As you’re planning, researching and developing your content, you should have SEO in mind. Do those three little letters overwhelm you? Follow these 20 tips from some of the best minds in content marketing and search engine optimization, and you’ll be on your way to creating content that both Google and your audience will love.

1. 20
BEST WAYS TO CREATE
CONTENT THAT BOOSTS SEO
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2. As you’re planning, researching and developing your
content, you should have SEO in mind. Do those three
little letters overwhelm you?
Follow these 20 tips from some of the best minds in content
marketing and search engine optimization, and you’ll be on
your way to creating content that both Google and your
audience will love.
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3. Images via
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4. Consider the “shareability” of your content.
Simply put, modern SEO is all about crafting
content so compelling that other people want
to promote it by linking to it or sharing it,
which increases your trust and authority and
helps the pages you want to rank well for
certain keywords.
– Sonia Simone via Copyblogger
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6. Set up Google Authorship.
Google wants its search results to provide the
best content for its users, which means that
it values content produced by credible
leaders and subject-matter authorities.
– Emily Cretella via Cursive Content Marketing
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8. Change perspective: think “content” optimization
not “search engine” optimization.
In my opinion, SEO, or search engine optimization, is a
misnomer anyway. It seems to suggest you optimize
the search engine. Clearly, you cannot and do not.
You optimize online content. “Content”
optimization — now there’s a term I could live with.
Seems like a happy and harmonious marriage of the
two marketing disciplines.
– Barry Feldman via Content Marketing Institute
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10. Remember that content is about more
than SEO, and SEO is about more than
content.
Don’t approach content marketing as purely
an SEO tactic. Account for its broad effect on
your marketing strategy, and you’ll get better
business – and SEO – results.
– Ian Lurie via Entrepreneur
Set a festive table.
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12. Focus on quality.
On the flip side, quality not quantity is the biggest measure
of SEO these days, so your strategy might be to get a link on
a big domain site like Mashable or the BBC. Why not spend
your time researching their current content and what they
publish and tailor your content specifically to them (oh, and
don't forget to double-check that your target link does have
a good ROI). So, yes, this strategy is more risky than the
"lets get loads of good links" strategy, but it can also pay
off really well.
– Suzanne Ritter via MarketingProfs
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14. Promote to the audience you want to reach.
Despite what you’ve read, your “epic content” isn’t going
to magically go viral seconds after you click the publish
button. There is no content marketing fairy. Like it or not,
you’re going to have to work hard to promote your content.
I mean really hard…If you look at what the best SEOs and
outreach professionals are doing now, it’s pretty simple to
summarize…they’re focusing outreach and promotion efforts
on the needs of real people.
– Paul May via BuzzStream
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16. Revisit the past.
Search engine algorithms change every day, and you’re
probably finding new, better ways to improve content.
Producing fresh content is a must to keep up with the
algorithms, and so is going back to visit old content to
apply what you have learned to make it more visible
to search engines.
– Aaron Agius via Business2Community
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18. Write for your audience—not Google.
…Search engines are only programs that are built
using mathematic algorithms and probability
calculations — not real people visiting your site.
First and foremost,your website content should
always be written to provide value for your audience.
– Arnie Kuenn via Content Marketing Institute
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20. Provide opportunities for user generated
content (UGC).
UGC leads to a site that constantly generates
new forms of content that you can submit to
search engines. Doing so is an excellent way
to increase one’s search visibility and
associated metrics.
– Jason Corrigan via Social Media Explorer
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22. Don’t just write content—consume it.
You don’t need to become a full-fledged SEO
expert, but you should develop an overall
understanding of the process. Too many
small business owners know just enough
to be dangerous.
– Bill Treloar via Business2Community
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23. Still not confident about what your next (or first) step
should be? Our Script Your Story power hour can get
you started. Find out more today!
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