You’re probably familiar with the overused marketing-cliche “Content is King.”

It makes marketing sound so simple, doesn’t it?

But, as we all know, marketing isn’t as simple as that and neither is SEO.

In light of all the complexities to digital marketing and SEO, here’s something straightforward and clear we can all agree on: your content, no matter the type, should build trust and credibility with your prospective customers because consumers buy from those they trust.

The idea of creating content isn’t new. It’s only the tactics that have changed over time. SEO used to be fairly simple, too, but today there are several things you need to consider to be found on page one of a Google search and to ultimately get a leg up on your competition.

Below are some reliable SEO and content tactics that are sure to give you a much-needed lift in your prospects finding you.

Don’t Build on Someone Else’s Land

Publish your best content on properties you already own. (i.e. your website).

While there’s great value in spreading your message far and wide via Facebook and other social platforms, the problem is you’re at the mercy of their platform, and they are continually changing.

The best SEO comes from doing the little things right and publishing content on your website.

Remember: using someone else’s platform is a good thing, but don’t forget your goal is lead conversion. To do that, use social media and other publishing platforms for the sole purpose of driving visitors back to your site and towards lead conversion.

Answer Questions (Don’t Talk About Yourself)

Most businesses struggle with this one, so if this is you, you’re not alone.

Remember what we said earlier about the goal of your marketing? Your focus should be on building trust and credibility, not on posting content about your CEO’s jet or mansion.

Your ideal print buyer wants to see content that’s relevant to what they’re struggling with. Often, content you create won’t even be about printing. The best content (in general and for good SEO value) is shareable content that has value to your audience. When you drive your audience to your site, and they stay there awhile to consume what you’ve published, that sends signals that positively affect your ranking factors and pushes your website search results into a higher position.

Not sure what your audience is searching for? Here’s a fantastic tip in the form of a website that will tell you what people are searching for. It’s called Answer The Public. It’s a site that will help you determine which questions your audience is asking.

Here’s how it works.

1. Type in a search term and then review the results.
2. If a lot of buyers are searching for a specific search term, Answer The Public will tell you.
3. If there are very little searches being done for a certain set of words or terms, then you just saved yourself a ton of time and money by not writing about something your audience isn’t looking for.

Take what you learn and write about the answers to get found through the search results.

There is More to SEO Than Links

Links are about building trust and credibility by allowing your audience to find what they’re looking for by clicking on a link somewhere that gets them to you and your site.

Once there, they need to be able to find what they’re looking for. Otherwise, this can affect your ranking factors.

The ONLY way to let the SEO benefits work themselves out is by creating content that’s all about engagement building and trust building. What’s good for engagement and trust is also good for search engine optimization.

A good rule to follow is this: have links on pages of your site wherever relevant. For example, if a page on your website is talking about online ordering, consider having a hyperlink that directs them to the online ordering page on your site.

Also, you’ll want to have about 3-5 links in the body of the text for every 150-300 words. Execution of this kind of linking strategy will help build trust with your ideal buyers because they’ll find you faster through better SEO results.

If Content is King, Promoting it is the Almighty Queen

Now is not the time to be embarrassed about promoting yourself.

But beware because there is a difference between self-promotion of your products and services, versus telling your story. If you promote the wrong things, you’ll come across as being too salesy, and no one likes an Eddie Haskell.

Most businesses seem to have no trouble promoting their products and services, but once the content has been created, they’re timid about telling others their story for fear their content isn’t good enough, their story isn’t compelling, or that it’s just plain boring.

A few platforms and place to consider when promoting your content are:

1. Social media.
2. Your website.
3. YouTube videos.
4. Paid ad campaigns, like Google Adwords.
5. Email campaigns.

Fundamentally, if you’re helpful in getting your print buyers the answers they want by promoting your content on the right platforms, they won’t care about reading stuff that’s a bit of a shameless plug.

And don’t be super concerned about the technical quality of your writing skills. If your writing is a little rough around the edges and not perfect, that’s okay. In fact, by creating content that’s not perfect, you’ll come across as more human and more authentic. Just be sure to find where your audience lives and then promote your message accordingly.

Find Your Voice

Remember: You DO have good things to say!

Learn to resonate with your audience by asking and researching what’s important to them. Ask one of your prospects what they read about online and learn about what they want to digest from their email inbox. Once you’ve figured out this formula, you’ll have a plethora of topics to write about.

More to come

Remember, content isn’t king. Trust is king.

The goal of creating content (and its sidekick: SEO) is to create a relationship with your reader built on mutual trust. It has to be authentic and intentional. When the time comes for your ideal buyer to buy, you’ll eventually be top of mind as their printing solution.

Stick with us over the next several weeks as we dive deeper into the world of SEO to help you get better results.