In today’s digital age, Google has become the most powerful search engine on the planet. And while its algorithms continue to evolve, it remains the most trusted source of information for billions of people worldwide.
Google Search is constantly evolving. The company recently announced a new initiative called Project Quantum, which aims to improve user experience by using AI and machine learning to create better search results. As part of this effort, Google plans to develop new features and tools to help people find relevant and useful information on the web.
To keep pace with Google’s algorithms you need an SEO strategy that works. In today’s post, I’ll show you how to create an SEO strategy that boosts your organic traffic in 2022.
What is an SEO strategy?
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An SEO strategy is a process you follow to organize your site’s content by topic to help increase the chance of being found by search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) is important because it lets you know how to create content that people want.
Your strategy will help you stay on track when writing content. You shouldn’t just write what you think people are searching for; instead, you should make sure that you’re creating content about topics that people are actually searching for.
An SEO strategy should include keywords, meta tags, link building, social media, and other factors.
How to Make SEO Content Strategy
To make a successful SEO campaign you’ll need a solid SEO content strategy. Let’s see how to make a successful SEO content plan:
Build a list of topics
Keywords are the soul of SEO, but they aren’t the first step anymore. You need to create content that addresses the topics you want to rank for. You can use keyword research tools like Google’s keyword tool, SEMrush, and Ahrefs to research keywords and get ideas for what you want to write about.
Using search volume and competition as our measurements, we can identify 10-15 short-tailed keywords that are relevant to our business and are being searched by our target audience. We rank these keywords based on monthly search volume, and each of them serves as the pillar for a larger cluster of longer-tail keywords.
Let’s say you are promoting a Twitter tool that has a search volume of 10,000 per month. Targeting this keyword is good but you should consider targeting other related keywords also like Tweet delete tool, Twitter unfollow tools or Twitter follower tracker tools, etc.
Make a list of long-tail keywords
This step is crucial because it helps you to focus on what people are actually searching for. You may be writing a lot of content on topics that aren’t relevant or useful to users. You should always think about how you can optimize your site for the most searched terms.
This helps businesses attract people who share similar interests and concerns. Long-tail keywords help businesses create content about specific topics. These topics form clusters and together they make up a pillar. Google uses these clusters to connect users with relevant information. Here’s a short clip on how to use long-tail keywords effectively.
Think about it this way: the less specific your content, the less specific the needs of your audiences can be, and the less likely you’ll convert this traffic into leads. This is why Google doesn’t see any value in the websites that dig into the inner working of a general topic.
Build pages for specific topics
Pillar topics help users to understand what the website is about. Users can read the top-level topics to get an idea of what the site is about. Then they can go down to more specific topics to learn more.
There are many different types of content that you need to create for each topic. You should ensure that there is enough content available for your prospect or customer to read about the topic. The more information that you provide, the better chance your prospect or customer will find you.
Set up a blog
Blogging can be an incredible way for businesses to rank for keywords and increase engagement. Every blog post is a new webpage and another opportunity to rank in SERPs. If your business currently doesn’t have a blog, consider starting a blog right now.
As you write every blog post and expand on clusters, make sure to avoid including your long-tail keyword over three or four times within the page. Too many instances of your keyword could be considered spammy by search engines, and they’ll penalize you for this.
Always link out to the pillar pages you create for your subtopics. Linking to them helps Google understand the relationship between the subtopic and the overall topic.
Create a blogging schedule
Blogging is an effective way to connect with readers. You should always try to publish something new every week. When you do this, you’ll be able to attract more people to your site. Your posts should focus on what your audience wants to read about. Don’t worry too much about SEO because you’re blogging for humans, not robots.
The best part about blogging is that you can target many keywords and create content around that linking main pages.
Make a link-building plan
A topic cluster model is your best bet for ranking well in search engines. However, you should also focus on building links as part of your strategy. Off-page SEO is important, but it won’t help if you’re not getting links.
You need to dedicate some time to brainstorm how you can get more inbound links. You might start by sharing links with your local business partners. You can also write a few blog posts, and share them on different social media platforms. You can also approach other bloggers for guest blogging opportunities.
Compress large images before uploading them to your site
Compress images and make them smaller. Make sure that the image sizes are under 100kb. This will save time when loading your site and improve page speed. Your website may become slower if you increase the size of your images.
Compressing images, videos, and other media before uploading them can save bandwidth and storage space. Use tools like TinyPNG or Google’s Squoosh to reduce the file size before uploading. Keep files under 1 MB when possible.
Measure and monitor your SEO success
SEO takes a lot of time and energy, but it’s worth every minute spent. Tracking your metrics helps you see how much time and effort you’re putting into your campaign. Using Excel and Google Sheets, you can also track your metrics and index pages, convert visitors, and measure your rankings on search engines.
In summary, having an SEO strategy will keep you ahead of your competitors and also will reduce your cost on paid advertisements. Additionally, you can higher returns as organic leads tend to convert faster than other mediums.
Ranking in search pages can be hard. You should try to make your content related to your customers’ needs. Don’t just write about high-traffic keywords. Create content that helps your customers acquire new leads or increase sales.
Let me know your thoughts about this post in the comment section.
