The rise of AI-powered search engines and zero-click results is reshaping the online space, forcing marketers and content strategists to rethink how they measure success. You’re not alone if your website traffic is dipping, but your conversions and on-site engagement are increasing. And you’re not doing anything wrong. That’s what you can expect in the era of zero-click search SEO adaptation.
We’ll explore zero-click searches, why they matter, and how to optimize your content for this evolving search environment. We’ll also discuss why traditional metrics like click-through rates (CTR) are becoming less relevant and what marketers should focus on to stay competitive and drive meaningful results.
Zero-Click Searches: Explained
What are zero-click searches? Let’s break it down.
Zero-click searches are queries answered directly on the search engine results page (SERP), so the user doesn’t need to click through to a website. Think of Google’s featured snippets and the AI-generated answers now populating the platform.
These days, a majority of Google searches result in zero clicks. The data above shows that, in 2024, 58.5% of Google searches in the U.S. and 59.7% in Europe did not generate clicks.
In other words, zero-click searches often mean users get their answers instantly, and usually don’t need to go further. It’s convenient for the user, but potentially frustrating for the publisher who invested in that content. Yet here’s the twist: this shift isn’t necessarily bad. It just requires a change in strategy.
The New SEO Strategy: Adaptation Is a Must
Traditional SEO focused heavily on driving clicks. There’s nothing wrong with still wanting to generate traffic. However, with AI-generated summaries and snippets giving users instant answers, we must adopt a new strategy: zero-click search SEO adaptation.
This approach acknowledges that success can’t be measured solely by traffic volume anymore. Instead, it looks at other metrics to determine how your content is performing. This includes:
Time on Page: How much time are they spending on a single page?
Scroll Depth: Are they scrolling to the bottom of the page or stopping halfway?
Conversion Rates: How many people convert by completing a form or purchasing?
On-Site Engagement Metrics: How many people are engaging? How many are returning visitors? How many pages are being viewed per session?
Why would we want to track these metrics? When traffic is low, we want to learn about the behavior of the users visiting your site. Those who click through are often further down the funnel. They’re more informed, curious, and ready to act.
The Reality of Declining Top-of-Funnel Traffic
With AI surfacing top-level queries right on the SERP, fewer users visit your website for basic information. Before you panic, it isn’t all bad news. This means your site may see:
This isn’t a decline, necessarily. You’re reaching people who are further along in their decision-making process. As a result, you may see people exploring your website more or making purchases.
Your Guide to Zero-Click Search SEO Adaptation
How can you adapt your strategy to zero-click search optimization? Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Restructure Your Content Strategy
If most zero-click search results address the top-of-the-funnel questions, you need to invest more in middle and bottom-of-funnel content. The way to pivot is to create content for different search intents.
For example:
Top-level content (e.g., “What is X?”) should still exist but can be shorter, more concise, and optimized for AI or snippet capture.
Middle-funnel content should answer comparative or evaluative questions like, “How does X compare to Y?” or “What features should I look for in X?”
Bottom-funnel content should target purchase-related or decision-making keywords like “Best X for [use case],” “Where to buy X,” or “[Product] reviews.”
It’s also smart to use a pillar-cluster model. Create pillar pages exploring high-level topics, then link to more focused cluster pages with specific keywords and subtopics. This helps AI and search engines understand the depth of your expertise.
Step 2: Focus on Conversion-Ready Users
Remember: not all traffic is created equal. One engaged, ready-to-buy user is worth more than 100 casual browsers. So, you’ll want to use on-page signals to nurture leads.
You can do that by:
Including clear calls-to-action (CTAs) based on visitor intent
Offering downloads, checklists, or calculators to encourage engagement
Embedding videos or interactive content to increase time on page
Rather than focusing on impressions and CTR alone, you should start prioritizing:
Engagement Rate: How many users engage with something on-page?
Dwell Time: How long are they staying?
Lead Conversion Rate: How many take the next step?
These are the accurate indicators of content success in a zero-click world.
Step 3: Make Peace with the AI Layer
AI isn’t going away. It’s becoming the first touchpoint for many users. That means your top-level content isn’t wasted, but it’s being repurposed by AI to answer questions.
That visibility still builds trust, even if you don’t get the click. For example, if your content is used in a featured snippet or quoted in an AI-generated summary, users may recognize your brand and return when ready to engage more deeply.
To optimize for AI, try:
Using clear headers and structured content
Answering questions in the first few lines
Writing with a natural, conversational tone
Providing concise, factual, and trustworthy information
Step 4: Reevaluate Your Keyword Strategy
AI search is increasingly semantic and contextual, meaning it’s not just about matching keywords. It’s about understanding intent and creating your content with that in mind.
Instead of stuffing the page with exact-match keywords repeatedly, try using variations naturally throughout the text so you don’t get penalized. Also, structure content in a way that answers a question, offers an opinion, or presents data. Let’s use this blog post as an example:
Overusing the “zero-click search SEO adaptation” keyword would turn off Google and readers. So, it helps to use similar keywords such as “zero-click search” and “what are zero-click searches.”
This post is also formatted with H2s and H3s, as well as bullet points, offering a better user experience for readers. However, this also helps search engines understand the content.
