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You probably want to rank first on Google for your target keywords, right? Why wouldn’t you, when Google accounts for 93% of global traffic and 75% of people don’t scroll past the first page.
Unfortunately though, there’s no magic way to hit the top spot. Ever-changing algorithms, Google Core Updates and strong competition make effective SEO a full-time job. Even then, ranking number one or on the first search engine results page (SERP) can’t be guaranteed.
To be in with the best chance, you need an effective SEO content marketing strategy that positions your website as a reliable source of information. You need to optimise your site for technical SEO too, but you can learn how to do that here.
In this blog, you’ll discover three of the most important content-focused tips to formulate your SEO strategy, giving you the best chance of positioning high in SERPs.
What is an SEO content marketing strategy?
An SEO content marketing strategy is the process of researching, optimising and organising your website content to appear in search results. You need an SEO content strategy so that search engines serve your content when it answers what people are searching for. Without one, your content may never been seen by your target audience, and probably end up buried way down on SERPs.
How to create your SEO content marketing strategy.
Research and target relevant keywords
Let’s start with keyword research. Make a list of subjects that resonate with your audience. Include typical questions that customers ask, the challenges they face, and search terms you ideally want to rank for.
Then, use these terms to inform and refine your keyword research. Use tools like Semrush to identify relevant primary and secondary keywords with high search volume but low competition. Focusing on less competitive keywords can help you rank higher in search results and bring in more relevant traffic.
Analyse search intent during your keyword research too. This helps you understand if your audience is searching for information, comparing options, or ready to buy. Understanding this helps you create content that your audience wants, increasing the chances that they’ll click on it and convert.
Use Google’s EEAT Framework
Once you know which keywords you want to rank for, it’s time to write high-quality content that targets them. An effective way to do this is by writing long-form articles using Google’s EEAT framework, which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust (EEAT). While this isn’t an official ranking factor, it shows search engines you are a reliable source of information.
To create good EEAT content, draw on experience and expertise of subject matter experts, to really showcase how knowledge you are. Put people-first, and consider adding videos, images, and infographics to make your content easier to digest.
The way you structure your keywords impacts how effective they are too. Best practice is to include primary keywords in your page title, H1s, meta descriptions, and image alt tags. Use secondary keywords in the main body of your content.
Additionally, use the correct header tags (H1, H2, H3) to organise your copy for accessibility and readability.
Word of caution – don’t be tempted to keyword stuff! Quality comes first so include keywords naturally and write content that reads well and brings value. Don’t feel like you need to cater to oddly worded or misspelt keywords either. Correct English is more important, so add in connectives like “with” or “the” if you need to.
Organise your content using topic clusters
An effective way to structure your website content is by using topic pillars and clusters. To do this, you’ll need to create ‘pillar pages’ which serve as central hubs for specific topics on your site. These pillar pages provide a general overview of the topic. Each pillar page should include internal links to multiple ‘cluster pages.’ Cluster pages explore the specifics of a particular aspect of the topic in more detail.
Here is an example of how a topic cluster structure could look like for a high-protein food company:
By linking cluster pages back to your pillar page, search engines can easily crawl and index all your site content. You could also link between topic clusters, to product pages and other categories, as long as it’s relevant. This further enhances accessibility for both search engines and users alike.
Summary
Ranking on the first page of Google doesn’t happen overnight. But by targeting relevant keywords and creating well structured, high-quality, people-first content, you’re well on your way.
As a specialist SEO content agency in Liverpool and Chester, we help companies develop and implement effective SEO strategies for long-term growth. Want a free website SEO audit? Complete the form below and we’ll book you in.
