Latest news with #contentstrategy
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Hiring A Content Writer? Maybe You Need A Content Strategist Instead
A content strategist carries out content strategy. Do you have a content strategy for your business? You know you need content. Blog posts. Emails. Lead magnets. Maybe even an entire content library. You want to attract customers, earn trust, and grow your business. So you do what seems logical: Hire a writer. And what do you hand them? A topic. Maybe a keyword. Maybe a vibe. Maybe a deadline. And then you wait for magic. But if what you get back feels off—scattered, superficial, or otherwise not the right fit—you might not have a writing problem. You might have a strategy gap. Writers write; content strategists decide what gets written Content strategists may writer, but they also decide what to write about, for whom, and where to ... More publish. Here's the simplest way to understand the difference between a content writer and a content strategist: It's the difference between saying, "Write me a blog post about humans-in-the-loop for humanoid development," and saying, "We want to build authority in the humanoid development space, especially among humanoid engineers. Let's map out a three-month content series that educates, attracts search traffic, and nurtures people toward our services." That second one? Strategy. From that strategy comes a writing brief. From that brief comes content that has a damn good chance of actually working. A content brief in my inbox: A real-world example Here's a real-life example of what a content strategist does, right from my inbox Just last week, I received an email that said, "We're looking for articles that answer common questions readers are already searching for. We'll provide a detailed brief, created by an SEO expert, designed to help you maximize long-term traffic." See, a brief does more than provide writing direction. It puts content strategy into motion. As soon as I read it, I realized someone had already spotted an opportunity, researched what the audience wants, and built a container for the content. The brief included: I'm a good writer, so all I have to do is follow the brief. But what I want you to see here is that someone had to make that brief. And that someone was a content strategist. If you don't have a strategist in your corner, you're likely relying on your writer to make strategic decisions, which can be good or bad, depending on the writer. Why content strategy matters to your business A content strategist helps your content have pinpoint focus. Here's the thing. You can hire the best content writer in the world, but if you don't give them strategic direction, you're making them guess. That humanoid article I mentioned? It's a real assignment that landed in my inbox without a brief. So I had to email my client back to ask: Without that clarity, content gets fuzzy. Outcomes get fuzzy. ROI gets fuzzy, or disappears. Ask yourself these questions to know if you need a content strategist If you're not sure whether you're hiring a writer or a strategist, ask yourself: If your answer to most of those is 'me, I guess,' you probably need a strategist. How to hire smarter (without doubling your budget) Content strategist or content writer? Here's help for you to decide. Fret not about your budget: You don't need to hire both a content writer and a content strategist right away. But you do need to be clear about what you're asking for. If you only need words on a page, say that. And give your writer a solid brief. If you need help deciding what to create, hire someone who can see the whole forest, how content maps to your brand and content goals, and how it changes the lives of prospects. Some content professionals do both. Others specialize. Know which one you're getting. (Side note: I do both, in case you're wondering. I love helping founders turn scattered content efforts into clear, connected strategies and pieces that work.) The truth is, most good content strategists started as writers. They learned to think beyond the words on the page. So when you hire a content strategist, chances are you're getting someone who can both plan the strategy and do the writing. But when you hire just a writer, you might only get half the equation. The bottom line? When you think 'content strategist,' think "thinker" Content strategists are thinkers. Great content doesn't start with writing. It starts with thinking. If your content efforts aren't working as you'd hoped, or if you've hired writers and still feel like you're not results, it might be time to stop looking for wordsmiths and to start looking for thinkers. With better strategy, you'll get better writing. And with better both, you'll get better results.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO— What Brands Need To Know
