Here's How to Snag (and Maintain) the Top Spot on Page One of Google with SEO Content

Which is the best place to hide a dead body?

 

Page 2 of Google, of course!

 

Only a handful of people searching on Google get there…most likely true-crime aficionados.

 

According to one study, page one of Google results enjoy 95% of traffic. More impressively, the top search result gets between  26% and 32% of clicks. 

 

So, if there's a way to get your blog post to page one, you definitely want to learn how. 

 

And yes, I get it. 

 

SEO can be like a warped web thanks to changing ranking algorithms, too many facets, and technicalities that are not most people's cup of tea (or coffee, if mornings are not your favorite).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best way to gain success with SEO is to make progress one SEO chunk at a time.

 

Typically, SEO has 3 main components you need to master or at least have an idea about:

 

  • Technical SEO> Encompasses all the tactics for optimizing your site for crawling. Think issues like breadcrumb navigation, URLs, your website's code, page speed, etc.
  • On-page SEO> This is within your control and includes optimizing SEO content, user experience, and internal linking.
  • Off-page SEO> Deals with guest posting and link building.

 

Today's post will focus on on-page SEO and, specifically, SEO content optimization.

 

I'll take you through SEO content definition, the process of creating rank-worthy content, and a few tips to boost your content rankings. 

 

Ready?

 

Let's get to it. 

 

Relevant reading:

 

Conquer the Climb: How to Get to the Crest of the SEO Mountain, One Copy of a Time

 

Top 6 Writing Assistants for Smart Content Marketers

 

SEO Examples to Take You Inside The Mind of Google's Algorithm

 

First Thing First, What is SEO Content?

 

SEO content is any content that is optimized through SEO best practices to rank higher on the Search engine results pages (SERPs). 

 

When you create SEO content, you want to rank on page one of google. More specifically, you want to beat the competition out of the way and claim the top spot.

 

And, you definitely want to remain there for as long as possible, milking the benefits of more traffic and a higher than average CTR. 

 

But you have to understand one vital factor. 

 

Excellent SEO content results from two things: Evergreen, amazing content, and search engine optimization (SEO).

 

Without the other, content would sit at the bottom of the search engine results page, with no target customer of yours taking an interest. 

 

SEO writing transcends the actual writing process. It starts before you put a single word to a page and continues even after hitting publish.

 

Why is SEO Content Important?

 

Before you go any further, check out our blog on the importance of SEO writing.

 

In today's environment saturated by online transactions, SEO is essential for your business's survival. 

 

The modern-day consumer relies so much on online information that lacking a presence on search engines could mean a lack of exposure and leads for your business. 

 

Simply put, SEO content helps you get found by your target audience.

 

So, how do you impress Google gods and still find favor with your customers? 

 

The answer is a 5 step process to excellent SEO content. 

 

Steps to Writing Great SEO Content 

 

Impressing Google doesn't take a lot, but it takes time and being a stickler for quality. Here's a 5 step process you can follow to find favor with Google and get that top spot you've been yearning for. 

 

1. Let Your Audience Guide Your SEO Content Strategy

 

You're probably about to explode after hearing the phrase 'know your audience' for the millionth time.

 

But, knowing your audience is the biggest favor you can do for your business. Whether in product development or pricing, your audience (target customer) has the most important say. After all, it is they who spend money on your product.

 

When we talk of knowing your audience for SEO purposes, we mean three things:

 

Know Who They are With the Help of Buyer Personas

 

A buyer persona is a representation of your target customer. For instance, if you sell lactose-free milk, your buyer persona could be a 23 year old female working in retail.

 

It could also be a 45-year-old business executive in a tech company. Both of these personas have the same need— Access to lactose-free milk.

