Why create SEO optimized content?
SEO is a set of practices that consist of respecting the rules dictated by search engines to offer an optimal experience to users of Google, and Yahoo… I know how much SEO can be a real headache when you are a beginner, so I have prepared this guide to help you find the perfect content.
How Google Algorithms Work
Before writing content that performs, you must understand how Google’s algorithms work.
Let’s go back to basics to understand how Google works and how your content ranks. If we were to outline the SEO of a website:
- You create your website and request indexing of your content
- Google indexes your site and each of your pages
- Google then analyzes your content, technique and finally the popularity of your site
- Each page is then classified by theme and according to its semantic field.
- A person enters their query in the search bar
- Google extracts pages that match the query
- Google assigns a relevance score
- You appear in the results pages
The better your score, the more likely you are to land in the top search results. It’s simple, right?
Reminder of the 3 pillars of natural referencing
To obtain visibility on search engines, you have to play by the rules that Google imposes on us.
For a good natural referencing strategy, it is necessary to activate the following 3 pillars.
- Popularity: How famous is your site? Who is talking about you? Which sites have links pointing to you?
- Content: Does your content meet search intent? Is it quality? Is it differentiating? Does it provide value?
- Technical: Does your site comply with Google’s rules? Do you have structured data? Are the tags used well? Is the user experience good? Does your site load quickly?
How to implement an SEO content strategy?
We’ve listed the steps to follow to create search engine content that’s a hit. Of course, before defining your content strategy, you need to have previously defined your SEO objectives.
Create personas
The performance of your content depends on its quality. And the more value your content delivers, the more the content you produce will be highlighted in the SERPs (search results pages). To create a content strategy that rocks, you will necessarily have to be interested in your readers.
To do this, we find ourselves in a marketing class and we create the good old personas. Not only will you know who you are addressing, but you will also know what Internet users are looking for. You will thus produce relevant content and Google likes that.
Complete SEO audit of your content
The second step is the one I prefer. It consists of analyzing the quality of the content on your site and the queries on which you are positioned:
- Make sure your content is relevant and meets the right search intent
- Make sure you are using the correct content formats
- Check that your content contains keywords related to your topic
For this, I use a good old Excel table, where I note the tree structure of my site, the focus keyword that I am aiming for each page, the search volume and finally the keyword difficulty. I compare this with the results of the Search Console to check:
- The queries on which our content is positioned
- The average position of our pages
- The evolution of my positions
- The number of impressions
- By carrying out this complete SEO content audit, I can prioritize my actions to implement and see the existing content to optimize.
Keyword research and opportunity detection: identify volumes, difficulty, intent
Now that the audit of each existing content has been carried out, we must look for new sources of inspiration to feed the appetite of users looking for information (like you with this guide). For this part, I already have an idea of the direction to take to set up an effective SEO strategy. Here, my best friend is Semrush (I’ll give you a summary of the tools I use below) because it will allow me to detect interesting keyword opportunities. Concretely, here is what I put in place:
- Selecting a long tail keyword and using the Keyword magic tool
- Exporting the keyword database in broad match
- Using the KEI r formula that I’m giving you right here because I’m nice
- Detection of the most relevant keywords
- Using Also Asked and PAA to find content ideas around selected keywords.
Establish a web content creation plan
I now have a good working basis to build on to prepare my SEO writing. But I’m still missing one essential element, my publishing calendar which will allow me to list all my content to create (generally we prepare over 6 months and adjust the strategy as we go along). The quality of your content is essential but the secret to successful content is to publish content regularly. To be truly effective, this content plan must contain the following elements:
- Types of SEO content: Product sheet, Guide, Service page, Video, White paper, Infographic, Top…
- The number of words
- Search intent
- The target keyword or query you identified during your keyword research
- Secondary keywords to include
- The expected date of publication
- The author
- The meta title
SEO writing and optimization of existing content
In 2023, Google strengthened its EAT model (expertise, authority, reliability or trustworthiness in the language of Gordon Ramsay) by adding the “Experience” brick to become EEAT. Today, quality content therefore includes all of these elements:
Experience: Does the writer have experience in the field? The basic thing is to introduce yourself, give the name of the author of the article, and his position, and write a bio if his life is exciting …
Expertise: Is your content written by an expert on the subject? If you have a shoe sales website and you publish an article about cars, you will have very little chance of being considered an automotive expert. You will have difficulty being well referenced.
Authority: Is the author credible? What about this content? What about your site?
Reliability: Is your content reliable? Is your brand recognized on the topics covered?
Think about it, sometimes it’s easier and smarter to work on optimizing your existing content than creating new content. Why? For the simple reason that you have a foundation to build on.
Now that you know the steps to follow to create a web content strategy, you just need to get started.
Monitoring of the web content strategy implemented
Now that your strategy is launched, it is important to steer it diligently. Adjusting your content strategy is essential to ensure that your content remains visible in search results. Indeed, every day thousands of pages are created on the web, some content gains positions and other content disappears. It is therefore important that the content of your site is regularly updated.
Which SEO tools should you use to optimise your content?
Now that you know the steps to having good SEO content, you need to use the right tools. We’ll take a look at that just below.
Tools to find relevant keywords
Semrush: You’ve probably heard of it. Complete and powerful, this tool will be your best friend to find relevant keywords to use in the content of your site. Not only does it allow you to compare your site with those of your competitors, but it also allows you to discover keywords on which you are not positioned while your competitors are. It also allows you to find word ideas and carry out exports.
Tools to get content ideas for SEO
For content ideas, I use AlsoAsked which allows you to see frequently asked questions around a specific keyword. It’s useful when you don’t have any ideas or when you’re discovering a new market.
Another tool I like to use is 12pages.com. When you have 2 queries you want to rank for, this tool helps you know if you should create two separate pages or if only one page is relevant.
Tools for monitoring an SEO strategy
Finally, as I told you above, a good content strategy requires above all a good follow-up of the actions implemented. For this, nothing is better than Google tools because they are precise and above all they are free. To use them, you just need to add a line of code already created and integrate it into your site.
Google Search Console: This tool gives you valuable information on the positioning of your pages in search results, the number of impressions or the number of clicks from the SERPs. It is essential to detect the content that performs and those that need to be improved.
Google Analytics: It analyses how users navigate your site, it allows you to know in more detail the journey of a user on your site and is a complement to Search Console.
Conclusion
In conclusion, crafting an effective content strategy in 2024 requires a deep understanding of evolving SEO trends, user intent, and quality content creation. By focusing on keyword optimization, leveraging multimedia, and ensuring mobile-friendliness, businesses can enhance their online visibility and engagement. Collaborating with a top SEO agency can provide expert insights and tailored strategies to maximize your content’s impact and drive sustainable growth. Stay proactive and adaptable to remain competitive in the dynamic digital landscape.