3 Questions That Will Improve Your Content Marketing

Every time I submit a draft manuscript or book proposal to a publisher, I always have to answer three key questions:

1. Who is the book for?
2. What other books on the subject exist, and how is yours different?
3. Why are you the person to write it?

Here, I explain why these questions should apply to content strategy and search engine optimization and how they distinguish good from bad writing.

1. Who is the content for?

I'd like to say this is an obvious question, but unfortunately, it isn't.

One of the main reasons for poor content online is that the writers aren’t clear on the target audience. This isn’t necessarily their fault. All too often, the briefs they’re handed are missing key details about the audience and what they're searching for.

This is how skilled writers end up producing content that doesn’t connect with anyone. It doesn’t matter how skilled they are—if they’re in the dark about the audience, the content will fail to deliver.

Here's a simple example: an article by Indeed titled "How to Write an Article in 7 Easy Steps ."

It's the top Google result for the search, 'how to write an article'. The title captures the search intent. The reader is looking for actionable tips, so the addition of ‘in 7 Easy Steps’ is appropriate.?

But after a brief intro, we have this:

If someone googles ‘how to write an article’, do they really need an explanation of what an article is?

Unfortunately, Indeed is not unique in this respect. The internet is full of articles that tell the reader what they already know.

Why does this happen?

Because, whatever the reason, people do search for 'What is an article?'. Marketers see it in 'People Also Ask', and think, 'We better add that!' But 'people' is an extremely broad target audience! Those looking for 'how to write an article' are not the ones searching for a definition of an article. Marketers throw multiple audiences into one box because they don't really know who they're writing for.

In short: Optimize for your audience before you optimize for search engines. Your outline, headings, and keyword choices depend not on how many are searching for those things, but who is searching and why.

2. What other content exists, and how is yours different?

Before writing a book, you need to explain to the publisher how yours measures up against what’s already on the shelf. What fresh perspective are you bringing? The same principle should apply to content marketing. But often, it doesn’t.

Instead of asking, “What can we add to the conversation?” the mindset seems to be, “Let’s copy what’s ranking and tweak it just enough to try and beat it.”

The result? The entire first page of Google for a search query looks like this:

Before I get into what's inside those articles, let's look at the titles. I find this screenshot interesting because it exemplifies three common SEO myths:

• Myth #1: If your competitor mentions 10 tools, you should have at least 11. If the search term were something like 'blogs that accept guest posts,' the quantity would be relevant, as the reader probably wants to find as many options as possible. But 'best content marketing tools' is a middle-of-the-funnel search term. That means the searcher is considering trying a tool or buying a product but needs more information to make that decision. Too many options confuse the reader rather than help them choose.
• Myth #2: Odd numbers perform better than even numbers. It's hard to believe that there are SEOs who claim this makes a difference. There's simply no solid basis for this. As you can see here, choosing 19 tools didn't do anything to outrank the others. And no, adding one more wouldn’t improve its ranking because - let's get real - no one cares.
• Myth #3: Adding the year improves ranking. While it sometimes matters, marketers often overuse this strategy, chasing short-term traffic spikes . While having the current year immediately signals to the user that the content isn't outdated, it doesn't convey anything of benefit, unlike the title in the first result. In general, evergreen content, which holds long-term value, performs better .

But enough about titles. What about the articles themselves?

If you care to click and read through, you’ll notice that there's not much difference between them other than the product choices and those small tweaks based on the above SEO myths.

All of them lack depth.

A couple of them include features of the tools but not their benefits. There's no criterion for their inclusion in the list, and there's no clear reason someone would choose one over another that does the same thing.

It wouldn't have taken much to spot an opportunity to create something with deeper insight and provide more value than what's there already.

In short: Think about how you can add value to what's already ranking. Depth is usually what adds value, not numbers like word count or how many items are listed. Readers looking for 'the best content marketing tools' are not interested in a long list; they want enough information to make a sound decision.

3. Why are you the person to write it?

In publishing (for non-fiction), this question is about the author’s knowledge or experience. In content marketing, it’s more about the expertise behind the content, and so it’s a question for the company more than it is for the writer. Here’s why:

a. Topical authority is not about the author

Topical authority refers to search engines recognizing that a website is a trustworthy source on a certain topic through things like links and the subjects that the website covers. Many marketers get confused about this and think that what matters is the credentials of the author. But many blogs don't even include the author's name, because what matters is the name of the company, not the writer.

Are you writing about a topic because it’s trendy, or because it’s related to what your company specializes in?

What products, solutions, or knowledge do you provide that are relevant to the topic? The answer to this question will help you identify what the purpose of the content should be. And there should always be a purpose (that isn't traffic).

b. The writer is rarely a subject matter expert, so provide one

The skills the writer brings to the table are communication and clarity of thought, not expertise in the subject they’re writing about. Medical writers are rarely doctors. Legal writers are rarely lawyers. Finance writers are rarely bankers and economists. But they need to understand those subjects to write about them.

If a writer doesn’t have access to the right resources, product demos, interviews, or tutorials, how can they provide value? A brief full of keywords and formatting guidelines won’t make up for that lack of substance.

If you’re the company to write about the subject, then you should have the relevant knowledge about the topic and your audience to pass on to your writers.?If you don't, then maybe you shouldn't be writing about it in the first place.

In short: Write about what you know and problems you can solve, and provide writers with resources, not just keywords. A recorded interview with an expert on the audience’s pain points or a product's value will equip your writers to create more meaningful content.

Write content that connects

If you don’t know the answer to these three questions - who are you writing for, how is your content different, and why are you the one to write it? - you’ll produce surface-level content. That hurts the reader’s experience, your conversion rates, and your reputation. In the long run, it also hurts your rankings on search engines.

If readers aren't engaged, they'll bounce off the page, not click on anything, not share it, and not link to it. This tells Google that your content isn’t doing its job, and you'll have to keep adjusting it over and over again just to keep it visible, chasing traffic spikes instead of slow and steady long-term growth .

The irony is that while marketers focus on trying to beat Google's algorithms, Google cares more about how humans interact with the content . Because if Google's users don't find the material that shows up helpful, they'll stop using it.

Just as books aren’t printed merely to sit on display in bookshops, so too digital content shouldn’t be published only to appear on search engines. At its core, content marketing is about connecting with people. When that happens, the rankings naturally follow.