SEO is not what it used to be—especially when it comes to content.
There is no disputing that SEO rankings—and digital attention in general—are fueled by the content you create and distribute. Your content strategy is the backbone of your blog posts, articles, product descriptions, service pages, and the list continues.
But all content is not created equal in 2021—not to your customers and certainly not to Google.
Just a few years ago, as long as your content had the proper keywords and word count, Google would grace you with higher rankings.
All in the digital ecosystem was glorious! But times, as they say, have changed.
Google is now far more interested in how people interact and engage with the content they find most valuable.
Updates like BERT or EAT are recent examples of this shift, and the more recent “Passages” update only solidifies Google’s focus on the context of content. Yes, keywords and word count still matter—but they’re not the only boxes that need checking.
National Positions Introduces Game-Changing Technology!
We are unveiling our next-level AI-fueled technology tool—providing our clients with more powerful and better-ranking content, faster than ever before.
Our new technology not only allows us to rank, rate, and competitively compare content in real-time, but it also leverages machine learning to enhance the content’s value before publication.
Imagine being able to effectively test targeted content against other industry and competitors’ content prior to launch!
This is exactly what our latest content technology provides to each and every one of our clients in four critical areas: SEO value, readability, tone, and, of course, originality.
Let’s dive into each of the advancements our National Positions content toolset provides and how it benefits businesses from SMBs to global brands.
1. SEO Value
This is a marriage among traditional keywords (or key phrases), machine learning, and competitive industry research. Keywords will never go away—after all, we search for answers with them—however, the use and context of keywords are always evolving.
We run every piece of content through a “content AI” system that not only compares our content to top industry competitors’ content but also uncovers additional high-value SEO keywords we can include.
This enhancement alone can exponentially improve the ranking of our clients’ content.
We can now combine the best parts of our own unique content with concepts from existing, high-ranking competitive content. Win-win!
(Note: This doesn’t mean we steal competitors’ content! We analyze what’s already working and what people are already searching for to make our custom content even better. Why reinvent the wheel if you can just make it turn better and faster?)
2. Brand and Industry Tone
Tone is exactly what it “sounds” like.
It refers to the character/attitude you’re applying to your content. Is it formal? Casual? Witty? Somewhere in between? When it comes to industry type, subject matter, and brand voice, we all have a style that suits us (and appeals to our customers) best.
For example, content created for a law firm (straightforward and professional) is likely going to sound quite different than that of a teen fashion brand (fun and lighthearted).
The tone you choose can greatly affect the level and type of attention and engagement your writing, videos, etc., commands.
We use “tone ranking” to ensure that we are capturing the proper voice of a client’s branded content. This deepens its context so it will better connect with the intended audience. (Keyword being: intended!)
3. Readability
As simple as it sounds, if your content can’t be understood, it won’t be valued by your audience or by search engines.
Readability ranks and measures the education level of the content being created. Is the content collegiate-level or 8th-grade reading level? Neither is better than the other, except when it comes to connecting with your audience.
This readability analysis not only ensures you’re creating content for your target audience at a level they will understand and resonate with, but it also compares your pieces with that of well-ranking industry content.
4. Originality Assessments
Creating 100% original content is no simple task.
From the tone we take to the data we use, a lot of time and research goes into each paragraph—each sentence even. After all, if your content is saying the same thing in the same way as your competitors, there is nothing (from the consumers’ perspective) that makes your ideas or offerings any different.
Plus, you know, there’s that whole concept of plagiarism, which Google frowns upon just as much if not more than your 9th grade English teacher.
So, to make sure our client’s content is fresh, original, and hasn’t infringed on any brand’s intellectual content property, we perform an originality assessment.
*Bonus: Additional SEO Ranking Considerations
Competitive Landscape
Industry competitors are constantly changing, and one of our goals when it comes to content creation is to outperform the top movers and shakers. We have baked in competitive research across each of the aforementioned areas of analysis so we can learn and improve based on the current top industry performers.
Content Volume
Yes, we said at the outset that the length of content wasn’t a top-ranking factor anymore, but this doesn’t mean it’s not a factor at all—and it varies depending on the industry and subject matter.
The content surrounding divorce law is likely going to be much longer (on average) than some marketing tips about Instagram. So, while comparing the client’s content to the competition’s, we also take the content volume into account as well—100% of the time.
Visual Media
Most of the time, images, graphics, and videos are built into the content to enhance the message, provide some visual representation, or streamline storytelling elements. Again, this depends on the context, placement, industry, etc. But if we are going to put content through this rigorous analysis, we aren’t going to leave out visual media. Plus, ensuring its (proper) inclusion adds to the overall contextual SEO value.
A Compounding Effect
Each of these analyses can be powerful in and of themselves, but the combined impact of them all working together can be a game-changer. These same rules apply to everything from blog posts to your homepage.
It’s time to measure the value of your content prior to distributing it, which can make your KPI measurement even more powerful.
While this is not a simple plug-and-play process, to the team at National Positions, the value provided by this approach is clear.
The context of the content becomes the main focus, and we can adapt the context in real time with AI and machine learning technologies.
The core value of all content still lies in our ability to craft a story and creatively connect with the reader. But the ability to apply a contextual, data-fueled analysis on top of this creativity lets us truly marry the worlds of data and creativity.
Leading the transformation charge across the spectrum of digital marketing must be taken one step at a time, and we believe that “leveling up” our approach to content is a perfect place to begin. So, are you ready to transform with us?