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 17, 2018: A passenger waiting to board his plane walks in ... More front of a sign advertising Twilio at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California. Twilio is a cloud communications platform based in San Francisco. (Photo by) We studied that traffic from ChatGPT-style experiences converts up to 9x better than traditional search. Why? Because LLMs behave more like trusted advisors than search engines. This shift is already transforming how consumers discover and buy — and if your brand isn't showing up in these conversations, you're invisible. In this article, I'll break down what Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) means, how brands can train LLMs to recognize them. Answer Engine Optimization is the practice of structuring content so that large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT can understand, reference, and recommend your brand in response to user questions. To get picked up by an LLM, you need to understand how these models learn from content. LLMs get trained to complete sentences. Like: 'Life is like a box of chocolate'. During training the machine would just mask a word at random and then try to predict it. To show up in an LLM's response, your content needs to become part of the training data of LLM. Here are a few tips for businesses: You can't just dump your product catalog into the web and hope LLMs use it. It will scrape it, but it won't use it. Marketing copy won't cut it. LLMs learn through natural dialogue — not taglines. Brands need to shift from static, keyword-based content to dynamic, conversational material. Think less like a brochure, and more like a smart rep answering real customer questions. This is where SEO breaks down — it was built around isolated keywords. LLMs require context. LLMs skip over what they already know. If your content says 'The earth is round,' it won't register — the model already has that data. You need to find in your data something that new or less known about your brand, product, or category. The most valuable content is the stuff the model hasn't seen yet — helpful, real, and grounded in authentic conversation. Some things don't change. Just like in the SEO world, credibility still matters. High-quality content that gets linked, quoted, and validated across sources builds authority. Spam doesn't work. If your brand voice isn't trusted — or doesn't exist — LLMs won't echo it. Every time a new tech trend takes off — AEO is one — Silicon Valley races to build tools around it. AEO is no exception. The latest wave includes dashboards designed to track your brand's presence across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other platforms. A few examples are Profound, Daydream and Goodie. All Track brand mentions across AI platforms. But here's the problem: LLMs don't behave like search engines. They remember. This was not the case in the search era. Google, for example, did not remember your searches. When I worked on Google Health, this was a common complaint from doctors: Google would always return the same results, even if you had already clicked those links before. Every new session was a reset. There was no context. That's no longer true. Ask ChatGPT what it knows about you — you'll see. These models build context. They recall prior interactions. And that memory shapes future recommendations. That however means that monitoring any LLM answers miss the point. As the LLMs memory evolves, and so do the outputs. To fully understand how your brand is being represented, you'd have to know the personalized memory of every single user — an impossible task for any dashboard. So what's the smarter approach? You want to know the traffic. Just watch your traffic. Look at what's actually coming in from ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity. It's cheaper, more reliable — and shows you what really matters. Measurements are just half the rent. To impact the LLMs trainings data, you need new brand content. The old SEO playbook does not work anymore. Your brand has unique knowledge. It has a vision. Don't hide it behind generic product listings. Let's say someone searches for a 'retirement watch.' Don't just list five SKUs. Explain what makes a great retirement watch. Legacy? Legibility? Sentimental value? Engage the customer into an authentic conversation. That's the kind of context LLMs are trained to pick up. In short: show the real conversations you're already having. Look at your site search queries, your sales team scripts, your support chats. That's gold. LLMs thrive on the kind of content that sounds like a helpful human. Here's how to approach it: Some brands already have this content out in the open — in community forums, Reddit threads, or customer discussions. They'll naturally surface in LLM results. Others have great content buried in customer service logs or internal tools. That needs to come out. Structure it. Publish it. Make it discoverable. Many tools can help you here: Google's Vertex, Meta's LLama, or fine-tuned industry specific approaches like r2decide, a company I am involved with. AEO is just the beginning. Two even bigger shifts are on the horizon — and both will deeply impact how brands show up in the age of AI. LLMs will soon integrate advertising directly into their answers. Google, Perplexity, and OpenAI have all confirmed this. When exactly? Probably by early 2025 — if not sooner. But don't expect just ads or sponsored results. These models will deliver recommendations, at the end you pay for the service of ChatGPT, thus the dynamic is changing. To