As a communicator, you want your content to be seen by the widest possible audience. This means you have to shape it effectively so that it ranks high on search engines, particularly Google.
At PR News’ Google Conference this week in San Francisco, Sally Falkow, digital PR and social media strategist at Meritus Media, examined several ways to enhance content that can draw attention on Google and raise your brand’s awareness.
- Make it high quality. Spend the time that it takes to make your content look and read better than your competitors.
- Make it fresh. You should be in the habit of updating your content regularly. Depending on your business, you should be putting out new material at least once or twice a week; even more if you’re in a highly competitive industry.
- Make it unique. Offer a perspective that readers cannot get anywhere else.
- Make it relevant. Your content should be relevant to your industry, to your perspective and, most important, to your readers. If it doesn’t advance your brand’s message or offer information that your readers want, then it is not relevant.
- Make it information rich. Content that is chock-full of information is popular with readers and it will be popular on Google. Again, offer something that readers can’t find elsewhere.
- Make it visual. Content that contains visual elements ranks higher on Google. People love to look at stuff.
- Make it useful. Your content should offer material that readers can put to use for themselves. Create content that gives them knowledge and information they otherwise would not have.
- Make yourself a trusted authority. If your content offers fresh information that readers cannot find elsewhere, then you will be on the way to making yourself an authority in your field. People will seek you out.
Follow Sally Falkow: @sallyfalkow
Follow Richard Brownell: @RickBrownell