SEO-Inbound Marketing Consultant
As we have been saying and doing for quite some time now, Google's bias towards fresh content prompts us to continue to post blogs and if possible, increase our blog posts for our clients as well as our own accounts.
Fresh Content Strategy # 1 - Create Your Own "News"
Besides posting quality content, there are some techniques that can send a signal to Google that your post is not only fresh from being posted, but is also more relevant because it includes references to trends, news, or other fresh content. Google's bias towards fresh content is similar to the daily news.
If there is something new on a particular topic, it may be favored by Google as news, which has always been fresh content. We posted a blog with a keyword phrase with a news slant and also posted it in Google Plus. The result of page ranking was obvious and noticeable. Although posted last March 13, 2013, it is still ranking # 5 in the keyword search result, a drop from # 3 earlier. See Portland Webmaster and SEO Revisited blog. Post your blog or news release with something newsworthy, instead of selling a product or service. There is a value in educational articles and blogs as they are not promoting a particular product or service, and also demonstrate your authority in the industry that sells the same product or service.
As an example, a blog for a remodeling client on heated flooring emphasizes the benefits and features of heated flooring in an educational, more objective manner, allowing the reader to learn something that he/she did not know before and be able to make an informed decision on whether that is something that they want to look into at this time. A working title could be "Radiant Heated Flooring Helps Reduce Energy Costs". Obviously, the cooler months are more appropriate for this topic. Since we are entering the colder months, this can be considered as news.
Integrate your fresh content with Google Plus. If you are using Blogger, which is the platform of my choice, Google owns Blogger and makes it very easy to integrate Google Plus in various ways, through layout widgets ( +1 button,+ Plus followers, + badge), and as well as a popup when you post a blog to announce it in Google Plus.
When you announce it in a +1 post, the link to the blog is already provided by Google, and what you say about the post acts as a form of "anchor text" without having the actual text as a link.
This is a new type of "anchor text" that Google favors, although in the report titled The Future of Search: 2013 Search Engine Ranking Factors Released, it was concluded that on-page anchor text still has strong correlation value with search engine rankings. If Google is making the rules, then using their products gives you an edge to conform and take advantage of the rules, which are always changing. Using tools and metrics analysis helps decipher strategies that are working while still being in compliance with Google guidelines. The recent announcement of shared endorsements is an example of Google changing the rules.
Fresh Content Strategy # 3
Use a video in your blog to engage the reader, and get an extra edge in the way that Google algorithms give credit for video. Even if it is not your video, if it has relevance to your topic, then use it if it can be embedded, and give credit to the author. The following video, Taking Advantage of Google's Bias Towards Hyper-Fresh Content by Rand Fishkin, CEO of MOZ, provides insights and strategies into why Google has a bias towards fresh content. It is one of the sources that I used to write this blog. Thanks Rand !
There are obviously more than three strategies, and the best ones will rise to the surface if you follow the top thought leaders in the industry. Bruce Clay, another pioneer in SEO strategic planning, published SEO Trends and Mid-Year Report - a very informative document on changes, trends and steps to follow to stay on the edge in Internet marketing. It's no surprise that this report also has relevant material to fresh content, and includes the emphasis of Authorship, which could be another blog topic altogether, or considered as a bonus idea for you to research into how it would benefit your publishing of fresh content.
Fresh content is going to be around forever, especially as it is related to news. It is my opinion that fresh content, published with Google guidelines and integrated with Google Plus, is one of the main keys to getting and maintaining the edge in Internet marketing.
__________________________
David Brown is an internet marketing consultant and owner of Logion Web Design, which provides a full range of services including website design and development, copywriting, inbound marketing consulting, and SEO (search engine optimization).