Remember that while you want to consider the algorithm, it needs to go beyond that. Think like a journalist and focus on creating quality content that offers value and answers questions.
Step 5: Build Deeper Relationships with Content
In a world where top-level leads may never land on your site, make sure the ones who do feel like they belong. Nurturing those relationships is what will secure you long-term customers.
To make them feel welcome and appreciated:
Create gated content for lead capture
Offer newsletters, live chats, or SMS updates
Host webinars or deeper dive content sessions
Leverage first-party data to tailor the experience
Your website should be a destination people want to visit. You want to provide an incredible experience that keeps users returning for more.
Step 6: Educate Stakeholders on the Shift
If you work with clients, executives, or teams that equate SEO success with traffic volume, it’s time to shift the narrative.
Use visuals and reporting to show:
Lower traffic but higher engagement
Shorter journeys from visit to purchase
More qualified leads
This reframe helps align expectations with today’s reality.
Step 7: Leverage Branded and Owned Search Opportunities
As generic search queries become zero-click territory, branded queries and owned assets offer more reliable visibility. To do this, you can:
Encourage users to search for your brand name directly by building trust and reputation through consistent content and social media presence.
Optimize your FAQ pages, product descriptions, and about sections to appear in branded zero-click results.
Owning your brand space in search is more important than ever in a world of AI-driven search.
Step 8: Don’t Neglect Off-Site Channels
Your brand’s digital presence extends beyond your site in a zero-click search environment. Diversify where and how your content lives on the web. Here’s how:
Publish long-form content on platforms like LinkedIn to catch top-funnel attention.
Be a guest on industry podcasts or contribute to niche publications.
Encourage user-generated content and reviews on third-party platforms like Yelp or TrustPilot.
These efforts support your overall visibility and create additional entry points into your brand’s online space, even when users never leave the SERP.
Winning with Zero-Click Search SEO Adaptation
Search is changing, but the goal is still to provide value to your audience.
In the era of AI and zero-click searches, your job is to create content that resonates beyond the click. This means understanding how to optimize for visibility, engagement, and conversions, even if users never make it to your homepage.
Adapt your strategy. Realign your metrics. And lean into deeper, more meaningful content. That’s how you win with zero-click search SEO adaptation.
If you’re ready to adapt your strategy, contact us to schedule a free consultation call.
While AI can share the workspace with a traditional writer and editor for content marketing, there is one thing it cannot do – SME content creation.
The only genuine SME (subject matter expert) out there in your niche is, well, you – and the talented freelance writers out there that know your field just as well as you.
More importantly, Google knows it and expects to see that in your content.
What is AI Content Generation?
It seems like almost daily another AI content generation tool is launching.
Some are free, others are paid, but are any of these tools able to truly replace a genuine expert? TechTarget lists 36 AI generation tools in their 2023 guide, and while there are loads of tools to choose from, they are all based on the GPT-3 model.
AI content generation is content that is created by a platform utilizing the GPT-3 model. The content is generated and while marketed to be “new,” it really is not. Think about how AI generators work.
Generative AI tools take keywords, themes, and even voice/tone preferences, and it works to generate a blog, web page, or even a social media post, but it is not creating them out of thin air or using any expertise in the field to offer unique opinions and insights.
Instead, AI generates your content by pulling information from the internet. It searches and scours the thousands of web pages and blogs already out there to piece together information and generate copy.
But, AI Doesn’t Understand What it is Creating….
While it is fascinating to watch AI work, AI has no clue what it is writing. It is solely based on an algorithm pulling data based on your input.
Only a Genuine Industry Expert Knows the Content for their Industry
AI is incredibly fast and can write a blog post quicker than any writer, but because of its limitations in terms of understanding and having any expertise in the niche, it is not a specialist.
Here is where you may hit a speed bump or two, if you are using AI generation for your content marketing:
Let’s Talk about E-E-A-T and How AI Falls Short for Industry Professionals Seeking SME Content Creation
In Google’s February release, they mention guidelines for using AI generation in your content, and make it clear that they reward high quality regardless of how it is produced (whether human-made or AI-generated).
Many took that as a green light to go ahead with AI, but that is not what Google conveyed.
Let’s go back to the double update released in December 2022 when the extra “E” was added to the E-A-T standard, making it now E-E-A-T.
Image Source: Google Update, December 2022, Page 26
What was that extra “E” for?
Experience…
Trust is crucial with Google. Some websites may fall short of the bar, no matter how experienced, professional, or even authoritative they are if they don’t have the reader’s trust, and one example given from Google within their update reveals the most consequential sentence that websites need to pay attention to:
“…the content creator lacks adequate experience” means they will have a low E-E-A-T score.
For example, if the content creator reviews a restaurant, but never ate at the restaurant, they are not experienced or trustworthy, which means they have a low E-E-A-T to Google.
Let’s break it down further by looking at each component of E-E-A-T.
Experience
Experience, in Google’s eyes, offers another level of dimension they can use when evaluating content. Content must demonstrate it was assembled with a degree of experience – after all, a reader will value a person’s content more if they have life experiences on the topic and they are not basing it exclusively on research.
AI has no experience with your topic. Let’s take a look at divorce law, for example.
