Why Should I Do Content Marketing?

Why should I do content marketing?

At BrightEdge, we’ve seen content marketing and SEO work for thousands of high-growth businesses. Developing quality search optimized content helps improve email, social, newsletters, paid advertising and, of course, organic search. However creating good content that’s optimized for customers is not easy. 

Despite the proven success of correctly optimized content and SEO, some businesses are still on the fence about content marketing. Some of our clients even say “no” or "not now" to both the BrightEdge Content platform and to the additional help from experienced strategists, writers, and SEO advisors we provide. We don’t take it personally. They didn’t reject us. Instead, they rejected content promotion as a strategy and becoming one of the content companies in the industry. 

We’ve used these rejections and excuses to refine our product and our process to build a bullet-proof plan of action for jump-starting marketing programs. Here’s how we’re addressing our leery clients’ concerns.

Excuse: There’s no explicit ROI for content marketingwhy should i do content marketing? - brightedge

Response: There are plenty of ways to measure content marketing ROI. We’ve seen our clients consistently double their organic traffic when they focus on building out quality content. True, it’s not always easy to attribute every visit or conversion to a specific piece of content, but there is plenty of evidence that this works, especially with the right goal measurement and attribution model. Beyond traffic, industry-wide, website conversion rate is nearly 6x higher for companies adopting content promotion than companies that don’t.

The Net: Content marketing more than earns its keep, and BrightEdge Content reporting can help you measure your actual ROI. 

Excuse: I'm no writer

Response: Majoring in journalism is not a prerequisite for creating effective content. Consider outsourcing your ideas to your team or to freelance writers, dictating your content, curating and commenting on articles about your industry, or asking guests to blog for you. Outsourcing content makes sense early on to quickly get to a critical mass number of pages as you start to flex your own content creation muscle. Content also comes in more forms than blog posts and emails: videos, podcasts, and infographics are increasingly popular mediums for delivering relevant information to searchers. 

The Net: You might be surprised how many quality writers you already have in your organization if you just start asking, but use outsourced professionals if necessary to give you that early momentum. 

Excuse: There’s no place for content marketing in my marketing plan

Response: Content marketing doesn’t operate as its own independent channel. Instead, content is most effective when incorporated into your entire marketing strategy. For organic search discovery, search algorithms adapt to user behavior; user-focused content translates to better rankings. Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms also require landing pages to drive traffic to. Quality content pages can help deepen your social media followers’ connections. Even PPC campaigns see the benefits of content marketing and from optimized content: the content presented to users who click through on AdWords should match search intent. Content is also essential after acquiring qualified leads. And using email marketing to drive traffic to blog posts or other on-site content improves your customer acquisition efforts. 

The Net: Content marketing will complement and amplify your SEO, social, PPC, and email campaigns.

Excuse: I can’t compete with the big guys for keywords

Response: You don’t have to compete with global corporations for keywords. Small businesses, for instance, have distinct advantages over large companies, including the opportunity to focus even more narrowly on their specific customers. Cater your content strategy with the long-tail keywords addressing the needs and queries of your audience. Get out in front of the so-called “domain authorities” with niche content driven by keywords that will resonate and rise above them. 

The Net: A content strategy focused on long-tail keywords and niche content will allow you to optimize for the organic search of a high-value audience. Let the specific needs of your target customers inform your content strategy. 

Excuse: My customers aren’t online/too few/prefer face-to-face 

Response: B2B companies underestimate the ubiquity of connected devices and how much research is done via online searches. The average B2B buyer completes 57% of their purchase decision before engaging a sales rep—and that was 5 years ago. That said, most B2B marketers do understand the importance of smart content: 89% of B2B marketers are already using content promotion. 

The Net: Quality content creates quality traffic which creates higher conversion yields. 

Excuse: SEO and Content Marketing take too long to generate results

Response: Don’t assume your content needs to sit for months or years to prove its value. Yes, content marketing is a long-term strategy, but you can still achieve quick wins—bumps in traffic, better search rankings, additional revenue—with a few smart moves. We advise clients to publish 50+ pieces of optimized content, cross-link with internal pages, and adjust paid search campaigns to align with published content. Even the traffic to content from a daily Tweet or LinkedIn post can add up quickly.

The Net: Well optimized content can show results within weeks.

Excuse: Nobody likes “keyword-stuffed” content

Response: There is a distinct and important difference between smart, optimized content and webpages loaded with keywords intended to manipulate search ranking. SEO content is essentially user-optimized content focused on useful information with keywords used appropriately and in context. Keyword stuffing results in a poor user experience—and Google knows it. The Google search algorithm updates to penalize pages produced in a way that is not valuable for the user. 

The Net: BrightEdge Content is a smart content marketing platform, enabling engaging, information-rich, and useful content. We’ve helped clients rank #1 in search for their targeted keywords, and not by keyword stuffing.

Discover SEO best practices that can help guide you through creating content for your content marketing strategies!

Why should I do content marketing?

At BrightEdge, we’ve seen content marketing and SEO work for thousands of high-growth businesses. Developing quality search optimized content helps improve email, social, newsletters, paid advertising and, of course, organic search. However creating good content that’s optimized for customers is not easy. 

Despite the proven success of correctly optimized content and SEO, some businesses are still on the fence about content marketing. Some of our clients even say “no” or "not now" to both the BrightEdge Content platform and to the additional help from experienced strategists, writers, and SEO advisors we provide. We don’t take it personally. They didn’t reject us. Instead, they rejected content promotion as a strategy and becoming one of the content companies in the industry. 

We’ve used these rejections and excuses to refine our product and our process to build a bullet-proof plan of action for jump-starting marketing programs. Here’s how we’re addressing our leery clients’ concerns.

Excuse: There’s no explicit ROI for content marketingwhy should i do content marketing? - brightedge

Response: There are plenty of ways to measure content marketing ROI. We’ve seen our clients consistently double their organic traffic when they focus on building out quality content. True, it’s not always easy to attribute every visit or conversion to a specific piece of content, but there is plenty of evidence that this works, especially with the right goal measurement and attribution model. Beyond traffic, industry-wide, website conversion rate is nearly 6x higher for companies adopting content promotion than companies that don’t.

