SEO content strategy is all about creating content that shows Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). In simple terms, it rewards websites that create high-quality and trustworthy content. If your content is clear, helpful, and reliable, you’re more likely to climb the search rankings.
In this class, we’ll cover how to build an effective SEO content strategy in 3 stages. From simple, low-cost techniques to advanced methods, we’ll help you grow your organic reach. Let’s get a move on!
Key SEO Ranking Factors for Your Content Strategy
An SEO content strategy is a step-by-step plan for checking, organizing, making, and improving content to boost search engine rankings and get more organic traffic.
This strategy involves everything from content creation to optimization, aiming to increase search engine traffic and achieve content goals.
Your content marketing plan includes steps like keyword research, an editorial calendar, content planning, content creation and optimization, and regular monitoring. However, all these steps are influenced by SEO ranking factors that we can’t fully control, but we can work on them to make Google notice us more.
Let’s break down the main factors that affect SEO into six big categories:
- Content
- User experience
- Technical stuff
- Link building
- Brand relevance
- Competition
Here’s the thing no one actually knows how Google’s algorithm works. Anyone who says they do is probably pulling your leg. Honestly, even Google might not have the full picture! What does this mean for us? Well, we can follow the best practices and focus on these key areas, but we’ll never crack the exact formula.
If you stick to the tips we’ll cover in this class and stay consistent, you’re likely to see results. Just remember, SEO isn’t a quick fix. It’s more of a long game, so patience and a steady approach are the name of the game.
This class will walk you through what we think are the most important SEO factors. If you’re curious about Google’s own recommendations, feel free to check them out here.
Finding data sources and search intent
Before diving into the topic, you might be wondering, “But where do I get the information about which keywords to use or how to shape my buyer persona? Where do those insights come from?” Well, the answer lies in traffic—whether organic or paid.
If you already have a project that hasn’t quite taken off yet but has a small stream of user data from your website, tools like Search Console and Google Analytics are your best friends. These tools can help you gather valuable information, such as search intent (keywords users are typing to find your products or services) and demographic data like country, age, and even the types of devices they use.
For paid traffic, if you’ve been running ads like crazy and have handed over a few thousand pounds to Google’s AI to show your ads to “potential customers”, don’t worry if you didn’t get any leads from that “lost” investment. Those campaigns still hold something incredibly valuable: data! Within Google Ads, you can access the keywords that triggered your ads, giving you clues about your potential customers’ search intent. Depending on the campaign’s duration and budget, you’ll also find demographic insights that are pure gold when developing an SEO content strategy in the early stages.
Now, let’s say you don’t have an existing project or haven’t ventured into Google Ads yet because you’re unsure how to do it (don’t worry, I’ll teach you later). In that case, grab a pencil and paper, sit down, and list all your products and services. That list will be your starting point for discovering new keywords.
Alright then, let’s move on!
Keywords, Information Architecture, and Quality Content
To get your website working like a well-oiled SEO machine, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. First, make sure your site is organised with a logical structure that flows from broader terms to more specific ones, all based on your keywords. The content itself should also stick to relevant terms within the same category. For instance, if your site is about footwear, you’d want to include terms like sandals, shoes, and boots that naturally belong together.
Don’t forget to include keywords in your internal links and within the main content itself they’re essential for helping search engines understand your pages. Lastly, the balance of keywords in your content needs to feel just right. It shouldn’t be overloaded, but it shouldn’t be too sparse either. Thankfully, there are plenty of tools available to help you measure and optimise your keyword ratio without breaking a sweat!
Keywords
It’s easy to think that keywords factors are the centre of an SEO ranking strategy, but that’s not quite right. Sure, keyword research tools are super handy, and finding long-tail keywords that align with your business is important. But the real magic lies in understanding search intent figuring out what your audience really wants when they type something into Google. Sadly, this isn’t something AI or tools can nail perfectly… yet!
An effective SEO strategy starts with combining keyword research with audience segmentation and kob analysis (aka understanding what works best for your business). It’s not just about collecting keywords but figuring out their ranking potential, how they fit into your buyer personas, and what their business potential is. From there, you can group related terms into content clusters or topic clusters that make sense for your audience and give your site a clear architecture websites.
Oh, and don’t forget about competitive research! It’s not just about knowing what keywords are out there; it’s about understanding what your competitors are doing with them and how you can do it better. All of this helps you drive organic traffic in a way that’s focused and effective.
Information Architecture
Once you’ve listed your keywords and understood the search intent behind each of them, it’s time to organise them and work on information architecture, also known as website architecture. Start by selecting the 4 or 5 most general keywords, then group less general ones under specific products or services.
