Consider this your ultimate guide to scaling content. We’re diving deep into strategies, tools, and real-world triumphs that will empower you to create content that resonates and dominates. AI-assisted brief creation, batch production, and content management systems are just the beginning. 

Prepare to break free from the mold and make your content unstoppable.

What Is Content Scaling?

Content scaling is the strategic process of amplifying your content so it reaches more people. Let’s look at two core concepts:

• Multiplication: A single, well-crafted piece becomes the seed for a network of interconnected and repurposed content, maximizing its impact and longevity.
• Diversity: Content scaling embraces the full spectrum of content formats — blog posts, social media snippets, videos, podcasts, and infographics — to engage different segments of your audience and keep them hooked.

Content scaling is the future of content creation. It’s a strategic, data-driven approach that empowers you to reach wider audiences, build stronger brand awareness, and drive meaningful results.

Why Is Content Scaling Important?

Let’s look at the benefits of scaling content output:

• Expand reach: Scaling content allows you to reach a wider audience across various platforms and channels.
• Build trust and authority: Consistently delivering high-quality, relevant content positions your brand as a trusted resource and thought leader in your industry. This essentially establishes your company as a go-to expert in your field — the one people turn to for advice and solutions.
• Boost visibility: Optimizing your content for search engines can significantly improve your website’s ranking in search results, leading to increased organic traffic. Think of your website as a storefront on a busy street — a high ranking on search results is the equivalent of a prime spot on Main Street.
• Generate leads: Compelling content acts as a magnet, drawing potential customers to your brand. Offer valuable information and insights to capture their interest and convert them into qualified leads.
• Increase revenue: Content scaling drives tangible business results. Nurturing leads using targeted content throughout the customer journey accelerates conversions and boosts your bottom line.

Content scaling empowers you to connect with your audience on a deeper level, build brand loyalty, and ultimately drive sustainable growth. Work smarter, not harder, to amplify your message and achieve tangible business results. 

Leverage Scalable Content for Brand Amplification

Scalable content acts as a megaphone for your brand’s unique voice. Consistently deliver high-quality, relevant content across various channels to increase visibility and reinforce brand identity. Having a consistent presence solidifies your brand in the minds of consumers, making you the go-to source for information, products, or services. 

Still, beware of falling into the trap of producing quantity over quality. Losing the magic touch that made your content so engaging in the first place would be catastrophic. 

How to Maintain High-Quality Content at Scale

Scaling content must never mean sacrificing quality. Maintaining — or, ideally, elevating — your standards is pivotal for long-term success. Here’s how to create a content engine that seamlessly delivers quality and quantity:

• Thorough intent and audience research
• Quality briefs
• QA, subject matter experts, and editors
• Personalization
• Clear expectations
• Diverse content mix
• A style guide

Thorough intent and audience research

Before writing a single word, learn about your audience’s needs, desires, and pain points. What questions do they ask? What information do they seek? This tells you about audience intent. Aligning content with intent ensures every piece resonates and delivers genuine value. Go beyond keyword research and think about connecting with your audience on a human level.

Quality briefs

A well-crafted brief is the blueprint for successfully scaled content. It sets clear expectations, outlines key messages, and provides direction for your content creators. Use your project brief to guide your team toward your goals and help them understand and capture audience intent. Invest time and maximize the use of technology to craft comprehensive briefs that leave no room for ambiguity.

QA, subject matter experts, and editors

Even the most talented content creators are prone to human error. That’s where quality assurance, subject matter experts, and editors come in. They’re a safety net to ensure content is error-free, factually accurate, and polished to perfection. Consider implementing a multi-step editing process, including automated checks and several layers of human review.

Personalization

Personalization is a marketing superpower. Tailor messaging to specific segments of your audience based on their interests, demographics, and stage in the buyer’s journey. Use dynamic content on your website, segment your email lists, and design ultra-personalized social media campaigns. Personalization should apply to audience segments — but you must also personalize content based on the platform you’re using. 

Clear expectations

When working with a team of content creators, establishing clear expectations and deadlines is essential. This helps everyone stay on track and ensures that projects are completed on time and to a high standard. Utilize project management tools to assign tasks, track progress, and maintain open communication.

Diverse content mix

Don’t rely on a single content format. Experiment with different types of content, such as blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, and social media posts. This not only keeps your audience engaged but also allows you to reach different segments of your target market that may prefer different formats.

A style guide

A style guide is a document that outlines your brand’s writing style, tone of voice, and formatting guidelines. It ensures that all your scaled content production is consistent and adheres to your brand’s standards, regardless of who created it. This is especially important when working with multiple content creators or outsourcing content creation.

Maintaining quality is paramount, but it doesn’t have to be a Herculean task. You can leverage tools and technologies to streamline the content scaling process without sacrificing an ounce of excellence.

Techniques and Tools That Enhance Content Scaling 

Ready to transform your content strategy into a well-oiled machine? These techniques and tools help you scale up content production, streamline your workflow, and maximize efficiency:

• Content management systems
• Batch content production
• AI writing assistants 

Content management systems (CMSes)

Think of a CMS as your content’s air traffic control tower, orchestrating the seamless flow of information across your digital channels. It’s a centralized platform where you can:

• Store all your content assets — blog posts, articles, images, videos — in one easily accessible location.
• Enable your team to work together seamlessly, no matter where they are located. Say goodbye to endless email chains and version control nightmares.
• Schedule posts in advance, manage revisions effortlessly, and track content performance with built-in analytics. Let the machines do the heavy lifting so you can focus on the big picture.
• Implement search engine optimization best practices to amplify content to the right audience at the right time.

According to Alan Gleeson, CEO of Contento, 68% of the top 25 B2B SaaS companies in Ireland use WordPress as their CMS. While WordPress is a popular choice, research shows that options such as Contentful or Contento deliver a performance advantage in terms of site speed, which is a crucial factor for user experience and SEO.

Batch content production

If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content, batching is a productivity lifeline. Instead of jumping from task to task like a frantic squirrel, batch content production involves focusing on one specific type of content at a time.

This approach allows you to:

• Enter a state of flow and complete tasks more quickly and efficiently.
• Create a backlog of content, ensuring a steady stream of publications even when you’re juggling multiple projects.
• Dive into the subject matter, research thoroughly, and craft your message with precision.

Many successful content creators swear by batch content production. For example, content marketing expert Clint Mally recommends creating multiple long-form pieces of content in a single week, then repurposing them into social media posts, email newsletters, and other formats. With this technique, you maximize the impact of your best content while saving time and energy.

AI writing assistants

Artificial intelligence isn’t here to steal your job; it’s here to streamline and enhance your workflow. Generative AI is a sophisticated tool that can:

• Brainstorm new topics, headlines, and angles for content.
• Analyze keywords, identify content gaps, and enhance your content’s discoverability.
• Personalize your message to specific audiences based on their interests and demographics.

Technology is a powerful ally in your quest to scale content creation. From AI-powered brainstorming tools to templates, the right technology streamlines your workflow and enhances your creativity.

How Can Technology Help in Scaling Content Production?

Crafting top-notch content at scale isn’t a walk in the park. It takes time, creativity, and, typically, a whole lot of caffeine. The following tools are poised and ready to streamline your workflow, amplify your reach, and help you unleash your creative genius. 

ChatGPT

Ever dreamed of having a writing partner who never sleeps, never complains, and always has a thesaurus handy? Meet ChatGPT. 

Use it to:

• Quickly generate first drafts of content briefs, blog posts, or social media captions.
• Transform existing content into different formats, such as turning a blog post into a script for a short video.
• Analyze keywords and suggest improvements to enhance your content’s discoverability.
• Quickly create structured outlines and detailed briefs for your content team.

Pros of ChatGPT:

• Increased efficiency: Drafts content quickly, freeing up your team’s time for other strategic tasks.
• Versatility: Use it for various content types and formats.
• Scalability: Helps you generate a high volume of content without sacrificing quality.

Cons of ChatGPT:

• Requires human oversight: Always review and edit ChatGPT’s output to ensure accuracy and maintain your brand voice.
• Potential for generic content: Often produces content that lacks originality and can require extensive additional refinement.
• Ethical considerations: Be mindful of potential biases and limitations of AI-generated content.
• Cost: Free for basic use, with paid plans offering more advanced features.

Crowd Content’s Templates 

Crowd Content’s content brief template and blog post templates enable you to consistently create content that’s structurally sound and visually appealing. Use them to:

• Save time and mental energy by following a proven formula for content creation.
• Ensure content aligns with your brand voice and messaging, creating a cohesive brand experience across all channels.
• Glean expert tips and insights on how to craft content that captivates and converts. 

Pros of using CC templates:

• Simplified content creation process: No more staring at a blank page, wondering where to start.
• Improved content quality and consistency: Create content that adheres to your brand standards and resonates with your audience.
• Cost: Free to use, making it a valuable resource for content creators of all levels.

Cons of using CC templates:

• May not be suitable for all types of content or industries: Some customization might be necessary to adapt the templates to your specific needs.
• Requires some level of knowledge and experience: While the templates provide a helpful framework, you still need to bring your own expertise and creativity to the table.

Be sure to conduct regular maintenance checks to keep your content machine well-oiled. Let’s explore the metrics that help you calculate the success of scaled content and ensure it’s making an impact.

How Do You Measure the Success of Scaled Content?

Here’s how to measure content performance:

• Website traffic
• Engagement metrics
• Lead generation
• Conversions

Website traffic

Are more people visiting your site? Are they lingering longer and browsing your pages with interest? Tools such as Google Analytics tell you which web pages are most popular and where visitors get lost or leave too soon.

Let’s say you run an online store selling eco-friendly products. Tracking website traffic might show a spike in visitors after you publish a blog post about sustainable living tips. This tells you that this type of content resonates with your audience and gets them onto your site.

Engagement metrics

Engagement metrics reveal whether users are actually getting value from your content. Are they reading, watching, listening, sharing, and commenting? Are they hooked on your every word, or do they tune out after the first few lines? Metrics such as time on page, bounce rate, social shares, and comments are real-time representations of how engaging your content is. 

Perhaps you create a series of videos demonstrating how to use your product. If viewers watch all the way through and leave positive comments, you know you’ve struck a chord.

Lead generation

Your content is a magnet for potential customers. Lead generation metrics tell you how many people are drawn to your brand. Are they subscribing to your newsletter, downloading your whitepaper, or filling out your contact form? Leads are the seeds of future sales, so nurturing them with valuable content is key.

Conversions

Conversions are the ultimate goal of any content marketing strategy. It’s the moment when a prospect raises their hand and says, “I’m in!” Whether it’s subscribing to your socials, making a purchase, signing up for a free trial, or requesting a demo, conversions are the proof that your content is performing as it should.

You’re practically an expert in scaling content by now. Let’s look at some real-world case studies of brands that successfully scaled their content efforts. 

Successful Content Scaling Examples

These brands didn’t just dip their toes into content scaling — they dove in headfirst and emerged victorious. Their brand stories offer valuable insights for anyone looking to amplify their content’s impact:

BoConcept

Here’s a glimpse at how Danish furniture brand BoConcept, enhanced content scaling using AI and centralized marketing.

The challenge: BoConcept faced the formidable task of creating and adapting marketing campaigns for numerous products, channels, sub-brands, markets, and languages. Local production agencies struggled to maintain consistency and meet the brand’s high standards.

The solution: BoConcept centralized its brand marketing efforts and partnered with an AI-powered agency to streamline content production. This allowed the brand to create master campaigns that could be scaled and localized across 64 different languages, ensuring consistent messaging and brand voice across all markets. An extraordinary level of accessibility and global inclusivity are two of AI and content scaling’s true superpowers, helping brands reach customers around the world. 

Paris Mechanical

Let’s look at HVAC company Paris Mechanical’s approach to scaling up using AI and automation. 

The challenge: Paris Mechanical was experiencing rapid growth but struggling to keep up with the increasing demand for services. Its sales and marketing processes were largely manual, leading to bottlenecks and missed opportunities.

The solution: Paris Mechanical partnered with a consulting firm specializing in AI and automation to develop a scalable marketing strategy. It implemented a suite of tools, including HubSpot Marketing Hub, Unbounce, and Google Ads, to automate lead generation, capture, and nurturing. What’s more, it tapped into the power of AI tools to generate personalized content and streamline the quoting process.

What Strategies Can Manage Increased Content Volumes?

With great content comes great responsibility. As output ramps up, you need a strategy to keep scaled content organized, efficient, and aligned with your goals. 

Here’s your roadmap to content scaling success:

1. Assemble a strong content team
2. Craft a content calendar 
3. Streamline your workflow
4. Integrate into existing campaigns

1. Assemble a strong content team

Assemble a strong team of content specialists, each with their own unique skills and expertise, including:

• Content strategists: The masterminds behind the overall content vision and direction.
• Writers: The wordsmiths who bring your ideas to life with captivating prose that sings with your brand voice.
• SMEs: The frontline industry experts who edit for technical accuracy and enhance your content’s authority.
• Editors: The grammar stalwarts who ensure content is polished and error-free.
• Designers: The visual wizards who create eye-catching graphics and layouts.
• SEO specialists: The search engine whisperers who optimize your content for maximum visibility.
• Social media managers: The social butterflies who amplify your content across various platforms.

2. Craft a content calendar 

A content calendar is a visual representation of your planned content, including:

• Topics: What are you going to write, record, or film about?
• Formats: Will it be a blog post, video, infographic, or something else?
• Channels: Where will you publish and promote your content?
• Deadlines: When will each piece of content be ready?

3. Streamline your workflow

Streamline your workflow by:

• Automating repetitive tasks such as scheduling social media posts, sending email newsletters, and delivering analytics reports.
• Creating reusable templates for different content types to save time and maintain consistency.
• Using project management tools to track progress, assign tasks, and collaborate with team members seamlessly.

4. Integrate into existing campaigns

Integrate content into your broader marketing campaigns to maximize its impact. This means:

• Sharing it across your social media channels, email newsletters, and other marketing channels.
• Repurposing your blog posts into videos, podcasts, and shareable infographics to reach different audiences.
• Using content as a way to guide potential customers through the buying journey.
• Creating a cohesive and powerful brand narrative that resonates with your audience, building a community and driving them toward action.

Content Scaling Limitations and How to Address Them

Scaling content isn’t always a smooth ride. There are a few bumps in the road you might encounter along the way. But don’t worry. With a little foresight and strategic planning, you can overcome these challenges and keep your content engine purring:

• Maintain quality at scale: As output increases, it can be tempting to cut corners to save time and resources. However, this is a recipe for disaster. Quality should always be your top priority. To maintain high standards, invest in skilled content creators, implement rigorous editing processes, and use tools to automate time-consuming tasks.
• Avoid content fatigue: Publishing a large volume of content doesn’t guarantee engagement. If your content becomes repetitive or irrelevant, audiences tune out. To avoid content fatigue, create diverse content that appeals to different segments of your audience. Experiment with new formats, topics, and angles to keep things fresh and engaging.
• Measure ROI: Content scaling requires an investment of time, money, and resources. Make sure you track ROI carefully to ensure your efforts are paying off. Use analytic tools from Google and social media to measure your content’s impact on engagement metrics such as website traffic, time on page, and conversion rate.
• Adapt to algorithm changes: Social media algorithms are constantly evolving, and that can impact your content’s visibility and reach. Stay up-to-date on the latest changes and adjust your strategy accordingly. Experiment with different posting times, formats, and content types to find what works best for your audience.
• Stay ahead of the competition: The content landscape is constantly evolving. To stay ahead of the curve, you must constantly learn and adapt. Follow industry trends, experiment with new technologies, and keep an eye on what your competitors are doing.

Proactively addressing these challenges ensures your content scaling efforts are sustainable and aligned with your business goals. 

See How to Scale Your Content Now

If content scaling sounds like a lot of effort and expense, that’s because it is. Even large brands with huge marketing budgets can struggle to manage each step of the process in-house. Let’s look at the pros and cons of outsourcing versus in-house content scaling. 

The Creation Process: In-House versus Outsourcing Scalable Content

Should you build your content team in-house or outsource to the pros? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best approach depends on your specific needs, budget, and existing resources.

First, let’s explore the pros and cons of in-house content scaling:

• Pros: More control and the ability to iterate and experiment quickly if you have an existing in-house content team.
• Cons: It’s extremely expensive and time-consuming to build a team of skilled strategists, content creators, editors, quality assessors, AI experts, and SMEs from scratch.

Now, let’s study the pros and cons of outsourcing content scaling:

• Pros: Access to a wide pool of talent and expertise, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses. Outsourcing also offers the flexibility to scale up or down as needed.
• Cons: Less control over the creative process and potential for communication challenges.

Many businesses opt for a hybrid approach, combining in-house expertise with the flexibility and scalability of outsourcing. This allows them to leverage the strengths of both models while mitigating the weaknesses.

For guidance on how to find the right content creators for your needs, check out our article: How to Find Content Creators [LINK TO FORTHCOMING ARTICLE].

Your Content Scaling Strategy

Content scaling is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires a strategic mindset and a relentless commitment to quality. Following the strategies and using the tools outlined in this guide will get you on your way to creating a powerful content engine that drives results, fosters brand loyalty, and propels your business to new heights. 

Always keep in mind that increasing quantity must never compromise quality. Prioritize providing helpful, insightful, and actionable content that exceeds your audience’s expectations.

Don’t just take our word for it. Go forth and experiment. Test different approaches, track your results, and refine your strategy over time.

The post Content Scaling Strategies to Amplify Your Content Production appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Customer data is a codebreaker for pinpointing your ideal audience. Demographic analysis, behavioral insights, engagement KPIs, and consumer feedback serve as marketing encryption keys. 

This comprehensive guide will teach you how to locate a brand’s target audience. It unpacks the tools and strategies needed to find those who will benefit most from buying a product or service.

Why Is It Important to Know Your Target Audience in Marketing?

Knowing your audience is the difference between marketing campaigns that fizzle out and those that yield results.

Let’s explore why relentless audience targeting marketing strategies are so important, along with some examples of how they work:

• Improved engagement: When you know your audience, you can craft content that deeply resonates with their interests, pain points, and values. In turn, they’re more likely to comment, share, and keep coming back for more. For example, a yoga studio knows its audience cares deeply about wellness and stress relief. Its social media posts highlight mindfulness tips and the benefits of yoga to mental health, leading to high engagement.
  
• Higher conversion rates: Targeted marketing ensures your products, services, and messages reach the people most likely to buy. For example, a company selling eco-friendly cleaning products targets ads to members of environmentally conscious subreddits. Ads reach customers poised to use its products, increasing clicks and sales.
  
• Optimized marketing budget: Detailed audience targeting cuts wasted spending. For example, rather than paying for a generic billboard on a busy highway, a local restaurant uses social media ads to target people within a 5-mile radius with a lunchtime meal deal.
  
• Strengthened brand message: When you know who you’re talking to, you can tailor your brand voice, tone, and visuals for maximum impact. For example, an athletic apparel brand targeting younger, active customers uses vibrant colors and energetic imagery, while a luxury brand aims for a sophisticated, minimalist aesthetic.

Understanding your target audience is the bedrock of effective marketing. Without this knowledge, you’re essentially throwing darts blindfolded. You might get lucky occasionally, but most efforts will miss the mark.

How Do You Identify Your Audience?

Identifying your target audience takes a combination of research, analysis, and creative thinking. Here are the essential steps to get started:

1. Start with your product or service
   
2. Analyze existing customers
   
3. Scrutinize the competition
   
4. Leverage audience research tools
   
5. Conduct direct research

1. Start with your product or service

The secret to identifying your audience lies in knowing the core problem your brand solves. 

Here’s an insight from Rick Leach, our VP of Content Operations:

“Have a clear idea of the problem, who has it, and how you solve it better than anyone else. Profoundly understand the audience intent for that problem and know exactly where it intersects with your objectives. Be as specific as possible and test, test, test. Leverage content marketing and analytics to put your theories to the test and definitively see whether you’re targeting the ideal persona.”

Create promo material for each buyer persona, using PPC and social media ads to target them where they already hang out online. 

2. Analyze existing customers

If you have a customer base, there’s a gold mine of information at your fingertips. Analyzing existing customers reveals common characteristics and behaviors of people who gravitate toward your brand.

Consider these key areas:

Core demographics: Age, location, income, and job title. Seemingly basic details can paint a detailed picture. Are your customers young professionals in urban areas or retirees living in suburbia? For urban, young professionals, short-form content on trend-driven platforms such as TikTok or YouTube Shorts would be better. Posting long-form videos in Facebook Groups or on YouTube will resonate more with suburban retirees. 

Online behavior: What websites do your customers visit other than yours? Do they engage most with articles, videos, or infographics? What social media platforms are they active on? Knowing which demographic favors which platform is a critical step. Are there common values, opinions, or preferences your customers share? Being aware of these behavioral insights helps you create content that resonates deeply, inspiring engagement and loyalty.

Purchase history: Don’t just look at what your customers buy from you. Explore further by getting to know their broader purchasing habits. This reveals more about their needs and interests, helping you create content that targets their lifestyles and preferences. 

3. Scrutinize the competition

Your competitors are a treasure trove of information, especially if you don’t have your own audience yet. Their social media pages are chock-full of actionable insights into your prospective buyers. This includes demographic data, behavioral insights, and purchase history. 

Find competitors with brands as similar to yours as possible. First, study posts with the most likes, shares, and comments. Note the design, copy, and CTAs. How do these posts drive engagement? What problems do they solve? Pay close attention and take inspiration, but don’t copy. You have to deliver something fresh and uniquely on-brand to stand out to your audience — and to social media’s algorithms.

Next, identify weaknesses in your competitors’ approach. These gaps are opportunities. Use them to stand out and capture a portion of the market your competitors have overlooked.

4. Leverage audience research tools

Audience research tools offer an inside scoop on the types of people who are interested in your business. Still, don’t get overwhelmed by fancy tools. Google Analytics and social media analytics provide valuable data to get you started. As your budget and market knowledge grows, consider investing in more advanced research options.

5. Conduct direct research

Sometimes, the best way to understand your ideal customer is by simply asking. Here are two straightforward methods that provide invaluable direct feedback:

• Surveys: Using online survey tools such as SurveyMonkey and Google Forms are an easy way to gather insights from current and potential customers. Keep them brief, offer a fun incentive, and ask specific questions that speak to your audience’s pain points and preferences.
  
• Interviews: Have in-depth conversations with a few carefully selected people who fit your ideal customer profile. Ask open-ended questions about their challenges, why they chose your brand, and what influences their buying decisions. Individual interviews provide wonderfully rich insights that even the best surveys miss.

Direct research is all about asking relevant questions and targeting the right people to draw out truly useful feedback. 

What Are Four Key Ways to Identify a Target Audience?

Here are four techniques for identifying the exact customers who will champion your brand:

• Demographic analysis
  
• Behavioral data
  
• Engagement metrics
  
• Consumer feedback

Demographic analysis

Demographic analysis is the foundational audience identification technique. This includes researching factors such as:

• Age: Needs and communication styles differ vastly across generations.
  
• Location: Urban, suburban, and rural customers have different priorities and access to resources.
  
• Income: Messaging and pricing should be tailored based on income level.

Behavioral data

Analyze who interacts with your website, social media, and content to build upon demographic data. Look for consistencies in:

• Websites they visit: Go beyond what they purchase from you. Noticing that your customers frequently visit fitness forums suggests an opportunity to partner with fitness influencers or take a health and wellness angle in blogs and social media posts.
  
• Products they view or purchase: Identify patterns in their shopping habits. A customer who frequently buys baby clothes is easy to retarget once you know what they’re buying. You also know they’ll be receptive to deals on toys or children’s furniture in the near future.
  
• How they interact with your brand: If customers regularly share blog posts, they likely care about information and thought leadership. Use this as a sign to develop more content-driven marketing campaigns.

Engagement metrics

Engagement metrics reveal how deeply your content resonates with your audience, enabling you to focus on: 

• Social media shares: Content that gets shared widely tends to spark an emotional response, whether it’s humor, inspiration, or an opinionated reaction. Analyze the most successful posts to understand your audience’s emotional preferences.
  
• Comments and questions: Recurring themes show pain points and what people truly care about. Numerous comments asking about a product’s environmental impact indicate that it’s a major concern for your customers. This type of insight is crucial for creating audience profiles.
  
• Website dwell time: Short visits might mean people aren’t finding what they need due to confusing navigation or slow loading times. Low dwell times might also suggest that your content isn’t engaging. This is a strong indication that you need to conduct deeper research into your audience and tailor your content accordingly. 

Consumer Feedback

Say you’re up and running with a steady customer base — that doesn’t mean you’re safe. Just like the business landscape, audience segments are constantly in flux. People age, their values evolve, and purchasing behaviors change. Keeping up with customer feedback is the only way to ensure your audience profiles are fresh and relevant. 

Effective ways to gather direct consumer feedback include:

• Surveys: Use surveys to learn about changing priorities, new pain points, and emerging preferences within your customer base. Let’s say initial product-related results are replaced by broader concerns about environmental impact or social responsibility. This suggests a growing eco-conscious segment within your audience that deserves tailored messaging and possible product adjustments.
  
• Reviews: Pay attention to the specific words and sentiment expressed in reviews. Perhaps reviews start regularly mentioning a “quick and easy setup.” Congrats! You’ve located a distinct audience segment you weren’t initially targeting. These customers are showing a preference for simplicity that should be reflected in future marketing efforts.
  
• Customer support interactions: Recurring questions and frustrations can indicate misaligned expectations. For example, confusion about shipping options could reflect a disconnect between your marketing materials and the reality of the purchase process. This price-sensitive segment will respond well to free shipping over a certain threshold.

Existing customers are a microcosm of your broader market. Shifts in their needs and language offer clues about new audience segments to pursue. They also showcase untapped ways to refine your messaging to keep existing customers loyal in the face of evolving preferences. 

Create Blog Posts That Pinpoint and Engage Your Target Audience

Case Studies: Successful Audience Identification

Let’s analyze two real-world examples where pinpointing the right audience led to remarkable marketing success.

Dove

The early 2000s beauty industry largely catered to a narrow ideal, i.e., young, thin, and conventionally beautiful women. Dove predicted and spearheaded a more inclusive and realistic approach to beauty advertising. In-depth market research uncovered a deep dissatisfaction among women, with only 2% describing themselves as beautiful.

Dove’s Real Beauty campaign boldly challenged industry norms. The brand featured women of diverse ages, body types, and ethnicities in its ads. These ads showcased the real-life beauty of unairbrushed bodies. The campaign’s focus on self-acceptance and redefining beauty on your own terms resonated powerfully with its target audience.

The campaign had a stratospheric impact:

• Sparked a global conversation: The Real Beauty campaign went viral, sparking important discussions about body positivity and the harmful impact of unrealistic beauty standards. It changed the landscape of beauty marketing and strengthened Dove’s brand identity globally.
  
• Increased brand loyalty: Dove’s focus on championing real women helped build trust and fostered a loyal customer base over competitors that maintained outdated marketing approaches.
  
• Inspired long-term growth: Dove saw continued growth throughout the Real Beauty era, demonstrating that a focus on solving customers’ pain points can have profound results.

Audiences yearn to feel seen and understood. Reflecting customers’ real-world concerns created a sustaining competitive advantage for Dove. 

Gymshark

Traditionally, the gym apparel market catered to elite athletes, with a focus on peak performance. In 2012, Gymshark founder Ben Francis noticed that a massive, underserved segment of fitness enthusiasts existed. These individuals were passionate about their workouts but didn’t want high-performance gear. Instead, they sought streetwear apparel that reflected their gym-focused lifestyle, prioritizing style and functionality.

Gymshark’s strategy was built on a deep understanding of its audience. Its strategies included:

• Influencer marketing: Gymshark paved the way in influencer marketing. It bypassed traditional athlete endorsements, instead partnering with micro-influencers who embodied the brand’s values. Early collaborations with YouTubers such as Lex Griffin and Chris Lavado established credibility within the brand’s target audience.
  
• Social community building: Gymshark doesn’t just sell products — it fosters a sense of belonging using platforms such as Instagram. Encouraging user-generated content builds camaraderie between community members, and its multiple IG accounts are hubs for shared fitness experiences and support.
  
• Fashion and function: Gymshark knew its audience wanted workout apparel that performs and reflects their dedication to fitness as a lifestyle. Focusing on function and aesthetics helped it fill a clear gap in the market.

In terms of impact, the numbers speak for themselves:

• Rapid growth: Gymshark’s audience-centric approach led to exceptional growth, with annual revenue exceeding $500 million as of 2023.
  
• Loyal following: Its dedicated online community drives continued growth through word-of-mouth and a strong sense of brand identity. This loyalty sets them apart from competitors, with around 7 million followers on Instagram.
  
• Disruptive innovation: Gymshark proved that understanding your audience deeply, even in a saturated industry, can disrupt the status quo.

Gymshark has excelled by building a brand that reflects its audience’s values, passions, and desire for a sense of community.

What Tools Help With Audience Analysis?

Using analytics for audience discovery involves turning raw data into actionable insights. Here are some useful ideas to get you started:

• Google Analytics
  
• Instagram Insights
  
• YouTube Analytics
  
• SurveyMonkey
  
• Nielsen

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is the powerhouse of free web analytics. It tracks basic demographics, how people find your site, and what they do once they’re there.

Pros: Free, robust, integrates with other Google products.

Cons: Can be complex for beginners and focuses only on your website data.

Best for: Understanding website traffic patterns, audience demographics, and conversion tracking.

Instagram Insights 

If you have a business profile on Instagram, you have access to built-in analytics. Analyze your follower demographics, their interests, when they’re most active, and which of your posts get the most engagement.

Pros: Free to use, shows you exactly who your Instagram followers are, and helps you track growth over time.

Cons: Data is limited to Instagram, and some metrics might be less accurate if you have a smaller follower count.

Best for: Identifying the ideal person who follows your Instagram, crafting the kind of content they’ll love, and knowing the best times to post for maximum reach.

YouTube Analytics

Dig into the performance of your YouTube channel. See viewership patterns, what parts of your videos people rewatch (or skip), and where your viewers are coming from.

Pros: Free. Shows you how long people watch your videos, which parts they rewatch and skip, and where your traffic comes from.

Cons: Provides insights about your YouTube channel specifically, not a broader picture of the market.

Best for: Figuring out the optimal length for your videos, refining content topics that resonate best, and discovering ideal days and times to publish new videos.

SurveyMonkey

Design and distribute custom surveys to go straight to the source — your target audience! Ask the questions that matter most: motivations, buying preferences, pain points, and more.

Pros: Allows for flexibility in the questions you ask and provides detailed insights into the gathered responses.

Cons: Getting meaningful data requires careful survey design to avoid bias. The free version also has limitations on features and the number of survey responses. Paid plans start at around $35 per month.

Best for: Gathering customer feedback about your products or services, conducting market research to understand what people want, and identifying the pain points that drive purchase decisions.

Nielsen

Access a huge repository of consumer research data and market reports. Nielsen holds the keys to industry trends and how to meaningfully segment your audience.

Pros: Data is reliable, and the platform has robust audience segmentation benefits built in.

Cons: Services are very expensive and often require a subscription. Additionally, the sheer volume of data may be overwhelming for small businesses.

Best for: Big-picture market analysis, validating the potential of a new product or service idea before launch, and getting a detailed grasp of competitors’ strategies.

How Can You Use Demographics to Identify Your Audience?

Age, location, and income are demographic clues about how to reach your target audience effectively. The better you get to know your current audience, the easier it will be to refine content so it attracts more like-minded folks. 

Here’s how to make demographics work for you:

• Beyond the basics: Age and gender are starting points, but not the whole story. Dig deeper. Are they homeowners? College grads? Knowing their life stage paints a clearer picture.
  
• Uncover pain points: Demographics hint at struggles. Retirees might worry about healthcare costs; young professionals might worry about student debt. Let solving those problems become your selling points.
  
• Speak their language: Messaging that resonates with a 25-year-old microinfluencer living in Los Angeles won’t land with a 55-year-old doctor in Wyoming. Tailor your tone and focus based on the demographic segments that interact most with your brand.
  
• Smart targeting: Knowing where your audience hangs out is vital. For instance, young parents might be on parenting forums, while affluent retirees are on luxury travel sites. Use demographics to inform your ad placement.

How Do You Create a Detailed Audience Profile?

Generic audience profiles lead to generic marketing — the kind that blends into the endless stream of content your customers are bombarded with daily. Here’s how to go beyond the usual data points and uncover those hidden insights:

1. Identify your marketing goals: Are you aiming to increase sales, build brand awareness, or launch a new product? Being clear on your objectives informs the type of audience data you need to prioritize.
   
2. Gather data from as many sources as possible: Tap into a variety of sources to uncover a complete picture of your audience.
   
3. Analyze demographic data analysis for precise marketing: Access this type of data through website analytics, targeted customer surveys, and industry-specific market research reports.
   
4. Explore psychographic segmentation techniques: Get into the mindset of your audience using psychographic analysis. What are their underlying values, passions, daily challenges, and lifestyle patterns? Discover these insights through social media listening, analyzing competitors, and observing discussions in niche online forums.
   
5. Track online behavior and note patterns: Analyze the websites they frequent, the social media platforms they prefer, and the keywords they use when searching for solutions.
   
6. Collect direct feedback and research reviews: Design thoughtful surveys, conduct in-depth customer interviews, and meticulously analyze positive and negative reviews.
   
7. Spot trends and segment your audience further: As you analyze the collected data, look for recurring patterns and similarities. Group your audience into distinct segments based on shared characteristics, problems, and desires.
   
8. Craft detailed personas of each segment: The importance of customer personas in marketing can’t be overstated. For each audience segment, craft a detailed persona, envisioning them as a fully formed individual. Give them a name, a backstory, and specific interests, and outline their typical day-to-day challenges.
   
9. Maintain and update profiles: Continuously monitor data, track emerging trends, and refine your profiles to ensure your marketing strategies remain aligned with your customer base’s changing needs.

How Do I Find My Social Media Audience?

Your ideal audience is already on social media, having conversations, sharing their interests, and seeking solutions. Here’s how to find social media insights for audience profiling:

• Competitor analysis
  
• Hashtag tracking
  
• Strategic searches
  
• Sentiment analysis

Competitor analysis

Use competitive analysis to study your competitors’ most successful posts, focusing on engagement metrics and content style. This will give you a strong understanding of what resonates with your shared target audience.

Hashtag tracking

Monitor hashtags and keywords relevant to your industry or niche. This helps you identify common pain points and questions potential customers express, as well as the type of content they enjoy and share. For example, do they prefer memes, videos, or infographics? Explore niche communities on places such as Quora and Reddit where your ideal customers congregate.

Strategic searches

Seek out posts on social media where people ask for recommendations in your product or service area. Become part of the conversation by giving them helpful suggestions. Keep track of keywords related to the problems your product solves, uncovering potential customers actively seeking solutions.

Sentiment analysis

Track the overall tone of comments on your and your competitors’ posts. This helps you tailor your messaging to match your audience’s emotional state, increasing the chances of resonating with them on a deeper level.

Build Your Audience with a Tailored Content Strategy

The Strategic Advantage of Knowing Your Audience

Audience knowledge isn’t a static set of data points; it’s an evolving relationship. And the advantages of audience analysis in content creation are clear to see. Knowing your audience means creating content that seamlessly meets their needs and solves their problems. 

Stay curious, monitor trends, and use every tool at your disposal to continually refine audience profiles. Businesses that prioritize their audience enjoy more sustainable growth and enduring brand success.

The post How to Find Your Audience Using Simple Steps for Big Results (With Examples) appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Landing pages get their name from their role as the page a visitor “lands” on after clicking a link or ad from another source, such as an email marketing campaign, social media post, search engine result, or online ad. They serve one purpose: converting visitors into customers or leads. 

Ready to create a high-converting landing page? Below, we’ll tell you how.

What Is a Landing Page?

A landing page has many names. Whether you call it a lead capture page, a static page, a squeeze page, or a destination page, you’re talking about the same thing: a standalone web page designed specifically to encourage visitors to take an action as a result of a marketing or advertising campaign. 

A typical website has multiple pages, sub-pages, and sections that visitors can navigate to, often from the homepage. A landing page is different because it is a standalone web page that’s excluded from a website’s navigation. 

A customer won’t just stumble across a landing page. They can only find it by entering your sales funnel through targeted efforts such as email campaigns, social media posts, search engine results, or online advertisements. 

Landing pages are purposefully minimal, focusing only on the main call to action (CTA), like a sign-up page or a purchase button. By eliminating navigation and focusing solely on a conversion goal, landing pages streamline the user experience and guide visitors toward completing the intended action.

The Purpose and Types of Landing Pages

A marketing strategy can incorporate landing pages in a variety of ways. 

1. Lead generation: These landing pages offer something of value such as an e-book, webinar access, or a free trial in exchange for the visitor’s contact information, which allows you to nurture them in the future. 
2. Click-through: A clickable headline, for instance, gets visitors to click through to another page where the actual conversion will take place.
3. Product launch or promotion: Create landing pages to build anticipation or generate buzz. Collect pre-orders or registrations for a new product or service. Get visitors to sign up for a newsletter.
4. Event registration: As people click around on an event page, they are funneled to another page where they can buy tickets or register.
5. Contests or giveaways: An exciting prize encourages participants to enter, leaving their contact information for future marketing purposes.

Are Landing Pages Still a Thing?

Yes, landing pages are still a highly effective tool! You probably encounter landing pages all the time without even knowing it, especially if they’re well-designed. 

Despite the many new marketing channels and technologies in today’s world, landing pages remain a powerful tool for meeting marketing goals. The laser-focused, campaign-specific nature of landing pages continues to make them valuable.

How Do I Know If I Need a Landing Page?

Use a landing page in situations where you want to drive a specific action or conversion from your target audience.

Here’s a checklist to help decide whether creating a landing page is the right approach:

• Do you have a specific marketing campaign, promotion, or offer to run? A dedicated landing page can help you laser-focus the user experience to ensure that visitors are directed towards the intended goal without distractions.
• Are you driving visitors toward a single targeted action or conversion? A landing page eliminates distractions and guides users toward that goal, which increases the likelihood of conversion.
• Are you running paid advertising campaigns? Landing pages are ideal for optimizing post-click conversion rates to make your advertising efforts more effective.
• Do you need to capture leads for a future nurturing campaign? Lead generation landing pages with forms are highly effective as they allow you to nurture these leads over time.
• Are you looking to sell a product or service in a direct transaction? A focused click-through landing page streamlines the purchase journey to make it easier for customers to complete their transactions.

Landing Page vs. Website

While you could theoretically refer to any destination page as a “landing page,” an actual landing page is technically more strategic than your average website or web page. A true landing page focuses on a single CTA or conversion goal and does not take visitors to other parts of the site.

Here’s a quick and simple guide to the differences between a landing page and a website:

Landing page:

• Focused on a single conversion goal
• Minimal navigation and distractions
• Designed for a specific campaign or offer
• Optimized for conversions
• Often temporary or campaign-specific

Website:

• Provides broad information about a company
• Offers multiple pages and navigation options
• Designed for a general audience
• Typically long-term and evergreen

Can I Create a Landing Page Without a Website or Domain?

Yes, you can create a landing page without having a separate website or domain, using tools called landing page builders.

Landing page builders or platforms often have templates to choose from that can be customized with your own text, images, colors, and videos. This allows you to quickly create a professional-looking landing page tailored to your specific needs.

Building a fully functional website can be time-consuming. If you are in need of a marketing-focused page now with no delay, using a landing page builder is an excellent solution. This approach allows you to launch your campaign without delay and ensures you don’t miss out on potential leads or sales.

In the long term, though, it is wise to establish a domain and website so your business has a professional online presence to aid in building credibility and trust. 

What’s the Difference Between a Homepage and a Landing Page?

A homepage and a landing page serve different purposes and have distinct designs. A homepage is the broad entry point to your business, and is not optimized for a specific conversion goal. Its goal is to introduce visitors to your brand and direct them to various areas of interest.  

A landing page, on the other hand, is designed for a specific marketing campaign or offer. It is a standalone page without navigation — so no navigational menus. There won’t be a link to go back to the previous page, social media links, or page footers.The reason for this is to minimize navigation away from the page and distractions that could get your visitor interested in something else. The page is focused on a single conversion goal.

What’s the Difference Between an Entry Page and a Landing Page?

An entry page is the first page a visitor encounters when arriving at a website. It may be the homepage, or a blog post. An entry page is like an open door, leading visitors to a variety of other places on the site, so it probably doesn’t have a specific purpose or design. 

While an entry page can serve various purposes, a landing page is laser-focused on a single conversion goal. Landing pages are typically minimal, with no distractions or additional navigation, and guide visitors toward completing one desired action.

Should I Use AI?

There’s nothing wrong with using AI tools. Many people use AI as a starting point to save time, reduce effort, and cut costs. However, it’s important to understand that the content generated by AI often requires editing before it can be used effectively.

Why is that? Because AI tools have limitations. While AI can produce content based on the data it was trained on, it does not have a deep comprehension of the subject, audience needs, or broader context like a human does. 

Since AI models stitch together content based on language patterns, they can sometimes generate factual inaccuracies or nonsense statements, called “hallucinations.” Humans can identify  and correct these errors.

AI may have biases or blind spots since its training data can’t include every possibility. Sometimes, AI-generated language can feel “flat” or “fake,” lacking nuance and depth that human-generated content typically has. Be sure to test and refine the language you get from AI, just like you would with content created by humans.

Quality is key. In essence, AI content generation is a powerful tool in the content-creation process, just like any other powerful tool. Use it to quickly generate initial drafts and ideas, then have someone you trust modify it with the details that your project requires. 

Do I Need to Hire a Designer or Professional?

Hiring a professional may be the best route if you have a larger budget, require a highly customized and on-brand design, or if you’re running a high-stakes campaign where conversion rates are critical. However, for smaller projects or tighter budgets, DIY tools and templates can also produce effective landing pages.

[consider making these into a table] 

Pros of hiring a professional:

• Access to design expertise and industry best practices
• Professionally crafted visuals and layouts that align with your brand
• Efficient execution saves time
• Potential for higher conversion rates with optimized designs

Cons of hiring a professional:

• Higher upfront costs compared to DIY options
• Potential communication gaps or misalignment with your vision
• Limited control over the design process
• Reliance on the design professional for updates or changes in the future

If you decide to create the landing page yourself, remember that quality should be the top priority.

Alternatively, consider partnering with a content creation service like Crowd Content. This gives you the benefits of an agency, which can handle the entire landing page creation process while also considering your unique brand needs and integrating with your in-house team as necessary. 

What Makes a Great Landing Page?

