Yearly Archives: 2023

If you’ve ever written a blog post before, you know how much time it can take.

From topic selection and gathering research to writing the post and pressing “Publish,” the process often demands hours. That‘s why, if your post doesn’t earn the traffic you expected, it can be a major letdown.

Fortunately, there’s a way to combat low traffic: search engine optimization. As marketers, we‘re always aiming to write content that’ll rank highly on Google, and SEO is the bridge that’ll help you get there. That begs the question: How do you incorporate that into your content?

Don‘t worry — we’ve got you covered. In this post, we’re going to dive into 12 ways to master SEO writing.

With higher rankings, your website increases its overall visibility. The ultimate goal is to drive organic traffic, increase conversions, and achieve business objectives through effective optimization.

If you don’t optimize your content for search engines, your website may suffer from low visibility and poor rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). As a result, the potential reach and exposure of your content may be significantly reduced.

Why is SEO content writing important?

Without SEO, your content is less likely to rank highly on search engines. Ranking lower may hinder your ability to attract and engage with your target audience. It may also make your content seem less credible and authoritative.

A 2020 Search Engine Journal study found that the clickthrough rate for websites in position one on the SERP is 25%. This number drops drastically to 15% for websites in position two and then down to 2.5% for websites in position 10. When you get to page two of Google, that number gets even lower.

This means that if your website is not on the first page, there’s a small chance consumers will find your website organically. Fewer visits to your site mean fewer opportunities to generate leads, and ultimately, revenue.

Your next best option is investing in advertising to get those users to your site. But that costs money, and if you’re on a tight budget, why not invest time in SEO writing? It’s free and will likely bring you traffic for much longer than a campaign would.

The Basics of SEO Content Writing

When getting started with SEO content writing, it’s important to understand the basics. Here are some fundamental principles to follow when incorporating SEO into your writing.

Keyword Optimization

Keyword optimization is all about strategically using relevant keywords and phrases in your content to boost its visibility and ranking. This aspect of SEO is super important because it helps search engines better understand your content, thereby increasing the chances of it appearing in relevant search queries and attracting organic traffic.

To select the best keywords, you’ll need to research and identify what exactly your target audience is looking for and align it with your content’s topic. Finding the right balance between incorporating keywords in a way that makes sense to readers and satisfies search engine algorithms is key.

We’ll go more in-depth about how to find keywords and how to disperse them throughout your content in the tips section.

User Intent

User intent refers to the motivation or purpose behind a user’s search query. It’s all about figuring out what they really want to discover when typing something into a search engine.

There are generally four types of user intent:

• Informational intent: When someone is seeking information or answers to their questions. They may be looking for definitions, explanations, how-to guides, or research materials.
• Navigational intent: When someone is searching for a specific website or brand. They already know what they want to find and are using a search engine to navigate to a particular webpage.
• Transactional intent: When someone is ready to take action, such as making a purchase, subscribing to a service, or booking an appointment.
• Commercial intent: When someone is researching products or services with the intention to buy later. They are comparing products, reading reviews, and looking for the best deals before making a decision.

By understanding user intent, you can create content that aligns with what people are looking for and boost your chances of showing up in search results. It’s all about giving people what they need and providing them with a good search experience.

Readability

Writing for SEO isn’t just about what you write, it’s also about how you write. It isn’t enough to just place keywords into your content and call it a day. You need to consider how your audience’s experience will be when they read it.

This is where readability comes in.

Readability is all about striking the right balance between optimizing for search engines and ensuring that your content is enjoyable and valuable to human readers.

In addition to optimizing your content with keywords and internal links, you’ll want to focus on user experience. Write in a reader-friendly manner by using clear and concise language and avoiding jargon. You’ll also want to utilize headings and make your content more scannable (more on that below).

When writing and editing your content ask yourself: Is this easy to understand? Does this have a logical flow? Is this engaging? If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” you may need to make some changes.

Historical Optimization

Every SEO writer knows that an evergreen blog post will never be completely finished, even after it’s been published. Thanks to algorithm updates and competitors targeting the same keywords, search results are always changing.

That’s why it’s important to have a content update strategy in place to ensure your older web content remains fresh and relevant in search engine rankings. This practice is called historical optimization.

To figure out which blog posts you need to update, assess your older content by conducting a content audit to find underperforming or outdated pieces. Then, determine how to improve the piece. This usually involves refreshing the content by adding new information, removing outdated information, optimizing keywords, and improving formatting and readability.

1. Start with keyword research.

It’s estimated that Google processes over 70,000 search queries a second. Staggering, right?

If you want to cut through SERP clutter and outrank your competitors, you need to target the specific keywords and phrases your potential customers are searching for. Otherwise, how else will they find your content and website?

Start with a keyword research tool. Sites like Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner give you details on what users are searching for and how popular those queries are.

For an inside look into how Ahrefs can aid you in your SEO keyword research and beyond, check out our case study and exclusive interview here.

Google Trends can also give you a feel for what keywords are popular at any given time. If you see searches are steadily declining over time for a specific keyword, you know that’s probably not the right keyword to target for your marketing. The opposite is true for rising trends.

If you’re ever running low on keyword ideas, get inspiration from your competition. Use competitive intelligence tools to see what keywords their domains currently rank for. If these keywords are relevant to your business, consider using them too.

However, keep in mind that the most obvious keywords don’t always align with your strategy. Additionally, your focus keywords will evolve over time as trends shift, terminology changes or your product/service line grows.

Be sure to conduct keyword research periodically to ensure you’re still focusing on the right keywords for your target audience and not missing out on vital ranking opportunities.

2. Use headings to your benefit.

Headers help Google’s web crawlers understand your blog post and the sections within it.

Think of the crawlers as readers who are skimming your blog. They want an overview of what your article will cover, that’s your H1. Then your H2s, H3s, H4s break down the subtopics within the piece.

So, your subheaders should reflect the content in the body and include high-intent keywords. When you use the right keywords, meaning the ones your target audience is using, you have a much higher chance of ranking on the SERP.

3. Optimize your content for featured snippets.

Featured snippets on Google are the most direct answers to search queries. For instance, if I were to search, “How do you write a blog post?” Google might use a featured snippet to show the best answer.

To earn a featured snippet on Google, you’ll need to answer the question thoroughly and succinctly.

For instance, if the search term is “How to screenshot on mac,” you can put “How to Take a Screenshot on a MacBook Computer” as your H1 or H2, followed by the steps in a numbered or bulleted list.

Once you’ve done that, be sure to include part of the question in your answer. Using the example above, you would start the paragraph with the following: “To take a screenshot on your MacBook, here are the steps…”

Additionally, start each sentence with an actionable verb, like “click” and “select.”

If the keyword for which you want to capture the featured snippet requires a definition, write an answer that’s no more than 58 words.

4. Write for humans, not search engines.

With all these SEO guidelines, it can be easy to forget that when a user searches on Google, they are looking for an answer. The best way for you to improve your chances of ranking is by writing high-quality blog posts.

What does that look like? Thorough answers, scannable sections, organized subheaders, and visual aids.

Keep your buyer personas, their motivations, challenges, and interests in mind. It’s also important to choose topics that will resonate with your potential customers and address their pain points.

While some SEO tools can help on the technical side of your site, you can also opt to use content writing SEO tools to help you to write correct, concise, and human-friendly content that will rank well and engage readers. Different tools also measure content engagement, allowing you to see how long people are spending on a page, whether or not they’re visiting multiple pages, or how far people are scrolling down your site.

Pro tip: Writing can be difficult when keeping all of these variables in mind. One way to simplify the process is to organize your main thoughts, and then use them as a prompt for an AI tool, like HubSpot’s free AI blog writer.

You can then go through that draft and add the personal touches and optimizations that make it fun for humans to read.

5. Optimize your title.

Even with a great, SEO-friendly post body, a bad headline could hurt you in the SERP.

To title your post with SEO in mind, write something compelling that also incorporates your main keyword. Here are a few tips:

• Incorporate numbers. E.g.: “5 Ways to Rock a Matte Lipstick.”
• Include your offer in the title. E.g.: “How to Write a Cover Letter [+ Free Template]”
• Add a teaser. E.g.: “We Tried the New [Insert App Name] App: Here’s What Happened”

6. Include keywords in your meta description.

Are you adding meta descriptions to your post? If your answer is “no,” then you‘re probably not getting as much traffic as you could. Let’s get into why they’re important.

By now, we‘ve talked about a couple of the ways a blog post can communicate with Google: subheaders, keywords, and snippets. However, that’s not an exhaustive list.

Meta descriptions are another area Google crawls to determine search rankings. Meta descriptions are the one- to three-sentence descriptions, you’ll find underneath the title of a result.

Use meta descriptions to sum up what your post is about, and remember to:

• Keep it short.
• Use one to two keywords.
• Make it compelling. After all, there are going to be other posts similar to yours so you’ll want your description to stand out above the rest.

Most content management systems (CMS) have meta description boxes built-in, so you likely won’t have to look far to use the function.

7. Add alt text to images.

With any image you add to your post – featured or body images – you’ll want to add alt text.

Alt text describes what’s happening in the photo and it helps Google (as well as those who are visually impaired) understand why the photo is in your post.

For instance, let’s say your article is about virtual events and you include the following image:

Image Source

The alt text should read something like, “Business man attending a virtual event sits at a desk while holding a pen.”

This sentence is descriptive and includes the main keyword “virtual event.” So, even if the reality is that this is a stock image, you can create a narrative that aligns with your blog post.

8. Resist the urge to keyword stuff.

The goal is to make your page fully optimized, not overbearing. Find natural fits for keyword additions, but don’t force them to the point where your content is illegible.

For example, if your keywords are “account-based marketing,” “startups,” and “sales,” avoid a meta description like this: “Sales for account-based marketing startups.”

Instead, try focusing on one or two keywords to make the description more natural: “Are you looking for killer strategies to boost your account-based marketing game? Discover our research-backed techniques in this post.”

With this approach, you‘re still using keywords, but you’re not oversaturating the post. Remember, your goal is to solve for your audience. If your users have a poor reading experience, that will signal to Google that your post may not be meeting their needs.

9. Link to high-authority websites.

As you build out your blog post, don’t be afraid to link externally.

Linking to reputable websites not only offers blog readers additional reading material to expand their knowledge, but it also shows search engines that you’ve done your research.

Nothing strengthens a blog post like research-backed statistics from influential websites. Compelling stats help you build a more convincing and concrete argument that will help you gain trust from your readers.

10. Aim for scannable, longer posts.

In an age of short attention spans, you would think shorter blog posts are the way to go. But in fact, search engines like Google actually prefer longer, in-depth blog posts.

Think about it: the more content on the page, the more clues search engines have to figure out what your blog is about. At HubSpot, we’ve found that the ideal length is between 2,100 and 2,400 words.

The downside to longer blogs is that they may overwhelm your readers. One way to combat that is by breaking down your content into bite-size, scannable chunks.

Turn a long-winded sentence into two and keep your paragraphs to three sentences or less.

Don’t forget about bullet points – they’re great attention grabbers and easily digestible, especially on mobile devices.

11. Link to other posts on your site.

Linking to other pages or blog posts on your website helps search engines create an accurate sitemap. It also helps your audience discover more of your content and get to know you as a trustworthy, credible source of information.

On the user side, Internal links to other valuable content keep readers on your site longer, reducing bounce rate and increasing your potential for a conversion. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

When linking to any pages on your website, or even outside sources, use natural language for your anchor text. Avoid using spammy or generic calls to action, such as “top-rated cheap laptops” or “click here.”

Instead, use descriptive keywords that give readers a sense of what they will find when they click on the hyperlink, like “Download your SEO guide.”