The Net: Content marketing more than earns its keep, and BrightEdge Content reporting can help you measure your actual ROI. 

Excuse: I'm no writer

Response: Majoring in journalism is not a prerequisite for creating effective content. Consider outsourcing your ideas to your team or to freelance writers, dictating your content, curating and commenting on articles about your industry, or asking guests to blog for you. Outsourcing content makes sense early on to quickly get to a critical mass number of pages as you start to flex your own content creation muscle. Content also comes in more forms than blog posts and emails: videos, podcasts, and infographics are increasingly popular mediums for delivering relevant information to searchers. 

The Net: You might be surprised how many quality writers you already have in your organization if you just start asking, but use outsourced professionals if necessary to give you that early momentum. 

Excuse: There’s no place for content marketing in my marketing plan

Response: Content marketing doesn’t operate as its own independent channel. Instead, content is most effective when incorporated into your entire marketing strategy. For organic search discovery, search algorithms adapt to user behavior; user-focused content translates to better rankings. Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms also require landing pages to drive traffic to. Quality content pages can help deepen your social media followers’ connections. Even PPC campaigns see the benefits of content marketing and from optimized content: the content presented to users who click through on AdWords should match search intent. Content is also essential after acquiring qualified leads. And using email marketing to drive traffic to blog posts or other on-site content improves your customer acquisition efforts. 

The Net: Content marketing will complement and amplify your SEO, social, PPC, and email campaigns.

Excuse: I can’t compete with the big guys for keywords

Response: You don’t have to compete with global corporations for keywords. Small businesses, for instance, have distinct advantages over large companies, including the opportunity to focus even more narrowly on their specific customers. Cater your content strategy with the long-tail keywords addressing the needs and queries of your audience. Get out in front of the so-called “domain authorities” with niche content driven by keywords that will resonate and rise above them. 

The Net: A content strategy focused on long-tail keywords and niche content will allow you to optimize for the organic search of a high-value audience. Let the specific needs of your target customers inform your content strategy. 

Excuse: My customers aren’t online/too few/prefer face-to-face 

Response: B2B companies underestimate the ubiquity of connected devices and how much research is done via online searches. The average B2B buyer completes 57% of their purchase decision before engaging a sales rep—and that was 5 years ago. That said, most B2B marketers do understand the importance of smart content: 89% of B2B marketers are already using content promotion. 

The Net: Quality content creates quality traffic which creates higher conversion yields. 

Excuse: SEO and Content Marketing take too long to generate results

Response: Don’t assume your content needs to sit for months or years to prove its value. Yes, content marketing is a long-term strategy, but you can still achieve quick wins—bumps in traffic, better search rankings, additional revenue—with a few smart moves. We advise clients to publish 50+ pieces of optimized content, cross-link with internal pages, and adjust paid search campaigns to align with published content. Even the traffic to content from a daily Tweet or LinkedIn post can add up quickly.

The Net: Well optimized content can show results within weeks.

Excuse: Nobody likes “keyword-stuffed” content

Response: There is a distinct and important difference between smart, optimized content and webpages loaded with keywords intended to manipulate search ranking. SEO content is essentially user-optimized content focused on useful information with keywords used appropriately and in context. Keyword stuffing results in a poor user experience—and Google knows it. The Google search algorithm updates to penalize pages produced in a way that is not valuable for the user. 

The Net: BrightEdge Content is a smart content marketing platform, enabling engaging, information-rich, and useful content. We’ve helped clients rank #1 in search for their targeted keywords, and not by keyword stuffing.

Discover SEO best practices that can help guide you through creating content for your content marketing strategies!

How To Do Multi-Channel Marketing?

What is multi-channel marketing?

Multi-channel marketing is a strategy to allow your customers to buy your products in a variety of ways whether in store, online, through magazines, main in orders, orders over the phone, and more.

Customers today are largely channel agnostic. This means that they are ready to interact with brands on whatever devices or platforms they happen to be using at that time. They may check emails on mobile, shop on desktop, and redeem social media coupons in stores. They want to access brands across a diversity of channels and the brands that are unavailable to fulfill these spontaneous needs will be overlooked. Integrated marketing is quickly becoming an important part of any marketing strategy.

Build Omni-Channel Marketing Campaigns

Why is multi-channel marketing important?
Discover the best multi-channel marketing strategy for your business - brightedge

In a multi-channel marketing environment for retail, brands need to create a consistent voice for the various platforms where customers expect them to be. Brands also need to develop content creation strategies that span multiple channels, forming uniform goals and processes across all aspects of the different marketing specialties.

Your content creation process needs to align with your earned, paid, and owned channels. The content development professionals need to work together with the different types of marketing specialists to learn how to best target customers on the different channels and how to create a uniform goal and strategy that will encompass them all.

What is a multi-channel strategy?

For an integrated marketing program to be successful, the silos that had previously separated different types of marketing can no longer exist. Follow these tips to create success and alignment throughout your marketing campaigns:

  • Break down the walls that separate the different team members. Hold trainings and meetings where the different groups will meet and get to know each other's strategies and processes.
  • Offer trainings where people can get to know the basics of other specialties within marketing.
  • Create a joint understanding of the voice and tone that will be used when creating content for customers or speaking with them directly.
  • Form joint projects where you create goals and messages that will be the same across the different types of marketing.
  • Promote the content across the different platforms.
  • Measure your results. Look at how individual campaigns have impacted goals such as brand lift and revenue.

Customers today are active on a variety of different channels and brands need to be ready to meet them where they are to encourage them to move towards conversion. This means creating content as a team and reaching over to other specialties, developing solidarity as a team and a uniform voice for interactions with customers.

What is multi-channel marketing?

Multi-channel marketing is a strategy to allow your customers to buy your products in a variety of ways whether in store, online, through magazines, main in orders, orders over the phone, and more.

Customers today are largely channel agnostic. This means that they are ready to interact with brands on whatever devices or platforms they happen to be using at that time. They may check emails on mobile, shop on desktop, and redeem social media coupons in stores. They want to access brands across a diversity of channels and the brands that are unavailable to fulfill these spontaneous needs will be overlooked. Integrated marketing is quickly becoming an important part of any marketing strategy.