do that, new supply-side bidding platforms will emerge — ones that can feed LLMs with conversational ad snippets tailored to the user's prompt. The focus won't be on 'selling,' but on helping. That means brands will need their own brand-side LLM — a layer that can speak for the company inside these conversations and provide the right product at the right moment. The next wave is even bigger: agents that manage full transactions inside the LLM interface. OpenAI has already introduced Model Context Protocols (MCPs) — a new layer that allows ChatGPT to do more than chat. It can check stock, answer personalized questions, even schedule deliveries. Sam Altman has said the goal is to create personal AI companions that can act — not just inform. For brands, that means building an agent layer of your own — a system that can plug into these conversations, respond with tailored info, and complete the customer journey without sending the user back to your website. To stay relevant, brands need their own discovery layer: content that speaks the language of LLMs — conversational, helpful, and ready to be recommended. This isn't theory. The shift is already underway. If you want to dive deeper, ping me on LinkedIn.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Local Content Cluster Strategy: How To Outrank Your Competitors
Oleg Levitas, a visionary SEO Expert, founded Pravda SEO to revolutionize how local businesses dominate search rankings. After nearly two decades helping local businesses improve their SEO, I've seen the same pattern repeat: Companies invest in service pages, blog content and social updates—but without a strong local SEO strategy, their rankings plateau, leads slow down, and local visibility falls short. In 2025, generic service pages and scattered blog posts likely won't go far in local SEO. Search engines prioritize organized content, topical depth and clear relevance. They need to see what you offer, where, and how your pages connect. That's what a local content cluster strategy is designed to solve. It can bring your content into focus, strengthen your authority, and help your business show up in the searches that lead to real customers. The local content cluster strategy is a smart, strategic way to structure your website—one that mirrors how people search and how search engines understand relevance. Instead of treating every page separately, you build around a central topic—usually a core service. A pillar page provides an overview, with supporting pages covering related details and search-driven questions. Next, you add location pages SEO-optimized for each town or neighborhood you serve. These should go beyond changing city names, reflecting local context and terminology that will help users and search engines trust you. Why does this structure work? In my experience, there are three main reasons: • It helps users get answers faster, without jumping between disconnected pages. • It signals depth and topical authority SEO to search engines. • It strengthens internal linking, improving flow and visibility across your site. With this strategy, you're no longer chasing broad terms like 'garage door repair near me.' Now, you rank for high-intent searches like 'garage door sensor replacement in Marshfield MA' or 'opener spring cost in Plymouth'—the searches that convert. If you've already built out service pages and started covering local areas, you're halfway there. But unless they're built to work as a system, it's less likely that they'll earn rankings—or results. These three steps can help you take your setup to the next level. 1. Make sure everything aligns. Your website and Google Business Profile should tell the same story—same services, areas and details. If these are misaligned, it can weaken trust and give search engines less reason to rank you. 2. Write location pages that feel local. A big mistake I see many businesses make is copying one location page and swapping in different city names. To create location pages that are SEO-optimized to rank, each needs to reflect the area it targets. Mention real neighborhoods, landmarks or local challenges—details that show you understand the place, not just the Zip code. 3. Use internal links to create flow. Strong internal linking ties your local content cluster together. Connect FAQs, service pages and location pages to your pillar page to guide users and give search engines the clarity to rank your site. And don't forget schema markup—add it to your service and location pages to help search engines understand what you do and where. The good news is that you don't need to implement your local content cluster strategy all at once. I've found that this 90-day rollout can allow companies to move in phases, building structure step by step. • Identify your core services and the geographic areas you serve. • Develop a keyword list based on search volume and buyer intent. • Use a topic cluster SEO model to outline your content: one pillar page, supporting pages, and location pages SEO-targeted for nearby towns. • Write your pillar page with comprehensive service coverage. • Create three to six supporting pages that address detailed questions and subtopics. • Focus on structure, problem-solving and user