SEO is unique in the amount of information you can glean about your competitors, from rankings to strategies.

You can use this information to boost your rankings conversions and help you capture market share from those competitors.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to do a content gap analysis from start to finish.

What is a Content Gap Analysis?

A content gap analysis reveals keywords that your competitors are ranking for but that you haven’t covered yet.

This analysis also displays keywords you’re both ranking for and compares your rankings.

So, how can you benefit from seeing which keywords your competitors are targeting with their website content?

Benefits of a Content Gap Analysis

Using this information, you can create high-quality content focusing on those keywords.

You can siphon off some of your competitors’ traffic by ranking high with those keywords. This makes a content gap analysis necessary for an effective content marketing strategy.

Even ranking just below your top competitors can capture visitors who would otherwise click on another competing site in the search results. Either way, it can help you gain market share.

This analysis also helps you avoid guessing at content ideas that can move your brand forward.

A content gap analysis can also be part of a more extensive content audit.

Before explaining how to do a content gap analysis, here are 2 crucial things to keep in mind:

Keyword Difficulty and Keyword Intent

Understanding keyword difficulty and intent will make your content gap analysis easier.

Keyword research tools like Semrush and Ahrefs include keyword difficulty scores and keyword intent labels in their reports.

Keyword Difficulty

Keyword difficulty refers to how hard it is for new content to rank well for a particular keyword.

When prominent websites have already produced high-ranking content on a given keyword, it can be difficult, or even impossible, to outrank them.

Conversely, low-competition keywords are easier to rank for.

So, how do you find keywords that are easy to rank for?

Keyword Difficulty Scores

You’ll see a Keyword Difficulty score when you enter a keyword into Semrush or Ahrefs. This is a number out of 100.

Since these scores are calculated on a logarithmic scale, a keyword with a score of 50 can be challenging to rank for. So, these software tools also display labels, ranging from “Very easy” to “Very hard,” along with the scores.

For newbies, the labels are easier to understand than the scores.

Ahrefs and Semrush also label keywords according to intent.

Keyword Intent

Keyword intent is really “searcher intent.” It refers to the goal searchers typically have when using that particular keyword in search queries.

This intent is indicated in the following way.

How to Do a Content Gap Analysis

We’ll use Semrush, a keyword research web app, for our tutorial.

Semrush includes a content gap analysis tool named as “keyword gap” that’s easy for beginners to use.

Step 1: Create a Semrush Account

The first step is to create a Semrush account. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial.

If you opt for a paid plan, realize you can cancel anytime.

Step 2: Navigate to Keyword Gap

Log into your Semrush account and click Keyword Gap in the left-hand column.

Step 3: Add a Competitor

Enter your website into the topmost field.

Below that, add 1-4 competitor website URLs.

MoneyUnder30.com vs. MillennialMoney.com

For our tutorial, we’ll use MoneyUnder30.com as our domain. This site targets millennials and Gen Zers with personal finance tips.

For our competitor, we’ll choose MillennialMoney.com.

Both sites provide “best of” reviews on credit cards, loans, banks, investment accounts and tools, and insurance.

The business model is affiliate marketing: click on a recommended product, and the site will earn a commission.

SEO is crucial for this highly lucrative niche.

Goal: We want to find keywords for which MillennialMoney.com is ranking high, but we aren’t.

Click the Compare button to get started.

You’ll see a Keyword Overlap diagram and various drop-down filters above it.

The Keyword Overlap shows that MoneyUnder30.com ranks for nearly twice as many keywords as MillennialMoney.com.

Mouse over the overlap area, and you’ll see the 2 brands share over 26,000 keywords.

Let’s use those filters at the top to find valuable keywords.

Step 4: Filter by Intent

First, we’ll filter by keyword intent.

This is because we want keywords with commercial or transactional intent.

To filter by intent, above the Keyword Overlap chart,

• Click on the Intent filter.
• Tick the boxes next to Commercial and Transactional.
• Then click Apply.

Now, let’s scroll down below the diagram to get acquainted with the keyword list.

Step 5: Understanding the Keyword List

By default, the list displays “Shared” keywords: these are keywords that you and your competitor rank for.

Keywords: On the left, in blue, you see a list of keywords for which both MoneyUnder30.com and MillennialMoney.com are ranking.

These include:

• best cd rates
• make money from home
• side hustle ideas

Intent: The 2nd column displays the intent associated with each keyword. (Note: Some keywords are labeled with 2 intents, which is why you see not only Cs and Ts in this report but also some Ns and Is.)

Ranking Positions: The next 2 columns display how MoneyUnder30.com and its competitor rank for the related keywords.

Click the top of the MoneyUnder30.com column to sort the keywords by those the domain ranks highest for.

We see that MoneyUnder30.com ranks #1 for many commercial keywords, including

• albert the money app
• ally vs wealthfront
• app that invests your change

Volume: The 5th column displays each keyword’s estimated monthly search volume, i.e., how many people do online searches for the keyword per month.

KD%: The next column displays the Keyword Difficulty score. Keywords that are hard to rank for receive a red or orange dot next to the KD score. Green dots mark easy keywords.

Step 6: Filter by Keyword Difficulty

Now, MoneyUnder30.com is ranking #1 for some keywords that are difficult to rank for, such as:

• Best stock tracker
• Budget template for young adults
• Is Stock Advisor worth it?

But in keeping with our goal to choose keywords that are easy to rank for, let’s filter this list so we only see easy keywords.

• Click on the KD filter dropdown.
• Select “Easy” or “Very easy.”
• Click Apply.

Step 7: See What Your Competitor is Ranking #1 For

Now, let’s click the top of the MillennialMoney.com column to discover what keywords it’s ranking highest for.

Among their #1 rankings are the keywords:

• acorns alternatives
• alternatives to personal capital
• android apps that pay instantly to paypal

Click on a keyword to find the top-ranking sites for that keyword.

Step 8: Choose Keywords to Target

With our filters applied, we have over 700 keywords to explore.

We decided to target keywords for which Millennial Money.com ranks #1-#3.

Of those, we chose the following.

That concludes our tutorial on content gap analysis.

Once you’ve updated your existing content targeting your chosen keywords (or created new content for them), optimize it for search engines.

How do you optimize content for search engines?

How to Optimize Your Competitive Content

WordPress site owners can use an SEO plugin to optimize their content.

We recommend All in One SEO (AIOSEO). This is a beginner-friendly yet powerful plugin that shows you exactly what to do to improve your SEO.

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star ratings on WordPress.org. Currently, over 3 million people are using the plugin.

AIOSEO will analyze all your web pages and guide you, step-by-step, to optimizing those pages.

In addition, All in One SEO handles many technical actions behind the scenes, so you don’t need to deal with code.

Some of the most popular features are:

• TruSEO Analysis: Each page gets an SEO score. You’ll see specific action steps for improving your pages. Your SEO score increases as you act on the plugin’s recommendations.
• Link Assistant: Improve the ranking of your most important pages by pointing internal links to them. The AI-powered Link Assistant speeds up this process. Learn more in our guide on link building.
• Schema Generator: Easily add schema markup so Google can understand your content better and rank it for relevant keywords.
• Auto-Generated Sitemaps: As soon as you install All in One SEO, it’ll generate 2 sitemaps for you, keeping with Google’s best practices. Whenever you update content or publish new pages, AIOSEO will update your sitemaps for you.
• Site Audits: Use the SEO Analysis feature to get recommendations for improving your homepage. Compare your homepage SEO score to your competitors.

Author SEO

Given the increasing importance of EEAT in recent Google algorithm updates, be sure to communicate your staff’s experience and expertise.

With the Author SEO tool you can quickly create hyperlinked author bylines add a author bio box which appears at the bottom of articles.

That bio box allows you to highlight specific areas of expertise (shaded in gray) and link to social media profiles.

In addition, the author box links to an author page, listing all articles written by that writer. And the author page can display a longer bio along with education and other credentials.

You’ll also have the option to add a second byline for a reviewer or fact-checker.

To be clear, author boxes don’t automatically confer SEO advantage. But they can be effective in communicating EEAT to Google and readers.

Also consider improving your About page.

Bonus Tips

Once you’ve optimized your content, consider going further.

• Acquire backlinks: Quality backlinks can drive organic traffic and boost rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs).
• Measure success: Set up a free Google Analytics account to track progress. WordPress users can opt for the MonsterInsights plugin, which provides a streamlined view of Google Analytics metrics in the WordPress editor.
• Boost engagement by putting calls-to-action (CTAs) above the fold. This will also boost conversion rates and decrease bounce rates.

Q&A on Content Gap Analyses

After Content Gap Analysis . . .

A content gap analysis can help drive intelligent content creation and highlight underperforming or missing SEO content.

We’ve seen how this type of competitor analysis surfaces valuable keyword opportunities. You can eclipse your competitors’ content rankings by creating high-quality content that matches search intent.

Now that you know how to do a content gap analysis, you may want to explore some related content strategies that can significantly impact your SEO.

Explore the power of topic clusters and check out these SEO secrets the pros use to boost revenue.

Be sure you understand the different roles that SEO and social media play in digital marketing.

And don’t forget to deploy lead magnets to capture conversions.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to find simple WordPress SEO tutorials. And come join us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.

Nonprofit SEO is essential for organizations that want to influence the thinking and actions of their target audience.

In this article, you’ll learn why nonprofit SEO is critical to your success and how to start today.

Why Nonprofit SEO Matters

Most nonprofits exist to change something. That something may be beliefs, conditions, education, or policies.

These organizations seek to persuade by presenting their ideas.

And there’s no larger idea marketplace than Google. With a 93% market share among all search engines, Google receives an average of 85 billion monthly search requests.

Not surprisingly, Google.com ranks #1 globally in market share of all website traffic.

Google’s size reminds us of its revolutionary impact on the ordering and accessing of information.

When people have a question about an idea, they no longer go to the academy.

They go to Google.

An Introduction to Search: How it Works

Before we look at practical steps your nonprofit can take to excel in this idea marketplace, let’s review how search works.

The ranking of a web page occurs in relation to a search term (or “query”). Search terms are also called “keywords,” although they are often phrases.

For example, the Kiva.org home page ranks in the #1 slot on Google for these keywords (among others):

• charitable loans
• microlending organization
• are kiva loans tax-deductible

Before matching a web page to a searcher’s query, Google works to understand the page’s content and quality relative to other available content.

Here quality may include original insight, clarity, and comprehensiveness.

Google also seeks to weigh the author’s relevant personal experience and expertise. In doing so, Google may reference off-page factors.

Before diving into practical steps, let’s consider SEO tools that simplify nonprofit SEO.

SEO Tools

Popular content management systems (CMSs) like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla have simplified SEO.

For enhanced SEO, WordPress offers plugins, Drupal offers modules, and Joomla provides extensions.

WordPress Plugins

WordPress has an extensive plugin marketplace, so it’s not surprising that there are excellent options for SEO.

We recommend the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin for WordPress users.