Build Omni-Channel Marketing Campaigns

Why is multi-channel marketing important?
Discover the best multi-channel marketing strategy for your business - brightedge

In a multi-channel marketing environment for retail, brands need to create a consistent voice for the various platforms where customers expect them to be. Brands also need to develop content creation strategies that span multiple channels, forming uniform goals and processes across all aspects of the different marketing specialties.

Your content creation process needs to align with your earned, paid, and owned channels. The content development professionals need to work together with the different types of marketing specialists to learn how to best target customers on the different channels and how to create a uniform goal and strategy that will encompass them all.

What is a multi-channel strategy?

For an integrated marketing program to be successful, the silos that had previously separated different types of marketing can no longer exist. Follow these tips to create success and alignment throughout your marketing campaigns:

  • Break down the walls that separate the different team members. Hold trainings and meetings where the different groups will meet and get to know each other's strategies and processes.
  • Offer trainings where people can get to know the basics of other specialties within marketing.
  • Create a joint understanding of the voice and tone that will be used when creating content for customers or speaking with them directly.
  • Form joint projects where you create goals and messages that will be the same across the different types of marketing.
  • Promote the content across the different platforms.
  • Measure your results. Look at how individual campaigns have impacted goals such as brand lift and revenue.

Customers today are active on a variety of different channels and brands need to be ready to meet them where they are to encourage them to move towards conversion. This means creating content as a team and reaching over to other specialties, developing solidarity as a team and a uniform voice for interactions with customers.

How Many Blog Posts Per Week Should You Write?

Is a blog good for SEO?

Blogs are great for SEO because search engines like to display sites that show active involvement through regular updates. Writing a blog will help you incorporate a variety of different types of information about your industry into the content, will which boost your domain authority and the placement of your website on SERPs.

Regular blogging also helps you engage with the wider community and build rapport with your intended audience. Blogging allows you to explain your opinions and demonstrate your expertise on a regular basis. Fresh content will help keep readers interested so they continue to build a relationship with your brand.
learn how many blog posts per week you should be writing - brightedge

How often should you write a blog post?

The frequency of your blog posts will depend upon a few different factors. You will need to think about:

  • Your industry
  • Your traffic patterns
  • How often you can write
  1. Your industry. Your industry and how often your customers expect news and information. For example, the blog on a gossip or news site will need to be updated multiple times per day to remain current, while a lifestyle blog will likely only need updates once or twice a week.
  2. Your traffic patterns. The traffic patterns of your blog. If your site is seasonal, such as a retail company that specializes in holiday gifts, you might post at least every day during the height of the season, but taper off to once or twice a week in the off season.
  3. How often you can write. The frequency with which you should reasonably be able to write on your blog. Do not be overly ambitious so that you start out strong but end up losing focus. Instead, try to be realistic about your schedule and come up with a frequency you can maintain.

When it comes to establishing the frequency and cadence for updating your blog, the more often you can publish valuable information, the better. However, consistency is far more important than publishing every day. If you cannot stick to a daily schedule, it is better to create a frequency of two to three times per week that you can maintain. This also helps set expectations for your readers so that they know when they can expect new content and will make repeat visits to your blog.

How do I promote my blog?

Once you have your target schedule, you want to focus on building an editorial calendar around the topics that would most likely interest your readers. Create an outline of your ideal buyer personas and then map these personas to their buyer journey. You want to understand where your targeted customers are in their path towards conversion and understand what they need to see to encourage them to make that choice. Use keyword research and the BrightEdge Data Cube to uncover topics that your target audiences want to see.

As you begin to develop content, remember that the majority of the people who are referred to your website from a search engine are at the top of the sales funnel. While it can be tempting to produce content that focuses on your brand, this type of material will be less appealing to this group and may lead to drop-off. Instead, focus your content on interesting and informative material that will entice this audience to seek out more information about your company and products.

Blogging can be a valuable resource to attract new customers to your site and build relationships with them. A successful blog is built on sharing high-quality content on a regular cadence that revolves around the needs of the users. Don't forget to post links to your post on your social media profiles!

Is a blog good for SEO?

Blogs are great for SEO because search engines like to display sites that show active involvement through regular updates. Writing a blog will help you incorporate a variety of different types of information about your industry into the content, will which boost your domain authority and the placement of your website on SERPs.

Regular blogging also helps you engage with the wider community and build rapport with your intended audience. Blogging allows you to explain your opinions and demonstrate your expertise on a regular basis. Fresh content will help keep readers interested so they continue to build a relationship with your brand.
learn how many blog posts per week you should be writing - brightedge

How often should you write a blog post?

The frequency of your blog posts will depend upon a few different factors. You will need to think about:

  • Your industry
  • Your traffic patterns
  • How often you can write
  1. Your industry. Your industry and how often your customers expect news and information. For example, the blog on a gossip or news site will need to be updated multiple times per day to remain current, while a lifestyle blog will likely only need updates once or twice a week.
  2. Your traffic patterns. The traffic patterns of your blog. If your site is seasonal, such as a retail company that specializes in holiday gifts, you might post at least every day during the height of the season, but taper off to once or twice a week in the off season.
  3. How often you can write. The frequency with which you should reasonably be able to write on your blog. Do not be overly ambitious so that you start out strong but end up losing focus. Instead, try to be realistic about your schedule and come up with a frequency you can maintain.

When it comes to establishing the frequency and cadence for updating your blog, the more often you can publish valuable information, the better. However, consistency is far more important than publishing every day. If you cannot stick to a daily schedule, it is better to create a frequency of two to three times per week that you can maintain. This also helps set expectations for your readers so that they know when they can expect new content and will make repeat visits to your blog.

How do I promote my blog?

Once you have your target schedule, you want to focus on building an editorial calendar around the topics that would most likely interest your readers. Create an outline of your ideal buyer personas and then map these personas to their buyer journey. You want to understand where your targeted customers are in their path towards conversion and understand what they need to see to encourage them to make that choice. Use keyword research and the BrightEdge Data Cube to uncover topics that your target audiences want to see.

