A 2023 Datareportal study showed that 81.8% of Internet users use search engines and web portals to find relevant B2B and B2C websites. “Finding Information” is the number one search activity reported by 57.8% of respondents.
Organic search rules the Internet.
People continue to seek content that offers fresh, useful, and relevant information tailored to their diverse needs and concerns.
However, as your business grows, so will your audience, and not just in terms of sheer numbers. Your buyer/user profile will diversify and include varied interests, demands, and preferences.
Likewise, Google and the search engines have grown smarter.
Keywords are still crucial to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) but changes in Google’s algorithm have somewhat diminished their power. Google and the search engines have shifted their focus toward user/search intent.
If your optimization strategy is stuck in 2003 when keyword usage was heavy, your content might not make it to the first page of the SERP.
For your content to remain fresh, useful, and relevant, you must adopt a scalable strategy for effective SEO. This strategy must adjust to fit the changing demands of your users and search engines.
Key Takeaways:
- A scalable content strategy allows you to adjust content production without compromising its quality.
- Scalability allows content to adjust to changes in buyer persona. Business growth might attract new personas or online behaviors might change due to shifts in demands, needs, and preferences.
- Google constantly tweaks its search ranking algorithm in response to changes in the behaviors of its users.
- If your business becomes an enterprise that diversifies into new products or services, content has to scale to accommodate the demands of new markets.
- Implementing scalable content processes enables you to efficiently manage your marketing budget by allocating resources to actions that generate higher ROI.
It plays a significant role in supporting a business during profitable and economically challenging times. - A scalable content strategy prevents creators from getting stumped for ideas. It keeps the well of ideas flowing!
What Does Scalable Content Mean?
Scalable content is a process that enables you to adjust the production of content to fit the needs of your business without sacrificing quality.
“To scale” is commonly associated with expansion or growth.
That’s correct… to a degree.
Naturally, your customer base will grow as your business grows. You’ll also attract customers with different interests and behaviors, so you’ll have to produce content that caters to a more diversified audience.
You can also take a conservative approach and scale back content production until you can pinpoint with certainty the types of content your expanded market wants to consume.
Unfortunately, it can’t always be Christmas. Businesses go through cycles of ups and downs and cost-cutting is one of the first courses of action during a down cycle.
One of the first casualties of a cost-cutting program is marketing. That might not be a good idea.
3 Reasons Why Having A Scalable SEO Content Strategy Is Important
The principle of economies of scale states that companies can realize cost advantages as the level of output increases.
Content scalability identifies processes with comparative cost advantages, enabling businesses to maintain or increase production output without compromising content quality.
You don’t have to shut down content production if business is down.
Down periods don’t mean you have to stop creating content. On the contrary, you might have to ramp it up to generate more interest or brand awareness.
Why? Let’s find out the benefits of maintaining a scalable SEO content strategy.
1. Search Drives Website Traffic
Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 Internet activities according to the DataReportal survey:
- Researching information: 57.8%
- Communicating with friends and family: 53.7%
- Staying updated with news and events: 50.9%
- Search for instructions: 49.7%
- Searching for ideas and inspiration: 44.3%
- Searching for products and brands: 43.4%
- Enjoying music: 43.2%
- General browsing: 41%
- Researching for study: 38.3%
- Looking for ideas and recommendations for vacation and travel: 36.4%
These activities require the use of search engines.
Search isn’t limited to Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Social media networks like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X have built-in search engines. Social media might not be a ranking factor but they are effective channels for distributing content.
When you share a blog or video post on social media, always include a link to your website.
If you stop creating content, how will customers find your website?
Don’t stop. Scale your content strategy!
2. Buyer Personas Can Change Without Warning
If your content isn’t driving traffic to your website, maybe audience demographics have changed. Users may not be interested in the topics you’re writing about or the media types used to create and distribute content.
Website and social media analytics will give you clues. The data might show buyer personas have changed. It’s a good idea to take a step back and return to the drawing board.
Again, don’t stop posting content.
Create and distribute content that continues to perform well and engage your audience. Scale back or discontinue creating content on topics that aren’t producing results.
3. Google Constantly Tweaks Its Search Algorithm
Back in 2003, the rules of creating optimized content seemed they were written in stone:
- Keywords shouldn’t account for over 2% of the word count.
