Q: "Our company has limited copywriting resources. For the best SEO results, if I can only work on content a few hours per month, what's the best use of my time onsite and offsite?"
A: Search engines give greater weight to websites that are updated – so if your time is truly torn between producing either onsite or offsite content, onsite content would be the most advantageous. The best practice rule would be to maintain an onsite blog with two to three new posts every week.
Not using any resources to create offsite content can hamper your link building efforts, but you can make up that slack by posting original and engaging content to your website. As your users share and spread your content, you will slowly but surely build links to help increase your site’s search engine ranking.
If you are able to focus some of your resources on offsite content, you have many areas to choose from. If your time is limited, focus on micro-content and/or social media. To make the most of your time, be selective of which channels you focus on. Be active where your target audience is most active. If that criterion falls across multiple channels, streamline your efforts with tools that manage all of your selected social media accounts (e.g., Hootsuite).
Once you have decided where you will focus your efforts, all you need to do is create content that answers the most important questions your clients (and prospective clients) are asking about your products and/or services. This is one of best ways to engage your audience while staying relative to your expertise.
