How TJS uses content and SEO to build successful websites for our clients

Back in 1996, Bill Gates penned an essay theorising that the future internet would be a marketplace for content and coined the phrase ‘content is king’. Almost a quarter of a century later and we can see just how accurate that was and how, today, it is even more relevant.

So, why content? The short answer is that Google loves content! One of the biggest factors Google considers when ranking a site for search terms, (and therefore determining how high up in search results you will appear), is quality, relevant content. Studies show that engagement (time on site, bounce rate) is also a major factor in why a site should rank for search terms. Afterall, if Google sees users engaging with content, the assumption is that the site offers expertise and clarity and it will be ranked well. Google’s public pledge to continually evolve into a user-focused information discovery platform dictates too that it has to present the right content to the right searchers.

However, it is not enough to churn out endless reams of inane content in the hope that it will help, and it is important to consider the following:

Know WHY you are creating certain content – your content must meet a need and not be surplus to requirements.

Know WHO you are creating the content for – you must identify and understand your audience.

Know HOW your content will impact SEO (search engine optimisation).

Know WHEN you will publish content – understand that seasonality and frequency matter, after all why would you publish an article on Easter in November?

At TJS, we offer a comprehensive content and digital marketing service to our clients, with a tried and tested process that we see reaps rewards time and time again.

Identification of an audience is our starting point and, using customer and industry data, we are able to create personas factoring in occupations, personalities and visitor priorities. Armed with these personas, our in-house SEO experts create a set of search terms that are relevant to what these users will be looking for.  A content plan or calendar is then formulated that is targeted to meet the needs of the customer – existing and aspirational – as well as Google, and will include seasonality, budget and frequency. Every step of the customer journey is considered and our content will target a particular audience at different stages for example awareness, research, consideration, conversion or retention.

However, at TJS, we also understand that content does not work in isolation and Google can only optimise your content if your site is optimised for the elements it prioritises, such as page structure and code mark up. So, your site will never rank well with content alone, which must work alongside to complement, and be complemented by, relevant and proper SEO. For this reason, we conduct thorough SEO audits and implement improvements where necessary. Once the content calendar is well established, we generate regular reports for our clients, enabling them to chart the impact of the content strategy.

But don’t just take our word for it, let the figures speak for themselves!

Hemswell Antique Centres, located 15 miles from Lincoln, is the largest antiques centre in Europe and a company we have had the pleasure of working closely with for several years. Our content strategy has seen them rapidly rise in Google search results, with the establishment of over 100 additional strategic key phrases.  Organic traffic generated by the high-quality blog articles continues to grow month on month, and looking back to pre-Covid days at the beginning of this year, our latest report for the company shows that the number of visits to blog articles has more than doubled!! 

It’s not just recent articles which attract the traffic; this month alone an article that was written back in January 2019 racked up in excess of 2000 unique visits, proving that once content is live, it will be there forever and that good quality content will continue to bring targeted organic traffic to your site.

Of course enduring reach is key and organic reach takes time to become established by the addition of quality content over time. Paid reach, as generated by Google AdWords, has its place but will be gone once your use of AdWords campaign finishes. To find out more about the pros and cons of organic vs paid reach, you can read our article.

We love what we do for our clients here at TJS, and nothing pleases us more than seeing our clients’ websites rank consistently high in search engine results. If you would like to learn more about how our experienced content strategists and SEO experts can help your online presence, call us today for an informal chat, on 01507 525500.