Writing SEO content can be boring--and reading it is even worse. Write content for humans instead! Here's what you need to know.

1. The Good News About
Creative Content
From SEO-Driven Content to Content-Driven SEO
@NiteWrites
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2. Welcome!
Everything Is Fine.

3. This Is My Company
TopRank Marketing is a full-service
digital agency providing integrated
marketing to Fortune 50 brands like:

4. This Is Me
Joshua T. Nite
Content Marketing Manager
TopRank Marketing
@NiteWrites
• 12 years as a comedy writer
• 3 years with TopRank Marketing
• Comedian, performer, wearer of many hats
(and wigs)

5. Writing SEO-Driven Content
Is
BORING
@NiteWrites
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6. Because You’re Writing for…
@NiteWrites
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7. ROBOTS!
@NiteWrites
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8. Cats Wearing Hats: A Cats Wearing Hats Blog Post
The thing about cats wearing hats, is when a cat wears a
hat, it looks better than a cat without a hat. It’s important
that cat owners be aware of the advantages of cats
wearing hats, because too many cat owners don’t put their
cats in hats.
Cats wearing hats is one of the primary issues facing cat
owners today. If you’re not going to put a cat on your hat,
you should consider how cats wearing hats will view your
hatless cat.
Cats wearing hats, cats, hats, berets, top hats, cloches,
toques, beanies, fedoras, trilbys, cats wearing hats.
@NiteWrites
#MNBlogCon

9. Cats Wearing Hats: A Cats Wearing Hats Blog Post
The thing about cats wearing hats, is when a cat wears a
hat, it looks better than a cat without a hat. It’s important
that cat owners be aware of the advantages of cats
wearing hats, because too many cat owners don’t put their
cats in hats.
Cats wearing hats is one of the primary issues facing cat
owners today. If you’re not going to put a cat on your hat,
you should consider how cats wearing hats will view your
hatless cat.
Cats wearing hats, cats, hats, berets, top hats, cloches,
toques, beanies, fedoras, trilbys, cats wearing hats.
KEYWORD DENSITY: HIGH
INSTANCES OF KEYWORD: 8
RANK HIGHLY FOR KEYWORD:
CATS WEARING HATS
@NiteWrites
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10. @NiteWrites
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11. BUT…
@NiteWrites
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12. Robots Are Getting Smarter
@NiteWrites
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13. Cats & Hats: The Ultimate Guide to Feline Headgear
When I first laid eyes on my cat, George, I knew that he
would be my best friend for as long as he lived. He was
scrawny, malnourished, missing half of his whiskers and
the tip of his tail. But he was all mine. He just needed one
thing to make him complete: My love.
Oh, and one other thing: A jaunty chapeau. You see,
George had a weird bald spot that only a hat could cover
up. I wasn’t super knowledgeable about cats wearing
hats—can a cat even wear a hat? Do they want to? Is it
cruel to force them?
I think you’ll agree that George looks much better in a hat.
If you’re thinking of sprucing up your cat’s looks, here’s
everything you need to know.
@NiteWrites
#MNBlogCon

14. Cats & Hats: The Ultimate Guide to Feline Headgear
When I first laid eyes on my cat, George, I knew that he
would be my best friend for as long as he lived. He was
scrawny, malnourished, missing half of his whiskers and
the tip of his tail. But he was all mine. He just needed one
thing to make him complete: My love.
Oh, and one other thing: A jaunty chapeau. You see,
George had a weird bald spot that only a hat could cover
up. I wasn’t super knowledgeable about cats wearing
hats—can a cat even wear a hat? Do they want to? Is it
cruel to force them?
I think you’ll agree that George looks much better in a hat.
If you’re thinking of sprucing up your cat’s looks, here’s
everything you need to know.
Bounce Rate: 50%
Time on Page for Average Visitor: 6 minutes
Links from Trusted Sources: 50
Keyword Group: Cats, Hats, Guide
Increase Ranking for Related Keywords
@NiteWrites
#MNBlogCon

15. No More SEO-Driven Content!
It’s Time for…
@NiteWrites
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16. Content-Driven SEO!
@NiteWrites
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17. What the Fork is
Content-Driven SEO?
Cats & Hats: The Ultimate Guide to Feline Headgear
When I first laid eyes on my cat, George, I knew that he
would be my best friend for as long as he lived. He was
scrawny, malnourished, missing half of his whiskers and
the tip of his tail. But he was all mine. He just needed one
thing to make him complete: My love.
Oh, and one other thing: A jaunty chapeau. You see,
George had a weird bald spot that only a hat could cover
up. I wasn’t super knowledgeable about cats wearing
hats—can a cat even wear a hat? Do they want to? Is it
cruel to force them?@NiteWrites
#MNBlogCon
Written for
human beings
Driven by
demandComprehensive
& valuable