This is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star reviews on WordPress.org. Currently, over 3 million people are using the plugin.

All in One SEO makes technical SEO tasks as easy as clicking buttons and filling out forms.

As soon as you install AIOSEO, it will generate sitemaps for you. These are created in accordance with Google’s best practices. The sitemaps are 100% maintenance-free and help crawlers find and index your content in search engine results pages (SERPs.)

Drupal

Drupal is known for its well-optimized code base and modules that support SEO, like

• Pathauto
• Redirect
• RealTime SEO for Drupal
• Schema.org Meta Tags

While WordPress SEO plugins combine many tools, in Drupal, you’ll select SEO tools a la carte.

To get advice on specific modules, we recommend you contact Acquia, experts in Drupal support and hosting.

Joomla

Joomla users have fewer options but can find SEO tools in the extensions directory.

Nonprofit SEO: 14 Practical Action Steps

Most nonprofit marketing and “SEO tips” articles outline an ideal pathway, starting with website design considerations.

Here, we assume you already have a website and are publishing content.

So let’s start with where you’re at.

1. Learn and Apply On-Page SEO Basics

It’s easy to learn how to optimize web pages. This is called on-page SEO.

WordPress site owners can analyze a page using the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin.

The plugin appears as a sidebar inside the WordPress editor.

You’ll see an SEO score at the top right. Clicking on General will reveal a checklist of recommended actions to improve your page’s SEO.

Anyone who is editing and posting content can follow this learning path:

• Learn what a page title is (also called a title tag) and how to optimize it.
• Learn what a meta description is and how to write it.
• Learn what a URL slug is and how to optimize it.
• Learn about rich snippets and how to create them. (With All in One SEO, you’ll click a few buttons and fill out some form fields.) Research says Rich results get 58% of clicks comparatively.
• Learn what alt tags are, how to write good ones, and how to add them to images on your page.

2. Communicate EEAT with Author and Staff Bios

EEAT is an acronym coined by Google. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Trustworthiness, and Authority.

This acronym began as E-A-T. Recently an extra “E” was added to acknowledge the importance of personal experience, whether formal or informal.

Google uses algorithms and human raters to assess a page’s EEAT.

Technically, EEAT is termed a signal rather than an algorithm because it’s a qualitative rather than quantitative measure.

How to apply this: It’s important to identify the personal experience or expertise of writers for your site, and to communicate that. Your About page can play a significant role.

Since Google factors author experience and expertise into its rankings, makes it easy for algorithms to discover this information.

• Create bio pages for founders, staff, and authors.
• List any relevant experience or expertise, including credentials and, if applicable, Curriculum Vitae.
• Include links so Google can acquire a sense of context for their experience or expertise.

Examples of relevant outbound links:

• Books authored by staff.
• Other organizations that staff or authors are involved in.
• For university professors or lecturers, include a link to their university bio page.
• Other websites they’ve written for.

Add Author SEO

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) can help with its Author SEO feature.

This allows you to easily add hyperlinked author bylines and bios to articles. These link to a page listing all articles written by the author, along with a more detailed bio if preferred.

In addition, you can add areas of expertise and educational background if desired.

AIOSEO will automatically add author schema, a type of code, that helps Google understand and process your author information.

3. Understand the Impact of Links

Links within your nonprofit website have a significant impact on SEO. And while external outbound links aren’t ranking factors, they can impact the perceived credibility of your site.

• When adding external links, aim to link to the highest quality information source.
• Aim for an 80%-20% or 70%-30% balance between internal and external links. (External links can drain traffic away.)
• Find and fix orphan pages. (These are isolated pages with no links from other pages on your site).
• Set aside a small amount of time monthly to build internal links. Your most important pages, such as those for fundraising, should have many inbound links.
• Consider how to get high-authority sites to link to your content. (Inbound links are called backlinks.)
• And learn about the role of anchor text in SEO.

Learn more in our Link Building Guide.

4. Create High-Quality Content

To create content strategically, you’ll base each article on your target keyword.

Quality of content is the most significant ranking factor. So ensure everyone creating and posting content at your nonprofit reads these Google guidelines.

Match Search Intent

It’s also critical to learn about and focus on search intent. To the degree that you satisfy search intent, your article will rank.

Here’s the fastest way to understand the concept of search intent. Using Chrome Incognito, do a search related to your nonprofit’s subject matter. You can choose a “Who is” or ” What is” question.

• Look carefully at the first page of search results. It’s full of clues about what people want to know.
• Explore the People Also Ask section (if there is one for your search query). You’ll find questions people have on the topic.

5. Improve Your Page Speed

Because page speed is a ranking factor, consider whether you need to improve yours.

For starters, run your site URL through Google’s PageSpeed Insights to see how to improve performance.

PageSpeed only takes a few seconds to return results. At the top, you’ll see Core Web Vitals: a collection of detailed metrics for web professionals.

Underneath that, you’ll see the familiar circle scores. These are calculated out of 100. The “Performance” score measures your site’s loading speed.

Further down are “Opportunities.” These are details on how to improve the speed performance of a page.

To handle any code issues, you’ll need to hire a developer.

Two issues that are common and represent low-hanging fruit are:

• Reducing your image file sizes.
• Hosting your fonts locally.

A developer can handle both of these issues. But staff must keep image file sizes down when posting new articles.

Also: if you’re using WordPress, try an image optimization plugin like WP Rocket and do a before-and-after test. Learn more about optimizing images here.

6. Understand the Roles of Social Media and SEO

Social media engagement (such as “likes,” comments, and shares) is not a ranking factor for your website.

However, social media websites, like Facebook, have SEO baked in, so it’s worth experimenting with creating posts centered on your target keywords.

Typically, social media plays a more limited role than SEO.

• Newsfeed-based social platforms like Twitter and Facebook are primarily helpful for creating brand awareness. (We call this “top-of-the-funnel” activity, or TOFU for short.)
• For nonprofits, light engagement (liking or commenting on a post) with top donors on Facebook can keep you top of mind.
• YouTube, not a newsfeed-based platform, is effective for drawing your target audience to think more deeply about your offerings.

Caution: It’s easy to over-invest in TOFU platforms that produce vanity metrics (like views, reach, and impressions) yet yield little, if any, meaningful impact.

While nonprofit participation in panel discussions or creating OpEds used to be derided as “preaching to the choir,” excessive social media investment may be equivalent to “entertaining the choir.”

In other words, does your nonprofit exist to serve and entertain those who agree with you already or does it exist to win minds?

The key is to ensure all content activity is tightly aligned with your organization’s topline objectives.

Learn more in:

• What is Content Strategy? An Ultimate Guide
• SEO vs. Social Media: How Do Their Roles Differ in Digital Marketing?

7. Do Competitor Analysis and Keyword Research

We’ve seen that if you want a web page to rank well in Google search results, you’ll need to decide which search term(s) you want it to rank for.

To increase your visibility in the marketplace of ideas, take a strategic approach to creating and editing content.

This approach begins with analyzing your competitors’ SEO and your own and learning how to do keyword research.

Analyze Competitor SEO

SEO delivers highly accurate competitor data.

Using a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush, you can quickly discover what keywords your competitors are ranking highest for.

Imagine you have a conservation nonprofit in the UK and one of your competitors is WildlifeTrusts.org.

You can run a report on that competitor to see which keywords they’re ranking for.

Here’s a close-up of an Ahrefs report for WildlifeTrusts.org.

• We’ve sorted the report by Position so we can see which keywords they rank #1 for.
• The KD column displays Keyword Difficulty: an approximate measure, out of 100, of how difficult it is to rank for the keyword.

You could use this data to get an idea of topics to create content on. The goal would be to rank near or higher to the competitor.

When it comes to competitor analysis, you’ll likely want to go further and do a content gap analysis. This will give you more detail.

Do a Content Gap Analysis

We recommend using the Ahrefs Content Gap tool or the Semrush Keyword Gap tool. The results will show you which keywords your competitors are ranking ahead of you for

It can also show you keywords they’re ranking #1 for, that you aren’t ranking at all for.

You can use this information to choose target keywords (topics) for new content. Additionally, you can use it to identify existing pages that need improvement.

Of course, you’ll only choose keywords relevant to your mission.

Pro tip: Focus on keywords that have a low keyword difficulty (KD) score. The lower the score, the easier it will be to rank.

Also: if your nonprofit’s ideas are contested, use a gap analysis to research websites that oppose your ideas. Evaluate which crucial keywords they rank high for.

Ranking high for important keywords is the equivalent of gaining mindshare. Remember: When people have a question about an idea or cause, they don’t go to the academy. They go to Google.

Often, those lobbying against certain ideas put a smart strategy at the center of their SEO efforts. So, you can’t afford to be slack when it comes to SEO.

And remember: SEO needs to be tended, like a garden. Search results are similar to financial markets: they’re highly volatile. Ranking well for a year is no guarantee your position will continue. Routine checking of your rankings and continual improvement is necessary.

SEO Lab: Walk Through a Competitor Analysis

In this example, we’ll use idea-based organizations. If your nonprofit is in the idea space, there are 2 approaches to competitor analysis: both of which are beneficial.

• Direct competitors: Here, you’d compare your own SEO performance to others in the same niche competing for funding.
• Opponent competitors: These are organizations that occupy an opposing stance. As they gain favor in search results, their ideas gain mindshare, and your ideas lose.

Be creative when identifying competitors. Your chief competitor may not be another organization; it might be an online magazine or even a personal blog.

For example, we’ll compare an anti-communist organization, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, to a pro-communist organization, the Communist Party USA.

For this analysis, we’ll use Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool.

Step 1: Sign Up for Semrush

To follow along, sign up for a free 7-day-trial. (You can cancel at any time.)

Step 2: Navigate to Keyword Gap

Now, while you’re logged into Semrush, go to the left-hand navigation column and click on Keyword Gap.

Step 3: Add Competitor

For our example, we’ll enter the Victims of Communism URL in the top field.

And we’ll add the Communist Party USA URL in the bottom field.

Now click the Compare button to get started.

You’ll see a Keyword Overlap diagram.

Mouse over the overlap portion, and you’ll see a popup that indicates these 2 organizations share 301 keywords. Put another way, they’re both ranking for those keywords, and 1 organization is the winner of each competing keyword.

Step 4: Apply “Easy” Filter

Now, above the diagram, you’ll see a drop-down filter marked “KD.” That stands for keyword difficulty.

Click the drop-down and select “Easy” or “Very easy.”

Yes, it’s possible to identify keywords that are easy to rank for. And this is always a good approach to getting traction against a competitor.

Now scroll down past the diagram and you’ll see the list of shared keywords that are easy to rank for.

Step 5: Get Oriented: What Are We Seeing?

Now you’ll see a list of keywords, all of which are easy to rank for and for which our 2 organizations are currently ranking for.

