When your air conditioner breaks and you are forced to replace it, you often face the dilemma of paying more up front for a top-of-the-line system you can count on for the next 20 years or less for a lower-grade version that may need replaced in 10. If we are financially able, most of us would make the decision to go with the better system so we don’t have to think about air conditioners for the next two decades.
The point is quality matters. It matters when it comes to everything from home repairs to shoes purchased for running marathons, and you know it matters when it comes to content marketing. At Kuno, we have stood firmly on the side of quality over quantity for several years now, and we don’t anticipate that changing any time soon. Neither does Google.
On July 8, the tech giant was granted a patent titled “Processing webpages based on content quality.” This isn’t something Google is advertising, and there isn’t a lot of information surrounding it quite yet. (Although, Terence Mace published an extremely thorough post here if you want to learn more.)
We do, however, know Google is using an acronym we can all get behind—EAT—to help determine the quality of content on any given web page. EAT stands for:
- Expertise- While Google is no longer using Authorship, it does insist content be created by those who have some sort of proficiency in the field they are writing about. For example, Marcus Sheridan, aka The Sales Lion, is considered an authority on content marketing, whereas a college grad just entering into the marketing world probably is not.
- Authority- If you were looking up tips for cardiac health, it is likely you would prefer information from Mayo Clinic over thoughts on the topic from your next-door neighbor. Why? Because Mayo Clinic is the worldwide leader in medical care; it is the authority on the topic. (Matt Cutts explains how authority is determined here.)
- Trust- When expertise and authority are present, trust is developed. Trust, as you know, leads to onsite conversions and, eventually, purchase decisions.
How does HubSpot COS fit in here?
Providing expertise, authority and trust within every page of content isn't easy. It takes well developed writing, editing and interviewing skills to get it right. Most of all, it takes time, so the last thing you need is a content management system that’s difficult to use or one that doesn’t boost your content marketing efforts.
Now that Kuno has been utilizing the HubSpot COS (content optimization system) for ourselves as well as many of our clients, we’ve noticed several features and benefits that truly make content marketing easier.
- It is optimized for mobile out of the box: This past January, mobile devices accounted for 55 percent of Internet usage in the U.S. That means more than half of time spent on the web was via a smartphone or tablet. If you don’t have a mobile strategy for your content, you are already losing. And your team certainly doesn’t have time to create content for your website and a separate mobile site. HubSpot COS uses a built-in responsive design ready for any mobile device. Your entire website, including your blog, can adapt to every one of your audiences’ devices.
- It is built to incorporate modern SEO best practices: HubSpot COS incorporates helpful elements to blogging and email such as author modules and keyword tools built right in. It even tells you if you are using too many or too few keywords so you can have the biggest impact on your audience and the search engines.
- It is integrated across all marketing channels: It’s so much easier when all of your tools are located in one place. HubSpot agrees. Now you can coordinate your content across email, blogs, social media and your website. And best of all, you can keep it organized by campaign.
- It makes personalized content a reality: You already know you need to create buyer personas for your target audiences. But creating oodles of website pages to satisfy each step of the buyer journey for each persona isn’t easy or beneficial to the user experience. Creating a simplified journey with extremely relevant pages makes your website content not only easier for you, but offers a better customer experience for your users, as well.
- It has a built-in editorial calendar: One of HubSpot’s newest features is its editorial calendar, which is a “centralized place for you to see an overview of your marketing plans, tasks and scheduling.” No more spreadsheets; no more separate schedules for emails, social posts and blogging. Content planning just got so much easier.
The content optimization system makes these digital marketing must-dos possible with little to no effort for marketers, freeing up time to concentrate on providing content with substantial EAT.
How have you utilized HubSpot COS to make your content marketing easier? Share your experiences with us in the comment section below. Not on the COS yet? Contact us today to learn how we can make your life a little easier.