intent. • Write location pages that reflect the cities you serve. Be specific. • Reference landmarks, neighborhoods or seasonal concerns that matter locally. • Link these pages to your pillar page and supporting content. Smart internal linking helps reinforce your authority. • Improve your mobile usability and page speed. • Fix broken links and tighten your internal linking structure. • Monitor performance, and optimize pages that aren't getting traction. This approach isn't aiming for quantity. You're building a clear, connected strategy that will help your business stay visible long-term. Even with the right structure in place, I often see local SEO strategies fall short because of the following execution gaps: • Duplicate Or Thin Location Pages: If only the city name changes, Google may not index the pages. Include local context that matters—to users and Google. • Keyword-Stuffing: Overusing phrases like 'garage door repair Marshfield MA' makes content difficult to read and less credible. • AI-Generated Content With No Editing: AI tools can help, but all content still needs human review and judgment. Quality matters. • Poor Mobile Experience: If your site is hard to use on a phone, many people won't stay—and search engines notice that. SEO for local businesses typically works best when you stop gaming the system and deliver helpful, well-structured content that earns visibility. And the more relevant and useful your content is over time, the better future pages should start to perform. In my experience, long-term success in local SEO doesn't come from shortcuts. It comes from strategy—specifically, one that combines structure, clarity and intent. When done right, local content clusters for SEO can improve rankings, guide local traffic and give every page on your site a clear purpose, showing search engines what you offer and why customers should choose you. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Entrepreneur
13-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Influence That Converts: How Entrepreneurs Use Social Media to Drive Real Business Growth
Join us for this free webinar and learn content strategies that lead to engagement, trust, and new business opportunities. Social media is no longer optional; it's a growth engine for modern entrepreneurs. But how do you get started? And once you're up and running, how do you maximize your time and results? Join us for a free webinar, Influence That Converts: How Entrepreneurs Use Social Media to Drive Real Business Growth, presented by Cruise Planners and Entrepreneur. In this dynamic 60-minute webinar moderated by Entrepreneur's Business Development Expert-in-Residence Terry Rice, discover how business owners are building influence online to drive serious revenue offline. Rice will be joined by a panel of speakers who have first-hand, real-world experience building and engaging audiences over social media: Cruise Planners' Social Media Strategist Brianna Taylor, and Cruise Planners franchisees Matt and Chelsy Hoffman (@HoffmanHappyTravels on YouTube), and Nick Pena (@cubancruiseguy on Instagram). You'll hear how they turned content into connection and connection into conversions. With lessons from the travel industry that translate across any business, this session is a must for anyone looking to grow their brand, audience, and bottom line through social media. With lessons from the travel industry that translate across any business, this session is a must for anyone who is looking to grow their brand, audience, and bottom line through social media. Topics we'll explore during this webinar will include: Content that converts: Discover the content strategies that lead to engagement, trust, and new business opportunities. Discover the content strategies that lead to engagement, trust, and new business opportunities. Start before you're ready: Learn how to get over the fear of creating content—and why the most effective posts are often unscripted and authentic. Learn how to get over the fear of creating content—and why the most effective posts are often unscripted and authentic. Credibility through consistency: Understand how regular content reinforces your brand, builds trust, and grows your audience over time. Understand how regular content reinforces your brand, builds trust, and grows your audience over time. Influence that drives results: Learn how to move beyond likes and followers to build real relationships that generate revenue. Learn how to move beyond likes and followers to build real relationships that generate revenue. The power of franchising: See how Cruise Planners franchisees benefit from built-in marketing support, name recognition, and access to exclusive promotions. See how Cruise Planners franchisees benefit from built-in marketing support, name recognition, and access to exclusive promotions. Bonus: All attendees will receive a free copy of Cruise Planners' Guide to Social Media—a practical resource to help you create content that converts and scale your brand with confidence. The Influence That Converts: How Entrepreneurs Use Social Media to Drive Real Business Growth webinar will be held live on Tuesday July 15 at 2 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. PT.