18. How Does It Work?
1. Humans love your content, which gives ranking
signals to the robots
2. Robots move your content up in the rankings
3. MORE people find and love your content
4. You love your work! AND your business grows!
@NiteWrites
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19. So How Do You Do It?
• Topic Research
• Competitor Research
• Content Creation
• A Smattering of HTML
• Optimization
@NiteWrites
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20. “If you want to create messages that resonate with your audience, you
need to know what they care about.”
-Nate Elliot, Marketing Technology Advisor
Topic Research

21. Topic Research: Who Is Your Audience?
WHO are they?
WHAT do they desperately need to know?
WHERE do they hang out online?
WHY should they care about your content?
HOW do they search for information?
@NiteWrites
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22. Topic Research: What’s Your Sweet Spot?
@NiteWrites
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23. Topic Research: How Are People Searching?
1. Google Autocomplete
2. Keyword Planner
3. Quora
4. Answerthepublic
5. BuzzSumo
@NiteWrites
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24. “We have to say, ‘How can I create something 10 times better than what
any of these folks are currently doing?’ That's how we stand out.”
-Rand Fishkin, Wizard of Moz
Competitor Research

25. Competitor Research: Go Incognito
@NiteWrites
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26. Competitor Research: Find Content Gaps
The top two results are an Etsy
account & a single cat hat for sale.
You can own this category with
informative, helpful content!
@NiteWrites
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27. Competitor Research: Find Your Long Tails
Hats for black cats
Buy a cat hat in Cleveland
Holiday hats for cats
Overcoming the stigma of
being a cat hatter
Why do cats hate wearing
hats
@NiteWrites
#MNBlogCon

28. “Quality content means content that is packed with clear utility and is
brimming with inspiration, and it has relentless empathy for the
audience.”
-Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs
Content Creation

29. Awesome Content for Pantheon
The Company: A B2B provider of a managed hosting platform
The Mission: Capture search terms for WordPress hosting and enterprise
WordPress
The Content: A comprehensive guide to WordPress for the enterprise
http://bit.ly/2sZ9qTY
@NiteWrites
#MNBlogCon

30. Awesome Content for Pantheon
The Company: A B2B provider of a managed hosting platform
The Mission: Capture search terms for WordPress hosting and enterprise
WordPress
The Content: A comprehensive guide to WordPress for the enterprise
http://bit.ly/2sZ9qTY
@NiteWrites
#MNBlogCon

31. Awesome Content for Pantheon
@NiteWrites
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32. Awesome Content for Pantheon
Results: Great Content WINS!
• Traffic to blog increased
• Rankings improved
• New keyword rankings acquired
• Happy clients!
• Happy me!
@NiteWrites
#MNBlogCon

33. “I never meta description I didn’t like.”
-Joshua Nite, Content Marketing Manager, TopRank Marketing
A Smattering of HTML

34. HTML Tags: Title Tags
• 600 Pixels wide (https://searchwilderness.com/tools/pixel-length/)
• Keyword close to the beginning
This page is #1 for “cat
accessory buying guide.”
This page is #111.
@NiteWrites
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35. HTML Tags: H1 & H2
H1 Tag: Only one per page with your primary keyword
H2 Tags: For organization & long-tail keywords
@NiteWrites
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36. HTML Tags: Meta Description
• Most overlooked, most crucial tag
• People read your meta in the SERP and decide whether or not
to click
• If the meta doesn’t match the content, readers will BOUNCE
• 169 characters
• Contains the keyword
• States a CLEAR BENEFIT

37. HTML Tags: Meta Description
Great meta description: fits in
the space, states a benefit,
talks straight to the reader.
Not so great - unspecified
meta description leads to
Google random samples.

38. “Pobody’s Nerfect.”
Eleanor Shellstrop, The Good Place
Optimization

40. Optimization: Quick Tips
• After your content is published, keep an eye on the analytics
• If you’re getting impressions but no clicks or high bounce rate,
fix the meta description
• If you’re not getting impressions, revisit the H1 and H2 tags.
• If time on page is low, optimize the content
@NiteWrites
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41. Great Writers Are in a Good Place Now
@NiteWrites
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42. Want to create great content with us?
• TopRank Marketing is HIRING smart, passionate, creative
content writers.
• http://toprankmarketing.com/careers
@NiteWrites
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43. THANK YOU!
Go forth and be awesome.
@NiteWrites
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