Never force-feed links to your top webpages, featured products, or discounted items. Include links that enhance the points made in your posts and naturally tie in with the subject matter.

12. Compress images for fast page load speed.

Google rewards pages with fast loading speeds, as it improves the user experience.

One of the leading culprits of page lag is large, heavy images. If you have several images in your post and each one is over 100KB, that can drastically impact your page speed.

Luckily, there are free apps, like Squoosh.app, that compress images without sacrificing quality.

If you suspect that your low ranking is due to slow page speeds, head over to Google’s PageSpeed site for a free analysis and recommendations.

13. Design a link-building strategy.

Link building is crucial to your search ranking.

Why? Think of search results like a competition where the winners get the most votes. Each webpage that links back to you is considered a vote for your website, which makes your content more trustworthy in the eyes of Google. In turn, this will make you rise further up in ranking.

So, it’s good to write posts that other websites or publications will want to hyperlink within their own posts. To make your website’s blog post more linkable, include high-value assets in your posts, such as original data and thought leadership.

Conducting interviews with experts is another effective way of leading traffic back to your website.

Get Started with SEO Writing

You know how to write content audiences will love. Now, it’s time to include elements that Google will love too. It can sound tricky at first, with these SEO tips, you’ll be on the first page of Google in no time.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Success in the media space is a moving target. While prior media conglomerates focused heavily on amassing large audiences and monetizing through advertising, emerging media brands are finding success by creating their own lifestyle brands to generate growth and engagement.

Media Companies That Are Spinning Success

Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine is rewriting the playbook for how production companies can rise to the top. Hello Sunshine first started generating popularity with audiences through a modern book club model, reminiscent of Oprah’s book picks in the 90s.

Witherspoon started a book club in 2017 offering a monthly book recommendation to her fans. The book club became its own lifestyle brand that generated interest in the content created by Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine.

Essentially, Witherspoon’s media-lifestyle hybrid looks something like this:

• A book is chosen for Reese’s Book Club
• Her production company Hello Sunshine acquires the on-screen rights to books that have veen featured by the book club
• Hello Sunshine produces and publishes movies and television shows related to these books
• The engaged community that has already connected with the books are eager to watch Hello Sunshine’s content

…And the cycle repeats. What Witherspoon has created is a unique hybrid of a lifestyle brand and production company, creating a built-in audience for content produced by the company. This strategy has paid off — in 2021 Hello Sunshine sold for $900M to an undisclosed buyer.

Podcast host Alex Cooper is following a similar model to expand her content empire beyond her popular podcast Call Her Daddy.

In 2021, Cooper made headlines after inking a $60 million deal with Spotify, giving the platform exclusive publishing rights to her podcast for three years. This year, Cooper launched her own production company with her fiance called Trending, aimed at engaging a younger audience.

The first offering is a podcast network called Unwell where she’s signed popular Gen Z creators Alix Earle and Madison Argy, helping them launch their own high-profile shows using her podcasting playbook.

In addition to podcasts, trending is also producing movies. The first, called Love at First Sight, premiered on Netflix last month with Cooper’s fans and listeners on deck generating excitement for the film. By creating an ecosystem of media spanning hyper-engaged audiences across various podcasts, movies, and in-person appearances, Cooper is generating interest in every major project she touches.

Both of these examples offer a new blueprint for modern media companies as the industry’s landscape continues to evolve.

A great resume can help get you noticed by prospective employers. But what makes a resume “great”? How do you catch recruiters’ attention, encourage them to read your resume, and ultimately call you for an interview?

Two words: Simple and effective.

In this piece, we’ll offer a step-by-step guide to writing a simple, effective resume. Then, we’ll showcase 20 examples of what this looks like in practice. Ready to level up your resume-writing technique? Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• How to Write a Simple Resume
• 20 Simple Resume Examples

How to Write a Simple Resume

While resume specifics vary depending on the type of job you’re looking for and the experience required, there are seven steps that apply in any circumstance to help your resume stand out.

1. Pick a format.

Before you start writing, pick a format that suits both your personal style and works for the position being offered.

For example, if you’re applying for a graphic design position, it may be worth including images on your resume that help highlight your skills.

If the job you’re after is a highly technical engineering role, meanwhile, you may want something more straightforward.

Regardless of the format you choose, the goal is simplicity. Don’t clutter the resume with extraneous information or conflicting colors. Instead, let your experience and interest speak for themselves.

2. Start with your contact information.

No surprise here — prospective employers need to know how they can contact you. Despite the necessity of this contact data, however, it’s not uncommon to see it missed on resumes or left until the bottom of the page.

Best bet? Put your details — including name, phone number, and email address — at the top of the page as a header.

3. Include an overview.

Next is an overview of your professional profile. This may include details about your current position along with any titles or degrees you hold.

Depending on the role, you may also want to include links to digital portfolios or work you’ve published online.

4. List your education and experience.

Education and experience are up next.

This should be a simple list of your educational history, including any degrees or certificates you’ve earned and when you earned them, followed by a list of your previous work experience.

Bullet points work well here: Each bullet point represents a different job and includes details such as job title, responsibilities, and how long you were employed.

5. Speak to your skills.

Now it’s time to talk about your skills as they relate to the job being offered.

Wherever possible, use keywords from the job advertisement itself. This is because many companies now use automated resume analysis and tracking systems that may prioritize these keywords.

6. Highlight any relevant certifications.

Make sure to mention any relevant qualifications or certifications.

For example, if you’re applying with an IT security firm, you could highlight certifications such as CompTIA Security+ or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) qualification.

7. Add any relevant details.

Finally, add any other details that are relevant to the job, such as volunteer experience in a related field or any professional accolades for your work.

20 Simple Resume Examples

Simple, effective resumes offer the best chance of getting noticed, but there’s no one-size-fits-all template when it comes to design.

Here are 20 simple resume examples.

1. Modern Initials (Word)

The first four templates on our list are all from Microsoft Word.

To access these templates, open Word, select New from the left-hand sidebar, and then type “resume” into the search box that appears. Word will bring up a host of resume template options for you to download and use.

Modern is one of the first templates listed and offers a clean and simple format for all of your details. The minimalist design means that your information stands out.

What we like: Simplicity is the focus of this template. Every section is clearly marked, and there’s no hunting for data.

2. Bold Modern (Word)

This Word template is similar to the example above but with the addition of a sidebar for profile and contact information. It also comes with increased emphasis on your skill set.

What we like: Bold Modern puts you and your skills front and center, which is a great fit for jobs that prioritize real-world experience over specific certifications.

3. Crisp and Clean (Word)

Crisp and clean is a great description of this template. Unlike Bold Modern, there are no images — instead, one box of color is used to highlight your objective.

What we like: Using boxes, this template thinks a bit outside the box with a non-standard setup for information.

4. Creative (Word)

The Creative template from Word trends back toward the simple but brings your experience to the forefront.

It effectively divides your personal and professional lives into two columns, which can be a boon for recruiters looking for specific data.

What we like: It’s easy to find what you’re looking for in this template, making it a great choice for a simple, effective resume.

5. Spearmint (Google Docs)

The next five examples on our list come from Google Docs. To access these templates, head to Google Docs and then select Template Galley in the upper right-hand corner.

First on our list of Docs templates is Spearmint, presumably named for its green accent color. This template isn’t pushing any boundaries but offers a solid starting point for simple resumes.

What we like: Spearmint reads well. A quick scan of the resume gives HR teams exactly what they need: an overview of your skills, experience, and education.

6. Swiss (Google Docs)

The Swiss template from Google Docs offers a minimalist approach to resume data by separating headings from information.

What we like: Because the headings are separate, hiring teams don’t need to scan the entire document for what they want. Instead, they can simply find the heading they want and move straight across.

7. Modern Writer (Google Docs)

This template is a great fit if you’re applying for writing or publishing jobs. A cute touch is that the font used looks similar to that of a typewriter.

What we like: The unique font helps this example stand out from the crowd. Worth noting? Fonts are best used sparingly. Go too far into left field — say with Comic Sans — and your resume may not have the intended effect.

8. Coral (Google Docs)

Coral is similar to Modern Writer but with a more familiar font. There’s nothing flashy about this example, which is why it works: All relevant data is presented in an easy-to-see and easy-to-read format.

What we like: The “Hello, I’m…” detail at the top offers a slightly different take on the common resume introduction, which can help you get noticed.

9. Serif (Google Docs)

Serif splits up your data into two columns, with skills and awards on one side and education and experience on the other. It’s a simple way to highlight what you offer while keeping your resume easy to read.

What we like: Finding information on this resume is quick and easy, which is ideal considering the number of resumes teams often have to review.

10. Infographic (Venngage)

This Venngage template takes a wildly different approach to resumes by using an infographic format that relies on graphics rather than text. It’s a great way to quickly capture attention.

What we like: The rating bubbles for skills showcase not only ability but proficiency, which could help get you noticed.

11. Streamlined Infographic (Venngage)

Another infographic example from Venngage, this template splits the resume in two with graphics at the top and text at the bottom, plus a photo in the middle.

What we like: By using graphic skill depictions on the top half of the resume and explanatory text on the bottom, it’s easy to get a general sense of the applicant’s capabilities and skills.

12. Data Focused Infographic (Venngage)

This infographic is all about skills, education, and experience data.

By using a combination of skill and timelines paired with simple graphics, this resume manages to communicate a substantial amount of data without becoming too complex.

What we like: The three-block design used is a great way to break up resume text into manageable pieces.

13. Chronological (Resume Builder)

This example from Resume Builder focuses on chronological work experience. Then, it follows up with key skills and education.

What we like: Chronological resumes are a great way to show the progression of job responsibilities and promotions over time.

14. Functional (Resume Builder)

This example digs into professional experience with detailed descriptions of job responsibilities and roles. While the experience section remains chronological, the focus isn’t on time, so much as effort.

What we like: By highlighting the role and responsibilities of each previous job, this resume helps applicants build a case for why they should be considered.

15. Targeted (Resume Builder)

Our last Resume Builder example is designed to target a specific role. While all the familiar sections remain, each includes information that speaks to the applicant’s ability to excel if hired.

What we like: Creating a targeted resume can help get you noticed because it means you’ve taken the time to read and review exactly what the company is looking for in their new hire.

16. Cubic (Zety)

Cubic opts for a three-toned greyscale approach that separates each section. This makes it easy for recruiters to zero in on what matters rather than having to search your resume for specific data.

What we like: The bold background used for the header puts your name and contact information front and center.

17. Primo (Zety)

Primo uses a right-hand sidebar with star ratings to show off your skills, coupled with a timeline of work experience in the main body.

What we like: This resume changes up the standard format just enough to be interesting, but not so much that recruiters are left frustrated trying to find relevant information.

18. Cascade (Zety)

Cascade goes in the opposite direction to Primo with a left-hand sidebar and a right-side section that contains more detailed information.

What we like: The bold, left-hand sidebar is great for short descriptions of skills that are relevant to your new potential role.

19. Concept (Zety)

Concept is a great choice if you have education and skills but lack more in-depth work experience. The solid-colored sidebar works well as a timeline background, which helps give the resume a sense of momentum.

What we like: Even without a lot of work experience, you could still be a great fit for a new role. This template helps showcase the complete picture of your skills and abilities.

20. Crisp (Zety)

Crisp offers simplicity in black-and-white. Rounded icons and rating scales save this template from being all text, but don’t detract from your achievements and experience.

What we like: This is a great example of simple and effective without being boring. All the relevant data is here, but it’s not just a wall of text.

The Simple Resume: Basic But Not Boring

Simple, effective resumes help you get noticed by making it easier for HR teams and recruiters to find the information they need and make a decision.