You want to write a blog for your law firm on the latest guideline changes for calculating child support, but you will find a few speed bumps along the way using AI to do so:
AI typically doesn’t access the latest data – so it may not even know or find the latest guidelines for calculating child support. Worse, it could create a blog on outdated guidelines that it notes as “updated.”
AI has no actual understanding of handling child support cases. AI hasn’t had to calculate what a child support payment would be based on your state, the local laws, or the parent’s income. It has definitely never filled out the child support worksheets – but you have.
If you go off the premise of why “experience” was added by Google, you can see why AI might not meet the mark. AI is not an attorney or a financial expert, and therefore, there is no SME content creation happening when you use AI to draft your blogs.
Expertise
SME content creation comes down to one important factor: credibility. A person without qualifications should not be writing a topic out of their realm of expertise. Period.
Why?
Google is unlikely to rank a website with content not written by a credible source over a website they know has content written by a believable source.
In areas where a subject matter expert is required, such as healthcare, Google has a higher level of scrutiny than things based more on personal opinion and less on facts.
Authoritativeness
Authority means you have proven you belong in the niche your website represents.
Sure, backlinks to relevant and authoritative sources will help build that authority, but only so far. If you only have quality backlinks, but don’t meet the other areas of E-E-A-T – well, you don’t have much to go on.
There’s not much more to say there. Authority is a building block, and it requires more than one block to finish your foundation.
Trustworthiness
Now, we’ve already covered where AI falls short for SME content creation, but the biggest area you are going to see harmed by the use of AI is “trust.”
Readers need to trust the content they read, and the website publishing that content, and Google has made it clear what they expect.
In fact, Google has made it evident that a website should have a clear owner, and that owner is responsible for that site.
When you are in industries that require an expert, such as legal, finance, technology, etc., the reader needs to know that a genuine SME is writing that content – not AI.
In Google’s policies update (modified March 14, 2023), they made this clearer.
In Section 2, Google notes that content distributed online cannot misrepresent the provenance of where it was developed. Meaning, if your content is AI generated, but you claim it was written by an SME, you’ve violated that AI use policy.
Likewise, impersonating an individual that is respected in the industry can be equally detrimental to your rankings. Such as using AI to create fake author bylines or even entire author profiles.
One area to pay particular attention to is Section 2c, which states that any misleading claims of “expertise” in sensitive areas, such as finance, legal, healthcare, etc., is a direct violation of of the AI use policy.
No one is going to trust content that is not written by a genuine expert in these delicate fields. While it is tempting to skirt that and just create an expert to back up AI-generated content, Google has made it abundantly clear it will not be tolerated.
Bottom Line: Flaunt Your Expertise with Genuine SME Content Creation
If you don’t have the knack for the written (typed?) word, that’s okay.
Just don’t turn to AI to create it for you.
Instead, seek out content agencies that hire genuine subject matter experts in those unique industries so that you are receiving content from a person that knows what they are talking about. They have degrees, work experience, and years of expertise writing in those niches.
While AI is permitted, Google has made it abundantly clear that they expect E-E-A-T to rule over it all, and that means if even one component of it is missing, you are risking your website’s rankings.
Let’s face it – after all of this time, we all know how hard it is to bounce back once Google has lost interest in your website. So, it is best to avoid ever reaching that point.
The team at Express Writers understands the importance of genuine SME content. We have a team of subject matter experts ranging from medical to healthcare to finance to legal and more. When you have a distinct niche, you need a team of writers that can provide your website with high-quality content and meet the demands of Google. Reach out to our team today and check out our SME content creation options, or visit the shop and order your first piece of SME content.
I’m often asked the same question – how did Express Writers get where we are today?
The journey to becoming a leading content creation and writing agency wasn’t easy.
It came with all the sacrifices you’d expect – long hours, lack of sleep, and learning from every ups and downs I encountered.
But if I were to point to one thing that made our approach to content marketing so successful, I could sum it up in a single word – strategy.
I’d been in the business of creating content for years. However, great content wasn’t enough to get us to a seven-figure status. For that, it required a strategic approach to researching, building, and promoting content that audiences can benefit from.
I’ve got an entire book and a comprehensive course about content marketing strategy – but today, I’ll give you a preview in the form of a six-step process you can start implementing right away.
6 Steps to Build Your Winning Content Marketing Strategy
1. Define Strategy and How it Relates to Content Marketing
2. Understand Your Audience and How to Reach Them
3. SEO: Learn It, Master It, Implement It
4. Build Brand Authority (and Use It)
5. Combine Strategy with Content Creation
6. Keep the Momentum with Smart Content Management
[bctt tweet=”@JuliaEMcCoy shares the 6 best steps to build your winning #contentmarketingstrategy ” username=”ExpWriters”]
1. Defining Content Marketing Strategy: Framework for Success
Content marketing is undoubtedly a must-have in the modern marketer’s toolkit. The numbers don’t lie.
But in terms of content marketing strategy, also called content strategy for short, we’re talking about a process that begins with planning and extends all the way through management.
Content strategy could be thought of as your knowledge base for creating and promoting great content.
It involves knowing the following:
What is your area of expertise where you can offer the most valuable information?
