Remember back in the old days when a Yellow Pages listing and a well-placed advertisement in the newspaper were all it took to market yourself? If so, you’re definitely showing your age right now. But more importantly, if you haven’t already, forget the marketing tactics that you used in the 90s and 2000s. Marketing has changed, and if you want to adapt with it, you’re probably going to need to hop on that inbound train sooner than later. This means two things: Content marketing and SEO.

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[We want a to give a quick shoutout and thanks to our friends at PR News, where this article originally ran (May 2, 2016 newsletter). You can also find it in the PR News Writer’s Guidebook, vol. 2 (200 pages of invaluable PR professional advice). Want a copy? Get $50 off with coupon code Friendwriters16.]

Keyword-based SEO is a trap.

Most of us know that keyword stuffing is a bad idea, but many of us aren’t aware that most of the effort put into keywords is of low consequence. Keywords shouldn’t be viewed as a primary metric but rather as a natural result of creating quality content that brings value to the target reader. Algorithms are smarter these days, and effective conversion comes from truly understanding the voice needed to reach the ideal target market.

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In an increasingly digital business landscape, failing to have an online presence can make or break a company’s monetary momentum.

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October is here at last, and the witching hour of Halloween spooks and specters is drawing near. As I began to write, I figured there was no better time to address one of the most frightening aspects of many business’s marketing strategies:

Bad content management.

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Rake up the excess on your old blog, and rake in new connections.

Ah, fall: my favorite time of year. I’m not a full-fledged drive-thru maven in yoga pants with an uncontrolled addiction to #PSLs, but I do love a touch of fall flavor. Interestingly, autumn is really a season of decay in some senses: the leaves wither and fall, the air turns colder, and warm ovens turn the harvest’s bounty into pie after pie.

Even though this season is about things falling away, it’s still impossibly joyful for many people. Perhaps it’s our collective recognition of the fact that when things wither and die, they will come back renewed after a winter of rest. Whatever it is, we can’t get enough of fall. And perhaps the world of business writing, copy, and marketing could use a touch a pumpkin spice.

Here are a few lessons we can all glean from some of fall’s most cherished pastimes and traditions. This is an excellent time of year to do a bit of “cleaning house,” just as we pack away the shorts and bring out the sweaters with October’s first chill.  

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Can SEO “stick it to the man?” Google’s betting on it with its latest search algorithm update that rewards secure sites with more ranking points. The move is meant to encourage site owners to update their domains with secure connections (adding the “s” in “https”), and the reason given behind this move is that Google’s tech gurus just want the Web to be more secure. After all, it’s commonplace to read about a data breech these days, with one of the latest citing around 1.2 billion accounts hacked by a Russian criminal group. More security around the net will mean safer browsing, and safer browsing means more confident Internet users who are less cautious about divulging their personal data, be it financial, medical or something else.

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That’s it, folks. Germany took the Cup. Sorry to spoil it for anyone who didn’t follow the 2014 FIFA World Cup and somehow missed every news outlet on the Interwebs.

So now what? We all pack up and go home, right? That’s certainly what most of the estimated 3.7 million World Cup tourists who invaded Brazil for four weeks are doing, and they’re likely happy about it. Custo Brazil has led to, I’m sure, more than one tourist’s rainy day fund getting completely drained.

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So you’ve decided your company or client needs outside help with content creation: what now?  Knowing you need help and bringing in the Pros (see what we did there?) are excellent steps, but do you know what defines high-quality outsourced content?  Here are a few important qualities to look for when seeking outsourced content creation and professional writing for your company or one of your web design clients.  Content with these qualities will keep your clients happy and customers clicking.

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