But simple doesn’t mean boring. While there’s no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to building your resume, the templates listed above can help your resume stand out for all the right reasons.

Savvy marketers know it’s rare to reel in customers at the first encounter with a brand. From my own experience, winning people over takes time, thoughtful touchpoints, and a whole lot of trust — which is what makes lifecycle marketing so crucial.

All businesses create their own unique lifecycle marketing strategy, but the purpose is the same: to engage customers, increase revenue, and grow a brand.

Different from the buyer’s journey or conversion funnel, lifecycle marketing considers a customer long after they make a purchase. The focus is to bring in buyers and turn them into loyal brand advocates.

But what does that look like for your company? In this guide, we’ll cover:

• What is lifecycle marketing?
• The stages of lifecycle marketing
• Creating a lifecycle marketing strategy
• Lifecycle marketing campaigns
• Lifecycle email marketing

Let’s jump in.

A lifecycle can be short or long. Companies like Nespresso or Whole Foods Market have shorter cycles and need to attract people back almost immediately after they purchase.

But companies with lifecycles like Mercedes or Avocado Mattress play the long game of customer retention and advocacy to bring in more business. The ultimate goal is to always get customers and keep them coming back.

No matter the cycle length, there are various stages that make up any lifecycle marketing plan. Understanding these will help you target your audience’s specific needs at each stage, whether they’re coming in as a lead, first-time buyer, repeat customer, or lapsed customer.

Here’s a brief overview of the main lifecycle stages:

1. Awareness

This is when potential customers first learn about your company. As the top of your conversion funnel, it’s your chance to capture people’s attention and reel them further into your funnel.

2. Engagement

People begin interacting with your brand in the engagement cycle. They’re interested and want to learn about your offerings, whether by subscribing to your email list, following you on social media, or scrolling your website.

3. Evaluation

The evaluation stage is all about decisions. This is the time to make it easy for people to choose your brand by providing them with the right information to compare features, pricing, and value.

4. Purchase

Congratulations! Anyone who makes it through this stage is a customer. I use this step not to promote my brand, but to make a purchase as seamless as possible, making it simple for people to click “Buy.”

5. Support

From my experience, people tend to drop off after the first buy — which is why it’s important to make sure you meet customers’ needs post-purchase. In the support stage, your goal is to follow up with customers and make sure they’re satisfied with their purchase.

6. Loyalty

Customers reach this stage when they’re so happy, they let everyone know about your brand. You want to nurture that advocacy to retain their business and help bring in new buyers.

My experience with lifecycle stages has taught me that while it seems like a linear buyer journey — where customers move from step to step until they reach the end — it’s more of a cycle that should continue repeating itself.

In other words, you can’t simply forget about a customer once they’ve made a purchase. If you put effort into developing a thoughtful plan, it can be much easier to meet and exceed your marketing, sales, and company goals.

Lifecycle Marketing Strategy

Strategy is the core of successful lifecycle marketing. Without it, you will likely bring in the wrong leads and will waste your budget on people who won’t turn into brand advocates. With it, you can:

• Grow your customer base by offering a better buying experience.

• Improve sales by turning one-time buyers into repeat customers.
• Turn buyers into brand advocates who rave about your company.
• Improve your marketing ROI and lifetime customer value.

The best strategies account for how people interact with your brand at specific stages within the lifecycle. 

Your company may do well with a simple strategy, or you may need to include more touchpoints and channels within each stage. For instance, a small art gallery may use social media, email, a website, and events to bring in artists and potential buyers.

But a major art museum like The Metropolitan Museum of Art will need a more complex marketing strategy to reach its thousands of visitors, attract donors, sell and retain memberships, draw in artists and exhibits, sell retail products, and host events.

No matter the size, all lifecycle marketing strategies are fueled by content. And with 70% of marketers actively investing in content marketing, you can miss out on potential buyers (and profit) if you don’t create relevant content for every stage.

Instead of blindly marketing to the masses, you must be strategic and tie your sales directly to your promotion efforts. Let’s walk through the strategies you can use at each stage.

1. Awareness

You want to attract as many people within your target audience as possible, so it’s time to create highly shareable, highly visible content. Awareness strategies include:

• Create targeted audiences for each buyer persona, so you know the people you bring in fit your buyer profile.
• Research and use keywords that can help people discover your brand when searching online.
• Write blog posts that answer key questions your audience may have about common problems.
• Share your offerings in an eye-catching paid or organic social ad.
• Put up a billboard or banner ad in the places your audience visits.
• Create a catchy ad on the podcasts you know potential buyers listen to.
• Collaborate with guests or influencers your audience follows to cross-promote content.

It’s important to bring people in, but remember not to focus all of your efforts on acquiring leads. Although 67% of companies use lead generation as the sole metric to determine content success, returning customers spend 67% more than new buyers on average.

2. Engagement

Your strategy for the engagement stage is to share information about your offerings so people can see why your brand is the best. Bring people to your website or channels, and keep them there.

These prospects are still relatively high in the sales funnel, so you have to answer their questions with succinct content that’s easy to understand. Some engagement strategies include:

• Design engaging landing pages that are simple to navigate.
• Video demos to showcase the features of your product or service.
• Blog posts, guides, or templates that provide solutions to common customer problems.
• Whitepapers covering insightful research or industry trends.
• Case studies that highlight the positives of doing business with your brand.
• Email campaigns to address sticking points before they happen.

Engaging with customers is increasingly about personalization and instant gratification. In fact, 83% of customers who contact a company expect immediate engagement.

That means you need to have your channels dialed in and ready to respond, likely with help from automation technology. If you do, prospects will funnel into the next lifestyle stage.

Save time with HubSpot’s Marketing Automation Software

3. Conversion

You’ve impressed a potential buyer, and the time has come to transition them from a prospect into a customer. To do that, make it as simple as possible for them to convert (aka, buy). I like to think about what people would need to see when comparing my brand to a competitor.

Here are strategies for making sure they’re confident in their decision:

• Offer clear pricing and feature information on your site, so they can compare options.
• Share customer testimonials to build trust in the post-purchase experience.
• Create a demo or free trial to increase confidence in the full investment.
• Send an email that answers questions senior leaders may have to make pitching easier.
• Give a peek at your customer service experience for post-purchase support.

Just like the engagement stage, personalization is the key to conversion. Research shows that online retailers improve conversion rates by about 8% when personalizing the customer experience. So try to make a potential customer feel unique, instead of being another number that gets you closer to your revenue goals.

4. Retention

Unfortunately, not enough marketing dollars are spent on retaining customers. Lead generation may seem sexier, but 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies that offer excellent customer service. If you can create a good experience and offer exceptional service right after people make a purchase, you can engage buyers and increase profits.

• Set up easy-to-use support options like live chat, messaging, FAQ pages, or troubleshooting forums. For simple service issues, 65% of customers prefer to help themselves.
• Onboarding materials that make set up and use simple and stress-free.
• Offer a discount code or perk for a future purchase.
• Announce a new product or offering with an engaging campaign — you can even offer exclusive first access to existing customers.
• Targeted ads with additional offerings that complement a first purchase (i.e., a sleeping bag and mat for someone who buys a tent).
• Emails to inform customers of updates or ways to improve their current purchase.

Don’t leave your customers to fend for themselves in this stage. Honing your retention marketing strategies means boosting your revenue and improving your overall customer experience.

5. Loyalty

The final stage in lifecycle marketing is all about loyalty. When customers become advocates, they can’t stop talking about your brand to anyone who will listen. They recognize your logo and will choose it over others without a second thought. They drive leads and sales and are repeat buyers. Strategies to cultivate this type of loyalty include:

• Exclusive in-app features or loyalty club membership.
• Incentives for sharing testimonials (i.e., discount codes or free products).
• Events or webinars with team members or industry experts.
• Referral programs for people who bring in new customers.
• Social media features to raise brand awareness for both companies.
• Reactivation campaigns for lapsed customers.

Customers who trust a brand are 95% more likely to remain loyal to it, so your job is to maintain peoples’ expectations and show them why their feedback is valued. A strong strategy here encourages customers to repeat the cycle and bring new prospects into the awareness stage.

Lifecycle Marketing Campaigns

Designing campaigns for each lifecycle stage may seem overwhelming. But, from my own experience, a campaign doesn’t have to be complex to be effective.

Start by defining the purpose of your campaign — whether its to attract new customers, retain current customers, build loyalty, engage lapsed customers, or increase customer lifetime value.

With a clear goal, you’ll have an easier time focusing on one particular stage or looking across the entire cycle to see how you can improve efforts at each stage.

Check out how REI, an outdoor retail company, uses lifecycle marketing to engage people at different stages on a variety of channels.

1. Awareness Campaign

When I searched “best lightweight camping tents” on Google, REI popped up on the first page of results. The blog post is part of their “Expert Advice” column, which invites people to learn more about their product features, testing processes, and ratings. Of course, you can purchase each featured tent from REI in a few clicks.

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2. Engagement Campaign

Say I’ve read a few blog posts from REI and am interested in the gear they sell. A website pop-up invites me to sign up for their email list, which I can’t resist. The subject line of one email I receive is “We see backpacking trips in your future.”

They know what I’m interested in and offer an email full of tips for planning a trip, including a gear list I’ll need before I go. Down the funnel I go.

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3. Conversion Campaign

I scour the gear list to see what I need for my trip and discover I don’t have a way to make my essential morning coffee. So I read a review post and decide to buy a lightweight AeroPress. A single click takes me to the product page, and I add the coffeemaker to my cart.

After signing in to my account, I’m taken to a checkout page that has my member ID, billing, and shipping information saved. It takes seconds to review and hit “Submit order.”

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4. Retention Campaign

My caffeine kick is taken care of, and I receive a confirmation email receipt for my purchase. It summarizes the order, outlines the return policy, and shares information about how I can donate used gear I may have laying around.

I’m a happy customer. A few days later, I get an email about the new gear line REI designed just for co-op members. It’s one-of-a-kind and available in limited quantities. As a backpack hoarder, I’m tempted.

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5. Loyalty Campaign

As an REI Co-op member for seven years, I’m on the path to being a lifelong customer. It’s one of my first stops when I’m looking to buy anything for my outdoor adventures. And I’ve even encouraged some friends to become members.

REI knows what matters to me and encourages me to participate in campaigns to protect wild areas, so they invite me to support the REPLANT Act in an email campaign.

By tapping into my values, I’m connected to the brand. And emotionally-connected customers spend about $699 per year with a company compared to regular customers who spend about $275.

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Lifecycle Email Marketing

The examples above highlight a handful of ways to use lifecycle email marketing to engage customers. But sloppily sending emails isn’t enough. They need to come at just the right time, so they don’t get buried in someone’s inbox. And they must be enticing enough to open. The average email clickthrough rate (CTR) is 18%, which means a lot of messages go unopened and ignored.

The CTR varies by industry, so take a look at this breakdown to get an idea of your benchmark.

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Don’t be disappointed if your rates are low at first. There are ways to spice up your campaigns and get people interested enough to click. You can:

• A/B test your subject lines for length, messaging, and context.
• Optimize the preheader text so people get a good preview.
• Test the cadence, day, and time of day (i.e., Monday evening versus Tuesday morning).
• Try personalizing the email with the recipient’s name.
• Send emails from a person at your company instead of the company name.
• Segment your email campaigns based on your audience segments (i.e., newsletter emails vs product emails).
• Consider your brand voice and tone for cohesive messaging.
• Make sure you have a clear CTA.
• Add eye-catching design, along with hero images, videos, or graphics.

Before you test emails, you need to design a campaign that anticipates the various touchpoints your customers require to move from the awareness stage to the loyalty stage. Let’s take a look at how companies use email for lifecycle marketing campaigns.