What is your differentiating factor that makes you stand out from other content marketers?
Who is the audience you’re trying to reach and what are they looking for?
Strategy will help your content get discovered easier, stand out better, and deliver results more efficiently. I’m talking real results – traffic, leads, subscribers, and of course, ROI.
[bctt tweet=”Over 90% of B2B marketers use #contentmarketingstrategy, and over 85% of B2C marketers call it a key strategy. – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
2. Who Is Your Audience? How Can You Reach Them?
One of the main struggles many content marketers face is something I went through, too. Pumping out blogs every day and sending out emails to everyone on my list – trust me, I’ve been there. It’s a content rat race.
Roughly 60% of people find consistency to be one of the hardest parts of content creation. If you want to see more results from each piece of content you publish, make sure you know your audience.
The key to knowing others is to know yourself.
That isn’t just a philosophical-sounding word salad. It’s the foundation behind building a successful content marketing strategy framework.
How does your current audience view you? Where in the marketing lifecycle do most of your audience members land?
Remember, today’s “buyer journey” looks a lot different than the funnel of yesteryear. You can’t always predict what stage your buyer will be at. Their footsteps could lead backward, forward, up, down, and all around before they make a final decision.
A content marketing strategy is about making sure your content gets to the people who could benefit most from it.
They’re out there. They want to learn your knowledge, buy your products, and become ambassadors of your brand. The seven-figure question is, how do you reach them?
[bctt tweet=”Roughly 60% of people find consistency to be one of the hardest parts of content creation. If you want more out of each piece of content, make sure you know your audience. – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
3. Understanding SEO: A Cornerstone of Content Marketing and Strategy
Content marketing and content strategy are forever intertwined – and search engine optimization (SEO) plays a major role in both.
From a strategic perspective, knowing what your target audience is inputting into search engines is a great way to help them find your content.
With the right keyword strategy, you can climb search rankings and get more traffic to your content. Good SEO practices involve having the right keywords – plus having them in the right frequency and the right places.
There’s an added benefit to understanding SEO. Not only will your content get more views, it will get quality views.
People won’t just find it by accident and think “what the heck is this?”
They’ll find it and think, “this is just what I was looking for.”
[bctt tweet=”With the right keyword strategy, you can climb search rankings and get more traffic. Good SEO practices involve having the right keywords – in the right frequency and the right place. – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
4. Build Authority for Your Content, Brand, and Website
The benefit of having good strategy is that people who are looking for your content can find it – and luckily for us content marketers, search engines pick up on that sort of thing.
When your content consistently gets good views, repeated engagement, and positive feedback, it gains authority. What does this mean? Your content will be viewed as more trustworthy, and therefore able to rank higher.
Authority also means search engines could give you priority in some cases – we don’t fully understand the inner-workings of Google, we do know they prioritize older sites with a lot of credible links. The more great content (backed by strategy) you have, the better you’ll do.
I like to explain the concept of building online authority like a content house. The stronger your website is (and remember, you need to build on your house – not someone else’s platform), the better and stronger your presence and house is. With good copy on your site, and a good user experience (speed, design), you create a welcoming house that is warm and vibrant, attracting the right people inside. With consistency of content creation and maintenance, you fix all the issues and maintain a strong house over time.
[bctt tweet=”What you need to build online authority : good copy with credible links, good user experience, consistency of content creation, and maintenance. – @JuliaEMcCoy on her steps to build an effective #contentstrategy” username=”ExpWriters”]
5. Combine Content Marketing Strategy with Content Creation
The entire point of developing a solid strategy is so you can implement it – and you do that by using it as a starting point for the creation process.
A good content marketing strategy and framework is the launchpad for any successful content piece. With the right strategy, you’ll know your audience, your keywords, your differentiating factor, and your overall goal.
Having these things in mind makes it much easier to write great content – it’s exponentially better than sitting down and trying to create a winning piece from a blank slate.
[bctt tweet=”A good content marketing strategy and framework is the launchpad for any successful content piece… you’ll know your audience, your keywords, your differentiating factor, and your overall goal. – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
6. Keep Your Momentum by Auditing and Promoting Your Content
Once you’ve got the hang of strategy and how to use it in the content creation process, the next step is to stay consistent.
You’ll need to budget your expenses and your time carefully. Make sure you’re auditing your content – is it up to date? Is everything polished, and optimized for success? Content marketing strategy in 2019 may be vastly different than strategy from a few years back – or a few years from now.
Auditing and updating your content makes sure it is fit to be promoted regularly. You’ll be able to advertise it on your social channels, to your email mailing list, and anywhere else you feel will be effective.
[bctt tweet=”If you’ve got the hang of strategy, the next step is to stay consistent. Budget your expenses and time. ⏳ Make sure you’re auditing your content – is it up to date? Is everything polished, and optimized for success? – @JuliaEMcCoy on #contentstrategy” username=”ExpWriters”]
You’ve Got the Basics – Now Master Content Marketing Strategy
A solid content marketing strategy is the foundation of successful content marketing. It’s the same as with anything – faulty foundations cause the most beautiful creations to crumble. Stable bases can be built on and trusted for years to come.
