Purpose-Driven Content

By Blayne Fielder, Content Strategist

It’s a question we hear quite often… “Where are my pages in Google?”

Too often content is written in order to meet the launch deadline, then a year or two later Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is discussed. Of course, if you built a new hospital you wouldn’t dream of waiting a year or two before determining where the entrances will be located or erecting the signage leading to it. You would make sure potential patients have easy access and can find their way effortlessly, which is also how you should approach your Web site content.

Search for “cancer treatment hospitals” on Google and you’ll get over four million results. Unless your facility is already known as one of the nation’s best, it will be next to impossible to surpass four million competing sites. So the question becomes…”For which search terms do you have the potential to rank highly?”

Focusing on the search terms your potential visitors are using will help deliver the results you’re looking for.

1. Define Your Goal

Imagine you’re writing a page or section about a promising new cancer treatment. Your goal would be to attract newly diagnosed patients in your local service area to your facility for treatment.

2. Differentiate Yourself

Focus on what makes your facility or treatment special or different from the other four million competing sites. Do you have unique technology for your area? Do you successfully treat uncommon illnesses?

3. Identify Your Target Keywords

Now that you’ve defined your goal and what makes you special, use this information to generate three or four search terms for which you can rank highly. Competing among four million other sites for one search term is useless, but ranking among the top 10 for “iowa new cancer treatments” is certainly achievable and sustainable if your content is developed correctly.

4. Build the Content Around Keywords

Only now are you ready to write your content. Using the keywords you’ve identified in step three, build quality content around these terms. Place the keywords in your page titles, headings, meta descriptions and in your body text.

5. Call-To-Action

You had a goal, remember? Step one? It’s up to you to invite your audience to take action. Don’t leave them hanging. Provide a form, a phone number, something.

Now What?

Find out where your pages currently rank and wait. Improvements take time. There are many Web-based utilities available to see where you rank on the search engines. My favorite is a free Firefox plug-in from SEOBook.com.

While you’re waiting, build links to your content. Find local sites or organizations that relate to your content and ask them to link to your pages.

You are now on your way to high search engine rankings and purpose-driven content.