This document provides an overview of SEO content strategies. It discusses what SEO is, defines different types of content, and outlines strategies for developing high-quality SEO content. These include conducting competitive analysis of keywords, using tools to find related keywords and content ideas, and creating in-depth articles with images, headings, and internal links to provide value for search engines and users. The goal is to produce content that search engines will rank highly and that users will find genuinely useful.

1. SEO CONTENT 101
It’s About Competing For Value

2. Today
¨ What is SEO?
¨ What is SEO Content?
¨ Developing Your SEO Strategy
¨ Competitive Analysis
¨ Free Content Tools
¨ Q/A

3. What is SEO?
SEO is a business strategy inclusive of publishing,
branding, marketing, and traffic acquisition.

4. The TLCs of SEO

5. Personas
For our purposes, we create personas, or example
users, as tools to represent the needs, desires, skills
and environment of one or more classes of users.

6. Who is the Googlebot Persona?
Googlebot Persona
15 Years Old | Experienced Information Gatherer | Mountain View, CA
• Googlebot is a passionate information gatherer.
• Over 3 million people come to it each day to get answers to their questions.
• It however, has it's weaknesses, it can only gather and present the information if it can access
the information on a website.
• It loves when users give it paths to new content, and tells it what that content is about.
• When determining what a website or page should be ranked for, the Googlebot Persona has
evolved from using what a website says about itself, to what other personas say in their
social channels or on their websites.
• It has become very good at determining what users will find valuable based on what users
have told it over the years.
• If a website gives it a lot of bad information or information that is not valuable it will start to
ignore the website and not use the information when a user asks for it.

7. Googlebot Persona Continued
Persona's Mentality Googlebot Persona
15 Years Old | Experienced Information Gatherer | Mountain View, CA
¨ Enjoys Finding and Organizing Content
• Googlebot is a passionate information
¨ Likes When Others Tell It What's Best or Relevant gatherer.
¨ Person Pleaser • Over 3 million people come to it each day to
¨ Needy get answers to their questions.
• It however, has it's weaknesses, it can only
Goal gather and present the information if it can
access the information on a website.
¨ Match the other personas with the information they are
searching for. • It loves when users give it paths to new content,
and tells it what that content is about.
• When determining what a website or page
Needs should be ranked for, the Googlebot Persona
¨ Needs a focused path to follow to find new content has evolved from using what a website says
¨ Needs people telling it what's relevant through constant about itself, to what other personas say in their
feedback social channels or on their websites.
¨ Needs high value keyword focused content • It has become very good at determining what
¨ Needs users to find value in what it tells them
users will find valuable based on what users
have told it over the years.
• If a website gives it a lot of bad information or
Issues information that is not valuable it will start to
¨ Has difficulty finding, understanding, and presenting content ignore the website and not use the information
that is located in places it can't access. when a user asks for it.
¨ If a link is present it will crawl it, unless told not to, which
often sends the persona into places of low value where it
gets lost.

8. Evolution of SEO
1999-2002 On-Page SEO
2003-2005 Anchor Text
2006-2009 Authority & Link Diversity
2010 MAYDAY & Social Integration
Early 2011 Panda Update
Late 2011 Freshness Update
2012 Search Plus Your World

9. Why Does Googlebot Evolve?
The goal of the the Googlebot Persona is to find and
present content that is both valuable and relevant to a
searchers keywords.

10. % of Googlebot Persona
Technical
5% 25% is content
Social based. This might
15%
Content
seem low but if this is
25% not done well, then
the other areas will
Links not bring value.
55%

11. WHAT IS SEO CONTENT?
It’s About Competing For Value

12. What is Content?
Content is a value metric.
¨ Adding keywords to a page doesn’t necessarily improve the ranking of a
page for the added keywords.
¨ Content provides value for inbound marketing efforts (link building & social)
¨ Low quality content on a website reduces search engine visibility by
lowering the authority and value for the Googlebot Persona and the user.
“Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration”
– Jeffrey Zeldman

13. Types of Content
Brand
Information Marketing

14. SEO Anatomy of a Page
1
5
1. Title Tag
2. H1 Tag
3. Content
4. Images
2
4
5. URL
3

15. Title Tag
1
Title tags signal content
to the Googlebot and
should:
• Closely match the title
of the page (H1 Tag)
• Be less than 80
characters
• Contain the keywords
that the page is
targeting.(1 primary 2
supporting)

16. Header Tags
¨ Describe the
content
¨ Should contain
2
the primary
keyword

17. Content
¨ How does it stack up
against the competition?
¨ Does this article contain
insightful analysis or
interesting information
that is beyond obvious?
¨ Is this the sort of page
you’d want to
3 bookmark, share with a
friend, or recommend?
¨ Would you expect to
see this in a magazine,
journal or book?