This six-step process to building and implementing a winning content marketing strategy can help anyone.
If you want more on this topic, sign up for my 100% FREE 60-minute content marketing masterclass. There are content strategy examples, guided tutorials, and much more – it’s a resource no marketer should miss.
And of course, if great content is something you need to fuel your content marketing strategy, we do that.Get in touch today!
It’s Thanksgiving week, and content marketers around the U.S. are preparing for a delicious, tasty week of family, food and relaxation, and definitely no content marketing or strategy for at least a couple days. 😉
But in the days that lead up to T-Day, it’s wise to soak in all you can about creating your best content marketing strategy, so you return empowered and armed to take on your marketing for killer results.
We’re here with a fun map for you, just in time for the holiday:
How a perfect content marketing strategy is very much equal to the best Thanksgiving dinner you’ve ever partaken in.
To serve it up, you need the right recipes for success, tried-and-true tools and techniques, and winning dishes created with flair.
Here’s your ultimate guide, Thanksgiving-dinner style — baked and cooked up into a visually entertaining infographic by our team at Express Writers.
Enjoy! Don’t forget to share if you found this useful. And…happy Thanksgiving!
How to Throw Down Your Best-Ever Content Marketing Spread: Thanksgiving Style (Infographic)
5-Star Content Dinner Tools and Equipment
For a five-star content “dinner,” you’ll need:
Planning
Creativity
Research
Strategy
Good-ol’ elbow grease
Don’t Forget:
Just like any great feast, your content meal should move seamlessly from course to course. Your audience should tuck in with vigor and keep coming back to refill their plates. If you can make your audience feel warm, happy, and content, not to mention implicitly trust your cooking skills, you have succeeded. Needless to say, you can’t wing this kind of perfection, but we’re here to guide you through.
Ready to learn how to create a legendary Thanksgiving content spread from start to finish? Put on your apron – let’s get cookin’.
Create a table-like design for the below
9 Essential Steps and Recipes for a Fabulous Content Marketing Feast
The time you spend carefully and lovingly preparing your content marketing feast will pay off tenfold. That dedication will carry through to your audience down to the very last bite-sized sentence.
Here’s how to make your content dinner table legendary:
Set the Table for Content Success
Every great content marketing spread begins with a perfectly set table.
Your place settings and decorations need to match up with what you know about your audience, your kitchen, and your food. This is how you create a foundation that sets off your whole spread.
Keys for setting the table and planning your content feast:
Who are the guests that could show up?
What are your specialties?
What kind of content will your guests prefer?
What tools will you need to serve them the right way? (Are your kitchen and pantry properly equipped?)
During the meal:
When your guests are happily chowing down, check in with them from time to time and see how they like the spread.
Continually go over your recipes and techniques. Measure, analyze, and update your methods for an even better dinner.
Now that the table settings are planned, you can get busy in the kitchen!
Whip Up an Audience-Pleasing Side – Mashed Potatoes or Dressing, Anyone?
Every delicious Thanksgiving content dinner should start with a crowd-pleaser. To make it, you must know your audience and what they’ll love.
To find out what will please your guests most, ask them!
You can also imagine your ideal dinner guest to decide what to serve them. Think of them as a real person with distinct preferences.
Once you figure out what your audience craves, you’ll whip up dishes so delicious, everybody will go back for seconds (and thirds).
Tip: Give the people what they want. Serve content that performs like whipped mashed potatoes, sausage and apple dressing, or green bean casserole. These disappear like magic into hungry bellies.
Prepare and Roast Your Content Creation Turkey
The meat of a fantastic content marketing spread is your content creation turkey. It’s the star of the show and the vehicle that drives the whole meal. As such, invest in the most high-quality bird you can afford.
The best content creation needs careful preparation, plus plenty of time in the oven. Give it an ample amount of both so the end result is incredibly juicy, succulent, and mouth-watering.
If you rush it or season it wrong, it will come out dry and tough to swallow.
Make enough content creation turkey to use the extra meat in guest blogs and other content types, and don’t forget the final spices: creativity, readability, and great writing.
Tip: To put your content creation over the top, add a special spice that is unique to you as a cook. Your content turkey will be irresistible, even if your guests can’t put their finger on the secret ingredient.
Simmer Perfect Keyword Gravy
What’s a content marketing spread without keyword gravy? The right amount really makes your entire meal sing.
This is the link juice that takes your content creation turkey to the next level and makes your meal more desirable. The scent alone should draw your guests to the table, and, depending on how well your keyword gravy flows, Google might add you to the top of their list of V.I.P. cooks.
Tips:
Be careful not to make too much or over-season it. You want just the right amount to drizzle and spoon over your content and tempt your guests.
Dump too much keyword gravy on the spread, and your audience won’t be able to taste any other flavor. Google, especially, will give your meal the thumbs-down.
Avoid a lumpy gravy by using only all-natural keywords.
Serve Fresh Cranberry Content Sauce
It’s time to finish off your content marketing main dishes. A sweet side of zingy, fresh cranberry content sauce is the perfect addition to a savory spread.
Tip: Cook up the freshest content you can for the best taste – try using ripe cranberries and a hint of orange zest for originality.