• There’s a column for VictimsOfCommunism.org and one for CPUSA.org
• Each row is a keyword (topic)
• The site that’s ranking highest for the keyword will have its search position highlighted in green

So we see for example, that CPUSA is ranking #1 for:

• Abolishment of private property

Now, click on the top of the CPUSA.org column to sort the list by shared keywords it’s ranking highest for.

Step 6: Choose Some Keywords to Target

Reviewing the list above, we might choose to target the following topics.

• Abolishment of private property
• Abolition of private property
• Communist documentaries
• Art in communism

What do we mean by “target”? Remember, the VictimsOfCommunism.org site has pages that are ranking for these terms, but ranking much lower than CPUSA.org.

So targeting them means improving them so they can rank higher. If you have several articles on the same topic, you may also be able to combine them into 1 comprehensive piece.

To improve them, read the top-ranking articles for the keyword. It pays to know the competition.

Simply click on the keyword and Semrush will show you which web pages are ranking high for that keyword.

For example, these are some of the top-ranking pages for “abolishment of private property.”

Improving your article may include actions like:

• Rewriting it to create a comprehensive article
• Adding citations and linking to credible sources
• Reformatting it for scannability
• Adding diagrams, images, or charts, if helpful to readers
• Simplifying the language so it’s more easily understood
• Re-organizing the article so it’s easier to follow.

Step 7. Explore the Untapped Filter

Returning to the keyword list, click Untapped at the top. This will display all keywords that your competition is ranking for, but for which you have no rankings.

Here you can get ideas of topics to create new content on.

Combining this information with the previous list, we’ll choose a final list of keywords to target.

This gives us 4 articles to improve and 2 new ones to write.

Lastly, we did a Chrome Incognito search for “best communist sites” and found the #1 ranking article lists 2 anti-communist sites, including the VictimsOfCommunist.org site.

So another content idea is to create an article listing “top communist sites” and include your own.

Wrapping It Up

To close out this SEO Lab, we need to be clear that CPUSA.org is producing much more content than VictimsOfCommunism.org. The latter doesn’t seem to regularly publish articles on communism topics. It does support academic research and it publishes news on its activities.

At a glance, it would appear that CPUSA.org has an active content marketing program designed to win search rankings. And it appears VictimsOfCommunism doesn’t, although they do use an SEO plugin to optimize page content.

VictimsOfCommunism.org may not see this type of strategic SEO as being relevant to their mission.

At the same time, doing competitor research as described in this SEO Lab, provides an opportunity to reconsider mission and impact.

Using Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool again, we compared VictimsOfCommunism.org and CPUSA.org to other sites that rank highly for communism topics:

• wsws.org
• marxists.org

The results are stunning. This provides a sense of competitive terrain for mindshare.

Remember: most people who have a question about an idea or cause, don’t go to the academy. Or to Facebook or TikTok.

They go to Google.

Now let’s move on to other factors that can impact your rankings.

User Experience: Is it a Ranking Factor?

Many SEO articles claim that user experience is a ranking factor. Is that true? Here we have to be careful about definitions. Google does consider what it calls page experience in ranking.

“Page experience” comprises elements that can be objectively measured, including how your site performs on mobile devices, how fast it is, and whether or not it’s plastered with annoying pop-ups (interstitial ads) blocking content.

There’s a relative aspect to how Google weighs page experience. They explain: “While page experience is important, Google still seeks to rank pages with the best information overall, even if the page experience is subpar.”

Google also expects your site to be secure, i.e., using HTTPS and having secure checkout.

Special Nonprofit SEO Issues

These following issues are technical and can have a significant negative impact on your SEO if not handled well.

Strategy Changes

If your nonprofit has changed its mission, you may have a lot of content that’s no longer related to what you do.

In addition, a large amount of poor quality or “thin” content can harm your rankings.

Here you can consult with an SEO professional regarding what to do with irrelevant content. Some pages may be usefully merged, while others may be good candidates for deletion and redirects.

See Google’s information on the Helpful Content Update for more.

Changing Your Nonprofit Name

When a nonprofit changes its name, it usually changes the website domain too.

Be careful: understand the SEO value of your current domain before changing it or letting it expire.

If you decide to proceed, keep the old domain and redirect appropriately.

Lastly, consider who should be involved in your nonprofit’s SEO.

Who Should Manage Your Nonprofit SEO?

If your nonprofit deals with commonly understood subjects, like clean drinking water or supporting arts education, it will be easy to outsource your SEO strategy to professionals.

However, if your nonprofit deals with technical subjects, like philosophy, theology, or a niched scientific field, it may be difficult to get optimal results from outsourcing your SEO.

Why is this? SEO is intimately tied to content. A solid understanding of your current content and previous projects is vital for SEO success.

Recommendations

1. Consider developing in-house SEO capability if your nonprofit occupies an obscure topic niche.
2. Pair in-house SEO staff with a successful for-profit SEO professional. This can accelerate learning and put staff on a fast-track to insider best practices. An established professional can be invaluable in shaping strategy.
3. All nonprofits can benefit from learning SEO basics, including optimizing a web page and doing keyword research. If you outsource your SEO strategy, you’ll be better positioned to evaluate a vendor’s recommendations. And internal editors and posters need to know on-page SEO anyway.
4. Ensure your marketing strategy and SEO goals are integrated, not developed piecemeal. Your top marketing person must be deeply involved in setting and reviewing SEO strategies.

Also, be wary of quickly outsourcing SEO to a vendor your friends are using. If you don’t understand and don’t have hands-on experience with the things listed in this article, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to accurately assess the value of the vendor’s pitch, no matter how convincing it sounds.

Unfortunately, standards in the nonprofit space are often far lower than those in the for-profit space.

Bonus Tips for Nonprofit SEO

• Free Google ads: Nonprofits are eligible for free Google Ad grants. Ads can be used to attract donations, search traffic, and volunteers. Google Ads appear above organic search results.
• Rankings decay: Be prepared to be consistent. If you stop your SEO discipline, you’ll eventually lose rankings and waste the resources that went into achieving them. Exceptions may be for keywords for which there is little interest or competition.
• Plan Conversions: Decide what specific calls-to-action (CTAs) you’ll have on pages you optimize. WordPress users may consider a conversion plugin like OptinMonster.
• Measure Progress: Find the most user-friendly tools to measure SEO progress. WordPress users may like MonsterInsights, a plugin that displays the most important Google Analytics data inside the WordPress editor. Explore Google Search Console to discover how your content ranks in Google results.
• Educate Donors: Search engine optimization isn’t flashy. And it doesn’t deliver overnight results. Yet it’s crucial for nonprofits that want to build influence in the marketplace of ideas. Prepare to educate donors on the importance of SEO.
• Local SEO: If your nonprofit focuses on local programs, create a Google Business Profile. This profile will help improve your local ranking and drive traffic for relevant keywords. You’ll also show up on Google Maps. Also: be sure to manage Google Reviews to benefit your SEO.

Prioritize Your Nonprofit SEO

Don’t abdicate your place in the marketplace of ideas; make SEO a priority for your nonprofit organization.

Doing so will ensure a legacy for your founder(s) and position your nonprofit for increasing impact, the kind of impact that matters.

What’s Next?

Now that you know why nonprofit SEO is critical to achieving real impact, what’s next?

Check out our article Should You Hire a Marketing Agency? Pros and Cons. And learn how to avoid SEO scams.

And explore these articles to get the basics down:

• What is Organic Traffic?
• How to Check Search Engine Rankings

Next, subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You’ll find many more helpful tutorials there. You can also follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.

By applying SEO to your pages that feature videos, you’ll attract more traffic.

This step-by-step guide will show you how to optimize your video content so search engines can find it and rank it for relevant searches.

Before we learn WordPress video SEO, let’s begin with a definition.

What is Video SEO?

Video SEO is a set of creative and technical actions that can improve the quality and rankings of your videos in search results.

While many articles on the topic are aimed at a technical audience, applying video SEO can be learned by anyone, including beginners.

Thanks to modern website platforms like WordPress and SEO plugins like All in One SEO (AIOSEO), technical issues can be handled automatically.

That leaves a handful of creative and low-level tasks for you.

Before we walk you through those, consider what you get from WordPress video SEO.

Benefits of Video SEO

When video content is optimized for search engines, it can appear in several areas of Google besides the main search results page.

For instance, your video content can be found in

• Video search tab
• Google Images search
• Google Discover

Optimized video pages can also appear as rich snippets with unique features, like Key Moments.

Showing up where your prospects are means more website traffic and conversions.

When video embedded on a WordPress page is genuinely helpful, that can help your post rank higher.

Video SEO Best Practices

Before we get into the tutorial, it’s worth noting that Google spells out best practices for video SEO. And we’ll be following these in our instructions for you.

Dedicated Page

For instance, Google recommends that for “maximum exposure . . . create a dedicated page for each video . . . .”

This is necessary for your video to display with Key Moments or the Live Badge.

So, even if a video is embedded in a WordPress article, that video should exist on another page dedicated solely to the video.

If you’re using YouTube or Vimeo to host videos, all your videos already have dedicated pages.

Title, Description, Thumbnail

Each video should have a title, meta description, and a designated thumbnail image.

You add these naturally when you upload a video to YouTube. But these items should also be added to your WordPress page. We’ll show you how to do that.

Video Sitemap

You should create a video sitemap to help Google and other search engines discover and index your videos.

That will be our first task in the tutorial below.

Let’s get started.

WordPress Video SEO: Step-by-Step

For WordPress website users, using a plugin is the easiest way to do video SEO.

We recommend All in One SEO (AIOSEO). This plugin will analyze your web pages and show you how to boost your video SEO.

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star reviews on WordPress.org. Currently, over 3 million site owners are using it.

Step 1: Download and Install All in One SEO (AIOSEO)

The first step is to download and install All in One SEO (AIOSEO).

A setup wizard will walk you through a few steps.

You’ll need the Pro version of AIOSEO to get a video sitemap.

Step 2: Get Sitemaps

As soon as you’ve installed All in One SEO (AIOSEO), the plugin will automatically generate 2 sitemaps.

This is according to Google’s best practices. The search giant recommends having an XML sitemap and an RSS/Atom sitemap.

• XML sitemaps contain all the URLs of a website
• RSS sitemaps only include URLs of recently modified or published pages.

Google will visit your RSS sitemap more frequently than your XML map.

What’s a sitemap? A sitemap is a list, in code, of URLs on your website. Search engines use sitemaps, and other methods, to discover your content and index (list it) in search results. So, sitemaps are essential in getting your content to appear in search results.

While you don’t need to take action to get these 2 sitemaps, you’ll need to enable your video sitemap.

Step 3: Enable Video Sitemap

To enable your video sitemap, ensure you’re still logged into WordPress.

In the admin bar at the top, go to AIOSEO » Sitemaps.

Now you’ll see several sitemap options.

Then click on the Video Sitemap tab.

A popup will ask you to “Enable video sitemaps on your site.”

Click the green Activate Video Sitemap button. And that’s it.

No complicated configuration.

When you embed a video on your WordPress site, AIOSEO will detect that and add the video information to the sitemap.

