Olivia Atkinson
When it comes to revitalising and updating your content it can be easy to throw aside content pieces that you feel aren’t working for your target audience.
Before doing so it’s worth considering these 6 options that often get forgotten about. Then you can focus on producing content that’s not only relevant to your audience but also content that Google will love.
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1. Making it mobile friendly
Smartphones and mobiles are always improving in their technological abilities. The fact that we use our phones to search more than any other device is not new.
There has been a trending incline in smartphone usage when researching on the internet for years. It’s predicted that 72.6% of internet users will access the web solely via their smartphone by 2025.
Even though this growing trend hasn’t happened overnight, companies are still reluctant to ensure their website is mobile-friendly.
Not having a mobile-friendly website damages the customer experience. 57% of internet users say they wouldn’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile.
Not only does it annoy your audience, but you’re also losing visibility in results pages. This is due to Google making mobile a key factor when it scores your site.
2. Producing content in a single format
As Google is constantly improving the service it provides, the way we create content has to change too.
Years ago a simple blog post ruled content marketing. Today the content options are vast, from video, podcasts, live stories, Instagram TV, webinars and so much more.
One mistake you can make is continuously talking about the same text-only articles and expect your audience to be engaged.
Your content needs to be relevant, varied and new. You can maximise engagement by offering a content offer such as a guide or eBook. You can also start communicating through multimedia, using images, videos and infographics.
3. not having a goal
Producing content is only effective when you have a goal. Pushing out content in bulk to drive traffic is not recommended as it tends to have no particular purpose and is not designed to be helpful.
As content marketing has come so far, audiences now expect more from their content. They want to consume content that allows them to achieve their online goals.
Before you write your content you should decide what the goal of the piece is.
- Are you trying to get more subscribers to your newsletter?
- Do you want more brochure downloads?
- Do you want people to pick up the phone and enquire?
Your content should always achieve your targets audience goals – solve a problem, learn how to do something, be educated further about something.
Adding a call to action (CTA) to your content can encourage your audience to take action and structures your intentions. Dependent on your goal, your CTA will be different.
For example, if you want more subscribers, the CTA should encourage your audience to sign up.
4. not backing up your content with evidence
Not only does your content seem more trustworthy with the correct evidence but Google rewards sites with valuable and audience-relevant content.
Although its good to publish regularly, rushing content creation is not ideal. It’s more important to prioritise quality over quantity.
When you create content, identify key trusted sources to support your content. Physically linking to them is also advised, this is an unwritten law of the internet.
If you get statistics or you’re referencing another site, by linking to them you’re being transparent about where you got that information from and you’re also crediting the website for their content.
5. Stop trying to sell
This is something that’s said a lot when it comes to content creation. The purpose of creating content for your company is to educate your audience about the product and the service you provide, not to sell.
Any hint of sales talk can put your reader off so steer clear of trying to promote your product. Instead, inform them of the capabilities and how it could be beneficial in the intended environment. By focusing on the pain points of your reader, you relate more.
Consumers today don’t want to be sold to. They want to consume relevant content by their own accord that helps them progress through the buyer's journey.
6. not optimising your content for seo
Last but certainly not least is optimising your content for search engine purposes. If the content isn’t optimised for search engines then it’s unlikely to contribute to your overall marketing goals, let alone be found by new audiences.
This isn’t to say you have to be an SEO wizard to have good content. There a lot of simple changes you can make to your content to optimise it. Keyword research, image optimisation and creating enticing meta descriptions are just some.
SEO Trends To Live By In 2020 For Construction Marketing
Conclusion
Content creation isn't a case of writing a few hundred words about your company. It's evolved and improved for the better year on year, this is not only to give readers a better experience but it also means you can't cheat your way to the top.
Only genuine quality content will be recognised and ranked by Google. When content marketing is done well, it increases website traffic, eliminates time wasters (as people are more educated about what your company is about) and increases enquiries.
Dependent on your company strategy and size you may be in a position to create content yourself. If so Isynth offers unique workshops, tailored to your company to arm you with the everything you need to know. Alternatively, one off content packs or retainers are available. Get in touch today to find out the best option for your company.
About Insynth
As the only HubSpot certified agency to major on construction marketing, we bring together construction marketing strategy, digital strategy, website design, SEO, content marketing, email marketing, sales automation, marketing automation and HubSpot CRM implementation to produce successful campaigns and great results for our clients.