SEO, Content Marketing, and AI: Scott Pittman Interview Scott Pittman of Reef Digital discusses strategies for improving organic search rankings and leveraging content marketing. He emphasizes the importance of a strong technical SEO foundation and website structure before focusing on content and links. Pittman advocates for aligning content strategy with the customer conversion journey, targeting keywords based on domain authority, and building comprehensive content structures with internal and external links.
The discussion also covers PPC campaign optimization, focusing on compelling offers and well-designed landing pages and integrating brand storytelling and matching offer temperature to content type.
Pittman also suggests that AI will significantly disrupt content creation and stresses the need for experienced marketers to guide AI tools effectively, adding a personal touch to content to differentiate it from AI-generated content, and also focusing on optimizing for social search, which can prove more important than optimizing for Search Generative Experiences.
Technical SEO and Website Structure
For a fitness center aiming to improve its online visibility, the initial step involves ensuring the right technical foundation. This includes performing a technical SEO audit to eliminate errors and meet essential criteria.
A critical element is the website’s structure and information architecture. It’s important to have pages that align with how the target audience searches, identifying any gaps, and ensuring these pages match the search intent behind the keywords.
Once the technical and structural foundations are set, the focus shifts to content and links, which are vital for SEO success.
While technical SEO is crucial, its ongoing impact might be limited unless dealing with a large enterprise site. The primary technical work is setting up the foundation, after which content and links become the main drivers.
When it comes to implementing technical SEO, one can use various tools, but understanding the data is key. While AI is evolving and bringing advancements to technical SEO, it’s essential to grasp the strategies as a whole.
Content and SEO Strategy
Content strategy is a key element that goes beyond just posting content to a blog using long-tail keywords. A proper SEO strategy aligns with the customer conversion journey and targets specific keywords over time.
To create an effective SEO content strategy, identify topic pillars aligned with the brand and audience interests. Then, choose keywords and design a content structure to rank for them, considering the entire customer journey.
Prioritize content closer to the point of conversion, such as product or service pages, before moving to top-of-funnel content. This approach attracts higher-intent traffic from the start, potentially leading to earlier conversions. Building a foundation of lower to middle funnel content helps increase topical authority and improves overall site ranking.
When selecting keywords, domain authority versus keyword difficulty should be considered. It’s also important to match content with search intent.
Once keywords are chosen, design a content structure with a main target keyword and supporting content that internally links to the main piece, building topical authority.
Link Building and Authority
Links are important to improve rankings. Building external links to the content structure helps to lift its ranking for the targeted terms and enhance domain authority.
Methods of building links to specific pages include guest authoring on other sites and creating content that attracts social media attention, potentially leading to coverage by journalists and media outlets. Creating and pitching data-driven stories to journalists can also generate valuable links.
After the technical foundation and right structure are in place, it’s important to monitor and address any high-impact issues. The next step is to decide on topic pillars, mapping the content strategy to the customer conversion journey and choosing target keywords based on data.
Building a middle to lower funnel content foundation first, then designing an SEO content structure to rank for the initial cluster of keywords is vital. Bringing in top-of-funnel content and link-based activities enhances performance.
Continuously building content, growing domain authority, traffic, brand awareness, and expertise can lead to customer growth. Splintering content into micro-content and sharing it across social media, along with creating video content, can further boost rankings.
PPC Campaign Essentials
For high-impact PPC, a strong offer communicated clearly on a well-designed landing page is essential. The ads should effectively frame the offer, and the landing page must deliver on the ad’s promises, creating a strong connection between the two.
To start a PPC campaign for a fitness studio, align it with specific goals. The audience behavior for fitness studios differs from transactional or lead generation sites because the buying journey can be longer due to factors like existing contracts.
Many potential customers might engage with the website but convert later or visit the gym in person. Location, convenience, and accessibility are major motivators.
A strong correlation exists between reach, awareness, and the number of people who sign up at the fitness center. Experiments and tests, such as adjusting channel focus, help determine the effect on foot traffic and conversions.
Starting with higher-intent searches, like “fitness centers near me,” on Google can be effective. Depending on goals, focusing on the higher intent area can be a good starting point if the market is addressable and the cost works commercially.
AI’s Role in SEO and PPC
AI’s role in SEO and PPC is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to disrupt content, copywriting, and creative processes. While AI can significantly increase productivity, expertise in these disciplines is necessary to maximize its benefits.
With the emergence of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), websites will still be present, offering jumping-off points for users to explore. Optimizing for the SGE box is a new area, and Google aims to continue sending traffic to sites.
The key differentiator for content will be uniqueness and personal experience. Generic content will likely become obsolete as AI tools provide easy information.
Content creators should focus on incorporating personal experiences and perspectives, which AI cannot easily replicate. Including video content featuring a human creator with experience in the topic adds uniqueness and value.
Social search optimization (SSO) is emerging as a significant trend, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram prioritizing content based on keywords. Optimizing social media content for keywords can increase visibility on these platforms.