What you should know about good content and SEO:

CONTEXT.

@primaryposition

My name is David Quaid and I’ve been working in online marketing since 1996. I’ve worked for lots and lots of companies, big and small, all over the world. I’m not going to bore you with the details. But I know a thing or two about online marketing.

Currently I head up Primary Position, an SEO and PPC agency based in Ireland.

What have we heard so far?

What have we heard so far?

Good contentContent is kingUsers love itGoogle loves it

We lack a proper definition for Good Content

We lack a proper definition for Good Content

We all have a different perspective.

There are many myths about SEO

There are many for content writing too

Content must be gripping

In other words, stuff I like

Content should be serious

In other words, stuff I like

Content should be popular

And never offend?

Content is defined by the user’s perspective. Not yours.

We need to stop pitching and start listening. If you are not the customer, then the content is not for you,…..

Web visitors are expensive

Different valuation models exist but we value an average visitor from €1 and we value targeted visitors from €50 and up.

Web visitors are never random

We keep thinking of viral effects and random stumbles. Traffic doesn’t work this way.

Web visitors are never random or viral

The early era of web design was dominated by thinking like this:

My new Sellotape website is so awesome…

People who don’t need it will still share it

The hope that your design/content/video will

go viral

You’ll die waiting

Because need + perspective + location +timing = context

Understand the user journey

Understand the user journey

You might know where you want them to go, but they can get lost easily

Understanding the user journey

Is the least appreciated problem in online

marketing

How will the user find you, not how will you know who

the user is

Random stumble?

Random stumble?

(this is how most content writers hope they’ll be found)

I just want to buy something.

Anything

I just want to buy something. Anything

Do you assume consumers are like this?

Try to solve a problem!

I’m not sure about

reading, I just need

help

This is closer to reality

I need a pizza.Here.Now Context

Content alone isn’t marketing

Getting people to content is the challenge. Because we don’t

have the channels

(read this carefully)

Creating routes to content = marketing

ChannelsPlatform + Content +/= Audience

Content

New Platforms

Audience

You have platforms but where’s the audience?

Challenges

So now we can produce brilliant content.

From our keyboardsPhotos and videosThoughts, ideas, …..

Challenges

So now we can produce brilliant content.

From our keyboardsPhotos and videosThoughts, ideas, …..

There are now over 30 Trillion* web pages

*Source: Google

Challenges

Google sits between your site content and your intended target.

Why YOU?

(from 30 trillion other pages)

Challenges

Google* sits between your site content and your intended target.

*Unless you’re a paid up member of the flat earth society and don’t believe in search engines.

Challenges

Google* sits between your site content and your intended target.

*Unless you’re a paid up member of the flat earth society and don’t believe in search engines. Which is totally fine with us by the way.

Challenges

Your Content

Challenges

Your Content Your target

Challenges

Your Content Your target

Challenges

Your Content Your target

Your new best friend?

Challenges

Your Content Your target

Or your worst nightmare?

How does GoogleRead your content?

How does GoogleRead your content?

Well, probably not how you’d hope

Not like

this

Probably more like this

Just some sample myths#1 .com doesn’t mean instant .global just add water

.com means .commercial and 90% of the time is localised just like .ie or .co.uk

Just some sample myths

#2 Search engines don’t “love” fresh content10 year old pages will rank just fine. News items or items that

deserve new content = QDF (Query Deserves Freshness)

Just some sample myths

#3 Blogging more = more rankingIf you don’t understand Authority, how to grow it and how

blogging about different topics makes your site narrower and dilutes the value of your Authority+Relevance, then you’re

probably in for a huge dissappointment

So how does GoogleSee your content?

How does GoogleView your content?

What people search for and when = context.

What shows = what Google wants

Google already has tons and tons of content about everything

Writing more of it doesn’t make you stand out any more

Firstly: if people find you and then jump back to search, you can be sure that Google knows…

And its not going to repeat that mistake often….

Well Jim, they didn’t

like that site!

