As the capital city of Alberta, Edmonton is in a constant state of growth; industries are booming and its population of nearly 1.5 million is increasing. This picturesque city is home to wildlife like bison, moose, and elk. There’s always something to do in the City of Festivals, from the International Fringe Theatre Festival to the Heritage Festival.
SEO is always changing, but one thing remains the same: content is a significant ranking factor. To write content that ranks in Edmonton, you need to consider keyword research, competitor analysis, and the target audience that you’re writing for.
With content generation, you must strike a balance between writing for people (the users on your website that read it) and writing for robots (Google’s bots that crawl your site and rank it). Your goal should be to please both.
Here’s how to do it:
How Does Content Help with SEO?
You know the fundamentals of SEO—technical optimization, link building, and site speed. But how does content tie into it? We’re going to explain why content plays such a pivotal role in your website’s search results position:
It tells Google what your website is about
How do bots know which keywords to rank your site for? It all comes down to the content that’s on it. Search engine algorithms rely on text for information. Your blog posts, homepage, and resource pages all work together to tell bots what your website is about. The more content that’s on your site, the more context Google has when ranking it.
Content draws more users to your website
When you have a question and need an answer ASAP, what’s the first thing you do? Most of us turn to search engines for fast results. We type in our exact query into Google and click the first result that appears.
What if that first result is your website?
Suddenly, your website is exposed to a new demographic that you can direct to your product and service pages. Not only will this increase your revenue, but those clicks also help with your SEO. Writing content on relevant and topical subjects, or answering common questions are effective strategies to rank your website.
You can’t rank without it
Trying to get a website on the first page of Google, without content, is a feat we’re pretty sure is impossible. You can have the fastest website, a heap of positive online reviews, and plenty of accurate citations—but if you don’t have content, you’ll struggle to reach the first page.
What Forms of Content Do You Need?
You don’t want just any content on your site—you want pages that help it rank. Not all blog posts are created equally; what you need is an effective content marketing strategy.
Writing content works. The real question is, what types of content do you need? Here are a few types of content you might consider writing for your website:
- Blogs. We suggest aiming for at least one blog a month to keep your site fresh and topical. These don’t need to be too long; a few pages or so will do the job.
- Resource/service pages. With these articles, you can dive into what makes your business different from your competitors in Edmonton. Explain more about the services you offer and what sets your methods and products apart from the rest.
- Location pages. Make it easy for local Edmontonians to find you by writing location pages. Which areas of Edmonton do you provide services to, and where are your stores located?
- Guest posts. Part of any successful content generation strategy is making content for other authoritative websites. You can include links to your own site where it’s relevant. When the post goes live, acquiring backlinks can benefit your rankings.
How Do You Generate Content?
A blank page offers so many possibilities. The content you fill it with could make or break your SEO strategy. So, where do you begin?
Start by identifying topics that people are searching for in your industry. Keyword research is vital for this step; it will help guide you in the right direction. If you’re looking for topic ideas, refer to a list of the most-searched keywords to get started. Once you know what readers are looking for, you can write blogs that relate to those subjects.
For example, in Edmonton, people might be looking for ways to avoid frozen pipes in the winter. A plumbing company can write about how to insulate pipes to keep them warm in cold weather.
But be careful with this step; if your content is over optimized, it becomes difficult to read. Users can spot the difference between organic content and text that’s written solely for ranking purposes. Again, it’s all about striking a balance between the two.
Need a hand with writing content for your website? At First Rank, we can help with that, along with everything related to SEO in Edmonton. From building citations to technical optimization, we’ve got you covered. Contact us to discuss your SEO strategy today!
Jacob Kettner is the owner and CEO of First Rank Inc., a digital marketing agency based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He currently sits on Manitoba Chamber of Commerce Small Business Advisor Council which assists people grow their small businesses in Manitoba.
