I love it when I come across an article that echoes my own thoughts so beautifully. A recent Marketing Mag article did just that, and I simply have to share it.
The author, Victor Navarro, argues that content is king in this multi-channel world, and that SEO is a critical element of content creation. I couldn’t agree more. Content drives the online experience (hand in hand with the information architecture, I’d suggest), and SEO drives people to that content. So why the SEO component so often neglected?
Victor asks: “Why do we reverse engineer digital content to incorporate keywords?”
A great question. In my experience – reiterated in the article – SEO and keyword insertion is too often a last-minute strategy, performed after the campaign content has been created. This produces disjointed and clumsy copy that does nothing to build the trust of customers.
So why do SEO early? Victor gives us three compelling reasons:
1. It’s cost-effective
2. Greater relevancy
3. Shorter lead-times
Basically, it will trim the campaign’s budget and generate greater returns. A win-win.
The copywriter’s role in SEO
When I take a brief for a digital copywriting job, I always ask for keywords straight up. If the client hasn’t done keyword research, I ask them to do it before I start.
Armed with my keywords, I’m ready to write. By having them ready at the get-go, it means that the keywords are inserted into the copy in a more organic, natural way – plus, it really helps to shape the strategic focus of each page.
So thanks, Victor, for your great article on 3 reasons SEO should be central to content strategy. Couldn’t have said it better myself.