What Are Examples of Successful SEO Strategies in Content Marketing?
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What Are Examples of Successful SEO Strategies in Content Marketing?
Diving into the dynamic world of SEO, we've gathered insights from Content Marketing Managers to Founders on crafting winning strategies. From innovating content to climb the rankings to earning backlinks from authority platforms, explore the diverse tactics in these eleven expert responses to boost your content marketing success.
- Innovate Content to Climb Rankings
- Newsjacking for Competitive Keywords
- Anticipate Future Trending Keywords
- Interactive Tools Reduce Bounce Rate
- Quality Content by Qualified Professionals
- Long-Tail Keywords Attract Engaged Readers
- Revitalize Content in Established Industries
- Implement a Glossary Strategy
- Strategic Use of Internal Links
- Combine Hashtags with Keywords
- Create In-Depth Guides for Niche Topics
- Earn Backlinks from Authority Platforms
Innovate Content to Climb Rankings
For us, the big win in SEO was all about making our blog posts different and more interesting. Instead of just writing the same old stuff, we tried to add new ideas and information that you don't find everywhere.
This really helped us climb up in Google's rankings. It's like hitting two birds with one stone—our articles got more attention, and our readers found them more useful.
So, if you're trying to boost your SEO, try adding something fresh and unique to your content. It really makes a difference!
Newsjacking for Competitive Keywords
I was leading content strategy for a rehab center back in 2021, during the height of the global pandemic. We were trying to capture search interest for search queries around employee burnout rehabilitation, which was a trending topic at the time.
We took a newsroom approach to content creation and capitalized on the newsjacking technique to piggyback on the abundance of articles that appeared in this space, and we managed to successfully index for some highly competitive keywords, indexing alongside the likes of the BBC and The New York Times.
This led to a drastic rise in short-term site traffic, and because we were fully optimized for conversion on-site, we successfully filled our funnel and over-delivered on our inbound organic leads target.
Anticipate Future Trending Keywords
Most of us are great at targeting keywords that are already performing well. But another trick is to be forward-thinking and target keywords that don't 'exist' yet, but might become popular soon. For example, it's common behavior for people to search for a keyword alongside a year, like 'B2B marketing trends 2023.' So, we started working on a piece targeting 'B2B marketing trends 2024' around September 2023. At that time, this was a low-competition keyword with hardly any search volume.
As we got closer to 2024, the keyword naturally began gaining popularity among publishers and web visitors. But because our article was one of the first on the topic, we were getting recognized as a more original source, and in turn, we saw over 5x more traffic to that blog compared to our usual pieces. It was a classic case of being in the right place at the right time, thanks to a bit of forward-thinking and strategic planning in SEO.
Interactive Tools Reduce Bounce Rate
We've had a client in the recruitment industry who asked for our help in optimizing their content publication strategy. They were publishing one article per week, but they were not getting any traction. Most of their content had to do with taxes, regulations, and job-finding tips that are relevant for job seekers who visit their website. To stand out with the content and have a competitive edge over their competitors, we decided to build a calculator functionality with which we were able to add simple calculators to the articles that would help calculate all kinds of taxes and other relevant calculations. We saw an immediate decrease in the bounce rate and an increase in the average time on the website. We kept on publishing one article a week, and within nine months, they went from a little over 100 organic visitors per month to well over 5,000.
Quality Content by Qualified Professionals
Using a content-first approach for a mental health therapy clinic, which is heavily dependent on good E-E-A-T criteria due to the niche it is in, has allowed us to have a poster child for an SEO case study. By identifying content that meets and answers real people's questions, taking a deep topical approach, and producing high-quality content by qualified medical professionals—which is crucially also reviewed and approved by medical professionals—has paid dividends. As with most things in SEO, and especially in this highly competitive niche, we have been able to provide huge organic growth for one of our agency clients. It shows that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, but with consistent, well-researched, and targeted content, you can compete and win.