“Great” here means “effective.” While a landing page may be visually appealing, it must also deliver results to be truly considered successful 

Here are some key elements that contribute to an effective landing page design:

• Consistent graphics: When a visitor arrives at your landing page from a social media post, email, or another page on your website, the visual continuity from page to page must be preserved. It should be clear that they are still interacting with the brand they started with. This is not the place to introduce surprises and disrupt their experience.
• Attention-grabbing headline: Include a compelling, benefit-driven headline that reinforces what the visitor is here to do. It needs to quickly capture their interest and convey the value they will receive.
• Short and targeted copy: The content on the landing page should be focused and easy-to-read to address the visitor’s pain points or desires directly.
• Persuasive visuals: High-quality, relevant images or videos should be used to  reinforce the message conveyed in the text. These visuals help engage visitors and support the overall narrative of the landing page.
• Prominent CTA: Include an unmistakable button or form that motivates the visitor. Clicking the button or filling out the form should be the only thing they can do on the page. 

An Example of a Fantastic Landing Page Design That Converts

We’ve been describing the features of a successful landing page. Now, let’s look at an actual landing page in action, like this sign-up page from Crowd Content.

Visitors find this page from Crowd Content’s “Services” page. After clicking on “Local SEO City Pages,” they are directed to a more detailed page about that service. A CTA button in the middle of the page says, “Get Started Now.”

Clicking that button takes visitors to the page where they can book a meeting. It’s a simple visual layout of side-by-side blue and white rectangles. The blue sidebar on the left offers social proof in the form of benefits, review stars, and a testimonial. 

The right side has visually hierarchical headline elements that lead directly to the form. 

The form asks for only the most critical info. Then, a bright blue button says, “Sign Up.” Beyond that, the only links are to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy, or a sign-in link if the visitor already has an account. 

The only other piece of information is a phone number. The potential customer has traveled this far through your sales funnel to reach the account creation form, so that is all you want them to do here.

How to Create a Landing Page From Scratch

Driving conversions and capturing leads is crucial to any marketing campaign’s success. Follow this easy step-by-step process to craft a high-converting landing page from the ground up.

1. Identify Your Target Audience 

Create a detailed outline of your ideal customer. Understand their demographics, interests, and pain points to tailor your landing page to their needs.

2. Set Your Goal 

Determine the specific, single purpose of your landing page. Is it to generate leads? Sell a product? Promote an event?

3. Create an Outline 

Map out the essential elements of your landing page. The headline, value proposition, features/benefits, social proof, and CTA should be short, clear, and obvious. 

4. Develop the Design 

Develop a visually appealing yet clean and distraction-free design that aligns with your brand identity. Create mock-ups to experiment with different layouts and elements before finalizing the design.

5. Craft the Content

Write persuasive, benefit-driven copy that speaks directly to your target audience’s needs and desires. Use clear, concise language and avoid jargon or fluff.

6. Get the CTAs Right 

Your call-to-action buttons or forms should be prominent and enticing, and clearly communicate the desired action. Strategically place the CTAs right next to the information to maximize engagement.

7. Highlight Social Proof  

Build trust and credibility by showcasing customer testimonials, case studies, industry badges, or statistics that validate your offer.

8. Preview & Test

Before launch, thoroughly test your landing page across devices and browsers. Ensure the flow works smoothly and the visuals are consistent. This step helps identify and fix any issues before going live. 

9. Get Tracking & Performance in Place  

Integrate analytics tools to track metrics such as traffic sources, conversion rates, and user behavior. Use this baseline data to determine if the campaign needs adjustments in the future.

10. Refine & Optimize 

Continuously analyze performance data and user feedback to identify areas for improvement. Experiment with different headlines, designs, or CTAs through A/B testing to maximize conversions over time. Regularly refining and optimizing your landing page ensures it remains effective and continues to drive results.

Should I Use a Template?

Using a pre-designed landing page template can seem like a tempting shortcut. Weigh the pros and cons before deciding if a template is the right approach for your needs.

Pros:

• Templates save time because they provide a ready-made structure.
• Many template options are free or budget-friendly, making them an affordable solution.
• Most templates allow for simple customization of colors, fonts, and content.
• Templates are typically already responsive and mobile-optimized.

Cons:

• You risk having a landing page that looks similar to other landing pages or looks “generic,” because templates are widely available and used for numerous different promotions.
• Customization options may be limited, which prevents you from fully tailoring the template to meet your specific needs. 
• Templates may not match your specific marketing goals or target audience.
• Free templates may not provide the high-quality user experience your brand needs.

While templates can be a viable option for businesses with limited resources, professional help may be the better route for those seeking a truly customized, high-converting landing page. Remember, quality is key when it comes to landing pages, and a unique, well-designed page can make a significant difference in your campaign’s success. 

At Crowd Content, our team of expert copywriters, designers, and marketers can collaborate with you to craft a bespoke, high-performing landing page tailored to your unique needs. Let us help you create a landing page that truly stands out and delivers results.

How to Create a Landing Page for Free

In today’s digital landscape, having an effective landing page is crucial for driving conversions and capturing leads. Fortunately, creating a professional-looking landing page doesn’t have to break the bank. 

Start by selecting a free landing page builder like Unbounce (free trial); Leadpages (offers a money-back guarantee if you don’t get at least 30 leads within 30 days); or Instapage (14-day free trial). These platforms provide easy interfaces for creating landing pages without coding skills.

Once you’ve chosen a platform, browse through the available templates and select one that aligns with your brand and campaign goals. 

After selecting a template, customize it to fit your needs. Most builders allow you to edit the text, images, colors, and layout, enabling you to create a landing page that reflects your brand identity.

Social proof can go a long way toward building trust and credibility with your visitors. Include customer testimonials, case studies, or industry badges to showcase your expertise and past successes. This validation can make visitors more likely to convert.

Make sure your CTA is prominently displayed and unmissable. Use contrasting colors and strategic placement to guide visitors toward the desired action, whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource, or making a purchase. 

While your landing page builder might offer basic analytics, consider integrating more robust tools like Google Analytics (free) to track your page’s performance and make data-driven optimizations.

Once your landing page is live, continually test and refine it. Experiment with different headlines, visuals, and CTAs through A/B testing to find the winning combination.

Remember, while creating a landing page for free is possible, it’s essential to prioritize quality over cost. If you find yourself struggling or lacking the time and resources, consider working with experienced landing page experts like Crowd Content to ensure your landing page is optimized for maximum conversions and ROI.

Our Picks for the Best Landing Page Tools

1. Unbounce

• Overview: Unbounce allows users to create, publish, and test landing pages without the need for coding knowledge or IT resources.
• Ideal for: Building high-converting landing pages for various marketing campaigns including lead generation, click-through campaigns, and product launches.
• Suitable for: Businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises, across various industries.
• Pros: Drag-and-drop builder, mobile-responsive templates, A/B testing capabilities, integration with popular marketing tools.
• Cons: Limited customization options for advanced users, additional costs for premium features.
• Cost: Starts at $99/month, with a 14-day free trial available.
  

2. Instapage

• Overview: Instapage is a landing page solution that focuses on creating post-click experiences and optimizing for conversions.
• Ideal for: Creating landing pages for PPC campaigns, product launches, webinars, and other marketing initiatives.
• Suitable for: Businesses of all sizes, particularly those with a strong focus on paid advertising and conversion rate optimization.
• Pros: Intuitive builder, heat maps, conversion analytics, integration with popular advertising platforms.
• Cons: Limited free plan, relatively steep learning curve.
• Cost: Starts at $199/month, with a 14-day free trial available.
  

3. Leadpages

• Overview: Leadpages is a versatile platform that allows you to create landing pages, websites, pop-ups, and alert bars.
• Ideal for: Building landing pages, opt-in forms, and lead magnets for capturing leads and growing email lists.
• Suitable for: Small businesses, entrepreneurs, and marketers looking for an all-in-one solution.
• Pros: Affordable pricing, intuitive drag-and-drop builder, more than 250 templates, integrated email marketing tools.
• Cons: Limited customization options, some features may be overkill for simple landing page needs.
• Cost: Starts at $37/month, with a free trial available (limited features).
  

4. HubSpot

• Overview: HubSpot is a comprehensive marketing, sales, and customer service platform that includes a landing page builder.
• Ideal for: Creating landing pages as part of an integrated marketing strategy, including email campaigns, lead nurturing, and CRM integration.
• Suitable for: Businesses of all sizes that are looking for an all-in-one solution for their marketing, sales, and customer service needs.
• Pros: Seamless integration with other HubSpot tools, extensive customization options, advanced analytics and reporting.
• Cons: Expensive for small businesses or those only needing a landing page builder — price includes much more than landing pages.
• Cost: Starts at $15/month for the Marketing Hub (includes landing pages), free trial available.
  

These are just a few of the many landing page tools available on the market. If you’re unsure which tool is best for your business or you need professional assistance with landing page creation, consider reaching out to Crowd Content’s team of experts for personalized guidance.

Legal Considerations for Landing Pages

Don’t overlook your legal compliance responsibilities. As you capture leads and drive conversions, you must also adhere to privacy laws and regulations to protect user data. 

One of the most significant legal considerations for landing pages is compliance with data protection and privacy laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States. These laws govern how businesses collect, store, and use personal data, including the information gathered through landing page forms and lead capture mechanisms.

Have clear and accessible privacy policies and terms of service that outline how you handle user data. Where applicable, include consent forms that allow visitors to explicitly agree to your data collection and usage practices. This transparency is essential for building trust and staying compliant with legal requirements.

Beyond data privacy, there may be other legal considerations depending on your industry, your location, and the nature of your landing page content. For instance, certain claims or representations made on your landing pages may need to be substantiated to comply with advertising and consumer protection laws. Making unverified claims can lead to legal repercussions, so always ensure your content is accurate and supported by evidence.

Reputable organizations, such as the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA, formerly known as the Direct Marketing Association), also offer educational resources, best practices, and industry-specific guidelines to help businesses stay compliant.

Leveraging Landing Pages for Enhanced Marketing Outcomes

Even though digital marketing is ever-evolving, landing pages remain a powerful tool. By strategically incorporating well-designed landing pages into your marketing strategy when there is a specific goal in mind, you can maximize marketing impact and drive tangible results.

Landing pages are dedicated post-click destinations that allow you to laser-target specific audience segments, eliminate unnecessary distractions, and guide visitors through a carefully curated journey that leads them directly where you want them to go.

A landing page is not a one-and-done concept. Check your ROI and A/B test to keep your campaigns relevant and successful. 

Whether you hire a content company to create a customized landing page for you or create your own, a strong landing page will strike a balance between targeted content and the buyer’s journey. Ultimately, leveraging landing pages as a core component of your digital marketing strategy is a strategic investment that yields tangible returns. 

The post How to Create a Landing Page That Converts appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Today’s AI landing page creation tools leverage emerging artificial intelligence tech to significantly speed up the process of producing stunning pages, saving you time and effort in the process. They also make your production routine more efficient by reducing the potential for human error and bridging any possible design or copywriting limitations. 

The individual benefits AI landing page builders bring to the table vary from tool to tool, but some key examples to keep in mind include:

• Features like A/B testing tools to optimize layouts and smart copywriting assistants to craft compelling headlines and CTAs
• Help creating or fine-tuning written copy
• Seamless integration with your existing digital marketing stack
  

Whether or not you decide to make AI part of your ongoing strategy, making multiple landing pages part of the mix is always advisable. Doing so significantly boosts search engine visibility while giving your conversion rates wings, and using AI wisely is one way to take the hassle and tedium out of the process.

However, it’s also crucial to understand that while AI tools like landing page builders are genuine game-changers, they should always be approached as tools. Even the best AI-generated content requires a round of human-powered editing, fact-checking, and polishing to ensure accuracy, proper brand messaging, and alignment with your long-term business goals.

Why AI Landing Page Builders Are Game-Changers

Putting together even one high-converting landing page that successfully drives traffic and converts visitors frequently takes hours, even for experienced marketers. Producing multiple pages, each as efficient as the last, naturally takes even longer. 

Today’s cutting-edge AI technology streamlines this process by speeding it up, removing the guesswork, and saving you a fortune in time and money. Here are some key examples of how.

Automation

As any experienced digital marketing professional already knows, automating repetitive tasks changes the game entirely. An AI landing page builder saves you time and reduces the likelihood of human error by automating tasks like image optimization, filling pages with content, swiftly inserting keywords, etc.

Effective personalization

In 2024, audiences expect more from the content they consume than thin, generic information, landing pages included. They want relevant, personalized content that feels on-target when it comes to their needs and goals. AI builders bridge this gap by analyzing user behavior and suggesting appropriate improvements.

Dynamic variations

The more landing pages your campaign calls for, the harder it becomes to keep each one as distinctive and engaging as all the others. AI helps facilitate the different variations on a theme that you need for your campaign to be truly successful.

Improved efficiency

Whether you’re working solo or with an entire marketing team, the right AI tools fill in the gaps in expertise. They allow you to create high-performance landing pages without needing specialized skills in design, copywriting and layout. You can achieve awesome results without being a design or marketing expert.

Helpful insights

AI page builders often offer users additional insights into each page’s efficiency. Instead of crossing your fingers, publishing your page, and hoping for the best, these tools offer predictive analytics and performance suggestions to help you optimize future performance.

Naturally, it’s not impossible to create high-conversion landing pages without AI. But adding AI to your workflow can make it easier to accurately personalize your user experience and make your pages more engaging. When brands make consumers feel valued and understood, they earn sales and win customers.

Top AI Landing Page Builders on the Market

AI is red hot in 2024, and getting hotter by the second. As a result, there are numerous page builders and helpful tools on the market today, making it tough to choose the right option for you. Check out our comprehensive AI landing page software comparison round-up below for a closer look at some of today’s best, most widely trusted options.

Sitekick

Superlative

Best for businesses of all types and sizes

Intro to the builder

Sitekick’s biggest claims to fame are its speed and versatility. Designed to serve businesses of various sizes and types, Sitekick leverages cutting-edge automation tech to produce stunning landing pages that are both aesthetically pleasing and fully optimized with conversions in mind.

Pros and cons

Sitekick’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to customize the tool to suit your needs. You can customize your dashboard and analytics tools to better match your business goals and preferences. It also integrates seamlessly with popular platforms like Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Shopify, and WordPress.

However, some users report having issues using Sitekick on older devices or with niche browsers. It’s also less focused on key digital marketing factors like SEO, website accessibility, and website performance than other options may be, so you’ll want to adopt additional measures to cover those bases.

Special features

What features set Sitekick apart from the rest of the options out there? Let us count the ways:

• One-click landing page creation lets you create your next page in just seconds.
• Conversion is front and center thanks to high-performance design, development, and copywriting options.
• Sitekick users get ongoing access to DALL-E 3, which means endless original AI-generated images that are just right for your pages.
• Integrated AI is the result of high-level training on over 1,000 top-performing landing pages for maximum results.

Pricing

At the time of this posting, there isn’t a free trial available. However, Sitekick offers three different pricing tiers, the better to suit a wide range of businesses. Monthly rates come in at $20 for the Basic package, $49 for Pro, and $99 for Agency.

What we’ve heard

“Sitekick has helped me save time and money,” says Andy Matthews of Nicely Network. “I’m able to quickly build great-looking, conversion-focused landing pages with just a few clicks of the mouse!”

Use case and best practices

Sitekick’s interface is fairly foolproof, even if you have little experience creating landing pages. Additionally, you can maximize the quality of your initial results by accurately describing your product or service in detail. It’s also a good idea to further polish and refine your copy via a human touch to ensure accuracy, tone, and flow.

Headlime

Superlative

Best for easy customization

Intro to the builder

Featuring a user-friendly drag-and-drop system, Headlime is a solid choice for would-be landing page designers who want to create genuinely unique landing pages regardless of their skill level. Think hundreds of pre-built templates, stunning fonts, and unique features to help your page stand out.

Pros and cons

Headlime goes beyond simply helping you generate compelling copy with AI to fully integrating it into an optimized HTML template. The extensive range of available templates and customization options takes the guesswork out of helping your pages look sleek, original, and unique. You can also try Headlime out for free when you sign up for a trial.

One possible drawback is that Headlime operates on a credit-based system for individuals and smaller businesses, which may not suit everyone. There are also only two tier options to choose from with a significant price difference between them.

Special features

What features help Headlime stand out and make it a particularly solid choice? Here are some examples:

• A streamlined algorithm-based interface ensures all generated copy is properly personalized to suit your audience.
• The highly user-friendly editor lets you drag and drop various elements to create unique designs, choose from a wide range of colors, select unique fonts, etc.
• Headlime’s AI is designed with conversion in mind.
• The page builder is ultra-fast, choosing and optimizing ideal templates based on the provided product description in just seconds.
• Besides the landing page builder, Headlime offers a document generator and an AI blog assistant.

Pricing

Headlime offers two different user tier packages — the individual package for $59 per month or the business package which scales starting at $399 per month based on number of users. You can try either package on for size before committing via a free trial, with no credit card necessary.

What we’ve heard

“A fantastic little gem,” says speaker and author Robin Good regarding his Headlime experience. “It truly does what it promises.”

Use case and best practices

Headlime isn’t just great at taking the hassle out of generating beautiful, effective web pages in instants. It can also help you give important portions of your content some pop. Be sure to try out the headline generation option for some eye-catching ideas, as well as all of the customization choices.

Unbounce

Superlative

Best for boosting conversions

Intro to the builder

Unbounce is true to its name with a strong focus on maximizing conversions and lowering bounce rates. It accomplishes this by routing web visitors to the most appropriate of your landing pages for their needs. Features like personalized recommendations, popups, and sticky bars make the creation process easy, too.

Pros and cons

Unbounce is ideal for marketers looking to improve user experience (UX) thanks to features that ensure mobile responsiveness, a simple A/B testing option, and various personalization approaches. It also comes equipped with a suite of highly effective conversion tracking tools.

However, prospective users should be aware that split-testing options are only available via the higher tiers. There are also monthly conversion limits to consider. Some users report minor alignment issues between the standard and mobile versions of the builder, as well.

Special features

The following are just a few examples of features that set Unbounce apart for those looking to build fantastic landing pages with AI:

• You can easily create proven standout page features with Unbounce, including pop-ups, sticky bars, and similar options.
• Templates are industry-optimized to maximize results and make getting started easy.
• Dynamic text options let you adjust the copy of your landing pages to better match with the search terms that bring in visitors.
• A/B testing takes the guesswork out of improving your pages over time.
• Advanced copywriting tools let you expand and remix content, in addition to generating it.

Pricing

You can try Unbounce free for fourteen days, making it a great option for those looking for the best free AI landing page builders. From there, you can choose from four different pricing tiers. Monthly fees are $79 for the Build tier, $149 for the Experiment tier, $249 for the Optimize tier, and $649 for the Concierge tier.

What we’ve heard

Nick Heim of Hotjar reports a major jump in new users after integrating Unbounce into the company workflow. “We’re getting 60-70 new users per month as a result of Unbounce popups,” he says.

Use case and best practices

Get the most out of Unbounce’s exceptional potential for boosting conversions by taking full advantage of its customization tools. Creator recommendations guide you through the building process step by step, regardless of your skill level. Take advantage of the A/B testing feature to help ensure all of your pages are measuring up to their full potential.

Canva

Superlative

Best for builders who need a free option

Intro to the builder

Canva is a long-time favorite among bloggers, marketers, and content creators everywhere for its user-friendly selection of design tools. These include a free AI landing page builder that simplifies processes like building newsletter audiences or showcasing key products.

Pros and cons

Canva’s unparalleled popularity is largely due to its ease of use and low learning curve. Creating landing pages is simple, intuitive, and easy to facilitate via mobile devices, making it a great choice for content creators and marketers who frequently work this way. There are plenty of dynamic, beautiful design options to explore for various purposes, as well.

However, Canva may not be the best fit for marketers in search of an advanced SEO-forward option. There are also limits to what Canva can accomplish when it comes to important factors like web responsiveness and advanced optimization.

Special features

Thinking of giving Canva a shot at helping you generate your next collection of landing pages? Here’s a closer look at some of the key features you can look forward to exploring:

• Choose from a free catalog of thousands of customizable templates.
• You can easily use Canva to put together a stunning color palette based on any image — perfect for matching branded assets you already have.
• Canva is extremely share-friendly with lots of tools for exporting and distributing content.
• Access a wide range of free imagery, icons, graphics, and other visual assets with Canva.
• You can use Canva to customize tables, charts, and similar features with ease.

Pricing

Canva users have four different pricing tiers to consider. The first is the free tier, which is available to single users. When you’re ready to upgrade, monthly rates for additional tiers shake out to $14.99 for Canva Pro, $15.99 per person for Canva for Teams, and a case-by-case pricing system for Canva Enterprise.

What we’ve heard

“Canva has become our one-stop shop,” says Expedia Group’s own Molly Martin. “Just being able to be in one centralized place and grab a logo, photo, or template is incredible.”

Use case and best practices

Canva is terrific for creating landing pages that blend seamlessly into your ongoing approach to branding. Be sure to take advantage of options like the color palette creator to ensure your creations make it clear your brand is behind them. Experiment with additional features to add elements like video, vectors, icons, and textures for added creativity.

Writesonic

Superlative

Best for high-quality written copy and headlines

Intro to the builder

Marketers looking for an AI landing page builder that can handle copy like a champ are great candidates for Writesonic. Top-tier text-generation tools take the confusion out of generating options like dynamic headlines, calls-to-action, feature-benefit breakdowns, and pain point-focused copy.

Pros and cons

Writesonic is truly impressive when it comes to AI-generated copywriting. Not only can it help you generate amazing headlines, conversion-focused calls-to-action, and well-structured copy, but you can also adjust voice or style and seamlessly integrate target keywords into generated text. It’s also a great tool for content creation teams due to its collaborative features.

But as effective as Writesonic is on the copy front, it’s somewhat limited when it comes to other advanced editing features, especially as compared to other options on the market. Some users also say it has a steeper learning curve than average.

Special features

Need a closer look at some of the individual features that make Writesonic such a popular choice in 2024? Here are a few examples to consider:

• Writesonic guarantees 100% original content 
• It can create  everything from blog posts, to advertising copy and dynamic meta descriptions.
• Summaries are also easy to create, thanks to a one-click article summarizer feature.
• Need to adjust existing copy to better suit your needs? Try the text expander to flesh out or otherwise lengthen your copy.
• Choose from a wealth of content-generation templates designed for optimizing website copy, social media content, product descriptions, blog posts, standalone articles, and ads.

Pricing

Writesonic features a good range of usage tiers and pricing options, so there’s truly an option here for everyone. (Different tiers grant access to different Writesonic features.) There’s a free tier available for single users who’d like to try it on for size. Monthly fees for additional tiers are $15 for Chatsonic Pro, $20 for Individual, $30 for Teams, and custom case-by-case pricing for Enterprise.

What we’ve heard

Writesonic’s Wall of Love is full of testimonials from happy customers who love it. Verified Writesonic user Kevin Mooney loves the quality level of Writesonic’s output and says, “The AI sometimes generates better ideas and writes better than me.” Other users praise the product for its impeccable grammar, accuracy, and versatility.

Use case and best practices

Writesonic is best used to help out with copy-focused landing pages and features, like headlines, meta descriptions, basic blog posts, and advertising copy. It can also help with overcoming writer’s block andgenerating new content ideas. 

For best results, consider adding Writesonic to a broader workflow that also includes page design tools and professional copy editors who can help add a human touch to your content.

Take Your AI Landing Page Builder Results to the Next Level

In 2024, it’s safe to say that AI tools are more than just a fad or a passing trend. This is revolutionary technology capable of making brands and marketing teams significantly more productive while also helping them maximize creativity.

Top AI landing page builders like Sitekick, Headlime, and Writesonic help compensate for knowledge gaps and democratize the ability to create genuinely stunning landing pages that convert. Comparing AI landing page builder features and pricing before pulling the trigger on a purchase ensures a choice you’ll be happy with.

However, pages that rocket to the top of key search engine results pages (SERPs) should also pass through the hands of expert human copy editors to guarantee high quality, pinpoint accuracy, and consistent brand voice. The key to succeeding with AI isn’t to treat it as a replacement for human creativity but to leverage it to make talented human creators more productive.

Don’t have a full-time copy editor on the payroll? Let Crowd Content’s copy editing team take your AI-generated content and transform it into something absolutely unstoppable. Take the next step, learn more about our trusted copy editing services today, and treat your online presence to the polish it deserves.

The post What Are the Best AI Landing Page Builders on the Market in 2024? appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

If you think of transition words as unnecessary frills, think again. They’re powerful weapons in your content marketing arsenal. Transition words move readers along your conversion funnel, just like clear site navigation and calls-to-action (CTAs). From a logic and flow standpoint, transition words enhance readability. Clear writing helps readers understand and engage with your message. Crucially, it’s something Google pays close attention to. For search engines, readability means a strong UX. It helps crawlers index your content and shows off your expertise and authority.

 Using transition words is essential to effective content creation. Getting better at using them will captivate readers, improve SEO, and boost conversions. Discover our practical tips, strategies, and tools for using transition words and phrases to elevate your content for impactful, seamless communication. 

What Are Transition Words and Phrases?

Transition phrases and words are mini bridges connecting sentences and paragraphs so readers can easily follow along. These little guys might seem like extras, but they play big roles. They show readers when you’re changing gears, introducing a new idea, or hammering home a point. Moreover, they make the reading experience more enjoyable by shaping the emotional arc and determining logical flow.

For readers to engage with your article’s message, they have to understand it. Sounds obvious, but it’s easier said than done. That’s because when you write, you know exactly what you’re trying to say. It’s easy to forget that readers aren’t inside your head. 

To follow along with your writing and remain enthralled, readers need an extra nudge in the right direction. Transition words offer that guidance.

Innovative strategies for using transition words and phrases 

If you have some writing experience, you likely know that overusing “and,” “but,” and “also” is a no-no. There’s a good chance you already connect paragraphs and sections with logical transitions and prioritize readability and clarity over excessive bridging. But there’s so much more to effectively using transition words.  

Marketing expert Chase Dimond’s tried-and-true tip for starting paragraphs with an arresting transition is a good place to start.

Let’s explore more strategies for using transition words:

• Genre-specific strategies: Tailoring transition choices to specific content types elevates their impact. In a narrative, transition words keep up the story’s momentum by signaling time, location, or perspective changes. For example, words and phrases such as “meanwhile,” “later,” and “the next day” indicate shifts in the timeline. With technical writing, precise transitions such as “therefore” or “conversely” clarify arguments and move readers along. In commercial copy, transitions like “crucially” and “as such” influence how the reader interprets your writing. Understanding which transitions work best for each type of copy is vital. Using scientific, stuffy transitions in a blog post about cute dog outfits is just as bad as not using any.  
• Strategic omission: Deliberately leaving out a transition in a high-stakes moment can build suspense. For instance, “The door creaked open, revealing darkness. Silence. Nothingness.” This device is especially effective in storytelling. 
• Rhetorical questions: Asking questions engages readers by drawing them into and guiding them through the article.  
• Technology: Text-to-speech software with advanced language modeling can make suggestions for transitions. 
• Categories: Get up to speed with which transition terms best suit each narrative function.

Some transition phrases and words improve structural flow, while others connect ideas. They can subtly influence readers’ opinions and add weight to your arguments.  

Transition Words List 

Smooth transitions are the bedrock of clear writing. Imagine building a house without beams and supports – it would quickly crumble. Similarly, writing without transition words makes content choppy and unclear.

Here are the key transition categories, their functions, and sample words and phrases for each. 

Structuring your writing 

Have you ever watched a movie that cuts to a new screen saying, “One year later” or “Five years earlier”? Much like those cinematic shifts, the following structural transition words can set the flow of your content, allowing you to pivot seamlessly.  

Use introduction transitions to set the scene:

first

to begin with

who would have thought

to start

today

these days

since 

Condition transitions introduce hypothetical situations:

if

provided 

unless

Time — these transitions establish the order of ideas or events:

after

afterward

before

as soon as

currently

during

finally

firstly

in the meantime

initially

lastly

presently 

meanwhile

next

now

subsequently

then

thereafter

to begin with

ultimately

whenever

Order transitions arrange points logically:

first

next

second

then

third

Conjunction transitions link sentences and paragraphs:

and 

but

for

nor

or

so

yet

Use summary transitions to wrap up your main points and make a memorable impression:

all in all

in brief

in conclusion

in essence

in short

in summary

on the whole

overall

wrapping up 

to conclude

to summarize

Connecting ideas

Transition phrases that connect ideas show how your ideas relate to each other. They create a smooth flow and help readers see the bigger picture.

Digression transitions add brief thoughts or comments that support or challenge your main idea:

by the way

incidentally

that said 

on the other hand

Use agreement transitions to show how your ideas connect in support of each other:

also

additionally

fortunately

what’s more

in addition

besides

correspondingly

equally 

further

furthermore

in the same way

in the same vein

likewise

moreover

similarly

too

Add nuance to your ideas by using comparison transitions:

although

conversely

despite

even though

however

in contrast

on the other hand

otherwise

regardless

still

while

yet

Guiding the reader’s understanding 

When you’re writing copy with a purpose, it goes without saying that you want to influence your audience. But guiding their understanding isn’t as straightforward as presenting an argument. You have to make sure they’re following you along every step of the way. How? By writing in a clear and engaging way, using these transitions to highlight key points and demonstrate authority. 

Probability transitions set up your opinions and nudge readers toward a desired outcome:

likely

perhaps

probably

By using certainty transitions, you signal your authority and build trust:

certainly

as soon as

definitively

undoubtedly

without a doubt

Use emphasis transitions to highlight key points and ideas and secure them in readers’ minds:

certainly

definitely

in fact

indeed

notably

significantly 

importantly

in particular

interestingly

more importantly

of course

perhaps most importantly

quite

what’s more

remarkably

specifically

truly

undoubtedly

Fine-tuning your argument

Transitions that fine-tune arguments add depth, nuance, and power to your writing. They acknowledge counterpoints, rephrase ideas for clarity, and show the cause-and-effect relationships between concepts.

Transitions that return to the main point help you circle back and reiterate your primary argument:

anyhow

anyway

on that note

that said

at any rate

in any case

Illustration transitions set up quotes and data — which are essential for making solid arguments:

for example

take

a study found

evidence shows

for instance

specifically

Similar to emphasis words, restatement transitions add weight to key points, but they do it via repetition:

in other words

put another way

to rephrase

Concession transitions acknowledge opposing views and demonstrate fairness and a well-rounded approach:

admittedly

although

even though

granted

of course

still

yet

Cause and effect transitions establish the causal relationships between events or ideas. They help readers understand the “why?”:

accordingly

as a consequence

as such

as a result

because

consequently

for this reason

hence

if so

since

so

therefore

thus

Transition Words and Phrases in Action

Engaging copy doesn’t have  transition words in every sentence; it strikes a careful balance. Here’s an excerpt from LinkedIn’s most-read article of all time:

There’s no formula or perfect number of transitions per paragraph or 100 words. However, with millions of views, almost 40,000 likes, and 4,661 comments, Dr. Bradberry’s article is a resounding example of engaging copy. He uses transition words to clarify arguments, guide readers through the piece, and signpost salient points. The post has made — and continues to make — such an impact because it’s useful, actionable, and easy to follow. 

Clunky, choppy, disjointed, and flat-out writing often needs smoother transitions. Dr. Bradberry’s article showcases readability’s power to make audiences and search engines happy. 

Good vs. bad transitions in writing

The University of Alabama, in Huntsville, provides a solid example of ineffective vs. effective transitions in writing:

In the poor transition example, the two sentences lack a smooth connection, which may cause readers to take a moment to discover or realize the connection. Therefore, readers might lose interest or stop trusting what they’re reading at that moment. As a brand or marketer, your ability to convince and convert rests upon that trust — so each transition is precious. 

The better transition example makes it clear that the sentences are connected, guiding. readers, along so they understand effortlessly.

Pressbooks’ Writing Textbook provides another example of bad transitions in writing. This post highlights how effective transitions are by removing just 16 words from a passage of text.

Look how much of an impact omitting the transition question between the two paragraphs has:

The writer outlines their argument in a rhetorical question that concludes the first paragraph. They answer it in the second, tying the ideas neatly together. See how much of a difference a simple transition can make?  

How to Weave Transition Words Into Your Writing

Now, you’ve seen how other writers use transitions to clarify their writing and engage readers. It may take some practice, but learning how to use transition words effectively will be time well spent  

Here’s a quick guide on using transition words in your writing:

• Map your masterpiece: Before putting pen to paper, brush up on transition categories and words. Then, keep transitions in mind as you create your content outline. Where will you use contrast? Where will you add emphasis? This roadmap helps you create a smooth flow. Always do a final proofread for clarity and flow.
• Think beyond basic transitions: While the words “and” and “but” are unavoidable, be sure to explore richer options. “As such,” for example, signals cause and effect, while “on the other hand” implies an opposing viewpoint.
• Variety is key: Never fall into the  trap of monotony. Combine short transitions with longer ones, using strong verbs and active voice to keep readers engaged.
• Transition within sentences: Don’t limit transitions between paragraphs. Use them creatively within sentences to emphasize your argument and keep readers engaged.
• Read aloud and ruthlessly revise: Once your draft is complete, read it aloud. This exposes clunky transitions and areas where smoother connections are needed.

Mastering transition words is no longer an advanced writing technique authors and scientists use. It’s a content marketing superpower. Transitions give you a competitive edge in a world where engaging content and strong SEO intertwine. 

As our VP of Content Operations, Rick Leach, says:

“While the definition of good writing can be hard to pin down, it relies heavily on transitions. With well-written content, readers forget they’re making an effort. It flows from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, and section to section. Transitions soften abrupt shifts from one idea to the next. In short, they help readers see the bigger picture without making them scratch their heads.”

Transition Words, SEO, and Readability

Attention spans are decreasing, and the digital marketplace is swelling. Plus, as search engine algorithms grow increasingly complex, the bar for SEO-friendly content keeps rising. With so much content competing for clicks, transitions are nonnegotiable for keeping readers hooked. 

Here’s how:

• Enhanced Readability: Transitions transform a series of disjointed sentences into a cohesive, comprehensible whole. This translates to higher engagement and longer dwell times, both things that Google loves.
• Improved SEO: Thoughtful transitions unpick relationships between keywords and concepts. This aids search engines in understanding your content’s context and relevance.
• User Engagement: Well-placed transitions keep readers moving forward with ease. Intuitive UX directly impacts SEO by encouraging people to keep exploring your content.

As you write, experiment with transitions beyond the familiar, and you’ll see results in both readership and rankings.

Transition Word Toolbox

Crafting smooth transitions is an art form. But, you don’t have to go it alone. This toolbox is brimming with resources that help you elevate your transition game. Each one can help you get better at writing transitions that connect, captivate, and convert.

AI-powered language tools

You can also utilize artificial intelligence to analyze your writing and provide suggestions tailored to your goals:

• Grammarly Business: An advanced grammar checker that suggests contextual transitions that seamlessly connect ideas.
• QuillBot: This AI-powered paraphrasing tool analyzes your text and recommends sophisticated synonyms for transition words.
• Writesonic: An AI writing assistant with a feature that restructures sentences for better flow, suggesting improved transitions in the process.

Advanced text analysis platforms

Move beyond spell-check. The following platforms delve deeper, offering feedback on sentence structure, transition variety, and potential areas for improvement.

• StyleWriter: Provides insights into sentence complexity and transition variety. It suggests areas where transitions can be strengthened to enhance clarity and flow.
• Cliche Finder: Scans your text for overused phrases, including generic transitions such as “however” or “in addition.” This tool recommends more specific and engaging alternatives.

Interactive style guides and writing communities

Sometimes, the best insights come from your fellow wordsmiths. Online communities and style guides offer collaboration, expert advice, and ongoing learning:

• ProWritingAid Community Forums: This online forum allows writers to share draft excerpts and receive feedback on transition effectiveness.
• Hemingway Editor: A writing tool that analyzes text for readability and highlights areas with complex sentence structure, prompting you to break down complex ideas.

Master Transitions to Increase Conversions

By now, you understand that transition words are much more than stylistic frills. They’re the invisible architects of engaging, SEO-friendly content. Transitions guide readers effortlessly through your content, ensuring they grasp your message and remain engaged. At the same time, they signal to search engines how your ideas connect, enhance content visibility, and showcase your expertise. 

The bottom line? Content that’s easy to follow is more persuasive. 

Crowd Content has an entire network of skilled, experienced writers. Our rigorous multi-step editorial process ensures every piece of content is clear and concise and flows perfectly.

You can discover how our expertise in content strategy can elevate readers’ engagement with your website content and enhance SEO by diving into our Content Strategy Services. There you’ll learn how to effectively use transition words and phrases to create structured, persuasive content. 

The post Transition Words and Phrases: Crafting Seamless Content appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

A content strategy is a detailed plan laying out how your business plans to engage customers using digital assets, such as online articles, videos, case studies, or podcasts. Think of it like a professional map pinpointing destinations from the top to the bottom of the funnel — a guide that delivers value, creates brand awareness, and carries your customer through every stage of the buyer’s journey. 

Core Elements of a Content Marketing Strategy

Just like you can’t make grilled cheese without bread, a content marketing strategy has nonnegotiable ingredients that pull everything together. You need to know who you’re targeting, the channels you’re using to reach them, and the goals you need to hit.

Identifying and understanding the target audience

Good content marketing revolves around your customers. You must know your audience and empathize with their needs to create content that resonates. After all, you can create a fascinating article or slick video. But if your customers shrug their collective shoulders and scroll past it, your message tumbles into the internet equivalent of a black hole.

That’s why your strategy must be customer-centric. Conduct in-depth research and analysis to learn about your browsers’ demographics, interests, behaviors, preferences, and frustrations. Use this information to determine the type of content to produce, topics to cover, and tone to adopt. 

Choosing content distribution channels

The next part of your strategy focuses on distributing content so audiences discover your brand. Choose channels that align with their preferences and behaviors, which you ideally established during your audience research. Consider the channels’ reach, engagement potential, and cost-effectiveness when finalizing your choices.

To maximize reach, we recommend a mix of channels for diversity.

• Owned channels, such as your website, blog, app, and email newsletter, are fully under your control.
• Paid channels can give you a significant lift in exposure, but they have a price tag. PPC ads, influencer partnerships, and sponsored content fall into this category.
• Earned channels include media mentions, user-generated content, and guest blogs. They require a third-party endorsement of your brand, which makes them feel more authentic to customers.

How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy: Step-by-Step

As you can tell, it takes time to develop a content marketing strategy that grows your business. It might seem daunting, but if you break the process into steps, your strategy slowly and surely comes together.

Define your audience

Start by defining your target audience. Buyer personas are useful for seeing your customers as people rather than a demographic. 

• Talk to your product team. Your colleagues likely performed audience research when designing and branding the product.
• Review website analytics. Google Analytics, for example, offers insights into audience demographics, location, interests, and their favored devices.
• Conduct surveys and focus groups. Ask questions about preferences, challenges, and where customers get information from.
• Monitor social media conversations. Listen to what audiences say about your industry, brand, and competitors.

Research keywords

SEO goes hand in hand with a content strategy. Perform keyword research using tools such as Semrush to ensure your content appears in the SERPs when your audience searches for your product or service. Lean on different keyword research tools to generate and analyze search terms so you can prioritize the ones with the most potential for your business. 

We recommend using keywords to guide your content — they’re not meant to be stuffed onto each page. Organize keywords into themes, and don’t forget long-tail keywords that reach customers with specific search intent. 

Set goals and choose KPIs

Remember that a content marketing plan needs a clear purpose to drive results. Your content goals might be to boost brand awareness, traffic, engagement, leads, conversions, or sales. Pair your goals with quantifiable metrics. These benchmarks are reference points for your progress, telling you which parts of your strategy might need a little TLC.  Over time, some metrics may spike, plateau, or drop. Use this data to keep your strategy on track and refine your tactics. Track key performance indicators regularly, especially after specific campaign rollouts. 

Determine content types and channels

Most content strategies rely heavily on blog posts because they easily adapt to your messaging. But you can (and should) draw on various content types to make your strategy more dynamic. Always keep your audience in mind, and match content to the buyer’s journey.

• E-books and white papers let you dive deep into a topic and provide thought leadership.
• Case studies draw on real-life examples to demonstrate a solution to a problem.
• How-to guides and instructional resources help readers accomplish a task.
• FAQs provide quick answers to common customer concerns.
• Webinars and podcasts are interactive workshops, presentations, and discussions that share expertise. 

Here’s a content strategy example. If you want to use content to generate leads, and your customer is a B2B decision-maker, consider a gated white paper on your website. If they frequent LinkedIn, create a video as a teaser to capture their interest, and link to your landing page in the post.

Conduct a content audit

You don’t need to start your content production from scratch. See what assets you already have by auditing your content and creating an inventory of previously published assets. List each item in a spreadsheet and track title, URL, content type, category or theme, buyer stage, and target keywords. Then, you can determine what content you need to complete your strategy.

Pro tip: At the same time, evaluate each page to ensure it contains high-quality content that meets Google’s excellence standards. Add any necessary content refreshes into your strategy.

Build a content calendar

A content calendar helps you visualize how the pieces of your plan should roll out. Plan it at least 6 months in advance, scheduling each piece with a publication date and working backward to determine writing, editing, and design deadlines. You can also use the calendar to assign your team specific roles, especially if you have a pool of writers. Editorial calendars are essential for staying organized and keeping things going after ideation. 

Executing Your Content Marketing Strategy

While a documented content marketing plan can lead you to your goals, you unlock its potential once it’s implemented and brought to life. Create an organized content production process to ensure what you publish strikes a chord with your audience. Then, promote your content diligently so they can discover it.

Content creation best practices

Audiences quickly decide if a piece of content is relevant or interesting. Use our content creation tips to produce stellar blog posts, articles, landing pages, and web content.

• Understand search intent. Users have a specific query in mind when they plug keywords into a search engine. If you’re targeting the search term “hatha yoga,” for example, determine if someone wants to know the history of hatha yoga, how to do it, or where to take classes. SEO tools can help with this, or you can look into the types of content currently ranking for the search term.
• Create content briefs. Use our content brief template, and give your writers guidelines for crafting each piece. A brief covers keywords, search intent, target audience, People Also Ask questions, tone, style, word count, and deadlines. 
• Make your content exceptional. Follow the basics of good content creation, such as writing concisely and proofreading before publishing. Every piece should provide value, such as original research and real-life examples.
• Incorporate multimedia. Perk up written text with graphics, slide shows, or video to help tell your story in a visually appealing way. 
• Optimize for SEO. It can seem like Google’s algorithms are random and mysterious, but there’s a method to the madness. Improve your chances of ranking by helping search engines understand the content. Add meta titles and descriptions, organize content with headers, use descriptive anchor text and URLs, and optimize for featured snippets. Videos should include transcripts for those who prefer to read, and images should have alt-text for accessibility.
• Include CTAs. Help readers navigate your website and get to the next stage of their journey with strong, clear calls to action. You can incorporate these as links within your copy or as more prominent buttons.
• Stay true to your brand. To build loyalty, each piece of content should reflect the essence of your brand so audiences know what to expect. Marketing specialist Ann Handley describes this as “artisanal content.” In a recent Crowd Content webinar about the future of content marketing, Handley explained, “[It’s] content that can only come from you … that’s really infused with your voice, with your point of view, or with your face, in some situations. It can’t come from anyone else; it won’t sound the same. [It] feels almost handcrafted for us specifically.” 