Canned, regurgitated content is no substitute for fresh. Your guests will surely turn up their noses at this inferior fare.
Send Out RSVPs to Promote Your Thanksgiving Content Feast
The main dishes of your content marketing dinner are now simmering, baking, cooking, and roasting. As soon as you pull the first finished dish from the oven, it’s time to send out RSVPs to promote your content.
Send out invites to your lavish content marketing spread on social media, email, and other promotional channels.
The more people who see your invites, the more guests you could end up serving. Get the word out there!
Take the time to cater your invites depending on your sending method.
Choose the Best Recipe for Engagement Pumpkin Pie
If your meal is high-quality and satisfying, your guests will definitely stick around to help themselves to dessert.
Serve your very best engagement pumpkin pie (spiced with enough ginger, cloves, and cinnamon to make it lively). Your audience can sit back and savor a sweet treat while they go over the finer points of the whole meal. The better the meal – and the better the pie – the better the engagement.
Tip: See our favorite pumpkin pie recipe, below, for a crowning glory for your Thanksgiving spread.
Your Feast Is a Smash! …Now What?
A successful Thanksgiving content marketing spread that’s well laid-out, tempting and delicious can put you on cloud nine.
Wait one second, though – you can’t hang up your apron and have a celebratory drink just yet (though helping yourself to pumpkin pie is absolutely warranted… and no one will notice if you sneak a swig or two of libations).
The meal is still going, and you want to keep it that way.
Keys to keeping the meal and conversation flowing:
Keep the food warmed up for late arrivals and those who want second helpings. Thankfully, these dishes taste just as good as leftovers.
If you do it right, this should be a long meal that never ends. Get cooks to help you in the kitchen, and start planning more dishes with the help of an editorial calendar.
Finally, check in with your kitchen and keep going over your table settings, presentation, recipes, and guest comments to keep improving and climb to five-star-chef status with Google.
And to “sweeten” it up, here’s a REAL recipe just for our readers!
Express Writers’ Not Your Average Pumpkin Pie (Real Recipe!)
This spiced pumpkin pie is a true classic, but the method is a little different from the one on the back of your average can of pumpkin puree. It’s a little more flavorful and has a smoother, creamier filling. Plus, thanks to blind baking, the crust gets perfectly crisp. Enjoy!
This recipe makes one 8-9-inch pie.
Ingredients:
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (about 2 cups)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves or allspice, or to taste
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Prepare the pie crust. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F. Roll out the pie dough and transfer to an 8 or 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edges. Chill the crust while the oven preheats.
Blind bake the crust. Line the inside of the crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or just until the edges turn golden. Remove the weights and lining, and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Prepare the filling. Combine the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, salt, and spices in a bowl. Mix until the brown sugar is completely incorporated. Whisk in the milk, cream, eggs, and vanilla until just combined.
Fill the pie crust. Place your blind-baked pie crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Carefully pour the pumpkin filling into the crust. Be careful not to over-fill the pie.
Bake the pie. Turn the oven heat down to 375°F. Transfer the baking sheet with the pie to the oven’s middle rack. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust starts to darken too much, cover with a ring of aluminum foil and continue baking. When it’s done, the pie will be darker in color and may puff in the middle, and will jiggle a bit if you gently shake the pan.
The pie will continue to set as it cools. Let cool completely before serving with generous dollops of whipped cream.
Did you catch our latest #ContentWritingChat? We had our monthly community chat, which is when we skip having a guest host and allow our audience to choose the chat topic. We ran a poll the week before and the winning topic was Content Marketing Strategy!
If you could use some help putting together an effective content marketing strategy for your brand, you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled some of the tweets from this week’s chat into a handy dandy recap!
In Tuesday’s community chat, there were some amazing tips shared by our participants. You’ll learn the basics of a great content marketing strategy, tools and resources to help, and how to measure your success. Keep reading to check out all the advice!
Q1: Why is it important to have a content marketing strategy for your brand?
To kick off the chat, we asked everyone to share why they feel it’s important to have a content marketing strategy in place. If you need a little convincing that it’s worth the investment, you’ll want to read through these tweets!
A1 A content marketing strategy is EVERYTHING to the success of your content. Strategize for success = succeed. No strategy = higher chances of content failure. #ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/3LOvG7NtnB
— Julia McCoy | ? New book out Nov 30! (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 14, 2017
As Julia said, a content marketing strategy is everything to the success of your content. When you have a strategy in place, you have a much better chance at succeeding in your work.
A1 Without a strategy in place, how can you hope to meet your goals and make good progress? Your content marketing strategy should be the foundations to your campaign’s success #contentwritingchat
If you don’t have a strategy in place, how you can expect to make progress and reach your goals? Iain knows that having a strategy is a must.
A1: For the same reason a compass is helpful when navigating the Pacific. You need guidance to stay on course and headed toward your goal(s). #ContentWritingChat
As Sarah said, you need a strategy for any kind of marketing you’re doing. This tells you what you’er aiming for so you can stay on the right path.
A1: Content strategy gives you measurable actions, cohesive messaging and makes sure you aren’t scrambling to throw together something for your community. #ContentWritingChat
Having a strategy gives you measurable actions, cohesive messaging, and ensures you aren’t scrambling to throw something together at the last minute.
