In the wake of the pandemic, consumers have dramatically increased the time they spend on digital media each day, and that trend shows no signs of reversing. So businesses must be able to get in front of their target audiences online. By following SEO best practices, companies won’t just make it easier for audiences to find them online — they’ll also be able to build credibility and thought leadership in their industries.
How does this happen, exactly?
Prioritizing SEO can ensure searchers find the latest, most relevant information about your business. They’ll type the name of your organization or executives into Google and be directed to the company website rather than the CEO’s alma mater’s athletic news archives detailing their (admittedly impressive) college swimming career.
Moreover, when your company is the first search result that appears when industry-specific keywords are used, its credibility inevitably goes up. That can benefit the organization across every stage of the customer journey, whether a prospect is learning about you for the first time or choosing between you and a competitor. Similarly, links back to your website from articles in reputable publications demonstrate authority and trustworthiness in front of your target audiences.
An effective SEO strategy for thought leadership takes time to develop and execute. Whether you’re building yours from scratch or modifying an existing strategy, be sure that it includes these five tactics:
Perform Keyword Research
Keyword research reveals the search terms audiences are using to find your company online. It also helps you better understand how competitors are driving traffic to their digital properties, and it can direct you to other search terms that are worth trying to rank for. Include these terms in your content marketing strategy to improve credibility and make it easier for your target audiences to find you.
Create Content In Clusters
A cluster consists of multiple pieces of content that relate to one central topic. You won’t measurably improve content marketing results by asking a different team member to write a blog post each month on a topic of their choice. Instead, identify topics that matter most to your target audiences. You might create a longer pillar post that touches briefly on all these topics, along with multiple shorter and more in-depth pieces focusing on specific aspects of each topic individually. This is a great way to share expertise while building your rankings for desirable search terms.
Optimize On-Site Content for Search
Your content is valuable only if your target audiences can find it. To improve the visibility of blog posts, whitepapers, and other assets, make sure they include the keywords your audience members are using to guide their searches. For example, if you create a resource that helps healthcare organizations ensure their data-sharing practices are compliant with regulations, you might include the keyword “platforms for managing patient data.” The higher you rank for that term, the more often your target audiences will land on your site after searching for it.
Earn Backlinks by Publishing in External Publications
Sharing insights others in your industry can use is a great way to build awareness and credibility for your business and executives — and even make some valuable connections. If a publication allows you to include links back to content on your website, take advantage of that to help boost your search rankings and domain authority.
Ask About Linking Potential when Participating in Podcasts or Webinars
Creating high-quality written content that’s published in authoritative publications will be a key part of your SEO strategy, but it’s not the only component you should consider. If your team or executives get other opportunities to share thought leadership — in the form of podcasts or webinars, for example — ask the host whether there will be any written collateral associated with the episode (like show notes). If so, try to include links to additional resources from your company.
Bringing more visitors to your site using these tactics will show search engines that people find it valuable. Over time, the boosts to your company’s credibility and awareness will have major benefits for your thought leadership strategy.
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