Content Advice for SEO Newbies

[SafeNet_Interactive_Marketing]

Hi all,

I've been asked to put together a presentation as part of an internal series for marketers within the company that don't know much about SEO, but want to learn the basics and contribute. My topic for this one is on-page SEO/content marketing's role in SEO.

I have lots of ideas for this already, but I thought I'd turn to the Moz forum to get some feedback and help me prioritize the points I hit. So, if you could give SEO newbies working on content for a company site, blog, etc. just one piece of advice, what would it be?

Looking forward to seeing your responses.

Thanks,

Andrew

[DirkC]

If I have to myself limit to one advice: write content for your users, not for search engines. Compelling (and unique) content will keep them coming back, will increase time on site & lower your bounce rate, reinforce your brand, ...etc.
For the technical part - you can take the Moz beginner's guide as a good guideline.

[Andy.Drinkwater]

Just one piece of advise is very hard to give, because there are so many aspects to look at. It really isn't as simple as "do this to win".

Read the link that Dirk has given you, but also have a look at these resources.

• Information from analysing 1-million articles
• How to get more shares to your content
• How long should a blog post be

You need to make sure your content is something more than those others out there. There is no point in writing an article that is 500 words on the economics of a country, and then wonder why it wont rank if it carries nothing more than any other article.

That said, there are many situations where short content can be just as popular. For example, if you had found a cure for Alzheimers, then I am sure that would be shared and ranked very high and very quickly without it needed to be thousands of words. Links would flow to it and shares would be through the roof! It's all about being fresh, being different or offering something more that hasn't been said before, or if it has, then enhanced upon that so that people have a reason to read and share it.

Just keep in mind, you never want to write for Google - keep it 100% user-orientated, and you should do well.

-Andy

[EricaMcGillivray]

When I've done SEO 101 talks, I've definitely used the Beginner's Guide as a guide to make sure I covered all the basics.

[SafeNet_Interactive_Marketing]

That's great advice, and I will definitely be referencing the Beginner's Guide. I have lots of thoughts on this topic, so I appreciate the help prioritizing what I write.