Contextual Content: What Does It Mean?

Before going any further into our interesting topic, let’s get on the same page about the essence of conceptual content. So what does contextualizing content mean?

You probably noticed that brands that have a worldwide presence adapt their marketing materials to current locations. They do not solely translate the text but do it cautiously, with all the cultural nuances in mind.

And most likely, you noticed that the same brand often shares different marketing materials through different channels, or at least they again adapt their material aligned with the channel they are going to share it. 

Lastly, let’s answer this question: “Have you ever had the feeling that the marketing material you have just read hit the perfect moment?” You definitely did. And as you can guess, it’s not a coincidence. It’s all contextual content.

So, wrapping up the essence of contextual content: it’s marketing material of a brand that is highly adapted to different locations and marketing channels, with the target audience’s current needs in mind.

Bearing in mind the aforementioned, you undoubtedly gained a grasp of the essence of contextual content. But let’s back this up with some examples. 

So, here is one of my favorite Coca-Cola commercials, which I believe provides a perfect example of contextual content and its adaptation in different regions. Remember an ad where a young woman enters a shop thinking what to take. She stopped in front of a cola refrigerator and took two bottles for “Ben” and “Sam.” 

While she is happy having cola for her friends with their names on the bottle, we see two young men looking into watching, discovering that it’s already 12:00, and beginning to hurry somewhere.These are some contextual clues for viewers showing that they’re probably hurrying to lunch. Keeping in mind that a young woman took two bottles of cola, we can analyze the context and guess they’re going to have lunch together. Then we see friends suddenly meet. 

The young woman, as expected, gives the colas to her friends. One of her friends has a gift for her as well: cola with her name on the bottle. They are all happy, having a conversation over Coca-Cola. And then we see the text: “Who will you share a Coke with?”

In this ad, contextual content is as follows:

• Personalization by name on the bottles shows that Coca-Cola is for everyone.
• The sunny day highlights the time (lunchtime) and the positive mood.
• The case is lunchtime with friends.
• The CTA: share Coca-Cola with friends.

Regardless of the region you live in, you’ve probably seen this commercial. The direct difference is the names you see on the bottles. For example, in Asia, instead of Ben and Sam, the names might be Cho and Dae, or other popular Asian male names. This is what contextual content is, with its perfect adaptation.

Now, let’s try to understand which factor matters most for SEO: content or context. Frankly, it’s hard to give preference to just one. They’re interconnected and together drive SEO value.

And really, can you picture context without context? Or can you consider context exists without content? Hardly anyone can. With that being said, no wonder that both context and content are crucial components of successful SEO practices. Well, but who is the king? The king is context! But content is equally important. Indeed, we can have just one king, right? So, then what is the content? 

Given that we name the context a king, let’s name the content a queen. Probably, this description showcases best how connection and context go hand in hand in creating a valuable outcome for SEO.

• • Elevated link building: Strategic link building is one of the crucial components of successful SEO. And guess what is the driving force behind link building? Of course, optimized and high-quality content with the relevant context in place.
    
  • Improved content clusters: Contextual content can be highly beneficial to link pillar content to related subtopics, thus boosting the SEO performance of all your publications.
    
  • Matched on-page intent: The power of contextual content lies in its ability to align each page with a single search intent, significantly improving rankings and reducing bounce rate.
    
  • Better conversion rate: Last but not least, the important benefit of contextual context is that it leads to a better conversion rate. 

Having explored the core principles and essence of contextual content, it’s now time to highlight the key elements that make it up.

• Audience and Intent 

Aiming to create perfect-fit and highly relevant content, you need to first get familiar with your audience and their search intent. This will help you create resonant copies to engage them. But let’s get into more details about why we emphasized the importance of people-first content. 

Primarily, it will ensure your content highly matches users’ expectations and search intent. Secondly, by prioritizing people first, you will be more focused on providing interesting examples and will probably be more inclined to be creative rather than trying to use as many popular keywords as possible. 

Of course, creating context with your end users in mind is crucial, but at the same time you should overlook SEO best practices. So, ideally, your content should be engaging and aligned with search engine optimization. 

All you need to get there is to include a couple of relevant keywords in your text. Also remember about your content’s readability and user-friendliness. You can simply achieve it by breaking your text into short paragraphs and employing appropriate and high-quality visuals.

• Timing

Your content should always be to the point. This can be achieved if it appears in the right place and, most importantly, at the right time. For example, if you are going to present a new ice cream, you probably won’t choose winter to announce it. Regardless of how engaging and creative your ad will be, it won’t generate your desired value if it is not at the right time.

Let me emphasize that the environment doesn’t refer solely to the location where you publish and share your content; it’s also about communication channels. Needless to say, you should utilize social media platforms or choose environments where your most relevant audience is. 

For example, if you offer dietetic ice creams, you may also consider putting banners in gyms and other wellness centers. Plus, you may use relevant social media platforms and groups to reach your targeted audience.

• Data Analytics 

Well, you may excel in timing and guess the user’s intent. However, analyzing that data won’t hurt. First and probably foremost, it will help you ensure you target relevant people based on their browsing history, shipping habits, etc. Plus, it’s worthwhile to analyze the performance of your content to ensure it lives up to expectations.

• Cultural Nuances 

You may craft perfect content that is suitable for your local audience, but when trying to expand your brand’s global reach, you may have trouble adjusting it appropriately. First of all, that is because of cultural nuances. 

You may have some expression or a joke in your commercial that makes sense only in one culture. People with other mindsets may not get the context, meaning you should take cultural nuances into consideration when creating content for your brand.

We’ve covered plenty of insights on contextual context today. And we truly hope that this article helped you gain a basic understanding of the essence and role of contextual content, which is a must whether improving your SEO efforts or attracting and retaining people. 

Let’s be honest, though achieving perfect contextual content sounds pretty simple, getting there can be hard to achieve. You do not have to carry all the change alone. GoPeak.io is highly experienced in client-oriented link-building services and will be happy to bring its expertise to your endeavor. Contact us to get a link-building consultation.