As you begin to develop content, remember that the majority of the people who are referred to your website from a search engine are at the top of the sales funnel. While it can be tempting to produce content that focuses on your brand, this type of material will be less appealing to this group and may lead to drop-off. Instead, focus your content on interesting and informative material that will entice this audience to seek out more information about your company and products.

Blogging can be a valuable resource to attract new customers to your site and build relationships with them. A successful blog is built on sharing high-quality content on a regular cadence that revolves around the needs of the users. Don't forget to post links to your post on your social media profiles!

Internal Linking For SEO Success

What is internal linking?

Internal linking is a way to connect one part of your content to another. They make it easy for site visitors and search engine bots to move around your site and find other areas that offer information about related topics. By improving navigation, you help users discover deeper levels of insight you offer on a particular topic.Internal linking for SEO purposes prove valuable - BrightEdge

Why is internal linking important?

Using internal linking benefits both your users as well as search engines. For your users, the links will make it easier for people to explore your topic and see what you have to offer on a particular subject. If they are reading an article about a particular topic and want to learn more, they can click on your links and find the information they seek. Your links will help you keep people on your website and engaged with your brand, which helps you continue to build a relationship with your prospects. By keeping your audience tuned into your website, you will be able to see an increase in how much time is spent on your site. When you practice internal linking, you guide your readers from one page to the next, all through your website. You can introduce a true sense of expertise when you provide informative content from page to page. 

Internal links will also provide search engines with more information about the depth of your insights and what you have to offer customers. Internal links help the algorithms find other information you have to offer on a particular subject so they are able to link the various pieces together and grasp the value of the user experience you offer visitors.

Since your links will also help you improve site engagement, they should also have a positive impact on your SERP placements.

How do you create an internal link?

Internal links are a valuable way to build your content and reputation. Those interested in taking advantage of this SEO technique should keep these guidelines in mind:

  • Do not just link for the sake of internal linking. Your internal links should be placed because they have value to offer your readers and will help them learn something more about the topic at hand.
  • Make sure that all your links on a particular article, both internal and outbound links, automatically open in a new tab. This improves the user experience because people are able to click on the link to read later without disrupting the piece that they are currently exploring.
  • Link from informational pages to important landing pages for that particular topic. If you have a landing page that offers a white paper download about Quick Answers, for example, you want to make sure that your articles that discuss Quick Answers offer visitors a link to download this paper.
  • Use links so they seem natural. Just as you do not want to artificially stuff content with keywords, you also do not want to add links in ways that seem forced.

What is internal linking?

Internal linking is a way to connect one part of your content to another. They make it easy for site visitors and search engine bots to move around your site and find other areas that offer information about related topics. By improving navigation, you help users discover deeper levels of insight you offer on a particular topic.Internal linking for SEO purposes prove valuable - BrightEdge

Why is internal linking important?

Using internal linking benefits both your users as well as search engines. For your users, the links will make it easier for people to explore your topic and see what you have to offer on a particular subject. If they are reading an article about a particular topic and want to learn more, they can click on your links and find the information they seek. Your links will help you keep people on your website and engaged with your brand, which helps you continue to build a relationship with your prospects. By keeping your audience tuned into your website, you will be able to see an increase in how much time is spent on your site. When you practice internal linking, you guide your readers from one page to the next, all through your website. You can introduce a true sense of expertise when you provide informative content from page to page. 

Internal links will also provide search engines with more information about the depth of your insights and what you have to offer customers. Internal links help the algorithms find other information you have to offer on a particular subject so they are able to link the various pieces together and grasp the value of the user experience you offer visitors.

Since your links will also help you improve site engagement, they should also have a positive impact on your SERP placements.

How do you create an internal link?

Internal links are a valuable way to build your content and reputation. Those interested in taking advantage of this SEO technique should keep these guidelines in mind:

  • Do not just link for the sake of internal linking. Your internal links should be placed because they have value to offer your readers and will help them learn something more about the topic at hand.
  • Make sure that all your links on a particular article, both internal and outbound links, automatically open in a new tab. This improves the user experience because people are able to click on the link to read later without disrupting the piece that they are currently exploring.
  • Link from informational pages to important landing pages for that particular topic. If you have a landing page that offers a white paper download about Quick Answers, for example, you want to make sure that your articles that discuss Quick Answers offer visitors a link to download this paper.
  • Use links so they seem natural. Just as you do not want to artificially stuff content with keywords, you also do not want to add links in ways that seem forced.

Use SEO Meta Descriptions For Organic Success

What is a meta description?

The meta description is the information about your page that appears below the title of your piece and the URL on the SERP. You are generally awarded about 156 characters for this space, although recently Google has been experimenting with including more character spaces for certain results. This may be expanded in the future to provide more sites with the extra room.discover how to write an seo meta description - brightedge

Does meta description affect SEO?

Google has said that they do not use the information in the SEO meta description when determining the rank of a website. However, even if there is no direct impact on your placement in SERPs, there is still value to creating clear meta descriptions. Your description serves as a preview to the content on your site, attracting people to your result and convincing them to click to learn more. A compelling description can help you boost your engagement metrics while also encouraging more people to share your piece on social media and even include backlinks to your work. These are the factors that will impact your ranking.

How to write a meta description?

Since you are typically only afforded about two sentences for your SEO meta description, it is important to use the space wisely. Google has increased and then decreased characters for meta descriptions so, you could be seeing some longer snippets around. To create an effective, optimized meta description, you'll first want to discover what keyword you'll be using and optimizing for. Generally, you want to use your target topic keyword somewhere towards the beginning so that you can establish your relevance for readers immediately. You want to write engaging copy that demonstrates why your material is uniquely positioned to answer their questions and provide them with the value and information they seek. Consider these steps:

  • Think about the topic that you are writing about and what interests people in this subject. 
  • Create an SEO meta description that serves as an introduction to this piece, answering why your particular material is so much more valuable that the other results in the SERP.
  • Use the keyword naturally in your description to make your piece look more relevant and appealing.

While your SEO meta description might not be directly monitored by Google, it is still valuable real estate when it comes to boosting your brand reputation and reach. By creating an effective and optimized meta description, you will be able to appeal to readers and demonstrate to the search engines that you do have something of value to offer.

What are meta description keyword examples?