Effective distribution channels

Search engines, newsletters, social media, and paid ads all help distribute your content to a broad audience. To get the most impact, ensure the format suits the channel. Buffer, for example, promotes articles on LinkedIn as carousels. As users have to swipe through the content, it’s more engaging than simply posting a text summary. 

At Crowd Content, we use multiple channels to distribute content more widely. Our blog post about whether AI content can rank in Google doubled as a jumping-off point for a podcast discussion.  

“There’s no one size fits all recipe when it comes to determining what channels you should use for your business as far as what’s going to work well for you — not just the mix, but the weighting,” our VP of Content Operations, Rick Leach, recently explained. “I encourage you to try, measure, adjust … then increase or decrease the percentage of resources that go toward that channel as the data tells you.” 

Measuring the Success of Your Content Marketing Strategy

Once you have your strategy in motion, monitor your progress across your distribution channels. Platforms such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite, HubSpot, Semrush, and Ahrefs capture website analytics and integrate with social networking and email platforms to consolidate data into a single dashboard. 

Key performance indicators in content marketing

Choose KPIs related to your content marketing goals so you can make data-informed decisions and fine-tune your tactics. 

Analytics for strategy optimization 

You might feel like you’re swimming in numbers once the data starts rolling in. Tackle your analytics in the same way you put together your content strategy: methodically.

Search for patterns, trends, and possible issues with your content performance. For example, begin investigating if your engagement metrics show audiences aren’t interacting. Look at individual pieces of content that are drop-off points in the funnel, or segment audiences by demographics, device, or behavior to see if a particular group isn’t engaging.

Based on the findings, you might improve navigation, design, or CTAs. You could also experiment with formats, topics, and storytelling techniques that better resonate with audience preferences. Using your data and analysis, make incremental adjustments to your content to optimize it, and continue monitoring and adjusting.

Future Trends in Content Marketing Strategy

When you think you’ve got your content marketing strategies nailed down, things shift. It’s one of the realities of our chaotic, digital world. You can expect audience preferences to change, new competitors and technologies to pop up, and algorithm updates to steer content in new directions. Adopt a proactive approach so you can prepare for these inevitable shifts.

Emerging technologies in content marketing

Businesses are already exploring how artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies can support content marketing. Be open to experimentation and innovation that can refine your strategies and set you apart from competitors. For example:

• Content intelligence platforms identify topics for different stages of the buyer’s journey and predict the best distribution channels.
• AI writing tools can help with research and outlining. (But make sure your final content has a human touch.)
• AI-powered web analytics tools quickly process data to detect trends and patterns and anticipate future behavior.
• Augmented and virtual reality offer new formats for storytelling.

Changing consumer behaviors

No matter what technology you leverage, don’t lose sight of your audience. Keep a pulse on your customers. Continue to talk to them through focus groups and surveys to understand their priorities. Employ social media monitoring to listen in on real-time concerns. When you understand what’s driving audience behaviors, you can provide better content solutions to meet their needs.

Crafting a Successful Content Marketing Strategy for Your Business

Once you build a solid framework for your content marketing, it’s easier to create pieces that appeal to your audience and inspire them toward desired goals. Spend some time laying the groundwork by getting to know your customers, establishing objectives, and choosing relevant distribution channels. Stay on track by monitoring KPIs and audience behaviors, and refine tactics with your sights set firmly on your goals. 

Maximize your content potential

Ready to revolutionize your brand’s digital presence? Discover how Crowd Content’s content strategy services can elevate your business. Our team of experts is dedicated to crafting bespoke strategies that resonate with your audience and drive results.

The post Unlock the Power of Digital Storytelling With a Content Marketing Strategy appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Intros set the stage for that all-important first impression — not just for a specific article but for your entire brand. They establish trust, help readers understand what to expect, and let them know if your content aligns with their search goals. Nail them and watch bounce rates tank while engagement and time on page soar. These are the types of metrics Google cares about — not backlink counts.  

The treasure map doesn’t lead you to any clever tricks or shortcuts. You have to demonstrate expertise, trustworthiness, and relatability through focused storytelling. Below, we outline five strategies for writing introductions that engage readers and compel them to take action. 

1. Meet Readers’ Expectations

Specializing in the practice of rhetoric, George Gopen believes engagement hinges on a writer’s ability to meet readers’ expectations. That means being able to anticipate and fulfill their needs.

Like trail markers on a hike, clear signals of an article’s argument, purpose, and intent keep people moving in the right direction. 

You have to provide obvious cues about content, structure, and direction along the way — in titles, headings, introductions, and section transitions. Each point serves as a signpost, setting up an expectation in the reader’s mind and drawing them in closer. 

In the Gonzaga Law Review, Denise Riebe backs Gopen’s theory, saying, “By consistently placing pieces of information where readers expect it, writers gain readers’ trust.” An intro that follows smoothly and logically from your headline establishes trust right off the bat. To maintain it, demonstrate experience and expertise, and meet readers’ expectations throughout the piece.

Based on Gopen’s teachings, some things to avoid when writing blog intros include:

• Intros that don’t relate to the headline
• Unclear purpose and direction
• Overly complex, wordy, or dense intros
• Lack of engagement techniques, such as storytelling, rhetorical questions, or filler quotes

For content creators, that means writing highly focused blog intros that capture the intent of your target audience. Show off your expertise, share opinions, write with confidence, and use transition words to guide your audience seamlessly from point to point. 

Never overpromise and underdeliver. Engage your audience with well-thought-out examples, opinions, and scenarios — not gimmicks or clickbait.  

What about hooks?

Writers have been using hooks since the dawn of storytelling, but a hook alone isn’t enough to make a blog engaging. 

When marketers write blog post intros, they want readers to take action. Storytelling paints a picture of how the article directly relates to them. It creates an emotional connection between your brand and the audience by holding up a mirror to their fears, pain points, and desires.

2. Master the Art of Storytelling

Master the art of brand storytelling, and you’re well on the way to being crowned as content royalty. 

Look at it this way: Imagine yourself sitting by a crackling fireplace, listening to Grandpa spin a tale. He doesn’t throw facts at you. He draws you in with vivid descriptions, relatable characters, and a touch of mystery. That’s the power of storytelling we’re aiming for.

Our Vice President of Content Operations, Rick Leach, says,

“Storytelling is an effective tactic for engaging audiences in an article’s intro. It’s more relatable than tired and readily available statistics and builds reader trust better than gimmicky hooks. It also sets the stage for the reader, showing them what’s coming next is what they need.”

Let’s explore some dynamic ways to use storytelling in intros.

Paint a captivating picture

Describe a captivating scene to set the stage for your article. Use imagery in a way that immediately grabs the reader’s attention, places them right in the thick of it, and makes them curious about what unfolds next.

Say you’re writing an article for an inbound sales company about how to close more deals. The intro might start like this:

Ever feel like you’re battling uphill against a relentless current, desperately trying to close more deals? You’re not alone. Our guide acts as your trusty raft, navigating you through calmer waters and revealing insider secrets to closing deals that’ll have you riding the wave of success in no time.

Introduce a relatable character

Introduce a relatable character facing a challenge your audience experiences. As readers visualize themselves in the character’s situation, they’re compelled to discover how the story unfolds and what lessons they can learn. Continue referencing the character throughout the piece to keep readers engaged in their story. 

Here’s an example intro opening for a blog post about conversion rates for a digital marketing agency:

Meet Sarah, a brand-new digital marketer feeling lost in the jungle of online engagement. Among the tangled vines of clicks and impressions, Sarah uncovers a hidden gem: conversion rates. 

Tell a personal story

Share a personal anecdote or experience that aligns with your audience’s search intent. This adds authenticity and depth to your writing while building trust and rapport with your audience. Offering a glimpse into your world makes you relatable and demonstrates your topical authority to help them problem-solve. 

Let’s look at the first few lines of a recruitment company’s fictional blog intro about the top 10 traits of impactful leaders:

I’m Alex, a seasoned recruiter with a proven track record of hiring exceptional leaders. After running a business for 12 years, I’ve crafted a definitive list of the top 10 traits possessed by impactful leaders.

Set up a mystery

Begin with a mysterious or puzzling scenario that intrigues readers and makes them want to uncover the answers. Using precise, targeted language throughout your article ensures flow and seamless transitions as readers move through the piece.  

If an HVAC company writes a blog post about upgrading your cooling system, the intro might look like this:

Is your home suddenly a sauna? Perhaps your energy bills are soaring, yet you’re still shivering under thin blankets. These might be signs it’s time to investigate your cooling system’s health.

Invoke emotion

Craft your introduction to evoke specific emotions, such as empathy, aspiration, and a sense of belonging. This fosters deep connections and makes storytelling compelling and memorable. Everyone agrees striking an emotional cord with their targetted audience is the holy grail of marketing in the digital age. 

Here’s an example of how to start a blog post for an addiction treatment center. The article discusses the first step on the path to recovery: 

In the journey toward healing, every step, no matter how small, is a testament to your courage and resilience. Take the first step on the path to recovery with us, where compassionate guidance and practical advice await. 

3. Pose Questions and Integrate Quotes

Quotes and questions are powerful tools for writing blog intros, captivating readers, and arousing interest from the outset. Strategically incorporate these elements into your storytelling efforts.

Questions immediately pique readers’ curiosity and invite them to reflect on the topic at hand. Use questions to introduce a problem, prompting readers to continue reading in search of answers. Asking questions in this way creates a two-way dialogue between writer and reader, sparking deeper engagement with the content.

Quotes can add credibility, authority, and depth to blog intros — but they need to provide value. Source them from experts, industry leaders, or influencers to offer fresh or thought-provoking perspectives on a topic. Always remember to tailor the quote to user intent. For example, if you’re writing for an audience that seeks reassurance, don’t use a negative quote. Let’s say you’re working on a blog post for a rehab clinic titled Do I Need Addiction Treatment? If you start with a quote that suggests 60% of people relapse, you won’t be particularly persuasive. 

4. Strike a Balance Between SEO and Reader Engagement

Since Google’s helpful content update and the relentless march of AI, crushing SEO and reader engagement with equal force has become critical for success. Content marketers practicing the dark arts of keyword stuffing and backlink buying have been banished to irrelevance. Now, the name of the game is balance — juggling the demands of search algorithms with the desires of real people.

But how do you approach this tussle between optimization and engagement? Let’s explore some advanced optimization strategies that go far beyond keyword placement.

Advanced SEO strategies

Improve your content’s visibility using advanced SEO techniques for writing blog intros.

• Semantic search optimization: Embrace semantic search optimization to align with the evolving nature of search engines. Focus on understanding the intent behind search queries and delivering relevant content accordingly. Use synonyms, semantic variations, and related terms to naturally weave keywords into intros.
• Content structuring: Structured data markup provides context to search engines and improves the chances of your intro appearing as a rich snippet. Focus on providing clear and concise information, using relevant headings and subheadings, and ensuring your content is navigable by users and search engines.
• Natural language processing: Use NLP techniques to analyze user queries and create intros that resonate with their specific language patterns. Understanding how your target audience phrases their questions and searches allows you to tailor your content and improve search engine ranking.

Remember, SEO is more than just keywords. By combining these advanced strategies with compelling storytelling and engaging writing, you can create content that ranks highly, speaks to your audience, and drives tangible outcomes.

AI and voice search optimization

Stay ahead of the curve by tapping into AI and voice search optimization. Integrate these strategies into blog intros to enhance their relevance, resonance, and performance in voice-enabled search environments.

• AI-driven content optimization: Experiment with AI tools, such as Jasper and Rytr, to optimize your intros for engagement and SEO. AI can analyze data to identify trends, predict user behavior, and suggest content optimizations. 
• Voice search optimization: Tailor intros to the conversational nature of voice queries. Use natural language patterns and concise language. Remember, voice searches for services often go straight to Google Maps local results. Optimize your Google Business Profile and gather stellar customer reviews to climb the local pack.

Legal and ethical guidelines when writing blog intros

Handle the complexities of content creation with ethics and legal compliance front and center. Avoid plagiarism and adhere to advertising standards while crafting authentic intros.

• Avoid plagiarism: Conduct thorough research and cite sources properly. Use plagiarism detection tools, such as Copyscape, to verify content originality. Plagiarism destroys credibility and tarnishes your brand’s image.
• Comply with advertising standards: Be transparent with your audience. Disclose sponsored content and affiliate links in your intros to instill Google’s final E-E-A-T guideline: trustworthiness. 

Global audience consideration

Expand your reach and impact by crafting culturally sensitive and inclusive intros that resonate with a multicultural audience. Find customers in new territories by learning how to customize intros effectively across different cultures and regions, enhancing SEO performance and reader engagement on a global scale.

5. Measure Audience Interaction Using Hard Data

Understanding your audience is crucial for creating compelling blog intros. Embrace feedback as the gold mine for improvement it truly is.

Comments

Analyze reader comments to identify common themes, recurring questions, and areas for improvement. Use technology to streamline the process and aim to focus on patterns instead of individual comments.

Social shares

Track which intros receive the most social media shares to gauge what sparks audience interest. Research the granular details of these intros so you can replicate successful elements.

Blog engagement KPIs

Engagement metrics, including bounce rate, time on page, and click-through rate, are prime KPIs for measuring blog intros’ effectiveness. Tracking these metrics over time helps you identify trends and patterns that indicate whether intros successfully capture and retain readers’ attention. For example, a high bounce rate indicates your intros aren’t effectively engaging readers, and low time on page likely means your intros aren’t up to scratch.  

 A/B testing 

To conduct an A/B test:

• Craft two intro variations with distinct elements, such as tone, length, or formatting.
• Present each variation to your audience and track performance through relevant metrics.
• Analyze A/B test results to determine the winning intro and incorporate its elements into future content.

In addition to A/B testing, try out analytics tools and social listening platforms. They can give you valuable insights into audience preferences and reactions to your intros. For example, Google Analytics tracks engagement metrics, while social listening platforms monitor conversations and sentiment around your brand and content.

Case studies from the trenches 

Crowd Content

At Crowd Content, we used A/B testing to compare two variations of an intro format: one with a conversational, concise intro and one with a long, technical intro. We measured how the posts performed using time on page, average session duration, and bounce rate and found readers engaged more with the conversational intro. As a result, we adopted the conversational intro format across all blog posts.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn provides a clear example of integrating feedback mechanisms into blog posts. Their buttons, conveniently placed at the end of each post, invite readers to engage.

These feedback loops serve several purposes. First, they offer readers an opportunity to go beyond passive consumption and express their reactions, questions, and opinions, and that increases engagement. Second, they provide valuable insights for content creators, enabling them to gauge audience sentiment and identify areas for improvement.

Unleash the Power of a Captivating Blog Intro

When writing blog intros, use compelling storytelling, strategic SEO techniques, and data-driven optimization to attract readers like a magnet. Bring them along on journeys of discovery and engagement, using each intro to lead customers into the valuable content that lies within your website.

Elevate your blog with professional intros. Discover our blog writing services, and learn how we can help you captivate your audience from the first line. Explore our services today! 

The post 5 Strategies for Writing Blog Intros That Engage Your Audience appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

In this guide, we explain the time-saving benefits of incorporating structured templates into your content writing routine. From consistency and improved search engine optimization to engagement and scalability, blog templates are the secret sauce to streamlining and refining your blog writing process.  

Leveraging Blog Post Templates for Content Success

Blog post templates provide marketers with a strategic advantage and streamline the content creation process. They save time, guarantee brand consistency, and create a baseline for quality standards. 

Plus, by addressing common challenges, such as writer’s block and lack of direction, templates provide a structured framework, boosting efficiency and creativity. They empower writers to consistently produce high-quality content that ranks on the SERPs and resonates with audiences.  

“Look at it from a scalability viewpoint: Imagine someone trying to get consistent output from a team of writers tasked with creating listicles. Using a template in your instructions helps get the same result from a group of disconnected/remote writers. From the individual writer standpoint: Templates can help remind you of (or teach you) best practices for different types of content — especially if you’re an amateur blogger who may have never learned what’s effective or not a good idea.”

Essential Elements of Any Blog Post Template

Here are the key elements of any blog post structure worth using:

• Clear and engaging headlines: Using SERP analysis to discover what ranks, craft compelling headlines that capture readers’ attention and accurately convey the content’s value proposition. 
• Relevant long-tail keywords in headings: Construct headings using relevant keywords that address user intent, including People Also Ask questions from Google. This improves search engine visibility and attracts targeted traffic.
• High-quality visuals: Incorporate informative videos, visually appealing infographics, and interactive elements, such as quizzes or polls, to enhance visual appeal and support the content’s message. Ensure multimedia is relevant to the content, optimize file sizes for fast loading, and maintain consistency in style and branding.
• Consistent grammar, spelling, and formatting: Polish your template’s instructions to affirm readability and professionalism.
• Engagement prompts: Encourage reader engagement by including a call-to-action. These prompts invite readers to book a service, make a purchase, or share their thoughts, experiences, and feedback.
• Advanced SEO optimization: Don’t forget technical elements such as schema markup, a structured data format providing search engines with detailed information about your content. Ticking these boxes makes it more likely for your content to appear as a rich snippet in search results. This is a concise summary with a link to your site that appears at the top of the SERP — and it’s often the first thing a searcher sees. Website loading speed, site structure, and mobile optimization are also important.   
• Optimization through data-driven insights and experimentation: Utilize A/B testing to refine templates. Compare elements, such as headline structures, content layouts, and CTA placements, to determine the most effective variations for engagement and conversions.

Tips for optimizing a blog post for SEO

Optimizing posts for SEO is critical for boosting visibility and attracting readers. Here’s how to do it while keeping your writing style authentic:

• Keyword placement: Strategically scatter keywords throughout your content only when it makes sense. Focus on long-tail keywords and semantic relevance — and never keyword stuff. Google cares deeply about readability and context, so avoid creating search-engine-first content and cater to your actual readers. 
• Meta descriptions: Write meta descriptions summarizing your content and entice readers to click through. 
• Balanced SEO and style: Find the sweet spot between SEO optimization and a consistent writing style.

“Sometimes, we see entirely too much focus on SEO in how we equip writers to execute on content. Optimizing for search is just one piece of the puzzle. What good is ranking content that doesn’t engage the reader and perform to your business goals? Modern SEO involves more than strict and zealous keyword usage. To really move the needle, you need smart SEO tactics, something of value to share with an audience that needs/wants it, and a strategy on exactly what goal the piece should help accomplish. Once you have all that, you need a skilled writer who can bring it all together in a way that works for readers and search.”

6 Tried-and-True Blog Post Templates

The first four examples below are simple templates. They’re popular with readers and consistently perform well on the SERPs. Use them to answer frequently searched questions, establish authority, and drive initial traffic. These go-to content formats help you load your website with relevant, scannable, and engaging content to attract visitors.

Conversion-focused posts and pillar content require a more strategic approach, delivering long-term results and tying into your overarching marketing goals. They influence user behavior, drive conversions, and pack your website with comprehensive and authoritative resources that reinforce domain authority.

1. How-to blog template

Think of these posts as trusty guides — beacons, lighting the way to help readers achieve a specific goal or solve a problem. They’re written in an easy-to-digest, step-by-step format, making them simple to follow. Readers leave your site armed with the answers they’ve been looking for, thinking of your brand as a trustworthy and authoritative source. 

Example title: How to [Achieve a Specific Goal or Solve a Problem]

• Introduce the topic, and let readers know why they need to address it ASAP.
• Establish trust by including an interesting fact or valuable statistic and linking to an authoritative source.
• Use the final sentence to confidently inform the reader of what they’ll know/be able to do by the end of the article.

Elements of a how-to article

• Divide the task into manageable steps.
• Offer clear and concise instructions for each step.
• Use bullet points or numbered lists for readability.
• Incorporate relevant images, diagrams, or videos.
• Anticipate and tackle common questions or hurdles.
• Offer tips or shortcuts for improved results.

Conclusion

• Summarize the main points covered in the post.
• Add a bonus takeaway point related to the subject to affirm authority.
• Include a CTA.

2. Listicle blog writing template

Listicles are the fast food of blog posts. These snackable nuggets of wisdom are served up in a numbered list format for easy consumption. They offer quick, actionable tips and insights into a subject, guiding readers from the top to the bottom of the page. Providing web users with information that’s easy to process and act on is one of the best ways to secure returning visitors.  

Example title: [#] Tips to [Achieve Specific Outcome]

• Introduce the topic’s relevance and urgency.
• Keep the intro short and snappy.

Elements of a listicle

• Present each tip in a numbered format.
• Use scannable H2s and H3s.
• Provide concise explanations for each tip.
• Include practical examples or scenarios to demonstrate experience and expertise. 
• Offer a bonus tip in a separate H2 relating to your brand, sliding seamlessly into the conclusion.

Conclusion

• Summarize the article and reiterate any practical and relevant advice.
• Tie the article back to your brand’s offering to segue into the CTA.
• Add a CTA.

3. Definition blog article template

Definition blog posts are readers’ go-to guides for demystifying complicated concepts or industry-specific ideas. They open with a clear definition, offer contextual explanations, and rely on real-world examples and expert insights for depth and clarity.  

Example title: What Is [Concept], and Why Do You Need to Know?

Introduction

• Introduce the topic and its significance in the context of the audience’s interests or needs.
• Point to a relevant statistic from the past year and link to an authoritative source.
• Preview the key elements and insights covered in the post to enhance understanding.

Elements of a definition blog post

• Clear definition: Immediately provide a concise and precise definition of the concept, avoiding jargon or ambiguity. 
• Contextual explanation: Explain the concept’s relevance and implications in real-world scenarios or industries.
• Examples and illustrations: Enhance understanding with relevant examples, case studies, or illustrations that demonstrate the concept in action.
• Comparison and contrast: Differentiate the concept from related terms or concepts, clarifying its unique attributes and characteristics.
• Historical background: Provide context by exploring the origins and evolution of the concept over time, highlighting key milestones or developments.
• Expert insights: Incorporate insights and perspectives from subject matter experts or thought leaders to enrich the discussion and add credibility.
• Practical applications: Discuss the concept’s practical applications or use cases, demonstrating its value and relevance in various contexts.

Conclusion

• Summarize the key insights and takeaways.
• Link to internal resources to help readers deepen their understanding of the concept.
• Include a CTA.

4. Cheat sheet template

Picture cheat sheets as quick-reference guides, jam-packed with essential information in a condensed format. They answer big questions in as few words as possible, so readers in a hurry can get the skinny on a topic in no time.   

Example title: [Topic] Cheat Sheet: A Quick Reference Guide to [Subject]

Introduction

• Introduce the topic, and explain the purpose of the cheat sheet in providing quick and easy access to essential information.
• Highlight the value of having a condensed and actionable resource for readers to reference.
• Preview key sections for quick navigation.

Elements of a cheat sheet

• Overview: Briefly summarize the topic or subject covered in the cheat sheet.
• Key concepts: Organize the main concepts, principles, or steps related to the topic in a clear format.
• Quick tips: Offer actionable tips, tricks, or shortcuts to help readers succeed or overcome common challenges related to the topic.
• Valuable resources: Include links or references to additional resources, tools, or further reading materials for readers to explore.
• Visual aids: Incorporate visual elements, such as diagrams, charts, or infographics, to enhance understanding and retention of information.
• FAQs: Address common queries related to the topic, providing clear and concise answers readers can default to if they’re in a rush.

Conclusion

• Summarize key takeaways from the cheat sheet.
• Encourage readers to download or bookmark the cheat sheet for future use and easy access.
• Add a CTA.

5. Conversion-focused blog template

Conversion-focused posts are all about persuasion. These content powerhouses are designed to drive action and generate leads and sales. They’re exemplified by compelling headlines, action-driven content, and CTAs that directly align with search intent. 

Example title: [Persuasive, Action-Driven Headline]

Introduction

• Introduce the product, service, or contextually related subject.
• Add a hard-hitting fact or statistic to emphasize your point.
• Use a hook to draw the reader in and compel them to keep reading.

Elements of a conversion-focused blog post

• CTA: Ensure posts include compelling CTAs that align with the proper stage in the buyer’s journey.
• Engaging headlines: Use attention-grabbing, SEO-optimized headlines that communicate the benefit of taking action.
• Persuasive content: Craft compelling content that resonates with the target audience’s needs and desires.
• Visual appeal: Incorporate appealing elements, such as images, videos, or infographics, to enhance engagement and interest.
• Social proof: Include social proof elements such as testimonials, reviews, or case studies to build trust and credibility.
• User-friendly design: Optimize the blog post layout and design for easy readability and navigation, reducing friction in the conversion process.
• A/B testing: Experiment with different elements and strategies through A/B testing to optimize conversion rates over time.

Conclusion

• Summarize the key elements of the article.
• Offer an extra tip to help readers implement the strategies and techniques discussed in the post.
• Use a CTA that directly relates to search intent. If you own a heating and cooling company called HVAC123, create a bottom-of-the-funnel CTA that addresses users typing “fast emergency HVAC repair” into Google. For example: “Call now for emergency HVAC repairs — HVAC123 guarantees rapid response times.” 

6. Pillar content blog post template

Pillar content is the foundational center in a hub and spoke content campaign, offering in-depth coverage of a core topic and linking to related content. Consider pillar pages as guides, covering high-level explanations about specific topics. When optimizing your site for SEO and serving as a go-to resource for readers, the hub and spoke strategy is an almighty titan.

Example title: The Ultimate Guide to [Topic] (Be clear that it’s a lengthy but broad source of information.)

Introduction

• Use language to indicate this is a comprehensive and authoritative exploration of the subject.
• Highlight subtopics and link to them using a graphic or list toward the top of the page.
• Preview the key components and actionable steps covered in the guide.

Elements of pillar content

• Thorough coverage: Provide comprehensive coverage of the core topic, briefly describing and linking to all relevant subtopics that offer more in-depth answers.
• Strategic organization: Organize content logically, using clear headings and subheadings to structure information for easy navigation.
• Multimedia integration: Enhance pillar content with multimedia elements, such as videos, infographics, or interactive features, to engage and educate audiences.
• Evergreen value: Ensure pillar content remains relevant and valuable over time by focusing on evergreen topics and updating content as needed.
• Authoritative links: Position pillar content as authoritative resources in the industry, only using credible, recent sources to back up claims and statistics. This helps build trust with audiences and search engines.

Conclusion:

• Summarize the article, and offer a couple of valuable, original insights.
• Offer suggestions for further reading, or encourage readers to speak their minds in the comments section or on social media.
• Include a CTA.

Tools and Resources for Blog Post Templates

There’s a treasure trove of tools and software solutions out there that can supercharge your blog post templates:

• AI: Tools such as ChatGPT and OwlyWriter AI can create blog template outlines for you or create content according to your specifications. 
• Content management systems: WordPress and Squarespace offer easy template integration.
• Project management tools: Trello and Asana assist with collaborative template development. 
• Graphic design: Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud allow you to create visually appealing template customization with minimal expertise. 
• SERP analysis: Software such as MarketMuse and Clearscope dives deep into the SERPs, using natural language processing and machine learning to categorize content types, such as how-to guides and listicles. Don’t make the mistake of using a how-to template if most top-ranking articles for your intended query are listicles. 
• Analytics platforms: Google Analytics and HubSpot help track template performance and optimization opportunities.
• Content intelligence tools: Platforms such as Clearscope and MarketMuse analyze top-ranking SERP content to recommend the most effective content types and templates.
• Content ideation tools: Tools such as BuzzSumo and Semrush provide insights into popular topics and content formats, guiding template selection.
• Visual content tools: Utilize platforms such as Piktochart and Visme to create visually engaging templates for infographics and slides.
• Professional services: Sign up for Crowd Content’s blog writing service to get expert assistance in template implementation.
  

Optimize Your Blog Writing Process and Drive Traffic

Leveraging blog post templates and using the right tools transforms your content production process. From enhancing efficiency to maintaining brand consistency, these resources empower you to create compelling content that resonates with your audience and boosts your online presence. 

As you explore them, remember — success lies not just in creation but also in strategy. Armed with a full kit of insights and technology, you can conquer any content challenge. 

Ready to skyrocket your content game and achieve consistent results? Let our seasoned wordsmiths turn your visions into captivating listicles, how-to articles, and pillar pages. Sign up for our blog writing services, and witness the magic of strategic content creation. 

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But, amidst the hype and noise, there’s a burning question: Can Google, the digital gatekeeper, tell if content is created by steel and silicon instead of a human mind?  Join us as we reveal the depths of Google’s AI content detection powers and empower you to harness the full potential of your new AI sidekick. 

Can Google Detect AI Content? 

Google’s technology is far too sophisticated to be fooled by AI content — and for readers with a trained eye, AI-generated content can stick out like a sore thumb. But does that mean Google punishes you for utilizing it?

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and helpful. This quest means a relentless battle against low-quality content designed to manipulate search rankings — AI-generated or not. 

The search engine is transparent about spam policies for Google web search. Some of its flagged criteria include keyword stuffing, cloaking, and hidden links. Just as keyword-stuffed articles written by humans are penalized as spam, so is spammy AI-generated content. In other words, AI-generated content has just as much opportunity to be flagged as spam as content typed straight from the hands of creatives.

Google uses algorithms to determine an article’s creator. Let’s explore how Google’s algorithms have flourished in recent years and how these procedures affect whether AI ranks in the SERPs.

The evolution of Google’s algorithms

Google has developed complex algorithms designed to separate the wheat from the chaff to deliver reliable, helpful content to users. In recent years, the advent of AI has bolstered its ability to detect and penalize spam content — and reward high-quality, original content.

These upgrades had the most significant impact on AI detection:

• Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) in 2019: This model helps Google understand conversational queries and search intent.

• Multitask Unified Model (MUM) in 2021: 1,000 times more potent than BERT, MUM can generate comprehensive search results across various languages and formats and understand the context behind complex queries. This advancement considerably improved accuracy and depth, delivering more relevant results to intricate searches.  

• SpamBrain in 2022: This AI-based system targets behaviors that manipulate search rankings, such as keyword stuffing and link buying to give users better results. It identifies and penalizes websites that engage in tactics deemed to be search-first instead of people-first. 

• MUM’s rollout in 2022: Boosting search accuracy and speed, MUM uses a T5 model that leads to more precise and relevant search experiences and dooms low-effort content to oblivion. 

Other Google algorithms impacting SEO and relating to AI-generated content include:

• Freshness systems, which show recent content where appropriate
• The helpful content system, which prioritizes useful, human-written content
• PageRank, which analyzes links for relevance, authority, and integrity
• Neural matching, which connects user intent to content context 
• RankBrain, which helps Google understand the context behind words
• Reliable information systems, which help elevate quality journalism and demote low-quality writing

If you’re relying too heavily on AI, you may have plummeted into a pit of low-ranking content and irrelevancy. However, not all AI-generated content is created equally. 

What’s Google’s Official Stance on AI-Generated Content?

Google’s official stance on AI-generated content has shifted dramatically in a short space of time. You’re forgiven if you think Search Advocate John Meuller‘s words from April 2022 still stand.

But note that guidance about AI-generated content on Google’s website reveals a different picture. Today, the company’s official stance reflects a dual commitment to search quality and user experience. 

These guidelines highlight the need for content to prioritize originality and user-centricity. If you’re using AI, you can’t slam a few prompts into ChatGPT and copy and paste your way to success. 

If you’re using AI to create original, high-quality content that demonstrates expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, Google rewards you — however the content is produced.

Our VP of Content Operations, Rick Leach, expands on the principles behind E-E-A-T:

“With E-E-A-T, Google has all but ensured that pure AI content and low-effort human content won’t stand much of a chance in the SERPs. Content that succeeds has insights, advice, and opinions that come from what the people in your business have learned by doing a job, performing a service, or creating a product day in and day out. You can’t fake that stuff, and you certainly won’t get it from quick, one-prompt AI outputs.”

How Does Google Detect AI Content?

Google can detect AI-generated content because it understands how generative AI works.

Dr. Vivek Pandley, CEO of Vrata Tech Solutions, explains what sets modern AI tools like ChatGPT apart. “These models are trained on massive datasets, learning patterns, styles, and contextual cues to generate coherent and contextually relevant content,” Pandley says. “Unlike traditional AI models that follow predetermined rules, generative AI has the ability to generate novel outputs, making it a powerful tool for tasks ranging from content creation and natural language processing to image synthesis.”

So, how does Google know AI wrote your content? While the search giant keeps its secrets notoriously close to its chest, we know the following methods:

• Pattern recognition detects unusual language structure, grammar, syntax, and semantics.
• Google trains machine learning algorithms on massive data sets of human and AI-written content, helping it learn subtle cues that indicate AI or human writing. 
• Ensemble deep learning combines multiple detection models, strengthening Google’s ability to detect AI content. 
• Natural language processing analyzes semantics and context, highlighting differences between human and AI writing patterns. 

Despite Google’s advancements, AI models constantly up their game, getting ever-closer to looking and sounding indistinguishable from human writing. Plus, with AI-driven adversarial attacks on the rise, there’s a battle underway to keep AI as a force for good.

Thanks to advanced neural network architectures, Google appears proficient at recognizing complex patterns suggestive of AI-generated content.  

AI’s Impact on Engagement and UX

AI is here to stay, and Google is on board, provided you “produce original, high-quality, people-first content demonstrating qualities of E-E-A-T.” But what does that mean? Ultimately, it boils down to crafting content focused on user engagement and experience — and having relevant, demonstrated expertise.

Bankrate taught the world a valuable lesson about focusing solely on scaling up and neglecting to optimize AI content for E-E-A-T. Futurism’s Jon Christian exposed the CNET sister site by writing a scathing piece listing all the factual errors in a single AI-generated Bankrate article.

Following public outcry, Bankrate pivoted on its AI policy.

Anyone who’s used generative AI knows there must have been little — if any — human input into Bankrate’s AI-generated articles. Inaccurate information, absence of expert writers, and focus on pumping out reams of content eroded away at E-E-A-T.

AI alone isn’t enough

In April 2023, Google released a statement: “AI and automation can be a useful tool to create helpful content, but if AI is used for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings, that’s a violation of our long-standing policy against spammy automatically-generated content.”

You need to apply E-E-A-T principles, engage users, and provide them with a memorable experience that compels them to return. You can use AI to create it, but here’s the kicker — AI is a powerful, fantastic tool for making content, but it can’t create it for you. Every sentence of every article needs human involvement to meet Google’s exacting standards. 

Bankrate prioritized search over people and had to unlist 6 months’ worth of content as a result. While embarrassing for them, it could push a smaller company into the red. That’s why human touch is crucial when producing AI-generated content.

If you’ve used AI to generate articles and you’re on the brink of banishing them to the recycle bin, stop! Use them as foundational pieces, adding expert quotes and opinions, valuable graphics, and a consistent brand voice. 

Tips for Using AI to Craft Content That Converts

To make sure your content doesn’t fall short of Google’s quality standards:

• Know Google’s rules. Keep yourself in the loop with Google’s quality guidelines. Your AI content should tick the boxes for originality, relevance, and user-friendliness, in line with Google’s playbook.
• Mix in human flavor. AI can churn out bland content, but people add the seasoning. Experiment with an AI-generated draft, then sprinkle in personality, expertise, and authenticity.
• Serve value. Give your audience something worth reading by never rewriting someone else’s article. Your content should solve problems, answer questions, and offer fresh insights to keep readers coming back for more.
• Keep it readable. Avoid making your audience work too hard. Use precise language, short sentences, and tidy formatting to make your AI-generated content a breeze to read and understand.
• Shake things up. Don’t be a one-trick pony. Try different content types, including articles, blogs, infographics, videos, and podcasts. 
• Test and tweak. Watch your AI content’s performance, and listen to what your audience says. Use the data to find ways to make your content even better.

Creative uses for AI in content creation

With these AI-powered tricks up your sleeve, you can craft content that works for you without breaking a sweat:

• Tailored recommendations: Use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini to determine what your audience wants, and serve up personalized content recommendations that hit the spot.
• Visual content enhancement: Spruce up your visuals with AI tools for special effects — it’s a whole lot cheaper than licensing stock photography. 
• Natural language generation: Effortlessly generate content such as product descriptions and social media posts. But never forget to match it with your brand’s style and tone, or it’ll get lost in a sea of similar posts.
• Voice search optimization: Stay one step ahead by writing AI-optimized content for voice search queries. Use conversational language and long-tail keywords to make sure your content gets heard loud and clear.

What Does the Future Hold for Google AI-Detection?

As we navigate AI’s impact on the world of SEO content, one thing remains clear: Adaptability is key. AI marches forth, as do Google’s detection methods, ensuring that only high-quality, user-centric content prevails. The future holds endless possibilities for AI-driven content, but it has yet to find a workaround for Google’s standards. 

To stay ahead, content creators need to adhere to Google’s guidelines, blend AI with human creativity, and prioritize their audience over quick fixes to climb the SERPs. 

Ready to transform your AI-generated content into pieces that embody E-E-A-T principles? Try out Crowd Content’s expert editing services.

The post What’s Google’s Stance on AI-Generated Content? appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

For your SEO strategy to have an impact, you need a reliable keyword research sidekick giving you advice on what your customers are searching for. But how do you find a tool that meets your business needs and budget with so many options on the market? Before you throw your hands up in despair, check out our list of seven keyword research tools that can help your brand climb the SERPs and stay in the search engine spotlight. 

Short List of Keyword Research Tools

In evaluating keyword tools, we considered criteria such as ease of use and available metrics. We’ll dive into the pros, cons, and intricacies of each platform to help you find a well-matched partner, but here’s a bottom-line summary: 

1. Moz: Best overall 
2. Semrush: Best for user intent analysis
3. Ahrefs: Best for keyword tracking and analysis
4. QuestionDB: Best for long-tail keywords
5. Google Keyword Planner: Best for paid advertising keywords
6. SECockpit: Best for competitive keyword analysis 
7. TopicRanker: Best for finding competitor weaknesses

The Science Behind Keyword Research

Each tool takes a unique approach to collecting and processing data, which is why you’ll find variations when looking at metrics such as search volume, difficulty, and page authority.

The tools extract data across the web, scraping sources such as:

• Search engine results pages
• Autocomplete suggestions
• Google’s related searches and People Also Ask
• Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends
• Social networking sites and online forums
• Clickstream data tracking user movements across the internet

Some also work backward from search results, inspecting top-ranked pages for content, keyword frequency, and backlinks. Artificial intelligence helps interpret this information, pinpointing patterns that can help you make up ground in the rankings. 

Each platform then waves its respective algorithm wand, magically turning big data into the bite-size metrics you see on your screen. Because each tool uses unique data sources and processes, they end up with different results. 

That’s why it’s best to compare keywords within a tool and not across platforms. You wouldn’t look at metrics for “picture frames” on Ahrefs and “wall art” on Semrush to choose between the two keywords. You can, however, feel confident that comparisons run within a single platform are accurate. 

Andrei Prakharevich compared search volume ranges for keywords on four tools. While each reported a different number, they all concluded “mountain bikes” was the most popular and “gravel bikes” the least, which is key in deciding which keyword to target.

Essential Features for Keyword Research Tools

Let’s put together our keyword tool wish list. Ideally, you want a large database to draw keyword ideas from and reliable metrics so you can decide which keywords to pursue.

Some essential features include:

• Keyword suggestions: A robust tool provides a variety of keyword ideas. Most draw from Google, but some collect data from other search engines, YouTube, and Amazon. If your business is international in nature, look for a platform that lets you query by language and geographic region.
• Search volume: This metric is nonnegotiable. Search volume tells you the number of times a keyword is searched for in a specific period, which helps assess the keyword’s popularity. It’s not worth your time to try ranking for keywords that aren’t in demand. 
• Keyword difficulty: This metric reflects how hard it is to land in the top positions for a keyword, based on the strength of the pages currently ranking. Keywords with low to medium difficulty are easier to rank for and can improve your visibility while you tackle more competitive search terms.
• Search intent: Your content must meet the expectations of the user to rank. Some tools tell you whether a keyword’s search intent is navigational, commercial, informational, or transactional. This helps you formulate content matched to the buyer’s journey. 
• Competitor analysis: Some tools help you size up the competition, providing insight into how your competitors are ranking and the backlinks they’ve built. You can compare competitor keywords with your own to ensure you don’t miss out on opportunities. 
• Website authority: This metric is also known as domain authority, domain rating, or authority score, depending on the tool you use. It reflects the overall credibility of a website based on factors such as backlinks. Pages with high authority are often hard to dislodge out of the top spots.

You’ll find platforms with an array of other features such as site audits, on-page SEO recommendations, and content creation tools. These are all useful for building well-rounded marketing strategies, but they’re outside of the scope of this guide.

7 Advanced Keyword Research Tools for 2024

Below, we’ve compiled some keyword research tools we feel are worth your time, whether you’re marketing for a small startup or enterprise. Our round-up includes free and paid platforms, from basic to comprehensive solutions. You might find a couple of free tools that meet your needs or decide to invest in a larger, all-in-one platform. Take advantage of free trials and try the tools on for size.

1.  Moz Keyword Explorer

Best Overall

Intro to the Tool

Moz’s Keyword Explorer presents a variety of metrics in a user-friendly format. We especially like its proprietary Priority Score, which helps you find keyword opportunities without bogging you down in the numbers. Keyword Explorer is free but limited in scope, and subscription services are available. A paid subscription also offers access to rank tracking, site crawls, on-page optimization, link research, and custom reports.

Pros and Cons

Advantages:

• Multiple options for exploring keywords, including searching by URL or keyword
• Ability to research keywords by region
• Ability to create and save lists for categorizing and comparing keywords
• Detailed insight into the top-ranking pages through the SERP Analysis
• Competitive analysis to see what keywords your competitors rank for 
• Data from Google, Bing, and Yahoo

Disadvantages:

• Provides only a range for monthly search volume
• Requires an account to access the free tool
• Limited queries in the free tool
• Doesn’t provide information on keyword trends

Special Features Highlight

If you often feel like you’re drowning in data when analyzing keywords, Moz throws you a lifeline. The platform takes factors such as search volume, keyword difficulty, and opportunity into consideration and wraps them up as a Priority Score. This metric is a simple way to identify keywords with good potential for ranking. Rand Fishkin explained that a Priority Score above 80 indicates high demand, moderate difficulty, and not too many SERP features detracting from the organic search results. Lower scores have some combination of these factors.

Pricing

• Free for 10 keyword queries
• Monthly subscriptions range from $99 to $599 

What We’ve Heard

“Great at everything with outstanding capabilities that made us organically visible on search engines.”

— Reviewer on Gartner Peer Insights

Use Cases and Best Practices

To leverage Keyword Explorer effectively, begin with a few seed keywords or topics related to your products and services. Enter them one at a time into the search box and hit analyze to see an easy-to-navigate results page. 