What about the keywords that don’t align with any of these groups? You can still use them for other types of content on your site, such as blog posts or categories. It’s important to remember that every keyword you select and organise represents a future URL for your website. While a clear website architecture is crucial, “clear” doesn’t mean having just 5 URLs. Keyword lists can easily reach 100, 200, or even thousands of terms. A good starting point is to aim for 30–35 URLs initially and then consistently add more content over time until your site is large enough to attract the traffic your project needs to generate leads and future clients.
I won’t sugar-coat it, this is one of the hardest SEO tasks to get right. Remember when I mentioned that artificial intelligence can’t handle everything for us? This is exactly what I meant. You need to use your human logic and thinking to build the perfect site architecture. If your goal is to create a website that search algorithms will take seriously, it’s time to pause any poorly thought-out web design work and focus on this essential task. This activity will outline years of work to be done.
Your website architecture also plays a major role in ensuring proper interlinking and avoiding dreaded 404 errors (page not found). But we’ll talk more about that in the next section!
Internal Links – Interlinking
Internal linking is a must for solid SEO. It connects your pages, making it easy for users to find what they need and helping search engines understand your site better. Don’t skip this step—make sure every important page has links pointing to it so you don’t end up with orphan pages (those with no links). Keep it consistent to create a smooth user experience.
Before jumping into off-page SEO or building your backlink profile, get your internal linking sorted. It boosts your topical authority and sets the foundation for strategies like improving your domain rating (DR), getting links from high-authority pages, and growing your linking root domains (LRDs). Nail this, and you’ll make everything else easier!
Quality Content
Your content should be helpful and clear, making it SEO-friendly to boost visibility on SERPs. Write intelligently to engage your audience and satisfy web crawlers.
Avoid keyword stuffing; use keywords naturally and include related terms. Focus on search intent. Check what ranks for your keyword. If top results are guides, the intent is informational; if products, it’s commercial. Match your content to this intent.
Structure your content well with clear headings, short paragraphs, and relevant visuals. Each section should introduce, explore, and conclude your topic. Use descriptive alt tags for images to enhance accessibility.
Good content isn’t just about climbing the rankings, it’s about giving users something they actually find useful and want to share. Here’s the key: focus on solving their search intent straight away. Your content doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be a little better than the first thing they see in the search results. That’s often enough to stand out, even though it’s not always easy to pull off. By figuring out what your audience really needs and delivering something slightly better than the competition, you’re setting yourself up for some solid SEO wins.
Technical SEO Considerations
Estos ultimos años ha estado de moda el titulo de experto en UX/UI, pero que realmente hay detrás de ese titulo que no sea humo. bueno lo que queda son estos 7 factores claves para dar la mejor experiencia a tu usuario y llevarlo bien encaminado hacia la meta de la conversión que buscas.
User Experience (UX)
Good UX is super important for SEO. Your site should look great, be simple to use, and work well for everyone. Make sure your menus are easy to navigate, your buttons do what they’re supposed to, and get rid of anything unnecessary that might distract users. When your site is smooth and easy to use, people trust it more and are much more likely to come back.
The green flag of search algorithms
CTR is like a green flag for search algorithms, showing that people find your content relevant. To boost it, make sure your meta titles and descriptions grab attention and encourage clicks. Adding structured data and using eye-catching visuals can also help your links stand out in search results. Keep it simple, appealing, and straight to the point!
Performance Tracking and KPIs
A low bounce rate means people are sticking around and engaging with your content, which is exactly what you want. To keep them without site errors, interested, make sure your pages are packed with useful information, easy to read, and look good.
Video Integration
Videos are an awesome way to keep people engaged with your site. They don’t just improve your time-on-site stats but also give visitors another way to enjoy your content. Whether it’s a quick how-to, an explainer, or a product demo, videos can grab attention and keep it. You can host them directly on your site or embed them from YouTube to give your SEO a little extra boost. Either way, they’re a great way to make your site more dynamic and interesting!
Mobile Responsive Design
A responsive design makes sure your site looks great and works smoothly on any device, whether it’s a phone, tablet, or desktop. With mobile-first indexing now being Google’s priority, having a mobile-friendly site is no longer just nice to have. It is critical for ranking well. Focus on creating a seamless experience for mobile users to keep your site competitive and accessible to everyone.
Site Speed
If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, people will bounce, and Google won’t be happy. Speed matters.
Your site also needs to look great and work smoothly on any device. With Google’s mobile-first indexing, being mobile-friendly isn’t optional anymore. It’s a must for ranking well.
To improve speed, use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to spot issues. Compress images, enable caching, and keep your code clean. A good theme and a solid plugin like WP Rocket can make a big difference in boosting your site’s performance. Keep it fast, keep it mobile-friendly, and keep your visitors happy!
e-e-a-t guidelines
Google values content that demonstrates E-E-A-T. Ensure your site is backed by experts, reflects real-world experience, and builds trust with users. Display credentials, use authoritative sources, and prioritise accuracy to enhance credibility.