- The primary keyword must be included in the title, within the first 100 words of the first paragraph, the body, and the conclusion of the post.
- The primary keyword must be supported by two to three secondary keywords.
- The information must be supported or linked to reputable sources.
In 2022, Google reworked the ranking factors of its search algorithm. The revised guidelines focused less on keywords and emphasized E-E-A-T:
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E – Experience
It’s easier to write about something you have real-world experience with.
For example, if you’ve been a competitive runner since high school, you have a world of experience to draw from on all things related to running.
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E – Expertise
As a competitive runner, for sure you’ve stayed updated on things related to training, footwear, diet and nutrition, meet preparation, and injury prevention.
Continue conducting online research and provide updated information to your readers. However, use your experience and expertise to offer them unique and personal insights.
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A – Authoritativeness
You can tell if a shoe salesperson is trying to sell you a pair of trainers or recommending the best pair for your feet.
Readers will find greater value in your content if you write about topics you’re knowledgeable of.
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T – Trustworthiness
We began this article by providing the latest figures on Internet usage and linked them to an authoritative resource, DataReportal.
Statistics and other quantifiable data help substantiate information shared with readers. Remember to link the information to links that pass the “3R” test—Reputable, Reliable, and Relevant.
How To Build A Scalable Content Strategy For SEO
Building a scalable content strategy for SEO isn’t just for large enterprises or business conglomerates with fully-staffed digital marketing teams managing websites with hundreds of pages.
Small businesses and startups will benefit from establishing a scalable content strategy for the reasons mentioned in the previous section. Scalability might benefit small businesses more because it helps manage limited resources.
If this is your first time reading about a scalable content strategy, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered!
Follow the steps outlined below and you’ll be ready to adjust your content strategy as your business flows.
1. Understand Your Audience
Brands introduce new products and services because they know tastes and preferences change over time. Consumers are influenced by their needs, situations, and information they read online.
Businesses allocate resources to stay updated on their audience and keep track of changes in behavior.
The first step in designing a scalable content strategy is understanding your audience.
- What current issues are they dealing with?
- What topics are of importance to them?
- How do they prefer to consume content?
- How do they access content?
- What are the current demographics of my audience?
There are several ways to collect data about your audience.
- Review your website and social media analytics.
- Email surveys to subscribers.
- Post a survey on social media.
- Read the threads on your social media posts.
- Include a survey CTA on your website.
- Identify a control group among your subscribers and followers and invite them for a quick chat or call.
Analyze the data and responses and use the information to update your Buyer or Customer Profile.
Then, compare the current iteration with your previous buyer profile. You’ll see the changes in your audience’s preferences, demographics, and behaviors.
2. Update Your Content Creation Process
If you’re still focused on fitting high-ranking keywords in your content, Google might not appreciate the effort. Google’s algorithm update in 2022 has rendered the classics as obsolete as a pair of pleated slacks.
As mentioned, keywords remain an integral part of the content creation strategy, but how you use them is more important than where you put them.
Here are three tips on how to update your content creation process.
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Prioritize Search Intent
Search intent is the purpose or objective behind a user’s query. Google doesn’t want you to give users the runaround. Instead of focusing on placing the main keyword in the first 100 words of the first paragraph, give users the answer they’re looking for.
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Prioritize Evergreen Content
Evergreen content is an example of optimized content that stays fresh and relevant over time.
“How to” instructional and list-type content are considered evergreen because you continually update the information.
Creating evergreen content is a great way of adhering to Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.
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Beat the Competition
Let’s revise our statement from “Prioritize Search Intent.”
Give users the answers they’re looking for… and more.
That’s how you beat the competition. Provide users with information they can’t find anywhere else.
Adding a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) header is an effective way of staying ahead of the competition. Include questions that are not available in your competitors’ FAQs.
Ask yourself:
“What other questions would I ask if I was interested in the topic?”
3. Establish Goals
Review your current business performance, identify your strengths and weaknesses, define your objectives, and then establish the goals of your content strategy.
You can have multiple goals.
To have a clear vision of these goals, plot them on a timeline, and enumerate the types of content that best deliver the desired results.
If you’re working with a team, identify the people responsible for handling specific types of content, and provide them with a Content Brief.
