The One Thing You Shouldn't Hack: Your Content Marketing Strategy
It's 2016, and Time to Take your Content Marketing Strategy Seriously
Scrolling through Facebook, it’s likely that your news feed is full of “hacks.” Ranging from quick and easy recipes to design or organizational ideas that make it look so simple, hacks are usually simplified or creative ways to tackle unpleasant or labor-intensive tasks. Peeling garlic? Just put it in a jar and shake it. Too cheap for boot trees? Use a pool noodle!
These ideas can be really clever and may even save you some time—but there are some things you just shouldn’t try to hack, and your content marketing strategy is one of those things.
Can you game Google?
There’s an entire industry built around helping brands get to the top of relevant Google searches—and many of the professionals in the industry swear to have secrets that game the system. But the truth is, Google is a good search engine because Google’s algorithm knows how to turn up the stuff that’s truly the best, most correct, or most popular. Which means you just can’t hack your way to the top of Google—you have to do the work.
Google prioritizes sites that are updated often, contain a lot of relevant links, and are linked to frequently by other sides. Which means the best thing you can do to ensure your site gets turned up is to keep writing blog posts that are interesting and informative, sharing your pieces on social media, and generally trying to make a site that is exactly what your audience is looking for.
Common “hacks” actually tend to backfire; jamming a lot of keywords, for example, reads as deceptive for Google and may lead to your site being ignored.
What about mining old content?
When you’re strapped for time, it can feel impossible to create enough content to keep your site fresh. You may find yourself thinking back to older blog posts that were especially good—and may even consider re-posting them to the front of your blog to give the appearance of new material. Don’t do it!
While occasionally re-sharing your "best-of" blog posts on Facebook can be a great way to show new readers what they may have missed, it’s important to avoid anything that can make you appear as though you’re trying to dupe your audience, and re-sharing old content with a new date is a quick way to look shady.
Can’t hack it? Call for help.
Often, keeping a blog or site updated is simply too much for one person to handle. If you’re having a hard time keeping your content fresh, it’s a great idea to call for help. Is someone in your office a great writer? Ask them to join you for a brainstorming session, or to create a list of possible posts that you’ll each handle.
Or, if you really need a hand, you can always call in a professional. The content marketing writers at efelle are quick, reliable, and can help you fill your site with content that’s on-message, relevant, and sure to get Google’s attention.
There are lots of ways to simplify your life and take the hard work out of otherwise monotonous tasks, but when it comes to your content marketing, it’s better to work with Google instead of against it.
Need help with your content marketing?
The award-winning team at efelle creative in Seattle includes website designers, web developers, SEO copywriters, and digital marketing specialists that will help your business maintain an SEO content strategy that gets results. Call us at 206.384.4909 or use our online contact form for a free consultation