In the modern digital marketer’s toolbox, few strategies are as effective as content marketing. There’s a reason why as many as 82% of marketers use this strategy.
A content marketing strategy can generate 400% more revenue than paid search campaigns. 71% of content marketers say that it makes a quantifiable improvement to user engagement.
However, your content marketing results will only be as good as your actual content. As Google themselves says, “Content is king.”
And, high-quality content is the cornerstone of your content marketing strategy, whether you want to use it to convert sales or simply ramp up your organic traffic.
But, what makes high-quality content? And, how can you improve the quality of your content?
Read on to find out!
Pick the Right Topics
Of course, you can’t create a piece of content if you haven’t decided on a topic. Not to mention high-quality content.
So, the first thing to do is to pick a winning topic to write about. While it’s highly dependent on your goals, niche, expertise, etc. the best place to start, usually, is by conducting some keyword research.
The best content is something that attracts your readers and holds genuine value for them.
Keyword research through tools like SEMrush, can give you insight into what keywords are popular in searches.
It can also help show you what keywords your competitors are ranking for so that you can avoid monopolized keywords and target ones where there are still opportunities left.
Choose a subject that’s topical and relevant to your business, brand, or existing content. While it’s out of the scope of this article, you should also ensure that it fits into your wider content strategy.
Come Up With a Catchy Title
So, now you know what you’ll be writing about. However, it doesn’t stop there.
Even if you create the best content out there, no one will read it if you can’t attract their attention.
Your physical title, or headline, also needs to be something that is eye-catching and clickable.
So, brainstorm different versions of your main title and use tools like Headline Analyzer to assess them.
You can also use tools like Yoast SEO to see what you’re SERP results will look like.
You really can’t overestimate the value of a good headline.
Not only will it draw readers to your content, but it can even set them up to get more value out of what they’re about to read by managing expectations and setting the tone of your content.
Stay Focussed – Pick Your Why
Before you start writing any piece of content, you need to know exactly why you are doing it. What’s the value to the reader? What do you want to achieve with it?
For example, you would approach a breaking news story differently than you would an authoritative piece to establish knowledge-leadership on a technical topic.
The same goes for a piece of evergreen content vs. one aimed at taking quick advantage of a trending topic.
As for your goals, there are many different outcomes you can aim for with a piece of content:
- Grow your subscriber list
- Grow your readership
- Earn backlinks
- Guide customers/users to support pages
Once you’ve established the why, the trick is to keep this in mind throughout the content creation process. A big part of this is to make sure that you stay on topic throughout your piece.
So, don’t go off on a tangent, even if it’s related to your main topic. Instead, link to a separate article on your own blog or to an authoritative exterior source.
This keeps your content focused on the main topic and your word count manageable. It also gives your readers the opportunity to read more on a related topic if they really feel they need the information.
Not to mention funneling some extra traffic to the rest of your website.
Properly Structure Your Content
You’ve probably heard of the phrase “a wall of text.” Not properly structuring and organizing your content is one of the worst things you can do to chase potential readers away.
It’s no surprise that some content marketers call it the “wall of death” instead.
A well of text is offputting on multiple fronts. Not only is it unattractive, but it’s immediately intimidating. It also gives new readers zero context by not being scannable.
In a large percentage of cases, a reader doesn’t even have the intention to read your entire content. Most likely, they are looking for a specific tidbit of information.
To properly structure content you want to:
- Use properly nested and logical sub-headings
- Bulleted or numbered lists where applicable
- Insert media, like images, videos, social media embeds, etc.
- Provide an index or summary list
- Use short, 4-sentence max paragraphs
Properly structuring your content has a number of benefits:
- It makes it easy to scan your content for specific information
- It quickly and easily shows readers the exact scope and subjects you will touch on
- It gives your content a better “flow”
- It’s easier on the eye and makes your pages more attractive
However, a proper structure also helps you write better content. It helps the writer logically lay out their ideas and makes it easier to see where you have overlapping or missing information.
