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Are you tired of hearing "content is king" yet? I don't blame you. It's been overused in marketing to the point that it has become a cliché. However, when we're talking about Google and search engine optimization (SEO), content is still king. In fact, if your website isn't updated with user-focused content for semantic search, there's no chance your ranking will be high enough to get noticed by the algorithm that determines where websites rank on SERPs (search engine results pages).

In the episode of The Headless Marketing Show, I had a conversation with an SEO thought leader and the founder of Surfer - Michal Suski. Michal has developed software that is a clear leader in the space of content optimization. Simply put Surfer helps you write better content.

Our conversation is mainly focused on why developing content that is focused on the user is the clear way to rank your digital experiences. User-focused content is the key to modern SEO. The days of simply stuffing keywords in your blog posts are over. Today, Google and other search engines prioritize websites that have user-friendly content that provides what the searcher is looking for. So if you're looking for a way to stay ahead of competitors and future Google changes then give this show a listen!!

 In today’s show, we discuss a few topics that I felt you would want to have additional reading material to round out the show. This will also give a go starting point to find more information on these topics.

 In layman’s terms, semantic search seeks to understand natural language the way a human would. Semantic search is really about us the users and how we search and creating search results that fit our intentions and the context of what we are looking for overtime. Here’s more information to read.

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/semantic-search-seo/264037/#close

What is a PBN? Why is it Considered Manipulation? A PBN is a network of websites used to build links (and therefore pass authority) to a single website to manipulate search engine rankings. Many SEO firms are still offering this style of service instead of user-focused experiences and content. Here’s a great article to learn more.

https://searchengineland.com/private-blog-networks-great-way-get-site-penalized-286489

What Are Google’s Core Web Vitals? The Core Web Vitals are essentially tied to how Google is now measuring the overall user experience of a website. In this episode with Michal, we talk about how they affect Modern SEO. Here’s an article with more context on what the Core Web Vitals are.

https://www.webriq.com/core-web-vitals-2021

How Do I Start SEO for My Website? As we discuss in the episode, you should really start by focusing on your user, answering questions that matter to them, and otherwise developing useful and informative content. To get a clearer picture of what you can do read the below article.

https://www.webriq.com/seo-is-easier-than-you-think

Why User Focused Content is the Key to Modern SEO

Understanding Headless CMS and How It Benefits Marketers

Today on the show we Have Kaya Ismail. Wordify is a content marketing agency for SaaS and enterprise software vendors. Wordify is not just another content factory. They integrate into marketing teams to build content-filled funnels that turn website visitors into MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads) and SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads). They provide services like content strategy, content marketing, and content repurposing.

After an intro like that, you’d assume we’d have a big conversation on the topic of content marketing and you’d be half right. You see Kaya’s firm Wordify is focused on help Headless CMS companies define their own content marketing and it is because of his close proximity to the world of headless cms that I was most keen on having him on the show. So we talk a lot about headless cms. I mean - it is the topic where we derive the name for this podcast - the headless marketing show!!.

Now if you’ve never heard of the term headless CMS or any of the ideas behind headless content management then you’re really going to find this show useful. Kaya does a great job of laying out the advantages and reasons why a lot of companies are looking at headless cms to help them publish and create engaging user experiences and help them manage their content.

There is some technical jargon in the episode. Things like Jamstack, APIs, DXPs also called digital experience platforms, and even the concept of decoupling the front end of a website from the back end of a website and thus using a headless CMS. Fear not, this show is in fact catered to non-technical people and mostly about how the marketing world should become familiar with the ideas and considerations of headless content management. I have provided plenty of extra reading and information in the show notes. So please feel free to start there for more details and information. I also suggest getting onto Google or your favorite search engine and starting your research into this new space.

Really this is what the headless marketing show is all about. Digging into deeper ideas and methods and technologies to help marketers gain insights and ideas you can put into practice with the experiences and campaigns you are running for your brands. Marketing and technology and the development community are all starting to blend together and today’s show is a great jumping-off point for you to start to get a great understanding of what is possible online today.