1. Hilton Honors

Welcome emails are expected when you sign up for a company’s email list or loyalty program. I’m actually nervous my request didn’t go through if I don’t receive a Welcome email.

Here, Hilton sends a straightforward email for joining Hilton Honors and shares tips for making the most of membership. It’s easy to scan and offers informative content to learn more about the company or the program.

Lifecycle Stage: Awareness

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2. Outside Magazine

After signing up for Outside Magazine’s daily newsletter, I can look through the email to read recent stories that pique my interest. The publication shares articles and gear promotions through embedded links, making it simple to click on their site and read the full piece.

Informational emails help bring people to your site, where they’ll likely keep scrolling long past the initial article.

Lifecycle Stage: Engagement

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3. Backcountry

Let’s keep going on this outdoor theme with a promotional email from Backcountry. Touting the subject line “Final Hours: 20% Off One Full-Price Item,” it’s meant to grab people’s attention and get them to make an immediate purchase.

You can use this type of email for engaged customers who have already had multiple touch points with your brand. Maybe they’ve subscribed to your newsletter or have items sitting in their cart.

Lifecycle Stage: Convert

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4. Sierra Club

To remind donors about Earth Day and the various ways to give back, the Sierra Club sent this re-engagement email. It shares ideas to celebrate the holiday, explains how to raise money for the grassroots organization, and invites donors to free webinars from climate activists.

The on-brand combination of education and activism is a good way to remind supporters of their shared values and encourage donations.

Lifecycle Stage: Retention

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5. Thirdlove

We touched on personalization more than once in this post, but there are so many perks of custom emails. Take this example from Thirdlove.

Their marketing team not only sends emails from a variety of accounts, like individual team member names, but they also personalize emails by sending a collection based on buying habits. It’s intriguing to see your name this way, and clicking makes you feel special — even if hundreds of other people receive the same product options.

Lifecycle Stage: Loyalty

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Incorporate Lifecycle Marketing Into Your Strategy

You know the benefits, stages, and ways to incorporate lifecycle marketing into your company’s strategy. All that’s left is to start mapping the cycle for your customer segments and managing the people you bring in.

Once you’ve done the hard work, you can save time with marketing automation software that simplifies tasks like setting up email campaigns, tracking analytics, planning your SEO strategy, and more.

If you want to learn more about managing customers once they’re in the cycle, you can brush up on customer lifecycle management or see how to work with lifecycles in HubSpot.

 

“Core web vitals” — you‘ve probably heard this phrase buzzing in digital marketing. But what are the core web vitals? Picture them as the three pillars supporting your website’s performance.

The trifecta includes page speed, responsiveness, and visual stability. Imagine them as your site‘s hospitality team, ensuring everything is fast, friendly, and visually pleasing. If they drop the ball, they’re looking at a potential 32% increase in users saying goodbye. Time doesn’t wait for anyone.

But don‘t sweat it. We’ve got your back! This article is all set to be your guide, helping you navigate these digital waters.

We‘ll show you how to improve core web vitals, ramp up your website’s performance, and how these little tweaks can significantly impact Google’s search rankings.

Keep reading to learn how to build a better, brighter, SEO-enhanced website.

What exactly are core web vitals?

While it’s instantaneous, online pages load in pieces, which means that forms, photos, and headlines appear at different times, and the speed of each element contributes to the overall load time.

Understanding your page performance is critical to appease impatient users and meet the Core Web Vitals standards.

To achieve your goal, you must first learn about the metrics that comprise the Core Web Vitals.

Improving Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) tracks how swiftly the main content of a page loads. Google suggests keeping the LCP under 2.5 seconds for about 75% of page loads to ensure optimal user experience.

Case Study: Enhancing LCP on a News Website

Consider a news website with feature articles accompanied by images.

When a user clicks on a news story, LCP measures the time the main headline or photo loads. The website could optimize the sizes of images, use lazy loading, and enhance server response times to meet the LCP threshold.

This way, the site offers a fast and engaging user experience.

Optimizing First Input Delay (FID)

FID evaluates the responsiveness of your page to user actions.

It’s the time taken from when a user interacts (like clicking a link or button) to when the browser responds. For a positive user experience, Google recommends maintaining an FID under 100 milliseconds for 75% of page loads.

Case Study: Boosting FID on an E-commerce Website

Take an e-commerce website where customers add products to their shopping carts. If a user clicks the “Add to Cart” button, FID measures the time it takes for the site to respond to this action.

The website can minimize third-party scripts, optimize JavaScript execution, and employ asynchronous loading to meet the FID threshold. Such practices result in a smoother shopping experience.

Minimizing Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS gauges the visual stability of your webpage. It scores between zero (indicating no layout shifts) and a positive value (indicating layout shifts).

Unexpected layout shifts often lead to poor user experience, making it crucial to maintain a low CLS. Google recommends a CLS score of 0.1 or less.

Case Study: Reducing CLS on a Blog Website

A blog incorporates ads within content.

When an ad loads dynamically, it can cause a layout shift, displacing the text. The website can reduce layout shifts by reserving ad space and using placeholders.

This approach results in a stable, reader-friendly experience, meeting the CLS threshold.

According to Google, when you meet the core vitals, there‘s a 24% lesser likelihood of users abandoning page loads. You can find the underpinning research in Google’s article “Establishing the Core Web Vitals metric thresholds.”

How to Improve Core Web Vitals

First and foremost, you require baseline metrics for your site. Follow these procedures to determine your starting point:

• Enter your URL into Google PageSpeed Insights.
• Choose ‘Analyze.’
• Examine your performance. Your URL is labeled “Bad,” “Needs Improvement,” and “Excellent” on both mobile and desktop. Toggle between the two in the page’s upper left corner.

Here’s what it looked like when I did a HubSpot analysis.

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The desktop version performs better than the mobile, which is typical.

In a five-million-page study, Backlinko found that the average web page takes 87.84% longer to load on mobile versus desktop — significant factors affected speed: the type of CMS, CDNs and hosting, and page weight.

If your URL doesn‘t have enough data for a specific Core Web Vitals metric, you won’t see that metric appear on the report. However, once your URL has enough data, your page status will reflect the metric that performs the worst.

Core Web Vitals to Measure

Besides the three main Core Web Vitals (Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift), there are other metrics you can measure to acquire a more thorough knowledge of your website’s performance and user experience.

While these metrics are not part of the core set defined by Google, they can provide valuable insights. Here are a few additional web vitals to consider.

Time to First Byte (TTFB)

TTFB measures the time a user‘s browser takes to receive the first byte of a response from the server after making a request. It reflects the server’s responsiveness and can impact overall page load time.

Time to Interactive (TTI)

Time-to-interactivity (TTI) measures how long it takes for a loaded web page to start responding to the user‘s actions. It analyzes the page’s usefulness regarding JavaScript execution, rendering, and resource loading.

Total Blocking Time (TBT)

TBT measures the total time during page load when the main thread is blocked and unable to respond to user input. It accounts for tasks that block the main line, such as long JavaScript execution, and can impact interactivity and responsiveness.

First Contentful Paint (FCP)

To gauge how quickly content is loaded, FCP tracks how long it takes for the initial render to complete. It helps calculate consumers’ initial visual impressions.

Time to First Meaningful Paint (TTFMP)

TTFMP measures the time it takes for the first meaningful content to be displayed on the screen, indicating when the user perceives the page as valuable and informative.

While these metrics go beyond the core set of Core Web Vitals, monitoring and optimizing them can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of your website’s performance and help provide a better user experience.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

This metric measures the loading performance of a webpage. Under 2.5 seconds is a strong LCP score. LCP can be measured using tools like PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or the Chrome User Experience Report.

First Input Delay (FID)

A metric known as “First Input Delay” (FID) measures the responsiveness and interaction of a website. AAnAnID time of less than 100 ms is considered acceptable. FID can be measured using tools like PageSpeed Insights, the Chrome User Experience Report, or JavaScript libraries developed by Google.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS measures the visual stability of a webpage, ensuring that elements on the page don’t shift unexpectedly. Any CLS value below 0.1 is considered excellent. Tools like PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or the Chrome User Experience Report can help measure this.

Interaction to Next Paint (INP)

The upcoming replacement for FID, INP, measures the time between user page interaction and browser response time. Google will include INP in the Core Web Vitals report later this year, allowing site owners and developers to start measuring their new INP scores.

How to Fix Issues in Core Web Vitals

Sure, let‘s explore some practical steps you can take to address issues in your core web vitals. Remember, improving these metrics boosts your core web vitals SEO and enhances your users’ overall browsing experience.

Step 1: Analyze your website performance.

First, use tools like Google‘s PageSpeed Insights or Web Vitals Extension to evaluate your site’s performance. These tools provide valuable data on your core web vitals, helping you identify areas for improvement.

Step 2: Optimize your images.

Large, high-resolution images can slow your site’s load time, negatively impacting your page speed score. Optimize your images by compressing them, resizing them appropriately for the web, and using modern formats like WebP.

Step 3: Enable browser caching.

Browser caching stores parts of your site in a user‘s browser, so they don’t need to load everything from scratch each time they visit. As a result, the caching process can significantly improve your page load speed.

Step 4: Minimize CSS and JavaScript.

Excessive CSS and JavaScript can bog down your site. Instead, minimize these elements using tools or plugins designed for this purpose. Also, consider “lazy loading” your JavaScript to further enhance responsiveness.

Step 5: Address layout shifts.

To tackle visual stability issues, avoid adding content above existing content on the page unless it’s in response to a user action. Also, specify dimensions for images and videos to prevent layout shifts.

Step 6: Sort issues by label.

Start with anything labeled “Poor.” Finally, prioritize your work based on the large-scale issues affecting the most significant number of critical URLs. Next, there are issues with the “Needs Improvement” designation.

Step 7: Make a list.

Make a prioritized task list for the site upgrading team. Add the following common page fixes for future reference:

• Reduce the size of the page to less than 500KB.
• For optimal mobile performance, keep each page to 50 resources.
• Consider using AMP to optimize your page for fast loading.

Step 8: Share common fixes.

A dozen ways exist to improve the threshold for each Core Web Vitals statistic. Below, I’ve described the main reasons for a “Bad” status and how to remedy each.

Slow server response times, client-side rendering, render-blocking JavaScript and CSS, and slow resource load times all impact improving LCP. You may enhance LCD by enhancing the following site elements:

• Apply instant loading with the PRPL pattern
• Critical Rendering Path
• CSS
• Images
• Web Fonts
• JavaScript

Optimizing FID entails measuring how quickly your website responds to user actions.

For example, you wish to improve people’s negative first impressions of a page.

First, do a performance audit with Chrome’s Lighthouse tool to learn how to increase your FID threshold and how people interact with your site.

You can also attempt the following modifications to improve your mark.

• Reduce the impact of third-party code
• Reduce JavaScript execution time
• Minimize main thread work
• Keep request counts low and transfer sizes small

Adhering to some simple guidelines can achieve better CLS and fewer fluctuations. Put an end to banner blindness and misclicks forever.

• For photos and videos, add size attributes or CSS aspect ratio boxes. These values inform the browser of the space to reserve for the element while it loads, avoiding any repositioning as the component becomes visible.
• Don‘t add content above existing content. The only exception is if it’s responding to a user action where you expect a shift.
• Contextualize transitions. If you’re moving people from one portion of the page to another, all animations and transitions inside a layout require context and continuity.

After resolving a specific issue:

1. Review the Search Console Core Web Vitals report seeing improvements in the thresholds.
2. Click “Start Tracking” to begin a 28-day validation session to monitor your site for any indications of the problem.
3. Consider it fixed if it does not appear during that time.

