Stop Chasing Algorithms: SEO Hacks To Improve Your Content Marketing

Who said smart work can’t be easy work? This edition of my newsletter is for anyone who wants to level up their SEO with minimal effort—you might even have fun while doing it. After all, what’s the point of being efficient if you’re not enjoying the process?

1. What is Content Marketing?

Let’s get to the basics but not in a boring way. Content marketing isn’t just about churning out endless blog posts and hoping something sticks. No, it’s about creating content that greets your customers like an old friend at every stage of their journey. They should feel informed, entertained, and inspired—like they’ve found a tour guide they didn’t know they needed.

Think of it like this: your content should be that charming, well-dressed host at a party who introduces everyone, keeps the drinks topped up and knows exactly when to bring up your amazing product. You’re not just selling; you’re building relationships, establishing authority and creating organic growth through excellent content.

Why Content Matters: Good content is like a good suit—it builds trust, makes an impact and makes people feel good to be there. The better your content the more high-quality traffic you’ll attract and convert readers into loyal customers. And let’s be honest, loyal customers are the holy grail.

2. How to Create a Content Marketing Plan

A content marketing plan isn’t just some spreadsheet filled with random dates and half-baked ideas. It’s your roadmap to making connections. Start by setting clear goals—what’s the dream here? Are you trying to drive traffic, boost engagement, increase sales or perhaps make the internet a slightly better place?

Once you have a goal, understand your customer. I know, I know—you’ve heard it before, but hear me out. It’s all about meeting them where they are in their journey. Are they just dipping their toes in what you offer or are they ready to take the plunge and buy? Create content that makes them feel seen and supported. It could be a beginner’s guide or a customer success story.

Next, choose your content and platform wisely. Gen Z is all about TikTok and Instagram Reels—they want to laugh, cry or learn in under 30 seconds. Millennials on the other hand love a good LinkedIn post or a thoughtful YouTube video where they can get their teeth into something meaty. Different strokes for different folks, and that’s exactly what your content strategy should reflect.

Tools for Team Organisation and Scheduling

Now I know coordinating a content plan across a team can feel like herding cats. Luckily there are some pretty cool tools out there to keep everyone in line. Circleboom is great for managing your social media schedule and Asana is a lifesaver for task management. Think of them as your reliable, slightly bossy assistants who remind everyone what needs to be done—and when.

Lazy-Proof Approach: Break your content into bite-sized, manageable chunks. Turn a blog post into Instagram snippets, turn a video into a blog and make sure every piece of content lives a full and happy life. Circleboom and Asana will help simplify this process so you’re not drowning in sticky notes or scattered ideas.

3. Tools to Find What Keywords Your Customers Are Searching

Keywords. The magic words that make sure your content isn’t just eloquent nonsense in the void. Getting the right keywords is non-negotiable; otherwise, you’re just shouting in the wrong room, wasting your time and money on an audience that doesn’t care. Keywords are the bridge between your content and your customer’s desires so get them right.

It’s good to mix short-tail and long-tail keywords. The short ones give you broad visibility but it’s the long ones—those niche phrases—that help you really hone in on what people are thinking and searching for. Sometimes those less competitive keywords are a goldmine, bringing in a smaller but laser-targeted audience who are more likely to convert.

Now Semrush is the hero of this story. This tool is like a treasure map, helping you find the best keywords to put your content in front of the right people. It gives you insights on search volumes, competition and even related phrases so you know where to focus your efforts.

Quick Tip: Use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool (try it free here) to uncover opportunities and build content around what your audience cares about. Understanding their intent is the key to crafting content that truly resonates.

4. Courses to Grow Your Knowledge of SEO and AI for Content Marketing

Let’s face it—digital marketing evolves at a breakneck pace, and it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind. Thankfully, you don’t need to break the bank to catch up. There’s an abundance of free/low-cost courses designed to turn you into an SEO and AI whiz. Semrush Academy and Coursera are great spots to start. They offer high-quality courses that are both informative and, dare I say it, enjoyable.

Recommended Courses:

• “Generative AI in Marketing” on Coursera: If you’re ready to incorporate AI into your marketing but aren’t sure how - this course shows you how you can enhance your creativity using Generative AI.

• “How to Increase Sales on Shopify with Content Marketing” on Semrush Academy: A brilliant free course that dives into content marketing strategies specifically for Shopify. It’s loaded with practical tips and SEO techniques designed to drive traffic and boost conversions—perfect for anyone running an e-commerce store and ready to turn content into cash.

At the end of the day AI isn’t here to replace your creative spark—it’s here to take on the grunt work, the repetition, the digital equivalent of peeling potatoes. Let AI deal with the mundane stuff, so you can focus on the strategic, the creative, the things only a human mind can do. With AI in your toolkit, you get to spend less time wrestling with data and more time building connections, telling stories, and growing your brand.

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