I thought we’d go over what an API is. Technically Speaking API is the acronym for Application Programming Interface, which is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. Each time you use an app like Facebook, send an instant message or check the weather on your phone, you're using an API.

In the coming interview, you’ll hear Kaya talk about APIs and he’ll mention API calls which better represent what APIs really are. They basically act as messengers retrieving and delivering data on applications and websites. You can think of an API like a waiter in a restaurant. They take your order, deliver your food and handle the collection of your payment - oftentimes we waive our hand or call our waiter to have these services happen. APIs do the same service online.

The rise of APIs has led to what is being called the API first movement which is a movement in DevOps to place APIs at the center of the architecture. This enables websites and applications to be more modular, reusable, and extensible, more akin to Lego blocks than the monolithic server based systems of yesteryear.

here are more links to information on APIs:

https://apifriends.com/api-management/what-is-an-api/

https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/what-is-an-api-in-english-please-b880a3214a82/

Get more details on the API-First movement in tech

https://auth0.com/blog/the-business-value-of-api-first-design/

The Jamstack approach to web development has been emerging for several years, but really took off in 2017. More a design philosophy than an explicit framework, JAM Stack takes the concept of static, database-free websites to the next level via an architecture advocates are calling “the future of the internet.” Which only makes sense. Browsers themselves have essentially become mini operating systems capable of running complex client-side applications while interacting with myriad APIs. Meanwhile, with the help of Node.js and React, and other new coding languages, JavaScript has leaped the divide between front and back end for real-time, two-way communication between client and server. Jamstack is simply harnessing these factors in a logical and effective way.

Check out a few more links on the Jamstack:

https://www.webriq.com/welcome-to-the-jamstack

Today on the show we have Marcelo Lewin. Marcelo is a Headless CMS Solutions Professional and Founder of Headless Creator dot com. In his day job, he is a Senior Content Solutions Specialist at Service Titan.

I had a lot of fun interviewing Marcelo - he is clearly super passionate about headless content management - so much so that he has developed a full-time side gig as an educator of all things headless CMS. I was particularly pleased with his knowledge and insight around using headless cms across the organization. Not just for marketing content. In fact, I learned a whole new concept in talking to Marcelo as he talked about microcopy and how you can use headless cms to manage content within applications.

This is the big reason a lot of folks look at headless cms. You can manage all the content within the company. Applications, Landing Pages, Websites. Within the headless content management community, we call this single source of truth. You’ll hear Marcelo talk about that a few times and essentially that’s the concept he is referring to. Bringing all content together into a single content hub and having a single source of truth for your content - whether it is marketing content, customer service content, or microcopy in an app. Headless cms allow you to manage your content from one place and yet have that content be delivered to any channel you want.

We also talk a lot about content modeling and basically preparing yourself to use headless cms. Marcelo has a ton of great information on organizing and preparing your content so you can create a content model so be prepared for a nice juicing podcast on how to start thinking about your content from a different perspective.

As always check the show notes as I have placed a link to Marcelo’s website and other great resources on headless content management and content modeling.

 Info on Marcelo Lewin Here’s a link to Marcelo website 

 Scratching your head as to what a headless CMS is then this is a great place to start. WTF is Headless CMS the article covers what a monolithic CMS or traditional CMS is and what a Headless CMS and why they’re different.

You can also find out more information on Jamstack vs WordPress by reading this article 

https://www.webriq.com/time-to-drop-wordpress-and-migrate-to-jamstack

 lastly this is another great article to look over on why headless content management is on the rise. 

https://www.webriq.com/headless-content-management-systems-are-rising

Curious About Content Modeling? This is a great resource for folks looking to get a good overview of content modeling and how to think through the process of modeling your content to be managed by a headless CMS. It is a multi-step guide from our preferred headless CMS at WebriQ - Sanity CMS

https://www.sanity.io/guides/content-modeling-guide-introduction

https://www.sanity.io/guides/content-modeling-guide-why

https://www.sanity.io/blog/why-content-modeling-early-unlocks-value

https://www.sanity.io/guides/discover-your-contents-mental-model

I figure that’s enough to keep you busy for a while!!