Note the data visually presented in the top row — monthly volume, difficulty, organic CTR, and priority — you can use these to compare keywords and decide which ones to allocate resources to. To expand your keyword list, click through the keyword suggestions on the left. As you rub your hands in glee at the plethora of options, select “Add to Keyword List” to build groups of keywords. You can also check out high-performing pages for the keyword in the SERPs Analysis section.

2.  Semrush

Best for User Intent Analysis

Intro to the Tool

It’s hard to beat Semrush when it comes to breadth. The platform has more than 55 tools in its suite covering keyword research, site audits, PPC, backlinking, and website optimization — essentially, it’s an end-to-end solution for digital marketing. This comes at a cost, but you can get started with free tools, such as Keyword Magic and Keyword Overview.

Pros and Cons

Advantages:

• Keyword suggestions from a database of 25.3 billion keywords
• Keyword questions, keyword variations, and related keywords
• More than 140 geographic databases
• Search intent behind keywords (informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional)
• Search trends for the past 12 months
• Metrics such as search volume, keyword difficulty, cost-per-click, and number of competing SERP features

Disadvantages:

• Only draws from Google data
• Only provides 10 keywords with the free tool

Special Features Highlight

Finding keywords is just the first step of the SEO puzzle. You also need insight into why someone’s using that keyword so you can develop content that addresses their needs as fully as possible. Are they trying to learn something, compare products, or find the best deal? Semrush uses an algorithm to mark up each keyword as having navigational, informational, commercial, or transactional intent. You’ll see these tags in the Search Intent column on the keyword results page. Group keywords with the same intent to help you plan content.

Pricing

• Free account with limited queries
• 7-day free trial
• Monthly subscriptions range from $129.95 to $499.95  

What We’ve Heard

“Semrush is the best of the best for all things keyword research, managing backlinks, and auditing the health + quality of your website.”

— Capterra reviewer 

Use Cases and Best Practices

While a Semrush subscription gives you access to keyword research tools, Keyword Magic is enough for translating a seed keyword into thousands of keyword suggestions. You can sort these to find:

• Low-competition keywords that you can quickly rank for
• Related search terms, which are other phrases users are searching for
• Long-tail keywords to target a niche audience that’s more likely to convert
• Question keywords to help shape your content 

Another nifty detail is the SERP features tool. This tells you which keywords are triggering featured snippets, videos, carousels, knowledge graphs, and other attention-grabbing elements on the search results page. You can then customize your content to try to rank for these elements — or you might decide there’s too much zero-click competition and focus your efforts elsewhere.

3.  Ahrefs

Best for Keyword Tracking and Analysis

Intro to the Tool

Ahrefs is an industry leader, often grouped alongside Moz and Semrush. It provides an array of tools to optimize your search visibility, including keyword research, link building, competitor analysis, content creation, and website audits. It’s especially powerful for monitoring analytics and performance.

Pros and Cons

Advantages

• Pulls keyword ideas from 10 search engines
• Provides a variety of in-depth metrics 
• Identifies SEO issues on your site
• Tracks keyword rankings for mobile and desktop
• Performs backlink analysis
• Connects to Google Search Console and archives data for easy access

Disadvantages

• No free trial
• Monthly subscriptions that are pricier than tools

Special Features Highlight

The Ahrefs dashboard is a powerful hub for monitoring site performance. It provides a snapshot of key metrics pulled from a variety

of Ahrefs tools. You can keep an eagle eye on changes in your site health, domain rating, organic keywords, backlinks, and traffic. Click specific boxes to see the details behind the report and adjust your SEO strategy as needed.

Pricing

• Monthly subscriptions range from $99 to $999 

What We’ve Heard

“If you’re serious about improving your website’s traffic and search engine rankings, Ahrefs is a tool you need in your arsenal.”

— Shane Barker, Digital Marketing Consultant

Use Cases and Best Practices

To generate keyword ideas, enter your seed terms into Keywords Explorer. It pulls ideas from 10 different search engines, including Google, Bing, Yahoo, YouTube, Amazon, Baidu, and Yandex.

The results page shows you metrics for the keyword you’ve searched, including search volume, global volume, and traffic potential, which is the total organic traffic the first result gets. You’ll also get the scoop on how hard it might be to crack the top 10 spots in the SERPs, with estimates of keyword difficulty and the number of backlinks and referring domains you’ll need. From here, you can also explore matching, suggested, and autocomplete terms, as well as question keywords.

To see what your competitors are up to, navigate to the SERP Overview for insight into the top-performing pages, including the featured snippets and videos. Finally, fill in the holes in your content strategy by plugging your competitors’ sites into the Content Gap tool to see what keywords others are ranking for.

4.  QuestionDB

Best for Long-Tail Keywords

Intro to the Tool

QuestionDB takes a grassroots approach to keyword research, pulling data from online forums where users answer each other’s questions. Designed to tap into what audiences are curious about, this tool provides long-tail keywords in the form of questions.  

Pros and Cons

Advantages:

• Generates keyword questions to help you thoroughly address a topic
• Sources ideas from places other than search engines, providing fresh angles
• Uses conversational-style language similar to voice search
• Supplies keyword difficulty and competition data
• Simple and affordable

Disadvantages:

• Limited metrics

Special Features Highlight

QuestionDB retrieves information from online user forums, such as Reddit. It’s like eavesdropping on how your audiences chat naturally around a topic, which aligns perfectly with the conversational style of voice and Google’s SGE.

Question keywords are long-tail phrases, which have lower search volume because they’re so specific in nature. However, they’re less competitive and can help you reach highly qualified, niche audiences with precise search intent. Use the results from QuestionDB to build topic clusters and establish expertise in a subject.

Pricing

• Free plan (up to 60 questions and no data)
• $15/month Solo Plan (100 searches per month)
• $50/month Agency Plan (500 searches per month)

What We’ve Heard

“QuestionDB is a blog topic goldmine, drawing from various Q&A platforms like Reddit and Quora to deliver questions related to your keywords.”

— @websearchmktg on X

Use Cases and Best Practices

To get started with QuestionDB, enter a seed keyword of up to three words. The tool will give you a list of questions and related topics to explore. For example, when we tested the tool, the search phrase “vitamin C” generated 315 questions. It also suggested topics such as “serum” and “pregnancy” to refine our query. Choosing the topic “soluble” generated another 50 highly targeted questions.

Once you’ve got your results, download them into a spreadsheet to organize keywords and plan content. General questions can be used as the core of an article, while related questions can be grouped into a single in-depth piece. You can also leverage the results to create featured snippets and FAQs.

5.  Google Keyword Planner

Best for Paid Advertising Keywords

Intro to the Tool

Keyword Planner helps advertisers choose relevant keywords and estimate their ad spend for pay-per-click campaigns. Because the data comes directly from Google, SEO specialists also leverage this tool to help drive organic traffic. Keyword Planner is limited in features compared to some third-party platforms but can uncover lucrative keywords and core themes for building topic clusters. You can find Keyword Planner in the Tools menu of your Google Ads account.

Pros and Cons

Advantages:

• Free and easy to use
• Search volume data directly from Google
• Ability to target by device, language, and location
• Search for keywords by entering a URL (entire site or single page)

Disadvantages:

• Provides averages for search volumes 
• A limited list of keyword suggestions compared to other tools
• Only takes Google Ads into account for competition metric

Special Features Highlight

While Keyword Planner doesn’t identify search intent, you can find keywords with high commercial intent. Organize the keyword results by “Top of page bid (high range).” This uncovers the keywords advertisers are willing to pay top dollar for, so chances are high that they’ll deliver lucrative traffic.

Pricing

• Free with a Google Ads account

What We’ve Heard

“You can utilize Google Ads Keyword Planner, a free tool provided by Google Ads, as you prepare your marketing approach. With the help of this tool, you may find new keywords, come up with keyword suggestions, and launch a successful PPC campaign. This tool is useful for estimating bids as well.”

— Reviewer, G2

Use Cases and Best Practices

Keyword Planner is a good starting point for discovering keywords related to your business, although you may want to combine it with another tool for more in-depth data.

For example, enter up to 10 keywords related to your products or services, separated with a comma and space. For best results:

• Use a keyword and website.
• Avoid using adjectives in your seed keyword, such as “affordable.”
• Use multiple keywords or phrases if they’re related: children’s books, picture books, early readers, chapter books.

You’ll generate a list of results, which you can filter by category. If you aren’t happy with the results, click on relevant phrases to expand your search. Once you’ve selected possible keywords, head over to another tool for more precise search volume numbers or insight on keyword difficulty.

6.  SECockpit

Best for Competitor Keyword Analysis

Intro to the Tool

This robust tool provides plenty of data points to help you choose the right search phrases for your strategy. The intuitive interface makes the depth of data manageable. Keywords are presented in tables with color-coded metrics, which can be clicked on to see underlying data.

Pros and Cons

Advantages:

• Data pulled from sources such as Moz and Semrush
• Queries by location, language, and source
• Customizable search results so you can choose the metrics you want to see
• Web search trends and search volume from different periods
• Comparative analysis with top 10 competitors
• Optimized for mobile devices

Disadvantages:

• No free tool
• Requires an account for a trial

Special Features Highlight

SECockpit provides an in-depth competitive analysis. When you search for a keyword, you’ll immediately see the top 10 pages for the keyword with data including MozRank, page authority, domain authority, and backlinks. You can delve further and run semantic searches for these pages. The tool returns a list of keywords that two or more competing domains rank for to help fill gaps in your keyword strategy.

Pricing

• $25/month Personal Plan (10 keyword searches per day and 800 results per search)
• $42/month Pro (50 keyword searches per day and 10,000 results per search)
• $75/month Agency (unlimited keyword searches and 10,000 results per search)

What We’ve Heard

“SECockpit is by far the easiest, fastest, and most comprehensive and accurate keyword research tool I’ve ever used.”

— Peter Sundstrom, Ultimate Marketing Strategies

Use Cases and Best Practices

Your SECockpit journey begins with a seed keyword, list of keywords, or website. You can specify language, location, and different platforms such as Google Ads, Google Suggest, Amazon Suggest, YouTube Suggest, and Google Related Search. Amazon, for example, can be a good source for high-value, transactional keywords.

Once you generate a keyword list, sort the table with the desired filters, such as search volume. SECockpit has also developed a proprietary metric called Niche Value, which weighs monthly search volume and difficulty to help you immediately see the potential of a keyword.

As you review the keywords, move them into lists and print or export them. Agencies can add their logo on the top of the report and easily provide the list to clients.

7.  TopicRanker

Best for Finding Competitor Weaknesses

Intro to the Tool

To rank in the top positions in the SERPs, you need to surpass your competitors in quality. That’s the theory behind TopicRanker, which inspects the top-ranking pages for issues such as thin content or poor loading speeds. You can then design your content to leapfrog these pages in the rankings. This platform also helps kick-start your writing with AI-powered tools for creating content briefs and first drafts.

Pros and Cons

Advantages:

• Helps find less competitive keywords
• Identifies weaknesses in top-ranking pages for a keyword
• Provides content ideation

Disadvantages:

• Must provide an email 
• No long-tail keywords or semantic search

Special Features Highlight

Once you’ve decided to pursue a keyword you’ve found on TopicRanker, hit “Generate Content” to start the writing process. Choose from title ideas, meta descriptions, content briefs, and articles. This is helpful for those who want a leg up on the writing process.

Pricing

• $9/month Starter (three reports per month with three keyword suggestions per report; no AI-assisted writing tools)
• $59/month Basic (10 reports per month with six keyword suggestions per report)
• $129/month Premium (30 reports per month with 12 keyword suggestions per report)

What We’ve Heard

“Hands down TopicRanker is the future of keyword research.”

— Brian Dean, Backlinko

Use Cases and Best Practices

To get started with TopicRanker, enter your website and the topic you want to rank for. The tool generates a list of keywords based on issues it finds in the SERPs. As you click each keyword, you’ll see data for your site and the highest-ranking pages: load time, word count, readability, missing words in titles, and spam score. The tool also lists target benchmarks for each of these categories.

You can then launch the content ideation process, which puts a content brief or article draft in your hands. While these tools are a good starting point for writing, be sure to make the content your own. Add your expertise and shape it to fit your business goals and target audience. Remember, other businesses are also using these tools, so you need to find ways to add value and set your content apart from others.

Building Keyword Research Tools for In-House Use

As you can see, there’s a copious amount of data available to help develop your keyword strategy. The trick is to find the tool that gives you the information you need efficiently. It can be time-consuming to pull data from multiple sources, export it into spreadsheets, and navigate it all.

So, here’s one more hat tossed into the ring.  

If you know precisely what you need to execute your SEO strategies and your business has the resources and technical know-how, consider building your own keyword research tool aligned with your business objectives. You don’t have to start from scratch, either.

Platforms such as Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, and Google Ads have APIs that let you tap into their data, giving you much more information than what’s available on the tools’ consumer interfaces. It’s a data gold mine. Pull backlink, keyword, traffic, and position tracking stats. Mold and shape the data to your heart’s content and present it in the format that’s most useful for you. This is how SECockpit incorporates Moz’s data into its interface.

A custom keyword tool is an investment, but in the long run, it can streamline your workflow. You can feed current data into your internal dashboards and custom reports, saving you from switching between tools and running separate tasks. In other words, spend less time pulling data from keyword tools and more time leveraging it to boost performance.

Can ChatGPT or AI Help With Keyword Research? 

Artificial intelligence has been making its presence felt across industries. ChatGPT can do a lot of things well but doesn’t have the same data as keyword tools, such as Ahrefs, Semrush, and others. However, you can strike up a conversation and ask ChatGPT to speed up keyword research in a few ways.

• Brainstorming general keywords: Try prompts such as “What are questions someone might have about [topic]?” or “What are popular keywords related to [topic]?” ChatGPT can get overenthusiastic in its responses, so add “List only” to the end of your query to limit the result to keywords and avoid generating descriptions. You can broaden or refine the results and enter promising ones into a keyword research tool for more in-depth metrics.
• Completing manual tasks: ChatGPT is a wizard at helping with tasks such as identifying search intent for a list of keywords or clustering keywords by topic. Simply paste in your list, and ask the tool to organize your information. You’ll have it done in a jiffy.
• Ideating content: Content marketers are already leveraging AI to come up with titles, topics, outlines, and briefs. Content intelligence platforms powered by AI are taking this to the next level, providing customer insights and recommending topics.

AI isn’t yet ready to replace keyword research tools and human insight. Still, it’s an efficient assistant. “My educated guess for the near future of ChatGPT is that it’ll be integrated into keyword planning tools, content, and topic analysis features,” wrote Adam Tanguay in Search Engine Land. “AI-driven chatbots will become more entwined in the SEO planning landscape, not a separate workflow.”

The Future of Keyword Research

While a good keyword research tool (or two) is indispensable, there’s one thing to keep in mind. Modern SEO is shifting from a keyword-centric to a user-centric approach. Google sent us down this path with its helpful content system that prioritizes valuable and useful information.  

What does this mean? You still need a primary keyword to understand search intent, but you can spend less time fitting lists of semantic keywords into your content. Search engines have become highly skilled at understanding context and no longer rely on exact keyword matches in many cases. 

Instead, the value of keyword research is finding out what your audience wants to know about a topic and in what formats. You’re not relying on a keyword, in other words, but a theme. You need to roll up your sleeves, assess the competition, and provide the charts, videos, FAQs, or other content components that satisfy an audience’s appetite for a topic. 

Listen in as Crowd Content’s Rick Leach, and I discuss this shift from keywords to topics.

Finally, while AI tools such as ChatGPT aren’t replacing keyword research tools, we expect artificial intelligence will be increasingly integrated. And this is a good thing — the more powerful the tool, the easier it is to find that sweet spot between high-volume keywords, brand expertise, and your audience’s needs. 

Elevate Your Content Strategy

Keyword research tools come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. Your shopping list should include essential metrics such as search volume and keyword difficulty, with features such as competitive analyses and performance tracking as the icing on the cake. Whatever tools you add to your arsenal, combine them with human insight to create content that engages your readers. You can learn more tips and tactics for enriching your content strategies in our webinars with industry experts or sign up for Crowd Content’s newsletter. 

The post 7 Advanced Keyword Research Tools for 2024 appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Yes and no. A single scan is ultimately a roll of the dice, with results varying drastically among tools. And each new AI model further reduces accuracy as generative text becomes more human-like. But with larger sets of articles to analyze, the accuracy gets a bit better. 

In the future, popular AI detection apps will likely pivot toward fact-checking and ensuring artificially generated content offers tangible value to readers. Until then, current technology does have a role in your workflow as long as you understand its limitations and how it works.

What Are AI Content Checkers, and How Do They Work?

At a basic level, AI content detection tools examine word probability and sentence structure. However, it’s easier to understand what they do by first looking at how AI writes content.

Large language models, such as Open AI’s ChatGPT, Google’s BERT, and Anthropic’s Claude, function similarly to a librarian. When you ask these librarians a question, they synthesize an answer based on all the knowledge available from the library — the AI’s training data.

Of course, it’s a lot more complicated than that, as large language models use parameters to adjust how they use the information. More parameters mean more ways to work with the training data, and ChatGPT-4 has nearly eight times as many parameters as GPT-3, showing just how fast this technology is evolving.

ChatGPT leverages its enormous training data and over a trillion parameters to predict what it expects to come next in a sentence. It answers questions using probability like a highly sophisticated version of your phone’s autocorrect — albeit with fewer mistakes.

However, it never truly understands the information.

AI content detectors also use probability

Like ChatGPT, AI detectors use machine learning and probability, except they attempt to reverse the process that generates content. They look for text with low randomness, predicting the words generative AI will use in any particular sentence.

However, most tools also check for highly uniform sentences and paragraphs — a characteristic called burstiness. Human writing generally has high burstiness. 

For example, human writers may even use single-sentence paragraphs for emphasis.

AI, on the other hand, writes more methodically. The text has a predictable flow and a beautiful conformity that makes it structured, easy to read, and well-organized. However, AI text detectors — and even perceptive humans — can spot this lack of burstiness.

If you scan text with a detector, the tool scores it, typically with a percentage rating. It may also highlight specific sections it believes may be artificially generated.

The percentage rating is usually a confidence score. It’s how certain the tool is that AI text is present, not a measure of how much of the content is artificial, so even a high rating of 70% shows a lot of uncertainty.

Review of Top AI Content Detection Tools

So, where should you start if you need to check the credibility of AI detectors? We think by testing them. We compared 100% human content, 100% AI content, and a mix of human and AI content across multiple AI detectors to evaluate how each one reacts — then we took a closer look at five of the most popular tools.

As you can see, no tool was perfect, but some tools performed better than others. 

5 Top AI Detection Tools

Winston AI

Winston AI touts itself as the most accurate detection tool, and it certainly seemed sure of itself when we tested it. It had a low tolerance for AI-written text, even when edited. However, it correctly identified human-written text — albeit with a lower confidence level than other tools.

Overall, Winston AI has many valuable features. For example, its project and document storage lets you check previous scans and organize content. Uniquely, the tool utilizes OCR technology, which lets you check whether text in images is AI-written.

Pros:

• Image scanning
• Downloadable PDF reports
• Team management functions
• API access for integration with other marketing tools
  

Cons:

• Limited free access
• False positives due to the strict algorithm

Price: $12 per month for 80,000 words

Originality.ai

Originality.ai is another robust AI detection platform with many features to unpack. Besides the scanning tool, which lets you check whether content might be AI-written, you get plagiarism checks, a readability analysis, and fact-checking.

Compared to other tools, Originality has a low tolerance for AI. It rated each test article, including human-written articles, as AI-written with 100% confidence. The tool seems to place additional weight on burstiness, leading to false positives from highly uniform text.

Pros:

• AI, plagiarism, fact-check, and readability scans in one tool
• Team management features to help scale content production
• API for bulk scans

Cons:

• No free functionality
  

Price: $14.95 per month or $30 pay-as-you-go

GPTZero

GPTZero is one of the most straightforward tools we tested — especially if you only need to check a few pieces of content. This is because you don’t need a subscription or account for a basic scan. Simply paste your content into the web interface. GPTZero also has a novel feature that recreates typing behavior in Word or Google docs, which is a nifty way to be certain that a human typed rather than pasted content. 

During our scans, GPTZero identified each type of content relatively accurately. The tool was quite confident when it saw full AI content, with predictable decreases in its confidence rating when presented with mixed content. Compared to Winston AI, GPTZero was also less uncertain about the purely human content.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Chrome extension available
• Writing reports to certify human writing
• API access

Cons:

• No readability scan
• Account required for more advanced features 
• Character count for individual scans limited on free version

Price: Free (50,000 characters/10,000 words per month scan limit)

Sapling

Sapling works differently from other tools on this list. While you can perform a content scan through its web app, the tool also integrates directly into browsers and Google Docs.

Another unique feature of Sapling is its spelling and grammar check, which works similarly to Grammarly. You also get AI-powered writing assistance, recommending ways to complete and enhance content.

When we tested Sapling, it didn’t differentiate well between AI and partially human content. However, it did identify the fully human content.

Pros:

• AI assistant and grammar check included
• Multiple integration options
• User-friendly interface
• API for batch processing

Cons:

• Low non-English accuracy
• Limited free AI detection

Price: $25 per month

Crossplag 

Crossplag is primarily a plagiarism detection tool, but the platform also offers free AI detection through a web app. However, you need to sign up for an account to use it.

When we tested Crossplag, the tool correctly identified pure AI content, but it also gave the mixed-origin text a 100% confidence score. Crossplag shows this confidence level as a handy color-coded scale on the dashboard but doesn’t highlight individual sentences like GPTZero and Winston AI do, so there’s no way to know how much potential AI the mixed article had. 

Pros:

• AI and plagiarism detection in one tool
• Free AI detection
  

Cons: 

• Limited features
• No detailed scan stats

Price: Free AI detection but $9.95 for a plagiarism check of 5,000 words.

Real-World Application and Case Studies

Given the discrepancies among AI content detection tools, adoption has been somewhat inconsistent. After all, when one app says AI wrote an article but another says the opposite, how can you base decisions on the results?

Universities have had to ask the same question. While many adopted Turnitin’s AI detector early to address academic cheating, this overzealous uptake led to false-positive scans. That’s why prominent institutions such as Vanderbilt and Michigan State inevitably turned the technology off.

Surfer conducted a case study using Originality.ai that also revealed insight into the accuracy of AI content detection. The company ran 100 human and AI-written articles through the tool. Results showed:

• The detector was only 50% confident it found generative text across 78% of AI-written content.
• About 10% of human content received a confidence score lower than 50%.
• Only 28% of the human-written articles received confidence scores of 90% or higher.

What does this tell you about the capabilities and accuracy of AI detection tools? Unfortunately, they’re not reliable at all.

It’s best to take what content checkers tell you with a grain of salt. Use them, absolutely, but only as part of a broader content audit to confirm existing suspicions. Also, don’t just use one tool; use several and cross-reference the scan results. 

If content flags across most tools, a false positive is less likely. However, you’ll never completely eliminate false positives.

Alternative Evaluation Methods: Identifying AI Content Without Tools

While AI detection apps can be helpful, it shouldn’t be your only method of determining the authenticity of human-written content. If you review content regularly, it’s a good idea to become familiar with AI-generated content. Read enough of it, and you’ll start to see that even AI has habits. 

There are several things to look out for.

• Lack of depth: Granted, writers can’t cover everything about a specific topic. However, unedited AI content skims the surface of topics. More importantly, it rarely shows the firsthand experience or expertise that E-E-A-T compliant content has.
• Unusual phrasing: AI uses specific buzzwords like “meticulous” and too often tacks “-ing” phrases onto the end of sentences that don’t need them, looking a lot like the phrase you’re reading right now. It also sometimes uses phrases that sound odd, such as advising you to delve into the world of toothpaste flavors or embark on a journey to discover dishwasher settings. These phrases lend too much grandeur to mundane topics — something a human would typically avoid.
• Repetition: A talented human writer will avoid repeating ideas unless necessary, but AI often repeats itself in a single article.
• Overly clean structure: AI adheres to a highly predictable flow and uniform sentences. It lacks spontaneity and reads more like academic text structure-wise. Of course, sometimes a project calls for this style from humans, so it’s not definite. 
• Way too much voice: If instructed to inject some form of personality into the writing, it often goes over the top, dumping the full salt shaker of voice when just a sprinkle was needed. 

When you audit content to confirm suspicions of AI use, look at multiple articles, including those written pre-2023, when generative AI was more primitive. Do you see any dramatic changes in a writer’s style or grammar? Human writers work hard at their craft, and false positives are a common occurrence. A reasonably confident decision requires ample data.

The Limitations of AI Detection Tools

AI detectors play a role in content production but have limitations. Their accuracy is fairly high when detecting verbatim use of AI text. However, the number of false positives from human text should cause you to pause before relying on them.

There’s also a widespread misconception that if human text scans as AI through detectors, they’re probably not valuable. However, this ignores the tools’ emphasis on sentence variation and Google’s overwhelming desire for content matching the E-E-A-T guidelines.

We cover this misbelief — and several others — within our webinar on the myths and realities of AI detection. Watch the webinar, and you’ll discover key insights into how AI detection technology works and how generative AI will continue to evolve in the future.

We also take a deep dive into how we audit content, what we look for during a manual review, and how to address client concerns over AI usage.

The post Do These Top 5 AI Content Detection Tools Really Work? appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Enter the content gap analysis. Designed to find weaknesses in your strategy, an SEO content analysis helps you identify the topics you should be writing about to reach your target audience. This technique zeroes in on shortcomings within your overall content inventory and individual pieces of content so you can perform better in Google and satisfy your audience’s needs.

What Is Content Gap Analysis?

Content gap analysis is the process of finding limitations in your content offerings. It uses a number of techniques to find keyword, topic, and quality gaps so you can produce an effective mix of content to attract and engage your target audience. 

If you’ve followed conventional SEO best practices to date, you’ve built your site by defining your audience and performing keyword research to find the search terms they’re using. Each piece of content you’ve published should weave in keywords and lead users from the search engine result pages to your website.

These SEO strategies remain a critical step for laying the foundation of your site, but a competitive content analysis adds another layer to strengthen it. An analysis scans for cracks in this foundation — places where searchers slip through and have their needs met better on competing websites.

Purpose of an SEO content analysis

When you look for content marketing gaps, you can dig up elements missing from your content catalog. This can take a couple of different forms:

• Keyword gaps: What keywords are your customers searching for that aren’t covered on your site? If you’re not appearing in the top searches for relevant terms, you’re losing out on a key audience segment. These phrases are usually longtail keywords that help you connect with a niche audience. 
• Quality gaps: What’s lacking in individual pieces of content that would make your web page more useful and comprehensive? You can add more topics to lend depth to a piece, use media such as videos or images to complement text, or make the page easier to consume. After all, if you’re drawing customers to your content but they still aren’t satisfied, they’re going to return to Google to find a better source.

When to perform a content gap analysis

We recommend SEO content analysis for websites that have some traction, meaning there’s a collection of content optimized according to best practices. A content analysis is the natural next step to ensure peak performance. It’s useful to incorporate this step into your strategic planning so you’re constantly leveling up by assessing your content needs, prioritizing them, and building them into your editorial calendar.

If your website is brand new, focus on optimizing your website for core keywords related to your business. Keep the content gap analysis in your toolkit for use once you have a content base.

The Importance of an SEO Content Analysis

Now to the good stuff. How does looking for digital content gaps pay off? When executed well, a gap analysis improves SEO by:

• Diversifying content you can rank for
• Informing content strategies based on demand and data
• Tapping into new audience segments
• Improving your site’s relevance
• Driving organic traffic to your web pages
• Ensuring you’re visible in the same spaces your competitors are

Think of it this way: Each piece of content you publish is a path to your site. Your customers can follow many paths from the SERPs, but if yours isn’t there during their search, they’re taking another route to a competitor.

Here’s a simple example to illustrate a content gap. Let’s say you run a dog daycare. You’ve targeted high-value keywords such as “what is doggy daycare” and “what age for doggy daycare” and are generating some traffic. Your gap analysis techniques show competitors are also ranking for “dog daycare with webcams,” but alas! You have the technology but no content for this keyword. You’re missing an entire segment of customers who are only looking at daycares with webcam technology. You can now create content to target these potential new clients. 

Page-level content gaps

There’s another piece to this puzzle. The reality of modern-day SEO is that a well-written piece of content doesn’t stand alone — it’s not enough to drive your business goals. The value of your content is measured against your customers’ expectations and competitors’ offerings.

Gap analysis techniques can be used to find shortfalls in individual pieces of content. Remember, the content that ranks on the first page isn’t perfect — it’s just the best Google could find. If you can improve your content so it’s better than what’s currently available, you’re getting even more benefits by:

• Providing value to readers
• Improving engagement through top-notch content
• Bringing customers into your marketing funnel to encourage conversions
• Establishing expertise and authority in your niche

Here’s one more example from our fictitious dog daycare. A gap analysis might show your article about the benefits of dog daycare ranks just outside the first page of results. When you review the pages ahead of yours, you discover the articles cover the same points as yours, just reworded. You realize there’s an opportunity for a more dynamic piece by filling a media gap, so you create a video of clients explaining why they bring their dogs to daycare. You’re now offering unique insight, providing more value to your audience, and positioning your web page to start climbing the rankings.

Strategies and Tactics for Effective Gap Analysis

Looking for digital content gaps can be time-consuming because there are so many possible pieces missing from an SEO strategy. 

Tackle the process based on your business goals. Do you want to improve current content, broaden keyword opportunities, or boost engagement?

Below are some tactics you can put into action. And if it seems daunting, remember that gap analyses should be a regular part of your content strategy. You don’t have to do it all now — break it down and focus on one component at a time. 

Perform a content audit for SEO

No matter what your goals, your gap analysis should begin with a content inventory so you have the big picture. Begin by creating an inventory in a spreadsheet.

Your spreadsheet should detail each page on your site, including assets such as videos, images, and PDFs. At a minimum, itemize the URL, page title, topic, content type, date published, and date last updated. You can refer to this spreadsheet when you’re checking to see if your site has covered a topic.

Pro tip: Until we create a better one, we recommend you check out the free audit template that Wordstream offers (no email required), but bookmark it for later because we’ve got more to cover. 

Look for gaps in the buyer’s journey

Review your content inventory and ensure you have content for every phase of the buyer’s journey. You want to capture them at early stages to build brand recognition and answer their questions as they move through the awareness, consideration, and decision-making stages. This helps you build engagement and prevents them from abandoning your site to find answers elsewhere. 

Here are ideas for filling in gaps at different stages:

• Awareness: High-level content providing background and context, such as blog posts, e-books, podcasts, and videos
• Consideration: Website content that distinguishes your business or shows benefits, such as case studies, white papers, testimonials, reviews, and product comparison pages
• Decision-making: Landing pages and offers that move customers toward conversion, such as free trials, free consultations, and discounts

Find gaps in content depth

Another common content void is the gap between your content and what’s available in the SERPs. You can try a couple of tactics to provide more substance to your readers.

• Analyze your content manually by reading through the top-ranking pages to see how they treat the topic. Make note of images, references, and other content assets they provide. Compare this to your content to see where you can enhance your offerings.
• Try using AI to dig up content ideas to enrich your existing content. For example, give ChatGPT a prompt such as, “Create an outline for an informational blog post about mortgage underwriting.” The platform will generate a response based on patterns in the massive amounts of text the platform has processed. Sift through the suggestions to see which ones can help you rework your article.

Identify holes in available content

For best results, provide unique content that can’t be found elsewhere. When you address the gap between what readers are interested in and what’s available in the SERPs, you’re improving value for readers and scoring points with Google’s helpful content system.

In a recent webinar about mastering content strategy (47:05), George Chasiotis, Managing Director of Minuttia, illustrated how businesses can creatively set their content apart and provide insight not found elsewhere. Discussing the importance of information gain, he suggests a business targeting the keyword “types of marketing” might survey 125 marketing executives for their thoughts. These insights can feed into a powerful piece of content based on proprietary data that no other company has. 

Review on-page SEO practices

In addition to topic coverage, look at each piece of content on your website to ensure it’s fully optimized. This can help lift your content in the SERPs.

Depending on the size of your website, you might narrow down page types, beginning with the ones that are most important to your core business.

Assess each web page for a mix of on-page SEO elements and overall readability. Here’s a checklist of some things to watch for:

• Compelling meta title and description
• Effective keyword placement
• Optimized schema markup
• Well-organized copy (clear headers, short sections and paragraphs, bullet points)
• Easy-to-grasp concepts (jargon-free)
• Recent statistics and research 
• Interesting images and graphics 

Pinpoint issues in SEO performance

It’s helpful to know how your current content is performing. Turn to Google Analytics or an SEO tool to identify where you’re ranking for keywords. Some pages may not be as visible as they could be and require some revamping.

• Prioritize pages that are ranking well but could use a little lift to crack the top positions. You’re doing something right on those pages, so they may simply require a few tweaks to get you to leapfrog the competition.
• Use an SEO tool such as Semrush to see where your competition might be experiencing a decline in keyword performance. As Nizam Uddin shares in our webinar about content gap analysis (55:10), Google has found a reason to downgrade these pages in the rankings, which opens the door for your optimized content to climb above them.

Uncover lost keyword opportunities

Finally, your competitors may be generating traffic for topics you haven’t covered on your website. If these topics are also important to your business model, you’ve just unearthed new ways of reaching your target audience. 

SEO tools can make quick work of keyword gap analysis, and you’ll find some recommended tools to explore further in the next section.

Monitor content performance

As you find opportunities to bolster your website, add them to your content optimization strategy. Once implemented, use a tool such as Google Analytics to track your progress in gaining a bigger share of the SERPs.

Your positioning will fluctuate over time as consumer behavior changes and new competitors enter the scene. Make sure you’re regularly looking for content marketing gaps to adapt to these shifts. 

Leveraging SEO Tools for Content Gap Analysis

Now that you’re inspired to supercharge your website, here are popular platforms you can leverage to find content gaps, along with use cases.

1. Ahrefs Content Gap for keyword gaps

Purpose: Compare your site with up to 10 competing sites to identify keywords your site is not ranking for. 

The Ahrefs Content Gap tool uncovers keyword opportunities by retrieving keywords that selected sites rank for in the top 100 positions. It then eliminates the keywords your site ranks for in the top 100. The resulting list is your keyword gap.

You can filter results to only provide keywords that all or some of your competitors rank for, which can indicate their importance. The report also provides search volume and keyword difficulty to help in your decision-making.

Don’t target a keyword simply because your competitor is, however. Make sure it’s relevant to your audience and fits your business goals before adding it to your content strategy.

To use the Content Gap Report for keyword gaps:

• Enter up to 10 domains you want to analyze.
• Enter your domain.
• Click “Show keywords”.
• Apply the intersections filter if you want keywords where all or some of your competitors rank. You can also filter by keyword difficulty, search volume, and word count.

2. Ahrefs Content Gap for topic gaps

Purpose: Compare your web page with competing pages to identify topics they cover but you do not.

Perhaps you want to revamp a page on your site that you feel isn’t performing to its potential. The Ahrefs Content Gap tool can analyze specific URLs to find topic gaps. You can use the results to find ideas for adding depth to your content and making it more useful and comprehensive for readers.

To use Content Gap for topic gaps:

• Enter up to 10 URLs for pages that you want to analyze, such as the top-ranking pages for the keyword.
• Enter the URL for your content.
• Click “Show keywords”.
• Apply the intersections filter if you only want keywords where all or some of your competitors rank. You can also filter by keyword difficulty, search volume, and word count.

3. Semrush Keyword Gap for missing and weak keywords

Purpose: Compare your site with up to four competing sites to find keywords you’re missing and weak keywords you can better optimize.

To use Keyword Gap:

• Visit the Semrush Keyword Gap tool.
• Enter your domain.
• Enter the domains of your competitors (or subfolders on the domain).
• Select “Organic keywords.”
• Click “Compare.”

How to use the results:

• Review the list of missing keywords, ones you don’t rank for but all the sites you entered do. Identify ones relevant to your business goals and audience, and consider incorporating them into your keyword strategy.  
• Toggle to view the list of weak keywords, ones you do rank for but lower than your competitors. For best results, target keywords where you’re just outside the coveted first page of search results and aim to optimize them to break into the top results.
• In the paid tool, you can also view untapped keywords, ones you don’t rank for but one of your competitors does. 

You can set filters to narrow your results:

• Ranking: See the most relevant opportunities by filtering for keywords where your competitors are ranking in the top 10, 20, or 50 positions.
• Search volume: Ensure reasonable traffic by filtering for search volume. You may want to aim for 100-300.
• Keyword difficulty: Consider filtering for easy keyword difficulty between 0 and 29% to rank more quickly.
• Intent: If you’re targeting certain stages of the buyer’s journey, specify informational, commercial, or transactional keywords.

4. Ubersuggest for content ideas

Purpose: Explore keywords related to a topic to find new ranking opportunities.

When you’ve found topics you’d like to tackle, Ubersuggest can generate keyword suggestions to help you shape and refine content ideas.

To use Ubersuggest:

• Visit the Ubersuggest home page.
• Enter a seed keyword.
• Click “search” to generate a list of keyword ideas.

For example, if you run a wellness website and see your competitors are ranking for searches related to turmeric health benefits, plug this term into Ubersuggest. You’ll see a variety of keyword suggestions, which you can distill into related keywords, question keywords, keywords with prepositions, and comparison keywords. 

You can also view search volume and SEO difficulty. You might decide “turmeric health benefits” is too competitive, but “health benefits of turmeric and black pepper” is a more realistic target.

Reap the Rewards of Content Strategy Optimization

Content gap analysis is the competitive edge that can elevate your site in the search engine results pages. By identifying digital spaces where your business isn’t visible (but should be) and improving content to provide a better user experience, you can improve SEO performance and drive high-quality traffic to your site. Reach out to Crowd Content, and find out how we can support your content strategy and production.

The post Mastering Content Gap Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide for Marketers appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

When ChatGPT burst into public consciousness in late November 2022, the tech seemed to draw a line in the virtual sand, separating the earlier times of content from the robot age. But in reality, the rise of AI content has been a slow burn, and those within the content marketing industry have seen both the potential and the pitfalls on the horizon for years. The big question now isn’t just how AI text generators can be used but whether they should be used at all by anyone hoping to get (and stay) in Google’s good graces. 

One of the reasons Google has been so successful is its commitment to total world dominance. Just kidding (mostly). But really, Google dominates because it’s willing to constantly reevaluate its position on hot-button topics and what constitutes the general standard of excellence. However, changing standards can lead to an overload of confusion.

The doubt and uncertainty are real, but the key takeaway is just as potent: Combining AI with practical SEO strategies (and a heaping helping of human insight and oversight) is a recipe for success, and even Google agrees.

Does AI Content Rank in Google?

Google doesn’t penalize AI content simply for being produced by artificial intelligence. But to truly understand whether AI-generated text could affect your ranking, we have to dig a little deeper. It isn’t a yes or no answer but an analysis of how AI-generated content actually performs, what role human editorial oversight plays, and what Google’s official stance is. Because, at the end of the day, that almighty Google algorithm remains king.

The importance of EEATing

Google has confirmed (several times now) that AI-generated content gets a big, fat A-OK as long as it follows the same E-E-A-T guidelines used to evaluate content overall. In September 2023, Google updated the wording of its philosophy on valuable content, changing “helpful content written by people, for people” to “helpful content created for people.” That short edit made it clear Google was more interested in whether content delivered value — according to E-E-A-T — than in who created the content in the first place.

So, if you can use ChatGPT to generate a blog that meets Google’s standards for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, your content should be in line to rank well.

But there are also other factors that influence how content, AI-generated or not, ultimately lands on Google’s results pages.

SEO: Perception vs. reality and what works when you want to rank

How content is produced is only one piece of the SERP-y pie. Even if your content is strong, your SEO game has to be just as impressive, and that includes knowing the truth about search engine optimization.

Timeframes

• Perception: SEO is a one-time-only production.
• Reality: There’s no end to search engine optimization. Even if your AI-generated content ranks well now, you may need to tweak it in the future to answer Google algorithm updates.

Keyword stuffing

• Perception: The more keywords you include, the better your ranking.
• Reality: Google looks down on and penalizes articles with obvious keyword stuffing — even if it’s AI’s fault.

Links are links

• Perception: All links feed into the algorithm and boost your content’s rank.
• Reality: Quality is paramount. Google likes high-quality, highly relevant links from sources with proven authority.

Your content determines your ranking

• Perception: All you need is a solid blog and decent meta tags, and your SEO is done and dusted.
• Reality: AI content won’t get your site to rank if you aren’t paying attention to other factors, including social media, linking, and online reputation.

AI + human editorial oversight = magic

By this point, you’re hopefully convinced that AI text generators can be useful, but they can’t be left to operate completely independently. After all, the robot overlords don’t need to get it in their heads that we humans are totally superfluous, right? But how does that human oversight manifest?

In most cases, you’ll use yourself or other members of your human team in three ways:

• Editorial assistance: Use human editors to refine AI-generated content briefs, edit content drafts, and otherwise provide insight and polish that isn’t possible with 100% reliance on technology.
• Subject matter experts (SMEs): AI content-generating programs rely on existing data points and can only respond depending on what they know and when that data was input. This could lead to inaccurate or outdated content, which is less than ideal since Google looks for signals of reliability to help weed out content that propagates misinformation or contradicts popular consensus on certain topics. As of November 2023, many ChatGPT responses lead with, “As of my last knowledge update in January 2022…” Human SMEs can go through content with a fine-toothed comb, ensuring accuracy — something that’s especially important for companies in sensitive industries, such as healthcare and fintech, that can’t afford to disseminate erroneous content. 

• Off–page SEO: You need all the off-page SEO in place to support your content. Even if you use technology as part of your SEO strategy, you need a human to review the checklist and help knit everything together.

And if you need any more convincing that AI isn’t ready to go it alone, listen to the wise words of John Mueller, Google’s search advocate. When tagged on X (formerly Twitter) in a post asking, “Should we use ChatGPT from now onwards for publishing content on our website??? It giving 80% unique content.” [sic], Mueller’s response was epic: “It’s like food with only 20% toxic chemicals? Sounds tasty.”

Content Generated With AI

Digital guru and NP Digital Co-Founder Neil Patel put AI-generated content to the test following Google’s fall 2022 spam update, analyzing data from 100 experiment sites populated exclusively with AI-written content. His findings are more than worthy of a gasp and well-timed clutching of pearls:

• Sites that used AI-generated content with zero human oversight dropped eight positions in the SERPs and lost an average of 17% in traffic.
• Sites that paired AI-written content with some type of human oversight dropped just three positions in the SERPs and lost only 6% of their traffic.

It’s confirmed that problems arise when content creators expect AI to meet E-E-A-T standards independently. The human element may not be sacrosanct any longer, but it also isn’t extinct.