18. Images
Images add value
and context.
Considerations:
• Alt text
4 • Relevance
• Integration
(included in
article)

19. URL
¨ Social Implications:
5 They align with social
sharing principles.
¨ Google Persona Focus:
Giving the search
engine a focused path
through the website.
¨ User’s Search Intent:
Matching user search
intent will increase
CTR and have a
positive effect on user
metrics and rankings.

20. What Defines Value?
¨ Content Depth
¨ Links into that content
¨ Social shares
¨ User metrics
¨ Author value

21. CONTENT STRATEGY
It’s About Competing For Value

22. Field of Dreams
“If you write it, they will come”
Is not true anymore.

23. Tips To Create Value
¨ Visual Content & Interaction Points
¤ Content with videos will attract 3 times more attention.
¤ Content with all three media types (videos, images, and lists) will attract
almost 6 times attention.
¨ Increase Content Length and Depth
¤ Contrary to common beliefs, large posts seem to attract more links than
posts with 900 words or less.
¤ Content with between 1800 and 3000 words will attract 15 times more
attention than those with less than 600 words.

24. Tips for Creating Viral Content
1. Write for Power Skimmers
2. Create Valuable/Catchy Headlines
3. Add Numbers and Data
4. Add Pictures
5. Use Sub-Headlines
6. When in Doubt, List it Out
7. Quotes are Powerful
8. Use Bold and the Italic
9. Getting buy-in from influencers
10. Including influencers in the creation process

25. Ask Yourself
¤ Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well?
¤ Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
¤ Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting,
original research, or original analysis?
¤ Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by
name?
¤ Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic,
or are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
¤ Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is
beyond obvious?
¤ Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or
recommend?
¤ Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or
book?

26. KEYWORDS AND
STRUCTURE
The Second Tier of SEO

27. What Makes A Good Keyword
1. Conversion Value
2. Search Volume
3. Matches User Intent
4. Matches Brand Focus

28. Keyword Types
¨ Primary
¤ A article should target a primary topic.
¨ Secondary (Supporting) Keywords
¤ An article should target up to 5 secondary keyword ideas
¨ Long Tail
¤ Thisshould include long tail key phrases such questions about
the topic.

29. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
You Don’t Have To Outrun Lions

30. Competitive Analysis
Two guys are in the jungle when they see a lion running towards
them. Frantically, one of the men starts putting on his running
shoes.
Surprised, the other man says " What are you thinking, you can't
outrun a lion!!!”
" I don't have to outrun the lion," said the man, " I just have to
outrun you."

31. What Does This Mean?
We are competing with other sites for a group of
valued keywords, we aren’t competing with the
algorithm.

32. Finding True Online Competition
Two types of competition
1. Theoretical: Based on product set
2. True: Based on keyword set
Competition is defined by the keyword set that a site is
attempting to target in the search results.

33. Define Keyword Set
1. Define high value keyword set.
• Conversion Value
• Search Volume
• Matches User Intent
• Matches Brand Focus

34. Segment Keywords
1. Segment keywords based on:
• Marketing
• Brand
• Informational

35. Competitive Output
Find a tool that can
give you a clean set
of search results.
SEOmoz Tool

36. Analyze the Ranking Page
¨ Look at content length
¨ Social signals
¨ Link metrics
¨ Topics covered
¨ Keyword diversity
¨ Content structure

37. FREE CONTENT TOOLS
It’s About Competing For Value

38. Google Keyword Tool
¨ Google Adwords
¤ Used to get
approximate
search volume.
¤ Used to find
supporting ideas
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

39. UberSuggest
¨ UberSuggest
¤ Use to expand
article ideas
¤ Use to build
supporting and
secondary
keywords
¤ Use to come up
with ideas
http://www.ubersuggest.org
around a specific
topic.

40. Wordtracker Question Tool
¨ Wordtracker
Question Tool.
¤ Find
long tail
questions to
answer and add
to your article.
https://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/keyword-questions/

41. Copyscape
¨ Copyscape
¤ Used to find
copies of articles
or parts of
content within an
article.
http://www.copyscape.com/

42. Final Thoughts
¨ Content is a Value Metric
¨ Create Value
¨ Write Complete Articles
¨ Socialize Your Content
¨ Build Value For Your Content by Building High Value
Links

43. QUESTIONS?
CONTACT: BILLROSS@LINCHPINSEO.COM
TWITTER: @BILLROSS