Part of getting found in search results is optimizing your page. This is called on-page SEO, and AIOSEO makes it easy.

Step 3: Optimize Your Video Page

To optimize the web page your video is embedded in, simply navigate to that page. (Make sure you’re still logged into WordPress.)

Now, open the AIOSEO sidebar. To do that, click the AIOSEO button at upper right.

Next, click on the General tab.

This is where you’ll find instructions for improving your SEO.

These recommendations are organized by:

• Focus Keyphrase
• Basic SEO
• Title
• Readability

Click on each section and follow the instructions.

You’ll see what you’re doing well.

And what could use improvement.

As you act on the plugin’s recommendations, your SEO score will increase.

Learn more using AIOSEO for on-page SEO.

Step 4: Apply Video Schema Markup

Next, you’ll apply structured data (schema markup) to the page. This code helps Google understand your content and rank it for relevant queries.

So, it’s a critical part of your video content getting found.

To add video schema to your page, click the AIOSEO button at the top right. (This will open the sidebar.)

Then click the Schema tab.

Now, you’ll see a small area called Schema in Use.

Notice that the “Article” schema has already been applied. (By default, AIOSEO applies Article schema to every post.)

Next, click the big blue Generate Schema button.

That will cause AIOSEO’s Schema Catalog to open. The catalog lists all the schema types you can add to a web page.

Find the Video schema button and click the plus (+) icon on the right side of the button.

Clicking on the Video schema button will cause a new pop-up window to open with a form for you to fill out.

Fill Out the Video Schema Form

Now, fill out the Video Schema form. (This information about your video is called metadata.)

• Name – Enter the name (title) of your video.
• Description – Add a meta description of your video.
• Content URL – Add the URL of the video file, if you uploaded it to your website. (This will likely be a .mp4 or .mov file.) (If your video was uploaded to YouTube or another player, skip this step.)
• Embed URL – Add the video’s URL as found on YouTube, Vimeo, or another player.
• Upload Date – Add the date the video was uploaded to your site or to YouTube or Vimeo.
• Is Family Friendly – Select Yes or No.
• Thumbnail URL – Select a thumbnail by URL or upload the image.

After you upload your thumbnail image, click the blue Add Schema button.

Step 5: Add a Video Transcript (Optional)

Adding a transcript is also a good idea if you’re embedding a video on a dedicated WordPress page. By “dedicated” we mean the video is the main content of the page.

Transcripts can boost SEO plus they provide users with an alternate means of accessing the video content.

There are plenty of low-cost AI-based transcription services to choose from. For those more technically-minded, Deepgram and AssemblyAI.com offer APIs for transcribing.

Now that we’ve covered WordPress video SEO, there are some additional AIOSEO features you may want to use next.

Additional SEO Considerations

Explore these AIOSEO features to improve your SEO performance.

• Author SEO: Establish trust with your users and boost your EEAT by communicating your experience and expertise.
• Link Assistant: Adding internal links to your most important pages can improve their rankings in SEO. The AI-powered Link Assistant makes this process simple; add links without opening individual pages.
• Redirection Manager: Avoid unwanted 404s with this user-friendly feature.
• Search Statistics: See which keywords you’re ranking for, without leaving WordPress. This feature, available in the Elite version of All in One SEO (AIOSEO), runs on an integration with Google Search Console.

Optimize Your YouTube Description

While this article has been focused on WordPress video SEO, most people will wind up using YouTube to host their videos and then embed them in WordPress pages.

So you’ll have 2 sources of traffic: SEO for the WordPress pages and YouTube traffic for the hosted video.

It pays to optimize your YouTube videos for SEO too. We’ve already mentioned the benefits of choosing an attractive thumbnail and using Key Moments.

But don’t overlook the Description field. Add a detailed description. Think about who might be interested in this video and what they might be searching for.

The keywords you use in your description can help your video appear in relevant internal search results. (Remember, YouTube has a built-in search engine.)

Example: Gift of Fear Masterclass

Here’s an example. The video below is an interview with comedian Sarah Silverman. It’s part of Gavin de Becker’s Gift of Fear Masterclass, available for free on YouTube.

The video series is based on the best-selling book of the same name. It helps women understand and act on their intuition in order to avoid violence from strangers or partners.

This video was published 2 years ago. So why does it have only 5,432 views? A quick glance shows the description field (highlighted below) is completely empty.

Adding a precise description to this video should help it surface in searches related to the topic. In addition adding at least one keyword to the video title can help. For instance: Interview: Sarah Silverman on Violence Against Women.

Potential keywords to include in video descriptions in this series:

• Gavin de Becker (the host)
• The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals that Protect Us from Violence (the name of the best-selling book)
• Domestic violence
• Trauma bonding
• Verbal abuse
• Violence against women
• Preventing violence
• And so on.

Q&A on WordPress Video SEO

Resources on WordPress Video SEO

Read these resources to learn more about WordPress video SEO.

Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, we’re confident you’ll find these resources useful.

• How to Boost WordPress Video SEO: Expert SEO Tools & SEO Tips
• 8 Video SEO Best Practices to Help You Outrank Your Competitors
• 7 Quick Tips to Make Thumbnails Like a Video Marketing Pro
• Setting Up a Video Content Business
• SEO vs. Social Media: How Do Their Roles Differ in Digital Marketing?

Comparison Table: WordPress Video SEO With (and Without) a Plugin

Curious whether you should choose to manage video SEO manually or use a WordPress SEO plugin?

Here’s a comparison table of the 2 approaches.

Using an SEO plugin automates most video SEO best practices and requires no technical or coding knowledge. For that reason it’s a good choice for those who want a scalable approach.

After WordPress Video SEO . . .

Few small businesses can succeed without an SEO strategy. And video SEO is an important part of that strategy.

Remember: embedded videos can attract traffic and boost conversions.

Now that you know how to do video SEO for a WordPress website, what’s next?

• Learn how a small business used video as part of a winning strategy to grow traffic by over 1,000% in a year.
• Explore how making your content scannable, by breaking up text with images, video, and other elements, can help engage visitors.
• Discover the power of backlinks in driving rankings, revenue, and website valuations.
• Start using search intent and keyword research.
• Browse the best SEO Chrome extensions to improve your workflow.

To keep learning, subscribe to our YouTube Channel. We regularly post new search engine optimization tutorials.

And come join us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.

This can result in more click-throughs from search results.

The guidelines are simple to learn and apply.

In addition to explaining image filename SEO, you’ll learn how to optimize your images in WordPress for improved SEO.

Let’s get started.

What Are Image Filenames?

Every file on the internet, including images, has a name. This name may offer clues about the image (like “baseball-team.jpg”), or it may be generic (like “DSC000014.png”).

As you’ve probably guessed, Google prefers descriptive filenames.

Before we learn more about that, let’s clarify the difference between an image filename and a file extension.

Image Filename vs. Extension: What’s the Difference?

Image filenames include an extension. The extension (such as .jpg or .png) is preceded by a period and describes the file format or file type.

Common image extensions include .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .svg, and .webp.

When you optimize your image filename, there’s no need to change the extension because that communicates technical information that web browsers need.

Do Image Filenames Affect SEO?

Google’s algorithms read image filenames to obtain information about image content.

Search engines have difficulty processing visual data. Image filenames are 1 of several factors that help search engines understand visual media.

Other factors include descriptive alt text and placing the image near relevant text on a page.

When search engines understand an image, they can rank it for relevant keywords. And that can lead to more traffic from search engine results pages (SERPs).

Remember that Google is the largest search engine in the world, and it includes Google Image Search.

Now, let’s discover the best practices for naming your image files.

Best Practices for Image Filename SEO

Good image filenames are short and descriptive.

Follow these tips for naming images.

Avoid Generic Image Filenames

When you download images from a mobile phone or camera, they have generic names that follow a sequential pattern.

For example:

• IMG001.png
• IMG002.png
• IMG003.png

Cameras aren’t smart enough (yet) to understand and name your photos for you. So before you add these images to web pages, change generic names to meaningful ones.

Make Image Filenames Short and Descriptive

Your images filenames should be short but long enough to accurately describe the image.

Google advises avoiding “extremely lengthy filenames.” It’s easy to see why. It only takes a few words to describe images well enough so that search engines can categorize them.

Keep in mind that Google is looking for “very light clues about the subject matter of the image.”

The more words, the less clear the description could become.

Here are examples of bad image filenames compared with descriptive ones.

Examples of Bad vs. Good Image Filenames

Below, we’ve added 3 images from Unsplash.com, along with examples of good vs. bad image filenames.

Photographers include details of their images when they post them on Unsplash. So we can use that information to create descriptive filenames.

Example 1: Wheat Field in Ukraine

The first image is from photographer Polina Rytova and shows a wheat field in eastern Ukraine. Specifically, the image is from the village of Zelenyi Hai, which is in Kherson Oblast.

Avoid generic names like crops.png or field.png.

Possible descriptive filenames include:

• wheat-field-eastern-ukraine.png
• wheat-field-zelenyi-hai-ukraine.png
• wheat-field-ukraine.png
• wheat-field-kherson-oblast-ukraine.png

Example #2: Hikers on Mt. Kilimanjaro Route

The next photo, from photographer Crispin Jones, shows hikers on Route Rongai, a trail on Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Avoid generic image filenames like hiking.png, hikers.png, or hiking-group.png.

Instead, use descriptive names like:

• hikers-on-kilimanjaro.png
• hikers-on-route-rongai-kilimanjaro.png
• Hikers-climbing-kilimanjaro-tanzania.png

You can also remove prepositions from filenames, like so:

• hikers-route-rongai-kilimanjaro.png

Example #3: Photo of Painting

Our final example is a photo of Albrecht Dürer’s famous self-portrait, painted in 1498.

The painting is currently housed in the Museo del Prado in Spain.

Here, we can avoid generic image filenames like portrait.jpg or painting.png.

Some possible descriptive filenames are:

• albrecht-durer-self-portrait.png
• albrecht-durer-self-portrait-1498.png

Now, imagine your web page is primarily about the Museo del Prado’s Flemish collection, which includes this self-portrait. Then, you might want to include the museum in the image filename.

• albrect-durer-self-portrait-museo-del-prado.png

Use Hyphens to Separate Words

Notice that we separated words in the filenames by adding hyphens. Skip using underscores or blank spaces because not all search engines interpret these the same.

For instance, a space may be converted to “%20” which is how you wind up with odd filenames like sunny%20beach.jpg.

For Multilingual Sites: Translate Image Filenames

If you have a multilingual WordPress site, then make sure that images on pages that target different countries include image filenames in the related language. That way, they’ll show up in local searches.

Using All in One SEO (AIOSEO)

Now that you understand image filename SEO, what else can you do to optimize your images?

An SEO plugin is an easy way to ensure your images and web pages are optimized for Google.

We recommend All in One SEO (AIOSEO). This is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star reviews on WordPress.org. Over 3 million site owners are currently using it to improve their rankings.