Entrepreneur
11-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Why Your Content Messaging Isn't Converting — And What to Do About It
Content fails when it speaks 'at' audiences, not 'to' them. To convert, your messaging must be focused, data-backed and designed for how people actually read. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Over the years, I've had the privilege of running multiple companies and contributing to the growth of Digital Silk as a global digital agency. During this journey, I've seen the same thing time and again: brands investing in content, launching websites, blogs and CTAs, only to be disappointed by the results. It's not that they're not publishing. It's that they're not connecting. In my experience, content without strategy is just noise. Content with the right messaging becomes a powerful growth engine. Here's what I've learned about making content messaging actually work and convert. Related: She Quit Her Corporate Job to Sell a Refreshing Summer Staple — Then Made $38,000 the First Week and $1 Million in Year 1 Your content isn't a broadcast — it's a conversation Today's audience expects more than information. 71% of consumers want personalized content, and they get frustrated when it feels generic. Yet many brands still speak at their audience, not with them. The messaging may sound polished, but if it doesn't reflect your audience's actual concerns, it won't connect or convert. For example, reviewing support tickets, FAQ submissions or sales call notes can uncover repeated questions or objections your team hears every day. These insights can be used to shape your messaging around what your audience is really thinking, not just what you want to say. When you do this well, the shift is immediate. Content becomes more relevant. Engagement improves. And over time, so do your results. Related: How New Businesses Can Create a Content Marketing Strategy You can't resonate with everyone — and you shouldn't try Trying to appeal to everyone is one of the quickest ways to lose your audience. Content becomes diluted and generic. What works better, and what I always recommend, is focusing deeply on a specific segment. Instead of guessing, listen to what your users are saying, analyze their search behavior and study their decision-making moments. When your content targets a narrow audience with a defined problem, it feels relevant and useful and not like just another SEO exercise that missed the mark. Related: How to Thrive in Niche Markets Stats don't just support your point — they make it Content marketing has changed. You're no longer just telling a story — you're proving it. I always back up major points with credible data because it gives your audience something to trust. Here are a few statistics that consistently prove their worth: 88% of users won't return to a site after a bad experience Articles with relevant images get 94% more views Users spend 1.4x more time on pages with videos These figures do more than fill space — they help make your case. The numbers inform design decisions, content hierarchy and even CTA placement. If you're not using data to make your message stronger, you're missing a major trust-building opportunity. Related: How to Build a Powerful, Results-Driven Media Relations Campaign By Utilizing Data Design your content for how people actually read One of the things I emphasize with our clients is: don't make people work to understand you. Structure matters because most people don't read — they scan. That's not a theory; it's reality. So, your job is to make your content as scannable and frictionless as possible. Short paragraphs, bullet points, clear and benefit-led subheadings and key takeaways highlighted mid-scroll make a huge difference in how people engage. Remember that content isn't just about what you say. It's about how easy it is to absorb. Related: The Science Behind Why People Scan Content Instead of Reading The way your message looks is part of the message Too many companies separate content from design. I've learned to view them as two sides of the same coin. Typography, for example, plays a crucial role in your messaging strategy. The right font size, weight and spacing can subtly influence whether people read your content or bounce. Bad typography creates visual friction; good typography builds trust and makes information more digestible. It's not just about looking pretty. It's about guiding the reader's eye, creating hierarchy and communicating clarity. A cluttered layout or poor font choice can make even great copy feel confusing or untrustworthy. Other visual elements matter too. For example, motion graphics help simplify complex ideas, clean layouts reduce cognitive load, while charts and visuals improve comprehension. Remember, humans process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. That's why I encourage teams to think visually from the start. Use animated charts, clean layouts and motion to simplify complex ideas and reinforce trust. If your message matters, show it — don't just say it. Related: 12 Hacks to Keep Visitors on Your Pages Longer Your CTA isn't a nice-to-have — it's the next step in the journey One thing I always tell clients: every piece of content needs a clear, compelling next step. Whether that's a download, a signup, or a read-more, don't leave your audience hanging. Whether it's a button, a link, or a contact form, your call to action should be clear, direct and specific. Vague CTAs like "learn more" or "get started" often underperform because they don't speak to the reader's actual goal. A simple test I use: if your CTA could apply to any business on the planet, it's too vague. Instead, use language that highlights an outcome or addresses a specific curiosity: "See the full pricing breakdown." "Get the checklis.t" "Compare features side by sid.e" The clearer the destination, the higher the click-through rate. Listen before you write If there's one principle I've learned building agency content strategies for Fortune 500s and startups alike, it's this: your message isn't about what you want to say. It's about what your audience needs to hear and act on. The most successful content messaging happens when you listen before you write, narrow your focus, use stats with sources, design for clarity (not clutter) and make every CTA intentional. When you align message, structure, visuals and data, content starts to do what it's meant to do — connect, convert and grow your brand.