Boosting traffic thanks to artificial intelligence

Content Growth Founder Jake Ward is no stranger to building and scaling businesses. So, when Ward ran an experiment with sites brimming with AI-generated content, people took notice — especially when he published the results.

Ward’s barrage of AI content — paired with human oversight and revisions — helped take a website with zero traffic to 750,000 hits per month. The experiment involved 7,000 pages (all created using Byword.ai), and the growth took about a year to realize. At the end of the year-long study, that same site had 4,000 keywords in positions 1-3 and 13,000 keywords in positions 4-10.

Why Is High-Quality Content Important?

Most of us remember our elementary school teachers drilling grammar rules into our rapidly growing brains. I before E, except after C, right? But even as objective or mechanical writing quality remains integral to producing content of value, the definition of quality content has expanded.

• Does the content satisfy intent?
• Does it provide actionable insights?
• Are there unique perspectives?

It goes back to Google’s E-E-A-T principles. When you’re sharing experience, showcasing expertise, stating facts with authoritativeness, and proving your trustworthiness, you can’t help but churn out quality content that gives people what they want. This is true whether you’re prioritizing AI-generated content or writing everything yourself.

If you’re blending human and AI input, you have the best opportunity to produce content you and Google will love:

• Relevancy: AI ensures content is relevant to search intent, while humans ensure the emotion is intact.
• Credibility: AI uses existing data points to generate strong, quality content, and humans review that content for accuracy. This builds authority, too.
• User engagement: AI can dig up tidbits that might take humans days to unearth and put together an outline that reduces knowledge gaps and increases coverage of the given topic. Humans add entertaining language and emotion that keeps text from being robotic and helps forge connections.

It’s almost a matter of left brain vs. right brain, but you have to let the creativity and uniqueness run free without trampling on the information and complexity the topic is due. And if you do all that while avoiding comma splices, all the better. Otherwise, Google’s SpamBrain will notice, seeing the patterns that indicate poor-quality content created to influence rankings rather than to please people.

Tactics to Integrate AI Into Your Content Creation Process

Adding AI to your existing content creation process takes planning and a deft hand. You should proceed with the following tips with one overarching thought in mind: AI is only successful in content when you use it to improve your processes, never when your sole goal is to make content generation cheaper.

• Prioritize AI on the front end of content creation. AI is a research powerhouse, and ignoring that is almost criminal. Ask AI tools about trends and then use them to conduct research and generate outlines that can spark ideation and guide your writing teams.
• Optimize existing content. What better way to go toe-to-toe with Google than to use AI to optimize existing content, looking at ways to improve keyword usage and metadata? You can even use AI to analyze the behavior and preferences of your target audience and rework old blog posts to speak to a new demographic.
• Proofread and polish. Grammarly and ProWritingAid are just two of the AI-driven editing tools that can help you find errors and improve the style and quality of your content. These tools aren’t perfect (please don’t accept every suggestion), but they’re worthy grammatical wingmen.
• Infuse content with your brand voice. You can actually train AI models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-4, to understand and utilize your brand voice so it can replicate what it sees.
• Create custom images and videos. AI-powered visual content platforms haven’t made as big of a splash as text-generating platforms, but they should. Plug a request into Deep AI or Hotpot, and you can have a picture of a unicorn dressed as a cowboy sitting in a pile of spaghetti in mere minutes.

Evaluating the Impact of AI on SEO Trends

As AI grows and continually fine-tunes itself, it has a parallel increasing impact on SEO. Artificial intelligence was woven throughout Semrush’s predictions for SEO trends in 2023, including:

• Generative AI creates new content based on data it was fed during training, such as formulating summaries that answer search queries. Think of it as Google’s featured snippets on steroids.
• Accelerated content creation, thanks to AI’s ability to produce words at record speed. The more content there is, the more competitive SEO can be, and the harder it may become for startups with limited bandwidth to gain traction.
• Google continues to remind us of the importance of people-first content that meets search intent. AI-generated content is included and must meet the same standards — and yes, Google is watching.
• Microsoft Bing has integrated ChatGPT into its search engine, making it a serious contender for the title of the World’s Top Search Engine. Eventually. It’s worth watching because how we use AI may one day no longer completely depend on Google’s input and guidelines.

But the SEO industry isn’t a monolith, and expert opinions on AI and SEO vary.

• “AI is one of the most profound things we’re working on as humanity. It’s more profound than fire or electricity.” – Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google, via an interview with Verge
• “The future of SEO will be heavily influenced by two key factors: the continued rise of mobile search and the increased use of artificial intelligence in the search industry.” — Neil Patel

And then there’s ChatGPT’s say-so. When asked, “Will AI kill SEO?” the platform first hedged its bets (“As an AI language model, I cannot predict the future . . .”) before underscoring the need for adaptable SEO strategies. It then stated, “SEO will not be killed by AI . . .  it will evolve to become more sophisticated and data-driven, with a greater emphasis on quality content, user experience, and technical optimization.” Mic drop.

Future Outlook: AI in Content Marketing and SEO

AI hasn’t reached its peak — not in terms of efficacy or accuracy or in the ways in which it can affect content production. There will be more applications joining the ranks in the years to come. Some may help with strategy and ideation, while others might pave the way for more efficient brief and content creation. We will, one day, be able to rely even more on artificial intelligence as a standalone tool to generate, evaluate, and refine content.

Now, imagine these tools connected to existing workflows, perhaps via a single, umbrella-like chat environment — increased visibility, a user-friendly format, and a gradually declining need for your team to stand over the apps like helicopter parents. Is your spine tingling yet?

The idea that AI could spearhead trend forecasting, conduct in-depth data analysis, deliver hyperlocal content, automatically analyze backlink profiles, and identify opportunities to improve all of the above isn’t just exciting. It promises an age in which anyone can use content to build their business without being a whiz with grammar or spending years learning the ins and outs of SEO.

AI: Writing and Ranking, With a Little Help From Your Friends

AI-generated content has the potential to rank as well (or even better) than content written entirely by human hands. But favoring artificial intelligence over human expertise, or vice versa, is like trying to sail across the Atlantic with only half a boat. You can keep doggy paddling, but why do yourself such a disservice? By combining AI with editorial oversight and SMEs, you can serve up high-quality text with a distinctly human touch.Step up your content efforts with an assist from Crowd Content’s managed services. We help businesses, agencies, and publishers across a wide variety of industries generate quality content at scale. Whether you want to explore the possibilities of AI-generated content or desire a fully human experience, our content managers can help you understand your options and build a process that expertly serves your needs.

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And all marketing is content.

• Video scripts
• Instagram images and captions
• Blog posts
• Landing pages
• Emails
• Search ads
• Radio and television ads
• Direct mail

Each of these is made of content — content that someone or some team created. 

No matter what your specific business or organizational goals are, if you have a message to put in front of an audience, you need people to create that content. Whether you turn to in-house talent or outsource content creation is up to you, but it’s critical to understand the costs before you make a decision.

Apples & Oranges: How to Successfully Compare the Cost of Freelancers With the Cost of Staff Writers

Before you can accurately assess costs — and cost-savings — it’s important to understand how to compare apples with oranges. 

For instance, if you pay an in-house writer $25 per hour and a freelancer 10 cents per word, how can you tell which is less expensive? 

It’s almost impossible to make this comparison when you’re talking about one small writing project. In fact, if all you need is one small writing project completed, you shouldn’t be making this comparison at all. Why hire an in-house employee for a single project when you can outsource it and be done with the expense once the project is over?

If you have ongoing content needs, however, it makes sense to crunch some numbers to determine what’s best for your budget. Here are a few tips for ensuring you do so accurately:

• Look at the big picture instead of costs for single projects. Think about what you would pay for content over the course of an entire year. It can be easier to compare a year’s worth of freelance content expenses to a year’s worth of payroll expenses than to compare hourly wages to freelance charges. 
• Include all the costs of employing someone. When calculating the cost of hiring in-house writers, consider more than what you pay them. Add in benefits, training expenses, and the costs of hiring. 
• Remember that you may have internal costs even when you work with freelancers. You may still need to manage freelancers, and if you work directly with writers, you might have to do edits and quality checks yourself. 

Average Cost of Hiring an In-House Writer

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, writers and authors make an average of $69,510 per year — or $33.42 hourly. 

However, “writers and authors” is a pretty big umbrella, and the average salary isn’t inclusive of all costs that an employer might pay when hiring someone. Let’s break this down a bit further so you can get a better idea of what it might cost for you to hire an in-house writer for your organization.

As you can see from the above table, a good estimate for the amount you may need to pay an in-house writer is $25 to $50 an hour, or around $50,000 to $115,000 per year.

However, you’ll also incur other costs if you hire full-time in-house staff. 

Estimated additional costs of hiring an in-house writer at $60,000 per year in the U.S.

Depending on the benefits you offer, you could end up paying $78,000 or more annually for a single in-house writer. A team of just five writers can cost $400,000 or more yearly. 

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Freelancer?

Freelance writers offer services for a wide range of prices. They also charge for those services in a variety of ways, including:

• Hourly
• Per project
• Per page of copy, which is usually defined by an approximate number of words 
• Per word
• Per unit, such as per meta description or Instagram caption

Working directly with freelancers versus working with an agency or content company can also drastically impact how much you pay. 

What does it cost to work directly with a freelancer?

One option for working with freelance writers is to put out a job posting, accept resumes or applications directly from freelancers and choose some writers for contract work. 

In this scenario, you foot the bill for a variety of expenses, including:

• The cost to develop the job posting and market the listing
• The cost of training freelancers, which can include developing internal briefs, offering feedback and taking time to ensure freelancers understand any software or internal processes
• In-house employee labor expenses associated with managing the freelancer team — including assigning work, managing workflows, receiving work and any editing or feedback that might be necessary
• Paying freelancers for the work they do

What are some average freelance writer rates?

Here’s what the American Writers & Artist’s Institute suggests professional and experienced freelancers charge for various copywriting projects. 

Using these rates as a basic guide, let’s look at the cost of hiring freelancers directly to complete a website content writing project. For this hypothetical project, imagine that you need:

• New home page copy ($1,500)
• 30 new pages — a mix of high-quality sales pages and SEO pages ($10,000)
• 2 pillar posts — $1,000
• 10 blog posts — $3,000

The freelancer cost for your project would be $15,500. Add in internal costs associated with managing the freelancers, and the total costs could be $17,000 to $18,000 or more.

Of course, you might save money by hiring freelancers with much lower rates. However, as with any other service, you often get what you pay for. Freelancers with less experience or those that charge bottom-barrel rates may also increase how much internal effort you need to exert on a project, which can lead to increased internal costs that negate your savings.

How much does it cost to hire crowd content freelancers?

Crowd Content offers a wide range of pricing choices — and several ways to work with freelancers through our platform. 

Generally, pricing structures are per word. However, we can also accommodate flat pricing per piece and other structures to meet unique client needs. 

Pricing in our Marketplace is 3.5 to 15.8 cents per word. If you want our professional editors to proofread your copy before it’s delivered, you can add editing for 4 cents per word.  Our customer service reps can help you build strong writing and editing teams, but you generally manage those teams, so you may have some internal expenses associated with overseeing content. 

To understand how much high-quality 4-star content might cost with Crowd Content’s marketplace services, consider the table below.

You can also choose managed services and work with fully-managed content teams. Our content managers and production teams partner with clients to deliver publish-ready content, and they can take a lot of the burden off your internal teams. Managed services can include brief creation, editing and quality assurance, and management of large freelance teams, reducing some of your internal costs.  

Hiring In-House Writers, Directly Contracting With Freelancers, or Working With Crowd Content: Which Is More Cost-Effective?

Let’s look at another hypothetical situation to understand how much content might cost with each of these options.

In this scenario, a company needs around 250,000 total words of blog content per year (about 250 blog posts). It considers the following options:

• Hire one full-time in-house writer at an expense of around $80,000 total
• Contract with freelancers directly at an expense of $62,000 to $125,000 total
• Use Crowd Content’s 4-star marketplace writers and editors at an expense of around $49,750 plus any internal costs associated with managing workflows

Which Choice Is Right for Your Business?

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t exist here, so you need to consider your business needs, budget and how your team works best. Some teams need in-house support and collaboration more than cost-savings. Some companies don’t have any in-house resources for content creation and are happy to outsource everything. 

There isn’t a single right answer, though you can see from the numbers above that there’s definitely a more cost-effective answer. If you’re interested in those cost savings and how Crowd Content can help you drive them without downgrading the quality of your content, connect with us today.

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The Ins and Outs of Outsourcing Content

When you outsource content, essentially you hire a third party to create that content for you. This process typically involves several steps: needs assessment, agency selection, information transfer, content creation and delivery.

Needs Assessment

Whether you’re outsourcing for the first time or you’ve worked with a blog writing service for years, it’s important to understand your needs before ordering content. Consider your requirements, such as:

• Volume
• Deadlines
• Budget
• Quality level
• Writers with specialized backgrounds

Agency Selection

Service providers can range from individual freelancers to large agencies that offer multiple services. For example, besides writing, agencies such as Crowd Content offer editing, SME and project management services. The content writing service you choose should be able to satisfy your needs, delivering the quality you expect at the scale you need.

Information Transfer

What you’ll get out of a blog writing service depends, at least in part, on what you put in. That means you should provide detailed information that tells the writer exactly what you want and need from the deliverable. This may include:

• A title
• The subject/topic
• Primary and secondary keywords
• Length requirements
• The target audience
• A tone and/or voice to aim for
• Specific points or subtopics to include
• Citation requirements
• Suggested resources
• An internal style guide

Content Creation

After your provider receives your order, including any specific instructions, the writer can begin creating your blog posts. In some cases, the content creation process may also involve editing and/or review by a subject matter expert.

Delivery

When content creation is complete, you’ll receive the deliverables, which are typically publish-ready posts that can be uploaded immediately to your website or blog. However, reputable services leave room for revisions, as needed, especially if a writer hasn’t met the project’s requirements.

The Cost to Outsource Blog Writing

The cost of blog writing services varies widely, depending on factors, such as:

• The agency providing the service
• The writer’s experience level
• The complexity of content
• The length of the content
• The quality level of the content
• The need for a writer with a specialized background
• The addition of SME or editing services
• Whether you choose a self-service marketplace or professionally managed content services

For example, if you request a simple blog post from a writer who’s just starting out, you may pay as little as $5. An in-depth article by a writer who has extensive medical knowledge, with subsequent review by an SME, may cost upwards of $1,000.

The Benefits of Outsourcing Blog Writing

If you’re not sure whether outsourced blog posts are worth the cost, consider the benefits you can reap from hiring a professional writer. By outsourcing your blog content, you can:

• Enhance the quality of your content: By outsourcing your content to a professional writer, you’ll get engaging, high-quality blog posts written with your target audience in mind.
• Get access to subject matter experts: If you’re trying to establish a reputation as an authority in your space, having accurate content is crucial. Services, such as Crowd Content, maintain a pool of subject matter experts who can verify the accuracy of written content and give their stamp of approval.
• Save time and increase productivity: Maintaining an in-house team of writers isn’t always practical or affordable. Outsourcing blog content frees up your team to do other work.
• Increase your online visibility: Good content writers can seamlessly weave SEO keywords into your content, so you can improve your search rankings without sacrificing readability.
• Enjoy a wide range of writing styles and perspectives: Giving readers the same perspective week after week can be a turnoff. When you outsource content to writers with varying perspectives, backgrounds and writing styles, you’ll keep your blog interesting, so readers come back for more.
• Find a cost-effective solution: As the saying goes, time is money. Unless you’re a trained writer, penning blog posts yourself may not be the most cost-effective way to get content. Outsourcing to a professional can ultimately save you money.

Common Blog Writing Outsourcing Options

If you plan to outsource your blog content, you have plenty of choices. Common blog writing outsourcing options include:

• Individual freelancers: Freelancers can range from self-taught writers to experienced professionals who’ve spent decades in the industry, and the cost of services typically varies accordingly.
• Specialty writing services: If you operate in certain niches, such as medical or legal, you may need writers who have a background in a specific field.
• Gig-based sites: Here, companies can find pools of qualified freelancers. Although it’s typically an affordable option, the writing quality on gig-based sites may be inconsistent.
• Content marketplaces: Content marketplaces match clients with qualified writers. They’re similar to gig-based sites. However, marketplaces can often handle requests with rapid turnaround times, and their writers are usually vetted.
• Managed content services: When you sign with a managed content service, you’ll often have a single point of content. This content manager handles everything from creating a team of qualified writers to performing quality control.
• Agencies: Agencies often offer several options, so clients can choose the service that best suits their needs. For example, clients at Crowd Content may opt for the self-serve marketplace or choose the hands-off approach of managed content.

Why Should You Choose a Content Marketplace?

When you choose content writing services through a content marketplace, such as Crowd Content’s, you can cut out the middleman and order blog posts directly from a professional writer with the experience and expertise to get the job done right. If you have multiple orders, you can even create your own team. With Crowd Content’s blog writing services, you’ll select from a pool of more than 6,000 preapproved writers with a multitude of specialties. Better yet, Crowd Content’s simple interface lets you request the content you need 24/7 — even bulk orders — so you can get publish-ready content at the scale you need when you need it most. And, that’s a smart move

The post Why Outsourcing Your Blog Writing is a Smart Move appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

In this article, we look at how high-quality, SEO-driven content fits into your overall search visibility efforts. We also show you how to build an effective SEO campaign in 2024, taking into account Google’s helpful content update, the growing popularity of AI, voice search, and search generative experience.

4 Elements of an Effective SEO Strategy

Before we dive in, let’s look at the big picture. It’s said that more than 200 Google ranking factors impact where pages fall in the SERPs. SEO content writing is an important part of it — but it’s only one component. 

A comprehensive SEO strategy has four parts:

• On-page SEO helps search engines understand the meaning of a page so it can be matched to relevant search queries. These tasks include writing meta titles and descriptions, using headers, optimizing images, creating descriptive URLs, and adding internal links. 
• Off-page SEO involves building backlinks from external sites to demonstrate your content is trustworthy and valuable. A link-building strategy can involve creating guest posts, partnering with influencers, and requesting links in resource directories.
• Technical SEO helps search bots crawl your site easily and addresses elements such as site speed, loading times, mobile responsiveness, security, and site errors.
• Content SEO, the focus of our article, is the creation of content that readers want to consume. The content should answer the search query and be easy to read and insightful.

If your business caters to audiences in a specific region or has multiple locations, you should also complement your strategy with a local SEO component to reach customers in those areas.

How does search engine ranking work?

When your site is optimized using the above tactics, search engines can more effectively crawl, index, and rank your pages. 

• Crawling: Google uses software called crawlers to gather and store information from every web page it can access. 
• Indexing: The information gathered by search bots is organized and indexed according to SEO elements, such as keywords and metadata. When a user performs a query, search engines pull the relevant page. 
• Ranking: Search engines weigh factors such as relevance, quality, and user experience to determine how useful the page is and where it should surface in the SERPs.

Google’s Emphasis on Content Quality

Google’s objective is to provide users with the best, most reliable information for their searches. Pages that say the same thing as a dozen other sites? They’re not nabbing that top spot in the SERPs. Blog posts written to hit certain keyword densities with little value? They’re not on Google’s wish list, either.

Instead, create original content for human readers that inspires them to say, “I learned something new!” Google consistently refines search algorithms to find and prominently display these in-depth pages. 

E-E-A-T

Google introduced E-A-T principles in 2014 to ensure the content it promotes is expert, authoritative, and trustworthy. A couple of years ago, an extra “E” was added to these guidelines to emphasize experience or first-hand knowledge.

Search algorithms look for signs of E-E-A-T on your website through backlinks from other sites, traffic and engagement metrics, and topical authority. Consider establishing your credentials in online bios or on an “About” page and leveraging the knowledge of subject matter experts to show your content is credible. 

Helpful content system

Designed to distinguish between high-quality and low-value content, Google’s helpful content system rolled out in 2022. Soon after a 2023 update, pages that didn’t meet the criteria for useful content tumbled in the SERPs.

Google has a checklist to assess the helpfulness of your content. Essentially, you should offer in-depth analyses and comprehensively answer a reader’s questions on a topic. Aim to produce a piece that’s so original and perceptive that a reader would recommend or bookmark it.

These standards also apply if you’re experimenting with AI content creation. Search engines don’t care who (or what) wrote the content as long as it’s meaningful. But you’ll likely find AI-generated content needs some human involvement to deliver the firsthand experience and personalization Google prioritizes.

Building the Foundation of Your SEO Content Strategy

For your content to rank well, it should meet or surpass reader expectations and outdo the pages already occupying the top spots in the search results. Build your strategy around the following components to tailor content to user queries and drive traffic to your site.

Target audience

The first step of SEO content writing is to know who you’re writing for. What are their pain points? Where do they look for information? Do they prefer short-form videos or in-depth articles? Align your content to your customers, and deliver your message in a tone that resonates. 

Industry niche

SEO content strategies vary depending on the industry. Research the keywords customers use when searching for products and services, along with the keywords your competitors target. Landscapers, event planners, plumbers, realtors, and automobile mechanics need to focus on local SEO. Businesses in the health and finance sectors that publish YMYL, or “your money, your life,” topics need to be attentive to quality and subject matter expertise, due to the impact their advice can have.  

Search intent

A good SEO content strategy focuses on keywords and the meaning behind them. Understanding search intent ensures you shape content to answer a user’s questions. For example, a cosmetics company targeting the keyword “moisturizer with retinol” should determine if someone using this phrase wants general information about the product’s benefits or already knows they want the product and are evaluating brands. A look at top-ranking pages or assistance from keyword research tools can help you determine search intent.

SEO specialist Lily Ray notes that search intent can shift, using the example of Barbie. Recently, movie reviews replaced general information about the toy at the top of the SERPs. 

“A key strategy for handling intense shifts in search intent is to build content that serves every possible intent for your important keywords,” Ray says. “This may require different site sections, articles, videos, images, etc., that each serve a unique purpose for searchers.” 

Content clusters

Sites Google considers reliable sources of content tend to rank better. Build your site’s topical authority to establish expertise. Instead of targeting random keywords, build purposeful content clusters and explore topics in-depth. 

Image Source: Semrush 

These content clusters serve as your website’s core and help you grow an inventory of content that continually demonstrates knowledge about a specific topic. 

Exceptional content

We’ve talked a lot about optimizing your website for Google, but it’s just as important to remember your content will be read by potential customers, business partners, and stakeholders. As mentioned earlier, focus your SEO content writing on original pieces that provide value to readers. Align your content with E-E-A-T guidelines and the objectives of the helpful content system.

Semrush’s 2024 Ranking Factors Study looked at the content of top-performing pages and found relevancy and quality correlated most strongly with higher rankings. On average, the top 10 ranked pages have 90.6% text relevance and a 76.9% content quality score. Keyword coverage came third at 67.8%. “Don’t waste your time obsessing over keyword count or updating content dates for the sake of making your content appear fresher,” the report advises. “Focus on the things that matter, which is creating content that covers its topic in a way that meets readers’ needs.”

Key performance indicators

Set goals so you can track the impact of your SEO content strategy and refine your tactics to improve performance. Choose KPIs that reflect what you want to achieve — for example, the number of impressions can be a measure of brand awareness. Common metrics include traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, session duration, and conversions. Determine your benchmarks, and measure progress regularly. 

10 Steps to Create a Top SEO Content Strategy

Now that you know the ingredients of an impactful strategy, you’re ready to put the pieces together. Here’s how to create an effective SEO content strategy to land higher in search engine rankings and hit your business goals.

1. Understand your customers

The more precisely you know your target audience, the better you can tailor your campaign to meet their needs. This means understanding their needs, concerns, and motivations at each stage of the buyer’s journey. 

Image Source: Ahrefs

For example, if you sell baked goods, determine if your audience is most interested in quality (organic), cost (affordability), or a solution to a problem (gluten-free). Create content to capture them at the awareness, consideration, and decision stages. 

2. Research keywords 

Once you identify who you’re writing for, perform keyword research to find the search terms they’re most likely to use. Sort the keywords into topic clusters and begin building an SEO content strategy.  

You’ll want a mix of head and long-tail keywords. For example, “artificial grass” is a head keyword that generates a high search volume, but it’s tough to rank for. You can aim for more precise long-tail keywords with lower search volumes. These keywords make it easier to gain visibility, such as “What are the benefits of artificial grass?”

Long-tail keywords also help you optimize for voice searches. People tend to be conversational when speaking to a voice assistant, saying, “What trees are native to Maryland?” instead of typing “Maryland trees” into a search engine. Similarly, while SGE is still at an early stage, the preciseness of long-tail keywords may improve your chances of surfacing in AI-driven searches.

3. Plan your content

Look at your chosen keywords and choose the best format for each piece of content. 

• Blog posts are simple to publish and can be outsourced to an SEO content writing service to help you scale output.
• Videos are helpful for product demonstrations, how-to guides, tutorials, presentations, and fun behind-the-scenes content.
• Podcasts give your brand a personal touch and enable you to bring in experts and leverage their audiences.
• Infographics are a visual way to deliver information and are easily shareable.
• E-books share valuable expertise and can be used to generate marketing leads when gated.
• Case studies show customers how your product or service makes a difference.
• Interactive content, such as mortgage calculators, quizzes, games, polls, and interactive maps, encourages user engagement. 

4. Create a content calendar

Use an editorial calendar to plan the content rollout. This helps manage workflow and ensures everyone on the team works toward the same goals. It also ensures you don’t miss out on seasonal marketing opportunities in your industry. 

Build deadlines into your calendar for writing, editing, and publishing, assigning each task to a team member. Prioritize pieces that focus on important core keywords first, and grow your content clusters later. 

If you don’t have the in-house resources to devote to content writing, consider a blog writing service to implement your strategy. Freelance writers can support your team when you need extra hands on deck or ensure a continuous output of content to steadily grow your blog.   

5. Ensure content can be crawled and indexed

Optimize each piece of content according to SEO best practices before you publish. Format content with headers, use metadata, add internal links, and ensure pages load quickly for desktop and mobile devices.

Remember, search engines can’t crawl webinars, videos, images, infographics, and other visual content. You can provide transcripts or written summaries to convey the meaning of content and help with indexing.

6. Develop an off-page SEO strategy

Complement your SEO content strategy by building backlinks from third-party sites that are respected in your niche. There are a few ways to create these links:

• Share your expertise by publishing guest posts that link back to your site.
• Partner with influencers or businesses that may have the same target audience.
• Add your site to directories with local chambers of commerce or business associations.
• Make new content shareable on social media.

7. Engage users

As your pages climb the search rankings, you should see an increase in organic traffic. Make sure those who land on your site have a great user experience. The site should be easy to navigate, visually appealing, and filled with relevant, interesting information. The more you engage users and the longer they stick around, the more likely you are to establish trust and brand awareness.

8. Track performance

Set goals for your SEO content strategy and track your progress toward achieving them. You can monitor the impact of specific campaigns and compare quarterly or annual performances. Use the data to build on successes or refine your approach if performance falls short. 

For example, if a page ranks well but isn’t generating click-throughs, you might need to rewrite your meta title and description to be more compelling to readers. If a page has a high bounce rate, the content might fall short of reader expectations. 

9. Understand the search landscape

Search engines are continuously updating algorithms and ranking factors to better serve users. Read up on SEO with Crowd Content’s blog, and ensure you’re following best practices. This helps you respond to changes in the search landscape as they occur and stay ahead of your competition.

10. Update content regularly

As the bar rises on quality SEO content, readers expect timely and accurate information when clicking through to sites. Regularly review your posts to ensure you’re providing the best information possible. Remove outdated information, use current statistics, and fix broken links.

Put Your SEO Content Strategy to Work

Whether your SEO content strategy involves blog posts, e-books, case studies, or landing pages, harness the power of Crowd Content’s skilled freelance writers. Our SEO content writing services deliver high-quality, publish-ready content to help you drive traffic and conversions. Ask us about our writing and editing services, and put your SEO content strategy into action today. 

The post How to Create a SEO Content Strategy for 2024 appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

From the mouths and brains of our experts, here are a handful of Google algorithm predictions for 2023 plus tips on how you can make these changes work to your benefit.

1. A Continuing Emphasis on Visual Search

The unprecedented success of TikTok dances and cross-platform reaction videos proves how powerful visual content is. In fact, nearly 40% of Gen Zers already head to TikTok and Instagram to search for coffee spots and retail shops instead of Googling. No surprise, then, that Google is responding by incorporating more visual components in search results. Much of this evolution hinges on Google’s Vision AI tech, which uses machine learning to analyze the content of pictures and create a spiderweb of sorts that connects content across the web.

Marketers can capitalize on the visual trend by:

• Pair all photos with descriptive alt text that includes corresponding search terms
• Add photos to assets that play heavily into Google’s algorithm, including Google Business Profiles, e-commerce pages, landing pages, and product listings added to Google’s Merchant Center
• Explore new ways to incorporate visual content alongside text, including videos and infographics

2. Entity Association Will Soar in Importance

In Google speak, entities are any concept or asset that can be used to distinguish one piece of content or web page from another. Links and keywords are just two examples of entities that Google believes are uber important, not only because of their inherent value but also because of how they reflect and interact with user intent.

Once upon a time, keywords were the most important entities, period. They were so important that marketers would hide huge strings of keywords at the bottom of web pages in hopes of winding up at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). But Google quickly realized that kind of game play wasn’t in the best interests of consumers.

Think of entities as unique identifiers that act as components of a big-picture topic. If your topic was Elvis Presley, Google is no longer just looking for the keyword “Elvis Presley,” it’s also looking for entities including people, places, movies, albums, awards, and tangible items that make up the entire knowledge cloud of what makes Elvis, well, Elvis. There are subcategories too like Elvis’s physical attributes and the latitude and longitude of Graceland.

In 2023, Google’s ML-led algorithms will be trawling the internet looking for these entities, determining which are most meaningful, and then linking them to similarly integral entities. It’s basically recognizing and even building relationships, which will heavily influence search this year and beyond.

3. Featured Snippets and Zero-Click Results

Featured snippets are those no-need-to-click blurbs that appear at the very top of SERPs. Say you’re searching for something like “Who built the coliseum?”. In the olden days, you’d have to click through the top few results to see which page had the information you needed presented in a way that was easiest for you to grasp.

With featured snippets, there’s a full paragraph answer to your question right on the search page. Hence the term “zero-click results.” You can click through for more detailed info, but you don’t have to because the gist of what you need is already being presented right up front, on the digital equivalent of a silver platter.

This feature is already awesome, but experts predict Google will continue to fine tune snippets in 2023, focusing primarily on making snippets even more prevalent. Scoring a snippet can help businesses reach customers at the very top of the funnel, increasing brand awareness and traction without paying a single penny for the privilege (yup, featured snippets are totally free!).

Businesses can increase their likelihood of being featured by:

• Creating content that’s both high quality and very informative — dig deep instead of giving basic, non-detailed responses to key questions.
• Using FAQ sections on pillar pages and landing pages — the answers in FAQs make for great snippets!
• Formatting definitive answers to big questions in snippet-appropriate ways, such as sticking to answers that are between 40 and 60 words or about 250 characters.

4. Rising Value of Technical SEO

Content marketers often focus on the aspects of search engine optimization (SEO) that are mostly closely tied to the content itself. That includes:

• Writing high-quality, grammatically correct content that has that all-important “human element.”
• Conducting keyword research to determine which keywords are bets, how many should be used, etc.
• Strategizing site structure to ensure Google knows where to find the most important content and how different pages are related.

But this year, expect more eyes on technical SEO, which involves working on the tech aspects of websites that most influence user experience and ranking. Tech SEO includes:

• Reviewing sites for speed issues and loading errors
• Optimizing for mobile
• Excising duplicate content
• Ensuring links are working
• Using robots.txt files, crawl-delay directives and access restrictions to help control where and what Google crawls

5. Changes in How Google Detects AI

Google has long prioritized person-first content, meaning content that is engaging, relevant and meaningful to the people reading it. But with AI-generated content one of the hottest topics of 2023 so far, it’s going to be very interesting to see how Google decides to check for and rank content that appears to be written by robots instead of human writers.

Already, Google’s position on AI has evolved from an almost outright ban to a more nuanced approach that seeks to limit AI-generated SEO spam content and low-quality text while boosting sites that offer the opposite. But as the methodology involved in how Google detects ChatGPT content and other AI-fueled copy grows and matures, Google’s response to its findings might as well. After all, if a large percentage of marketers start relying on AI to churn out basic content, like meta descriptions and FAQ sections, Google will have to find a way to recognize progress.

6. BOOM Goes the Volatility

There’s only one constant when it comes to Google’s algorithm and that’s that there is no constant. The company is notorious for changing up their features and the inner workings of their algorithm whenever and however they feel like it. But there’s a definite vibe that 2023 could bring even more change than normal.

It’s therefore absolutely essential that marketers stay up to day on changes that could roll out in quick succession. Don’t assume anything is up to date unless you’ve checked with Google’s announcements and you know for sure.

Of course, staying on top of algorithm changes can quickly become a full-time job. Set up news alerts with keywords like “Google algorithm updates” and “Google search news” and you’ll get pinged when something topical pops up. It’s also worth investing in an SEO expert who can not only let you know of important changes but also help you develop and execute on strategies to make those changes work for you or your clients.

The post 6 Must-Know Google Algorithm Predictions for 2023 appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

In early 2023, the content world was atwitter with talk of AI content and what it might mean for the industry. We’ve got the details below about SEO artificial intelligence, including how you can use it and where you might want to back away from the machine.

What’s ChatGPT and Where’s the Controversy?

While SEO marketers that read industry blogs have seen plenty of content about AI through the years, the discussion has catapulted into the mainstream recently. ChatGPT, an AI content bot from OpenAI, is one reason for that.

OpenAI released the bot in November 2022, and it took around 2.5 months for the impressive piece of machine learning to go viral in the news cycles. While Meta’s chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, says ChatGPT isn’t as innovative as it seems, the bot is wowing users across all industries—and bringing to light numerous ethical and practical concerns about this type of AI.

Professors at the University of Minnesota and the University of Pennsylvania report that ChatGPT successfully passed both law and business exams, for example. It’s all enough to bring the lawmakers out; one United States congressman is already calling for a committee to consider regulations for this type of AI.

But Can You Use AI Tools to Write Your Content?

The answer really comes down to whether or not you should. ChatGPT and other fairly advanced tools do a decent job of stringing coherent sentences together and even providing some basic facts. And even less robust AI tools can create the type of short phrases common in search ads.

Before you take AI to the bank in an attempt to scale your content fast and cheap, though, you must consider all the ramifications. Here are just a few reasons not to use AI to create all your content:

• Google is against it. In early 2022, John Mueller of Google gave a pretty straightforward answer about the viability of AI-generated content in SERPs. He said that AI is a type of auto-generated content, and that it is banned by Google Search Essentials (formerly Webmaster Guidelines). Publishing AI-generated content, said Mueller, can result in manual penalties that reduce page rank and devalue your SEO.
• AI can’t think like a human. Consumers want real value when they come to your pages or read your emails. While advanced AI content tools can string some pretty sentences together, computers don’t think like humans. The AI doesn’t think “What is most valuable to the reader?” or “How can I tell a story to capture the reader’s attention and persuade them to take action?” AI isn’t going to integrate powerful emotional marketing elements appropriately—that’s still the sole territory of human content creators. 
• AI is only as good as the data. Computer-generated content is often riddled with factual errors. That’s because AI content generators draw on all the data available to them on the web to create “new” content. You likely know from experience how hit-and-miss the internet can be with facts, and those issues find their way into the content generated by machines. This makes AI an especially bad option for long-form or complex content or even short-form content about niche topics. Check out our case study to find out how Crowd Content’s human writing force helped one client meet scale, quality and accuracy requirements not possible with AI alone. 
• AI might plagiarize. Since these bots are drawing on what was written before to create new content, there’s a chance they might “borrow” a bit too much, creating duplicate content. If you publish that, you could be accused of plagiarism. 

Why SEO Artificial Intelligence Is Different

While generating all your content with chatbots and other automated approaches is a bad idea for quality and SEO performance, that doesn’t mean SEO artificial intelligence is without value. In fact, as digital marketing gets increasingly competitive and the search engine landscapes become more and more technical, failing to turn to these tools can make it hard to succeed.

Here are some ways SEO artificial intelligence can be used to improve—and not compromise—content quality and performance in SERPs.

Conducting Competing Content Analyses

To rank higher in the search engines, your page has to bump someone else down. That requires creating a page that more effectively serves the searcher’s intent for the query and meets Google requirements for quality. 

Meeting these goals usually requires starting with competitive research. What are your competitors doing with content, who is most successful and how can you do it better?

You can do this manually. Search all your keywords, read dozens or hundreds of Google pages in the top results and take notes about the content—how long is it, what headers are used, what topics are covered, does the competition use conversational or journalistic language? The list goes on…and on.

Or, you can invest in AI to handle this for you. That’s part of what tools like INK and SEMRush do; they scour the web and return suggestions for content based on what’s performing well. 

Strengthening Keyword Research

Automation tools to find trending keywords have been around for more than a decade. AdWords was launched in 2000, after all. Today’s automated keyword research tools go further than basic lists and stats about monthly search volumes, though. 

AI can help you create entire keyword content plans by categorizing keywords according to intent, overall topics, trends and search volumes. Instead of walking away with a list of keywords you have to shuffle into shape, you can get a well-organized keyword report that takes little effort to tweak into a viable SEO strategy. 

Planning and Outlining Content

Once you have the keywords and a basic plan, these same tools can help you plan and outline your content. SEO artificial intelligence tools can generate entire blog outlines or offer decent, actionable advice about:

• What subheadings you might include in content
• What questions are trending that you should answer 
• What semantic keywords and phrases can increase the SEO value of your page

Many of these tools also help you increase the SEO-quality of your page by helping you keep reading levels in check, reminding you to create meta tags and offering suggestions for the number of images you might need. 

Writing Some Content

SEO artificial intelligence tools can even be used to create limited content to help you scale your approach. You shouldn’t use machines to write entire blog posts, but you can definitely put AI to work creating formulaic meta descriptions or blurbs. Just make sure you have some human quality assurance processes in place, because when a computer misunderstands the assignment, it usually does so spectacularly. 

Balance SEO Artificial Intelligence With Human-Forward Content

Crowd Content has always embraced technology when it serves a purpose for our clients and adds value to the content we create. If you want to scale content for SEO and aren’t sure how to balance old-fashioned creativity and human talent with new SEO AI tools, we can help.

The post SEO & Artificial Intelligence: Where You Can Use AI and Automation and Where You Probably Shouldn’t appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Boost Conversions With Better B2B Copywriting

Copywriting is the heart of every content marketing strategy for B2B companies. The text bears a heavy burden when you’re ranking a business website or driving traffic with online ads — it determines whether the reader takes the next step or bounces over to a competitor.

Whether you’re handling B2B copywriting in-house or outsourcing to B2B content writing services, concise, compelling copy is a surefire way to increase ROI and boost revenue.

What Is B2B Copywriting?

B2B copywriting is the process of creating written marketing content that’s targeted to business customers. It focuses on the unique needs and pain points of companies. Typically, in-house writers and B2B content marketing services use this type of copy to educate customers and promote their products.

B2B vs. B2C Copywriting

The difference between B2B and B2C copywriting lies in the audience; B2B copywriting is directed at businesses, while B2C copywriting targets individual consumers. This critical distinction affects everything from the tone to the calls to action. After all, businesses and consumers have dramatically different problems, budgets and timelines.

While B2C sales are typically about speed and convenience, the B2B process often involves educating customers and forming strong, long-term relationships. A single B2B sale can lead to years of repeat business, so communication is key. High-level copywriting is so valuable, in fact, that many companies opt to work with B2B content writing services to access professional writers on demand.

10 Tips for Successful B2B Copywriting

Whether you’re writing copy for a client or your own business, use these tips to sharpen your insights and tighten up your text.

1. Write to Buyer Personas

The people who read B2B copy might be administrators, purchasing managers or even business owners. When you understand exactly who you’re writing for, it’s easier to create effective, targeted copy.

That’s where buyer personas come in. These profiles describe a specific type of customer, giving you a clear picture of their buying process. It’s not unusual for companies to use multiple personas.

A buyer persona might include details about the customer’s:

• Business priorities and needs
• End goals
• Decision-making timeline
• Reporting structure
• Challenges and pain points
• Working environment
• Age and gender
• Communication preferences
• Current solution

Buyer personas inform a laser-focused copywriting and marketing process. They also help you create B2B content ideas and build an editorial calendar that coincides with customers’ purchasing cycles.

2. Define a Target Channel

For each writing project, identify where the text will be published. Are you writing a Facebook post? Creating an informational article for the company website?

Your target channel drives the structure and content of your copy. An Instagram post needs an attention-grabbing hook and a short paragraph that creates a human connection. A sales page, on the other hand, is longer and focused on conversions.

Make sure to keep your buyer personas in mind as you’re selecting a channel and crafting text. This is particularly important when it comes to different generations. For example, Gen Z office managers and Baby Boomer technical sales directors often have disparate tone and platform preferences.

3. Focus on Benefits

When you’re writing for business customers, it’s critical to focus on the benefits your products or services offer. What value do you bring to clients’ companies?

If you’re selling accounting software to small businesses, you could explain that the payment reminders go out automatically, so managers don’t have to hassle clients about unpaid invoices. This strategy zeroes in on the client’s pain points and provides a quick solution.

It sounds simple, but many companies miss the mark. They focus on their own philosophies, processes and products but fail to address customers’ needs. Purchasing managers don’t have the time to connect the dots — they just want an effective solution.

4. Position Your Business as an Expert

B2B purchases can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line. Given the high stakes, it’s important to position your business as an industry expert. The content, phrasing and insights should display a commanding knowledge of the field and the client’s needs. Your goal is to make the customer feel comfortable and confident putting a piece of their company’s operations in your hands.

The right vocabulary can go a long way toward establishing yourself as an authority. If you’re selling to hospitals, for example, you might use “census” instead of “the number of admitted patients.” They mean the same thing, but the former is more common among health care professionals. It’s a small, subtle touch that demonstrates insider insight.

Bear in mind that the people who read B2B content aren’t always subject matter experts, which means that your copy must walk a fine line. The content must clearly communicate your expertise, all without using jargon that alienates people in administrative and support roles. 

5. Get Clear on Your Brand Voice

Brand voice — the way a company’s personality shines through in text — sets great copy apart from the crowd. If you can capture your business’ unique character in the style and tone of your writing, it leaves a lasting impression.

A great brand voice should:

• Align with brand values
• Resonate with the target audience
• Stay consistent across all customer interactions
• Distinguish the business from competitors

6. Tell Your Brand Story

A brand story explains the history and importance of your company in a way that speaks to customers’ deep-seated beliefs and feelings. It goes beyond the facts on an “about us” page, capturing the essence of the business and explaining why buyers should care.

