Are you looking to master the art of content lead marketing? If so, you’re in luck! In this recap of the weekly #seochat on Twitter, we’ve compiled a wealth of insights and valuable discussions on this very topic. Led by industry experts and seasoned professionals, this chat covered everything from SEO metrics and business-specific tracking to the importance of content and technical SEO. So, if you missed out on the fast-paced Twitter chat or want a consolidated resource to refer back to, you’ve come to the right place.

The discussion kicked off with a debate on which metrics matter most in the SEO realm. From tracking conversions and engagement to considering industry-specific needs, the tech lead/experts shared their experiences and shed light on the metrics that truly move the needle for businesses. But when it comes to content-led SEO versus technical SEO, which takes the spotlight? Join the conversation as professionals weigh in, highlighting the importance of both and the intricate relationship between content and technical optimization.

If you’re starting from scratch with a brand new site, you’re likely wondering what type of content to create first. Fear not, as our experts offer their insights and strategies. From focusing on topics with commercial intent to tailoring content based on the target audience and industry, you’ll discover practical tips to kickstart your content creation journey.

For beginners seeking the best resource to learn about content-led SEO, our experts offer their suggestions. While Twitter serves as a valuable platform for industry discussions, they emphasize the importance of building a solid foundation in all aspects of SEO to become a well-rounded specialist.

So, whether you’re a seasoned marketer or a beginner eager to delve into the world of content lead marketing, this recap has got you covered. Join us as we dive deep into the insights shared during the #seochat and unlock the secrets to mastering content-led SEO!

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This is a tweet chat recap of the weekly #SEOchat by Ryan Jones in-house SEO for Land of Rugs, follow him on Twitter 

For most of my clients they are conversion focused, so I like to track hard and soft conversions, such as email subscriptions, request more information, downloads, and straight up purchases. I used to work at a B2B publisher and we mostly cared about organic visits. #SEOChat

Christina LeVasseur

When I am doing migrations it is number of pages indexed. When working with Mordy it’s bounce rate. #SEOchat

Simon Cox

It depends on the type of content, if its targeting the audience at the begining of the ‘buying cycle’ than time and engagement on page if it targets later stages, does it lead to conversion (whatever it may be)

Izzy Wisniewska

It really depends – for brand building I like to see pageviews combines with traffic sources plus who linked and who mentioned the piece (pays to track your authors for this) #seochat

Mordy Oberstein

Average position and CTR reveal all. #SEOChat

Chris Tweten

Q2: Do you believe that the metrics we should be tracking change depending on the type of business you’re working with?

Yes, but the deeper into the individual site needs you to go the more customized it is – the basics are the same though. For a business with a physical presence, there are a whole lot of different metrics to think about. #SEOCHAT

Simon Cox

100% Depends on biz model and whether eyeballs or conversions matter. #SEOChat

Grant Simmons

To some extent yes, especially if we are talking about very different businesses eg subscription based knowladge hub vs ecommerce shop some goals will be similar some different some more important in one and less in the other and vice versa #seochat

Izzy Wisniewska

Some will depend on whether you’re on B2B or B2C. The basics are the same, reason why we can work on a variety of niches #SEOchat

Montse Cano

I believe so because SaaS haa a different expectation as compared to news or ecomm website. Some will want to measure Add to cart, some will want downloads and so on. But common metrics will always be common, PVs, BR are always looked into! #SEOchat

Rajeev Lekhwar

SEO metrics change on a per industry basis, sometimes even on a per client basis But the bottom line never changes: Conversions are what moves the needle for a business #SEOchat

Chris Tweten

Q3: You have a brand new site you’re working on… What would be the first piece of content you create? And why?