A1: Having a plan allows you to produce better content and align your message across various channels. Plus, it puts your team on the same page. #ContentWritingChat
You can product much better content when you have everything planned out in advance. Plus, it’ll keep your entire team on the same page, which is very important.
A1: Content strategies are the driving force behind the channels that do the outreach. They are the how behind the what when it comes to marketing goals. #ContentWritingChat
Maureen said your content marketing strategy is the driving force behind the channels that do the outreach.
Q2: What are the essential elements of every successful content marketing strategy?
To get started with a strategy of your very own, you need to know where to begin. These are some essential elements you’ll want to have in place:
A2: Successful content strategies are bolstered by a deep understanding of the brand’s best customers and your understanding in the market. #ContentWritingChat
Sarah feels good research, resources, and tracking are essential. She also pointed out that you need to know who your audience is and how to reach them. Don’t forget to set deadlines, meet them, and monitor your efforts.
Knowing who your audience is, what kind of content you’re going to share, and what your goals are make up just a few of the essentials of a great strategy.
A2: Target audience. Desired outcome (e.g. conversions, engagement). Platform selection/prioritization. Pipeline & capacity building; how & when is content being produced, recycled, repurposed. #ContentWritingChat
Andrew also agrees that knowing your target audience is a must. He also mentioned that it’s important to know the desired outcome you hope to achieve, platforms you’re using, and more.
A2: A clearly defined objective and understanding of your key audience. But also, so often forgot, an ability to adapt and react. Marketing strategies aren’t definable but every changing & reactive. #ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/KKraAzSO4p
Mallorie said you need a defined objective and an understanding of your target audience. You also need to be able to adapt and make changes along the way if needed.
A2. The elements are listening to your audience and see what they are chatting about. #contentwritingchat
Measurable goals, your target audience, tactics to reach the right people, and metrics to track progress are all essential.
A2 Make sure you set SMART goals for your strategy. You need to make sure you can measure how well your efforts are doing so you can tweak & improve #contentwritingchat
Iain recommends setting SMART goals with your content marketing strategy.
Q3: What kind of goals might a brand set for their content marketing efforts? Which ones do you focus on?
Every brand is going to have different goals for their content marketing strategy. However, if you’re just getting started, you might wonder what kind of goals they often set out to reach. Here are some great tips from the chat:
As Sarah pointed out, the goals you set will depend on your business objectives. Either way, you need to make sure you’re tracking your progress.
A3)
– Conversions (if you’re not moving them along your funnel, what’s the point?)
– Click-throughs (see Conversions)
– Leads/Sales (gotta make that money!)
– Reach#ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/waadLQmhgG
Conversions are definitely a major goal you’ll want to track with your efforts. Jason also recommends tracking things like click-through rate, leads and sales, and how much reach you’re getting.
Proving valuable, relevant, and consistent content is always key. It’s the best way to build relationships and establish trust, as the Source Media team knows.
A3) Increased web traffic, community growth, more leads/sales. We focus mainly on brand awareness and lead generation. #contentwritingchat
You may want to track web traffic, community growth, and how many leads/sales you’re getting.
A3: Content marketing efforts will differ wildly situation by situation If you’re new to market, awareness is key and you want traffic & time on site. If you’re moving ppl thru the funnel, you want conversions. #ContentWritingChat
Maureen also knows that your goals are going to be different from what everyone else is doing. However, if you’re new, she said you may want to track awareness by viewing traffic to your site and how long they’re spending on your page. If you’re moving people through your funnel, conversions are key.
A3: Different types of content are going to have different goals. A few common goals: increase in website traffic or sales; more shares on social, etc. #ContentWritingChat
Lexie said different types of content are going to have different goals. She said you may want to track website traffic, sales, or social shares.
A3. Web traffic/Leads and Community Growth. Focus on how your target audience is responding to your content and adjust accordingly. #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/gJD5NW8Yd9
Web traffic, leads, and community growth are all common metrics to track within your business. As Rebecca said, you want to make sure you see how your audience responds to your content. Make adjustments as needed.
A3 it all depends on The Who’s who of a brand. Someone may want to see shares, clicks, sales, etc. that’s why it’s important to set that goal early on so you know what’s considered a successful campaign #ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/pb7BHsPSkU
Tony knows goals are going to differ for everyone. Whether you want to see shares, clicks, sales, or something else… You need to focus on what’s right for you.
Q4: Describe your process for building your own strategy. How do you get started?
Ready to craft your strategy? We asked everyone in the chat to share the initial steps in their strategy-building process! Here are some of the answers we received:
A4 Brainstorm first! I love using paper or a whiteboard to think of ideas. Then put it all on a spreadsheet. I’ve used Asana too in the past to organize the content calendar. #ContentWritingChat
Cristy’s advice is to brainstorm. She’ll use paper or a whiteboard to jot down ideas, which she then moves into a spreadsheet. Another tool she’s used in the past is Asana.
Sarah said to start with your goal and work backwards from there. You need to figure out how you’re going to achieve that end result, which will help you plan your strategy.
Clearly defined goals are essential to Jason. As he pointed out, you won’t be able to hit your target if you don’t know what you’re aiming for. Set goals first before working out the details.