In the next section, we’ll be using AIOSEO. So get ready to follow along.

The first step in optimizing your images in WordPress is to download and install All in One SEO (AIOSEO).

After you upload the plugin to your WordPress site, a setup wizard will open and walk you through a few simple steps.

Now, let’s walk through the image optimization steps.

Create an Image Sitemap

Google recommends creating a separate image sitemap or adding image information to your existing sitemap. This helps search engines discover your images.

When you install AIOSEO, it automatically generates a sitemap that includes all your images. Any time you modify an image or add a new one to a page, your sitemap will automatically be updated.

Optimize Titles and Meta Descriptions

Search engines use a web page’s title and description to understand and categorize images on the page.

All in One SEO provides fields to edit your title and description. The plugin will give you feedback on improving these.

For instance, it’s a good idea to include your focus keyword in your title and description.

If your keyword is missing from these areas, AIOSEO will prompt you to add it.

Learn more about how to optimize your search snippet in AIOSEO.

Title vs SEO Title: What’s the Difference?

Now, you may wonder, “What’s the difference between titles, SEO titles, and title tags?”

It’s worth sorting this out because these terms are often used interchangeably, which can be confusing.

Title: This is at the top of a WordPress page or post. When you add a new page or post, you’ll see a large bank field labeled “Add Title.”

After you add your title text, WordPress automatically wraps it in a title tag and an h1 tag. These tags are invisible to readers. They’re HTML code that provides information to web browsers and search engines.

• A title tag tells search engines: “Display this title in search results.”
• The h tag denotes hierarchy on the page: the h1 heading is the most important.

SEO title: SEO plugins allow you to use one title on the web page and create a different title to appear in search results.

This 2nd title is sometimes called an SEO title. If you create a 2nd title for search engines, the site visitors will still see the original title when they visit your page.

In this case,

• The title on the page gets wrapped in an h1 tag, not a title tag
• The SEO title gets wrapped in a title tag.

Why would anyone want 2 titles? Perhaps to include an additional keyword or two to help search engines rank the article.

Also, your SEO title is what will appear in Google Image searches.

For instance, if we search Google Images for “apple strudel,” we see many photos from apple strudel recipe pages. The text below each image is drawn from the SEO title of the recipe page.

The words “Delicious and EASY . . .” stood out to us.

We checked the CookiesAndCups.com web page (and its code) and discovered it has one title on its web page (“Apple Strudel”) . . .

. . . And a different SEO title (“Delicious and EASY Apple Strudel Recipe | Cookies and Cups”) in Google Image search.

When we click on the Google Image from her page, we see a preview of her web page on the right. And you can see that the 2 titles are different.

Even though the last part of the “Delicious and EASY” title was truncated, the most important part: “Delicious and EASY,” made her image stand out from a sea of alternatives.

Other results in Google Image searches included “easy,” but none was described as both “Delicious and EASY.”

Add Alt Text

Alt text (short for “alternative text”) is the most crucial element that helps Google your images.

In the WordPress block editor, there’s a blank space for adding your image alt text.

Simply click your image. That will cause the alt text field to appear on the right.

Then, enter your image description.

Google recommends keeping your alt text descriptive and short, like your image filename.

Apply Schema Markup

To increase the chances that your images display in search results, apply schema markup to your pages.

Schema markup is code that helps Google better understand web pages. With All in One SEO’s Schema Generator, you’ll simply click some buttons and fill out some form fields to apply this schema. No technical knowledge is needed.

There are different types of schema to match different types of content.

For instance, there’s schema for:

• Recipes
• Products
• Events
• Books

So, adding schema means picking the relevant type from a list and then using AIOSEO to add the code.

Remember the apple strudel page we discussed? They applied recipe schema markup to their page. As a result, their page displays as a rich snippet in Google Search results.

You can think of a rich snippet as a prominent visual display in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Not only does CookesAndCups.com have that eye-catching display near the top of Google Search, but they also have another on page #1 of search results for “apple strudel.”

Notice that this search snippet, like the first one, has details listed, like the star rating average and how long the recipe takes (45 minutes). That’s all thanks to schema markup.

Now, compare the 2 apple strudel rich snippets with this standard search snippet.

It’s easy to see why rich snippets attract more click-throughs from search results.

No Hyphens?

Ironically, CookiesAndCups.com didn’t use hyphens to separate words in their image names. For example, one image is named applestrudeimage-5.jpg.

But they used titles effectively, applied great alt text (“Slice of apple strudel with golden raisins”), and included schema markup.

Google was able to use all those clues to understand the images on the page.

Image Titles, Captions, and Placement

Lastly, pay attention to the placement of images and the use of image titles and captions.

Images should be placed near relevant text on a web page. Consider Google’s guidance in their developer documentation.

Google extracts information about the subject matter of the image from the content of the page, including captions and image titles. Wherever possible, make sure images are placed near relevant text and on pages that are relevant to the image subject matter.

The WordPress editor provides a blank field for an image title (called “Title Attribute”). To find it,

1. Click on an image in one of your articles
2. The blank Alternative Text field should appear at right.
3. Scroll down the right-hand Block column, and click on Advanced to find the Title Attribute field.

Enter your preferred image title.

Repurposing Your Image Filename

Often, a good image filename, alt text, and image title can be the same.

Pro tip: If you start with a good image filename, you can often us it also for the alt text and image title.

In the example above, we used one phrase as our image filename, alt text, and image title:

• austin distel recording podcast

Then for the caption, we elaborated:

• Austin Distel recording podcast interview with CEO of Scale or Die.

Q&A Related to Image Filename SEO

Now that you understand what image filename SEO is, and how to relates to image SEO overall, you may have questions.

We’ve answered a few below. If you have additional questions please leave them in the comments below this article. We’re delighted to be of assistance.

Resources on Image Filename SEO

Interested in reading more on this topic? Check out these WordPress articles.

• How to Rename Images and Media Files in WordPress
• How to Name Your Image Files for SEO in WordPress
• How to Enforce Clean Image Filenames in WordPress (Easy Method)

After Image Filename SEO . . .

Now that you’ve learned what image filename SEO is and how to optimize your image names, you’re on your way to improved search engine rankings and your SEO strategy is taking shape.

Discover the different roles that SEO and social media play. Or pick an easy DIY SEO project to improve your site.

Learn how to use AIOSEO to do simple SEO checks. And find tips for making your site seo-friendly.

Join us on our YouTube Channel to find simple search engine optimization tutorials. You can also follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop and keep your SEO efforts on track.

By focusing on key on-page elements you can improve your site’s visibility and search performance.

This guide helps beginners master the essentials of on-page optimization and build a strong SEO foundation for their website.

We’ll walk you through how to implement proven on-page techniques to boost your rankings, traffic, and conversions.

In fact, the tactics we share are the same ones we use to grow our business consistently.

But first, let’s define on-page SEO.

What is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO refers to the practice of optimizing individual web pages to rank higher in search engines for relevant keywords.

Key elements include:

• Content quality and relevance: Creating high-quality, original, and engaging content that covers the topic well and satisfies searchers.
• Keyword optimization: Naturally incorporating target keywords into the page title, headings, meta description, and content.
• Title tags: Crafting compelling and descriptive titles that include the main keyword.
• Meta descriptions: Writing precise summaries that accurately describe the page content and encourage clicks.
• Header tags (H1, H2, etc.): Using header tags to structure content and signal importance to search engines.
• URL structure: Creating clean, descriptive, and keyword-rich URLs.
• Internal linking: Linking to other relevant pages within the website to establish site architecture and distribute link equity.
• Image optimization: Using descriptive file names and alt text. Compressing images to improve page load speed.
• Page load speed: Optimizing page load time. This usually involves compressing files, minifying code, and leveraging caching techniques. But we’re going to show you an easy way to avoid the technical aspect.
• Mobile-friendliness: Ensuring the page works well on mobile devices.

We’re going to show you, step-by-step, how to optimize your own pages. Don’t worry: You don’t need any previous knowledge or ability to code.

Now, for the curious, let’s look at the difference between on-page and off-page SEO. Then we’ll explain the benefits of on-page SEO.

On-Page SEO vs. Off-Page SEO

The actions of on-page SEO all occur on a single website. Off-page SEO refers to actions that may boost SEO, but which take place on other websites.

Imagine your website is a store. On-page SEO is like arranging your products neatly and having clear labels (keywords) so people can find what they need inside. Off-page SEO is like getting good reviews from customers and having other stores recommend yours – it builds trust and attracts more visitors.

Examples of off-page SEO are:

• Google Business Profile: Creating and optimizing your profile.
• Google Reviews: Increasing the number and average rating.
• Digital PR: includes mentions in media or being a guest on a podcast.
• Backlink building: Getting relevant and trusted sites to link to yours.
• Local citations: Getting your business listed in online directories.

What are the Benefits of On-Page SEO?

The goal of on-page SEO is to help pages rank higher for relevant keywords in search engine results pages (SERPs). That results in more traffic from your target audience.

If you have a small business, acquiring that qualified traffic is key to growing brand awareness, conversions, and sales.

On-page SEO can improve the overall quality of a page, and quality is the #1 ranking factor.

Simple actions like adding schema markup can help search engines understand your page better. That can lead to higher rankings for relevant keywords as well.

And optimizing your images can boost their appearance in Google Image Search, leading to additional traffic.

What Comes Before On-Page Optimization?

Before you start optimizing pages, there are 3 things to get in place.

1. Generate Sitemaps

A sitemap is a file containing a list of all pages on your site. This file is for search engines to read.

Sitemaps make it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content.

Best Practices: Google recommends having 2 types of sitemaps: an XML sitemap and an RSS/Atom sitemap. (XML and RSS/Atom refers to the formatting of the sitemaps.)

• The XML sitemap contains a complete list of site content.
• The RSS/Atom sitemap lists only recently modified or published content.

Google will visit your RSS sitemap more frequently than your XML sitemap.

So, how do you get a sitemap? WordPress site owners can use the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin. As soon as you install AIOSEO, it will automatically generate these 2 types of sitemaps and keep them updated for you.

2. Do Basic Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing the words and phrases that people use when searching for information on search engines. It helps you understand what your target audience is looking for and how they phrase their queries.

When creating content like articles or blog posts, it’s crucial to identify a target keyword for each. The target keyword is the main topic of your article and the term you want to rank high for.

Picking the right keywords can make a big difference when it comes to achieving your online goals.

• Choose keywords that are easy to rank for.
• If you sell online, select those that signal buying intent.

Learn how to do this in Keyword Difficulty: What It Is and How to Use It

3. Create High-Quality Content

High-quality content is original and engaging content that covers the topic well and satisfies searchers.

Quality is the #1 ranking factor. Every big Google algorithm update is designed to better identify quality.

Want to land that #1 slot in Google Search for your target keyword?

You can’t unseat incumbents without offering something better.

The good news is better doesn’t need to be hard.

