1. Overview
2. —>Content Structure <—
3. Keyword Research
4. On-Site SEO
5. Voice Search
6. Off-Site SEO
7. Local SEO

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SEO Content Structure Guide for Small Business

In the current era of the search engine, content is king. Search engine optimization has grown into a broad set of tactics, but SEO begins and ends with content. Inbound marketing, keyword relevance, bounce rate, authority, linking strategy; it all comes down to content. This is why content structure is the first step in building SEO for your small business.

The way you build content will influence the inherent SEO of every page. Write with the structure and principles of organic SEO in mind, and your best work will be both high-ranking and engaging to the reader.

Content Structure Overview

• Inbound Marketing
• SEO Copywriting
• Blog Content Strategy
• Videos and Podcast Content
• Multi-Channel Content Strategy

Content Structure

In the technical elements of SEO, every page starts with content structure. This is a hierarchy of headings, from H1 to H6 that help organize the information. Web crawlers rely on the structure of your content to understand the purpose and value of each page. 

Fortunately for small businesses, most website platforms, templates, and themes are already built with a working SEO content structure ready to build into full-content pages.

What is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing is the art of creating content that your readers are looking for. If they enjoy the content and you provide answers to their initial need, you can tailor your message and calls-to-action toward a related conversion funnel.

Inbound Marketing Strategies:

• Publish a blog
• Build an information center
• Detailed service and product pages
• Guides, handbooks, lessons, and e-books

SEO, inbound marketing, and brand content are integrally linked. The three are so tightly connected that they have become synonymous. The purpose of SEO is to achieve greater results from inbound marketing. The purpose of inbound marketing is to be the answer to target-audience questions when they use search engines and public platforms. SEO is an assessment of content and performance, and inbound marketing serves customer needs with targeted and well-designed content. 

Inbound marketing is the creation of content that customers want. A how-to guide, a product manual, an informative e-book, and an entertaining personality quiz are all forms of inbound marketing. When they search for “place to get waffles”, or “best sneakers for treadmill running”, you want keyword-aligned blogs and product pages ready to offer your best. SEO allows you to reach your customers by helping search engines (and other platforms) find your pages and serve them just-in-time to leads making relevant searches.

SEO Copywriting & Organic SEO

SEO Copywriting is the art of writing in a way that search engines like. If you can master organic SEO, working your keywords and content naturally into well-targeted topics, then your content will flow smoothly and rank well in search engines. However, everyone starts SEO copywriting first by massaging keywords and regional names into content that is likely to be interesting to their clients.

• Choose topics based on customer interest and keyword research
• Integrate relevant and product-specific keywords into content
• Ensure content is useful, authoritative, and motivating

SEO copywriting can be applied to product pages, blog articles, and even technical manuals. You simply need the right balance of keywords, keyword variations, long-tail keyword phrases, and content that satisfies the reader’s intent.

Blog Content Strategy

How can a small business build a compelling blog? It’s actually much easier than you think, as long as you have someone with SEO copywriting skills or someone who can smoothly use an SEO tool.

Elements of an Effective Blog

• Regular posts
  • 1-10 articles a month
• Well-targeted topic selection
  • Keyword-driven articles
  • Top-of-funnel articles
  • Guides and reference material
  • Thought leadership
• Relevant keyword integration
  • Industry
  • Intention
  • Products
• Engaging media
  • Images and infographics
  • Videos and animations

If this seems like a long list, think of it as an inspirational guideline. Your blog can grow into an information center or provide a stream of interesting lifestyle guides and tips. The key is that your blog becomes a publication that current and future customers want to read.

Blog Targeting

Some articles should answer pre-purchase questions like “How to fix a leaky sink” or “What are the best boots for skiing?”. Some should show off your internal expertise and answer customer pain-points. After this, your blog strategy should be guided by your audience’s reading preference and your brand personality. Are you a reliable source of how-to guides, a source of design ideas, or a thought-leader in an evolving business niche?

Storytelling and Flow

The flow of your blog articles should carry readers smoothly from beginning to end. The words should create a sense of narrative, while the subheaders and bullet points create a skimmable source of information.  The perfect blog is both an engaging read and a quick reference guide.

Calls to Action

Every blog, no matter the topic or style, should culminate in a call to action. Tell your readers why you’re the expert, how your services might solve the initially searched problem, and invite them to take one more step down the conversion funnel or dive deeper into the blog.

Videos and Podcast Content

Your SEO content structure also relates to your media production beyond the written word. Videos have been a growing and powerful content marketing strategy for a decade and more, while podcasts have an ever-growing following with many platforms of casual and professional listeners.

Small Business Video Content Strategy

Video production does not have to be expensive or time-consuming. With smartphones and modern editing software, marketing videos are just a short session away. Small businesses can benefit most from short-form episodic videos and a well-defined set of visual assets to create fun, quickly identifiable clips. Longer videos work well for small businesses in the form of guides and how-tos. Becoming the face of bicycle repair or DIY cleaning hacks can grow into your most popular content channel.

Speaking of channels, start a YouTube channel and publish all your video content there. SEO copywrite the titles and details and integrate into your blog for added value. You’ll get more search results from YouTube and build a linking network.

Podcasts for Small Business

Podcasts are even more affordable than videos for small businesses. You can start an industry tips podcast, host interviews with business partners and experts, or tell a series of testimonial or use-case stories. All you need is a microphone and audio editing software.

Multi-Channel Content Strategy

Last but not least, let’s talk about how to transform your SEO content to meet the structure of multiple platforms. Each social media platform accepts videos of a different length, images of a different size, and different character limits for written updates. Fortunately, you can clip your content from the format of one channel to the next with a good multi-channel strategy.

Clip longer videos into multiple short teasers. Resize images and use SVGs instead of PNGs for better scaling. Write blogs from your podcast interviews and make animated infographics for your blogs to publish on the YouTube channel.

SEO content structure for small business is approachable if you know the foundational elements. Once you’ve mastered organic SEO copywriting and targeting, you can start building a powerful content strategy. How do you know which topics and keywords to target? This naturally takes us to the next chapter: Keyword Research.

If you are ready to start your SEO content strategy, contact us today.

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