Long-Tail Keywords Attract Engaged Readers
One of the most effective SEO strategies I've implemented revolves around comprehensive keyword research and insightful content creation. The goal was not just to drive more traffic, but to attract the right kind of traffic.
We were working on a new blog series about offbeat travel destinations. Instead of just focusing on popular keywords, we dug deeper to find long-tail keywords that reflected the specific interests of our target audience. We then crafted content that was rich in information and insights around these keywords.
This strategy led to a significant increase in organic traffic to our blog. More importantly, it attracted readers who were genuinely interested in our content, resulting in higher engagement and lower bounce rates. This experience reinforced my belief that successful SEO is not just about numbers, but about connecting with your audience through meaningful and relevant content.
Revitalize Content in Established Industries
While most content marketing these days centers on new technology, fitness, and other innovative industries, the real low-hanging fruit lies with older, established industries where not much change occurs. That's been my focus with clients, as I am able to create much better content on these topics than that written a decade ago. As a result, my clients are seeing fast results, which always leads to better customer satisfaction.
Implement a Glossary Strategy
One content marketing SEO strategy that works well is what I call the 'Glossary Strategy.' That's where we take all the general topics of the industry and write high-level blog posts about each one, explaining what it is, how people use it, etc.
Strategic Use of Internal Links
Most people see SEO strategies as something that is based on what they see on their sites. It's not just that.
Here's one mistake they usually overlook—using research to their advantage.
Identify relevant and high-volume search keywords. Relate them to your niche or brand identity.
Not only does it make SEO research important, but it also makes your content strategic.
I structured my websites, headings, and elements based on what we've found.
The key is to put yourself in your audience's position.
We included internal links to relevant pages on our site, creating a cohesive web of content. This activates promotion strategies for the brand, increasing content visibility and credibility—an important tool for search engine optimization.
This had outcomes of organic traffic to the site and higher domain authority.
Focus on comprehensive content and implement effective strategies. From there, you'll see how it improves your brand's visibility.
Combine Hashtags with Keywords
Marry your hashtag and keyword strategies for the best SEO!
We all know the age-old debate on whether or not hashtags are out and keywords are in, and we say both are here to stay.
There is no way using the right hashtags and keywords together will hurt your content marketing strategy. Mic drop.
All this will do is help increase your reach and searchability. And last time we checked, this wasn't a bad thing!
Coupled with a strong keyword strategy, hashtags still have the power to get your content out to a broader audience.
TIP: Don't just go for hashtags with thousands and millions of uses. Throw in a couple of hashtags with between 1-5k uses to really niche down!
Create In-Depth Guides for Niche Topics
One of our most successful SEO strategies at Carnivore Style was centered around creating compelling, in-depth guides related to popular carnivorous diets. We identified key search terms and topics within the carnivore community that were gaining traction. Instead of just creating surface-level content, we invested time and resources into developing comprehensive guides that addressed every aspect of those topics.
For example, we noticed a growing interest in the 'Carnivore Diet for Beginners' niche. We crafted an all-encompassing guide covering the basics of the diet, meal plans, benefits, potential challenges, and success stories. This not only provided valuable information for our audience but also ensured that our content was highly relevant to search queries.
To enhance visibility, we incorporated long-tail keywords naturally within the content, optimized meta tags, and included relevant multimedia elements like images and videos. Additionally, we actively engaged with our audience through comments, encouraging discussions and user-generated content.
As a result, our guide gained significant traction, ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). The increased visibility led to a surge in organic traffic and established Carnivore Style as a go-to source for authoritative information on the carnivore diet.
Earn Backlinks from Authority Platforms
Getting backlinks via platforms like Featured or HARO has been a game-changer for my rankings. Backlinks are one of the best indicators of quality and can help websites rank higher in organic search. By contributing to publications' requests for expert insights, I'm building my authority and expertise while also earning free traffic from backlinks to my website. It's a simple and mostly free tip that has had a big impact on my content marketing.
