Content marketing is often seen as a magic wand for conjuring up good SEO.
Some content marketing advice out there even revolves around maintaining extensive lists of keywords and keyword research data. It often goes on to advise that you use this as a to-do list of sorts, creating content that formulaically tickles each keyword in turn.
Now this isn’t bad practice or wrong in any way. Creating content with a strong awareness of SEO is great. Keyword research also provides great insight into real, human demand.
However, as systems go, this approach can be quite rigid and it doesn’t always uncover the most engaging, human-centred topics.
Pair this with the fact that Google’s advice has always been to create content for humans first, not search engines.
Plus, the internet is now noisier than ever, so getting to the top spot in Google is arguably harder than it’s ever been for us SMEs.
So where do we go from here?
The Alternative: A Keyword-Led, Organic Approach
Keyword research data is incredibly helpful, but it’s even more insightful when you use it to think more carefully about the real human demand and intent behind those searches.
Seek to uncover the the nuanced, human demand nestled within any keyword data. Read between the lines and probe a little deeper into how these searches are helping your audience explore your niche.
Keyword research is a great place to start coming up with content ideas, but the ideation process probably shouldn’t simply end there.
Of course, monitor popular terms that get traffic. Monitor your progress in search results too if you’re able. But outside of that, we need to get a bit more exploratory and creative.
Informed (but not dictated) by your keyword data, consider what might be the best thing for you to create content about.
Sometimes the best topic to discuss might be nestled in a really niche and esoteric long-tail keyword, one that only comes the surface after probing Google and exploring the results page’s “people also asked” section.
Sometimes, the best thing to write about might not have a ton of search volume “on paper”, but might be something a little leftfield that some people are looking for, but your competitors haven’t covered. Perhaps because you’re all looking at the same keyword data and they didn’t see the opportunity there!
Or, it may be time for my personal favourite. The best topic for you, in this moment, might be sharing a unique, industry take that can only come from your brain. Sometimes, content needs to be inspired by that highly Instagrammable Marie Forleo quote: “The world needs that special gift that only you have”.
What I’m trying to say is that essentially, not all content needs to have reels of keyword data justifying its existence.
But whenever you’ve created a piece of content where you’ve cast keywords to the wind, it’s essential to distribute that content through non-search channels. When you’re not relying on search or keywords anymore, you have to do a bit more legwork in getting that piece of content out there and seen.
Which is exactly what I’ll be talking about next time, so stick around!
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