So, Google’s recent algorithm updates have all but killed traditional, white-hat SEO copywriting tactics.

Nowadays, quality content is the best way to increase search rankings, and what’s more, gain peoples’ attention on the web. So where does this leave the SEO copywriter? Here’s your guide to content marketing…

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is one of those webby buzzwords – lots of people have an opinion on what content marketing really is.

And it’s a discipline gaining fast momentum, thanks to some considerable results. In short, the theory goes that corporate websites need to offer useful information – rather than purely promotional material – if they want to sell to people on the web. Content marketing is simply that: marketing with information.

Once a company has proven its knowledge and expertise through its web content, it will have gained users’ trust. That’s the first step to converting a user into a customer.

How does it affect SEO?

Google’s Panda and Penguin updates placed greater emphasis on the quality of content, rather than cruder metrics such as the frequency of keywords, or the number of in-bound links. So, as an SEO copywriter, your job is now to make sure your copy is readable, well structured, clear, useful, and accurate, if you want to rank well in search. This is where content marketing comes in. Content marketing is about offering information people want. And now, that’s what Google wants to see, too.

The do’s and don’ts for SEO content marketing…

Analyze how people are finding your site

Head to Google Adwords and look at the search terms that people use to get to your site – you may find you’re on the first page of results for one search term and you should focus on optimizing that keyword.

Answer people’s questions

Great content is useful content, and useful content is searchable. If you can offer something clever and helpful, not only will people find your site, but they’ll think that you’re clever and helpful, too.

Stay specialized

Digital content agency Sticky Content said, there’s a content bubble in formation – ‘a vast cloud of blah’. Writing on any and every subject will confuse your readers, attract traffic from the wrong search terms and inevitably be too poor in quality to be useful. Keep it in your area of expertise.

Encourage your readers to share

Not only is social media a fantastic way to market to new customers, but Google uses social shares as a key indicator of how good your site is.

Scrimp on quality

High editorial standards are what the big search engines are looking for. Pumping out lots of low-grade copy will get you penalized.

Repeat the same idea, over and over

You’ll be cannibalizing your keywords as well as boring your readership. If you have an interesting idea, by all means, use it across your site, email, print material – but don’t stretch it too far.

Be too sales-focused

Content marketing, like copywriting, is an editorial discipline. By all means sell with your copy – particularly in commercially critical areas, such as calls to action and sign-up forms – but don’t limit yourself to promotional messaging. This offers little value to the reader and will have them pressing the ‘back’ button before long.

This is a guest post by JonJon Yeung, Account Executive at Tug.
JonJon is an Account Executive at Tug and has an interest in digital marketing and keeping up to date with current search trends.