Like other ranking criteria, the devil is in the details. If you‘re a developer or techie looking for more information on optimizing the Core Web Vitals, check out Google’s guidelines for optimizing LCP, FID, or CSL.

Step 9: Monitor and adjust.

Improving core web vitals is a continuous process. Regularly monitor your performance and make adjustments as necessary. Keep up with SEO trends and Google’s evolving algorithms to stay ahead of the curve.

By following these steps, you‘ll be well on your way to improving your website’s core web vitals, enhancing user experience, and boosting your search rankings.

Best Practices for Improving Core Web Vitals

1. Prioritize mobile optimization.

Google‘s mobile-first indexing means your site’s mobile version is like the preliminary version. Therefore, ensure your site is responsive and delivers a smooth experience on mobile devices.

2. Leverage a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

A CDN can reduce the time it takes for your site to load by storing copies of your site’s pages in various locations so users can access your site more quickly, no matter where they are.

3. Use preloading techniques.

Preloading essential resources can help your page load faster. This technique tells the browser to fetch necessary resources before you need them, saving precious time.

4. Implement server-side rendering (SSR).

SSR allows your page to load more quickly by sending a fully rendered page to the browser, improving page speed and the overall user experience.

5. Optimize font delivery.

Fonts can cause significant delays in visual rendering. Optimize your font delivery by hosting fonts locally, compressing them, and using modern formats.

6. Regularly test and update your site.

Regular testing helps identify any slowdowns or bottlenecks that may creep up over time. Use tools like Lighthouse and CrUX to assess and improve your site’s performance regularly.

Adopting these best practices better equips your business to address issues in your core web vitals and deliver an exceptional user experience, boosting your core web vitals SEO.

Timeline for Core Web Vitals Ranking

With the latest transition from First Input Delay (FID) to Interaction to Next Paint (INP), Google’s Core Web Vitals undergo a development, validation, and implementation lifecycle.

INP analyzes runtime performance more comprehensively and will become a Core Web Vital in March 2024.

This progression shows how metrics are introduced, refined, and eventually incorporated into Core Web Vitals.

Developers and site owners should prepare for the change by optimizing their pages to meet the new benchmarks and maintain a high-quality user experience.

If you‘re a marketer who does a lot of writing, you’ve probably heard about writers, bloggers, and other creators using tools like ChatGPT to streamline the writing process.

However, if you‘re a skeptical writer like me, you’re probably a little wary of using AI to craft your content.

You might think: “Can this tool write well? Will it capture the correct voice and tone I want? Is it accurate? How can I use it?”

Fortunately, you don‘t need to wonder anymore. I tried using ChatGPT to write a blog post, and I will share my experience and let you know if it’s worth trying out.

Fun fact: This is my first time using ChatGPT in this way, too, so we’re learning together!

Using ChatGPT to Generate Ideas

Using ChatGPT to Generate a Blog Outline

Using ChatGPT to Write a Blog Post

Final Thoughts

Using ChatGPT to Generate Ideas

Every blog post starts with an idea, so why not see if ChatGPT can generate a few for inspiration? After logging into the free version of ChatGPT, I was taken to the main chat page.

After typing my request into the chat (“Give me ideas for a blog post about cats”), ChatGPT generated 15 blog ideas and headlines. The first five are below.

Not bad, but let‘s take things a step further. Here’s ChatGPT’s response to my second request, “Give me ideas for a blog post about cat statistics.”

Overall, I like the ideas ChatGPT generated. I especially appreciated that ChatGPT included headlines with its ideas and suggested how to approach the topic.

For example, ChatGPT suggested I approach the topic of cat breeds by providing a list of the most popular cat breeds based on registration statistics from breed organizations.

I prefer ideas involving statistics, so I go with ChatGPT‘s fifth suggestion: “The Economics of Cat Care: How Does it Cost to Raise a Cat?” Now that I know the topic I want to pursue, I’m ready to create an outline.

Pro Tip: It helps to be as specific as possible in your requests. Notice when I mentioned wanting to write a blog post about cat statistics, ChatGPT gave more nuanced answers. This is a pattern you’ll see throughout the article.

Using ChatGPT to Generate a Blog Outline

First, I told ChatGPT to generate a blog outline based on “The Economics of Cat Care: How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Cat?” This is the chatbot’s response.

Below is an excerpt of the outline:

“I. Introduction

A. Anecdotal story or intriguing cat fact

B. Importance of understanding the costs of cat ownership

C. Overview of what the blog post will cover

II. Initial Costs

A. Adoption or purchase fees

B. Essential supplies and equipment

1. Litter box and litter
2. Food and water dishes
3. Cat food
4. Cat carrier
5. Bed or scratching post

C. Initial veterinary expenses

1. Vaccinations
2. Spaying/neutering
3. Microchipping
4. Health check-up”

ChatGPT also provided the following short paragraph describing the breakdown of the outline:

“This outline provides a structured framework to explore the financial aspects of cat ownership, from initial costs to ongoing expenses and unexpected situations, while also offering readers valuable tips for managing the financial aspects of raising a cat.”

The outline is all right; it separates different aspects of the cost of cat ownership into sections like initial costs, ongoing expenses, and more.

However, I want something closer to my outlining style, which includes headings and subheadings. So, I typed in another prompt, asking ChatGPT to generate another blog outline and include subheadings.

This is what ChatGPT generated:

I prefer this outline because it’s more comprehensive than the previous one and has subheadings that are specific, short, and straight to the point. ChaptGPT also gives a good breakdown of the kind of content to include under each subheading.

Here’s an excerpt of the chatbot-generated outline:

“I. Introduction

A. Why Understanding the Cost of Cat Ownership Matters

B. The Joy and Responsibilities of Cat Ownership

C. Overview of What This Blog Post Will Cover

II. Initial Costs

A. Adoption or Purchase Fees

B. Essential Supplies and Equipment

1. Litter Box and Litter
2. Food and Water Dishes
3. Cat Food
4. Cat Carrier
5. Bed or Scratching Post”

The second outline will be the foundation of the blog’s final draft.

Pro Tip: Every writer has their own way of planning and outlining their work. Before asking ChatGPT to generate an outline think about how you prefer your outlines and specify your preference in your request. 

Using ChatGPT to Write a Blog Post

This is where things got tricky for me. I submitted two prompts to ChatGPT to write the blog post and compared the results. My first prompt asks ChatGPT to generate a blog post based on the second outline.

I also direct ChatGPT to keep the post to 800 words and to use an upbeat, friendly, and conversational tone.

The first paragraph of ChatGPT’s post is almost exactly what I wanted:

“Hello, fellow cat enthusiasts! If you‘ve ever wondered about the true cost of having a furry feline friend by your side, you’re in the right place. Cats are wonderful companions, but they do come with financial responsibilities.

Today, we‘ll dive into the economics of cat care and break down the costs associated with raising a cat. Don’t worry; we’ve got plenty of tips to help you budget and ensure your kitty gets the best care without breaking the bank.”

However, the rest of the blog post still reads more like an outline. See the screenshot below.

Notice the post is mainly numbered and bulleted. I then submitted another prompt asking the same thing, but I omitted any mention of the word “outline.”

ChatGPT’s opening paragraph was similar to the first:

“Hey there, fellow cat lovers! If you‘re reading this, chances are you’ve either got a kitty curled up in your lap or you’re seriously considering adopting one of these adorable furballs.

Cats bring so much joy into our lives, but they also come with responsibilities, including the financial kind.

So, let’s talk about the economics of cat care. How much does it really cost to raise a cat, and how can you make sure your feline friend gets the royal treatment without breaking the bank?”

Once again, I like the opener because it captures my desired tone. However, the rest of the draft still reads like an outline.

I tried regenerating the draft a few times but still got similar results that were bulleted and numbered like an outline.

Pro Tip: Specify the style, tone, and purpose of your article when requesting a draft from ChatGPT. Again, the more specific you are in your prompts, the easier it is for the AI to generate your desired outcome.

Final Thoughts

While I can see how ChatGPT can save writers time, the chatbot is not my preferred method of generating blog posts.

As I mentioned, the opening paragraphs aligned with my vision, but the rest of the content was too bulleted to read like a conversational blog post.

That said, I can undoubtedly see ChatGPT as a valuable tool for planning, such as topic ideation and outlining.

Citing Sources with ChatGPT

Furthermore, if you often have to cite sources in your work, you may encounter a hiccup using ChatGPT. I asked the AI tool to cite its sources when generating drafts.

The first time I asked it to cite a source, ChatGPT said it could not and generated the following response:

“I apologize for any inconvenience, but I cannot provide specific sources or citations for the information in the blog post as my responses are generated based on a mixture of licensed data, data created by human trainers, and publicly available data.

The information in the blog post is a general overview of the costs associated with owning a cat, and the figures provided are based on common knowledge and general estimates up to my last knowledge update in September 2021.

For accurate and up-to-date information, I recommend consulting reputable sources such as pet care websites, veterinary organizations, and financial planning resources.

These sources can provide detailed information on the specific costs of cat ownership in your area and any changes that may have occurred since my last knowledge update.”

The second time I tried, the tool generated a blog post that included links to sources, but some references were outdated or led to dead links.

Update: Since writing this post, OpenAI announced ChatGPT would be able to browse the internet to give users “current and authoritative information” and links to sources.

This means ChatGPT will be able to include information from sources post-2021. 

How I Would Use ChatGPT

I would use ChatGPT as an assistive tool to help me develop blog topics and generate outlines to organize my thoughts.

My concern is that I would spend too much time tweaking ChatGPT‘s drafts to my liking and that I’d be better off writing my own content based on its outlines.

Have you used ChatGPT to write content for you? What was your experience?

Twitter is dead, and from its ashes rises X. Okay, that might be a little dramatic, but it‘s not wrong. Twitter officially rebranded following Elon Musk’s acquisition and is now known as X. So, what could this mean for the platform going forward?

Are users still sticking to the newly named social media site, or will they flock to other platforms?

While I can‘t say for sure what the future holds for the app formerly known as Twitter, we at HubSpot surveyed over 170 social media users to get their perspectives on whether they’ll still use X.

Here’s what I can tell you based on our findings.

Are consumers still using X following the rebrand?

Rebranding longstanding apps like Twitter can be risky. Will consumers like the rebrand? Will they leave the app en masse? According to our survey, that may not be the case.

Most social media users (63%) say they’ve used X for at least an hour or more since July 2023. Right behind X is Reddit, with 50% of consumers saying they use Reddit for an hour or more.

Threads comes in third place with 24% of users, and Tumblr comes in fourth with 23% of users.

Oddly enough, the apps projected to compete with or replace Twitter/X need to catch up regarding how often consumers use them for at least an hour. Only 5% of consumers report using Mastadon for an hour or more.

4% say the same about Bluesky, and 3% say this about Spill.

We also asked users if their X/Twitter usage changed between July and August. Most users (31%) say their use remains the same, but 22% report substantially decreasing their time on the platform.

The graph below shows you a full breakdown of how social media usage across the platforms mentioned above may or may not have changed.

Will users spend less time on X in 2024?

Now that Twitter is X and more changes to the platform are on the horizon, will social media users spend less time on X in 2024? Here’s what our survey says.

35% of consumers say they‘ll use X just as much by 2024 as now, and only 17% say they’ll stop using it entirely. 29% of respondents plan to use X more often.

