A Quick Recap of Our Latest RSM University Webinar: “SEO Rush Hour: How To Generate Content That Gets Traffic” with Bryan Marvin

Our Latest RSM University Session featured Bryan Marvin, a Data Activation Specialist here at RSM. Bryan discussed everything you need to know about creating content tailored to your SEO goals. If you missed this live event, don’t fret! This blog will summarize all that Bryan shared with us.

Main Points From the Webinar

Bryan started this session by breaking down what anyone’s goal should be with SEO content:

• Rank well on search engines
• Answer the user’s search intent
• And prompt users to convert in some way.

Bryan mentioned that this helps us get into the research process of generating the content; before you get to work writing a killer blog or landing page, you need to invest some time in figuring out a few key things.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is a great way to determine what words or phrases are associated with a topic. For example, if you’re looking for new dog foods for your furry friend, you might come up with some keywords that might include “sensitive skin” or “allergies.”

Keywords tell us a lot about what people are searching for when looking up a specific topic. As a general rule of thumb, the more keywords you include on your website or blog related to your topic, the better your chance of appearing in search results.

So, is that it?

Not necessarily. Keyword research is great, but it doesn’t really give you ideas for content generation. So, what should you do instead? Additional research is your next step. While this can seem tedious, it’s quite easier than you’d think.

Utilize SERP Features

The Search Engine Result Page (SERP) tells us a lot about what we need to know for what users are searching for. Bryan breaks down each of these and sections the process into two areas: content ideas and content focus.

Content Ideas

For content ideation, Bryan recommended referring to the following SERP features:

• People also ask
• Frequently asked questions
• Suggested completions
• And related searches

People Also Ask:

This feature provides related questions and answers in Google search results. This can tell you a lot about what people are interested in learning in addition to their initial search query. This feature is great for content ideation because you can see what information you can incorporate into your content that is relevant to users’ needs.

Frequently Asked Questions:

This feature is similar to People Also Ask, but it is a dropdown menu that auto-populates answers pulled straight from content from a site. If you can create content that Google can register with an answer from your website, that’s a win!

You can utilize this feature to see how other pages are tailoring their content to be pulled right into this feature.

Suggested Completions:

When you begin typing in a question on Google, the search bar will automatically suggest what you might be looking for. This simple feature is another excellent way to see what users are searching for and what wording they use to search for it.

Some suggestions are outfield to what you are searching for, like “How to build a fence in Minecraft?” However, generally speaking, there will still be relevant autocompletion results.

Related Searches:

Similar to some of the other features mentioned above, the related search features show you what people are searching for that is similar to your topic. This might inspire content ideas that are different than you originally thought but equally if not more valuable to make content about.

Content Focus

For features to use to focus your content on, Bryan recommended referring to the following SERP features:

• Image Carousels
• Video Carousels
• Featured Snippets
• Local Packs

Images Carousels and Video Carousels:

These features are somewhat hybrid. Images can provide insight into what is visually answering questions that people have. Other times, images are just that, images. So it’s important not to overanalyze all images.

Videos often only exist on the video platform, so you can convert videos into text either as text that reads as the video plays or separate text format entirely. This gives people three different ways to consume the content: by watching, reading while watching, or just reading.

Local Packs:

Your content needs to be locally focused if search results bring up a local pack. If you’re searching for something like fences in Kansas City, you don’t need to make content like snow fences in Wisconsin. Instead, you might create content that asks, “how will my wood fence last in Kansas City humidity?”

Featured Snippets:

This SERP feature acts as a general overview of the query – and indicates a hub topic. If you are working on a hub topic around cornhole boards, you can expect cornhole related featured snippets on pretty much every search. It might be cornhole sports, cornhole boards, cornhole rules, etc. You have to seek what’s relevant in this hub topic results.

So, How Do You Generate SEO Content That Gets Traffic?
“Speak directly to your audience and use the SERPs,” Bryan said. 

Join Us For Future RSM University Webinars

Bryan shared some amazing knowledge about SEO content, and learning doesn’t stop here. RSM University provides access to free information and education that can add value to your business. To learn about future events and sign-up to attend, visit our registration page.