First I would get the basics covered and then I would say.. it depends .. on the industry and the audience, what sort of content will be most valuable to my audience to see on the brand new page in the given industry #seochat, Ah and the why – the basics as I think it should always be covered before we move to more complex things, as for it depends on the part, as mentioned everything depends on the business and their audience, there is no one size fits all solution #seochat

Izzy Wisniewska

I would probably start with topics with commercial intent, then on question-type topics that make the most sense for them to cover and/or they could realistically rank for. That’s partly because the search intent is a little bit more discernible. #SEOChat

Christina LeVasseur

Depends site to site, if its a SaaS, I will focus on creating Product pages first and then on contextual pillars. For news, I will tilt to trending+evergreen topics. For excomm, industry trends can be adopted! Not at all limited to just the above things 🙂 #SEOchat

Rajeev Lekhwar

depends what you are doing for the site – mines normally technical so in most cases my very first piece of work is a URL discovery – what have they actually got compared to what they think they have in their digital estate. #SEOchat

Simon Cox

Content to do with a hot topic in the niche the site is aimed at. Then, a cool about us page #SEOchat

Montse Cano

Top content priority on a new site should be homepage copy tackling your primary focus keyword. #SEOchat

Chris Tweten

Q4: Okay, let’s not avoid it any longer… Content-led SEO or technical SEO, which is more important? Or are they both completely equal? ?

Content-led SEO is becoming more and more dominant over time. We’re going to reach a point where technical SEO is for the most part handled by platforms as a baseline, while savvy content can rank (without link building) #seochat

Chris Tweten

They are both important but as @simmonet just said so well… Content-led without technical is just content. If Google cannot properly crawl and index what you have, then the rest does not matter.

Kristine Schachinger

SEO is not one or the other, it’s a complex discipline and a holistic approach is a way to go. No user nor search engine will ‘look at the site’ only from one perspective – eg they will want great content on fast pages #seochat

Izzy Wisniewska

I lean towards content because content is the commodity bots and users are after – it’s more aligned to the purpose of the site #seochat

Mordy Oberstein

I’m going to lean content because from my experience it’s usually easier to get content changes made versus technical. We gotta start measuring something for success. Chop chop. #SEOChat

Christina LeVasseur 

Horse and cart. Both. % time spent on each will depend on what needs doing at that time to get the most return. For a brand new site – 70% content 30% Tech. probably. Unless its my own site and thats 8% content 25% tech and 53% lethargy. No idea what the rest is. #SEOchat

Simon Cox

Content SEO = Keyword Targeting = Technical SEO. …SEO is technical – full stop! ™

Brett Tabke

Tech underpinning well-researched content #SEOchat

Montse Cano

Both. Great content with noindex tag is useless. Similarly, useless indexable content is useless. They r like two hands/palms needed to clap.

Ram Gorre

Great insight Ryan, learnt alot from different perspective shared on this thread. Although I am new in tech SEO, I agree it’s no use having a great content if it can’t be indexed

Matilda

Content is the backbone and Technical SEO is the oxygen, without both a website can’t survive. #SEOchat

Rajeev Lekhwar 

At the risk of sounding clichĂ©, I’m just gonna say it: Content is KING #SEOchat

Amanda Laine

Content-led without technical tail is just content. #SEOchat

Grant Simmons

Q5: If you had to point a beginner to the best resource for learning about content-led SEO, what resource would that be?

Twitter? I will risk sounding boring and say even if someone wants to focus on content ( which is not a bad thing, specializing is good as long as we have a team of specialists working together) at the beginning they should learn about all foundations of SEO

Izzy Wisniewska

Hope you enjoyed the recap! In case you missed the previous week’s #SEOchat here are some more topics you missed!


Jeremy Rivera

Jeremy Rivera started in SEO in 2007, working at Advanced Access a hosting company for Realtors. He came up from the support department, where people kept asking "How do I rank in Google" and found in the process of answering that question an entire career. He became SEO product manager of Homes.com, went "in-house" at Raven Tools in Nashville in 2013. He then worked at several agencies like Caddis, 2 The Top Design as an SEO manager and then launched a 5 year freelance SEO career. During that time he consulted for large enterprise sites like Smile Direct Club, Dr. Axe, HCA, Logan's Roadhouse and Captain D's while also helping literally hundreds of small business owners get found in search results. He has authored blog posts at Authority Labs, Raven Tools, Wix, Search Engine Land. He has been a speaker at many SEO conferences like Craft Content and been interviewed in numerous SEO focused podcasts.