Compelling brand stories weave together facts and emotions. Legendary adventurer Yvon Chouinard founded Patagonia because he couldn’t find lightweight, functional climbing gear; Burt’s Bees arose from a love story between an off-grid artist and an eccentric beekeeper.This strategy capitalizes on the way humans respond and connect to stories. When you weave a narrative into your B2B content, it makes the copy more memorable and convincing.

7. Understand the Purpose of the Copy

Exceptional B2B copywriting is artfully relentless — every sentence and phrase moves the reader closer to a specific objective. Before you start writing, define the purpose of the content. It serves as a reference for everything from word count to word choice.

The most obvious B2B copy goal is to sell a product or service, but that’s just one option. It all depends on your business objectives. When you have an upcoming product launch, you might create copy that builds anticipation and awareness. If your company wants to strengthen existing relationships, your goal could be to help customers get the most value from a past purchase.

8. Make Customers’ Lives Easier

Once you’ve crafted a snappy, persuasive piece of B2B content, edit ruthlessly. Brevity and clarity are the hallmarks of powerful B2B copy. If you can express an idea in five words, don’t use 10. Likewise, stick short, focused paragraphs to keep readers’ attention.

Business customers are often juggling multiple projects and deadlines, so it’s important to get your message across quickly. To avoid an off-putting wall of text and make readers’ lives easier, you can:

• Place important information higher on the page
• Use tables and infographics
• Break up text with headers and bullet points
• Put key ideas in bold

Customers should be able to scan the page in seconds and understand the content in seconds. When readers can find the information they need quickly, they’re less likely to click the Back button.

9. Create a Clear Call to Action

When a potential customer finishes reading your copy, do they know what to do next? If not, it’s time to rethink. Every piece of content should have a clear call to action (CTA) that helps the reader engage further with your brand. In most cases, your CTA should be closely related to the purpose of the copy.

Possible B2B CTAs include:

• Buy a product
• Get a free quote
• Schedule a consultation
• Download a white paper
• Join the email list
• Chat with a representative
• Read a related article
• Connect on social media

10. Know When to Get Help

B2B copywriting takes both time and skill, which can present a challenge when you’re ready to scale. If your writing needs are beginning to exceed your capacity, it might be time to look into B2B content development services. Companies like Crowd Content work with large teams of experienced writers, so they can help you ramp up production quickly or tackle smaller projects that require specific expertise. To find out how our expert writing and editorial teams can streamline your company’s copywriting, contact us today,

The post 10 Tips for B2B Copywriting That Converts appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

What Is Blog Writing?

In a professional context, blog writing is the process of creating informative articles related to your business. Each blog post supports one or more operational or strategic goals. If you’re positioning the company as an industry authority, for example, you might write thought-leadership posts related to current developments and trends. Other articles might be designed to build brand recognition, educate readers about your products and services or drive customers to an online ordering system.

What Are the Benefits of Blog Writing?

A strategic, well-written blog can have a profound effect on your company, whether you’re running a start-up or growing a small business. Some of the most important benefits include:

• Boost search engine ranking. Google loves fresh content; when you publish regularly, it’s easier to rank your website higher in the search results.
• Build credibility. Whether you work in the B2C or B2B sector, a well-written blog showcases your institutional knowledge and establishes your company as a credible, authoritative resource.
• Increase website traffic. The more pages you have on your website, the more traffic you receive. A blog also creates more chances for potential customers to find your company.
• Foster customer relationships. Every blog post is a chance to provide more value to customers and create loyalty that sustains your business over the long term.
• Expand content marketing strategy. A blog opens up a world of opportunities to grow your company’s content marketing strategies and reach a larger audience.

Google E-A-T — What Is It?

E-A-T stands for expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. Google uses this concept to evaluate its search algorithm and ensure that the rankings are showing the best possible results for users. In late December 2022, Google released a new version: E-E-A-T, or experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness.

• Experience: The creator demonstrates first-hand experience in the topic they’re writing about.
• Expertise: The creator has the appropriate skills, certifications or knowledge for the topic at hand. This is particularly true for topics that affect the reader’s money or life.
• Authoritativeness: The creator is known as a reliable, authoritative and trusted source for the topic area
• Trust: The content is safe, accurate and honest.

To stay on Google’s good side — and rank high in the search results — your website must have a high level of E-A-T (or E-E-A-T). Writing a blog can go a long way toward improving your standing.

Why Hire a Professional Blog-Writing Service?

On the surface, blogging seems simple. That might be true of a personal project, but professional blogs are held to a higher standard. In addition to content creation, professional blog-writing services deliver the strategy, optimization and technical know-how you need to build a successful business blog.

1. Adapt to Algorithm Changes

Search engines adjust their algorithms regularly; in fact, Google made more than 4,000 updates in 2021 alone. A single change to the algorithm can affect your search engine rankings overnight, so it’s important to keep track.

Blog-writing services monitor algorithm updates closely, so you don’t have to. They can help you adjust your content strategy and edit older blog posts to align with new guidelines. This constant vigilance makes it easier to maintain your rankings, web traffic and sales funnel.

2. Access Professional Writers and Verified Subject Matter Experts

Blog content writing services make it easy to source professional writers with expertise across a range of fields. Most companies also provide editing services to ensure that your content is polished, free of mistakes and easy to read.

Why does that matter? Start-up and small blogs are often written in-house, usually by people without a writing background. Chances are, many of your competitors fall into that category. When your blog is written to a professional standard, your company automatically looks more credible and authoritative by comparison.

As your blog grows, you may want to expand beyond your core competencies or tackle topics that demand accuracy. Some content services can provide verified subject matter experts to evaluate the blog posts and provide a “reviewed by” line. This extra step builds E-E-A-T, which is essential when you’re publishing about sensitive topics such as health care or personal finance.

3. Target the Right Audience

Successful blogs are written for a specific group of readers. Your target audience should inform everything about each post, from the way the article is structured to the tone and vocabulary you use. A blog post for college-aged YouTubers will be considerably different from a technical blog written for senior engineers.

That’s harder than it sounds, especially if you’re new to writing. For professional blog writers, it’s second nature — they know exactly how to identify your audience and adjust their writing accordingly. The result? Blog posts that resonate with your ideal customers.

4. Free Up Your Time for High-Value Tasks

As a business owner, there are certain tasks that only you can do. By handing off your blog to a professional service, you free up time to build client relationships and pursue new contracts. Outsourcing blog posts can be helpful even if you have an experienced writer on staff — it gives them more time to spend on high-value, conversion-focused B2B copywriting.

5. Enable a Consistent Publishing Schedule

When you’re juggling projects and deadlines, it can be a challenge to stick to a regular publishing schedule. If you can manage it, you can please both Google and the customers who find value in your content. If you can’t, it might be time to seek help.

B2C or B2B content writing services can deliver a steady flow of blog posts according to your needs. You can order them all at once or schedule them to align with your content calendar. Most services can even accommodate last-minute assignments to help your brand keep up with current news stories and emerging trends.

6. Help With Keyword Research and Topic Selection

Solid keyword research — finding the phrases your ideal customers are searching for online — is the foundation of every successful blog. Once you find the right terms, you can turn them into blog posts that attract traffic and bring in more leads.

Aside from writing, keyword research is one of the most important services that content agencies provide. They’re experts at identifying the keywords that will have the biggest ROI for your business. These highly targeted phrases and blog post ideas can give you a significant advantage over competitors in the industry. 

7. Provide SEO-Friendly Content

Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for business websites. Strong SEO increases your chances of ranking well in the search results, making it easier for customers to find your company.

The thing is, effective SEO takes time — and when you’re running a business, you may not have the capacity to manage it in-house. A blog-writing service can take SEO off your plate entirely. Your content will come back ready to publish, complete with optimized headers and metadata.

8. Develop a Brand Voice

Have you ever noticed that many of the most successful global brands have distinct personalities? That’s mostly due to brand voice, which is the way a company expresses its personality in writing. A solid brand voice can help distinguish your business from competitors; it also helps customers make personal connections that inspire both sales and loyalty.

A blog can go a long way toward building your brand voice — but only if you’re intentional. Reputable writing services will work with you to develop a voice that aligns with your style and attracts the right audience.

9. Establish Brand Guidelines

When you put out marketing materials for your business, you probably use similar colors, fonts and image styles for each document. There’s a reason: Consistency breeds familiarity. It’s the same for a blog — when key elements remain the same across all posts, it creates a unified experience that helps customers recognize your brand.

Blog-writing services can help you establish and maintain guidelines. That way, every writer knows exactly how to capture your company’s style and voice. Some of the elements you can include are:

• Default tone
• Stylistic preferences
• Grammatical rules
• Words to avoid
• Brand-name formatting

10. Scale Quickly

The bigger your blog becomes, the more opportunities you have to bring in new customers, boost traffic and improve search-engine rankings. That’s why many start-ups try to grow their blogs quickly to help carve out a place in the industry.

If you’ve ever written a blog post, you know that producing content at scale is a gargantuan task. Publishing 25, 50 or 100 blog posts can involve hundreds of hours of writing, editing, formatting and publishing — something that’s not feasible for most business owners.

When you’re ready to go all in on your content strategy, blog-writing services are a worthwhile investment. You’ll have access to hundreds of writers who can complete your entire order, often in a matter of days.

Whether you’re planning to scale or you’re just dipping your toes into the world of business blogging, a blog-writing service can ease the transition. Contact Crowd Content today to find out how our expert writing, SEO and keyword research teams can help build your blog into a revenue-generating asset for your company.

The post Supercharge Your Content Marketing Strategy With a Blog-Writing Service appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

It’s a demanding task — but achievable. Below, we offer ways to get your creative juices flowing so you can generate impactful ideas for your niche. We explore content formats to attract customers and ways to source topic ideas. And because you need more than random pieces of content to make an impact, we discuss how to fuse your ideas with a solid content marketing strategy.

B2B Content Marketing Ideas: Where to Start

When creating B2B content, you target business decision-makers who are solving commercial challenges. These customers make decisions that can impact an entire company and need reliable, industry-specific information to grow their businesses. That’s why B2B marketing differs from B2C methods, which may incorporate influencer marketing or appeal more to emotions.

Blog posts are at the heart of most B2B content marketing strategies — and for good reason. They’re versatile and can be structured to cover a range of topics. But they’re not the only way to share your knowledge. If you’re looking for fresh B2B content ideas, consider expanding your marketing to include different formats. Publishing various content types makes your site more dynamic and appeals to different user preferences.

• Case studies: Show the impact of your product or services and back it up with statistics.
• FAQs: Make it easy for potential customers to find the answers to important questions.
• Infographics: Present complex information visually to help customers understand topics and easily share content with their colleagues.
• Augmented and virtual reality: Leverage technology to offer immersive and interactive experiences, such as product demos, virtual showrooms, and interactive 3D models.
• White papers: Explore industry issues, and establish authority with in-depth analyses and thought leadership.
• E-books: Share your expertise in a downloadable format that’s creative and visual.
• Videos: Appeal to audiences who prefer to consume video content instead of reading.
• Webinars and podcasts: Invite experts to discuss topics in an interactive format.
• Glossaries: Define technical and industry terminology customers may not be familiar with. 

Finding B2B Content Ideas

To impress your audience with B2B topics for your niche, consider the information they need to do their jobs and how you can assist. For example, your content might:

• Provide data to support decision-making
• Summarize industry research or present your findings
  
• Share information from presentations you made at conferences
  
• Offer insight into industry trends and what you expect in the future
• Provide tutorials, guides, and checklists to help them through a process
• List tools to improve their productivity
• Offer free templates to make their workflow easier
• Give tips to enhance how they use your products or services
• Provide tables and charts to compare products 

Your customers may also have specific questions; go to the source to see what they want to know. Conduct surveys, or ask your sales and customer care teams what questions and issues often arise. Visit online communities, such as Reddit, or listen in on social media conversations to discover what audiences are talking about. Analytics is an essential tool to see which marketing emails produce clicks and which pages on your website perform best. Round out your research with a content gap analysis to find missing key topics on your website that have the potential to generate traffic.

Where possible, leverage your firsthand knowledge, and provide real-world scenarios and examples in your content. This helps your website address Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines by demonstrating experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. 

Successful B2B Marketing Begins With a Content Strategy

The right mix of content can drive traffic, build leads, and improve conversion rates, but it requires planning. The best way to brainstorm and harness ideas is through a content marketing strategy — it helps you create purposeful SEO content that satisfies your audience’s needs. Use the following tips to customize a B2B marketing strategy that guides your content production.

Identify your target audience and what matters to them

A successful content strategy is tailored to your core audience, so you need to understand your customers and produce content that caters to their problems. Before you nail down your B2B content ideas, reflect on your long-term goals, who you’re writing for, and the purpose of the content. Clearly understand what customers want to know at different stages of the buyer’s journey, and deliver exceptional content that answers those questions. 

Find out what competitors are doing

If you’re unsure how to make B2B content interesting, look into what your competitors are doing and how they’re ranking on the SERPs. Suppose you manufacture cloth made of pure cotton. Your direct competitors are companies that produce the same kind of cloth, and your indirect competitors sell other fabrics, such as silk or polyester blends. Essentially, these companies either sell identical products, variations, or replacements for your product. Chances are these competitors distribute content to rank for the same keywords and attract your target audiences. 

Competitive analysis is invaluable for planning your content. You can use tools such as Ahrefs and Semrush to understand what keywords your competitors are ranking for and the volume of traffic they’re getting. This gives you an idea of the content users are looking for and gaps in your competitors’ strategies. For example, if you have a SaaS product and competitors are talking about how to scale small businesses, you might go a step further to create content about common mistakes small businesses make when trying to scale. 

To draw in more customers, you also need a unique selling point. When creating content on common topics in your niche, highlight aspects of your business and topical authority that set you apart from your competitors. This helps you create an impression in your customers’ minds and gives them a reason to choose your company over others.

Incorporate cluster strategies 

A content cluster is a way of organizing content by theme. It uses a main pillar page as a gateway into the high-level topic, directing audiences to related, in-depth pieces. This strategy enables you to interlink your content to improve user experience and establish authority to boost your SEO.  

To create a content cluster, you need to conduct SEO and keyword research, determine your core pillar pieces, and decide on cluster articles that support those pillar topics. Once your content marketing ideas for B2B are in place, you can start writing high-quality blog posts and internally link them to each other.

Let’s look at an example of how this works.

Decide on a main idea related to your product or service. If you’re a content writing business, the customers who land on your page are likely looking for ways to upgrade their existing content strategy. So, let’s say your first pillar piece is about content strategy. You then create a list of overarching topics that cluster around this one. 

For example:

• Does your content strategy make a difference?
• 5 ways to create a solid content strategy
• Common content strategy mistakes 
• Should you hire a content writing team?

Once your topic cluster is ready, create a content brief for each article with subheadings to avoid repetition. Ideating content in this way helps you develop multiple ideas to cover specific overarching topics in more detailed chunks. AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, can assist with brief creation.

This clustering strategy also helps you push out more pieces of content that relate to each other and link back to a common, final destination — the conversion page of your website. 

Creating a cluster strategy

Developing compelling content clusters is simpler than you think. Follow this structure for an organized approach:

• Pick a topic or a main idea.
• Research keywords for that topic.
• Audit existing content to see what you’ve already covered.
• Chart out overarching blog ideas related to your topic and the high-ranking keywords.
• Create content briefs and assign writers.
• Link between articles in the cluster.

Emphasizing quality

Remember that a solid content strategy is only the first step. You also have to deliver quality content. Even if you identify relevant topics and use the right keywords, your content needs to provide value to the reader. Flesh it out with nuanced observations about your industry and back it up with statistics and research. 

If your strategy and content are in place and your customer clicks through your site, there shouldn’t be anything off-putting about your conversion page to cause friction. Make sure you have a good conversion offer, demo, or clear contact option. Minimize distractions or other links so visitors can maintain attention while buying your product or service.

In this way, content clustering can help you bring structure into your content marketing strategy and help you achieve your B2B content marketing goals.

Don’t forget brand marketing and positioning

Brand positioning is the impression people have of your business in comparison to your competitors. It’s what sets you apart and gives you a distinct place in your customers’ minds. But how can you position your brand using your content?

1. Talk to your customers and find out their pain points. Find out what they’d like you to do differently, how you can offer more value, and why they chose you over a competitor. This gives you an idea of what you’re doing right and what you should improve. Your openness to feedback also creates a positive impression of your brand and shows you care about your customers’ needs.
2. Promote your USP. Determine what sets your brand apart from others. Incorporate your USP into your content marketing and give your customers a reason to choose your brand over others in the market. Emphasize how you can help them and why they should trust your company over another.
3. Let your brand voice shine. Is your company a startup that uses humor to appeal to audiences? Maybe it’s an established brand that conveys authority and expertise. Use tone and voice in your content to convey your brand’s message and shape how your customers perceive you.

Plan in advance

B2B companies that posted more than 11 times a month received 3.75 times more leads than those that posted a handful of times. That’s a lot of content to manage, but an editorial calendar can keep your strategy on track. Organize your B2B content marketing ideas, slot them into your schedule, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

We recommend planning content 6-8 months in advance, even if you only publish a few times a month. This creates a consistent output and enables you to align content with important occasions, such as product launches or seasonal events. Preparing your content in advance also allows time for research, writing, editing, and quality assurance, preventing sacrifices in quality due to rushed deadlines. 

Consider working with writers who understand SEO concepts. Outsourcing your blog can help you draw on fresh perspectives and quickly stock up your content inventory.

Revitalize Your B2B Content Marketing

If you’re trying to establish your company as a leader in the B2B space, a solid content strategy and high-quality content are essential. The focus should be on creating content that’s useful to your target audience and attracts organic leads to your business. At Crowd Content, we have the writers to set your content strategy in motion. Our talented B2B content marketing writers help you create blog posts, white papers, and SEO content that builds trust with decision-makers and boosts your business.

The post How to Create B2B Content Ideas for Your Blog appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a content rut? Delivering enough leads to create brand awareness and conversions regularly is your main priority. But you’re at wit’s end trying to maintain consistent blog output or keeping up with the Joneses in ranking for certain keywords.

Sound familiar?

If you’re devoted to content marketing and SEO, you’ve experienced this conundrum. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 64% of marketers say their biggest knowledge gap is understanding the process of developing a scalable content strategy.

Okay, let’s be honest. You can never create enough content to stay 100% ahead of the never-ending buying stages of personas and their iterations or to keep up with the real-time changes in search-engine algorithms.

But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to create great content to help you achieve your business goals—you have to get strategic about it. You can successfully scale content for SEO with a little elbow grease and the right approach while avoiding haphazard strategies or sacrificing quality.

First, understand why SEO should be a priority and how to make it work for your business. Second, you need a content strategy to scale as your business grows—without breaking the bank. Lastly, focus on creating quality content that attracts and engages your target audience.

We’ve got some answers to help you start making all that happen.

Before we jump in, let’s understand why scaling your content for SEO is crucial and how Google’s changing algorithms will impact your content strategy.

Why Is Scaling SEO Content Important?

Like most marketers, you probably create content for two reasons: to create awareness and generate quality leads. If you’re looking to scale your content for SEO, developing content that attracts more organic traffic from search engines should always be on your radar.

Why?

Because organic traffic is the lifeblood of any business; 51% of all visitors to B2B and B2C sites come from search engines and SEO-driven traffic SEO-driven traffic converts at 14.6% versus 1.7% for outbound advertising.

But Google’s algorithm updates in 2022 show that search engines are getting smarter. SEO is no longer about cramming in as many keywords as possible and hoping for the best. For instance, Google E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trust) assesses the quality of your site’s content in how well it demonstrates expertise, is written authoritatively and gains its audience’s trust. This means that marketers need to be more strategic in their approach to SEO to rank high on SERPs (search-engine results pages). 

Now that we’re up to speed, let’s explore some actionable SEO content scaling strategies you can use to make this happen.

The 6 Tips to Scale SEO Content to Crush Growth Goals

These six tips to help you scale content for your website will skyrocket organic traffic and help you hit your SEO goals.

1. Keyword Research
2. Create a Content Calendar
3. Cluster Strategy With Content Pillars
4. Set SEO-Content Goals
5. Seek Out Subject-Matter Experts
6. Outsource Your Content Production

1. Keyword Research

Before building a 12-month content calendar, take a step back and do your due diligence with keyword research. This is the first step in creating audience-centric and search-friendly content for the best topics to focus on.

Scaling scale content for SEO by aligning it with keyword research increases your SERP rankings, drives more traffic to your website and highlights your brand as authoritative in your industry.

Remember, search engines have evolved over the years to deliver the best results to searchers (search intent). And searchers are savvier and more articulate about what they’re looking for than ever before.

As a content marketer, focusing on context and search intents is essential to overall success. When growing your niche authority and scaling your SEO content, you’ll want to start by targeting longtail keywords. 

According to HubSpot research, 50% of search queries use longtail keywords. These are more specific keywords (usually lower search volume) than your main target keywords. For example, if you’re a travel website targeting the keyword “travel,” you might also want to target the following longtail keywords:

• Travel tips
• How to plan a trip
• Best places to travel

In the long run, go after competitive keywords and phrases you can realistically rank for. Once you have a concrete list of target keywords, it’s time to start creating a content calendar.

2. Content Calendar

A content calendar is a roadmap for your content marketing strategy. It helps you plan, track and publish your content regularly, ensuring your content aligns with your business goals and objectives.

Let’s take a quick overview of how to create a content calendar for your SEO content scaling efforts.

The first step is to convert keywords into content topics. For each keyword on your list, come up with a few different content ideas that you could realistically rank for.

Next, create monthly topic segments or content campaigns around these ideas. These could be blog post series, ebooks, webinars, etc.

Once you have your topics and campaigns mapped out, start creating individual pieces of content. This is where you’ll need to get specific and fill in the details of your content calendar, like post titles, descriptions, target keywords and publish dates.

Delegate responsibilities to editors, writers and designers to help with the creation process. And don’t forget to include an SEO team member in the mix to ensure each piece of content is optimized for search.

When starting to scale content for SEO, having a schedule and process can avert content production bottlenecks and ensure each piece is of the highest quality.

3. Cluster Strategy With Content Pillars

To scale content for SEO, start by identifying your content pillars. These are the broad topics that you want to cover in depth. Once you have your pillars, creating a cluster strategy around each is doable.

A cluster strategy can be defined as creating a main piece of content (often called a pillar page) and then surrounding it with several supporting pieces of content (called cluster pages).  A cluster page on your website contains a wealth of information on a specific topic. It includes an overview of the topic, many blog posts and other resources that dive deeper into the subject.

Say you have a blog about travel. Your main content pillar might be “how to plan a trip.” The cluster strategy around this topic would be to create a pillar page on the same topic. You’ll then surround it with several blog posts covering specific aspects of trip planning, like budgeting, packing and choosing a destination.

Here’s a rundown of how to create a cluster strategy for your content:

• Brainstorm a list of potential content pillars. You’ll want to cover these broad topics in-depth on your website.
• For each content pillar, create a main piece of content (often called a pillar page). This could be an in-depth blog post, an e-book, or even a video series.
• Create supporting content (called cluster pages) around each pillar page. These could be blog posts or social media posts that link to the pillar page.
• Optimize each piece of content for your target keywords. This will help you rank higher in search results and get more traffic to your website. It’s always best to carry due diligence if you want to learn how to optimize content for SEO.
• Increase exposure for your content by promoting it on your social media channels and other online platforms. This step drives even more traffic to your website.

The advantage of using a cluster strategy is that it allows you to cover many keywords with less content.  And because you’re linking between the different pieces of content, Google can easily understand the relationship between the topics. This can ultimately help improve your search engine ranking.

4. Set SEO-Content Goals

Your SEO content strategy is the backbone of your scaling efforts and will help determine what types of content to create, how to optimize it for search, and where to publish it. But SEO is an arduous and ever-changing process, and if you don’t have specific goals, it may not be easy to measure your success. 

Here are steps to set SEO content goals:

• Define your target audience. Who are you reaching out to with your content? What are their needs and wants? What type of content do they prefer?
• Research your target keywords. What terms and phrases are your target audience searching for? What are your competitors ranking for?
• Set realistic goals. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start small and gradually increase your content output over time.
• Track your progress. Use tools like Google Analytics to keep tabs on your traffic, conversions, and key metrics over time. 
• Promote your content. Once you’ve published your content, promote it through social media, email marketing, and other channels.

The beauty of SEO is that it’s an ongoing process. As you continue to produce and promote high-quality content, you’ll see your traffic and conversions increase.

5. Seek Out Subject-Matter Experts

It’s crucial to ensure that each piece of content is of the highest quality if you’re looking to scale your content for SEO. That’s why it’s important to seek out subject-matter experts (SMEs) who can provide insights and perspectives that will add value to your content.

These topic-based specialists are well versed in their respective fields, such as marketing, design, or development.  When you involve them in your quest to scale content for SEO, you can achieve new levels of depth and insight that would otherwise be unattainable.

How Do You Find SMEs?

Start by looking within your organization. You might have a wealth of experts at your fingertips. You can also reach out to your network of contacts and see if they know anyone who would be a good fit.

Once you’ve found a few potential SMEs, reach out and ask if they’re interested in contributing to your content. If they are, work with them to develop a plan for their involvement. You could work with them to:

• Write a guest post
• Record a podcast episode
• Give an interview
• Create a video tutorial

Their depth of knowledge can make your brand more credible, authentic and trustworthy—all of which are essential for scaling your content for SEO and developing trust with your audience.

6. Outsource Your Content Production

As much as you’d like to keep the whole content marketing in-house, it’s not practical to do everything yourself. At some point, you’ll need to outsource certain aspects of your content production.

This could include hiring freelance writers and a full-fledged marketing agency. Finding partners you can trust to produce high-quality content that aligns with your brand voice and messaging is important.

While it all depends on your needs and marketing budget, here are factors to consider when outsourcing your content:

• Quality: Can they produce content aligned with your current standards? Do they have a good understanding of your brand voice and messaging?
• Quantity: Can they handle the volume of content you need to produce? Do they have the necessary resources in place?
• Cost: What’s their price point? If you’re working with an agency, are they transparent about their pricing?
• Communication: Do they respond to your emails and calls promptly? Communication can make or break an otherwise great working relationship, so it’s important to ensure that you’re on the same page.

Outsourcing can be a significant boon to your content marketing efforts, allowing you to scale your production without sacrificing quality.

Scaling SEO-Content With the Experts

Quality content may not be the easiest route to successful marketing, but it’s surefire. As more brands vie for attention online, the importance of quality content will only grow.

Scaling content for SEO is a chance to set your brand ahead of the pack by establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry.

If you’re looking to take your business to new heights, consider outsourcing SEO content writing services that can help you produce high-quality, keyword-rich content assets you need to drive traffic and conversions.

The post 6 Tips to Scale Content for SEO appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

In this post, we’re going to put aside the mechanics of SEO for a moment, and focus on something equally important to search engines: great writing that connects with readers. Sure, there are still algorithms running in the background, but with the wonders of modern-day SEO, the content your customer wants to read often meets many of the requirements for ranking well.

Read on as we explore how to produce high-quality content that performs better in search engines and helps you meet your business goals — by putting people first.

Importance of Quality Content for SEO

As a marketer, you have a chance to engage your audience each time they type a relevant query into the search box. They’re usually turning to Google at distinct stages of the buyer journey: when researching a problem, learning about products and solutions, learning about your specific brand, and making a purchasing decision.

When you create the kind of engaging, comprehensive and reliable content they’re looking for, you improve your chances of appearing higher in search engine rankings. You also fulfill your business objectives — by satisfying your target audience’s informational needs, you can drive traffic to your site and bring customers into your sales funnel.

What Is Quality Content for SEO?

Keywords play a role in helping customers find your content, but algorithms have evolved to the point where they can also analyze the language on the page to determine overall context and meaning. Search engines are capable of identifying rich, purposeful content that makes for a great user experience.

High-quality SEO content:

• Appeals to your customer. Offer content that’s interesting, compelling and effortless to read.
• Answers user queries. Deliver content at the right touchpoints to address your customer’s needs and concerns by knowing what keywords they use when trying to solve a problem.
• Is reliable and trustworthy. Show that your content and site are credible and authoritative, and that you’re an expert in the topic you’re writing about.
• Is easily understood by search engines. Employ SEO best practices to optimize your content and website for search bots.

10 Tips for Creating High-Quality SEO Content

Now that we know what great content looks like, let’s explore steps to achieve it. Here are tips for producing high-quality SEO content that’s useful for customers and effective for search engines.

1. Know Your Customer

High-quality SEO content is customer-centric, so spend some time getting to know your audience through market research. Understand the pain points that they’re looking to solve and how they search for information. The more data you have about their needs and behaviors, the better you can target your content. Remember, the goal is to serve the right information when they turn to Google for knowledge.

2. Consider Search Intent

Think about the reason your customer searches for these keywords, and write with their purpose in mind. Where in the buyer journey are they? Are they gathering information or looking for the best deal?

Your content should be relevant for the keyword you’re trying to rank for. As Ahrefs explains, a landing page designed to convert visitors to sign up for a credit card probably won’t rank for the term “best credit card.” Google looks for informational blog posts and comparison charts that help searchers decide what the best credit card is.

A quick way to determine search intent is to plug the keyword into Google and look at the type of content that’s currently ranking.

3. Use Topic Clusters to Organize Content

Approach your content creation strategically and use topic clusters to organize your pages. A topic cluster is a hub of content anchored by a pillar page. The pillar page sets up a broad overview of the topic, using links to direct readers to more specific but related content.

Topic clusters are useful for SEO as they can establish expertise in a topic. For example, a pet food store can create a topic cluster about feline nutrition. The pillar page might discuss the overall importance of feeding cats healthy food, linking to more specific pages based on a reader’s interest. These pages could include in-depth nutrition guides for cats at different life stages, such as kittens, seniors and adults.

This type of structure is more useful than a random assortment of pages as you can match keywords to the buyer’s journey. Broad keywords are used in pillar pages to draw in readers researching a topic. As your content gets more in-depth, the keywords become more precise. Our fictional pet food store may eventually guide readers to an article comparing foods for overweight cats. This comparison piece may then drive readers to a product page for low-calorie cat food.

4. Leverage Semantic SEO

Keywords are a starting point for creating your content, but focusing on a single keyword can make your writing stiff and robotic. That’s why semantic SEO is so great for customer experience. Search engines scan the words on a page and use semantic analysis to determine if content is relevant, which means you can weave related keywords and ideas into your copy.

With semantic SEO, you can focus on a topic rather than a keyword, adding depth and nuance to your piece. What are people who search for your primary keyword interested in? How can you add value to keep them on the page?

Start by using keywords that are important to your business, and add related, or semantic, keywords. Let’s go back to our pet food store example. According to Google, people searching for kitten nutrition ask a range of related questions. Should you feed your kitten wet or dry food? How much weight should a healthy kitten be gaining? When can you switch to adult food?

When you incorporate some of these questions into your piece, you address your initial topic and deliver value by covering it comprehensively. This anticipates your customers’ need for related information and takes advantage of opportunities to rank for other keywords.

5. Satisfy Google’s E-A-T Standards

Readers want content they can trust. To help deliver this kind of content, Google looks for signs that the person writing the content and the platform publishing it are credible. The more Google can trust your content as a reliable source, the more likely it is to rank highly.

As you’re writing content, make sure that you meet Google’s E-A-T requirements, which stands for:

• Expertise
• Authoritativeness
• Trustworthiness

We’ve already talked about how to establish expertise by using pillar pages and semantic SEO to create comprehensive content. You can also demonstrate trustworthiness by:

• Building links from respected sites to your site. Links from professional organizations, publications, influential bloggers and other authoritative websites can show that your site is also considered reputable.
• Using respected sources in your content
• Ensuring content is accurate and up to date
• Adding author bios
• Including a detailed “about us” page to demonstrate your expertise
• Adding ratings and testimonials
• Keeping your site’s security certificates up to date

Check our Google E-A-T SEO checklist for more tips on achieving authority across your entire website.

6. Add Internal Links

As you build out your content inventory, add internal links to guide readers through your site. Internal links help improve user experience, directing readers to important pages such as products or services and additional resources that may be of interest. These links help to keep customers on your site as they gather information to inform their purchasing decisions. They’re also helpful for highlighting older, but still informative, pages readers might otherwise miss from your archives.

In addition to making the site more useful for your customers, internal links give search engines context by showing how pages are related, especially if you use clear anchor text to describe where a link takes the reader.

Links are especially helpful for sharing authority between pages, which can help with ranking. This is known as link equity. A strong-performing page that Google already considers authoritative can pass on some of its authority to another page through links.

7. Make the Headline and Introduction Count

Even if your content contains the right kind of information users are seeking, you need to present it in a compelling way so that your audience wants to consume it. Pique your reader’s interest with a snappy headline and introduction. Try appealing to emotions, outlining what’s at stake, or using humor to grab their attention and entice them to read further. Accurately explain what readers will learn if they invest time in your piece, and deliver on your promises clearly and concisely in your copy.

8. Write Content That’s Easy to Read

Dense, hard-to-read content is likely to push readers back to the search results to find a competing site. Make your copy easy to scan and understand so users don’t have to struggle to find the answer to their query.

• Avoid jargon and write in an appealing style
• Use short paragraphs
• Add variety to your writing with sentences of different lengths
• Bring ideas to life with examples
• Organize ideas using headers and subheaders
• Use bullet points and numbered lists
• Choose an easy-to-read font
• Format the page with plenty of white space

You can still cover a topic in-depth and make it easy to read. Try summarizing complex information with illustrations and charts, and add alt-text so search engines can understand the content of an image. You can also provide an outline at the beginning of your article with links to key sections so readers can jump to applicable sections quickly.

9. Create Content That’s Better Than Competing Sites

SEO is competitive — at the same time you’re trying to land at the top of search results and convert customers, so are your competitors. The best way to beat competing sites is by offering something unique.

Remember, SEO is not just about keywords, so you need to deliver informative, original content that’s different from what everyone else is creating. Make your content valuable.

• Back up your information with statistics, studies and surveys
• Make sure research is current
• Present ideas in new ways, such as a shareable infographic
• Make use of videos and images
• Offer complimentary resources such as downloadable templates or checklists
• Let your brand voice and personality shine

10. Implement SEO Best Practices

Once you’ve hit the mark with your outstanding content, make sure search engines find it. Write a strong meta title and description, create descriptive URLs, check that your site loads quickly and is mobile-friendly, and ensure you’re following industry best practices on how to optimize content for SEO.

Don’t forget to create links from external sites back to your site to establish authority — through guest blogging, for example.

Elevate Your SEO Content Game

Successful SEO isn’t simply about plugging in keywords to reach the top of search results. An effective content strategy is based on an understanding of your customers and what they want to read. Drive your business towards its goals with optimized content that puts people first. Learn how Crowd Content’s SEO content writing services can supply you with publish-ready blog posts, landing pages and web content.

The post How to Create High-Quality Content for SEO appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Whether you’re targeting other businesses or marketing directly to consumers, your social media posts can help your audience get to know your company in an informal, no-pressure environment. That’s why it’s crucial for online businesses — or any company that maintains an online presence — to understand how to write a social media post that catches and holds the attention of their target audience.

Why Writing Good Copy for Social Media Is So Important

Learning how to write a social media post for your business takes practice, but great content can be an integral part of an online marketing strategy — and for good reason. Social media platforms let you reach a large audience within seconds without breaking the bank.

By getting the right copy in front of your target demographic, you can potentially reap numerous benefits, including:

• Lead generation
• Increased brand loyalty
• Higher conversion rates
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Enhanced brand and product visibility
• Insight into customers’ likes, values and interests
• More accurate metrics for marketing and advertising campaigns

Social Media and SEO

It’s also important not to underestimate the importance of social media in SEO. Although social media posts don’t directly impact search engine optimization, they can influence it in other ways. For example, social shares, likes and comments may signal to search engines that you’re providing useful content to your target audience, which can ultimately influence rankings. This can increase your brand’s visibility and help generate organic traffic to your website.

What Makes Social Media Copy Great

Although each company’s approach to creating content for social media may differ from others in the space, great social media posts typically have several key attributes:

• They entertain
• They inspire engagement
• They’re attention-grabbing
• They’re easy to digest

However, what defines great social media copy is likely to change depending on the platform, and what works for LinkedIn may not be ideal for Twitter. 

How to Make a Tweet Stand Out

The key to writing great tweets is keeping it short and conversational. Although Twitter permits up to 280 characters per tweet, the sweet spot is typically closer to 100 characters, including spaces.

Twitter is also a hotbed of hashtags, so give your tweet context and promote engagement by including relevant hashtag phrases. Just be sure to limit yourself to one or two, and keep them short. If you aren’t sure where to start, Twitter offers free tools for monitoring trending conversations and events, which can help you keep your brand current and relevant on this crowded platform.

Using Facebook to Your Advantage

Facebook remains popular across numerous age groups and demographics. However, because users’ feeds tend to be cluttered and change quickly, you won’t have much time to attract attention, so it’s important to keep posts short, sharp and clear. Many Facebook users access the platform from smartphones or other handheld devices, so optimizing your content for mobile is crucial.

When creating Facebook posts, avoid industry jargon and marketing speak, which can negatively impact content in the platform’s algorithm.

Facebook users have come to expect visuals, so include creative elements, such as eye-catching photos and videos, with your posts. Just be sure not to use overused stock images, which can be off-putting to customers.

Building Authority Through LinkedIn Posts

As a professional networking platform, LinkedIn is useful for positioning your business as an authority on a subject. Consequently, great LinkedIn posts often contain business or career advice, intellectual property or links to crucial press releases.

Many successful LinkedIn posts also use mentions (which begin with the @ symbol) to tag influential or notable connections. This can increase your reach if the mentioned person shares or comments on your content. And, if you’re interested in presenting long-form content, you can also benefit by learning how to write an article on LinkedIn.

How to Write Social Media Posts That Capture Your Target Audience

Because most social media platforms are crowded with content, you’ll have to compete for attention. By learning how to make social media posts pop, you can cut through the noise and help your brand stand out. Fortunately, writing catchy social media posts isn’t difficult. By following these basic social media content writing tips, you can write posts that stand out from the pack:

• Know your audience. Understanding your target audience is a crucial step in creating relevant, attention-catching social media posts. Although knowing your target audience’s age, income range, and educational background is crucial, you should also understand their needs and likes. Fortunately, many social media platforms, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, provide free analytics to help you learn more about your audience’s online behavior.
• Be intentional. Before you write a social media post, you should know what message you want to send or what result you hope to achieve. Great posts ultimately reflect your intent, whether that’s highlighting a product, improving your brand’s reputation, or driving traffic to your website.
• Use a consistent voice. Your writer’s voice reflects your vocabulary, tone and syntax, and a strong voice can make you uniquely identifiable. By developing a clear, relatable voice that’s consistent across platforms, you’ll influence how your audience views your business.
• Add personality. While being professional is important, using a casual tone that highlights your personality lets your audience see your business as friendly, relevant and approachable.
• Don’t waste words. In today’s fast-paced world, time is a commodity. Keeping posts short, simple and catchy demonstrates an understanding and respect for your readers’ time.
• Never create clickbait. Sensational headlines or hooks are great, but any linked content must live up to the hype. Otherwise, you’re creating clickbait, which is a major red flag for a potential customer.
• Edit and proofread. Editing and proofreading to minimize errors and clarify your message should be a standard part of your writing process. Even a single typo can convey carelessness and diminish your credibility.

What Should a Social Media Post Include

Regardless of the platform, most effective social media posts contain some key components. If you want to create copy that draws and keeps a reader’s attention, incorporate these vital elements.

The Hook

Your post’s first sentence or phrase, known as the hook, is often your best chance of drawing in readers. A good hook should pique a casual browser’s interest so they stop scrolling. Fortunately, an eye-catching hook doesn’t have to be difficult to write if you incorporate one or more of these elements:

• Headlines: A great headline creates promise, enticing potential readers to continue.
• Fascinating facts: Lead with an interesting fact about your chosen topic. Besides catching a reader’s attention, an interesting fact can define you as a reliable source of information.
• Strong statements: Set an authoritative tone for your post by hooking readers with a strong opening statement. Try statements that are intriguing, compelling or polarizing for added impact.
• Great quotes: Inspiring, controversial or insightful quotes are a great way to introduce a post. They can evoke an emotional response and convince a follower to continue reading.
• Metaphors and similes: Hook readers by inspiring them to look at a topic differently. Good metaphors and similes can surprise and delight an unsuspecting social media user.
• Open-ended questions: Start with an open-ended question to get people thinking. Questions naturally keep followers reading because they want to discover the answer.

Valuable content

When you provide valuable content, your social media posts are more likely to be read, discussed and shared. However, what defines valuable content can vary by reader, industry, platform and whether you specialize in B2B or B2C products and services. 

Valuable content may be original or curated and can include:

• Giveaways
• Industry insights
• Educational content
• Career or business advice
• Inspirational stories
• Tips for product use
• Links to unique articles
• Inside information on your company
• Solutions for pain points
• Previews for forthcoming products or services

Links

Interesting links can drive traffic to your website and may even improve its SEO. You can increase the chance of click-through by using relevant anchor text and/or enticing, accompanying images.

Don’t just link to your homepage, though. Link deep to specific pages and posts on your site. By using deep links to direct readers to specific pages, you can draw attention to product information, exclusive offers and other value-added content.

If you aren’t using anchor text, make sure visible URLs are clean and concise. Long URLs take up space and can look suspicious, so it’s important to convert them to shortened or branded links. URL shorteners, such as Ow.ly or Bitly, compress or customize URLs, optimizing them for social media.

Hashtags

Hashtags, which begin with a # regardless of platform, are words and phrases that identify a post’s topic or theme. They help people follow online conversations and find interesting or relevant content, particularly from accounts they don’t follow.

To effectively incorporate hashtags in your social media posts, remember:

• Hashtags don’t use spaces, symbols or punctuation marks, so if you need to include more than one word, just mash them together. 
• Hashtags should be simple and easy to remember.
• A blend of trending, branded, popular or industry-relevant hashtags can have more impact. 
• Avoid choosing only overused hashtags, as your post may get lost in the sheer amount of traffic they generate.

White Space

Because white space is essentially the empty space around your content’s other elements, it may seem odd to consider it a crucial component of a social media post. However, long walls of unbroken text can be off-putting to even diehard followers. Posts that incorporate plenty of white space are usually more readable and easier to navigate. Plus, when used well, white space can draw attention to important aspects of your content, such as brand messaging or calls to action.

Creating white space can be easily accomplished by:

• Shortening sentences
• Aligning text
• Incorporating bulleted or numbered lists
• Using plenty of line breaks
• Limiting paragraphs to two or three sentences

Visual Elements

Although not every social media post should or will contain visual elements, images are an effective tool for drawing attention. The right image can also provide context for your words, evoke emotions and ensure your brand stays in readers’ minds long after they’ve read your post. 

When choosing a visual element for your post, make sure to complement the tone, message and intent of your content. Options include:

• Photos
• Artwork
• Video clips
• Memes
• Cartoons
• GIFs
• Animation

When including creative content in your posts, always use copyright-free images or material that you own, and make sure the resolution is compatible with the platform.

