• by Jeremy Walker , Op-Ed Contributor, April 11, 2014

Without a doubt, every business is a publisher.  We’ve grown beyond websites as brochures, where we simply list our products, services and hours of operations.  In order to drive organic traffic, we need to consistently create content that is timely and relevant.  This can be a stretch for many organizations, as this wasn’t even an expectation just five years ago when the website was pronounced dead, soon-to-be replaced by Facebook and other digital properties.

So what's an organization to do?  And how does this relate to search?  Let’s focus on three areas where search can be a boon to organizations grappling with content strategy: search results, keyword research and search performance analysis. Also included are questions to ask that will guide your thinking:

Search results tell you how the world looks at your brand, products and services. Ask yourself: what terms are being used in branded queries that drive organic search traffic?  Is this what you expect? Does the search volume for each product/service match your sales? Also consider: What terms aren’t being used in branded queries that drive organic search traffic? What key terms/products are missing? Why? Do you have the content, or does it need to be created?

Keyword research tells you what content is in high demand and the competition within these topics. Ask yourself:  In your key business verticals, what terms are being searched? Are you keeping up on the trends?  Do you do this in-house or expect it from your agency? Consider: are you missing big opportunities? See how search volume compares for your product/service versus competitors. You may be missing out on potential traffic because you’re not including conversations about how you compare to the competition. 

Search performance analysis tells you how your current content is working. Ask yourself: Are your pages getting indexed?  How do they rank for your top terms?  Are your rankings getting better or worse?  Are you getting organic traffic for unbranded terms or just branded terms? Do you have compelling content for your category or just your products?

Publishing, much like SEO, is constantly evolving. These are questions to get the conversation started at your organization. Findings from these three areas could potentially fill out the next year’s content strategy.  At the very least, they will help you refine and prioritize your current plans as you embrace the new era of publishing.