A4 a ? Every brand’s content marketing strategy should look different and ALWAYS targeted to their ideal audience, from content types (blog, livestream, etc) to which platforms to be on. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy | ? New book out Nov 30! (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 14, 2017
A4 b ? A content marketing strategy starts by identifying your position of industry authority (topic focus), then, what your audience wants to know. (I teach the “how” of this in my course!) #ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/bNLYwMPSzg
— Julia McCoy | ? New book out Nov 30! (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 14, 2017
Julia knows that a content marketing strategy will look different for every brand. It needs to be targeted to their audience in order to see the best results. Know your topic and then figure out what your audience wants to know and how you can help.
A4: I start at the core, ensuring a company understand why they are, who their customer is and where they fit in their market. Then we figure out what sets them apart from product to audience. Then we dance! #ContentWritingChatpic.twitter.com/7lCOhhpbvB
Maureen shared some great advice that’ll help anyone that works with clients. You want to know that the company understands their audience and their marketing before moving forward.
A4: Deep dive discovery before we do anything:
– Brand voice/standards established?
– Site and social audits
– Audit work to date, identify gaps/oppty
– Interviews w/ stakeholders
– Require user/customer research?
– Then we map#ContentWritingChat@writingchathttps://t.co/gfAi6hYZ5q
Knowing the brand voice, conducting audits, doing customers research, and more! These are all essential steps to consider.
A4: Defining the audience. Where they are, where we want them to go, & what we’re hoping they do once there. In essence: research. Build the compass, make sure it points North. #ContentWritingChat
Debi also agrees that knowing who the target audience is plays a major role.
Q5: What’s something you intend to cut from your content marketing strategy for next year? What will you keep?
Sometimes we notice things that just aren’t working within our strategy, which means it’s time to cut ties. While other times, we see what’s been successful so we can create more of that. Here are some things people will be cutting and keeping in their strategy in the new year:
Lexie said Netvantage will continue to focus on high-quality, long-tail keyword content.
A5. Not cutting, but shifting focus even more to video and unlinked content (images, infographics). Continuing the blend of original and curated content #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/qNDoVlzHWh
One of the things Rebecca will be doing is shifting to even more video content, which continues to be essential for content marketers.
a5 It is the process of evaluating & testing content – that which doesn’t work well – DUMP it. That which is creating engagement – EXPOUND upon it. #ContentWritingChat
As Debi said, if it’s not working for you then you need to cut it out. If it is working, make sure you embrace it moving forward.
Q6: How do you know if your strategy is effective? Which metrics do you track?
Once you’ve implemented your strategy, you need to know if it’s actually effective. To do this, there are key metrics you’ll need to track. Here’s what you need to know:
A6: It all depends on what the goal of the content is. Sometimes it will be shares on social, other times the CTR on a CTA, sometimes time on site. #ContentWritingChat
As Lexie said, it all depends on the goal of your content. This can differ based on what you’re trying to accomplish, so keep that in mind.
a6 Continually looking at G-Analytics & levels of engagement/conversions. Tracking is looking at Key Performance Indicators – which is individual to the company. #ContentWritingChat
Debi frequently looks at Google Analytics to see how any content marketing efforts are performing.
A6 Get down to the dollar (conversions). How many live chats pop up from inbound content ranking highly is one metric we use. If it’s not making you $, revise the strategy. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy | ? New book out Nov 30! (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 14, 2017
Julia knows it’s all the conversions! You want to ensure your efforts are actually helping you grow and make a profit within your business.
A6: we track link clicks from websites, search engines, we track search terms as well, and compare numbers to those over the past year. #ContentWritingChat
You might want to track link clicks from other site and search engines, as well as any search terms you’re ranking for. This can help you see how your content is performing.
A6. For me, I look at the increase of yearly viewership blog because it lets me know what is working #contentwritingchat
Sometimes you just get that feeling that things are working out! You might notice more phone calls or emails coming in for potential customers, which is always a great thing.
A6: This is all based on the overall goals of what you want your content to achieve. Once you’ve solidified this information, you can determine the metrics that make the most sense. #ContentWritingChat
Remember that it all goes back to your unique goals. Once you know what those goals are, you’ll know which metrics are important to track.
Q7: Do you use any tools to help you manage your content marketing efforts? If so, what are they?
With all the tools that are available today, there are plenty that can help with content marketing. Check out these recommendations from Tuesday’s chat:
Sarah’s essential tools include WordPress, Teamwork, Google Sheets, good old fashioned pen and paper, and brain power.
A7 Google Drive and Apps are my go-to for organization. I can’t remember the last time I opened a Microsoft Office app. I’m also a huge fan of Google Analytics and send myself reports every morning, as well as create dashboards for relevant campaigns. #ContentWritingChat
A7: @googledrive has our team’s content calendar to help us stay on track. We love @WordPress in our office. Going along with that we like @yoast for optimizing our content. #ContentWritingChat
And here’s a great reminder from Cristy: always be learning and strive to improve.
Want to join the Twitter chat fun? #ContentWritingChat takes place every Tuesday at 10 AM Central! Follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat to stay updated!
