Rethinking Legacy Content

Old train engineIs the content currently on your site clear about what you do and what your purpose is? Does it start with the prospect and what they care about? Does it target the right audience – the decision makers? If so, leave it.

Or, do you still fill pages with a mission statement, old testimonials, questions customers use to ask, and events that occurred years ago? Legacy content may or may not be valuable.  Always consider what role it plays in marketing your brand, product and services to a targeted audience. Here are some questions to ask before changing content.

Is it relevant? Content that helps people solve a problem or work better is relevant.

Is it worth sharing? If it’s timely, informs, shares insights, or provides evidence, probably. Add a catchy headline and put share buttons nearby.

Does it speak with authority? Let your subject matter experts create or update content. People like interacting with knowledgeable people rather than company logos.

How many page views has it gotten?  Page view numbers are not the whole story, but can be an indicator of lackluster content.

Before you pull the plug on legacy content ask if it still serves a purpose and what that purpose is.  Sometimes it tells a unique story of origin or priorities. That should not be masked or forgotten. Content can be long lasting or temporary in the minds of your audience. You need to know the difference.

How SEO Writers Boost Content Impact & Measure Value

Target KeywordsUnder the hood (SEO) aspects of content raise its value as an asset. SEO content writers know the rules of search engine optimization and apply them to boost the impact of their clients’ content. Copywriters and clients like optimized content because it can be measured. They can see what is working and what is not and adjust as needed.

How can content be measured? Just a few years ago, I could not answer that question. Now I can thanks in part to SEO trainer and consultant Jason McDonald of the JM Internet Group. Combining SEO methods with good writing offers a robust solution for online engagement.

At Content For Biz we tend to measure content impact for our clients in multiple ways. Our initial evaluation is a benchmark that will improve over time.

What to Measure

Based on the client’s business objectives, we figure out what to measure. Using the best free metrics tool on the Web – Google Analytics – we decipher what information is important. Basic data shows how people find the site. Is it from keyword searches or referring websites? And, once visitors arrive on the site how do they interact with the content? Advanced features will show data by geographic regions and other criteria. Google Analytics is a great tool to measure before, during and after SEO efforts.

How to Measure

We check a client’s current ranking on Google’s organic listings using keywords/phrases. We look not only for their site, but to see which of their competitors are ranking high. We conduct a keyword analysis to find the best keywords/phrases for them to use. We then consistently develop relevant content using the appropriate keywords/phrases. The content may take many forms including news releases, blog posts, social media and white papers. Search engines look for fresh content and reward sites that supply it with higher rankings.

We verify the content page is tagged correctly for search engines.  Are the keywords/phrases positioned strategically? Are headlines, subheadings and photos tagged properly using keywords? We assess the organization of the site. Is it easy to navigate? What content should hold a priority position on the page.

Why Measure?

Next, we analyze links to the client site and to their competitors’ sites. We help add links to the client site by understanding the environment they are competing in. We publish news, write posts for their blog and social media to build the site’s reputation and authority.

This is one method to boost content impact. How do you measure the value of your content?

Internet Marketing Begins with Quality Content

One of the ways quality content can work in Internet marketing is to position your company as a knowledge center. Your knowledge space supports your brand and your customers’ need for information. Planning, creating, and publishing relevant content serves as a pathway for successful Internet marketing.

Visitors to your site are in need of fast answers. Your knowledge space should be helpful to your audience (market segments, customer profiles), be easy to navigate and include news, business insights, and community.

News

Offer outside reference sources as well as your own news. A content writer can write press releases, conduct interviews, find relevant timely links and keep this page updated daily. The page can serve as a kind of business radar uncovering business intelligence from a variety of credible sources. For an example of one such source see the Wall Street Executive Library.com

Business Insights

In this section describe methods. Include case studies, research papers, best practices and standards. A content writer can create and edit such materials, describe new tools and re-purpose existing content as blog posts. Content can take on various other formats. These may include profiles of companies (your suppliers, customers) and interviews with individuals who are leaders in the field. See Accenture’s Latest Thinking page for an example.

Community

Add a forum to your site for members to exchange information about trends, methods, and key issues of the day. At Evernote there are multiple forums for different platforms and audiences. Tips and suggestions abound.

Evernote forums

Creating a robust presence through social media sites is another way of inviting visitors to participate in a community created by your company.

What is most important is that you deliver relevant content in a way that your prospects can find and understand. Your company’s true value proposition becomes apparent. The big promise to visitors of your knowledge space is to improve business performance. This is true no matter what product or service you are selling.

Having trouble positioning your company as a knowledge center? We can help.