Depending on the topic and what’s currently ranking at the top, better may mean:

• A more concise article that’s easier to understand.
• A comprehensive, in-depth article that covers points or nuances missed by others.
• A shorter introduction that doesn’t ramble.
• A visual that helps readers understand the content better.
• A well-organized article that’s easier to follow.

Best Practices:

• Figure out search intent: Before writing, discover the search intent behind the keyword.
• Plan to be better: Review some top-ranking articles for your chosen keyword. How can you create something better?
• Create an outline: It’ll help you stay on-topic.
• Use “plain English.” Skip the $10 words.

Always put the reader’s needs first. The better your page satisfies them, the higher it’ll rank.

How to Do On-Page SEO

Once you’ve chosen your target keyword and created your content, you’re ready to optimize your page.

The easiest way to do this is to use an on-page SEO tool.

We recommend All in One SEO (AIOSEO). This WordPress SEO plugin will analyze your pages and provide steps for improving your SEO.

As you’ll see shortly, the plugin also handles code tasks behind the scenes. So there’s no need to learn coding or anything technical.

All in One SEO is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star reviews on WordPress.org. Currently, over 3 million people are using the plugin.

1. Download and Install All in One SEO (AIOSEO)

The 1st step is to download and install the plugin. (You’ll need to log into your WordPress site in order to install AIOSEO.)

After you’ve installed it, a setup wizard will walk you through a few steps.

Now, navigate to a page you want to optimize.

1. Click the AIOSEO button at the upper right. (That will open the AIOSEO sidebar.)
2. Next, click on General.

Now you’ll see several on-page SEO options, including

• Focus keyphrase
• Basic SEO
• Title
• Readability

We’ll start by clicking on Focus Keyphrase. (This is the same thing as focus keyword or target keyword.)

2. Check Focus Keyword Use

When you click on Focus Keyword, you’ll see an analysis of how you’ve used your target keyword.

A focus keyword or focus keyphrase is the same thing as target keyword. This is the main topic of your page. Ensuring your main topic is clear to Google is a must. It also helps readers.

AIOSEO will check your page to see that your keyword is included in:

• Title
• Meta description
• First paragraph
• Some subheadings
• Some image alt text

These are common practices for keyword use. They’re not required by Google, but help ensure your content’s focused on the main topic.

If your target keyword is missing from any of these areas, you’ll be prompted to add it.

Good to know: Your keyword should only be included in alt text if the accompanying image is related to the target keyword.

Similarly, when it comes to adding your keyword to more subheadings, use your own judgment. If adding it will make for an awkward read, then skip the recommendation.

Always do what’s best for the reader. Besides, Google understands keyword variants.

Learn more about focus keywords in SEO.

3. Optimize Your Title

Your title is an opportunity to attract clicks in search results. Be precise and highlight what’s unique about your page.

For instance, if you’ve included a free spreadsheet or downloadable item, you can mention that in your title, as in the example below.

Character limit: Titles get cut off after 60 characters or so, so stick to that limit or be sure the visible portion of your title makes sense to searchers. (Some marketers like to go over the character limit to include another keyword.)

AIOSEO will tell you whether you’ve gone over the character limit. You also have the option to create a different title, that will display in search results, than the one on your page. This is what we refer to as an SEO Title.

Clarifying Terms

Title, title tag, and SEO title are often used interchangeably in articles, but they mean different things.

• Title refers to the title of your web page. This is what you entered at the top of the page.
• Title tag refers to the HTML code automatically added to titles. This code helps search engines identify the title so it can be displayed in search results.
• SEO title: If you opt to create a 2nd title, one that’s different from your page title and that displays in search results, we call this the SEO title.

4. Optimize Your Meta Description

A meta description is a short description that appears in your search snippet. Google can pull information from a page to create that description. You have the option of creating the description yourself.

Along with your title, your description is a good opportunity for attracting clicks.

Like your title, your description should be precise and descriptive. Highlight what’s unique about your article and include your main keyword.

Character limit: These descriptions tend to get cut off in search results after 160 characters or so.

AIOSEO provides a field for you to add your meta description. You’ll also see a character counter below the field. This will help you keep your descriptions short.

Why Isn’t Google Pulling My Meta Description?

As Google has become more sophisticated, it increasingly makes its own decisions about what description to display.

If it thinks yours is best, it’ll use it. Otherwise, Google’s algorithms will pull other text from your page to appear as the description.

Keep in mind that many pages rank for more than one keyword. So your description might be best for your target keyword. But if a searcher enters a different keyword and Google wants to display your page, it’ll pull text from your page that closely matches what the searcher’s looking for.

Here’s an example. We wrote an article targeting the keyword “wordpress multilingual seo.”

Our meta description displayed for searches of the keyword:

When people searched for “what is wordpress multilingual seo,” Google wanted to display our page but customized the description to match the search term.

If Google chooses to use your meta description, don’t be surprised if it changes its mind later. This is common.

Now let’s move on to images.

5. Image Optimization

Google needs assistance in understanding the content of your images. When your images have clear titles and descriptions, they can rank for relevant keywords in Google Image Search. That can boost organic traffic to your site.

There are 3 key ways to optimize.

• Adding alt text (or alternative text).
• Changing image filenames to descriptive text.
• Using an image compression plugin, like WP Smush, so pages load faster.

In the WordPress editor, when you click on an image a field will appear at right, labeled “ALTERNATIVE TEXT.” Simply add a short description of the image.

Before or after you upload the image to WordPress, you can change the filename to something descriptive. For example, if you’ve uploaded an image of a Norwegian Forest kitten, that’s currently named kitten.jpg, you could change that to norwegian-forest-kitten.jpg.

All in One SEO allows you to create global settings for image optimization. This can save you time.

6. Add Internal Links

Internal links are links between pages of a single website. These links help search engines understand your site structure and which pages and topics are most important.

Adding internal links is one of the easiest and most overlooked on-page SEO tactics.

Simply increasing internal links pointing to your 1-3 most important pages can boost their ranking. And this can happen quickly.

Additionally, links help users find related content on your site. Naturally, when a new post is published, it’s an orphan page to start with. That means it has no links from your other pages.

The Pro version of All in One SEO includes a handy Link Assistant. This will display a list of orphan pages and for all content, make recommendations for internal links.

This is another time saver because you can add internal links without opening any individual pages.

Routinely check for orphan pages. When new posts are published add internal links to them. And make sure your most important pages have a good number of links pointed to them.

Consider setting aside at least 15 minutes a month to do internal link building.

7. Check External Links

Linking to other sites is not a ranking factor, but when you link, choosing high-quality sources can help establish your content as credible.

For instance, if you’re citing statistics, make sure the site you’re linking to is trustworthy. This adds to the perceived quality of your page.

When you link, make sure the reader knows what to expect when they click the link. You can do this by using explicit anchor text. But realize that readers (and Google) understand the immediate context of the link: so even if you don’t use explicit anchors, they’ll know what the linked page is about before they follow it.

If sales are a chief goal of your site, minimize linking to other websites. External links can drain traffic away. Your call-to-action should be near the top, and shouldn’t compete with external links.

8. Check Your Slug

A slug is the portion of the URL that comes after a preceding slash. WordPress usually sets your slug to automatically match your title.

For instance: if your title is “3 Top Ways to Get a Resume Noticed” then the slug would be: /3-top-ways-to-get-a-resume-noticed

Your slug plays a minor role in helping Google understand the main topic of your page.

You can include your target keyword in your slug. But if it’s included in your title, then WordPress will automatically add it.

Keep in mind that Google’s John Muu says keywords in URLs are “overrated.”

9. Improve Readability and Formatting

Readability refers to how easy it is for users to understand your content. Good formatting is closely related.

Research done by the Nielsen Norman Group in the 1990s revealed that website visitors seldom read a page. Instead, they scan, looking for items that stand out, like:

• Subheadings
• Bulleted lists
• Images

Subsequent research shows this scanning behavior hasn’t changed.

So, catering to how people read on digital screens is essential for online success.

Improving readability and scannability can increase engagement, conversions, task completion, and memory retention. See the Nielsen Norman Group website for their research on this.

How to do it:

When creating your content use an outline. This will keep your content structured logically and organized by subheadings

Use plain English; remove unnecessary text.

Once you’ve finished your article and added it in the WordPress editor, click on Readability in the AIOSEO sidebar.

You’ll see what you’re doing well.

And what could use improvement.

Notice the eye icon next to the first 2 items? That’s what we call the TruSEO Highlighter. Click on the eye and you’ll be taken to the exact area of the page that’s being referenced.

Also, there’s a built-in Flesch Reading Ease score. You can see the recommendation is to use “shorter sentences” and simpler words.

Learn more about improving readability in:

• How to Improve Your Readability Score
• How to Use the Flesch Reading ease Score to Grow Traffic

Now you’re ready to apply some schema markup.

10. Add Schema Markup

Schema markup is code that helps Google better understand content and surface it in relevant search queries.

All in One SEO makes it easy to apply schema markup to a page. You’ll click some buttons and fill out some form fields.

AIOSEO automatically applies the “article” schema type to all posts. But there are specific schema types you can add too, such as:

• Event
• Book
• Course
• Recipe

Some types of schema markup can also add visual flair to your search snippets, and that can increase click-through-rates (CTRs), as Milestone Research has shown. Recipe markup is an example.

Other schema types, like event schema, make your page eligible to appear in special Google displays. For instance, your event can appear in Google’s “Event Experience,” an interactive calendar display.

AIOSEO Schema Types

Here are the schema types currently available in All in One SEO.

• Article (added to posts by default)
• Book
• Course
• Dataset
• Event
• FAQ
• Fact-Check
• How-To
• Job Posting
• Movie
• Music
• Person
• Product
• Recipe
• Service
• Software
• Video
• Web Page

11. Add Author Information

With Google’s Helpful Content Update, E-E-A-T has become even more important.

The original EAT acronym, coined by Google, stood for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. It was recently expanded to include another “E” for experience: EEAT.

This conveys that content based on personal experience is no less important than those created by individuals with formal expertise.

Consider what EEAT your staff or content creators have. Then be sure to communicate that.

AIOSEO’s Author SEO Option

One on-page SEO optimization factor is doing author SEO. It is done by adding bylines and bio pages for your writers.

All in One SEO provides an easy way to add author bylines to articles. You can also add a second byline for a reviewer or a fact-checker.

You can use the plugin to create a short bio and have an “author box” appear at the bottom of articles. You’ll select your areas of experience or expertise, and these will display on your author box.

When anyone clicks on your hyperlinked byline, they’ll be taken to a page listing all your articles. You have the option to add a longer bio that will appear there.

Performance and Speed

In addition to on-page SEO, site-wide factors like page loading speed and how well your site functions on mobile devices can affect SEO.

Research by Google, SOASTA, mPlus Mobile and others, have shown that a site loading delay of even a few seconds can decrease conversions by double-digit percentages. And a delay of 1 second can ding conversions by roughly 7%.