 

You can have multiple buyer personas, especially if you offer various products under the same brand. Multiple buyer personas are also typical when your product serves multiple industries. For example, if you sell marketing automation software, the buyer personas could be:

 

  • The digital marketer of an ecommerce store that specializes in Lego items
  • The CMO of multinational cooperation that manufactures HVAC items
  • The owner of a small family-owned bakery in DC

 

Understand What Keeps Them Awake at Night 

 

Next, you need to study your buyer persona inside out. 

 

What frustrations do they have that your product could solve? What are their expectations concerning available information about your product or industry? 

 

What one product could you provide to help them sleep better?

 

The answers to these questions help you determine the direction and content angle when creating SEO content. Missing out on the aspect of pain points will see you creating content no one wants to read. 

 

If no one wants to read your content (spelled as irrelevant and uninteresting), you can bet Google won't be ranking you in the top spot. 

 

Determine the Stage They are in the Buyer's Journey

 

Every buyer goes through the awareness, consideration, and decision phase. In the first phase, customers are more interested in learning about a product or service. They will be searching for terms such as:

 

  • What is SEO
  • Components of SEO
  • Types of SEO Content

 

At this phase, the goal is to uncover as much information as possible. Your focus should be on creating content that brings answers to these questions. 

 

In the consideration phase, customers are more educated. They know most things about SEO and are now considering their options. Content in these cases will be:

 

  • Best SEO Companies in New York 
  • SEO company A vs. SEO Company B

 

Finally, in the decision phase, the customer is interested in the pricing, reviews, and prices of installation, for instance:

 

  • Company A SEO Services Price
  • Company B Reviews 

 

2. Determine Your Customers' Interests, Objections, and Questions

 

Here's where your research genius comes in.

 

If you're going to excel at SEO, you need to ensure that your blog posts align with customers' needs.

 

This is possible with a bit of research where your target customers hang out, which should be easier with the buyer personas. 

 

One of the quickest ways to eavesdrop on your target audiences is through communities. Like most people, your target customers congregate online to discuss their issues, ask for advice and seek solutions. 

 

Topic-based communities are usually your target audience's first options.

 

So, head over to communities like Reddit and Quora to learn about your customer's interests. Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Tiktok (depending on the age group), will also come in handy for this research. 

 

Make sure to cluster your findings according to a topic, type of product, and region.

 

3. Transform Topics into Keywords

 

Next, find an SEO research tool. You can't go wrong with Semrush, Ahrefs, or Moz. Ubersuggest is relatively new but a good option budget-wise. 

 

Now, plug your keyphrases into the SEO tool of choice based on the topics and themes you found while doing research. 

 

Typically, the SEO tool will give you a list of the keywords that go with the phrase you used. Most tools will also give you an estimated volume, keyword difficulty, search intent, and examples of the top websites ranking for each keyword.

 

Now, create a spreadsheet with these keywords and include the search volume estimates and the keyword difficulty.

 

4. Plan Your Topic Clusters

 

Let's review the steps so far.

 

  • Create the buyer persona profiles
  • Have a clear idea of your buyer personas' objections, interests, needs, and questions
  • Create a list of keywords that align with buyer personas' needs and your brand's products and services

 

With all of the above set and ready, your next step should be to create topic clusters. 

 

Remember the keyword list?

 

Here's where it comes in.

 

Using your keywords and knowledge of customer needs, start grouping keywords about the same topic. This handy strategy is known as topic clustering. 

 

In essence, you'll have one pillar page discussing the topic in general, and within that page, several links going out to the supporting(cluster) content. 

 

Using our previous example, the marketing automation company can have the cluster shown below. 

 

The pillar post

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Automation 

 

Subsequent cluster posts or sub-pillar posts

  • A Quick Guide to How Marketing Automation Works
  • What to Consider When Choosing a Marketing Automation Tool
  • Difference Between CMS, CRM, and Marketing Automation
  • 10 Best Marketing Automation Tools in the Market

 

The result will be an interlinked pillar post that leads the reader to learn more on specific topics under marketing automation. 

 

A strategically created topic cluster will make Google view your brand as an expert in that category. Bonus point if you have your content reviewed or written by subject matter experts collaborating with a content writer. 

