Find a publicly advertised brand you identify with, from a healthy perspective, and follow their brand online. What do you see? Consistent values? Positive, helpful and resourceful communication? Ways to get in touch with them?
If you answer, “yes” to these questions, then that brand shows positive signs of effective content marketing through search engine strategy. Content marketing and search engine strategy go hand-in-hand now more than ever.
Taking all the above into consideration, I did a brief case study using Kaiser Permanente to demonstrate how search strategy works. You can see for yourself how Kaiser has tapped into the power of content marketing through their search engine strategy.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the basics of optimizing Google’s search capabilities for your own brand’s content marketing success. You’ll learn about the following:
- How IP addresses and location-based services play into localized search engine strategy.
- The importance of branding… and why paying for Google ads may be worth your while.
- Why and how Google rewards brands that create quality content.
First, let’s talk about search engine strategy…
Enter ‘Kaiser’ in the Google search bar and you’ll find this:
Notice the following in the screenshot above:
1. The result numbers from your search term.
The search term, ‘Kaiser,’ yields about 47,100,000 results from across the entire Web. What does this mean to you? Take into consideration the strength you – i.e., your website – must have to be #1 on the first page of only about ten.
2. A map showing you the results of the matching Kaiser locations in your area.
Your computer has what is known as an “IP address,” which is short for Internet Protocol address. Google, and other sites, use your IP address to identify computers on the Internet.
Your IP address is typically based on your real-world location, which helps Google provide you with relevant, local results. You can learn more about what Google has to say about IP addresses, including how to find yours here.
More people currently rely on their mobile devices to search and obtain instant and accurate results from their search efforts than ever before. Location services for mobile devices are essential for viewing maps and other local results, based on your current location. Google Maps can detect your location through the following:
- GPS
- WiFi
- Cell Tower
- Apple Location Services
Google provides helpful suggestions for improving your location’s accuracy, GPS signals, and more for your mobile device here.
3. Kaiser’ ad is the first result.
Google likes ads. I’ll talk more about that below.
4. The second result is their name in URL/website domain name format, and their top locations in your area.
Site structure, page names, and organization is important for the user experience and helps Google find information quickly. IP addresses and GPS/location settings also make a difference.
5. The third result is a social profile where reviews are encouraged and unconfirmed, such as Yelp.
Google prefers sites which are based on traffic, use or advertisement procurement.
What did this case study teach me about using search engine strategy for my own content marketing?
I learned about the importance of branding and advertising
- Your brand name is everything.
Dominating the webiverse with your brand name is a great end goal. Since IP addresses are key for people finding you online, you’ll want to start locally and build up from there. Google rewards brands that register their physical locations by giving them top placement within search engine results. A recent article via Vertical Response lists thetop 20 places where you should list your business online.
- Social profiles and reviews are important to Google.
As your brand’s name gains exposure, more people start learning about you and your name. As more people use your brand name in these sites, it also helps Google recognize you, helping your brand show up higher in Google rankings and search results.
Paying for advertising, especially search advertising, increases the likelihood that your brand name shows up in Google search results. Using Google AdWords makes it easy to create and run ad campaigns. Depending on how much you pay and the types of campaigns you set up, you can control different features of your ad, such as where it shows up in a Google search.
I also learned more about how to create the content Google wants…and how that can work for my clients and my business…
- Our website pages and content are only as valuable as the words we use.
How often do you hear the expression, “content is king”? We hear it often because, when it comes to your website ranking higher in search results, it’s still very much the truth. When it comes to creating content, we need to understand that it’s the quality of our words that matters. Not only are people searching online for content that informs and educates them, but the Google search engine also craves useful and appealing content. Google wants results which are relevant to the search and to share the best, most trustworthy results.
Moz explains the importance of creating “great content” for your site in the following way:
“ Every search performed at the engines comes with an intent – to find, learn, solve, buy, fix, treat, or understand. Search engines place web pages in their results in order to satisfy that intent in the best possible way, and crafting the most fulfilling, thorough content that addresses a searcher’s needs provides an excellent chance to earn top rankings.”
- Regular content is extremely valuable.
We know now how Google prefers qualitycontent, but Google especially rewards those sites which produce quality content regularly.
Eric Sornoso lists and explains the following 3 reasons about why the Google search engine likes regular posting in his recent article forSEOBlog.com, “Google Rewards Sites That Regularly Post Great Content”:
- Google likes fresh, new content.
- Google likes a constant flow of content.
- Google likes accountability.
Creating quality content on a regular basis certainly helps Google (and potential clients) find you, but you can also take extra steps to improve your results. For example, one of the first (and best) actions you should take, especially when your site is new, is to set up your RSS with Feedburner.
This is Google’s RSS Management tool, and it notifies Google each time your blog is updated with a new post. Even better? As you start producing content which generates higher traffic to your website, Google will continue rewarding you through more traffic referrals. It’s a win-win-win: for you, for Google, and for the searcher.
Over to you
Without a doubt, tapping into the power of Google and forming a strong search engine strategy can take your content marketing – and your business – to entirely new levels. Are you using search engine strategy as a way to bolster your own content marketing efforts?
Author information
Jamie Teasdale is a business growth advocate and strategist who is passionate about supporting small businesses in their quest to effectively communicate with their target market. Focusing on content marketing (inbound and outbound) and brand messaging, Jamie's company Plan Promote Prosper assists companies who recognize the value of strategic and consistent content marketing through blogging, email marketing and social media engagement, and the impact it makes toward positive SEO.Planning a content marketing strategy is no small endeavor and should be done each year. Jamie and her team make it easy and affordable. Plan Promote Prosper offers eight white-labeled content marketing products and services that are sought after by leading marketing companies, web firms, copywriters and social managers. Jamie's office is located in downtown Portland, Oregon. In her spare time, Jamie enjoys painting, traveling and spending time with friends and family.
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