The theory behind search engine optimization (SEO) is that content is king. There are many implications of this theory. First, content marketing can save a business about 60% of its marketing budget because content marketing costs less than traditional marketing. Second, content marketing is often more engaging since over 80% of customers expect their favorite brands to create content. Third, content marketing can generate more leads since more content means more opportunities to be found by a search engine.

While an SEO and web design company can help brainstorm, create, and publish custom content, the success of that content often depends on the business itself. Here are five helpful steps for creating content for a custom website:

Know Your Customers

Before creating content, you must figure out who your customers are, what they want, and how they find it. The first element, who the customers are, may include such demographic information as the age, gender, and the geographic location of the business’s customers. For example, a cosmetics retailer might target young women who are within a 30-mile radius of the business.

For the second element, what the customer wants, more thoughtful analysis may be required. Are the customers driven by a particular price point, brand, or standard of quality? Or are the customers driven by speed and convenience? Our example cosmetics retailer may determine that its customers are primarily driven by quality, rather than price or convenience. When they determine what their customer wants, they can start gearing their content toward quality product reviews and successes, rather than frugal blogs for the savvy spender.

The third element, how they find it, may be the most difficult. This is because it not only requires looking at what works and does not work for the business, but it also inquires about what works and does not work for its competitors. For example, the example cosmetics retailer may find that it does relatively well with blog posts about cosmetics products, but that its competitor captures the market by using cosmetics demonstration videos on social media.

Have a Plan

Once the customer is known, a plan must be created to capture those customers. At this point, the business must figure out how potential customers understand (or fail to understand) the business and its products or services. For example, if customers do not know of the business or its products and services, the business must raise brand awareness. Conversely, if customers know the business, but disqualify the business from consideration for some reason (for example, too expensive, etc.), the business must have a plan to dispel or explain the reason.

This is where a professional SEO and web design company can provide support. Custom web design firms have expertise and experience in marketing and can provide ideas for capturing customers. For example, if a business’s products are viewed as “too expensive,” the business may use customized content to explain how the products have achieved its luxury status. Others may claim that the price is justified by the high quality, durability, or reliability.

Be Creative

The benefits of creativity are not just limited to gaining a customer’s business. In the connected online environment, creativity is rewarded with “likes,” re-posts, and, most elusively, “going viral.” This can cause brand awareness to explode and cement the business’s reputation and character in the consumers’ minds.

Creativity not only applies to the content itself but also the way the content is delivered. For example, a blog post, a podcast, and a video may all present the same content, but the consumer’s interaction with these forms of media vary greatly. This does not mean that a video is always better than a blog post; after all, the level of creativity should be maintained regardless of the format.

Get Organized

One key to content marketing is that customers and, more importantly, search engines, must be able to find the content. If a search engine cannot find and index the content, its usefulness is markedly diminished. Having a custom site design that is organized to permit search engines to find and index the site can get any custom content, and the business, the traffic it seeks.

Test and Adjust

Refining content is where an SEO and web design company can be indispensable. By using analytics, an SEO and web design company can determine the success of the overall content campaign as well as individual pieces of content. Based on these analytics, future pieces of content can be adjusted.

When you want help delivering the best content to your customers, Studio98 can help. Our team of digital marketing specialists has plenty of experience navigating the perks and pitfalls associated with SEO. Call us today for more information.