 

In turn, you snag the top spot for your keywords and even rank for more keywords. 

 

For instance, Moz ranks for 1300 keywords from a single topic cluster by utilizing this strategy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Surfer

 

5. Write Evergreen, Valuable and Rank-Worthy Content and Optimize for SEO

 

You can now start writing.

 

Your content needs to follow a logical flow to ensure it's well optimized to rank on the first page.

 

Here's the flow to follow when writing SEO content. 

 

  • H1: The title of your page 
  • H2: Core topics within the blog post 
  • H3: Subtopics that fit underneath H2s (subtopics for your main points.)
  • H4+: If you need to breakdown your subtopics further, although it's rarely used

 

This arrangement also makes it faster to flesh out your article and explore all the significant points within your keywords. Below are some more tips for creating SEO content. 

 

Follow Google's EAT Principle

 

According to Google, content that ranks better possesses expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. This principle advocates for your content to be written or at least reviewed by someone with subject matter expertise. 

 

The content should also be factual, up to date, and unbiased for Google to consider it quality content. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, the EAT principle considers other elements outside content like the overall reputation and customer reviews about your brand. 

 

Content Length

 

If you've been in the online space for some time, you know blog posts have gotten longer and better. 

 

Right now, the average post is about 1890 words. Before the Penguin update, all you had to do to rank was create a measly 500 blog post, sprinkle keywords to a density of 3%, call it a day, and watch the traffic trickle in.

 

Well, things have changed. 

 

Competition, Google algorithm updates, and us humans wanting better online experiences have created a need for longer content. 

 

A study by Brian Dean found that long-form content ranks better than short-form content. So, if you want to rank higher, aim for long-form content. But be sure to make it readable and quick to scan for online audiences. 


 

John Muller once said, "Nobody at Google counts words on a page. Write for your users."

 

Bottom line? Concentrate on quality and meeting your target audience's needs. 

 

Keyword Placement

 

Unfortunately, there's no magic number to guide your keyword placements. 

 

However, placing a keyword in the title, one or two H2s, and severally within your content has been a standard most SEO experts swear by.

 

Remember that keywords are only one of the many parts that search engines use to rank content. 

 

SEO content graders such as Clearscope can help you determine the right amount of keyword phrases to use. But as a rule of thumb, match your keywords to search intent and make sure they sound natural. 

 

Optimize Your Headline

 

“When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” —David Ogilvy

 

Your headline determines whether your audience gets to the meaty chunk in your content. A mediocre headline makes people scroll by. Conversely, a great headline inspires clicks and engagement with your title. 

 

Ensure the headline resonates with your audience by piquing their interests, speaking to their situation, or inspiring action. 

 

FYI, headlines are not the only thing you can optimize for higher SERP rankings. Check out our guide on to how to optimize your content for SEO.

 

Connect the Dots with Internal Linking

 

With topic clustering, internal linking will be natural. This way, you help Google crawl and understand your content. Likewise, internal linking creates a better user experience by availing all crucial information. 

 

If you're on wordpress, there are numerous plugins to help you automatically link related content or find opportunities to do so. 

 

Don't Bury the Other SEO Aspects

 

As I mentioned at the beginning, On-page SEO is just one of the many parts of SEO. You'll need to put in some more effort in the other two areas of technical and off- Page SEO. 

 

The sheer amount needed to reap the reward of SEO can be maddening, especially if you’re doing it alone. Most businesses that find success with SEO understand that utilizing expertise is essential.

 

At Zoey Writers, our expertise lies in content writing (one of the most important cogs in your SEO engine.)

 

Our team can help you create evergreen, rank-worthy content that pleases your users and the Google gods. 

 

Contact us to learn about our SEO writing services and how we can help formulate a content strategy that skyrockets your brand to Google's top spot. 



 

 

Photo by  Diego Velázquez from Pixabay. Thanks Diego :)