A Call to Action

A call to action is a prompt that invites the reader to take a recommended action. Although a CTA isn’t essential, or even relevant, for every social media post, in the right context it can cue a follower to take a crucial next step, such as:

• Claiming an offer
• Answering a question
• Visiting a landing page
• Subscribing to a newsletter
• Requesting information
• Ordering or preordering a product
• Connecting with your business on other channels

Outsourcing Your Social Media Posts

Learning how to write for social media can help you broaden your business’s reach and connect with your customers, and it doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, your audience can usually sense when you’re trying too hard, and the most engaging social posts are often written when you relax and let yourself have fun.

However, writing for social media isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. If it’s time to refresh your content strategy, why not give professional content writing services a try? Connect with Crowd Content’s network of talented writers for compelling content that gets results.

The post How to Write a Great Social Media Post appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

According to a survey of business-to-business content marketers by the Content Marketing Institute, more than 90% of businesses use blog posts for content marketing. Keeping up with that competition can take a lot of work, though, including posting blog posts once a week or more consistently.

HubSpot has some recommendations on how often you should post given different audience sizes and marketing goals:

Source: HubSpot Blog Frequency Benchmarks

It can take up to 6 hours to research, write, edit and publish a single blog post of around 1,000, so maintaining a competitive publishing pace can take a lot of work. Choosing to outsource blog writing is a great way to balance the time-management scales for your in-house marketing team.

Hiring a freelancer or otherwise outsourcing content marketing has many benefits, but one of the most important is cost savings. Instead of searching for a full-time employee, offering a salary and benefits, paying extra overhead costs and having to keep up with additional payroll tax obligations, you can hire a freelancer for an hourly fee or a flat rate per project, saving your business a lot of money.

If you’ve never hired a freelancer before, the process can seem a bit daunting. This guide explains how to outsource blog writing and offers tips for working with freelancers and content services.

Preparing to Outsource Content Writing

Before you create a content schedule and start hiring freelancers, there are a few things you should know about outsourcing writing work. The first is that not all writers are the same. Someone who’s extremely talented at writing technical manuals or fast-paced novels may not be as skilled at writing blog posts for the purpose of promoting a business. If you want to hire someone to write a blog post for marketing purposes, make it clear that you’re looking for someone with blog-writing and content-marketing experience.

Should You Outsource Your Blog Content?

Outsourcing can be a great option for many businesses, but obviously, it’s not a one-size-fits all solution. To understand whether it might be right for your business, consider the following questions:

• Is your blog inactive because you don’t have enough time to write new posts?
• Would you rather pay per hour, per word or per post than hire a full-time or part-time employee?
• Do you have a busy marketing team that doesn’t have the capacity for writing blog posts?
• Are you losing search engine rankings to competitors with more or better content?
• Do you want to scale up blog content marketing efforts without increasing your in-house team?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, outsourcing may be a good option for your team.

When Should You Start Outsourcing Blog Content?

There’s no wrong time to start outsourcing. Sometimes it’s definitely a good time to consider outsourcing content writing for blogs are:

• You’re preparing to launch a blog for your site or business and don’t have in-house copywriters
• You have an established blog but in-house staff don’t have enough time to write the number of new posts required to reach content marketing goals
• You want to reach a new audience or branch out into a new service or sector but don’t have someone on staff who can write compelling blog posts for that niche
• Analysis indicates your SEO is suffering and you need to bulk up your blog or conduct a campaign to refresh older posts quickly

Any of these situations, or scenarios similar to them, are great times to try outsourcing blog content creation. To better understand when outsourcing content for your blog might be a good idea, let’s dig into some specific benefits of outsourcing blog writing.

Benefits of Outsourcing Content

One of the biggest benefits businesses experience when they outsource content writing is cost savings. It can cost $64,000 on average for an in-house content writer who can write around 240,000 words per year. When you outsource, you may be able to get as much as half a million words for the same amount.

Other benefits include:

• The ability to scale up to meet more robust blog publishing demands
• A diversified writer base that lets you address more topics with greater expertise
• Increases support for quality — when content outsourcing is managed correctly, it can actually improve the overall quality of your content

Of course, preparing well with the right steps to outsource blog writing lets you manage the process well to make high-quality content more likeley.

Preparation Steps When You Want to Outsource Blog Writing

If you’ve decided that outsourcing is right for you, it’s important to hire the right people and set clear expectations. Follow these five tips on how to outsource blog writing for your business.

1. Find the Right Writers

One of the most common pitfalls of outsourcing a blog is working with the wrong people. To outsource content writing effectively, you must take time to find talented writers who understand your needs and have experience working with business owners. When you’re ready to hire someone, be sure to include the following information in the ad:

• The length of each blog post
• Keyword usage requirements (if any)
• Linking requirements
• Desired tone/style
• Amount of experience required
• Blog topic
• Payment method (direct deposit, business check, etc.)
• Hourly rate or payment per post

Desired tone refers to how you want each blog post to come across. Some companies are formal and use a lot of jargon in their marketing materials, while others prefer a more conversational style. It’s important to mention the topic of your blog so that writers who don’t feel comfortable writing about that topic can remove themselves from consideration.

The more information you provide up front, the more likely you are to get applicants who are knowledgeable about your blog’s topic, willing to accept your proposed payment amount and capable of achieving your desired tone.

Making a Decision

Once you receive a batch of applications, you may want to have a staff member screen them and eliminate the ones that don’t match the requirements outlined in your advertisement. The initial screening takes a little time, but it can help narrow down your options considerably. After the initial screening, you should have several applicants left in the mix. Make a decision by reviewing their writing samples and choosing the top two or three candidates for a telephone or video interview.

Or, you can skip the entire process of recruiting and vetting blog writing freelancers by working with a company like Crowd Content, which ensures you have immediate access to hundreds of writers.

2. Manage Writers Effectively

Even if you hire someone with a decade of writing experience, remember that they’re new to your business. They may have writing talent, but they don’t know much about your products or services, your target audience or your marketing goals. Before you assign a blog post, take some time to get the writer up to speed. Explain what your business does, what kind of customers you serve and what results you expect to get from your blog.

3. Communicate Standards Clearly

Writers aren’t mind readers, so make sure you communicate standards clearly when you outsource blog content creation. If each post must be a certain length, tell the writer when you give the assignment. Make sure the writer has a copy of your company’s brand guidelines or internal style sheet. If there are any words or phrases you don’t want the writer to use, let them know before they begin writing.

The more information you provide in the beginning, the less time you’ll have to spend asking the writer for revisions or making edits to ensure each blog post fits your vision.

4. Tackle Problems Right Away

The vast majority of freelancers want you to be impressed with the quality of their work, but everyone misses the mark on occasion. If there’s something you don’t like about a blog post, tell the writer. They won’t be able to fix it unless you let them know right away. If the writer starts missing deadlines or taking a long time to respond to your emails, have a conversation about your expectations. You can work together to find a solution that works for everyone — but only if you acknowledge there’s a problem and make a good-faith effort to communicate effectively.

5. Prepare Order Briefs

If you decide to outsource blog writing on a consistent basis, get into the habit of writing an order brief for each assignment. An order brief outlines your expectations for the order, making it easier for the writer to meet those expectations on the first try. Your order brief should include the following:

• Length: How long do you want the blog post to be? Give the writer a maximum word count or a desired range (e.g. 1,200 to 1,500 words).
• Formatting requirements: Do you require HTML headers, italics, short paragraphs, bulleted lists or other formatting elements? Describe them.
• Style and tone: Do you want the writer to use a conversational tone, or do you want them to use a “just-the-facts” style of writing? Should the writer speak directly to the reader?
• Target audience: Who will be reading the blog post? Can you provide any information about their age, income level, geographic location or other characteristics? The more information you provide, the easier it is for the writer to meet the needs of your audience.
• SEO guidelines: If you want the writer to include a certain number of links or use a keyword a minimum number of times, spell out the requirements in your order brief.
• Images: Do you need images? If so, can you provide access to a paid photo service, or should the writer look for free stock photos?
• Content: Do you have any specific points you want the writer to cover, such as the pros and cons of the topic or the costs associated with using a service?

Grow Your Business with Blogging

If you outsource blog writing, you’ll be able to publish high-quality content without taking on a full-time employee or having to write your own blog posts. Outsourcing can even help you improve your SEO results and increase your credibility, giving your business a competitive edge.If you don’t have time to vet your own freelancers, consider working with an agency. Partnering with an agency gives you access to all the benefits of outsourcing without the hassles of managing your own writers. Crowd Content can help you hire freelance writers with years of blogging experience.

The post 5 Things to Plan for When You Outsource Blog Writing appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Content marketing is the practice of creating and distributing content that’s valuable and relevant to people in your target audience. It’s important to remember that what’s valuable to one person isn’t valuable to another. That’s why it’s so important to define your target audience carefully before you start developing your first piece of content.

Many business owners struggle with the idea of producing high-quality content and giving it away for free. After all, didn’t you go into business to turn a profit? Content marketing is highly effective because it helps bring new people into your sales funnel and gives you more opportunities to convert leads into paying customers. And while you may want to keep some of your “secret sauce” a secret, there’s still plenty of knowledge you can share with your audience. By giving away some of your knowledge in the form of content, you build your credibility and earn trust.

Even better, content marketing is much more cost-effective than many other marketing methods. Think about how much you’d spend to produce and air a 30-second television commercial or buy a half-page advertisement in a popular magazine. You’ll spend much less to produce a case study or write a series of blog posts, but you’ll still be able to connect with people in your target audience.

Benefits of Content Marketing

In addition to the opportunity to lower your marketing costs, content marketing has many benefits for businesses. It doesn’t matter if you’re a one-person shop or a marketing specialist at a Fortune 500 company; you can use high-quality content to increase revenue and keep customers engaged.

Improved Search Engine Rankings

A website full of useful content will rank higher in search engine results than a bare-bones site. Google and other search engines consider hundreds of factors when determining where each of your pages should rank when people search for relevant keywords. Some of those factors are more in your control than others, such as the length of the content, the use of relevant keywords and how often you publish new content. Content originality is also a major consideration for search engine algorithms.

Because content marketing involves the consistent production and distribution of content, it can help you show the search engines your site is updated regularly and contains content that’s highly relevant to your target audience. Additionally, more content creates more opportunities for other websites to link to your pages, giving you an additional SEO boost.

More Opportunities To Promote Your Business

If you only have a few pages of content, there isn’t much for visitors to do when they land on your website. You also miss out on opportunities to showcase your expertise and demonstrate that you understand the pain points of people in your target audience. Every time you publish a new blog post, article or other piece of content on your website, you create a new opportunity to promote your business.

When you have a large website filled with high-quality content, it’s also easier to attract inbound links, increasing awareness of your brand. Useful articles are also more likely to be shared on social media. Both web links and social shares will drive traffic to your site and build your audience of potential buyers.

Increased Conversion Rates

Conversion rate refers to the number of website visitors who take a desired action divided by the total number of visitors to the site. In many cases, the desired action is the purchase of a product, but it can also be something like downloading a free report or contacting the company to request more information. If you have 100 visitors and one of them takes the desired action, your conversion rate is 1%. Content can help you increase your conversion rate by building trust, increasing engagement and helping you convince potential customers you offer something worthwhile.

Better Relationships With Prospects and Customers

Think about how you use the internet to find information on topics of interest. If you land on a page riddled with typos or content that reads like it was put through a blender, you’re unlikely to trust that the website owner has any authority on the topic. You may even wonder if the site is owned by a scammer. That’s not a great way to start a relationship with a business.

High-quality content helps you demonstrate your expertise, show prospects you understand their needs and convince audience members you have their best interests in mind. When a business relationship starts this way, prospects are much more likely to believe you can solve their problems.

Types of Content Marketing

Blogging

Initially, blogs were used as personal websites or journals where people could share information with others. Over time, the purpose of the blog changed, and so did the format. Now a blog is any site or page that’s updated regularly. Although people still use their blogs as personal journals, smart marketers rely on blogging to connect with audience members, improve their search engine rankings and grow their brands.

No matter the size of your company, blogging has many benefits. By linking to other pages on your site, publishing blog posts can help you drive traffic to landing pages and other important content. Well-written content also establishes your company as an industry expert, which helps build trust and makes audience members more likely to buy from you than from one of your competitors. Finally, your blog is online 24/7, ensuring potential customers can learn more about your business no matter what day or time they come across your posts.

Infographics

Infographics are visual representations of information. Because they use eye-catching design elements and a minimal amount of text, they’re used to communicate key points to busy readers. A pie chart with a few bullet points below it, a colourful bar chart and a numbered list accompanied by carefully selected icons are all examples of infographics.

Infographics are ideal for providing topic overviews, distilling complex concepts into a few key points, displaying results from surveys or summarizing longer pieces of content. This makes them a valuable addition to any content marketing strategy.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is the use of email messages to connect with people in your target audience. This type of marketing is especially helpful because it allows you to personalize each message and make it more relevant to the reader. You can even segment your email list to target readers of different ages and interests, making your marketing efforts even more effective.

Content is key to any successful email marketing strategy. If your website is static, there’s no reason for your subscribers to open yet another email promoting it. But if you have a new article that’s timely and relevant to your audience’s needs, they’ll happily open your email and click through to your website to read it.

App Development

Many companies release free apps to generate revenue from advertising, but you can also use apps to attract people into your sales funnel and help them develop a positive relationship with your brand. For example, if you offer personal training, you could release a mobile app that guides people through a set of exercises designed to help them improve their balance or flexibility. As they use the app, people will get used to your training style and come to rely on you as an expert, which can help you grow your business.

Lead Magnets

A lead magnet is something of value you give people in exchange for their contact information. It may take a bit of time and money to develop a high-quality lead magnet, but the investment is well worth it when you think about what you get in return. Once you have someone’s email address, it’s much easier to send them targeted messages, creating extra opportunities to promote your business.

Remember that a lead magnet must be something of value to people in your target audience. A good lead magnet should also be relevant and follow through on what you promised when you made the offer. If you offer one thing and deliver something else, the recipient is likely to be disappointed, which isn’t a great way to start a relationship.

Here are just a few examples of items that can be used as lead magnets:

• White papers
• Special reports
• E-books
• Design templates
• Case studies

Social Media

Social media marketing involves joining online communities and using them to create and share content with current and potential customers. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are some of the most popular platforms. Social media can help you grow your business by making it easier to attract customers, conduct market research and establish your brand. Another benefit of using social media is that you can reach thousands of potential customers for a fraction of what you’d pay for traditional advertising.

Video Marketing

Video marketing is exactly what it sounds like — the use of videos to educate, inform, entertain or persuade. Many types of content marketing involve the use of written material, but not everyone enjoys reading or has the time to read long blog posts, case studies or white papers. Video marketing helps you deliver your message to these audience members, increasing your reach and creating more opportunities to generate revenue.

Online Courses

Udemy, Teachable and other websites make it easy to create and publish online courses. Teaching online is an effective form of content marketing because it establishes you as an expert in your field. Publishing an online course also gives you direct access to your students, allowing you to deliver personalized messages that are highly relevant to their needs. This type of content marketing is especially effective for businesses that offer services like tutoring, music lessons and standardized test preparation.

Presentations

As a marketer, delivering live presentations or publishing past presentations online is a great way to connect with people who can benefit from your expertise. This type of marketing works for almost any type of business, from a construction company that wants to show off its completed projects to a marketing firm that wants to share helpful tips with potential clients. Not only does giving a presentation establish you as an expert in your industry, but it can also help you drive traffic to your website or increase the number of subscribers to your social media channels.

How To Grow Your Business Through Content Marketing

Now that you understand what content marketing is and why it’s so beneficial for businesses, you can start using content to grow your company. To do this effectively, you must plan your content carefully, focus on quality and identify the right distribution channels for each type of content. Because the marketing industry is always changing, you should also review and update your content marketing plan regularly to account for new trends.

Planning Content

As noted earlier, the first thing you need to do is define your target audience. Content marketing isn’t about throwing something at the wall and seeing if it sticks; it’s about developing content for a specific group of people who have a need for the products or services your company offers. It doesn’t matter if two million people read one of your blog posts if none of those people is in the market for what your business sells.

Once you have a general market in mind, you can segment it to make your marketing efforts even more effective. Segmentation can be done according to where audience members live, how they behave and what they value. Customer demographics, including age, ethnicity and sex, are also an important consideration when identifying your target market.

The right market segments for your business depend on what you sell and where you’re located. If you have an e-commerce business, you can market to customers all over the country, but a brick-and-mortar business is better served by focusing on local customers. For example, a restaurant in San Francisco wouldn’t try to market to people in New York or Philadelphia.

Your product or service offering is an important consideration because it determines who’s most likely to buy from you. If you were promoting an assisted living facility, for example, you wouldn’t include teenagers in your target market. You’d develop content for older people and publish it where they’d be most likely to see it.

Developing Content

Now that you have a well-defined target audience, it’s time to develop content that’s relevant to its needs. A busy executive might want to read a white paper or case study on a piece of business software, while someone shopping for a new pair of shoes would probably be more interested in reading a blog post on how to choose the most comfortable pair of sneakers, for example.

Once you know what type of content you need, you can have your in-house marketing team develop it or hire a content marketing agency to help you. Crowd Content has experienced writers and subject matter experts available to craft blog posts, case studies, white papers, product descriptions and other types of content for your business.

Distributing Content

Content marketing is an ongoing process, not a one-and-done task, so it’s important to identify a mix of distribution channels you can use to make your marketing strategy more successful. Again, the needs of your target audience should be one of your top considerations. If your content is aimed at business executives, for example, you’re more likely to reach them on LinkedIn than on Snapchat.

In addition to your own website, you can distribute content on social networks, video platforms, online courseware and digital marketplaces. If you have high-quality content that’s likely to attract a sophisticated audience, you may even be able to publish a guest post on a site like Forbes or Inc. Just remember to focus on channels where members of your target audience are most likely to spend their time.

Updating Your Content Marketing Strategy

Industries evolve over time, replacing outdated practices with new ones that make it easier to meet the needs of customers while turning a profit. Just as your business needs to adapt to industry-specific changes, it also needs to adapt to changes in marketing best practices. That’s why it’s important to review your content marketing strategy regularly and update it as needed.

Take Your Business to the Next Level

If content isn’t already a major part of your marketing strategy, now’s your opportunity to apply the principles of content marketing in your business. High-quality content increases awareness of your brand, highlights your expertise and helps you convince potential customers that your product or service could be exactly what they need to solve a problem or make life easier in some way.

Crowd Content is here to help you with product descriptions, landing pages and whatever kind of content you need to reap the benefits of having a cohesive content marketing strategy.

The post How to Grow Your Business With Strategic Content Marketing appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

But managing numerous social media profiles across a half-dozen platforms entails numerous activities. These might include writing and scheduling social media posts, replying to comments, monitoring the success of social campaigns and more.

In other words, social media management is a lot of work.

Successful social media management requires constant attention. For many, it’s a full-time job. Fortunately, there are several tools available that help with your business’s social media presence. A social media management tool can help you maximize your social presence while minimizing your efforts.

What Are Social Media Management Tools?

Social media management tools simplify your social media presence across platforms. They give you a single platform to manage all of your profiles from. And they provide some excellent tools for getting the most from your social efforts. For big businesses, they’re incredibly useful. And for small teams and freelancers, they’re lifesavers.

Some of the most popular social media management solutions feature a variety of user-friendly features to help you manage your social presence. A few of the things they offer are:

• A central tool to manage profiles across social media networks
• Planning and scheduling social media postings
• Automated monitoring and moderation
• Improved analytics

Sounds good, right? It gets better.

The Benefits of Using Social Media Management Tools

The ability to see all your social media feeds in one location is likely the biggest advantage of social media management software. Being able to monitor customer conversations and campaign performance from a single platform saves time. And probably your sanity.

You can also save time by generating social media postings in advance and scheduling them to go live at a specific time. You won’t have to stop what you’re doing throughout the day to post on multiple platforms. You’ll also be able to better plan your content releases according to optimal posting times.

Stay Organized

Spreadsheets are popular among social media marketers for planning and managing their posts. But it’s far more effective to utilize a social media management tool. Most of them come with content planners to help you stay on top of things. They enable you to:

• Balance different types of social messaging
• Publish posts when they’re likely to receive the highest engagement
• Curate compelling content to share with your followers
• Plan for seasonal and release-specific messaging

These planners allow you to schedule posts when your target audience is most likely watching their feeds, ready to engage. In most cases, adjusting your schedule is as simple as dragging and dropping.

Analyze Social Performance

Another crucial component of successful social media management is analytics. Every major social platform offers analytics reporting that shows you how well your social marketing efforts are doing and where they need improving.

But the built-in analytics on individual platforms don’t show you the big picture of your broader social marketing efforts.

With a social media management tool, you can leverage cross-platform analytics to find out what content performs best across multiple networks. You can create custom reports based on the requirements you need rather than network-specific data.

Finally, maintaining consistency on every social network is a significant time sink. Social media management tools offer content libraries that can help keep things organized across networks. It also helps ensure your social presence is on-topic and brand consistent, regardless of the network.

Streamline Social Feeds and Messaging

Staying on top of the conversation is a cornerstone of effective social media marketing. It’s not just about engaging with your customers — you need to know what the conversation is surrounding your brand.

While many platforms allow you to filter conversations based on keywords, doing so across multiple platforms is a chore, to say the least. With a social management tool, you can listen for keywords across social networks, email lists and other channels, all from a single dashboard.

This kind of integration enables you to engage and do the following:

• Monitor post interactions, such as likes, shares and comments
• View and send messages
• Examine profiles and monitor follows
• Monitor and respond to conversations

All from a single platform. You’ll never find yourself bouncing through browser tabs again.

For bigger businesses, social management tools are invaluable. Not only do they consolidate messaging across platforms, but they also provide routing options to get each message to the appropriate person or department. All of which interface with your business’s CRM.

The 5 Best Social Management Tools for 2023

There are countless social media management tools in the wild. As is the case with other business solutions, choosing the right one depends on your brand’s needs.

Perhaps you need a tool to manage multiple profiles. Or maybe you’re more interested in content scheduling. On the other hand, you might want something that integrates with your CRM and provides in-depth insights.

Whether you’re a freelancer, a small business with ambitious marketing plans or a thriving enterprise, you’re covered. These five social media management tools have what you need.

The Best Overall: Sprout Social

Sprout Social offers robust publishing features, detailed analytics and a wealth of scheduling options. The platform supports all major social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest. All in an easy-to-use package that won’t break the budget.

Some of the biggest benefits that Sprout Social offers are:

• An excellent dashboard for managing social media postings, feeds and schedules
• Tools for social media optimization
• Reports and analytics for measuring user engagement and returns on investment
• Excellent scheduling tools for batching and posting content

Sprout Social also provides great social listening features, including tools for identifying influencers. There’s even CRM functionality focused on social media contacts. Impressive analytics capabilities and an easy-to-use interface round out Sprout Social’s offerings.

This makes it a fantastic all-in-one social media management program. With a commendable balance of cost, features and analytics, Sprout Social is a great choice for most small and medium-sized businesses.

Best for Freelancers and Small Businesses: SEMrush

SEMrush is best known as an SEO platform, but it also offers extremely capable social media management tools for all the major social networks. The social management tools cover posting across networks, including automated scheduling and content editing tools. There are also ad management features for Facebook and Instagram.

SEMrush’s social media tracker enables marketers to track user engagement across networks. It covers post reactions as well as mentions across each network. It also aggregates analytics data, so you can monitor performance from a single dashboard.

Being an SEO tool at heart, SEMrush is keen on competitive analysis. As such, its social media tools include features for monitoring your competitors to see what kind of posts they’re putting up and how often.

The biggest benefit of using SEMrush for social media management is its SEO integrations. You can manage your social media presence and your SEO efforts from a single tool. And integrations between the two are robust and seamless. Perfect for freelancers and small businesses with limited budgets and manpower.

Best for Analytics: Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a complete social media toolkit with some of the best analytics available. With support for over 20 social networks and an App Directory that provides even more, you’re never left wanting. The platform also provides integrations to other popular tools, such as Mailchimp, Zendesk and Canva.

The comprehensive analytics that Hootsuite offers are some of the best available, providing detailed tracking tools, customizable reports and performance metrics. They help paint a clear picture of your social marketing efforts by pulling from over 200 metrics. Once generated, you can export the reports to Excel, PowerPoint or PDF to share with colleagues.

It’s worth mentioning that adding analytics capabilities increases the platform’s price. But for businesses that depend on social media for most of their marketing efforts, the cost is worth it.

Best for Automation: HubSpot

HubSpot is an all-in-one solution geared toward enterprises. Along with its social media marketing offerings, it provides SEO management, a CRM platform and even email services.

The biggest selling point of HubSpot is its full line of marketing integration and automation tools. While you can certainly manage your social presence with ease, the platform also has tools for:

• Editing and creating landing pages
• Content management
• Lead management
• Automated content posting on your website

HubSpot’s bulk scheduling feature makes queuing up and posting to various networks a breeze. With a provided template, you can add your batched content, select a post schedule, choose which networks to post to and select your campaigns. The template even shows you the character count of each post. When you’re ready, you can drag it back over to HubSpot and you’re all done.

From social media to web conversions, HubSpot lets you optimize every step of your sales funnel. It’ll even help you create targeted CTAs to improve ROI. There’s also full Canva integration, which allows marketers to design attractive images with a few clicks. For full-scope marketing efficiency, HubSpot is difficult to beat.

Most Affordable: Buffer

If you’re looking for a tool that’s a little less complex and a little more affordable, Buffer might be the one for you. Since it’s one of the few tools that offers a free plan, it’s a great solution for freelancers. It’s also a great option for younger businesses just getting into social media marketing.

Despite its low cost, Buffer still provides a lot of value. It supports all the major networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest. In addition to accessing all your feeds from the platform, you can schedule all your social media posts using a full-featured content scheduler. There’s also an optimization tool for hashtags and mentions across platforms.

A standout feature of Buffer is its available browser extension for scheduling posts. With the extension installed, you can click a browser button, compose an update and add it to a queue.

Who Should Use Social Media Management Tools?

If you spend more than a few hours per week managing social media, a social media management tool is a good idea. If you spend more than a few hours per day doing so, you need a social media management tool.

These tools are excellent for freelancers and one-person marketing teams — people who are accustomed to wearing multiple hats. When you’re juggling multiple tasks across numerous platforms, simplification and automation are essential. This gives you time to think about strategy rather than dealing with daily busy work such as posting and content creation.

For small businesses, social media management tools offer big benefits. If you have a marketing team, these tools help them collaborate better and more securely across platforms. They also give smaller businesses the power to run with the big dogs, so to speak. Even if you don’t have the staff hours to do so, you can run campaigns with daily posts.

Social media management enables secure cross-platform collaboration, CRM integration, message routing, and more for larger companies. They also provide permission controls so businesses with compliance concerns can keep PR incidents to a minimum.

The bottom line is that social media management tools provide more than just a single platform to manage your social profiles. All the tools listed here offer advanced scheduling features for managing posts. More importantly, they provide integrated analytics that can synergize your marketing efforts across networks.

In marketing, where even small improvements can equate to big returns, social media management tools are invaluable.

Conclusion

Your social media presence has a big impact on your brand. Social media management tools give you the power to manage, automate and optimize that presence without making it your full-time job. They’ll also provide you with insights to help amplify your brand’s impact and grow your business.

If you’re looking for other ways to free up your time so you can focus on the bigger picture, let Crowd Content help. Our team of professional freelance writers can provide you with in-depth articles, engaging blog posts, compelling web copy and more. We’ll even write your social media posts for you. In other words, we’ll supercharge your content strategy. Go ahead and take a look at what we offer or get in touch with us to find out more.

The post Here Are the 5 Best Social Media Management Tools for 2023 appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Although content marketing has many benefits, it can be difficult to find the time to create as much content as you need to meet your goals. Content outsourcing is a great way to overcome this challenge. Outsourcing refers to hiring a team of freelancers to produce articles, blog posts, landing pages, case studies and other types of content.

We created this guide to help you understand the challenges that can arise when you hire freelancers without having a plan in place for monitoring their output and making sure they understand your brand’s approach to connecting with customers. The guide also includes tips for outsourcing your content production without sacrificing quality.

Benefits of Content Outsourcing

Before we dive into the challenges of outsourcing, it’s important to understand the benefits. Working with a team of freelancers can help your business in the following ways:

Time Savings

Creating your own content takes time away from developing new products, connecting with customers and managing your company’s finances. A team of freelancers can take research and writing tasks off your plate, giving you more time to focus on business growth.

Consistency

As a business owner, you’re responsible for supervising employees, resolving customer service issues and overseeing daily operations, among many other activities. Even if you plan to spend a few hours writing and editing content, you may have to change your schedule at the last minute based on what’s happening in your business.

As a result, it’s difficult to maintain a high level of consistency. You may publish a blog post one week and then not publish anything else for two or three weeks, making your content marketing strategy less effective than it could be if you published on a consistent basis. When you partner with a team of freelance professionals, they can work on your content no matter how busy you are.

Flexibility

You could hire a full-time writer to execute your content marketing strategy, but that isn’t always the best course of action. Not only does adding a team member increase your monthly payroll expenses, it also makes it more difficult to be flexible when needed. If you want to scale up your content production, a full-time writer might not be able to handle the increased workload. Conversely, if you want to slow down a little, your full-time writer won’t have enough work to do.

Working with freelancers solves this problem because you only have to pay for the content you receive. If you want to scale up, you can add another freelancer to your team; if you want to reduce your output, you can give fewer assignments.

Expertise

Working with freelancers exposes you to different points of view, which may help you create content that’s more relevant to the people in your target audience. If everyone on your team has the same life experiences, it’s easy to miss out on opportunities to connect with customers from different backgrounds. For example, if your employees all come from the same region of the country, they may not understand the pain points of customers in different regions. They may also lack an understanding of important cultural traditions, making it more difficult to connect with certain market segments.

Outsourcing Content Production: Common Problems

It’s clear that outsourcing your content production has many benefits. Unfortunately, many business owners jump into outsourcing without understanding what they need to do to make sure their freelancers produce high-quality content. These are just a few of the issues that can arise when you outsource your content production without planning ahead.

Difficulty Explaining Products and Services

Nobody knows your product or service better than you do, but you must be able to explain key features and benefits to freelancers. If you can’t explain your products effectively, your freelance team won’t have enough information to write in-depth content that’s relevant and useful to your audience. This can severely affect the overall quality of the content, making your content strategy much less effective.

Management Problems

Content marketing is about more than writing content and publishing it on your website. You need to create a content plan, monitor content quality and provide actionable feedback to ensure each writer has enough information to write in-depth content. You may think it’s easier to do everything in-house, but if you don’t have the time to oversee each project, the quality of your content is likely to suffer.

Fortunately, you can take advantage of the benefits of outsourcing without spending a lot of time managing a freelance team. At Crowd Content, clients have access to expert project managers who are responsible for monitoring content quality, updating project instructions and ensuring only the most talented writers are assigned to each project.

Lack of Investment in Brand Story

Storytelling isn’t just for fiction books; it’s also an important aspect of your marketing strategy as it can help you build trust and increase customer loyalty. Many business owners are concerned that freelance writers won’t be able to tell their story effectively. If you don’t take the time to find a writer who can communicate effectively with your prospects and customers, the quality of your content won’t be as good as it should be.

How to Outsource Effectively

Most of the challenges described above come up when a business owner rushes into working with a team of freelancers. If you don’t take the time to find the right people, set reasonable expectations and provide ongoing feedback, the quality of your content is likely to decline. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to prevent these problems and maintain a high level of quality without developing every piece of content by yourself.

Project Selection

If you’re concerned that a freelance writer won’t be able to tell your story as well as you could, reserve storytelling projects for staff members and outsource other types of content to trusted freelancers. Product descriptions, SEO city pages and educational articles don’t require as much storytelling, so you can hand them off to a freelancer without losing out on an opportunity to get customers interested in the story of your business.

Alternatively, you could spend a few hours educating freelancers on your products and services, giving them the information they need to tell your brand’s story effectively. If you decide to take this route, you may need to pay each freelancer an hourly rate for their time, even if you’ve already agreed on a per-word or per-piece rate for your content.

Content Metrics

Before you start a new project, have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. If you don’t set goals early on, you won’t be able to determine if your content marketing efforts are successful. Metrics can also help you assess the quality of the content developed by your freelance team. Here are some of the metrics you can use:

• Social shares: Determine how many times your posts have been shared on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The more shares you have, the more opportunities you have to attract new customers.
• Visitors: Track how many visitors land on your pages each month and then compare that number to how many monthly visitors you had before you published the new content.
• Search engine rankings: Google rewards website owners who focus on quality. If your page rankings improve after you start working with a team of freelancers, that’s a good sign they’re producing quality content.
• Backlinks: When Website A links to Website B, that link is known as a backlink. Google sees each backlink as a sign of quality; after all, you wouldn’t want to send your audience members to a site with irrelevant or low-quality content. Before you start working with a team of freelancers, determine how many backlinks you already have. If you have many more backlinks after publishing the new content, that’s another sign your freelancers are focusing on quality and relevance.
• Bounce rate: Bounce rate refers to the percentage of visitors who leave your site immediately after landing on one of your pages. A high bounce rate may indicate the content doesn’t meet the visitor’s needs. If your bounce rate decreases after you start outsourcing, it could indicate that visitors like the new content better than the older content.

Style and Branding Guidelines

If you plan to work with multiple freelancers, make sure you provide detailed style and branding guidelines. A style guide explains how your content should be written and formatted, ensuring consistency across all platforms. Branding guidelines are standards for representing your company; they may include logos, colour palettes and design elements specific to your business. Having every writer follow the same guidelines ensures your visitors won’t be confused when they read your content.

Clear Instructions

Eliminate confusion by providing clear instructions for each project. Detailed instructions make it easier for freelancers to meet your expectations, and they can also prevent delays caused by misunderstandings. When you launch a new project, consider including the following in your creative brief:

• Minimum/maximum word counts
• Guidelines for sentence and paragraph length (e.g. “Write short paragraphs” or “No more than four sentences per paragraph”)
• Formatting requirements (bold, italics, HTML tags, bulleted lists, etc.)
• Terms to avoid
• Keywords to include in the content
• Description of where the content will be published or how it will be used
• Demographic information about your target audience
• Reference requirements
• Linking requirements (internal and external links)

Project Workflow

Before you start a project, set clear expectations regarding your delivery requirements. Some business owners prefer to receive each piece of content as it’s completed, while others prefer to receive batches of content each week or each month. If you want the content to go through several rounds of editing and quality assurance review, account for these extra stages when setting your expectations.

If possible, create a buffer between each deadline and the date you plan to publish the final content. For example, if you want to publish a blog post on March 10, you might want to set the deadline for March 1 so you have time to review it and request any needed changes.

Content Samples

One of the best ways to prevent misunderstandings is to give your freelancers at least one example to follow when they’re writing. If you find a blog post that does a great job of telling a brand’s story, include a link in your order brief. You can also provide samples of your past content and tell freelancers what you want them to repeat and what you want them to avoid.

Start Outsourcing Today

Crowd Content has a team of freelancers available to provide a wide range of writing services. We even offer managed content services, connecting you with an expert project manager who can oversee your entire project from beginning to end and helping you reap the benefits of outsourcing without having to do your own editing and content review.

The post Content Outsourcing: Ways to Avoid Common Quality Problems appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Yet according to one study, it takes around 3 hours and 15 minutes to write a 1,000-word blog post. That doesn’t include time for keyword research, ideation, editing, gathering images and actually publishing the post, so many organizations are looking at an investment of 5 or more hours per blog post.

You can see how getting regular content onto your pages can become a question of resources. While outsourcing content creation is always an option, some internal attention is still required. This is why you might want to learn how to use content upgrades as a tactic for delivering fresh content without re-creating the wheel for every blog post.

What Are Content Upgrades?

Content upgrades are updates to content you already have on your site. In short, updating content is about making old content new again or bringing previously lackluster content up to your current standards for SEO and marketing.

Here are some examples of content updates:

• A blog post titled “The Best Medical Jobs in 2016” might be updated with new information to become “The Best Medical Jobs in 2022.”
• A post about mortgage best practices from 2015 can be updated with new statistics and information to be more relevant in 2022.
• A post about the best products for cleaning homes that should have been popular with a brand’s target audience but never got a lot of traffic can be refreshed to increase quality and engagement.  

SEO Implications and Benefits of Updating Content

Michael Steele, the CEO of boutique Vancouver-based technical marketing agency Flywheel Digital, says, “Content updates can have huge benefits on a site’s SEO. The addition of optimized headers, relevant keywords and answers to ‘People also ask’ questions can make a site more desirable to users, and search engines will see this and reward the site with higher rankings.”

Updating pages also lets you create content that’s more aligned with current searcher intent, which is important. If someone shows up on your page and the content isn’t aligned with their intent, they’ll bounce quickly. That’s bad for conversions as well as behavioural metrics that boost your placement in search results.

Steele notes that it’s important “to submit the newly updated page(s) to Google Search Console to be crawled and indexed. This lets Google know you’ve made changes to a page and that you want the search engine to take a look at those changes.”

How Often Should You Update Content?

It depends. Some content is so evergreen it rarely or never needs updating. Something timely, such as a yearly roundup, may need revisiting annually. Typically, you should conduct a content audit each year to find pages in need of an upgrade.

Steele recommends identifying posts and content areas in need of updates and prioritizing them. Then you can set a budget, plan to update as much content as you can within that budget and begin delegating the tasks. 

It’s also important to incorporate content upgrades into your overall marketing strategy. This isn’t a side project but a critical part of your content marketing calendar and plan.

What Should You Change or Add When Upgrading Content?

Updating content means replacing all outdated or low-quality content with new information and higher-quality content designed to support SEO and drive engagement. The comprehensive checklist below provides a guide for everything you should change or add when upgrading content.

• Statistics. Replace out-of-date statistics with new information. In most cases, data that’s more than a couple years old should be replaced — especially in financial, medical and technical content. You definitely shouldn’t reference statistics older than five years in most other content unless you’re telling a historical story.
• Links. Check all links in your content. Replace links to out-of-date information with new ones. You should also replace all broken links.
• Dated content. Review the page for content or phrases that date it. Slang, references to popular movies or off-hand mentions of current events might all need to be replaced or removed. The same is true for processes or tips that are no longer helpful or possible. For example, the tips written for retail shops before the COVID-19 pandemic might not be in a business’s best interest now.
• Keywords. Conduct new keyword research relevant to the topic of your blog post. The phrases people were using to find such content in the past might have evolved, which means new primary and secondary keywords to incorporate into your content. You can also take this time to ensure best keyword placement, which means placing primary keywords in the H1 and H2 headings, early in the content and a few times throughout.
• Semantic keywords. Semantic keywords are phrases that people would naturally use when talking about a topic. Including them in your blog post helps demonstrate to the search engines’ language programming that your content has a strong relevance to search terms. Quality, comprehensive and updated content is likely to contain semantic phrases naturally, but you can use tools such as Ink SEO, MarketMuse or SEMrush to get a list of phrases to include in your content.
  
• People Also Ask answers. Google your keywords and see what shows up in the People Also Ask question box. Include those questions and answers on pages to ensure they answer the current questions of your audience. 
• Content that answers more current searcher intent. Add anything you can think of that’s relevant to your audience and searchers today or that was left out of your original content.

Steele recommends being transparent about content upgrades. Include a note at the beginning or end of the blog post that lets users know when the content was originally published and when it was updated. Looking to make content upgrades a regular part of your marketing strategy or need to overhaul an entire collection of blog posts? Crowd Content can help. Reach out to learn more about our enterprise services for managing large content projects, or place content update requests to qualified writers via our self-serve marketplace.

The post Tackling Content Upgrades: What, Why, How Often and How to Update Your Website Content appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Scaling is the key to a successful content creation strategy. Creative campaigns come in all sizes, from one-and-done landing pages to low-volume recurring blog articles to massive product description orders with tens of thousands of pieces to write. Projects can also suddenly ramp up or down, such as when a blog triples its volume or a retailer opens a new product line. Being the marketer who can handle that for a client is the skill set that keeps you growing.

What Is Content Scaling, and Why Is It Awesome?

Scaling is the ability to expand or contract your work volume as needed, ideally without your office erupting into panic, unexplained fires in the parking lot or dinosaur-killing asteroids hitting the Earth when the client orders a 10x increase in output. With a good plan in place to scale your content creation, you have the ability to get ahead of unpredictable changes and respond to anything the client needs.

Scaling content creation is part of an overall marketing strategy, and it helps to know what you’re doing from the outset. Something like 80% of B2B and 81% of B2C brands say they have a content creation strategy mapped out in advance of launching a project. Amazingly, the same survey found that more than half (55%) of brands admit they don’t have any way of knowing what a successful creative campaign looks like.

What to Look for in a Scaling Strategy

Good strategies to scale your content all have a few things in common. The best strategies take very little time to implement, guarantee consistent quality and have the potential to expand to meet increased needs quickly and affordably.

Tips to Scale Content Creation

While scaling your content creation is, indeed, awesome, how do you do it? Because changes in scale affect every part of the process, from initial planning to delivery of the finished product, your plan to scale should ideally take in every level. Here are some tips for planning and executing a scalable content rollout.

Stage 1: Planning Your Projects

Designing a scalable workflow starts with good planning in the early stages. The workflow you design early on will either save you or sink you later, when your needs expand. If you’re working with multiple clients, each of them probably has unique needs that don’t necessarily fit into a one-size-fits-all approach to project management. Keeping your project management loose and flexible, however, should give you the leeway you need to scale up or down.

This is where investing in good project management software is a lifesaver. You have a lot of options here. Excel and Google Sheets are decent mainstream tools to help you organize content calendars and export your publishing schedule. Excel has the advantage of being pretty much universal and accessible for almost anyone who’s used an office computer in the last 20 years. Sheets is a productive collab tool that encourages teams to work well together and push multi-stage projects along in a cloud environment.

CoSchedule is another superb project management tool you can use to plot whole campaigns and manage multiple creative teams. Operating in a secure cloud format, CoSchedule allows content creators and project managers to interact at every stage of a project, coordinate easily across projects and schedule deliveries and uploads to virtually any platform your clients are using. There’s even an option in the CoSchedule sidebar for creative workers to leave passive-aggressive notes to each other complaining about recent edits.

Planning Tips

• Settle on a project management tool and stick to it for nearly every client.
• Gravitate toward cloud and remote tools, since they probably have more space and scalability than your own systems.
• Develop a workflow that’s simple enough to explain to a child so educating multiple clients about your capabilities is easy enough to be a selling tool in itself.

Stage 2: Formatting and Such

It isn’t always possible to develop a standard format that your projects should take, but wherever you’re able to standardize, you should. Granted, a client with 150-word product descriptions is going to have different needs than a 1,200-word blogging client or a 10,000-word white paper client. Try to aim for a general format that assumes as little as possible about the specific needs of your clients and allows a maximum of later customization.