Social media users had this to say about X competitors Spill, Mastodon, and Bluesky:

• 31% of respondents say they will use Threads just as much in 2024 as now, and 26% say they‘ll use it more often. 11% say they’ll use it less, and 16% say they’ll stop.
• 34% of Spill users in our survey say they‘ll stop using the platform entirely in 2024, and 15% say they’ll use it more. 9% plan on using it less, and 33% say their usage will remain the same.
• 39% of respondents plan to stop using Mastodon entirely in 2024, and 14% plan to use it more often. 33% say their usage will remain the same, and 7% plan to use it less.
• In our survey, 37% of Bluesky users say they plan to stop using the app in 2024, and 32% say their usage won‘t change. 16% say they’ll use it more often, and 8% say they’ll use it less.

Will consumers pay for X Premium?

Before the rebrand, Twitter offered a paid premium package called Twitter Blue, which gave users access to features like editing tweets or using a higher word count. These features were in exchange for a monthly fee.

Since the rebrand, Twitter Blue is now X Premium, which offers many of the same features as Twitter Blue, plus new features such as the ability to hide or display a blue verification mark.

Are these features enough to entice consumers to subscribe to a premium package? Is the package sufficient to attract new X users? Let’s see.

22% of our survey respondents said they‘re considering subscribing to X Premium, but 41% plan to remain a free X user. 31% said they don’t use X now and still don’t plan on it despite the package.

Only 6% are unsure or don’t know about the premium package.

So, is Twitter/X ‘dying’?

Based on these results, most of X‘s current consumers will remain loyal to the platform in 2024, and most of its competitors will struggle to compete or keep users. However, Instagram’s Threads will provide strong competition for the app.

As a long-time Twitter-now-X user (I‘ve been on the app for about 10 years), I don’t plan to jump ship. I’ve downloaded apps like Threads, Spill, and Hive but have noticed the same pattern:

First, seemingly everyone will be on X talking about the latest competitor and how it’s worth downloading.

I download the new app and use it sporadically for a week or two, but inevitably find myself back on X because it’s familiar and has an established community and culture.

Conversations are always happening on X, just like when it was still Twitter, and like a moth to a flame, I can’t help but gravitate back toward the app no matter what.

If you ask me, Twitter, as we know it, is gone, but X doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

According to our 2023 State of Marketing report, blogs are among the top marketing channels that offer the highest ROI.

Despite numbers showing how blogs can benefit business, some marketers and business owners wonder, “Do people still read blogs?”

To determine where blog readership might stand today, I surveyed 325 people about how often they read blogs. Here’s what I know:

Do people still read blogs anymore?

How to Get More Blog Readers

Building a Better Blog

Do people still read blogs anymore?

As a blogger who writes daily, my findings were encouraging; most respondents (29%) read blogs 1-4 times a month, 18% read every day, and only 17% never read blogs.

The graph below illustrates a breakdown of how often respondents read blogs.

While the percentage of people who never read blogs surpasses that of people who read 1-3 or 1-4 times a week, more people read blogs daily than never at all.

So, we know more people are reading blogs, at least sometimes than not all, but are they reading more or less than in the past? According to our respondents, it’s about the same or more.

57% of people in the survey say the amount of blog content they consume is the same as last year, while 35% say their blog consumption has increased. Only 9% say their consumption is less than the previous year.

You may also wonder how people are reading blogs. Are they barely skimming through or deeply reading the content?

According to the survey, 35% of people skim through blogs most of the time, and 38% do a mix of skimming and deep reading.

13% deep read more than they skim, and only 6% navigate to the information they need as quickly as possible and then leave without reading the rest of the content.

Our research shows blogging is still an excellent way to reach consumers and expand your business. People are still reading blogs; most are doing more than just skipping to the information they want and leaving.

Furthermore, blogging is still incredibly valuable for search engine optimization. Almost a third of marketers use search engine-optimized blogs to attract and convert leads.

To help you grab attention from large audiences — even if they less frequently read blogs — here are five ways to innovate your blog strategy.

How to Get More Blog Readers

1. Experiment with video and text in your posts.

As of 2023, video is the most popular and most effective marketing media format for the fourth year.

Including video in your blog can add depth to your content and boost engagement since people will be compelled to click on the video and watch it.

On the HubSpot Blog, we regularly add videos to our blog posts to give more thorough details or expert tips on the topic we’ve written about. This way, readers who find the blog post can read or watch the content.

Here’s one example of a blog post where we included a video related to its topic:

On top of improving the user’s experience, placing videos on your blog can also make web content rank in video-based search results. Additionally, video content can also be incredibly engaging when you share them on your social media channels.

If you think creating videos will be too expensive or technical for your business, there are strategies you can use to produce videos on a budget.

This step-by-step guide walks you through how to brainstorm, script, and affordably shoot videos for your blog or other platforms, even when you don’t have a big budget.

Many AI video generators are also available, making video creation quick, easy, and cost-effective.

2. Add infographics or other original images to your content.

You don’t need to be an expert graphic designer to create visually appealing infographics. When I worked as a digital journalist for local newsrooms, I often had to design graphics on short notice for breaking news.

I wasn’t familiar with Photoshop and had no real graphic designer experience — but I did have Canva. And that got the job done.

With all the technology and design-related apps today, creating basic graphics isn’t impossible, complex, or time-consuming. In fact, I used Canva to make the first few infographics in this article.

If you hire a graphic designer or get the hang of creating graphics quickly, you can also test posting infographics as the center point of your blog posts. Here’s a post where the HubSpot Blog did precisely that:

While it might take a little bit longer to create branded designs and templates for your blog initially, these visuals will be beneficial for gaining image search traffic.

Like video content, original images can be highly shareable and engaging on social media.

3. Publish original data, quotes, and expert insights.

Some bloggers think they can get away with writing short, light-lift blog posts between 200 and 300 words. While tiny, low-effort posts might get some search traffic, they won’t make your content feel original or interesting to the reader.

To compete with more experienced blog sites, write in-depth posts with data and facts to back up each point you discuss. If you need assistance crafting lengthier blog posts, try HubSpot’s AI Blog Writer or Free Blog Maker.

You can post on your blog if you leverage data collection platforms like online survey platforms to collect original data. This will make your content look more credible and trustworthy, but it also can boost search traffic. Here’s how:

When you include your data in blog posts, other bloggers or journalists looking for data to back up their points might link to your posts as evidence.

These links are often called “backlinks.” While getting mentioned on other websites certainly boosts brand awareness, backlinks also improve your authority in search engines.

Like data, original quotes also encourage backlinking. Aside from this benefit, blog posts with quotes or expert insights from industry thought leaders might be shareable or engaging on social media platforms like LinkedIn.

Data, expert quotes, and insights also provide knowledge, and many readers are drawn to blogs that provide an opportunity to learn something.

In the survey, 61% of respondents said they were attracted to the last three blogs they read because they wanted to learn something, educate themselves, or answer questions unrelated to their career or schooling. 

4. Use SEO strategies to build traffic and rank on search pages.

While many of the tips above will help you boost your non-organic traffic and the reader’s experience, you should also pay attention to organic traffic — which will likely account for most of your views.

Aside from videos, visuals, and encouraging backlinks with original information, you can also improve organic traffic by leveraging keyword research and other SEO strategies.

If you‘re new to SEO or search engine optimization, getting up to speed on these strategies is easy.

While some tactics are as simple as adding alternative text to your images, others include internal linking related blog posts to a new piece you’re publishing.

Check out this blog post to get up to speed on a few easy and effective SEO tactics.

5. Promote your content on the right platforms.

Although SEO will likely be your primary traffic source, you’ll still want to ensure you promote blog posts on social media channels.

Why? While it will take time for blog posts to rank in search result pages, you can share your content on social media, email, or other channels to gain non-organic traffic immediately after you publish a post.

Lastly, promoting any content from your website effectively boosts brand awareness. Our survey shows that most blog readers (30%) discover blog posts via social media posts and promotions.

Just 18% find blogs via search engine results.

By posting valuable blogs on your channels, you could gain more followers, post shares, and engagements from audiences you didn’t have before building a social media strategy.

Building a Better Blog

As we go into 2024, we will see even more bloggers adopt competitive strategies that embrace new content formats to gain audiences and prevent low readership. Regardless of which tactics you decide to test out, keep these things in mind:

• Add videos and visuals: Video and graphic marketing are getting more abundant and effective in generating traffic and leads. Additionally, younger generations engage with this content more than others. If you have the bandwidth, be sure to experiment with visual content.
• Offer original insights and tips: Original quotes and data will boost your search and non-organic traffic while making your blog more credible.
• Leverage search and social opportunities: Most internet users are still finding blog posts primarily through search and social media platforms. So, even when experimenting with new content types, leverage keywords, alt-text, and other SEO tactics to ensure you’re paying attention to search opportunities. You should also give them additional promotions on your social media channels.

If you keep the above methods in mind, you can increase readership and boost awareness and conversions for your organization.

Gone are the days of generic content and ads that lacked any semblance of segmentation.

When 90% of customers find personalization efforts appealing and it drives revenue growth of up to 30%, it’s not a question of whether or not content personalization marketing is relevant, but how to achieve it at scale.

Content personalization marketing caters to all touch points throughout the customer experience journey. Through a combination of first-party data and artificial intelligence (AI) powered predictive analytics, content is tailored based on each user’s propensity to convert.

To translate effective content personalization marketing into positive purchasing behavior, here’s what you need to know—complete with recent examples.

What is content personalization? 

Content personalization is like being a restaurant owner who knows each regular customer’s order. It’s a strategy used in marketing where companies tailor their content—things like blog posts, videos, or advertisements—to each user’s specific interests and preferences.

For example, let’s say a prospect watched a webinar about incorporating AI into your customer support; a company using content personalization would surface more relevant content related to this topic. They use data about what you interact with and like in order to improve the sales process. Essentially, it’s a way for businesses to connect with their audience on a deeper, more personal level.

6 types of customized content

Today’s consumers anticipate that brands will utilize the numerous data points they’ve collected over time—like alert preferences and purchase history—to better understand and reflect their buying needs and provide them with a more tailored shopping experience. 

Enter content personalization marketing.

Content personalization marketing allows for each consumer interaction to be totally unique, helping to eliminate barriers along the customer journey to ultimate conversion. Personalization can take on several forms, including but not limited to these 6 types of customized content. 

1. Dynamic content

Dynamic content adapts or changes based on user data, such as in-session behavior, past behavior, or previously indicated preferences. Typically, a specific variable, such as user location, gender, or other demographic detail, acts as a signal to inform rule-based triggers that influence the content. 

Dynamic content can be utilized in numerous areas of a marketing campaign, including social media advertisements, on-site content, and email marketing, to customize the content a user sees across different channels in real-time. The adaptability of dynamic content makes it highly personalized.

Ex: Dynamic on-site eCommerce ads

If you’ve ever felt like the internet magically knew what you were searching for, dynamic content is likely responsible. Dynamic ads, such as this Staples on-site banner ad, display specific products or offers to users who have previously visited a brand’s website or searched for a certain query. Marketers only need to create a dynamic ad template, and the ad network customizes the rest. 

2. Personalized chatbots

Chatbots have significantly risen in popularity over the past few years, due in part to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted most sales and marketing conversations to online channels. Chatbots quickly became a solution to provide personalized insights in a fraction of the time. 

Chatbots leverage conversational AI technology, such as natural language processing (NLP) in large language models (LLM), to understand and adapt to customer preferences and behavior. Chatbots can deliver personalized services and recommendations, and answer specific queries in real-time.  

Ex: Online sales associates during offline hours

It’s rare for sales associates to be available around the clock, especially for small-scale or start-up businesses that lack substantial human capital. Personalized chatbots, such as this one, can answer immediate queries about services or pricing and even schedule a sales call to not only capitalize on offline hours but also ensure customers receive high-quality assistance at any hour. 