Summarize your goals, courses of action, the content calendar, the workflows, content types, and writing assignments in a Content Master Plan file.
4. Conduct Keyword Research
Although the role of keywords might have diminished due to the growing importance of search intent, they still play a key role in scaling your content.
- Use a keyword research tool such as SEMRush or Ahrefs to identify high-ranking, high-volume keywords and extract the main and secondary keywords from web pages that rank high in the SERPs.
- Organize these keywords in a spreadsheet file and categorize them according to topic.
- Include the keywords in the Content Brief that accompanies all topics.
Keyword rankings change to reflect changes in user behavior. You don’t have to conduct weekly or monthly keyword research to stay updated. Use analytics as your guide.
If user demographics and online behavior on your website or social media change, it’s time to update your keywords spreadsheet.
5. Humanize Content
Although Google hasn’t formalized its position on AI-generated content, don’t take chances that you’ll get charged with Manual Action.
Manual Action is a Google penalty that’s assessed and levied by a human moderator. Many websites are charged with Manual Action if the human moderator believes your content is trying to game the algorithm.
Keyword stuffing, duplicate content, and posting content with similar qualities as another web page are examples of actions that trigger allegations a website is manipulating search results.
Humanizing content or creating content with elements associated with human behavior can help prevent charges of Manual Action.
Here are four ways to humanize content:
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Add Trivia
When writing an article about the challenges faced by startups, you can add trivia such as:
“Did you know McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc cleaned the exteriors of the restaurants and didn’t get a salary until eight years later? Such are the sacrifices of an entrepreneur.”
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Reference Pop Culture
An article about licensing trademarks and intellectual property would be effective if you reference pop culture.
“Can you imagine how much rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen would be worth if he charged Michael Jackson royalties for his iconic guitar solo in the number one hit ‘Beat It?’”
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Use Emoticons
Emoticons are great for establishing the feel and tone of a statement and for highlighting key sections of your content.
However, use emoticons sparingly. Using more emoticons than is necessary might annoy or distract the user.
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Use AI Tech… Judiciously
Grammarly isn’t 100% accurate. If you follow all the suggestions Grammarly recommends, you might get flagged for having AI-generated content.
Remember, AI is machine learning technology. It tries to learn human behavior, but it doesn’t understand the context.
Use Grammarly to identify grammatical errors, but be selective with its suggestions for improving sentences. If context is diminished, don’t follow the recommendation.
6. Level Up Your Research Game
Another way to adhere to Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines is to level up your research game.
Using Google is a convenient way to find information, which is why you sometimes encounter web pages with similar content—they rely on the same references.
You can differentiate content by researching outside your comfort zone.
- Draw from personal experiences.
- Interview reputable resource people.
- Attend conferences and seminars on topics you write about.
- Join special interest groups and actively participate in discussions.
Remember to always credit the resource.
Providing users with information they can’t find anywhere else adds value to your content.
7. Outsource Content Creation
Outsourcing content creation is the easiest and simplest way to scale your content strategy.
- By delegating content creation to a third-party agency, you can dedicate more time to managing the core functions of your business.
- Qualified digital ad agencies have the resources to scale the production of content.
- Some agencies will lower their charges if the production volume is high (economies of scale!)
- An agency can adjust costs based on your current business needs or situation.
- An agency has the talent and skills to handle the different areas of content creation.
- An agency can offer you flexible options to pay for their services.
A digital marketing agency serves as a comprehensive solution for scaling content. They offer services such as keyword and topic research, analytics review, web development, graphic design, and email and social media marketing.
Outsourcing will save you time and money without compromising the quality of work and ensuring deliverables are on schedule.
That’s scalability at its finest!
Conclusion
We can describe the biggest advantage of scalable SEO content strategy in one word:
Flexibility.
The secret to success in digital marketing is consistent activity. Content must be actively produced and distributed during periods of economic prosperity and downturns.
Remember, opportunities are always available. You forego these opportunities if your content can’t be found online.
Scalable content enables the development and implementation of flexible strategies that are crucial for adapting to uncertain and unpredictable business conditions.
By following these seven tips, you’ll create a scalable content strategy that effectively adapts to any business situation while maintaining the quality of your content and staying within budget.
If you want to learn more about scalable content, contact us. Let’s schedule a quick call and review your current content strategy.
