Content Creation 101 looks at the benefits of producing unique content for your site and the web in general. It suggests some basic content strategy tips that you can apply to your site. This slide deck is an updated version of the Content Creation 101 we presented at SMX Sydney in April.

1. Content Creation 101
Getting your on-page copy correct:
How keyword research, link building and
copywriting go hand-in-hand.

2. About This Presentation
1. The Case for Content
2. Your Content Strategy
3. Sourcing Your Content
4. Bookmarks

3. Part 1
The Case for Content
Producing unique and relevant content
requires time and money....
...so, why bother?

4. Owning Your Brand
When people search for your brand, make sure you dominate the top results...
1. Homepage
2. About us page
3. Contact us page
4. Company blog
5. Twitter profile
6. Facebook page
7. LinkedIn profile
8. SlideShare profile
9. Article on third party site
10.Directory listing

5. Getting Discovered
• Majority of online purchases start with a
search (groupm Search)
• Top organic results get more eyeball time
and a better clickthrough than paid results
(User Centric / eight-eleven)
• Google recommends that webmasters
create “compelling content” in order to
improve rankings, traffic and conversions
• Recent algorithm changes, such as Panda,
have placed a renewed emphasis on unique
and relevant content (Webmaster Central Blog)
• More relevant pages = more opportunities
to get returned in search

6. Crawlability and Surfability
Investing in content enables you to create a website structure that both Google’s
crawler and your human visitors can easily navigate
A simple, flat structure like this one makes very specific pages deep within your site
accessible within a few clicks of your homepage
More pages means more tailored and more relevant results

7. Link Bait and Social Sharing
Unique, relevant content gives
third parties something to link to,
which means more traffic and
better search results.
It also gives you something to share
via social media and RSS, which
increases your reach and improves
user engagement.
“…great content that naturally has
links, and some good social media
marketing so that people are linking to
it organically” (Matt Cutts)
“…first you have to have great content...
then you need to tell people about it…
social media marketing can be a great
way to do that.” (Webmaster Blog)

8. Exploiting the Long-tail
Keyword research is about
finding the middle ground
between ultra-competitive,
high-volume terms and
easy-to-win terms that nobody
is searching for.
Adding new, specific pages
populated with relevant,
unique content helps you to
exploit the long-tail.
You give Google’s crawler and
your target audience a more
relevant and useful result.

9. Dwell Time and Conversion
Related content Relevant results
I like red sports cars, so I’ll click on links When targeting long-tail keywords,
to more content about red sports cars point traffic at specific pages on your
and spend more time on this site. site to increase conversion
opportunities.

10. The Case for Content
Better natural search performance
• More fresh, unique and relevant pages that naturally
feature your keywords.
• Your site is growing and easy to navigate.
• You’re producing something for third parties to share and
link to.
+
Improved user experience
• More relevant results that can compete on longer-tail
searches and improve conversion
• Easy navigation and lots of related content to improve dwell
time

11. Part 2
Your Content Strategy
The right content mix...
...and good on-page SEO

12. Content Mix
Static and Dynamic content complement one another, enabling you to build a
high-value, content-rich website that always has something new to offer.
Static Content
Dynamic Content
Landing pages Company blog
Reference material Industry news
How to Media releases
Service descriptions UGC
Product guides
White papers
Add new pages over Add new pages daily
time

13. Static Content
• Static content provides the permanent structure for your website
• Relevant, substantive reference material to add value for your
visitors, retain them for longer and boost your conversion rates
• These pages can rank in search for your target keywords and attract
links from third parties
• Static pages will have a longer shelf life than blog posts and news
stories, but they will need to be updated periodically
• More quality indexed pages = more opportunities to get found

14. Dynamic Content
• Dynamic content keeps your site fresh, encouraging repeat visits and
regular crawling
• Daily updates allow you to exploit trending topics and tap into the QDF
element of Google’s algorithm
• These shorter, more time-sensitive pages give you something to share on
social media and can help you pick up longer tail search traffic
• They provide the meat in your sandwich
(newsletters, article marketing, social media)

15. Example
If you owned a website called www.suited.com.au that sells men’s suits, shirts and
other smart apparel, your content strategy might look something like this...
Static
• Product pages with detailed descriptions and images
• Guides on how to dress for particular occasions,
what to look for in a suit
Dynamic
• A fashion blog with regular comment pieces on the latest trends
• A fashion newsfeed reporting on new developments in the industry
• The blog and newsfeed would both be used to provide content for email
newsletters, social media and article marketing campaigns

16. On-page SEO

17. Writing Rules
• Relevant to your audience
• Unique to your website
• Ongoing process for adding new static and dynamic pages
• Sharing your content beyond your website
• Best practice on-page SEO

18. Part 3
Sourcing Your Content
Content will cost money wherever you get it from.
Here is our quick rundown on 3 different options and the pros and cons
for each:
• Freelancers
• Agency
• In-house

19. Sourcing Your Content
Short-term agreements, no tie-in
Established writing expertise
Restricted scalability
Limited back-up
High cost per article
Freelance Writers

20. Sourcing Your Content
Full control over the content
creation process
Long-term, large-scale content
strategy
Cover for sickness and holiday
Training, management, legal liability
Office space, tools, benefits
In-house Writers

21. Sourcing Your Content
Existing expertise
Complementary skills
Resilience and scalability
Degree of detachment
Contract tie-ins
Third Party Suppliers

22. Bookmarks
Google Analytics: http://www.google.com/analytics/
Google Webmaster Central: http://www.google.com/webmasters/
Rankchecker by SEO Book: http://tools.seobook.com/firefox/rank-checker/
Keyword Spy: http://www.keywordspy.com/
Keyword Samurai : http://www.marketsamurai.com/
Google Keyword Tool: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Google Wonder Wheel: http://www.googlewonderwheel.com/
Keyword Suggest by SEO Book: http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/seobook/
SEOMoz Blog: http://www.seomoz.org/blog
Search Engine Land: http://searchengineland.com/
Matt Cutts Blog: http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/
Eight-Eleven: http://eight-eleven.com/
User Centric: http://www.usercentric.com/
Performics: http://www.performics.com/
Custom Content Council: http://www.custompublishingcouncil.com/
Elliance: http://www.elliance.com/

23. About Castleford
Custom news, blogs and evergreen content for websites and
social media.
castleford.com.au/blog
twitter.com/castlefordmedia
info@castleford.com.au