No, not at all so lets send them

some where else next

time

Secondly, Google doesn’t read. It doesn’t care about grammar, spelling or prose. It doesn’t have a taste. It’s equally ambivalent about Shakespeare and Fifty Shades of Grey.

Secondly, Google doesn’t read. It doesn’t care about grammar, spelling or prose. It doesn’t have a taste. It’s equally ambivalent about Shakespeare and Fifty Shades of Grey.

We’re sorry –

we know lots

of people will

hate us for

saying this.

Most would be content writers think that content found in a web forum like

www.boards.ie is terrible

Most would be content writers think that content found in a web forum like www.boards.ie is terrible

And it probably/generally can be.

Google loves User Generated content. It likes 3rd part validation. Not just reviews

But comments and posts

And connectivity

User Generated Content ? Typos?

Frickin Awesome!

Another way to think about this….

Is to ask how doesn’t Google view your content

This does not happen at Google when you publish your blog posts.

Ever.

So you wanna be a content writer eh?

So you wanna be a content writer eh?

Well step right up pilgrim!

Developing a Top Strategy for content development for Search Marketing**

**No flat earth society types need apply

Developing a Top Strategy for content development for Search Marketing**

**No flat earth society types need apply

Share your expertiseDon’t think of this as free education

Share your expertise

Don’t think of this as free education

Share your expertise

Make people understand how much you know in order to become where you are

Share your expertise

Want people to value your product? Tell them what you went through to make it for them.

Tell a story

But tell your story. Not somebody elses…

Pay it forward

Help people. Be Genuine. They will appreciate it.

Be Targeted

Don’t go splatter gun

Just because someone told you to use the Keywords tool doesn’t make it OK to write about everything that’s trending

That’s just. Well.

That’s just spammy

Writing about popular stuff to get visits is the modern equivalent of keyword stuffing.

That’s just spammy

Writing about popular stuff to get visits is the modern equivalent of keyword stuffing.

Google’s watching you

In fact, here’s a top tip:

If you have content with a high bounce rate or low click-throughs – then consider killing it or marking it for NoIndex.

In fact, here’s a top tip:

If you have content with a high bounce rate or low click-throughs – then consider killing it or marking it for NoIndex.

You’re not buying into this are you?

How many times have you seen yours or someone else's privacy

statement rank?

How many times have you seen yours or someone else's privacy

statement rank?

Not good

content

Dude

Because people don’tUnderstand

Authority + Relevance

They end up doing silly stuff.

Like ranking their Privacy statement.

Because people don’t won’tUnderstand

Authority + Relevance

They end up doing silly stuff.

Like ranking their Privacy statement.

You might love your content

But Google has a whole lot of different baggage

Worrying about contentStart thinking about

Context

You probably don’t know this but Google have gone

on record about it

When Google finds your site, it gives you a “crawl allowance.”

This is based on your Authority

This is time based

This is fine if the allotted time is enough to crawl

your site

But very frustrating if you start growing your

content without growing your authority

Your site content must be relevant and the site

structure built to support it or it will just get

ignored

Content that has a high bounce rate will simply

get removed.

Content that doesn’t fit will just ignored

If nobody links to it, then Google thinks its

probably not of much importance=Authority

You might want to be number 1 but Google wants other people’s opinions.

You can’t just vote for yourself

Timing

Location

Search

= Context

The problem with Google is that its so good at solving complicated

search and context issues that most people don’t even have to

think about it.

There was a belief, especially in academic circles, that semantic

web would somehow replace Google

But Google have already invented the perfect semantic search

Google returns map, flight times, currency conversions, translations and even cinema timetables in real

time search

Authors have an inherent bias towards their own content.

And it can be a little difficult to understand why not everyone loves

their content. Or even cares.

Content is emergent, not rigid

A search for “Champions League” is a different search from yesterday…

Because different teams are playing but in the same championship.

The user knows that. So does Google.

Google’s value add is that it ignores the Author’s bias.

That’s why it ignores meta data for ranking.

Google understands context.

Do you?

Please say hi @primaryposition on twitter

And visit our website at Primaryposition.com