I don’t think I am overstating things when I say that content is the fuel that drives digital marketing. It’s how we build fame and let the world know about the goods and services we provide.
As marketers, we tell our story repeatedly. Over-rehearsal of our narrative, however, can work against us if trends change. It’s therefore important to step outside of our immediate space every now and again to make sure that we are still attuned to the kinds of conversations that our customers are having.
Fortunately, there are some great tools and techniques to help break us out of our established patterns. One way to do this is to keep an eye on the search queries that are driving website traffic. I find that this exercise invariably reveals some keyword gems. Such insights can reveal valuable opportunities for content development, and address neglected areas of customer interest. Search queries, however, are not always front-and-centre in analytics packages, and it can take a bit of digging to locate their whereabouts. One good source is the Search Console module in Google Analytics. This application features a widow which serves up the traffic generating terms that website visitors have employed to find your website.
If you do not have access to Google Analytics, but have a Google Ads account, the Keyword Planner tool can serve as a handy means to check in on the search phrases and concepts that are driving the traffic in your business sector. In addition to keyword phrases, the competition and ranking metrics provide good insight into the popularity associated with these terms.
If your industry is sizeable in nature, then Google Trends could serve as an excellent means to see how topics relating to your business are playing out across the internet at large. Google Trends provides a graphic summary of a given topic’s popularity. The application also provides information on search queries along with trending directions. If properly utilized Google Trends just might be able to help you get in front of the wave every now and again.
In addition to Google properties, a number of other services provide similar insights. Spyfu, for example, offers an overview of keywords that drive both paid and organic traffic to your website as well as your competitors.
Another interesting offering in this area is provided by LSI Graph. This service uses a form of AI technology known as Latent Semantic Indexing, (LSI) to identify, group and build out keyword lists that are associated with thematic concepts. LSI generated lists go beyond standard keyword indexing and takes content analysis to the next level. It’s a great way to identify opportunities for new email topics and landing pages.
As noted earlier, by occasionally stepping outside of our bubble and tuning into the words and phrases that are driving traffic, we can identify subject areas missing from our traditional marketing discourse. It is also an excellent way to generate topics for emails and newsletters. And who knows, a new term or two could be responsible for opening up a whole new market segment.
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