Creating an SEO Content Strategy – Technologist

Are you struggling to get noticed in the digital world? Developing a solid SEO content strategy is usually the first step to turning things around.

SEO (search engine optimization) boosts your website’s ranking with Google, making it easier for potential customers to find you. It can even improve your organic CTR (click-through rate) by as much as 39.8%. 

However, the tactics for effective SEO evolve over time, so you have to make sure you know what’s working now. Whether you’re designing a new strategy or updating your previous approach, we’ll walk you through everything your plan needs in the modern marketing landscape.

A Few SEO Content Strategy Basics

What is an SEO content strategy? SEO encompasses all of the actions you take to make your website show up higher in search results. The top elements any SEO strategy must address are:

• On-Page SEO: Optimizing your web pages with strong content, topics, and keyword usage  
• Off-Page SEO: Finding ways to get other websites to link back to yours, which boosts your authority
• Technical SEO: Fixing or preventing issues with site structure and speed

Technical SEO remains the domain of specialists who can tinker with those “behind-the-scenes” features. This guide primarily deals with on-page SEO that anyone can work on.

Research and Analysis for Topics and Keywords

Almost all good SEO content strategies start with finding the right keywords and topics for your site.

Explore Google’s Suggestions and Filters From Searches

Start with your head keyword. This is the primary word or two people use to find companies like yours. Type it into the search bar and see what results pop up to get a feel for your competition and what users want.

Before you finish typing or press “Search,” Google generates additional suggestions. These give you valuable insights into what potential customers are searching for. For example, if you type in “running shoes,” Google may suggest:

• “Running shoes [your city]”
• “Running shoes for women”
• “Running shoes for flat feet”
• “Running shoes on sale”
• “Running shoes near me”

Google recognizes that these are common long-tail keywords shoe buyers use. Long-tail keywords are variations longer than three words that provide more specific searches. You’ll find these to be vital to your SEO content strategy.

Additionally, if you enter just “running shoes,” filters to refine results appear in small bubbles under the search bar. You’ll find similar options to the suggestions and even more, like “For Athletics,” “Under $35,” “Get it fast,” and “Breathable.”

Then, look at the “People Also Ask” section to find the most common questions users want answers to. Use these as ideas for content topics or headings. 

Analyze Your Competition’s Content 

Search engine results pages (SERPs) show you the top-ranked content for your primary keyword. Take note of the types of content that rank high, like videos, articles, or product pages. It gives you a good understanding of what Google places high value on for that word or phrase.

Especially when researching those niche long-tail keywords, take a look at your top-ranking competitor’s websites to see which other keywords they use. Also, scan their articles to learn how they structure their content and what they use as backlinks. 

This gives you an idea of how you need to structure articles for your SEO content strategy. You can also pick up on weaknesses that you can capitalize on to create better content that meets your target audience’s needs.

Use SEO Tools for Deeper Research

There’s only so much you’re going to find on your own with a manual search. Plus, that gets time-consuming and inefficient. Start using SEO software to find topics, information on your competition, and long-tail keywords more quickly. 

We’re fans of Semrush here at BKA Content. With it, you can audit your site, research appropriate topics and keywords, and get insights into site traffic. 

If you’re not ready to invest in an advanced tool like that, you can start with Google Keyword Planner, which is free. Just start finding ways to automate your process sooner rather than later because your competitors who are ranking are, and you’ll need that to keep up.