But what about SEO? Do seconds make the difference in rankings? They can. In fact, Google’s “Page Experience” is a ranking factor. This concept refers to how fast your site loads and how well it performs including on mobile devices. These things affect user experience, and that’s why they can influence rankings.

But there’s some nuance here. Imagine you have a web page ranking in the #8 position for its keyword. Is speed holding it back? If all the sites ranking in the top 10 are of comparable site loading speed, then speed is unlikely to make an SEO difference. This is because Google weights quality more heavily than speed.

However, if all the ranking pages load in, say, 3 seconds or under, and yours displays a spinning icon and takes 8 seconds to fully load, you should fix that.

It pays to obsess over speed but not to the detriment of quality.

Google PageSpeed Insights

You can get an idea of how your site’s doing by entering your domain into Google PageSpeed Insights.

Be aware though: PageSpeed Insights will create a detailed report, listing not only page load data, but details down to page elements. For a non-coder, understanding the Core Web Vitals metrics will be impossible.

Improving site speed is a highly specialized field. Someone with a beginner’s knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, could make some basic improvements. For example, minifying and bundling CSS and JavaScript files, loading fonts locally, and optimizing images for starters.

But there’s a simple way forward for non-coders. If your WordPress website is loading slow, switch to a theme that’s coded for high performance. (You can upload and activate themes the same way that you do plugins.)

Not sure where to look? Here are some possibilities.

• SeedProd: This is a beginner-friendly tool for creating landing pages and websites.
• Blocksy: Lots of customization options here, and like SeedProd, it’s built to load fast.
• GeneratePress: Like most builders, you’ll pick a pre-built website and add your content.

Measure Success

Once you’ve optimized your pages for improved rankings, you’ll want to measure your success.

Here are some ways to do that.

• Keyword research tools like Semrush and Ahrefs provide your ranking information by keyword, and you can compare your performance to competitors.
• Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to set goals and see traffic and revenue results.
• Google Search Console is also free. You can use it to see which keywords you’re ranking for.
• All in One SEO: The Elite version of the plugin includes an integration with Google Search Console called Search Statistics. This feature allows you to see how your content’s performing without leaving the WordPress editor.

Practices that Can Damage On-Page SEO

Lastly, let’s look at tactics that can sink your SEO.

Paid links: Yes, you can pay people to get dofollow backlinks. Since backlinks are are a ranking factor, that may seem like a shortcut to success. However, Google’s very good at detecting these link schemes, so these types of paid links will likely put you in the penalty box.

Keyword stuffing: Cramming a page with repeated keywords is an old idea, but some people still try it. This can also get your site penalized.

Copying content: All content on your site should be unique if you hope to gain SEO benefit from it. So be cautious about low-fee content providers: they may be re-selling articles to many websites. In addition, copying others’ content won’t boost SEO. Google knows who published it first. Plus, the original owner can file a DMCA takedown notice.

Changing the calendar year on posts without adding any updates to the content. If you update the year be sure to edit the content first. SEO plugins often have a feature to update the year automatically. So if you’re going to use this, be sure to schedule those content updates to occur before the end of the year.

Q&A for On-Page SEO

After On-Page SEO . . .

Now that you understand the basics of on-page SEO, what’s next?

Learn how the roles of SEO and social media differ, so you can get better results from each. And don’t forget to plan for conversions.

Come join us on our YouTube Channel to find simple WordPress SEO tutorials. You can also follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.

However, getting started with keyword research is easy when it’s explained in plain English.

Beginners can do keyword research by following simple steps.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to do keyword research and explain why it has a significant impact on SEO.

Along the way, we’ll translate those fancy terms you’ve probably seen, like “keyword difficulty” and “search volume.”

Let’s get started.

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is a way to explore search queries in order to create content that satisfies users and ranks well.

Over time, Google has evolved to understand what searchers want, no matter how they phrase their requests.

The world’s leading search engine works to match each request with relevant content that’s helpful.

Because of this, Google search results are the premier source of keyword research. And keyword research tools rely on Google data, repackaging it in helpful ways.

In fact, you can do basic keyword research for free by using Google. We’ll show you how to do this. Then we’ll show you how to use a tool to find profitable keywords that are easy to rank for and generate revenue.

Keep in mind each web page ranks in relation to a keyword. In other words, a searcher needs to enter a request into a search engine to get results.

But first, why do keyword research?

Why Is Keyword Research Important for SEO?

Search engines are like librarians that organize and categorize content. Cataloging content makes it easier for people to find what they want.

If you want your online content to be found, choose a main topic (i.e., keyword) for your page. This way, Google the Librarian can serve your page to people looking for information on that topic.

To make sure Google understands the main topic of your page, it’s a good idea to use your keyword several times on that page. We’ll show you exactly how to do this. It’s straightforward.

Keyword research also helps you choose topics on which to create content.

For instance, you can:

• Find keywords that are easy to rank for.
• Discover which keywords signal the searcher has buying intent.
• Understand what type of content to create to rank well.

As promised, here’s how to do keyword research for free.

Experience Keyword Research in 5 minutes

One of our favorite tools for keyword research is Chrome Incognito. What you can learn from a simple search is fascinating.

To use Chrome Incognito, make sure you’ve downloaded the Chrome browser.

• On a Mac, Press ⌘ + Shift + n to open Chrome in Incognito (privacy) mode.
• On Windows, Linux, or Chrome OS, Press Ctrl + Shift + n.

Let’s see how it works.

Imagine we have a website selling learn-to-knit kits. We want to create content to attract our target audience. So, we’re thinking of creating an article called “Learn to knit.”

Let’s research that keyword by entering it into Chrome Incognito.

Content Types

At the top of search results we see “Sponsored” ads.

Videos are featured prominently on page 1.

The people who created these videos took advantage of YouTube’s option to display “key moments.” That helps searchers see, before clicking, that the video will walk them through clear steps.

The show-and-tell format of video is a good fit for this keyword. But what about websites?

Scroll down and we see the top-ranking website pages are mainly step-by-step tutorials.

Since Google rewards pages that best match user intent, we can conclude that what searchers expect is a step-by-step tutorial.

To hedge your bets, you could create a YouTube video tutorial and embed it in your web page too.

People Also Ask

Did you notice the People Also Ask section? These are common questions people have on the topic.

Pick a few questions to answer in your content. This can make your article or video more helpful to searchers; the more helpful it is, the higher it will rank.

Related Searches

Scroll down to the bottom of page 1 of search results and look for Related searches. You may find more ideas of what to cover in your content here. You might get ideas for additional articles, too.

You’ve just seen how entering a keyword into Google search can help you plan an article (and video) that satisfies search intent. So, why do people buy keyword research tools?

Let’s explore that question by taking a tool for a spin.

How to Do Keyword Research (With a Tool)

Keyword research tools open a new world of possibilities. You can find keywords that are easy to rank for, saving time and aggravation. You can even find easy keywords that indicate buying intent on the part of the searcher.

Let’s find out how.

Step 1: Pick a Tool

The first step is to pick a keyword research tool.

Semrush and Ahrefs are popular research tools used by pros and novices.

These tools have many similarities, so your choice might come down to the interface you prefer.

Ubersuggest is another popular choice, and it costs less.

We’ll use Semrush for our tutorial.

To follow along, create a free account. You can cancel at any time.

Step 2: Add a Keyword

While you’re still logged into Semrush, click on Keyword Overview in the left-hand column. Enter a keyword into the blank field.

For starters, we’ll enter “learn how to knit.”

Step 3: Find Keywords That Are Easy to Rank For

This keyword has a “Keyword Difficulty” score of 64%. And it’s labeled “Difficult” to rank for.

These keyword difficulty scores are displayed as percentages and calculated on a logarithmic scale. Because logarithmic measures may seem counterintuitive, refer to the label below the score.

Semrush labels keywords this way.

If your website is new, or you’re not ranking for much yet, pick keywords rated “Easy” or “Very easy” to rank for.

When you enter a keyword into Semrush that is hard to rank for, simply click on the Keyword Magic Tool in the left-hand column. This will display related keywords; you can filter the results to show easy-to-rank keywords.

To filter, click the KD dropdown and select “Easy” or “Very easy.”

In our case, we got 3 results. And we discovered that “learn how to knit kit” is easy to rank for.

Step 4: Discover Intent

Next, let’s look at what keywords can tell us about the searchers’ “intent.”

For this example, we’ll enter “learn to knit kit” into Semrush.

We see that this keyword is “Very easy” to rank for. And its intent is “Commercial.”

Intent refers to the goal of searchers who use a given keyword.

Semrush labels keywords with 4 intent types.

Here is a definition table for Semrush’s 4 keyword intents:

In summary:

• Informational queries demonstrate an interest in gaining knowledge
• Navigational queries aim to access a specific website
• Commercial queries show a user comparing options with buying intent
• Transactional queries indicate a user is ready to make a purchase

Why Intent Matters

If you have a business, you can filter keywords by commercial and transactional intent and create content that attracts people ready to buy.

Often, these keywords are easier to rank for than informational queries. And by ranking for buyer intent keywords, you can earn revenue while your website grows.

Likewise, if you’re creating informational content, you’ll know the searcher’s not ready to buy. So, you can offer them an incentive to sign up for a newsletter, course, or some other lead magnet.

Additionally, you can earn revenue from this content by promoting it to your email newsletter audience.

So now you know how to find keywords that are easy to rank for, related to your niche, and signal buying intent.

Next, let’s cover search volume. It’s a straightforward concept.

Step 5: Check Search Volume

Keyword research tools display an estimated monthly search volume for any keyword entered.

That number reflects how many searches are done for that keyword monthly. This gives you an idea of the traffic you could attract if you rank well.

Put it in action: if you’re trying to choose between 2 keywords rated “Easy” to rank for, and one has a much higher search volume, prioritize that topic.

Step 6: Keyword Gap Analysis (Optional)

One of the great things about using Semrush or Ahrefs is you’ll get highly accurate data on competitors.

You can use that data to outrank them, even siphoning off some of their prospects to your site.

Semrush’s Keyword Gap Analysis tool allows you to:

• Find keywords your competitors are ranking for but you aren’t.
• Find keywords they’re ranking higher than you for.

Here’s how you can use this information. First, for the top keywords you’re not ranking for, choose a few that would deliver serious gains for your business.

Then, create a high-quality article designed to be better than theirs.

Similarly, when you see a competitor ranking higher for keywords you already targeted, go back to those pages and improve them.

Improving can include:

• Adding detail to create a more comprehensive article.
• Editing to make the content easier to understand.
• Formatting the page to make it scannable.
• Improving the introduction.

Using the Keyword Gap Analysis tool is simple. You just enter your domain name and the names of 1 or more competitors. Then click a button.

Best of all, you can filter the results to see only keywords that are easy to rank for and have Commercial or Transactional intent.

See how to do it in our guide on Keyword Gap Analysis.

Best Free Keyword Research Tools

Wondering what keyword research tools are available for free?

There are quite a lot. These vary from always free to limited free versions, requiring upgrading to paid to unlock all features.

