions really don’t need to be said, but you can never be too careful.
Like, don’t engage in black-hat or gray-hat SEO practices. Just don’t. As Spencer notes, whatever short-term wins you get out of these tactics, the potential blowback is just too severe to risk it. It could take years for a flagged site to bounce back from something like this – if it ever does at all.
Shady linking practices like buying up blogs with strong Domain Authority and then linking back to your own site are also a big no-no. And, yeah, stealing content or stuffing your own with keywords is always a bad idea.
Spencer likens all of this to the myth of Icarus and his famously doomed flight. But, we’d say engaging in dicey SEO strategies like these is more akin to something George Costanza would pull: They’re lazy, short-sighted practices that will ultimately blow up in your face.
Check out the other big SEO taboos.
5 Tools to Help Your Content Marketing Team Be Better
Even great content marketers fall into slumps or have particular weaknesses that could be improved upon. If you’re looking for a few ways to boost the performance of your own content marketing team, then you’re in luck: Over at the Content Marketing Institute, Ann Smarty has a handful of tips on getting more out of your staff.
Smarty harps on the importance of self-education and improvement (hey, we were just talking about that!) as well as sharing knowledge and information between team members.
One of the more compelling points that Smarty makes is how beneficial it is to give your content marketing team a well-rounded understanding of all the various niches and fields related to the broader realm of digital marketing. We’re talking about SEO, social media, content creation, keyword research, etc. The more your team knows, the more their own work will support and complement the efforts of other content marketers and departments. It’s all about teamwork.
So, don’t keep them in the dark. Encourage your content marketing team to pick up new skills and read up on as much material as they can, even if it doesn’t necessarily directly impact their own work. It’ll pay off in the long run.
Want to know more? Read the rest of Smarty’s blog.
Whelp, that about wraps ‘er up, as they say. But don’t get too down: In a few days, there’ll be another Content Marketing Weekly coming through to sate all of your cravings for the latest and greatest digital marketing news. So, stay tuned.
