Search engine optimization or SEO is the practice of getting targeted traffic to a website from a search engine’s organic rankings (BacklinkO).

So, how can you use SEO tools to help your client’s come up with an endless amount of ideas for creating content?

Competition Isn’t Bad

Chances are, your client is not in a blue ocean. They have competition. That’s not a bad thing. There are lots of ways to stand out.

But, it’s not necessary to create content that no one has ever seen before. Just like the Shakespearean idea that everything had already been written by the time Shakespeare came around, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t add value.

The same is true for content marketing.

Domain Authority

Creating an SEO-forward content strategy has to do with domain authority. 

When you begin coming up with a content strategy, the first place you should go is to competitor research.  Who do they think their competitors are? Have them list them out for you and then get to work.

For the competitor research we do at Amplified NOW, we use Ahrefs. It is an all-in-one SEO toolset with free learning materials to help you understand SEO better. 

If you’re going to get into content marketing for clients, this is probably a worthwhile investment. But, if it’s not in your budget, you can move forward on your own. You can learn a lot just by going on the competition’s website.

First, you are going to look at the competition and look at what they’re not doing very well. 

So, if your client comes to you and says someone giant is their competition, it can be more difficult. But chances are their competitors will be other people in their area doing something similar, or other people in the world who solve the same problems. 

You’re going to want to look for ones that have low domain authority. If they have low domain authority and are ranking for keywords, what that means for you, the digital marketing expert, is that you can create three to five pieces of content around that keyword and take the traffic that the lower authority site is ranking for. 

Now, this works even if your client doesn’t have a high domain authority because the way to build domain authority is through content.

How to Use SEO Content

Building content from a competitive point of view is a perfect place to start. You can do this before a brainstorming session and show your client what the competition is ranking for. They’ll already have a good jumping-off point for getting started, just based on what you found.

Obviously, they’re never going to rank for the other company’s name, nor should they. If somebody is typing their competitor’s name into a search engine, they should get the competitor, period.

But, if they’re searching for a problem that both your client and their competitor solve, that’s where you start building content.

This is the first step in bringing in organic search. 

Learn From The Competition

Using SEO tools to build your content strategy helps solve “blank page syndrome.” So if you sit down and don’t feel like you have anything to say, look up what your competition is doing. You can check out what they’re doing on Facebook or if they’re currently running ads. 

You can learn many things from the competition that make the rest of your content strategy and creation easier. 
It’s not important to have something new or cutting edge. Your client just needs to answer the questions people have about their industry in a better and more comprehensive way than their competition. When they do this, they’re going to get the traffic that their competition is currently getting. 

We Can Help!

Looking for more? Check out our entire behind-the-scenes approach to content marketing and using a video-first approach.
You’ll find a quick video that will show you how we can help you create a strategy for growth and implement the systems you need to make it happen.