You can experiment with asking questions and testing readers knowledge in your description to get them interested in your article. An example of a meta description is, "Are you aware as to why meta descriptions are important? Discover more on the topic and how to optimize for meta descriptions." Here, 'meta descriptions' is the keyword you're optimizing for.

What is a meta description?

The meta description is the information about your page that appears below the title of your piece and the URL on the SERP. You are generally awarded about 156 characters for this space, although recently Google has been experimenting with including more character spaces for certain results. This may be expanded in the future to provide more sites with the extra room.discover how to write an seo meta description - brightedge

Does meta description affect SEO?

Google has said that they do not use the information in the SEO meta description when determining the rank of a website. However, even if there is no direct impact on your placement in SERPs, there is still value to creating clear meta descriptions. Your description serves as a preview to the content on your site, attracting people to your result and convincing them to click to learn more. A compelling description can help you boost your engagement metrics while also encouraging more people to share your piece on social media and even include backlinks to your work. These are the factors that will impact your ranking.

How to write a meta description?

Since you are typically only afforded about two sentences for your SEO meta description, it is important to use the space wisely. Google has increased and then decreased characters for meta descriptions so, you could be seeing some longer snippets around. To create an effective, optimized meta description, you'll first want to discover what keyword you'll be using and optimizing for. Generally, you want to use your target topic keyword somewhere towards the beginning so that you can establish your relevance for readers immediately. You want to write engaging copy that demonstrates why your material is uniquely positioned to answer their questions and provide them with the value and information they seek. Consider these steps:

  • Think about the topic that you are writing about and what interests people in this subject. 
  • Create an SEO meta description that serves as an introduction to this piece, answering why your particular material is so much more valuable that the other results in the SERP.
  • Use the keyword naturally in your description to make your piece look more relevant and appealing.

While your SEO meta description might not be directly monitored by Google, it is still valuable real estate when it comes to boosting your brand reputation and reach. By creating an effective and optimized meta description, you will be able to appeal to readers and demonstrate to the search engines that you do have something of value to offer.

What are meta description keyword examples?

You can experiment with asking questions and testing readers knowledge in your description to get them interested in your article. An example of a meta description is, "Are you aware as to why meta descriptions are important? Discover more on the topic and how to optimize for meta descriptions." Here, 'meta descriptions' is the keyword you're optimizing for.

How Do You Increase Your YouTube Ranking?

How do you increase your YouTube ranking?

YouTube is the second-largest search engine, behind only Google. It has more than a billion users and has seen 50% growth in viewing time year-over-year for the past 3 years. YouTube offers you tremendous opportunities for brand growth. When you create a well-received video, you have the potential to reach millions of active users.

YouTube is a well-regarded site by Google. Videos that appear well on YouTube rankings also have the potential to rank on the regular Google SERPs. Since videos are indexed individually, you have the potential to receive even more traffic through video-relevant queries on the search engines, which will then give your brand even more attention.

What is YouTube SEO?

YouTube SEO is the optimization of YouTube pages and videos. Like Google, the search engine has an intricate algorithm that determines how your videos will appear in their YouTube ranking. There are a few different criteria that SEOs have isolated that you should consider:

  • The video description, title, and tags, which help tell YouTube what your video is about
  • The number of watches that your video receives
  • How well-regarded your video channel is, particularly how many followers you have and how popular your other videos are
  • The number of thumbs up and comments your video receives
  • How often your video is shared

How can I get more YouTube subscribers?

As with other types of content, doing research and following content best practices will help you create high-quality video content that is well received by viewers, YouTube rankings, and other search engines.

First, pay attention to the queries that are popular for videos. You can use the BrightEdge Data Cube to see which keywords have video results and use this insight to select topics for your video content.

Create high-quality videos using professional equipment for shooting and editing when possible. Remember that the video is an extension of your brand so you want it to reflect the same level of professionalism and quality. Create a video that is at least 3-5 minutes long with an engaging introduction to encourage people to stay on the page. Keep in mind that YouTube users are not on the platform for advertising; they want to be entertained and educated. Creating viddeo content that is poorly executed or that pushes your brand or product with little additional value will be a turn off. Viewers may drop off midway through and are unlikely to share it with others.

Optimize the video with a thorough description, tags, and a title that uses your targeted keyword and provides an accurate idea of what your video contains. Remember to promote your video throughout your website, social media platforms, email campaigns, and other marketing efforts. And don’t stop at just one! Follow up your high-quality video with more videos to create a respectable channel that can be relied upon as an excellent resource.

Increase your overall content and YouTube ranking with the industry leading SEO platform, BrightEdge!

How do you increase your YouTube ranking?

YouTube is the second-largest search engine, behind only Google. It has more than a billion users and has seen 50% growth in viewing time year-over-year for the past 3 years. YouTube offers you tremendous opportunities for brand growth. When you create a well-received video, you have the potential to reach millions of active users.

YouTube is a well-regarded site by Google. Videos that appear well on YouTube rankings also have the potential to rank on the regular Google SERPs. Since videos are indexed individually, you have the potential to receive even more traffic through video-relevant queries on the search engines, which will then give your brand even more attention.

What is YouTube SEO?

YouTube SEO is the optimization of YouTube pages and videos. Like Google, the search engine has an intricate algorithm that determines how your videos will appear in their YouTube ranking. There are a few different criteria that SEOs have isolated that you should consider:

  • The video description, title, and tags, which help tell YouTube what your video is about
  • The number of watches that your video receives
  • How well-regarded your video channel is, particularly how many followers you have and how popular your other videos are
  • The number of thumbs up and comments your video receives
  • How often your video is shared

How can I get more YouTube subscribers?

As with other types of content, doing research and following content best practices will help you create high-quality video content that is well received by viewers, YouTube rankings, and other search engines.

First, pay attention to the queries that are popular for videos. You can use the BrightEdge Data Cube to see which keywords have video results and use this insight to select topics for your video content.

Create high-quality videos using professional equipment for shooting and editing when possible. Remember that the video is an extension of your brand so you want it to reflect the same level of professionalism and quality. Create a video that is at least 3-5 minutes long with an engaging introduction to encourage people to stay on the page. Keep in mind that YouTube users are not on the platform for advertising; they want to be entertained and educated. Creating viddeo content that is poorly executed or that pushes your brand or product with little additional value will be a turn off. Viewers may drop off midway through and are unlikely to share it with others.