Technical Factors | Proper Code | Rich Snippets
Before you start worrying that this will require complex coding, relax. If you’re using a CMS like WordPress, it makes things much easier to put these actions into practice. With the right tools and plugins, you can optimise your site effectively and work towards achieving a solid content quality score without touching a single line of code. It’s all about working smarter, not harder!
Metadata and HTML Structure
Every page needs a proper meta title, meta description, and clear headings (H1, H2, etc.) that include relevant keywords. Using HTML elements like ordered and unordered lists not only makes your content easier to read but also boosts your SEO. These small details make a big difference in how search engines and users view your site.
Proper Code
Clean, error-free code is essential for SEO. It ensures search engines can crawl your site smoothly. Validate your HTML and remove any unnecessary scripts that might slow things down. A fast, clean site is more likely to rank well.
HTTPS
Making your site secure with HTTPS is no longer optional. It keeps user data safe and shows Google that your site is trustworthy. If your site isn’t secure yet, don’t worry. Most hosting providers offer SSL certificates to help you get started with basic security.
One important tip is to choose your provider wisely. Avoid GoDaddy at all costs. Their service has been a disaster in every project I’ve worked on.
Rich Snippets
Want your site to pop in search results? Rich snippets are the trick. They show cool extras like reviews, images, and FAQs right on the search page. Start by matching your content to what users are searching for. If you hit the search intent, you’ve got a shot at those fancy featured snippets.
To make it simple, use structured data (Schema.org) to help Google get your content. Don’t want to mess with coding? Tools like Rank Math let you add schema hassle-free. It’s an easy way to stand out and get more clicks. Keep it relevant, optimise smartly, and watch your visibility grow!
SEO Off-Page | Backlinks | Link Building
Off-page SEO is all about building trust and authority for your site through backlinks. These links tell search engines your content is valuable and worth ranking higher. A strong backlink profile means more visibility, traffic, and credibility for your site.
Link Building: Yes or No?
Link building is still super important for SEO, but it’s all about quality, not quantity. Focus on getting backlinks from trusted and relevant sites, not spammy ones. Good links can give your site a big boost in rankings and help build its authority.
High-quality backlinks improve your Domain Rating (DR) and Linking Root Domains (LRDs). They also help increase your organic traffic and rankings for important keywords. Target topics with lots of backlinks (like 100+) to attract valuable links naturally.
Alternative Link Building Methods
You don’t need to overthink it. Write guest blogs, create cool infographics, or build partnerships to earn great backlinks. Always go for links that add real value.
For newer sites, manual outreach can help get things moving. Pitch your content to relevant blogs and sites in your niche. It’s a great way to grow your backlink profile, build authority, and get noticed by search engines.
Brand Relevance on the Internet
Social media isn’t just about getting likes. It’s a smart way to build backlinks without spending money or begging for them. When your content is genuinely helpful, your followers will naturally share your links as trusted resources.
Having a strong social media presence also builds trust and visibility for your brand. Interact with your audience, share valuable content, and drive traffic to your site. Positive reviews and content created by your followers can boost your credibility even further.
Competition | Local and Industry-Specific
Worried about your competitors? Don’t stress. To stay in the game, you need to use every possible way to appear in search results. Competitive research tools can help you figure out what they’re doing right and where you can do better.
Local and National Competitors
For local SEO, optimising your presence on platforms like Google Maps can make a big difference. It’s also a great opportunity to build new backlinks and improve your visibility in local search results.
If your keyword research shows that most of the terms are dominated by paid ads, it’s a sign that ranking organically won’t be easy. You’ll need top-notch content, smart SEO strategies, and possibly a budget for ads to see faster results. Competing in a tough market takes effort, but the payoff can be worth it!
Breaking Into Crowded Markets
The first thing you need is patience. Your project won’t grow overnight, but with the right foundation, you can achieve steady growth over time. One of my key principles is that time is money. Even if your project doesn’t have a big budget, the time and effort you invest are just as valuable. Starting from scratch can feel overwhelming, but with dedication, you’ll see results that make it all worthwhile.
Take it one step at a time. Learn from successful examples, find mentors, and don’t worry if you don’t know every SEO or digital marketing trick yet. Everyone starts somewhere, just like you are now. Finding mentors like Noe Rivas from seosve or supportive creators like the Phoenix was life-changing for me. It’s totally fine to learn as you go. Look for resources and ideas that inspire you and help you shape a project that’s truly yours.
We’re done with all the necessary background info for this strategy. Let’s be real, we’re not reinventing the wheel here. We learn, replicate, and make our projects unique because they are built by us.
Now, I’ll guide you through the three phases of this SEO strategy. Depending on your needs, you might find the first phase is all you need, or perhaps the first and second phases will be enough for your goals.
