Often when people think of content, they immediately associate it with SEO. While they are distinct in their own right, there is significant synergy between the two. For years, many marketers argued that for SEO purposes, content didn’t need to be high quality. That may have been the case over a decade ago, but the landscape has changed drastically by 2024.
As a digital marketing agency in Bangkok, we recognise the importance of quality content. It seems counterintuitive to have a high-quality article that hasn’t been optimised or lacks backlinks. Similarly, why optimise a website and populate it with unreadable content? Content creation should be central to your SEO strategy, and you should never fall into the trap of believing that content should be written for humans or search engines, it should be written for both.
What Type of Content Should You Be Creating?
Your content should be relevant, unique, and engaging, often referred to as “thought-provoking”. Content takes on many different forms, and what works for one industry may not work for another. However, all forms of content play a crucial role in SEO. Here are the primary types of content you should consider:
Blogs
Blogs serve various purposes and have seen a rise in popularity in recent years. No longer the domain of personal lifestyle bloggers, they are now used by e-commerce sites, SaaS businesses, and companies offering a wide range of services.
Travel bloggers, marketing bloggers and other influencers continue to earn income from writing unique and in-depth articles and guides. However, businesses are increasingly using blogs as part of their digital marketing strategy.
Key points about blogs
- They must be original
- Aim to offer a unique viewpoint to stand out from the crowd
- Use original data and conduct your own research where possible.
- It’s not about the number of words that you use; it’s about user experience
- Consistency in what you write is essential
- Collaborate with influencers and other companies where appropriate.
Being willing to cooperate with companies and other influencers
How to Find Suitable Topics to Write About?
There is an abundance of information available on the internet that helps to give ideas about what to include in your blog and some topics you could write about. Here are some tools and strategies to help generate ideas:
Ahrefs
Use tools like Ahrefs to provide you with popular questions (these can be worked into the blog headings)
Best by links
Using tools like Ahrefs you can see what pages and articles attract links (referring domains) and in turm how much traffic they bring.
Use reddit to find trending topics and what sort of questions are generating the most amount of engagement.
Google Suggest
Google’s Search suggestions will be made up of the most popular variations of the search query being entered, this can help identify common questions being asked and also additional Keywords to target.
Google Ads
If you’re running a Google Ad campaign the likelihood is you’ll be using some kind of Broad or Broad Modified keyword targeting, this should open up your campaign to show for some longer tail keywords. By reviewing your search terms report, it should show some longer variations of what people are searching for, and also the quality of the traffic.
Pages Listing Your Products and Services
If you own or run an online business, your product pages must be of the highest quality. The content and optimisation should be first-class on these pages as they are likely to be used as landing pages for PPC, Google AdWords Remarketing as well as any paid social media campaigns.
Key points about your product listings
- It is vital to keep things clear and concise on e-Commerce websites with the price and a CTA being easy to find
- Get a professional to take photos of your products and always write copy which will appeal
- Your website must be fast loading and excellent UX speeds
Reviews
Reviews are critical in the digital age, especially for influencers. While it is certainly nothing new, they now hold more relevance in the age of the internet. Writing honest, trustworthy reviews helps shape public opinion and can lead to sponsored opportunities.
Key points when writing reviews
- Focus on one product or service.
- Never feel forced to give a 5-star review because a company pays well – it will damage your reputation in the long-term
- Be consistent with what you regard as superb or poor
Conducting Research and Case Studies
Conducting original research and sharing your findings can be both intellectually and financially rewarding. You could try different experiments, test out common myths or conduct customer satisfaction surveys. The choices are endless, but if you prefer sharing stories, write an article on a successful, or otherwise, business venture detailing precisely what you did and what you would change in the future. It is crucial that what you write is unique and brings something new and exciting to your readers.
Key Points About Research and Case Studies:
- Plan your research thoroughly and present the results clearly.
- Data must be original and honest,
- Focus on storytelling to engage your readers, as opposed to dry facts.
- Avoid modesty, be confident in your results to create impact.
Infographics
On the whole, infographics are easy to understand, which means that they a commonly shared. They can act as a superb substitute for text, but if care isn’t taken, it can make them hard to understand, and their impact is reduced. The whole point of infographics is to make information easier to digest and understand.
