Create and modify content for SEO

Create and modify content for SEO

Not all content will have SEO implications. You still produce videos, infographics, white papers, and blog posts to reinforce your status in an industry while supporting social media, e-mail, and other marketing efforts.

However, if you’re counting on SEO to drive traffic, I wouldn’t recommend producing less content. You might say, “Isn’t quality what matters most?” Of course, quality is important. But I wouldn’t scale back content that could be used for SEO.

Your best bet is to tailor new content to keywords that can rank. If you can get your keyword phrase in the bulk of the page header, you’re golden.

But here’s the deal: Do you even deserve high rankings? I’m all about what I call the SEO keyword “sweet spot.” But you have no business going after keyword phrases searched 1,000 times a month when you can’t even manage to rank on the first page of Google for keywords people search for 50 times.

Remember, SEO is a poker game and it’s all about what gives you an advantage. Look at your keywords and see how many are on the first page of Google. What’s the average search volume? You’ll get a sense of your sweet spot – defined by top rankings and search volume.

With your SEO strategy, you can be a little aggressive. If your average search volume sweet spot is 100, maybe target keywords searched 200 times a month. Why? You can assume your current SEO efforts had fallen short – the wrong combination of keywords in page headers, SEO page titles, etc.

In a few cases, see what happens if you make more risky changes. I’m working with a website that wasn’t even in the top 100 positions for many of its 20 strategic keywords. Based on some data, it looked like the client’s sweet spot for keywords may be in the 10 to 30 range for average search value. We targeted one phrase with 700 searches a month. It’s now ranking No. 12 on Google after making two sets of SEO changes on one page. Ultimately, the client may need a new page to grab a spot among the top 10 positions.

Keywords with low search volumes shouldn’t be overlooked anyway. Collectively, these search queries can drive relevant traffic and leads. Think about what you’re selling, your margins, and the lifetime value of new customers. You might sell a $10,000 or even $50,000 service or product based on low-volume keyword phrases.

Selecting keywords isn’t just about search volume and rankings. You also need to consider searcher intent and where the existing or new content falls within the buyer’s journey.