3. Retargeting campaigns

Retargeting campaigns, often referred to as remarketing campaigns, display specific products or offers to users who have previously visited your website, interacted with your content, or otherwise signaled interest. For instance, a user who signed up for your email list is often later retargeted. 

Because the users in a retargeting campaign have already indicated an interest in your product or service, further personalizing the content helps increase the chances of a conversion by narrowing in a user’s pain points or wants. They are particularly beneficial for upselling and cross-selling. 

Ex: CAT Footwear email campaigns

Like dynamic content, retargeting campaigns are something that seemingly follows users across the digital landscape based on their behavioral history. For example, take a look at this CAT Footwear promotional email, which is personalized with a user’s previous viewing history to encourage a sale.

4. Usage reports 

Usage reports are a type of content personalization marketing that primarily applies to software as a service (SaaS) and other digital products, such as a typing assistant like Grammarly or a fitness tracker like Oura Ring. This content type serves multiple purposes along the customer journey.

In the consideration phase, the addition of personalized insights can act as a unique selling proposition (USP) compared to competitor brands. Once a customer converts, the routine delivery of personalized reports can help customers better use the product and drive ongoing loyalty. 

Ex: Grammarly weekly usage reports

Grammarly, an app to help users improve their communication, delivers weekly usage reports to its customer base on how their writing has progressed. Personalized data points, such as productivity and vocabulary usage, enhance the value of a subscription and encourage long-term engagement. 

5. Quizzes 

Online quizzes aren’t just to figure out ‘Your Celebrity Doppelganger’ or ‘What Ice Cream Flavor matches your personality.’ Many DTC and e-commerce brands figured this out in the mid-2010s. And now more B2B brands are taking notice. 

Ex: G2 Track’s SaaS Management Quiz  

G2 Track helps you make better decisions about your tech stack. They took a boring but important problem and made it fun and interactive with this 8-question SaaS blind spot quiz to help prospects understand the scope of the problem and identify solutions. 

At the end of the quiz, G2 Track sends them “a personalized report.” This serves the dual purpose of not only helping the prospect find a solution, but it is also a great lead source for G2 Track.   

6. Recommendation engines 

Last, but certainly not least, we cannot mention the variety of content personalization marketing available without discussing recommendation engines. As seen on popular eCommerce marketplaces and even across search engines, recommendation engines provide products, services, or content suggestions that are tailored to an individual user’s wants, needs, or existing preferences. 

Like many of the above content personalization marketing initiatives, recommendation engines are powered by AI. More specifically, they’re made possible by certain AI-driven algorithms, known as ‘item-to-item collaborative filtering,’ that suggest products based on a set of user data points.

Ex: Amazon email blasts

Amazon has risen to the top of eCommerce marketplaces, largely due to the fact that the platform enables users to create detailed profiles that generate highly accurate product suggestions. Even simple searches on the platform lead to unique, hyper-personalized emails of recommended items, which Amazon executives report can generate a conversion rate of over 35%.

3 Reasons why personalized content marketing is vital for B2B

Did you know that 70% of consumers say they will exclusively shop with brands that personally understand them, or that 80% of consumers are more likely to do business with an organization that offers personalized experiences? 

With these figures in mind, consider these three reasons why personalized content marketing is integral to the success of B2B marketing campaigns. 

1. Cater to customer needs

While it’s true consumers have become more guarded with the data they share online, nearly a quarter are happy to share some degree of personal data in return for more personalized service. 

B2B customers have come to anticipate that brands will use the data they collect to provide a more tailored user experience that caters to customer pain points. By neglecting user preferences, B2B brands risk higher fallout along all stages of the customer journey and reduced customer loyalty. 

2. Simplify decision-making

Personalized customer interactions through customized content put B2B buyers at the heart of company marketing, which significantly streamlines decision-making. 

All the information a customer would need to make a decision is presented up-front, tailored to their personal needs, and customized to the most relevant offer. In B2B buying groups, which contain more consumers than a typical B2C purchase, shortcuts to decision-making are a must. 

3. Higher return on ad spend

The B2B vertical is packed with fierce competition, especially as it pertains to digital advertising. While digital ad spending has increased by 12%, there’s no clear increase in user conversions.

What does this mean for B2B brands? There must be a better way to market to your buyers. Content personalization marketing can deliver up to eight times the return on investment (ROI) on marketing spend and even lift sales by 10% or more, helping to drive more profitable campaigns. 

So, how can you personalize content?

With the above benefits of B2B personalization in mind, follow these five specific tips to help you customize your content. 

Understand your customer base

A thorough understanding of your customer base is integral to effective content personalization. Review all pertinent consumer demographic data, including age, gender, geolocation, income, and employment, as well as relevant online behavior to best understand your true target audience. 

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention our own tool, Audience Explorer, here.

Audience Explorer helps you gain deeper insights into precisely WHO your audience is by analyzing 180 days of content consumption patterns. It enables precise audience profiling, sharing job titles, industries, and more. This real-time data allows marketers to tailor their strategies to engage the right decision-makers in their niche effectively.

Map out your customer journey

Once you understand who is searching for your products or services, map out the journey they must take to become a customer or subscriber. Be sure to consider the multiple touchpoints along the customer journey, including search ads, social media ads, your website, and email campaigns. 

Segment your audience

With your customer base and customer journey in hand, segment your audience to personalize your content. Segmenting your audience by consideration stage, purchasing behavior, budget, or other factors helps tailor your content and offers to the specific needs of each individual customer. 

Gather first-party data

First-party data refers to the details you directly collect from your customers through sales information or forms on your website. These details can include customer email, phone number, job function, job role, job level, account preferences, communication preferences, and more to totally personalize content efforts.

Leverage AI tools to personalize in real-time

Artificial intelligence is vital to simplify content personalization marketing—from the initial data collection to the ultimate content delivery. AI tools can sift through tons of data in real-time to send customers cart abandonment emails, pre-populate forms, and deliver personalized product offers. 

How NetLine can help with personalized marketing content 

Understanding WHO you need to reach is vital to succeeding in any vertical.

NetLine’s INTENTIVE stands alone as the only buyer-level intent platform, purpose-built to help you supercharge your sales conversations.

Our platform gives you real-time insights that go beyond the basics. It doesn’t just tell you “what” actions an account is taking, “when” they’re taking them, or even (quite uniquely) “where” these actions are happening, it also reveals “who” is showing interest in an account,

This intelligence empowers you to truly understand your prospects, paving the way for successful and meaningful content personalization efforts. Become an INTENTIVE Explorer today by signing up for a free trial.

On-page SEO has the power to bring countless new visitors — and customers — right to your website.

Additionally, on-page SEO is also completely up to you: You get to establish what the topic and/or goal of each page will be. You get to decide on the target audience for that page. And you get to choose the target keywords and phrases you want to focus on.

This can be intimidating and empowering at the same time. If you’re unsure how to get started, we’ve built this on-page SEO checklist to help guide you.

Jump To:

• What is On-Page SEO?
• Why On-Page SEO is Important
• On-Page SEO Elements
• On-Page SEO Checklist
• How to Manage On-Page SEO at Scale

Google’s algorithm ranks your website on three main factors: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO:

• On-page SEO refers to the page elements that enable search engines to crawl and index a page.
• Off-page SEO refers to social sharing, external linking, and more.
• Technical SEO refers to all the SEO elements not included in on-page and off-page practices, such as structured data, site speed, and mobile readiness — the more technical parts of SEO.

Note: This SEO “trilogy” isn’t always divided into three clean sections; some of these SEO elements will overlap. You’ll see how and why throughout this piece.

Why is on-page SEO important?

On-page SEO is important because it tells Google all about your website and how you provide value to visitors and customers. It helps your site be optimized for both human eyes and search engine bots.

Merely creating and publishing your website isn’t enough — you must optimize it for Google and other search engines in order to rank and attract new traffic.

On-page SEO is called “on-page” because the tweaks and changes you make to optimize your website can be seen by visitors on your page (whereas off-page and technical SEO elements aren’t always visible).

Every part of on-page SEO is completely up to you; that’s why it’s critical that you do it correctly. Now, let’s discuss the elements of on-page SEO.

All on-page SEO elements fall into three main categories:

• Content Elements
• HTML Elements
• Site Architecture Elements

You’ll see these elements divided into sections below.

Content Elements

In this section, we’ll focus on keyword research and how keywords should be incorporated into your content. We’ll also discuss the importance of including images in your content.

1. Keyword Research

The first step to creating high-quality content is choosing relevant keywords and topics. Conduct keyword research by searching Google for terms and seeing what surfaces for competitors and other websites. You can also use tools like Ahrefs, AnswerthePublic, and UberSuggest.

Also, read our Beginner’s Guide on How to Do Keyword Research for SEO.

When doing keyword research, consider how your page content falls into the buyer’s journey and visitors’ search intent. This will impact how you will use your keywords and what types of content you will create:

Now, it’s time to write your page content or clean it up if you’re currently auditing your on-page SEO.

2. Visual Content

Visual content — like images, graphics, and charts — play an important role in on-page SEO for several reasons.

Images can enhance the visual appeal and engagement of web pages. They help make content more scannable and easier to digest. Plus, optimizing images with alt tags (more on that below) can help drive traffic from image search results.

HTML Elements

HTML elements refer to the elements in your source code.

Note: To see the source code for any page in your browser, click View > Developer > View Source in the top menu.

3. Page Titles

Your website page titles (also known as title tags) are one of the most important SEO elements.

Titles tell both visitors and search engines what they can find on the corresponding pages.

To ensure your site pages rank for the proper intent, be sure to include the focus keyword for each page in the title. Incorporate your keyword as naturally as possible.

4. Headers

Headers, also known as body tags, refer to the HTML element <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, and so on.

These tags help organize your content for readers and help search engines distinguish what part of your content is most important and relevant, depending on search intent.

5. Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are the short page descriptions that appear under the title in search results. Although it’s not an official ranking factor for search engines, it can influence whether or not your page is clicked on — therefore, it’s just as important when doing on-page SEO.

Meta descriptions can also be copied over to social media when your content is shared (by using structured markup, which we talk about below), so it can encourage click-throughs from there, too.

6. Image Alt-text

Image alt-text is like SEO for your images. It tells Google and other search engines what your images are about … which is important because Google now delivers almost as many image-based results as they do text-based results.

That means consumers may be discovering your site through your images. In order for them to do this, though, you have to add alt-text to your images.

7. Structured Markup

Structured markup, or structured data, is the process of “marking up” your website source code to make it easier for Google to find and understand different elements of your content.

Structured markup is the key behind those featured snippets, knowledge panels, and other content features you see when you search for something on Google. It’s also how your specific page information shows up so neatly when someone shares your content on social media.

Note: Structured data is considered technical SEO, but I’m including it here because optimizing it creates a better on-page experience for visitors.

Site Architecture Elements

Site architecture elements refer to the elements that make up your website and site pages. How you structure your website can help Google and other search engines easily crawl the pages and page content.

8. Page URLs

Your page URLs should be simple to digest for both readers and search engines. They are also important when keeping your site hierarchy consistent as you create subpages, blog posts, and other types of internal pages.

For example, in the above URL, “blog” is the sub-domain, “hubspot.com” is the domain, “sales” is the directory for the HubSpot Sales Blog, and “startups” indicates the specific path to that blog post.

9. Internal Linking

Internal linking is the process of hyperlinking to other helpful pages on your website. (See how the words “internal linking” are linked to another HubSpot blog post in the sentence above? That’s an example.)

Internal linking is important for on-page SEO because internal links send readers to other pages on your website, keeping them around longer and thus telling Google your site is valuable and helpful.

Also, the longer visitors are on your website, the more time Google has to crawl and index your site pages. This ultimately helps Google absorb more information about your website and potentially rank it higher on the search engine results pages.