Key points about infographics
- Users love to share high-quality infographics so ensure the data is accurate and the design enhances understanding.
- Don’t overuse infographics, reserve them for key information to maintain impact.
- You can incorporate them into a story by adding other charts and pictures
- Writing a transcript about the data contained in the infographics is essential as search engines can’t “read” any text that is included in an image.
Guides, Tips, and Instructional Content
We have also seen endless “How to…” or “Guide to…” blogs, and there is a good reason for this, they are what users want to read, and they generate traffic. They are well suited for including keywords, however with the saturation of these types of posts, you may need to be creative to stand out.
Key points about guides
- If you include videos, make sure that they are original
- If you are writing about a product or service offered by others, reach out to them to try and get backlinks and ask them to share the content on social media
- When writing about your own products or services, don’t forget to include internal links to the relevant landing page
Top lists
Much like guides, “Top X” lists are another popular format that gets shared on social media and are an excellent way of generating more traffic. However, because the format is widely used, it’s essential to focus on a unique or engaging angle.
Key points about “top X…” lists
- The headline should clearly state what the list is about.
- Make an effort to stress unusual or exciting facts.
- Keep the structure simple and easy to follow.
- Always use proven and respected sources of data.
- Encourage readers to suggest things that you may have missed off your list as well as asking for feedback
Encourage readers to suggest things that you may have missed off your list as well as asking for feedback
Interviews
There is no better way of building credibility than speaking to an industry renowned expert or guru. Getting a unique interview and getting their take or opinion on a subject that others find fascinating will quickly build traffic; get natural backlinks as well as social shares. In addition to your own readers, if the interviewee has a large following and shares the interview, it will generate more traffic. Interviews can be written, audio, videos or even podcasts.
Key points with interviews
- Always try to interview someone well known and respected
- Plan the interview and questions in minute detail
- Planning will help the interview to flow naturally
- Allow the interviewee to talk, even go off at a tangent, your readers or listeners are more interested in their opinion than yours!
Videos
Videos continue to be popular as they generate higher levels of user engagement. As a consequence, you will get more likes, social shares and backlinks. According to HubSpot, in 2024, videos that run over five minutes often see higher conversion rates.
Key points when creating videos
- Write and proofread your script multiple times before shooting.
- Set a realistic budget for production, including editing and possible professional help.
- Include a transcript to make sure that crawlers detect keywords.
- Create a marketing plan and budget that includes some promotional activities.
You don’t always need to create your own videos. Sharing relevant industry videos or embedding existing content can enrich your blog and improve user engagement.
EBooks
While eBooks are no longer as popular as they once were, they still serve as effective lead generation tools. For both B2B and B2C, email addresses are usually required to download the material, and this can be used later for marketing purposes, with their consent, of course. The quality of the book needs to be high, and they usually come in a PDF format containing several pages. Remember, your objective is to generate leads, so you need to give readers a reason to hand over their contact details!
Key Points About EBooks:
- Treat your eBook as you would a traditional book, with a clear structure and high-quality content.
- Proofreading and a good layout are essential.
- Give reasons for readers to download your book – include exclusive data or insights to offer something that your competitors don’t.
How Long Should a Blog Be?
The length of a blog post is less critical in 2024 than it was in previous years when keyword-stuffed, wordy articles topped the rankings. The emphasis is now on user experience, originality, and structure rather than word count. Rather than writing lengthy articles for the sake of hitting a word count, focus on providing valuable, actionable content.
Google’s algorithms are increasingly adept at recognising duplicate content. Plagiarism will harm your SEO efforts, so always ensure your content is original. If you are unsure if your content is unique, use a plagiarism tool such as Copyscape to make doubly certain.
For more information about content creation or anything else connected to SEO or digital marketing, contact us on 02 038 5400.
- What content should I be looking to create?
- How to find suitable topics to write about?
- 1. Ahrefs
- 2. Reddit
- 3. Best by links
- 4. Google Suggest
- 5. Google Ads
- 6. Pages listing your products and services
- 7. Reviews
- 8. Conducting research and case studies
- 9. Infographics
- 10. Guides, hints and tips, instructional content
- 11. Top lists
- 12. Interviews
- 13. Videos
- 14. EBooks
- How long should a blog be?