Each phase works as an individual strategy, but completing all three takes dedication, resources, and consistency. It’s a journey, but the results can be incredible if you’re ready to commit!
SEO Content Strategy Implementation
Develop a content strategy around your keywords by creating a list of related topics for your content offerings. Once your content is ready, focus on content distribution and promotion to make sure it reaches the right audience.
Track what performs well and resonates with users to refine your strategy. To stay consistent, publish your blog and social media posts on a regular schedule. Use a content calendar to keep everything organised and ensure steady progress.
Don’t worry, I’ll guide you through all three stages of the strategy I suggested to make it super manageable!
You’ve organised your keywords with your human logic (the kind that other humans actually understand), and after a few tweaks, they’re ready to go. But now the big question is: where do they go, and how do you use them? Let’s break it down into phases, starting with the easiest and most affordable, and moving to strategies that require more resources.
Content strategy for Google Maps
For this first stage, we are focusing on local SEO, specifically through Google Maps. Searches on Google Maps have been growing rapidly in recent years, and Google My Business offers plenty of tools to help you stand out, even if you do not have a website yet. Features like the local snippet are a great place to start.
Many people think SEO is only for websites, but that is not true. Your Google Maps business profile has plenty of optimisation options to help you rank locally when someone searches for what you offer.
While I cover this in more detail in my Local SEO course, here is a quick summary of how you can optimise your Google Business profile:
- Use keywords from your initial research that show local search intent.
- Prepare the content to fully complete your profile. This includes titles, descriptions, keywords for your products or services, prices, and images.
- Add all relevant contact information about your business.
- Get as many 5-star reviews as you can.
- Link your social media accounts and focus on growing your local brand visibility, ideally through your social channels.
With these steps, you will be set to make your business more visible and attract local customers, even without a website!
Content marketer’s guide for Google Web
Once your Google Maps business profile is fully optimised, you can tackle the bigger challenge: ranking on the first page of Google. This can be a tough journey that takes months or even years, depending on your industry. Starting from scratch can feel frustrating, especially when your site initially shows up on page eight, ten, or not at all. Patience and persistence are key to making progress.
SEO growth is slow but steady. Traffic builds over time, and while extra effort can help speed things up, quick results like those from social media are rare. Patience and consistency are your best allies.
Here’s how to get started:
- Keyword Research: Find keywords that match your audience and market.
- Create Content: Write keyword-rich text, add images, and consider videos later.
- Build a User-Friendly Site: Your site should be fast, easy to use, and visually appealing.
- Choose a reliable domain and hosting provider.
- Set up WordPress and install a theme like generatepress
- Use an SEO plugin like Rank Math.
- Set Up Key Pages: Include service pages, product categories, and blog posts.
- Optimise Speed: Use tools like WP Rocket to improve loading times.
- Monitor Progress: Use Google Analytics and Search Console to track and improve performance.
- Stay Consistent: Regular updates and new content keep your site growing.
Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it. You can hire help, but make sure they deliver quality results. Building an SEO-friendly site takes time and effort, but the long-term rewards make it all worthwhile.
Content-related workflows of YouTube + Google Videos
The last part of this strategy focuses on producing video content to expand your reach. Videos are a powerful tool, but they are often underused in SEO strategies. This phase comes last because, let’s face it, many of us struggle with self-doubt when it comes to being on camera. Plus, even creating decent-quality videos requires some basic equipment, but you’ll be surprised at how much you can achieve on a budget.
The goal here is to streamline video creation so it supports your existing URLs by boosting their rankings and keeping users on your site longer. Videos can be a game-changer for engagement and visibility when done right.
Can you skip phase 2 and jump straight to YouTube? Technically, yes, but it’s not ideal. This strategy works best when your ranked URLs act as scripts or references for your videos, creating synergy between your website (the top search engine) and YouTube (the second largest search engine).
By the way, we have a full SEO course that dives deep into this video seo strategy and shows you how to get the most out of this phase. And while this is the final step, it doesn’t mean you can’t automate earlier phases to save time and resources.
Each phase can be regularly improved and optimised based on the data you collect as your traffic grows. The more you refine and adapt, the better results you’ll see. Ready to take the plunge into video content? Let’s make it happen!
Here’s how to get started:
- Create a Keyword List: Use Rich Snippets, Google’s video tab, and YouTube search results to find relevant keywords.
- Use Scripts: Base your scripts on top-ranking URLs from your website, or write them to match user search intent.
- Record with Care: Focus on good lighting, a tidy setup, and clear audio. Affordable microphones work well.
- Post Consistently: Stick to a regular schedule, whether daily, weekly, or monthly.
- Optimise for SEO: Use relevant titles, descriptions, and tags on your videos and channel.
- Track and Improve: Analyse your top-performing videos and replicate their strategies.
Consistency and optimisation are key to building a strong video SEO presence.