Optimize the video with a thorough description, tags, and a title that uses your targeted keyword and provides an accurate idea of what your video contains. Remember to promote your video throughout your website, social media platforms, email campaigns, and other marketing efforts. And don’t stop at just one! Follow up your high-quality video with more videos to create a respectable channel that can be relied upon as an excellent resource.

Increase your overall content and YouTube ranking with the industry leading SEO platform, BrightEdge!

What is Content Syndication?

What is content syndication?

Content syndication is the process of republishing part of an article or blog post on another, more popular site. You might elect to republish the entire piece, only the title, or just a small opening portion. The goal with syndication is to attract readers by encouraging them to click from the blog post to your site to consume the content. Syndication provides you with the opportunity to expand your reach and demonstrate your authority and expertise to more people.

discover the importance of content syndication - brightedgeWill content syndication hurt my rankings?

Your site and brand reputation is a common concern for many when it comes to content syndication, but when done properly, the process will only help your rankings.

To successfully syndicate content, you want to let Google know that this content has been duplicated on purpose and that it is not an attempt to trick the search engines. You can do this by using a rel=”canonical” tag, which is Google’s preferred means of signifying syndicated content. Other potential options would also be NoIndex tags or including an attribution link. All three of these options let Google know that you are not trying to get two pages indexed and ranked, and that there is one page in particular that should be ‘counted’ for the search engine. Google’s main concern is to avoid having multiple copies of the same content appear in search results, as this can hurt the user experience. With the right tags, you can avoid being penalized.

Why should I syndicate content?

Syndicated content can help you grow your audience and attract the attention of new readers. Since your material will be posted on websites that have a larger and potential different audience than your own, you have an excellent opportunity to grow your reach and reputation. Ideally, the content you syndicate should be high-quality so that you attract positive attention and create a strong reputation for yourself. At the same time, do not syndicate all of your best content, because you want to have at least some material on your website for new users who arrive.

What is content syndication?

Content syndication is the process of republishing part of an article or blog post on another, more popular site. You might elect to republish the entire piece, only the title, or just a small opening portion. The goal with syndication is to attract readers by encouraging them to click from the blog post to your site to consume the content. Syndication provides you with the opportunity to expand your reach and demonstrate your authority and expertise to more people.

discover the importance of content syndication - brightedgeWill content syndication hurt my rankings?

Your site and brand reputation is a common concern for many when it comes to content syndication, but when done properly, the process will only help your rankings.

To successfully syndicate content, you want to let Google know that this content has been duplicated on purpose and that it is not an attempt to trick the search engines. You can do this by using a rel=”canonical” tag, which is Google’s preferred means of signifying syndicated content. Other potential options would also be NoIndex tags or including an attribution link. All three of these options let Google know that you are not trying to get two pages indexed and ranked, and that there is one page in particular that should be ‘counted’ for the search engine. Google’s main concern is to avoid having multiple copies of the same content appear in search results, as this can hurt the user experience. With the right tags, you can avoid being penalized.

Why should I syndicate content?

Syndicated content can help you grow your audience and attract the attention of new readers. Since your material will be posted on websites that have a larger and potential different audience than your own, you have an excellent opportunity to grow your reach and reputation. Ideally, the content you syndicate should be high-quality so that you attract positive attention and create a strong reputation for yourself. At the same time, do not syndicate all of your best content, because you want to have at least some material on your website for new users who arrive.

Why SEO is Important for Business Success

Why is SEO important?

SEO is important for business because it provides organizations with the visibility they need to attract customers during this digital era. Eighty-one percent of customers and 94% of B2B buyers will perform searches online before they make a purchase, so brands that do not have a strong online presence will find themselves falling behind the competition.

A strong SEO strategy will allow brands to position their website and their content highly on the SERPs for relevant keywords so that they can attract the attention of prospective customers and bring them into their sales funnel. Begin strategizing for important keywords using Data Cube.

What is SEO?Why SEO? This is why it matters - BrightEdge

SEO describes the strategy that brands use to make their content more appealing to the search engines. The visitors who navigate to sites via this channel are referred to as organic traffic or SEO traffic. Although no one knows Google's exact algorithm, through careful study, SEO profession.

als have been able to uncover a number of different factors that seem to impact the ranking of sites. We refer to these factors as either on-page SEO, meaning strategies you implement on your own website; and off-page SEO, meaning techniques you implement off your main web property.

A well-developed SEO strategy will incorporate both on-page and off-page SEO.

For on-page SEO, it will include producing content related to high-value keywords and then optimizing the content to ensure that the search engine spiders know what the content pertains to. This means paying attention to the title tags, alt tags, meta descriptions, URL, and keyword placement. 

For off-page SEO, the content will also link to appropriate content both on and off the website. Brands need to develop strategies to attract backlinks to drive traffic and rankings. You can accomplish this by promoting the content across various platforms, such as through guest postings, social media, or content syndication.

Why is SEO important for business?

Google looks at a variety of different factors when determining the ranking of websites that show up on their SERPs. They want to find content that is relevant to the user’s query, but that can also be trusted to provide value for the reader. When content ranks highly on the SERP, it has a much greater chance of attracting clicks and attention than the content ranked lower. An estimated 30% of clicks will go to the search results in Position One on the SERP, falling to 12% by Position Three. At the bottom of the page, sites in position in nine and ten only receive about 2% of the clicks. (Smart Insights 9/2016)

The disparity between the top and lower ranking sites indicate clearly that brands desiring attention from online customers need to boost their rankings. The digital ecosystem is quickly becoming an essential part of the sales funnel for nearly all businesses. In 2016, for the first time, more purchases were made online than in stores (United Parcel Service Inc). Almost half of retailers also say that customers like to research online, even if they do end up buying in a store. Brands need to pay attention to SEO to ensure that their share of voice and visibility to customers is not compromised.

SEO has become a critical component to the online success of businesses. Those who want to make sure that their organizations have a strong presence and are ready to engage the modern customer need to invest in learning SEO and becoming domain experts..