Make Sure Your Writing is Clear and Concise
It doesn’t help that your posts are well structured if the sentences themselves are fuzzy. Each sentence needs to be easy to understand and convey a clear message.
The general rule of thumb is to make all your sentences 20 words or under.
You should also keep other things in mind:
- Use active voice
- Don’t simply use big words if simpler ones will do
- Eliminate extra nouns or filler words
- Don’t start sentences with “this,” “there,” “it,” etc. where it’s not necessary.
In most cases, your first draft will be full of awkward, lengthy, or vague sentences. So, the easiest way to fix this issue is to read your content to yourself and work in drafts.
Don’t be a Tool, Use Content Writing Tools
No one is perfect, and you’re not an editing machine. Mistakes can always slip through the cracks, even if you work in writer-editor pairs.
So, take some of the pressure off of your shoulders and use content writing tools to guide you.
You can also use tools like Hemingway to help you eliminate bad practices, like:
- Long sentences
- Passive voice
- Adverbs
- Complex phrases
Tools like Grammarly can also help you fix awkward sentences if you have the premium version. However, the free version is also great for helping you to catch spelling and grammatical errors.
Take Care of the Entire User Experience
If you properly structure your content, the battle is already halfway won.
However, there are many other factors that impact whether a visitor will actually stay to read your content.
For example, did you know that 53% of visitors abandon a page that takes more than 3s to load? So, first of all, you should ensure that you optimize the loading times of your website pages.
Secondly, the actual design of your website needs to make a good first impression.
No matter how good you are at the rest, an eye-sore of a design will immediately put off a new visitor. Your design needs to support your content.
Lastly, if you want users to stay on your website and read your other content, you need to make sure that your navigation is clear and accessible.
Visitors should never be confused about where they are and how to get to where they want to be.
Find and Use Your Voice
As part of your brand identity, you need to find a “voice” for your content. This refers to the tone and style of your writing and how you communicate to your audience.
It’s possible to define part of your voice in your house writing style. However, a significant part of it is just conveying a certain “feel” that aligns with your brand or subject matter.
To create an effective voice, you also need to know exactly who your readers are and what speaks to them.
For example, you would use a different tone and vocabulary when writing for an online teen magazine than you would when writing for C-suite execs of Fortune 500 companies.
A consistent voice throughout all your content is also important to maintain your brand and build long-term loyalty.
Use Data and Cite Credible Sources
You know the old saying, “just because it’s on the internet, doesn’t mean it’s true.”
You can’t expect a reader to just believe anything that you tell them, especially if they’re new to your content. Any statement or conclusion you make needs to be backed up by verifiable “facts.”
There’s a reason why data-driven content is one of the most linkable types of articles.
Where possible, if you can conduct firsthand research and showcase your findings, this will add a tremendous amount of value and trust to your content.
However, if you need to use third-party data, try to use as credible sources as possible and cite them properly.
BONUS Tip: Use Link Building to Get More Out of Your Content
Unfortunately, even the best piece of content is not worth much if you can’t get traffic to it
It’s a sad truth that 94% of all content never gets any backlinks. That’s too bad because backlinks are one of the top 3 ranking factors by Google.
Not only will more backlinks from credible domains help boost your search rankings, but it also gives your brand a lot of street reps on the web.
More links increase the footprint of your content as well as its impressions.
However, link building can be challenging if you don’t have any experience in it. Not least because earning links from high-authority domains is a competitive and time-consuming process.
Luckily, services like Uprankly specialize in helping domains build links to their content through tried-and-tested strategies.
Using a link-building service will enable you to focus on your content strategy and how to create high-quality content without worrying about generating exposure as well.
Conclusion
Content is king, and that won’t change any time soon. By following these tips, you’ll be able to create an amazing copy every single time that’s readable, clickable, and shareable.
However, you should always do your hard work justice by marketing it so it gets the attention it deserves. The most effective way to do that is through a link-building campaign.
By blending both of these strategies, you’ll have a winning recipe for content marketing.