Formatting Tips

• Adopt a simple, standard format that works for any kind of content, especially when it’s going live on social media.
• If you have to specialize, go for multiple templates, one for each of your most common client orders.
• Adopt a format that can be changed on the fly or expanded to scale up on short notice. You can also use a format already available from your content creation partner if you’re working with a platform.

Stage 3: Actually Writing

Writing is the hardest part of writing. Producing the content your clients need is the heart of any creative project, and it’s not as easy as it seems. Your targets here are for high quality and the ability to expand as your projects scale up. While this seems like a contradiction, you actually have several options for how you want to approach it.

Writing Your Stuff In-House

If you’re working in-house, you’re probably using your own employees as creative workers. Keeping writers on staff lets you train and develop content creators the way you need them to work, but volume is limited and expanding is almost always slow and difficult.

Outsourcing to Partners

Many digital marketing firms partner with content creators from outside. This can be a relationship with a single marketing firm, or it can include individual freelancers working under contract. If you’re partnered with an outside firm, you have the same scaling limitations as if you hired your own talent in-house, just displaced onto a different company for hiring and retention. If you’re working with freelancers, you have a lot of potential to rapidly expand, but managing a growing freelance workforce gets unwieldy above a certain level.

Professional Content Creation

One of the best options for scaling your digital marketing campaigns is to establish a long-term partnership with a professional content platform. This can be one of the most productive options for marketers of all sizes. Creation platforms work by recruiting and screening large numbers of writers and editors, building teams you can work with and then making them available to work on your projects.

Working With a Platform for Creative Content

The advantages of working with a platform are huge, and they appear at every stage of the development process. A good platform offers support from a project manager during the initial planning stages, when your campaign is still of indeterminate size and scope. Working together, you and your contact at the platform can plan the work throughput, devise the instructions and formatting requirements and craft a set of instructions for the workforce to follow when the writing starts.

When you’re happy with the design and flow of your project, you can upload your clients’ inputs to the platform. If you’re working with a manager, you don’t have much else to do here; the platform can deliver your finished product by the project deadline in whole or in parts, whichever you need. Some platforms have a feature that lets you manage your own campaigns and export the finished products to your CoSchedule or other publisher’s account.

The unique workforce platforms use allows you to build and retain teams of workers who are experienced with your projects, direct order individual tasks to favored writers or open your project to every writer on the platform. A standardized screening system controls quality and diligence with this option, so you get consistently high-quality results.

Perhaps best of all, you can scale content creation on a platform basically forever, easily shifting between one-off jobs and gigantic projects that move hundreds of thousands of workpieces from development to publishing. Even if your volume is changing on a daily basis, you always have the right number of workers for any given project, exactly when you need them and at the price you’ve agreed to pay.

Tips to Scale Content Creation on a Platform

Working with a platform to scale your content creation can be tricky to start, but it grows on you. Just remember some of the industry best practices for consolidating projects and scaling content through your platform:

• Plan well: Platform staff are there to help you, and you probably need the most help during the initial planning stage for a creative campaign. Work with a platform manager to design the workflow and build your teams. You can also bring billing or quality assurance concerns to your contact for resolution. When you’re scaling up a project, don’t forget to let the platform know so you have the support you need throughout.
• Set realistic goals: Some projects have quick turnaround times, while others take months of planning. Likewise, some short, simple workpieces take minutes to dash off and deliver, while others may take days and require associated social media uploads to coordinate at launch. Work with your project manager to set realistic goals about what can be delivered and on what sort of timescale.
• Choose your teams: Working with a platform, you can choose who gets to see your project. Build a team with handpicked creators, or open your project to everyone with an acceptable level of skill who’s registered with the platform. If you suddenly need to scale up, you have your choice of adding more members to the team or putting out the call to all available hands.
• Scale up: Scaling is a unique advantage you get with a platform over creating content in-house or with your own freelancers. Because the platform recruits, trains and manages its own external workforce of contract creators, you have basically all the tedious personnel work lifted and none of the management responsibilities attached to what should be a clean project. Expanding a project on-platform is genuinely as easy as loading more orders into the system and waiting for the final drafts to clear edit.

Crowd Content has the workforce you need to power your biggest projects. Find out about the services we offer digital marketing and content creation clients here. You can also reach out and contact us to talk about how our workforce of thousands of writers, editors and other professionals can help you scale content creation as much as your clients need.

The post Tactics to Scale Your Content Creation appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

From unraveling the mysteries of SEO jargon and revealing the best practices to steering clear of the antiquated tactics that could tank your rankings, we’ve compiled everything you need to know to optimize your content for SEO.

SEO and Content Marketing

Search engine optimization (SEO for short) is intricately linked to content marketing. Quality content is essential for good SEO because it attracts search engines and readers alike. Without optimizing your content with the right keywords and SEO practices, you’ll likely end up in internet limbo. Optimized content reaches more people and establishes your site as a valuable resource, improving your rankings and visibility online.

What is Search Engine Optimization?

SEO is the art of making your site and content more discoverable on various search engines. Google Search is the most common, with all SEO pros pining for the top-ranked position. Generally, the higher your content ranks on the SERPs, the larger the share of search traffic you get.

Written content, such as blogs and general web copy, is the most common and recognizable home for optimized text. But you can apply SEO to almost any platform with a search function. YouTube, Amazon Marketplace, the App Store — you can use SEO on each one to help hoist your content to the top of search results.

Many tactics go into SEO (more than we can get into here), but there’s one central tenet: Well-optimized content is the most valuable ranking factor out there.

And it makes sense. Google wants to show searchers the best possible content to help them satisfy their search intent. It’s all part of Google’s quality rater guidelines; Google prioritizes content that showcases experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. So, above all, people-first content is where it’s at, and Google keeps tabs on your application of E-E-A-T principles using search engine spiders (web crawlers).

“Google thinks more and more like a website visitor with every core update. So, with that being said, your content needs to be thoughtful and helpful to actual readers. Don’t write for the algorithm; write for human beings.” 

Joshua Pelletier, Content Director, BarBend

What are search engine spiders?

There’s no need to start spinning out over the next iteration of Matrix Sentinels — search engine spiders are entirely benign. Also known as “web crawlers,” search engine spiders are bots that filter through website content. For example, Google predictably calls its web crawler Googlebot, while Bing chose to name its standard web crawler Bingbot.

These autonomous programs sift through endless content and use a massive list of criteria to determine the best content. To make them happy, create quality content that comprehensively covers the search intent you’re targeting. Crawlers are ultimately trying to determine what human readers find most valuable, so in simple terms, you need to give the people what they want.

Why Optimize for SEO?

In the 21st century, consumers use the internet and, more specifically, search engines to find and buy products and services. To compete in the online marketplace, your site has to appear in the SERPs when people type relevant keywords into the search engine.

Imagine you go to Disneyland. The park is packed, and you mistakenly told friends you’d meet them “by the kiosk selling mouse ears.” That doesn’t exactly narrow things down, does it? SEO is like dropping a giant pin with your location. But instead of giving the roadmap to friends, you’re giving consumers everything they need to find you ASAP — before they find other friends and forget about you entirely.

The top-ranked site on the SERPS receives almost 40% of all the clicks. The site in position No. 2 gets 18.7%, and the third-ranked site walks about with just over 10% of the SERP traffic. After that, numbers fall off considerably.

The more SEO-optimized pages on your site, the more opportunities you have to earn significant traffic. So, creating optimized SEO content covering all the topics and search terms your buyers use is incredibly valuable.

SEO Best Practices

It’s time to dive into SEO content strategy. These are the legitimate techniques you can use to make your high-quality content stand out in the SERPs.

Start with a great SEO content strategy

Excellent SEO content doesn’t come out of nowhere. To optimize content for SEO, you have to start with a strong SEO strategy. Far too many otherwise talented people create articles and blog posts on the fly and try to optimize them afterward. More often than not, they end up with clumsy content.

You can avoid this inelegant scenario if you plan ahead, use proven keyword research tools, and weave SEO into your content as you go along.

• Research your audience before you begin. You can use a survey provider such as SurveyMonkey or Typeform to find out what your target consumer base wants.
• Conduct exhaustive keyword research. Once you know what your audience wants, determine their search terms. This can be as simple as using Google’s Keyword Planner or more advanced through SEO tools such as Moz, Semrush, or Ahrefs. You should know all the keywords your audience uses and what stage of the buyer’s journey they apply to. 
• Focus on creating comprehensive content. Your keywords should help you develop a list of core topics to be covered, but take it a step further and look at latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords to discover related topics that are almost, if not equally, as vital. Say your primary keyword is “Las Vegas.” Conceptually related semantic keywords might include “Sin City,” “casinos,” “hotels,” and “Super Bowl.” For a shortcut, check out tools like Ink and MarketMuse that provide all-in-one, AI-driven research, audit, and optimization interfaces.
• Write long-form articles. Blog posts should ideally be between 1,500 and 2,500 words long. But that number can shift depending on search intent, the topic demands, and your content goals. Pieces that top 3,000 words get the most organic traffic, but that length isn’t always ideal for other formats. Use tools like Ink, MarketMuse, or Surfer SEO to determine the word count you need to hit to compete with existing search results.
• Stay on task. Longer articles rank well, but only if they’re thorough and avoid fluff or filler. Writing for the sake of writing won’t win you an audience. Writing a shorter piece packed with value is better than fluffing your way to the maximum word count.
• Create supporting visuals. Your content shouldn’t be a wall of text. That’s as daunting for readers as it is boring. In fact, content is reported to be 43% more persuasive when accompanied by visuals. Content with infographics or illustrations increases the overall appeal, legibility, and value. Images can even rank with Google Image Search if you optimize the file name and alt text.
• Include a clear call to action. Readers need to know what to do next, so point them in the right direction with a prominent call to action. This can help drive leads and conversions, while keeping visitors on your site and indirectly boosting your SEO.

Use keywords effectively

Keywords are critical to SEO. Forget everything you learned in 2003, including the idea that keyword stuffing has any place in modern times. Instead, follow widely agreed-upon basics:

• Use your primary keyword within the first 100 words and in one H2.
• Repeat the primary keyword a few more times in your content, but don’t go overboard.
• Include your primary keyword in your meta title, meta description, and page title.
• Work in 1-2 mentions of secondary keywords and related terms as naturally as possible. (Using one of these in an H2, too, doesn’t hurt.)

NOTE – Remember your primary keyword is the one that best represents the topic and search intent for which you’re crafting your content.

Today’s Google algorithms recognize synonyms and ignore stop words (a, the, which, at, on, etc.), so you can modify your search terms to make them more readable.

• “Piano lessons Philadelphia” becomes “piano lessons in Philadelphia.”

You can also change keywords in other subtle ways without losing Google points, like this:

• “Shortest route New York to San Diego” becomes “shortest route between New York and San Diego.”

Effective keyword use extends to image text, including alt text and captions.

“Don’t forget about secondary keywords. Secondary keywords allow search engines to further categorize text. They provide additional semantic information that helps algorithms make judgements about relevancy and topic.”

Kim Smith, Digital Marketing Manager, Clarify Capital

When looking for LSI keywords and additional topics needed to make your content comprehensive, you’ll find more than you can realistically focus on. Many SEO tools simply check to see if you’ve included these keywords because there seems to be a correlation with improved rankings. But the smarter way to approach this is to identify the subtopics they represent and create content to address them.

This hub-and-spoke approach adds value for the reader and naturally gets your related keywords in. Content strategists map this out by creating master pillar pages linked to cluster content that supports the main idea. Your pillar page might be about DIY weddings, while cluster pages cover hiring entertainment, making our decorations, and sourcing flowers.

Create high-quality content

Readers stay engaged with high-quality content. You might call it “sticky” content — it’s unique, entertaining, inspiring, and educational enough to keep your target audience glued to the page.

High-quality content usually comes bearing a few trademarks. 

• Relevant to your product or service
• Comprehensive and trustworthy
• Filled with practical advice
• Error-free and easy to read

“Get specific with your content and the value it delivers to your specific audience.”

Marin = Perez, Director of Content Marketing, Kajabi

If that sounds like a callback to the E-E-A-T standards we discussed earlier, that’s no coincidence. Googlebot can tell the difference between churnalism and content created by a thought leader. To ensure you make the grade:

• Pay attention to structure. Dynamic headers and subheads containing strategically placed keywords speak volumes.
• Meet your audience on their level. Lose the industry jargon, and speak plainly to your readers.
• Make your content shareable. Put social media buttons in a prominent place to make sharing easier.
• Use bullets and numbered lists. Organize your content and make it snackable with bullets, numbered lists, and other typographical elements.
• Compare your article with current SERP winners. Beat your competition by comparing your new content with Google and Bing rankings. Look for content gaps, and create content to fill them.

Use on-page content optimization 

High-quality content and SEO are decent on their own, but use them together and on-page content optimization can turn masterful prose into a true moneymaker.

• Use keywords organically. Don’t overdo keywords. Instead, use them naturally within the body of your content and in H1s and H2s.
• Know that location (and local SEO) is everything. Include location-specific phrases in H1s and your body content to optimize your site for local readers. Once Googlebot notices, your site will appear in geo-specific SERPs.
• Create scannable content. Break your body copy into digestible chunks to keep readers interested. Avoid excessively long paragraphs, avoid complex language, and keep sentences under 25 words. Organizational assists, including bulleted lists and H3 subheaders, can help with scannability, too.
• Don’t confuse the bot. Headings are essential, but you need to use them properly. You only need one H1 on your page, and headers should always follow the numerical hierarchy — H1, H2, and H3s when needed.
• Apply schema markup. When you publish, take the time to add schema markup to your content. This structured data gives you a better shot at getting your content into Google’s featured snippets.
• Interlink appropriately. Your content should be organized in topic clusters, and eventually, you should have content for every topic. Include keyword-rich internal links between these pages.

“Add structure. Use structured markup (schema) to ensure your classes and related product pages, as well as business information (name, address, phone number), is properly formatted for Google and other engines to index properly.”

Kent Lewis, President and Founder, Anvil Media

Outdo The Competition

Every piece of content you publish competes with a slew of content from other brands that are targeting the same search terms you are. You need to create the best possible content on a topic to stand out.

When looking at the competitive landscape, evaluate what the current top search results feature in terms of:

• Word count
• Topics covered
• Content types (text, images, video, etc.)
• Schema markup

Several tools can automate this research and score your content against your competitors so you know how you’re doing. The best ones to check out include MarketMuse, Ink, Content Harmony, and Surfer SEO.

E-E-A-T considerations

Google’s E-E-A-T update has been an industry-wide game-changer. For content to rank, it needs to showcase:

• Experience: Highlight first-hand, real-world experience related to the topic at hand. If you’re writing about pet health, you should have a pet and have gone through some of the things you discuss on the page.
• Expertise: Google will love your pet health page even more if the author has relevant expertise — perhaps a byline from an actual veterinarian or a well-known pet health guru.
• Authoritativeness: Position yourself as the go-to source for pet health. How your page is put together and the content you share should feel reliable. In other words, do readers believe you’re legit?
• Trustworthiness: Content can’t be purely editorial. Use proper attributions, source citations, and linked statistics to prove your site is informative, accurate, and safe. (Up-to-date site security certifications can help with the latter.)

You might demonstrate E-E-A-T by:

• Writing a detailed writer bio that demonstrates why you’re an expert on the subject
• Including links to authoritative sources in your content
• Seeking out quotes from other experts 
• Featuring data points from reputable sources
• Having your content fact-checked by a subject matter expert to ensure 100% accuracy

Optimize for domain authority

Domain authority looks at the quantity and quality of links to a website to determine that site’s importance. Every site gets a score ranging from one to 100. The higher your score, the more likely you’ll rank at or near the top of the SERPs. 

To improve your DA score, you must integrate links as you create content and find ways to encourage people to link back to your pages.

• Include internal links to web pages on your site, such as backlinks from cluster topics to pillar pages.
• Embed social media posts with links to your site in your content, encouraging people to share them. Tools like Click to Tweet help with this.
• Create graphics with embedded codes so people can easily add them to their site.
• Encourage people to use your imagery as long as they link to your site.
• Format your content to make it easy to reference. Tables, charts, and FAQs make your content easier to reference and link to.

By effectively interlinking all the pages on your site, you pass the authority from page to page, lifting all their search rankings.

Be accurate

Inaccurate and poorly written content can be a brand killer. Mistakes make you seem untrustworthy. To paraphrase Google Search Advocate John Mueller, Google won’t penalize you for sloppy writing, but your audience might.

Never publish content without:

• Proofreading your work
• Including outbound links to reputable sources
• Double-checking your links are correct and lead to active pages

Running your article through a plagiarism checker like Copyscape

Technical SEO Optimization Tips

While we’re primarily focusing on how you can optimize content for SEO, it’s important to note a few technical SEO optimization tips you should address.

• Check your site on a wide range of mobile devices. Responsive layouts tend to flow between gadgets, so check forms and links to ensure they stay clickable. Your content should be easy to digest and legible regardless of whether someone is scrolling on an Android tablet or flicking through on their iPhone.
• Play around with images to decrease your site loading time. Large, high-resolution images look great, but they slow websites down. Use optimized JPGs to display photos, and go for lossless PNGs if you need to incorporate pictures with text or transparent backgrounds.

Periodic site maintenance can enhance your search engine ranks, too. Check that all pages appear on your site’s XML map and that internal and external links are current.

Finally, ensure your site pages have succinct and descriptive URLs for a possible lift in your rankings.

SEO Techniques to Avoid

Every dog has its day, and that applies to SEO content strategy. Stay far away from the following tactics in 2024:

• Keyword stuffing: Often tied to keyword density, avoid cramming your targeted keywords in your content as often as possible. Keyword stuffing is ineffective, and if you do it anyway, you could get flagged by Google for having low-quality content.
• Duplicate content: Google doesn’t officially penalize sites for duplicating content, but when the search engine finds multiple sites serving up the same text, it decides which to rank and which one to bury. Embracing original content — even when producing hundreds of local SEO city pages or product descriptions — can keep you from cannibalizing your site.
• Spinning. Spun articles are the cheap designer handbags of content. They don’t rank well because they’re basically plagiarized and often read awkwardly. Google recognizes spun content as spam-like and subpar, so it’s best to skip it altogether.

SEO Content Optimization: Keeping It Real

To summarize that deep dive into all things content SEO optimization, here’s a summary of what we’ve discussed: 

• SEO optimization tactics are smoke signals for search engine bots or spiders.
• Search engine spiders crawl the web to index and evaluate content.
• Effectively optimizing your content for specific search terms and topics could result in high search rankings and organic traffic.
• SEO content creation best practices include on-page optimization techniques, careful keyword use, and informational accuracy.
• Evaluate your content’s competitive landscape and outdo the competition.
• Help boost domain authority by encouraging people to link to your content.
• Steer clear of antiquated SEO content tactics such as keyword stuffing or article spinning.

Optimizing content for SEO has a learning curve, but if you stick with the tips in this guide, you could scale to the top of a SERP like a total pro. Too busy to write your SEO content? Crowd Content has a team of 6,000-plus writers waiting to help. Our freelancers know SEO and can tackle everything from blogs to web copy to category descriptions.For more information, contact our managed services team or sign up for a self-serve Marketplace account today.

The post How to Optimize Content for SEO: A Quick Guide appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

But there are plenty of benefits. Have you ever dreamed of working in your PJs from the comfort of your home or sipping a cappuccino behind your laptop screen in a coffee shop with fellow digital nomads? 

The possibilities don’t end there. From earning as much as you choose to helping companies engage their audiences, freelance writing is a fantastic career.

Join us as we explore the benefits of freelance writing. 

8 Benefits of Freelance Writing

Ready to join the freelance writing world? Here are nine perks waiting for you on the other side of the keyboard. 

1. Earn flexible money

Drew Berger, a professional marketer who manages a team of copywriters for a growing agency, loves that freelancing lets him “scale up and down based on needs and availability.”

“Over the years,” Berger says, “I’ve been able to use freelance writing as a primary income that I was able to support myself with, but it’s also been a great option for supplementary income.”

That’s the great thing about freelancing. You make your schedule and choose whether to do it part-time or full-time. 

2. Work on a diverse range of projects

Flexibility doesn’t solely cover money matters. Selina Kyle is a nomadic writer who successfully combines her love of writing with seasonal campground hosting. She thinks being able to work on a wide range of projects is a big win when it comes to freelance writing.

Kyle says, “You can choose a diversity of projects and goals that help you avoid mind-numbing routines and mundane writing assignments.” 

Olive Armstrong has been a freelance writer since 2011 and adds to this sentiment: “Freelancing allows me to write on a wide variety of topics, so writing never gets stale. Time never, ever drags when you’re freelancing. If you’re watching the clock, it’s probably because you’re racing to meet a deadline.”

3. Work wherever you want

Kyle says, “You can work wherever you want, which includes at home in your PJs (my personal favorite).”

Several freelancers talked about pajamas, but they’re all happy about working in various places. Think local libraries, coffee shops, restaurants, cars or trains, and, in at least one case, a tree house.

If you love travel, the life of a freelance writer could be a dream come true. The world is your oyster when you’re not tied to an office or a territory. As a freelance writer, you can make that dream of visiting every continent a reality — and get paid while you do it.  

4. Choose your work/life balance

All that freedom positively impacts a freelancer’s life, provided you manage your workflow smartly. Here’s how some of our best content writers take advantage of the benefits of freelance writing so they can live the rest of their lives to the fullest.

Leigh DuBois arranges her writing schedule around the things that make life enjoyable. “I love being able to arrange when I work around my life. If I want to go hiking or shopping on a weekday afternoon, I don’t have to miss work. I just work before I go or when I get home. I can even take the whole day off if I want to do that.”

Tom Emerson is a freelance writer and professional musician who leverages the gig economy to ensure he has opportunities for playing at his other gigs. “Working remotely with a flexible schedule gives me the freedom to say ‘yes’ to many gigs and opportunities I would never be able to in an office.”

5. Build your writing experience

The stronger your writing skills, the easier it becomes to secure freelance writing jobs and enjoy the benefits. 

Mickey David has spent plenty of time in classrooms to learn the art of writing, but he says freelancing has been a huge boon to his growth. “By working with hundreds of clients on a large variety of projects, I was able to refine my writing skills beyond what I learned in a classroom. In just a few years, I went from being unpublished to being a published writer with five credits to my name. That was meaningful growth that I can almost entirely attribute to freelance writing.”

ALSO: How to Find and Succeed With Freelance Copywriting Jobs

6. Be selective with projects

As a freelancer, you’re in control of what work you do and don’t do — a freedom some writers may overlook. Write content for companies specializing in your niche or on topics that interest you. 

As a former freelance writer for Crowd Content, Rick Leach — now our VP of Content Operations — expands on how to evaluate writing opportunities. “Freelance writing comes with the flexibility to accept or decline work as you see fit, which means you get to focus on what’s important to you, whether that includes higher pay, interesting topics, specific content types, or preferred clients. But be careful — you never know when a small or seemingly uninteresting job could become a killer opportunity. But saying no is sometimes necessary if additional work distracts from prior commitments. It’s a deadline-driven industry; missing a due date is a big no-no.”

7. Save money on traditional work expenses

If you’re a savvy freelancer writer, you also save money you might spend on a traditional job. Emerson notes, “I really appreciate the efficiency of working from home and not commuting. I’ve had other ‘flexible’ jobs like restaurants and retail, but the commuting hours really took a bite out of my hour-by-hour earnings.”

Not commuting was a perk mentioned by most of our freelancers. While gig writers don’t get paid time off like many traditionally employed people, Sapphire Knight, who has been writing since 1998, pointed out other benefits that make up for it. She says, “Freelancing made it easy for me to make a living while dealing with health issues that would have taken me out of the workforce.”

Freelancers are happy to avoid expenses for office-appropriate clothing and workday lunches, as well as the psychological price associated with office politics and gossip.

8. Put in overtime when big expenses loom

Freelancing offers another major financial perk: You’re never tied to a specific weekly pay or salary. While freelance writers can stop working to live their lives, the opposite is also true. Established freelancers can work overtime and make more money when necessary.

Simona Osborn writes in the cannabis industry and appreciates that she can increase her workload with extra projects when time permits. “If I feel like putting in a marathon work session, like if a big bill is coming due, I have that option, too,” Osborn says.

Do Freelance Writers Make Good Money?

Freelance writers have the potential to make good money, depending on their skill level, availability, and niche expertise. It all depends on your abilities, how much work you’re willing to put in, and your expectations.

If you don’t know much about SEO, content marketing, and AI’s impact on the industry, making supplementary income is possible, provided you have excellent writing skills. But if you’re knowledgeable about those topics and possess exceptional research skills, you can earn a hefty income. 

In today’s marketplace, topical authority is a needed quality of copywriting, and clients increasingly seek writers with specialized knowledge in fields such as health, science, and finance. 

ALSO: Freelance Writer Rates: How Much Should You Pay in 2024? 

How Hard Is Freelance Writing?

Breaking into the field of freelance writing isn’t easy, and not everyone is suited the uncertainty of freelance work. Success involves being adaptable and open to criticism, keeping up-to-date with industry trends, and developing marketing skills.

Writers who dedicate themselves to constant improvement and work on diverse projects find the job easier — those who embrace the freedom and potential for growth stick around for the long run.  

Discover Freelance Writing for Yourself

Freelance writers love the benefits of freelance writing, such as managing their finances, living their lives, and working outside ordinary spaces and schedules.

If your pen is mightier than your sword, apply for freelance writing jobs at Crowd Content.

The post Benefits of Freelance Writing as Told By Top Content Writers appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn, and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely, but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.”

Words are words, and aside from new entries to the lexicon, such as “fleek” and “yeet,” replacing words such as “thou” and “thine,” we wield the same vocabulary used centuries ago.

Truly unique ideas are hard to come by, but here’s the thing: You don’t necessarily need a unique idea — all that’s required is a different approach, point of view, or personal experience that makes an old idea new again.

Whether you’re a writer looking for inspiration or a business owner hoping to use a professional article writing service to create a unique piece of content for your website or blog, we have a few ideas to help you breathe life into an internet that often feels filled to the brim with the same old, same old.

Shake Up the Angle

You may struggle if you try to write 100% unique content using the same brainstorming and research methods every writer uses. The internet is filled with low-level content because those articles practically write themselves. They require little research and provide equally little value.

Flip the script by changing up how you look at the topic at hand:

• Look for long-tail, related search terms. Long-tail keywords are at least three words long and offer specificity, such as “content marketing tips and tricks” instead of “content marketing.” Google is helpful for that — just type in your primary keyword or topic and see what Google’s autocomplete feature comes up with.
• “Listen” on social media. Visit your competitors’ social media pages, search for relevant hashtags, check out groups dedicated to your topic, and see what people have to say. It’s one of the easiest ways to surreptitiously survey real people reporting what matters to them — it’s essentially market research without the gasp-inducing price tag. Social listening also has the advantage of being an agile tactic. You can gather information quickly and put that data to work just as fast, slashing your turnaround time.
• Collect audience feedback/input. This is a more direct form of market research. Send an email to your followers, or create a social media poll asking the public for their thoughts on a given topic. “If you could ask your podiatrist any question, what would it be?” “What should people know about motherhood?” “What did you like least about the last marketing book you read?”
• Make an old topic new again. Perhaps there’s an article on wine pairing that everyone calls the gold standard, but it was written in 2008. A lot can happen in nearly 2 decades, and tastes and trends evolve. Twenty years ago, people would get a case of the vapors if you suggested pairing red wine and fish; today, sommeliers love to serve a light and juicy pinot noir with fatty, succulent salmon. Use modern data and current trends to spin an outdated article into something that reflects current tastes and, even better, your expertise.

Break New Ground

Tim Soulo, Chief Marketing Officer and Product Advisor at Ahrefs, has a wonderful anecdote from the days when he was a newbie blogger. He wanted to write an article about guest blogging, but there were already plenty of posts on the topic. So, he set out to get information no one else had.

“I acted like a journalist and reached out to over 500 bloggers, big and small, and asked them to share some data with me on how their guest articles performed and if they were happy with the results,” Soulo explained in an Ahrefs video. “This whole venture resulted in one of my best articles to date. And even though it was published on my personal blog, which hardly had any traffic, that article generated quite a buzz and got over a hundred links from 60 different websites.”

This example demonstrates that you can always find new ways to add authority to your content — just roll up your sleeves, and gather the information inquiring minds want to know.

Play with Different Formats

A title, an intro, subheaders, and a conclusion — it’s the go-to format for writing articles, and it works. But it’s also so common it can make your eyes glaze over. When you shake up how your article is put together, you inevitably shake up the content as well.

Make each subheader a well-known quote instead of a short, generic phrase. Use resources such as HARO to gather expert insights, and build your article around that input. Instead of talking about what your readers should do, tell them how they can do it. Frame your info using a series of dos and don’ts. Create a Q&A, which is a fantastic way to boost search engine optimization. Incorporate anecdotes and real-life experience to comply with Google’s E-E-A-T principle. Doing the unexpected can get you noticed, and that’s important when you’re trying to turn a good idea into a way to make money online.

Move Beyond Words

Blogs are traditionally text-based, but audiences do more than read online. They’re watching videos, scrolling through TikTok, and exchanging opinions on Reddit and LinkedIn. Draw inspiration from this rich landscape, and give your written musings a makeover with compelling visuals, informative graphics, and video snippets.

Is there an opportunity to illustrate a how-to guide by making a video or a way to conceptualize a process by creating a graphic? Perhaps a screenshot of a savvy post on X underscores your message. Integrating other media types can set your written content apart and appeal to different learning styles and preferences.

Brainstorm With AI

While you don’t want to rely on technology to write your content, you can fire up ChatGPT or other AI chatbots to toss ideas around. AI can help generate ideas and determine keyword intent, supplementing your thoughts and sparking that “a-ha!” moment.

Just be sure to add your point of view to any AI output. For SEO purposes, your content should reflect experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Many websites are also reeling from Google’s helpful content update, which knocked web pages deemed as unhelpful down the SERPs.ChatGPT isn’t quite at the point where it can create expert content on its own. As discussed in our post about whether AI content ranks in Google, AI combined with human oversight is where the magic happens.

Spy on the Competition — And Then Outdo Them

You’ve probably heard the old adage, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” but if there isn’t a way to outsmart, out-ideate, and outwrite the competition, you can hire someone with the writing skills who can.

You need to know what your competition is up to so you can be one step ahead. Perform a content gap analysis to see what’s been covered and what your content is missing, then fill in the gaps. You should attempt to create the most comprehensive content available.

To do that, use tools such as MarketMuse and Semrush to inform your ideation process. MarketMuse is an optimization powerhouse, but instead of optimizing for keywords, it focuses on topics. You enter the general subject matter, and MarketMuse gives you the top-ranking pages for that theme and topic suggestions that can add depth. Semrush is known for its SEO capabilities, but it also generates topic ideas and analyzes content on a given domain. In a conversation with Rick Leach, Crowd Content’s Vice President of Content Operations, he and I dive into how we differentiate content. It’s worth a listen if you want to pick up actionable tips for your own blog.

Take a Total Left Turn

It’s hard to come up with something fresh when everything you’re reading is staler than 3-day-old popcorn. When everyone in the real estate industry is writing about the same staging techniques and negotiation tactics, it’s time to get your inspiration elsewhere. 

Stop reading blog posts and books from within your niche. Instead, give your brain an intellectual jolt, and see what comes out. Brainstorm with your readers in mind, and never settle for anything but high-quality content. 

How to Write Unique Articles With Crowd Content

When you’re immersed in writing about the same topics day in and day out, it’s easy to fall into a rut. No matter how talented and creative you or your writing team are, you might find yourself relying on the same humdrum phrasing and approach. If you’re feeling stuck, send us an SOS for fresh perspectives. Our freelance article writers can inject energy into your content and revitalize a tired blog while ensuring your vision shines through.

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Many brands depend on content agencies or services to hit the volume they need. But in some cases — especially with low-cost providers — additional revisions and editing are required before the content is publishable. The result is a higher overall price tag as your in-house team spends time and energy finessing the content after it’s delivered.

While this may be an acceptable strategy for brands with in-house talent and processes, other businesses are saving big by choosing a publish-ready provider. The key is deep-diving into a provider’s content production process to understand what they cover and what gaps — if any — your team needs to fill.

In most cases, paying more for a partner that delivers premium, publish-ready content saves time, prevents headaches and, over the long haul, saves a lot of money.

The Real Price of a Low-Cost Provider

Not long ago, Crowd Content was pitching a new client, a trendy Fortune 500 brand needing exceptional content delivered in large volumes. As Clayton Lainsbury, founder and CEO of Crowd Content, put it, “The deal was exciting. It was a cool brand to be working with, and they needed a lot of content on an ongoing basis.”

In the end, the deal fell through.

The company never disclosed why they chose another provider, but Lainsbury expected it was the price: “They had mentioned earlier in the process that they could save a few pennies per word at another provider. Especially with large-scale projects, I know total cost is a big deal, so I don’t (completely) blame them.”

A few months later, the company’s content manager called back. They were ready to sign on with Crowd Content and start production right away.

But what happened?

A little digging revealed that the company’s content team was putting in two or three full days of editing and revising each batch of content they received from their provider. As a popular and successful brand, they needed content that shined. The content they got didn’t live up to expectations and polishing it was a major — and costly — pain point.

As Lainsbury recalls, “She remembered that in my original pitch, I stressed that our objective is to deliver publish-ready content, and she wanted to find out if — despite our higher price point — they could actually save money by avoiding the extra time and hassle of reworking the content post-delivery.”

They could, and they did. To this day, they’re a satisfied Crowd Content partner.

The Hidden Costs of Content Creation

The same story unfolds time and again. Brands partner with an “affordable” content provider and everything goes well until they start scaling. As workloads increase, quality drops. The incoming content is droll and repetitive. It’s full of typos, cliches and grammatical errors. It seems the only thing the writers are engaged in is churning and burning.

The content is just plain bad.

In an effort to stem the hemorrhaging quality, the brand looks to the content provider for help. But they find their partner has minimal resources for managing their writers, let alone putting the content through an editing and quality assurance stage. In the end, the responsibility of making the content publishable falls to the business.

Many content services don’t have the proper steps in place to deliver polished content. They’re set up to deliver scale — not quality at scale. They may have a network of writers at their disposal, but they don’t have the processes or know-how to bring it all together.

In short, a lack of processes and expertise on the part of content providers means brands must fill the gap. The in-house staff must now:

• Manage ineffective feedback processes with writers
• Oversee multiple rounds of revisions
• Pass the content through an internal editing and QA stage

It’s not a small gap.

The Numbers

Glassdoor puts the average salary of a content manager at $84,921. With all the taxes, insurance and healthcare added in, that number jumps to over $100,000. And that’s not including any other company perks or benefits.

Divide that salary by the number of workdays in a year and it comes out to a little over $380 per day. You need to ask yourself if the overhead incurred from polishing content produced by a low-cost provider is worth it.

For the Fortune 500 retailer mentioned above, it was costing an extra $750 to $1,250 for every batch of content.

In another example of a satisfied client, an agency approached Crowd Content because they lost their content manager. The agency needed to fill their content gap while they searched for a replacement. But after experiencing the publish-ready difference, they found the role wasn’t necessary.

In other words, the agency saved the whole $100,000 per year.

Every situation is different, but the numbers don’t lie. And these numbers are significant. The bottom line is that you need to account for hidden costs in the entire content production process, from ideation to publication.

The Skills Necessary To Produce Publish-Ready Content

Content production is an involved process. There are several crucial steps to get an idea through production to a quality finished product. If your brand is looking at content providers, it’s imperative to understand their production processes before you partner with them.

Once you understand what content services handle on their side, you’re left with two choices:

1. Go with a provider that delivers publish-ready content, or
2. Go with one that delivers bare-bones content, which requires more work

If you choose a partner that delivers content that’s ready to go, it may cost a little more. But if the content is good and doesn’t require any effort on your behalf, it’s likely worth the price. If you choose one that delivers bare-bones content at a lower cost, expect to invest more on your side to polish and prepare the delivered content.

That’s not saying one option is ultimately better for every brand.

It comes down to expectations and how well your business handles in-house content production. If you’re working with a provider that doesn’t deliver publish-ready content, you need to assess whether your business has the skills to cover the second half of the content production process.

If your brand has the talent and processes ready to go, working with a low-cost provider might be a good choice.

On the other hand, if your team can’t handle the added workload of revising, editing and polishing content, you’re better off choosing a provider that delivers publish-ready content from the beginning. The same certainly goes for brands that simply don’t have the talent or processes in place to finalize content production.

Below is an outline of Crowd Content’s content production process. If you need high-quality, publishable content at scale, any partner you consider will follow a very similar process.

The Publish-Ready Process

Keep in mind, this outline doesn’t cover every detail required to create publish-ready content at scale. That would require far more than a single article. But it does hit all the major points. There’s enough information to determine whether handling aspects of the process in-house would be a good fit for your business.

Step 1: Pre-Project Consultation

Producing great content requires planning. It starts before anyone writes a single word.

The first step is a thorough project consultation. The aim is to determine the scope of the project through exploration and discovery. That means communicating business goals, answering lots of questions and providing content samples.

The consultation stages help determine the kind of content your brand needs. Keep in mind, the definition of quality content is subjective. It differs quite a bit from brand to brand. Every project requires a different style and approach.

It starts with understanding your content’s objectives. For example, you may want to:

• Increase website traffic
• Generate leads
• Improve the customer experience
• Increase brand awareness
• Become a thought leader in your industry

Once you understand what you’re aiming for, you’re ready to find examples of the kind of content you want to be produced. This helps illustrate the voice, tone and overall style you want for your content. While you’re welcome to source samples from anywhere on the web, your competitors are a good starting point.

The goal isn’t to mimic another brand’s content but to gain objective insight into the style you want. Examples paint a clearer picture than elaborate explanations, especially when the project involves large groups of people. They also provide industry-specific insights that help determine other project requirements — for example, the research requirements of your content and whether you need someone with industry expertise writing it.

A good job during consultation helps ensure success throughout the project.

Step 2: Develop Your Brief and Style Guide

Your content partner will work closely with you to distill all the learning from the consultation phase into two important documents: the content brief and the style guide. These will serve as instructions for your writers and editors. Getting these documents right helps ensure you receive content that’s ready to publish.

A style guide contains overarching elements consistent across all or most of your content. It might include details such as whether to write in a casual or more professional voice. It also covers grammatic styles and rules about spelling and capitalization that your company follows. Your style guide might reference another style guide here, such as AP Style.

The creative or project brief contains elements specific to a single project. It often includes keyword usage and placement, word count, structure and any deviations from the style guide.

Don’t underestimate the importance of these items, especially for bigger projects with multiple writers and editors. The larger your workforce, the more chances workers may misinterpret key instructions or miss an important guideline.

In other words, make efforts to ensure your briefs and style guide are thorough, crystal clear and easy to follow.

Step 3: Assemble Your Workforce

The insights from the first two stages largely define the kind of writers and editors you need and how to recruit them. The world of freelance writers is vast and diverse. Knowing the type of writer you need narrows things down considerably.

In assessing content providers, ask questions about how they assemble project teams:

• Do they have the infrastructure in place to build the right team?
• What does their team-building process look like?
• Do they have sufficient writers to meet your requirements?

If they don’t have a good answer for any of these questions, you may end up paying for it down the road.

Crowd Content has over 5,000 active freelance writers and editors. Every project is different. One may require a large group of freelancers with the appropriate skills. Another may need a round of recruiting to build a smaller, specialized team.

A content platform makes everything run smoothly. It tracks writer and editor performance across various metrics and content types. With this information, finding the right people for a specific project is a breeze.

Step 4: The Calibration Phase

Some providers dive into production mode once they think they understand your project, but that’s a mistake. You wouldn’t buy a new car without test-driving it first. The same reasoning applies to scaled content production.

You need to take it slow in the early stages of production to ensure the provider can meet your expectations. Smaller batches of content help you test the efficacy of the instructions and the output of the workers. You may need to adjust your brief to clarify certain aspects. Or you may need to tweak your roster to produce the desired results.

Calibration is crucial, especially for larger projects. Taking your time during this stage saves a lot of time and money once you start scaling. If your content provider isn’t taking steps to refine your process before scaling, you may end up with content that misses the mark.

Step 5: Three-Step Content Creation Process

With preparation complete and the production process dialed in, it’s time to start scaling. This is a three-step process, which includes:

1. Writing
2. Editing
3. Quality assurance

If your producer doesn’t follow these three steps, for every order, it should worry you. At Crowd Content, content isn’t delivered to clients unless it passes every stage. Editors proofread content, checking that it adheres to the brief and style guide. If the editor finds a minor mistake, they may fix it themselves and pass it to the next stage. But if any serious issues come up, the content moves back to the previous stage for revisions.

If you’re managing content production in-house, you’ll likely leverage freelancers for the writing and editing. But you’ll want in-house staff for the quality assurance stage. This is the final layer of review, and it requires a combination of trust and sharp skills. Your QA people should have the ability to focus on the broader strokes of your content strategy as well as the finer details such as spelling and grammar.

You may need to add stages to this step. For example, if you determine your content requires more research earlier in the process, another stage may be necessary. You might add a research stage prior to the writing stage. Or you may want a subject matter expert reviewing the content at the end of the process.

Step 6: Continued Feedback and Adjustments

If you’ve made it through all the above and your team is producing publishable content at scale, it’s an amazing start. You should be excited and proud.

But keeping things on track requires continued effort. If you’re working with a provider, this effort comes from both sides. All too often, the team’s focus drifts — they assume great performance will simply carry on, especially if things exceed expectations at the start. But that’s rarely the case.

You need a continuous feedback loop in place so you can identify and address issues early and often. This is especially important when you’re working with freelancers. Some freelancers tend toward complacency on larger projects. They start missing little details, or their quality dips. Providing continuous feedback helps keep them engaged.

When working with a large workforce, some amount of churn is inevitable. Freelancers find other opportunities, change gears or their career or simply disengage with the project. Constant recruitment is necessary to ensure a full roster and consistent output. Implementing a soft block system to bring new talent in mid-project without disrupting production is a good strategy.

Is Publish-Ready Content Right for Your Brand?

If your organization understands the entire process necessary to produce publish-ready content, it can more accurately assess content providers. This helps refine expectations and, of course, manage budgets for creating high-quality content at scale.

When looking for a content partner, don’t take the end result at face value. Dig deep into its production process and find out how it move from start to finish, be it workforce management, recruiting or quality control. If you find gaps in their process, understand that your business may need to fill them with in-house team members. Add those costs to your content budget.

If you’re unsure your internal team can fill those gaps or you simply don’t have people in place to handle it, your best bet is a content provider that delivers publish-ready content. It may be a little more expensive in the beginning, but you’ll end up saving a lot more in the long run. You’ll probably end up publishing better content, too.

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