Don't Guest Blog As Often
About two years ago guest blogging was very much seen as the future of link building. A great way of securing natural links within content on high quality and relevant websites.
Unfortunately in 2014, this is no longer the case, with too many companies producing below-par content and publishing it on questionable websites. If your SEO or content strategy relies heavily on guest blogging then, like with fatty foods, you should really consider cutting down.
High quality guest blogs published on relevant and well trafficked websites are a great way of reaching your target market, however you will inevitably struggle to produce consistently good content if you are doing it all the time.
Instead, make one of your resolutions to only guest blog when you have something to say.
Think Outside The Box
A successful blog needs to be updated regularly to avoid it becoming 'dead', and the subsequent pressure of needing to produce something can lead to a somewhat uncreative mindset.
If you've found yourself stuck in a cycle of producing generic newsfeed articles and guest blogs just so you can keep your content updated you could be doing your campaign more harm than good. Not only is uninteresting and unuseful content unlikely to garner engagement from users but it may also make it look like your company doesn't really know what it's talking about.
Instead try and get a little more creative in 2014. Research what your target market like to share - whether it's related to what you do or not - and produce content that is going to blow their minds or capture their attention.
Take the Happiness Generator on the bingo comparison site Two Little Fleas for example. Is it to do with bingo? No. Will their users love it? Definitely.
Get Interactive With Infographics
If guest blogging was the standout SEO trend of 2012 then it was infographics that were content's hottest property in 2013. When you look at the stats on our engagement with visual content versus written content it is clear to see why, but is 2014 the time to take things to the next level?
Thinglink is a fantastic free tool for transforming your infographics and images from passive user experiences into interactive ones - and it couldn't be easier to use. Check out this awesome post from Wayne Baker about Creating Interactive Content on a Budget for more info on this and many other great tools for bringing your infographics to life.
Think About Mobile
As you are probably aware, how your content appears on the screen is essential in keeping users on your site, however in 2014 you need to be thinking about aesthetics beyond the computer screen.
It is expected that 35% of all search engine traffic will be from mobile devices this year, so it is imperative that your content displays correctly on smart phone and tablet browsers. Test your site on a number of different platforms and make sure that it is appearing to the user in the right way.
Do you have any 2014 New Year Content resolutions of your own? Let us know in the comment section below.