Download our free guide to Internal Linking for SEO.

10. Mobile Responsiveness

Google started favoring sites that are optimized for faster mobile speeds — even for desktop searches.

Mobile responsiveness matters.

It’s critical to choose a website hosting service, site design and theme, and content layout that’s readable and navigable on mobile devices. If you’re not sure about your own site’s mobile readiness, use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.

11. Site Speed

Whether viewed on a mobile device or desktop, your site must be able to load quickly. When it comes to on-page SEO, page speed counts big-time.

Google cares about user experience first and foremost. If your site loads slowly or haphazardly, it’s likely your visitors aren’t going to stick around — and Google knows that. Moreover, site speed can impact conversions and ROI.

Check your website’s speed anytime using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. If your website is movin’ slow, check out 5 Easy Ways to Help Reduce Your Website’s Page Loading Speed.

Note: Mobile responsiveness and site speed are considered technical SEO, but I’m including them here because optimizing them creates a better on-page experience for visitors.

Now that we’ve covered the elements of on-page SEO, let’s dive into our checklist that you can use when optimizing individual pages on your website.

1. Make sure your keyword is in your URL.

Add your target keyword to your URL so users and search engines know what kind of content they will find on the page.

For example, imagine you own a hot yoga studio called ADYoga. You have a web page that includes videos of your classes. The keyword for this page is “hot yoga online classes” — so, you’d want to include that keyword in your URL. The URL for this web page may look like this: www.ADyoga.com/hot-yoga-online-classes.

Here are a few tips on how to write SEO-friendly URLs:

• Remove the extra, unnecessary words.
• Use only one or two keywords.

Use HTTPS if possible, as Google now uses that as a positive ranking factor.

2. Optimize your page title.

Craft a descriptive title that includes your target keyword and accurately describes the page’s content.

Here are some best practices for when developing a page title:

• Keep it under 60 characters (per Google’s update) to ensure that your titles display correctly. Although Google doesn’t have an exact character limit, its display titles max out at 600 pixels. Keeping your titles at 60 characters or less ensures the title won’t be cut off in search results.
• Don’t stuff the title with keywords.
• Don’t use all caps.
• Include your brand in the title, i.e. “The Ultimate Guide to On-Page SEO in 2022 — HubSpot Blog”.

Check out our free data-driven guide to writing effective page titles.

3. Use headers.

Organize your content with header tags to make it more scannable and search-engine friendly.

Be sure to naturally incorporate important keywords in your headers, but choose different ones than what’s in your page title. Put your most important keywords in your <h1> and <h2> headers.

4. Include keywords in your body copy.

In addition to your URL, title, and headers, you’ll want to add your keyword throughout your web page(s). Sprinkle your keyword throughout your content as well where it fits naturally.

While keywords are both helpful and necessary for SEO, it’s important to avoid keyword stuffing. This is when you excessively repeat keywords or key phrases in your content with the intention of manipulating search engine rankings.

Keyword stuffing can be detrimental to your website and web page’s SEO. Not only does keyword-stuffing present a spammy and tacky reading experience, but modern search engines are smarter than ever — they’ve been designed to specifically monitor for (and penalize!) content that’s unnaturally stuffed with keywords.

5. Incorporate images, graphics, and other visuals.

Add engaging and relevant visuals to your content to break up large blocks of text and make it more visually appealing. Visuals can also help drive potential image search traffic.

To optimize images for on-page SEO, ensure they are appropriately compressed for faster loading times, use descriptive filenames, and provide informative alt tags. By doing so, you can enhance both the user experience and the visibility of your web pages in search engine results.

6. Add a meta description.

Write a compelling meta description that summarizes the page’s content and encourages users to click through from search results.

Here’s what makes for a good meta description:

• Keep it under 160 characters, although Google has been known to allow longer meta descriptions. (Note
• Include your entire keyword or keyword phrase.
• Use a complete, compelling sentence (or two).
• Avoid alphanumeric characters like —, &, or +.

7. Optimize visuals with alt-text.

We talked earlier about image alt text. You’ll want to optimize your visual content this way — and be sure to include your keyword in your image alt text. It’ll help with the page’s SEO as well as offer the potential to rank in image search (e.g. on a search engine image results page or image carousel).

Here’s what to keep in mind when adding image alt-text:

• Make it descriptive and specific.
• Make it contextually relevant to the broader page content.
• Keep it shorter than 125 characters.
• Use keywords sparingly, and don’t keyword stuff.

8. Add internal links.

Help search engines discover and understand the relationships between different pages on your website by adding internal links to your content.

To add internal links to your content, you’ll need to:

• Identify relevant anchor text. Determine the anchor text (the clickable text) that you want to use for your internal link. The anchor text should be descriptive and related to the content of the page you’re linking to.
• Identify the target page. Determine the specific page on your website that you want to link to. Choose a page that is contextually relevant and provides additional value or information related to the current content.
• Place links strategically throughout the page. Aim for a reasonable number of links per page, ensuring they are contextually relevant and add value to the user experience. Avoid excessive linking, as it may be seen as spammy.

9. Add external links.

It may seem counterintuitive to include external links throughout your page considering we just covered multiple reasons why internal linking is so important for on-page SEO. However, external links are also important.

By externally linking to credible and trustworthy sites, Google will know your page is also credible and trustworthy. Not only does Google want to know your site is well-referenced, but your visitors do, too.

Now that you know how to make on-page optimizations for a single page, let’s talk through the steps of auditing and improving your on-page SEO at scale.

If you’ve been in search of a solution for organizing and tracking the various on-page SEO elements, you’re in luck. The HubSpot marketing team released an updated version of our On-Page SEO Template, an Excel document that allows you to coordinate pages and keywords — and track changes — all in one place.

Download Now: On-Page SEO Template

In this section, we’ll be using this template as a guide as we walk you through a checklist for your on-page SEO management, step by step. Download the template now and follow along.

Note: The fictional website “http://www.quantify.ly” will be used as an example throughout this post. It’s simply meant to help you imagine how your own website will fit into the template.

1. Crawl your website.

Get an overview of all of your website pages that search engines have indexed. For HubSpot customers, our Page Performance tool (under Reports) will allow you to do this. If you’re not using HubSpot, you can try using a free tool like Xenu’s link crawler.

After crawling your site and exporting the results into an Excel (or .csv) file, there will be three key columns of data that you should focus on:

1. The web address (a.k.a. URL)
2. The page title
3. The page meta description

Copy and paste these three columns into your template.

The URL should be pasted into column B, the page title into column C, and the description into column E.

2. Conduct an SEO audit and define your site architecture.

Now that you have a basic index of your site in the template, you’ll want to organize and prioritize your web pages. Start by defining where within your site architecture your existing pages currently sit.

Do this in column A. Note whether a page is your homepage (ideally you’ll only have one of those), a page in your primary (or secondary) navigation menu, an internal page, and so on.

3. Update URLs, page titles, and meta descriptions.

Review your current URLs, page titles, and meta descriptions to see if they need updating.

(This is the beauty of using a template to organize your SEO: You get a broad overview of the type of content you have on your website.)

Notice how column D and column F automatically calculate the length of each element. The recommended length for page titles is anything under 60 characters. (And, actually, a quick and easy optimization project is to update all page titles that are longer than 60 characters.)

The recommended length for page meta descriptions is 155-160 characters. This is the perfect length to ensure none of the description is cut off by the ellipses. Make sure you’re not too repetitive with keywords in this space. Writing a good meta description isn’t tough, but it deserves just as much consideration as the page content itself.

(Note: For some sites, you may also have to update the URLs, but that’s not always the case and thus was not included as part of this optimization template.)

4. Track keywords and topics for each page.

Think of your target keyword as the designated topic for a particular page. If you’re using the HubSpot template, In column O, define just one topic per page.

By doing this, you’ll be able to go more in-depth and provide more detailed information about that topic. This also means that you are only optimizing for one keyword per page, meaning you have a greater chance to rank for that keyword.

There are, of course, a few exceptions to this rule. Your homepage is a classic example. The goal of your homepage is to explain what your entire website is about, and thus you’ll need a few keywords to do that. Another exception is overview pages like services and product pages, which outline what all of your products and services may be.

5. Establish value propositions for each page.

A very important next step, which is often overlooked, is establishing a value proposition for each page of your website. Each page should have a goal aside from just ranking for a particular term.

If you’re using the template, you’ll do this in column G.

6. Define your target audience.

Define your target audience — do you have a single buyer persona or multiple personas? Keep this persona in mind as you optimize your site’s pages. (Remember, you are optimizing for humans, too — not just search engine robots.)

In column H of our template, you’ll have the opportunity to define your page’s target audience.

7. Plan new page titles.

Now that you’ve documented your existing page titles and have established value propositions and target audiences for each of your pages, write new page titles (if necessary) to reflect your findings.

You can do this in column K of the template — and double-check each title length in column L.

People usually follow the formula of “Keyword Phrase | Context.” The goal of the page title is to lay out the purpose of the page without being redundant. You should also keep the additional recommendations we made above related to titles.

8. Add new meta descriptions.

As we covered above, meta descriptions should be a short, declarative sentence that incorporates the same keyword as your page’s title.

It should not reflect the content verbatim as it appears on the page. Get as close as you can to the 150-character limit to maximize space and tell visitors as much as possible about your page.

If you need to create new meta descriptions, do so in column M of the template.

9. Review and edit page content as needed.

Good copy needs to be thorough, clear, and provide solutions … so, be compelling! Write for your target audience and about how you can help them. Compelling content is also error-free, so double-check your spelling and grammar.

Aim to have at least 500 words per page, and format content to make it easier to read and digest with the use of headers and subheaders.

Columns P through R can be used to keep track of changes that you’ve made to your content or to note where changes need to be implemented.

10. Incorporate visual content.

Content can be more than just text, so consider what kind of visual content you can incorporate into each page (if it adds value and serves a purpose, of course). Columns S and T allow you to note which visual elements need to be added. When adding an image to a page, be sure to include a descriptive file name and image alt-text.

11. Add relevant links.

As mentioned earlier, incorporating links throughout your pages is a must, but it’s often something that’s easily overlooked.

Make sure that your anchor text includes more than just your keywords. The goal isn’t to stuff in as many keywords as possible, but to make it easy for people to navigate your site.

You’ll want to regularly review your internal and external links to ensure they are still valid and point to the intended destination. Broken or outdated links can harm the user experience and SEO.

Use columns U through W to plan for these elements if you don’t already have them, or to document how you’ll improve them.

12. Optimize for conversions.

If you’re also not optimizing your site to increase the number of leads, subscribers, and/or customers you’re attracting … you’re doing it wrong.

Remember that each page of your website presents a conversion opportunity. That means every page of your website should include at least one call-to-action (CTA), though many pages may have multiple CTAs.

Columns X through AF allow you to plan for conversions.

Be sure that your site has a mix of CTAs for different stages of the flywheel.

(Note: The On-Page SEO Template refers to the stages of the buying funnel — top of the funnel, middle of the funnel, and bottom of the funnel. If you are a HubSpot customer, you can even use Smart Content to display these specific CTAs only to people in a specific part of the funnel.)

Also, as you add, edit, or update CTAs, be sure to note conversion rate changes in columns Z, AC, and AF.

Put Your On-Page SEO to Work

Once you finalize your SEO plans, implement these changes on your website or pass them along to someone to implement for you. This will take time to complete, so aim to work on 5 to 10 pages per week.

Remember: SEO is not a one-and-done deal. It’s something you should continually improve upon. You should treat this On-Page SEO Template as a living, breathing document that will help guide your SEO strategy for months (or years) to come.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2012 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.