No, keywords are not dead. They are still critical. But, the keyword-driven contents are not for all type of business. For the start-ups and the new companies, the keyword-driven contents mainly waste time and money here, what you should write instead.
The Domain Authority and Link Profile Are Crap
I am not personally attacking the start-ups. But, it is a harsh reality for the new venture. Unless you have built your empire and have lots of loyal followers, your authority will be going to be crap if you use the keyword-driven content for ranking your new business. Most of the keyword-driven contents are overcrowded with the titans of this digital industry who have been designing the brand awareness and crafted the leadership for the last decade-
The particular keyword has more than 250 searches each month, as per the Ahrefs. And what about the long-tail keywords?
Maybe it was common five years ago, but now? It is the same old story. If the domain authority is crap, which can be when you will start the new venture, the time is taken to rank the generic top of the list of content is not worth the traffic you will get. The couples who are having the crappy link profile and it could be 5 years before the generic post on the local SEO takes control over the brand. Thus, you need to have the rankings now, traffic now. You also need brand awareness now. Writing the keyword-driven contents will not get you with the crappy links and the crappy DA.
When Your Budget and Connections Are Crap
If you are learning anything from the latest scandals available, it that the connection which is the key. There is no difference in the workplace. In addition, there is no difference in content marketing. The more people you know, it will be much better. The more people you are working with, the more you will mention them in your content and help each other to grow. However, if you are a brand new startup, you do not have anything to offer and no budget to increase. To run the popular niche terms, you will need both the connections and the budget. So, what you want to do instead? What content do you want to establish your brand authority?
1. Write Some Interesting Search Pieces
You require rankings now, right? You require traffic now. Even you also require brand awareness. Writing the keyword-driven contents will not work there. When you have the DA of 50-60+, you can attack the targets and play the game for the long run. But, this time, you should only focus on the content and that has not been started yet. Develop a well-layout survey with some serious engaging questions and campaigns and make it social. Email the list of small connections and let them share with the people. Conduct the outreach process to several people in the space you want. It is true that the original research gets good links.
2. Design the Unique Tone with Thought Provoking Pieces
SEO tips are informative. But, people search for the seasoned veterans, not your start-up. They do not trust you. There are reasons too. This is the good news for you and you do not need them just. Rather than writing the boring contents, you should focus on getting the attention in other ways as like shifting the narrative way of writing to changing the status quo.
3. Interview People to Get the Opinions
The interviews or the round-up style posts are quite interesting to read, mainly when the people in question are popular in the industry. It is always nice to see the different perspectives with the given subject and how the people react in certain situation. With the help of opinionated round ups, you can take benefit of the increasing number of odds to generate the social buzz. Mention the name of people in the blog and what they like to share tell them to mention it themselves. You can also start campaigning. Try to look for ways so that you can contact with the experts and make it simple. Do not ask them their life story or the ten-page essay story. Try to summarize the points in 1-2 quotes on the given subject. Never ask them about their favourite SEO tip.
When you have the start up, you do not have the authority or the links or budget to attack most of the keyword-driven contents. Common posts will give you zero results. Focus and write thought-provoking contents. Hence, the keyword-driven contents are not for the start-ups. You have to try other tactics as mentioned for better results.