Tim's process:
- Pop up Search Console every quarter.
- Go through all your articles that are at least a few months old. Find articles that are trending downward and add them to a list.
- For each page on the list, apply the below changes depending on their current rank.
Ranking 1-7 and getting traffic
These are the articles doing well. They rank for their target keywords and get a decent number of eyes and clicks. Once an article gets 100+ visitors a week, change your goal from SEO increases (views) to conversion increases (sign-ups, purchases).
Consider things like:
- Adding CTA's/signups/relevant next blogs
- Adding videos to go deeper
- Creating lead magnets and content upgrades
- Potentially adding more context to the article
- Do not fundamentally change the concept of the content.
Google has placed it high for a reason. It's usually the "feel of the whole blog." Don't change that. Changing that often results in losing rank.
Position 8-25
Content ranking here is on the right track, but needs a little something extra.
Often, the article does not address the actual search intent.
Why are people searching for what they're searching for? Are you actually answering that question or just addressing it? Are you answering their next question?
You'll want to add things like:
- Core keyword in the H1/H2's. You're likely missing it
- Shorter paragraphs and bullet lists to making skimming easier (improve readability)
- More internal links
- More focus on the key search intent
- Expanding further to answer their "next question"
Pos 25+
Assuming the blog is at least a few months old, it's likely stuck.
The most common reason it's stuck is that it doesn't match the search at all—it's not even close. Take a deeper look at the page's ranking for the keyword you're going for. See what patterns they all follow.
How do they talk about the keyword/keyphrase you're trying to rank for? You're likely missing something obvious that 5+ pages on the SERPs are doing well.
The second most common reason you're not ranking is likely word count. Check the average word count and make sure you're matching that average. Unfortunately, shorter is not usually considered better in SEO.
Pos 50+
If you've held this position for your core keyword for 6-12 months. You likely need to rewrite the whole thing. No one is ever going to see this page otherwise.
Quick note
The problem with content marketing is that every time you publish something, you're giving yourself future homework to edit and update it in the future—especially if it's about topics that shift and update frequently. This can become quite unwieldy quickly.
It's one of many reasons we recommend less, but better content.
Some SEO resources
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