If My Content is "King", Why Does Google Hate It?
Sick of hearing how 'valuable content' is the missing link, yet you are still penniless and wondering what people are doing right that you're doing wrong? You produce regular content, but your website is nowhere to be found in Google.
Web content may be "King" but if no one is reading, viewing, or listening to it, it's no more valuable than a race car fit with a measly 120-horsepower engine.
Over the last few years, it has been like an SEO tornado for webmasters. The web has exploded with topics such as Google algorithm changes, negative SEO, Panda, Penguin, over-optimization, questionable links, blog network takedowns.. Did I miss any?
But within this whirlwind of change and movement, one topic has always remained constant: CONTENT.
After all, the reason why Google is making these changes is to provide its searchers with the best content. Although some would say it is to force webmasters to use Google Adwords, but that’s another topic entirely…
Back to the real matter at hand… so here's the "magic formula".. just spew out some content and Google will reward you and catapult you to the top of page 1! Right? Wrong! Why?
Because while you are busy churning out your content so is everyone else. And it's impossible for 1 million websites to take the top 24 positions in Google for a keyword. The other 999,976 websites will be out of luck.
Are you sick of being told that you can get tons of links by creating content people will WANT to link to?
I mean I have even spewed this line out myself dozens of times. While this is not a false statement, it still is quite ambiguous and needs more explanation.
You can post the most amazing blog posts and never see a single link - except maybe from your mother's new chicken recipes blog. One link is better than none, right?
The Real Deal Behind Content Marketing
Webmasters think content marketing is a piece of cake. It's FREE because you can do it yourself; no hardware or equipment involved.
But is it really free? Anyone who has had success with content marketing will tell you it isn't free at all. It requires a LOT of time and effort, more than you can imagine.
So what is the secret formula? Sorry, but there isn't any.
Just because you create winning content doesn't mean people will give a damn about it. Plus, if you are competing against hundreds of competitors who also know the secret about producing great content, you are also fighting this battle for exposure.
Awareness Is The First Step
Know that much of your content will never be seen or heard, especially in a crowded niche. If you know this fact before you enter the market, you will stay motivated to continue.
Most webmasters, after months and months of content pushing, stop producing out of despair and unmet expectations. If you arrive at this crossroad and you can manage to pick yourself back up and keep going, you will be ahead of the millions of people who gave up!
Don't abandon your blog; don't stop looking for guest posting opportunities; and don't abandon that Facebook Page. It's easy to give up when you feel like your valuable content is not getting noticed and your expectations have failed you. This is the time to step it into high gear! Use this new motivation to take a closer look at your campaign and to identify where you can improve it.
Target Less Competitive Keywords
If you thought your super-human content powers could take on Amazon and Travelocity etc., I can tell you right now, you won't succeed. Focus more on the 'long-tail keywords' in your industry. You will get a quicker return on time investment and gain more motivation to continue plugging away.
Check your Analytics for the keywords people are using to find you and target those more. If something is working, even if just a little bit, focus your time and effort on making it better.
Know Your Audience
New marketers are overzealous and want to target anyone who has a wallet. But, this strategy will dilute your message over time. The more closely you understand to whom you are marketing, the higher your conversions will be, which means that every person who finds your content will be more inclined to stay around, subscribe, share or even become a customer/client.
If you haven't created a marketing persona for your business, I suggest you do so.
Be Unique
The only thing that will separate your SEO consulting business from the rest of your high-performing competitors is your unique brand messaging. If you can find a way to deliver your content in a unique way, even if it has been hashed out a million times, people will respond to it.
For example, one of my services is to re-write web content. Instead of simply offering website content services, I packaged it into something that meant more to me.
Use your unique personality to stand out from your competition. Don't be afraid to get a little personal in blog posts and to share stories, so people can relate and connect. The more people that connect with your content, the higher your rate of success will be.
There's no magic formula here and I can't guarantee results for anyone. But, I can tell you that effort will pay off at some point. Content marketing is a long-term endeavor and the more you give to it, the greater will be your reward.
Payoff DOES Happen
Early on in my online marketing ventures, someone once told me that if you invest 80% of the work upfront, there comes a "tipping point" where all of that labor will start to work for you, and you will only need to invest 20% of the effort you did in the beginning to receive the same level of return.
I am starting to notice this tipping point in some areas of my biz, even though I am still making big changes in other areas.
Your Feedback Is Welcome
Do you think the age of SEO has changed marketers' mindsets?
Before SEO, building an offline business was once a lifelong venture and one that took ample effort and resources. Online marketing, with the introduction of SEO, has been touted as the fast way to get rich, and webmasters who don't understand longevity can get caught up in the quagmire.
I think we all may need to return to some old-fashioned marketing strategies that took some time but resulted in long-term viable business growth.
I would love to hear your thoughts on content marketing and what has/has not worked for you and your website. If you feel you offer valuable content please share a little about your business in the comments below so we can all benefit!
To your success,
Jonny Tyson
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