Many content writers do not put much thought into their readers (or search engines for that matter) when creating and coming up with content ideas. We just write about whatever the topic requested. If you want your blog traffic to grow, there are six things you should consider before and during the creation of your content: Search intent, informational keyword selection, top ranking pages, unique angles, link context and captivating intros.
In Part I of this summer series, we will explore the first two steps that aid in making your content rank in Google: Search intent and informational keyword selection.
Search Intent
If you or your content writers are mind-numbingly writing about topics given to them this is the time to get smarter about this approach. Once a topic is selected, the first thing writers should consider is someone would be searching for this – search intent.
If you want your blog traffic to grow, you have to pay attention and incorporate into your text information that people want to see. Dive deeper into search intent – walk in the shoes of your potential clients. It’s best to understand the type of content your readers are looking for – and more.
We all know what happens when we put something into Google and hit search – millions of possible results come up. Obviously, only a small amount of the results actually rank in the top 10. This is the first important point to understand – why and how did the current top ranking pages earn their spot.
This is somewhat problematic, as there are hundreds of ranking factors at play. There’s no doubt that search intent plays a huge role here—Google only ranks a page that completely fulfills a user’s query.
The initial thing to look for are any commonalities in the SERPs. When searching for a common topic of SEO copywriting,” the search results consist of how-to guides, checklists and “what is SEO copywriting?”
It appears as if people are speculating about what SEO copywriting is and how to do it. This is a direct correlation as to why there are a lot of “how to” guides ranking in the SERPs. This is how copywriters should ascertain what to write about what will be most viewed by their readers. Content and keywords regarding these topics are already raking well – this is your clue to get started.
Informational Keyword Selection
If you are writing content, you better begin with an informational keyword. It literally has “key” in the word because it will obviously be instrumental in the context you create. You should only target keywords on the blog that have informational intent. This is very important because to waste time, energy and money writing an incredible blog post about a topic and content that won’t directly connect with your readers is useless in the land of search engines.
But you can sometimes glean additional insight by looking at the SERP position history graph in Keywords Explorer. SERP position history shows you the ranking positions for the current top 5 ranking pages across time.
When a “type” of page seems more volatile than another—for example, perhaps transactional pages are jumping in and out of the SERPs whereas informational pages are holding steady—then this may further help you with an informational keyword. Even if you’re not 100% sure, the fact that some informational (i.e., blog posts) are ranking for your target term is a good sign—it shows that some users are looking for that.
Part II of our summer series will discuss top ranking pages and unique angles.