When I started out with SEO, I was very successful. Until I wasn't. 😕I was confused as to why some of my initiatives failed because I always followed Google best practices.But with Google best practices, SEO doesn't end – it's where it begins.Google best practices are just what everyone else is doing.I realized that to be successful, I had to change my mindset.To drive growth with SEO, ...🔑 I stopped solely relying on keyword tools. If your content marketing and SEO feel like a constant guessing game, you know what I am referring to. I started interviewing real customers to understand their pain points and match them with the right keyword cluster. Not the other way around.🪞 I stopped mirroring the competition and started looking for unique angles to be able to succeed in highly competitive areas. In the age of AI, it’s all about information gain: What you can bring to the table that no one else can. This way I started building thought leadership and trust with my audience.📣 I stopped to just publish and pray. It doesn’t make sense to invest in content if there is no strategy for reaching the target audience so I started investing in active distribution strategies like link building and social media to see results faster.📦 I stopped optimizing for rankings and visibility and started choosing topics according to their business potential to drive not only more clicks, but also more conversions. I do this by naturally weaving products and services into storylines instead of just relying on an isolated call to action.I call this approach "SEO-focused content marketing".It's what sets successful SEO and content marketing apart from the masses.And it’s what effectively works in 2024.Today, my agency delivers the exact content, code and links, that our clients need to make search their highest converting channel.If you are struggling with low performing content or are unsure how SEO can drive leads for your business, I'd love to chat about your challenges.You can reach me at marco@digitalleverage.ch