Mid-Year Content Audit: 6 Questions Every Marketer Should Ask Right Now

What’s working? What’s not? A content audit can help you answer these questions.

You don’t need to review every post you’ve ever published. You just need to ask the right six questions.

By Linda Pophal, MA, SPHR · Strategic Communications, LLC

A content marketing audit is a systematic review of content to evaluate performance, relevance, and strategic alignment. An audit identifies what’s working, what needs updating, and what’s no longer serving your audience or your goals. Mid-year mark is an ideal time to conduct one: enough of the year has passed to generate meaningful performance data, and enough time remains to act on what you find.

We’re at the halfway point of 2026. If you’ve been publishing consistently, you now have a body of work worth examining. Not obsessing over, not rebuilding from scratch. Examining.

A mid-year content audit doesn’t require a team, a consultant, or a spreadsheet with a thousand rows.

It requires six honest questions and the willingness to act on the answers.

Continue reading “Mid-Year Content Audit: 6 Questions Every Marketer Should Ask Right Now”

Addressing Conflicting Feedback as a Content Marketer: The Ideal Review Process

Creating marketing communications materials can be challenging. After decades in the business (yeah, I’m “seasoned”… ), I’ve had multiple experiences with review processes—some great, some good, some not so good, and some absolutely horrendous and extremely frustrating.

Over the years I’ve come to identify a number of best practices that can help to both streamline the content review process and minimize frustrations along the way—for both content creators and subject matter experts.

Continue reading “Addressing Conflicting Feedback as a Content Marketer: The Ideal Review Process”

How SEO (Still) Works in 2024: Understanding the Language of Your Audience

Understanding the language of your audience - how SEO still works in 2024

In my last blog I talked about what I’ve observed as a disconnect between how businesses often talk about their own products and services and how their prospects and customers talk about them. This disconnect can become a significant obstacle when it comes to SEO designed to get audiences to your website. If you’re not using the same words and phrases that your target audience uses when they’re looking for products and services like yours, they’re not likely to find you. Continue reading “How SEO (Still) Works in 2024: Understanding the Language of Your Audience”

SEO Revisited: How SEO (Still) Works in 2024

Content marketing is still something that a lot of companies, large and small, continue to invest in. The ultimate goal, of course, is sales. But, along the way to a sale, content marketers must first capture attention, drive traffic to a website (in most cases), and deliver on the promise that their copy promo or social media post suggested.

SEO, or search engine optimization, has been a big part of this process. And, while I certainly consider SEO when crafting content for myself or my clients, I’m not a slave to it. Here’s why.

 

Continue reading “SEO Revisited: How SEO (Still) Works in 2024”

The Rise of Voice Search and Its Impact on SEO

You’re sitting at your desk, talking to a colleague about a trip to Spain you’re planning. The next thing you know, you’re seeing ads for Spain pop up in Google search and on Facebook. It’s not magic. It’s the power of voice search. Marketers can use your interactions with voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, along with other factors—your search history, shopping activity, visited websites, etc.—to create a comprehensive profile that they can use for ad targeting. Not all voice assistants do this, and the process is actually more complex than it may seem, but it’s illustrative of the shift from text to voice in consumers’ search habits. Voice search is on the rise. Continue reading “The Rise of Voice Search and Its Impact on SEO”

SEO in 2024: Adapting Your Content Strategy for New Algorithms

As we move further into 2024, the landscape of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is evolving at an unprecedented pace, largely driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These technologies are reshaping how search engines understand user intent and deliver results, making it imperative for SEO professionals and content creators to adapt their strategies accordingly.

Here we take a look at some key trends and strategies for SEO in 2024, that you can use to help ensure that your content remains visible and effective in the face of continually evolving algorithmic changes. Continue reading “SEO in 2024: Adapting Your Content Strategy for New Algorithms”

The Power and Potential of Local Search

Think about how you use search engines (most likely Google) to find information about goods and services you are planning to purchase. Chances are, in most cases, your searches are local. Sure Amazon is a top consumer site when purchasing things, but since the pandemic and in a tight economy, there’s a growing interest in “buying local.” Continue reading “The Power and Potential of Local Search”

You’re Using LinkedIn the Wrong Way—Here’s What We Recommend Instead

social media marketing, how to use linkedin, twitter, facebook and other channels to achieve marketing results

I’ve had a LinkedIn profile since 2009. It has become the top source of referrals for my content marketing and marketing consulting services. Not because of the “brilliant” posts I share. Not because I get tons of likes and shares. Not because I write clever copy.

So how have I successfully leveraged LinkedIn to generate leads—and new clients—consistently? Continue reading “You’re Using LinkedIn the Wrong Way—Here’s What We Recommend Instead”

What You Need to Know About Changes in SEO Strategy

SEO has long been the holy grail for internet marketers—and content creators—of all kinds. Attracting eyeballs, and website visitors, was job number one. While that’s still the case to a large degree, SEO has become less of a numbers game and more of a driver for creating high-quality, relevant content. This is because of the ongoing algorithmic changes that Google and other search engines make to deliver a positive search experience for users. Continue reading “What You Need to Know About Changes in SEO Strategy”

Sometimes SEO, as We Typically Think of it, Just Doesn’t Matter!

I’ve written about search engine optimization (SEO) in the past and have gathered input from a wide range of content and digital marketing experts about the topic. As someone who was writing advertising copy long before SEO was “a thing,” I have kind of a love/hate relationship with the concept. Or maybe I should say a love/grudging respect for the concept. Continue reading “Sometimes SEO, as We Typically Think of it, Just Doesn’t Matter!”