Why is SEO important?

SEO is important for business because it provides organizations with the visibility they need to attract customers during this digital era. Eighty-one percent of customers and 94% of B2B buyers will perform searches online before they make a purchase, so brands that do not have a strong online presence will find themselves falling behind the competition.

A strong SEO strategy will allow brands to position their website and their content highly on the SERPs for relevant keywords so that they can attract the attention of prospective customers and bring them into their sales funnel. Begin strategizing for important keywords using Data Cube.

What is SEO?Why SEO? This is why it matters - BrightEdge

SEO describes the strategy that brands use to make their content more appealing to the search engines. The visitors who navigate to sites via this channel are referred to as organic traffic or SEO traffic. Although no one knows Google's exact algorithm, through careful study, SEO profession.

als have been able to uncover a number of different factors that seem to impact the ranking of sites. We refer to these factors as either on-page SEO, meaning strategies you implement on your own website; and off-page SEO, meaning techniques you implement off your main web property.

A well-developed SEO strategy will incorporate both on-page and off-page SEO.

For on-page SEO, it will include producing content related to high-value keywords and then optimizing the content to ensure that the search engine spiders know what the content pertains to. This means paying attention to the title tags, alt tags, meta descriptions, URL, and keyword placement. 

For off-page SEO, the content will also link to appropriate content both on and off the website. Brands need to develop strategies to attract backlinks to drive traffic and rankings. You can accomplish this by promoting the content across various platforms, such as through guest postings, social media, or content syndication.

Why is SEO important for business?

Google looks at a variety of different factors when determining the ranking of websites that show up on their SERPs. They want to find content that is relevant to the user’s query, but that can also be trusted to provide value for the reader. When content ranks highly on the SERP, it has a much greater chance of attracting clicks and attention than the content ranked lower. An estimated 30% of clicks will go to the search results in Position One on the SERP, falling to 12% by Position Three. At the bottom of the page, sites in position in nine and ten only receive about 2% of the clicks. (Smart Insights 9/2016)

The disparity between the top and lower ranking sites indicate clearly that brands desiring attention from online customers need to boost their rankings. The digital ecosystem is quickly becoming an essential part of the sales funnel for nearly all businesses. In 2016, for the first time, more purchases were made online than in stores (United Parcel Service Inc). Almost half of retailers also say that customers like to research online, even if they do end up buying in a store. Brands need to pay attention to SEO to ensure that their share of voice and visibility to customers is not compromised.

SEO has become a critical component to the online success of businesses. Those who want to make sure that their organizations have a strong presence and are ready to engage the modern customer need to invest in learning SEO and becoming domain experts..

Keyword Placement: Where Should You Put Keywords?

Does keyword placement matter?

Keywords should be strategically placed throughout content to make it clear both to the search engines and the users what topics the content will cover. This means that keywords should be used naturally throughout the content, but they should also be included in the headings and tags, including the H1 and H2 tags, the title, the meta tags, and the meta description.

Note that some of the features, such as meta description, are not directly used by Google in determining the relevance and value of a site, but they are displayed to users on the SERP. When people scan their search results for the website that is most likely to answer their question, they look at the title, URL, and meta description to see if the site will be helpful. Including the keywords in these important areas will help to increase your click-through rate from the SERP.

Start Your Keyword Discovery

discover why keyword placement matters - brightedgeDo keywords still matter for SEO?

Keywords matter because they tell Google, and other search engines, the topics that your content covers. The search engine spiders crawl your content to find particular terms that articulate the ideas that your content covers so that it can better match users with the right websites.

It is important to note that although the search engines do look at keywords as a means of determining topics and relevance, keyword stuffing will hurt your rankings. Overusing them such that they end up sounding unnatural will turn off both readers and search engines.

Instead, brands should focus on developing natural-sounding content that employs the keyword where needed, but also makes use of related terms. This is called semantic search: Google’s efforts to better understand content by not only looking at the main keywords, but also the related terms used to better understand content relevance.

Without keywords, you could struggle considerably to align your content with user preferences. Keywords tell you what your prospects want to learn about and then they tell Google the focus of your content.

How do you choose keywords?

Uncovering the right keywords for your content is called keyword research. You perform keyword research by looking at the search trends for different words, allowing you to understand which terms and ideas have been drawing a high number of searches and which haven't. This will tell you where consumer focus lies so that you can create the content to address their needs.

Keyword research will also tell you about your competition. Certain keywords will have impacted SERPs, populated with many highly authoritative sites with relevant content, making it very difficult for new sites to create high-ranking content. On the other hand, keywords that do not have such a highly competitive first page will be much easier for brands to break into.

Brands should focus most of their priorities on creating content for keywords that are highly relevant to their industry and customer funnel while also having strong search rates and low-to-medium competition. This will help them grow their rankings and maximize the number of pages they have on the first page.

Smart keyword usage is an essential part of a successful SEO strategy. Understanding the role of these terms in the modern optimization strategy will help brands create content that ranks well and guides high-intent traffic to the site.

Does keyword placement matter?

Keywords should be strategically placed throughout content to make it clear both to the search engines and the users what topics the content will cover. This means that keywords should be used naturally throughout the content, but they should also be included in the headings and tags, including the H1 and H2 tags, the title, the meta tags, and the meta description.

Note that some of the features, such as meta description, are not directly used by Google in determining the relevance and value of a site, but they are displayed to users on the SERP. When people scan their search results for the website that is most likely to answer their question, they look at the title, URL, and meta description to see if the site will be helpful. Including the keywords in these important areas will help to increase your click-through rate from the SERP.

Start Your Keyword Discovery

discover why keyword placement matters - brightedgeDo keywords still matter for SEO?

Keywords matter because they tell Google, and other search engines, the topics that your content covers. The search engine spiders crawl your content to find particular terms that articulate the ideas that your content covers so that it can better match users with the right websites.

It is important to note that although the search engines do look at keywords as a means of determining topics and relevance, keyword stuffing will hurt your rankings. Overusing them such that they end up sounding unnatural will turn off both readers and search engines.

Instead, brands should focus on developing natural-sounding content that employs the keyword where needed, but also makes use of related terms. This is called semantic search: Google’s efforts to better understand content by not only looking at the main keywords, but also the related terms used to better understand content relevance.

Without keywords, you could struggle considerably to align your content with user preferences. Keywords tell you what your prospects want to learn about and then they tell Google the focus of your content.

How do you choose keywords?

Uncovering the right keywords for your content is called keyword research. You perform keyword research by looking at the search trends for different words, allowing you to understand which terms and ideas have been drawing a high number of searches and which haven't. This will tell you where consumer focus lies so that you can create the content to address their needs.

Keyword research will also tell you about your competition. Certain keywords will have impacted SERPs, populated with many highly authoritative sites with relevant content, making it very difficult for new sites to create high-ranking content. On the other hand, keywords that do not have such a highly competitive first page will be much easier for brands to break into.

Brands should focus most of their priorities on creating content for keywords that are highly relevant to their industry and customer funnel while also having strong search rates and low-to-medium competition. This will help them grow their rankings and maximize the number of pages they have on the first page.

Smart keyword usage is an essential part of a successful SEO strategy. Understanding the role of these terms in the modern optimization strategy will help brands create content that ranks well and guides high-intent traffic to the site.

How Are Infographics Used in SEO?

What is an infographic?

An infographic is a form of content with information that is easily read and understood by consumers. Infographics convey data and statistics in an easy-to-read manner and provide quick learning opportunities for viewers. They can include graphics, charts, various colors, and more in order to clearly convey the information shown. They prove to be useful and valuable pieces of content.

Track The Success Of Your Infographics

How to make an infographic?

Before you create infographics, you need to have the topic to guide your creation. The right topic will bring focus to your visual content and together they will draw in and engage your readers. Whether you're creating education infographics, business infographics, health infographics, or other industries, it's valuable to recognize the content works for all types of businesses and audiences.

The BrightEdge Data Cube is a great place to get started with this search. Start investigating popular keywords that drive a lot of traffic but would also translate well to visual representation. With SEO infographics, you generally want to incorporate strong statistics to back up your opinions or assertions. Therefore, you do not want to select topics that are largely opinion based or do not have strong research to give you the statistics you need. Instead, look for topics that are popular and allow you to construct a factual argument to back up your ideas.

In addition to Data Cube research, you can also look at the traffic on your website, including your most popular articles and blog posts. This will give you insight into what your website visitors are most interested in, so that you can create the infographics to engage them further.

What are the benefits of infographics?

SEO infographics provide you with a fantastic platform to share your message by tapping into the visual part of the brain. The human brain processes visuals roughly 60,000 times faster than text. Infographics are easier for people to remember. You can generate more traffic and help readers better comprehend infomation with SEO infographics. By having enough data to create a pleasing-to-the-eye infographic, you can be seen as an expert in your industry. 

The infographic is not just a fancy way to write numbers. Instead, your goal is to help the brain process the information you are presenting, so that your prospects understand your point more quickly. Since you are bringing together a variety of different statistics about the subject in a pleasantly designed format, you also provide your viewers with a helpful resource that encourages clicks and backlinks. Easily digested information keeps readers coming back.

How can infographics be used to rank?

The structure to create infographics is simple - BrightEdge

Creating a strong SEO infographic requires the intersection of data and design. Here are a few tips for creating a winning infographic:

  • Start with strong data that tells a story. Although SEO infographics can be made with opinions, numbers will present the strongest argument and will hold the most weight with readers.
  • Brainstorm designs that will work well with the story you are trying to tell. You want to come up with a theme or design that will help the data flow and easily bring the viewer from the first point to the last one.
  • Before you start designing, think about what you want the viewer to get out of the SEO infographic and use that insight to guide your creation, including your data placement and color choices.

What is an infographic?

An infographic is a form of content with information that is easily read and understood by consumers. Infographics convey data and statistics in an easy-to-read manner and provide quick learning opportunities for viewers. They can include graphics, charts, various colors, and more in order to clearly convey the information shown. They prove to be useful and valuable pieces of content.

Track The Success Of Your Infographics

How to make an infographic?

Before you create infographics, you need to have the topic to guide your creation. The right topic will bring focus to your visual content and together they will draw in and engage your readers. Whether you're creating education infographics, business infographics, health infographics, or other industries, it's valuable to recognize the content works for all types of businesses and audiences.

The BrightEdge Data Cube is a great place to get started with this search. Start investigating popular keywords that drive a lot of traffic but would also translate well to visual representation. With SEO infographics, you generally want to incorporate strong statistics to back up your opinions or assertions. Therefore, you do not want to select topics that are largely opinion based or do not have strong research to give you the statistics you need. Instead, look for topics that are popular and allow you to construct a factual argument to back up your ideas.

In addition to Data Cube research, you can also look at the traffic on your website, including your most popular articles and blog posts. This will give you insight into what your website visitors are most interested in, so that you can create the infographics to engage them further.

What are the benefits of infographics?

SEO infographics provide you with a fantastic platform to share your message by tapping into the visual part of the brain. The human brain processes visuals roughly 60,000 times faster than text. Infographics are easier for people to remember. You can generate more traffic and help readers better comprehend infomation with SEO infographics. By having enough data to create a pleasing-to-the-eye infographic, you can be seen as an expert in your industry. 

The infographic is not just a fancy way to write numbers. Instead, your goal is to help the brain process the information you are presenting, so that your prospects understand your point more quickly. Since you are bringing together a variety of different statistics about the subject in a pleasantly designed format, you also provide your viewers with a helpful resource that encourages clicks and backlinks. Easily digested information keeps readers coming back.

How can infographics be used to rank?

The structure to create infographics is simple - BrightEdge

Creating a strong SEO infographic requires the intersection of data and design. Here are a few tips for creating a winning infographic:

  • Start with strong data that tells a story. Although SEO infographics can be made with opinions, numbers will present the strongest argument and will hold the most weight with readers.
  • Brainstorm designs that will work well with the story you are trying to tell. You want to come up with a theme or design that will help the data flow and easily bring the viewer from the first point to the last one.
  • Before you start designing, think about what you want the viewer to get out of the SEO infographic and use that insight to guide your creation, including your data placement and color choices.

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