• Google Keyword Planner: To use this tool, you’ll need to create a Google Ads account. It’s designed to help people find keyword ideas for ad campaigns. But you can use it for content, too. Follow these instructions to use it.
• Google Trends: Get ideas from trending topics. Interest is displayed on a relative scale.
• Ahrefs’ Free SEO Tools: Ahrefs offers several free tools, like the Ahrefs Keyword Generator and the Ahrefs SERP Checker. These are like mini-trials that provide limited data. You’ll need to bump up to a paid plan to get the full features.

Browse our list of free keyword research tools.

Copy Our Keyword Research Strategy

While many small businesses keep their tactics secret, we love sharing how we grow our small business consistently.

Would you like to copy our keyword strategy? Here it is.

We focus primarily on commercial or transactional keywords. While these types of keywords often have lower search volume, searchers that use these keywords have buying intent. And that makes all the difference.

We need to do 3 things well for this strategy to succeed:

1. Show commercial searchers how to use our product to solve a problem they have.
2. Help commercial searchers compare features and prices of similar products (e.g., “SEO plugins”).
3. Convince transactional searchers that our solution is best.

To learn about our process, read:

• 7 Secrets Used by SEO Pros to Grow Revenue
• 3 Competitive SEO Strategies That Can Help Your Small Business Rank

Standard Terms Used in Keyword Research

As you learn more about keyword research you’ll run into these common terms.

• Short-tail keywords are short and broad. Examples are “insurance” or “english literature.” Because of the lack of detail, it’s hard to discern what the searcher wants.
• Long-tail keywords are detailed phrases; they’re not broad. Examples are “how to submit a sitemap to bing” and “best budget leaf blowers.” The intent behind these keywords is clear.
• Branded keywords include a brand or product name in it. Examples: “home depot credit card login” or “nike air max.”
• Local keywords may contain a geographical reference (like “memphis wedding planners”). Or they may be for local services, like “pizza delivery,” “dry cleaner” or “24-hr electrician.” Small businesses can use keyword research to discover the most-often used keywords relevant to their niche.

Now that you understand the basics of keyword research, and chosen a keyword to create content on, quality becomes your #1 focus.

Tips for Creating High-Quality Content

You don’t need a degree to create quality content. It comes down to common sense.

Here are some practices that work for us. Feel free to try these out for yourself.

Start With an Outline

Drafting an outline can help keep your content focused on the main topic. Clarity is part of quality, and quality is the #1 ranking factor.

Write in Plain English

Use simple words and short sentences.

Adopt Orwell’s 6 Rules for Writing. And skip the $10 words.

Format for Easy Reading

You’ve probably heard that people read online content differently than they read print.

In short, they often don’t read; they scan for features that stand out, like subheadings, images, or bulleted lists.

Learn how to format for easy screen reading.

Once you’ve created your content, there’s one vital step left before publishing: optimizing your page for search engines.

How to Optimize Your Content for SEO

Optimizing your content for search engines ensures that Google understands your page and can rank it for relevant queries.

Download and Install All in One SEO

For WordPress users, the easiest way to optimize is to use an SEO plugin. We recommend All in One SEO (AIOSEO). It’s beginner-friendly yet powerful enough to be the choice of top agencies and large businesses.

This is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star reviews on WordPress.org. Currently, over 3 million site owners are using this plugin.

All in One SEO analyzes your website pages and shows you exactly how to improve them.

Once you’ve installed the plugin and are still logged into WordPress, navigate to a page you want to optimize.

AIOSEO’s instructions appear in a right-hand sidebar.

Here, you’ll find recommendations categorized by:

• Focus keyphrase use (target keyword)
• Basic SEO
• Title
• Readability

To see how it works, let’s look at a few features.

Focus Keyphrase Use

This Focus Keyphrase check will look to see if you’ve used your target keyword in:

• Title
• Meta description
• First paragraph
• Some subheadings
• Alt text (optional)

If the keyword’s missing from any of those areas, you’ll be prompted to add it.

This technique helps ensure Google is clear on the main topic of your page.

Author SEO

With Author SEO, adding an author byline and even a reviewer or fact-checker byline is easy.

You can also create a short author bio, which will appear at the bottom of each article written by them. This bio will display your areas of expertise.

The bylines are automatically hyperlinked to a page listing all articles the person writes. And there, you have the option to include a more extended bio.

In addition, AIOSEO automatically adds schema markup to your author information. This code helps Google understand the page better and rank it for relevant queries.

Author SEO is a simple way to signal EEAT (experience, expertise, authority, trustworthiness). Many of Google’s algorithm updates have focused on better identifying EEAT in order to elevate pages.

To be clear, using the Author SEO feature alone won’t confer ranking privileges if your site or authors don’t have personal experience or expertise in what they’re writing about. And technically, EEAT itself is not a ranking factor. That’s because it’s a qualitative rather than quantitative measure.

Instead, EEAT’s a signal Google uses to assess overall quality. And quality is the #1 ranking factor.

With the recent Helpful Content Update, EEAT is becoming more critical. So it’s crucial to take action.

All in One SEO has numerous other tools included to improve your rankings. In addition, each month, new features are released.

Boosting SEO Performance Further

While on-page SEO should become a routine before publishing, consider these additional steps to elevate your site.

Internal Linking: Overlooked and Powerful

Adding internal links to your pages is one of the most overlooked SEO techniques.

Adding more internal links to your most important pages can boost their rankings. And the effect can be quick.

Your most essential pages might be:

• A leading product or service you offer.
• Pillar pages (from topic clusters).

Use AIOSEO’s Link Assistant to speed up the internal linking process.

Identify your most important pages. These might be your top service page or some topic clusters.

Then use AIOSEO’s Link Assistant to speed up the internal linking process.

For details on how to use it, see:

• 6 Ways Link Assistant Can Save You Time On Internal Link Building
• How to Use Link Assistant to Optimize Your Internal Linking Strategy

Acquiring Backlinks: Worth the Effort?

Backlinks are links from other sites to yours. When these links are from trustworthy sites (as opposed to spammy sites), they can elevate your ranking.

And that leads to more conversions and revenue.

The standard way of viewing this has been that Google regards these links as votes of confidence in your page quality. But what happens when Google has better ways of discerning quality? Are backlinks a major ranking factor? Well, there’s some nuance to the situation.

Quality Should Trump Backlinks

Google wants to prioritize the highest-quality content. But that content may be on a page with few backlinks. So, it makes sense that in its algorithm updates, Google works to identify those pages so they can rank along with others that have many backlinks.

After all, why would a searcher care whether a page had lots of backlinks?

It’s unsurprising that last year, Google’s Gary Illyes (@methode) said backlinks would no longer be a top 3 ranking factor.

Should you prioritize backlink campaigns like outreach and guest posting? For time-strapped micro-business owners and solopreneurs, the best way to acquire links may be by producing high-quality content, which naturally attracts sharing.

Recognize that most advice on getting backlinks is generic and may not apply to your business.

At the same time, some tactics, such as guest posting, are considered passe in the SEO industry. Yet we know of businesses that have achieved remarkable success with it. Some invested massive time in testing, experimenting, and creating proprietary methods.

The moral of the story?

• Be willing to experiment.
• Question the orthodoxy.
• Realize some tactics may require more resources than you’d expect to move the needle.

Explore this nuanced topic in:

• The Ultimate Guide to Shotgun Skyscraper Link Building Tactic
• Referring Domains vs Backlinks: What’s the Difference (Plus: SEO Impact)
• What are Paid Links in SEO and Do They Work?

Page Loading Speed

Like backlinks, page loading speed is trumped by quality content. Meaning: if the web pages ranking at the top of Google for a given keyword load in comparable time, then you shouldn’t expect the slowest page of the bunch to be demoted.

How fast your site loads can impact rankings and traffic though. Consumers using mobile phones on 5G for example, expect instant loading. Google has long shown that an additional load time of even a few seconds can ding conversion rates by double digits.

Improving site performance can be extraordinarily complicated though, from ensuring images at the top load first (called “lazy loading”) to refactoring code.

The best way for a WordPress user to ensure a fast load time is to choose a theme coded for speed.

Some options are SeedProd, Blocksy, and GeneratePress

Future Trends in Keyword Research

As you move forward with keyword research you may wonder what the future holds. Here are some likely developments.

Accelerated Changes in Algorithms

New developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will speed the evolution of Google Search. As its algorithms become more sophisticated in detecting quality, poorly conceived shortcuts for fast rankings will lead to site demotions.

Takeaway: Be cautious about following trendy SEO advice

Evolution in Use of Generative AI

Brands that learn how to use generative AI to boost productivity while still aligning with search intent, will likely make substantial gains. This requires a deft melding of high technology and human guidance.

Upstarts Gain on Legacy Tools

As more businesses adopt a cookie-cutter approach to mass content creation and herd into content AI tools, established software players may become challenged by Google algorithm updates.

That opens the field for novel approaches to content optimization and new tools.

Q&A on Keyword Research

After Keyword Research . . .

Now that you’re equipped to do keyword research, discover how cornerstone content can attract traffic and boost your website’s SEO. Also consider exploring SEO secrets the pros use to grow revenue.

To learn more about search engine optimization, subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Also, follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.

There are SEO and user benefits to adding breadcrumb navigation.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to add breadcrumb navigation and some options for customizing your breadcrumb trails.

What is Breadcrumb Navigation?

Breadcrumbs are tiny links that show users the path they took to the current page they’re on.

These links are also called a breadcrumb trail. 

The term is from the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. Hansel leaves a trail of breadcrumbs as he and his sister enter the woods. He hopes to use those breadcrumbs to find his way back home. 

Breadcrumb Benefits 

Breadcrumbs help search engines understand your page’s topic and your site hierarchy.

These breadcrumbs may help your page rank for its target or related keywords.

And because breadcrumb trails are internal links, they can also help search engines crawl your site. 

Schema Markup

There’s also an SEO benefit from adding breadcrumb schema markup to your web pages. This type of HTML code helps Google understand your page better. 

WordPress SEO plugins, like All in One SEO (AIOSEO), will automatically add this code for you.

Improved User Experience

Breadcrumbs also help users navigate a site without using the browser’s back button. For this reason, breadcrumbs can provide a better user experience, reduce bounce rates, and increase engagement.

Complex sites, including e-commerce stores with nested hierarchies, significantly benefit from breadcrumb navigation.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to add breadcrumbs and display and customize them.

We’ll use the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin.

Step 1: Download and Install All in One SEO (AIOSEO)

First, download and install All in One SEO (AIOSEO). 

This plugin includes a breadcrumb generator. It also has everything you need for SEO. And it’s beginner-friendly.

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star reviews on WordPress.org. Currently, over 3 million site owners are using the plugin. 

Step 2: Enable Breadcrumbs

After you’ve installed the plugin, go to AIOSEO » General Settings » Breadcrumbs. 

Toggle on the Enable Breadcrumbs button.

Below that, you’ll see 4 options for adding breadcrumbs to your site.

Step 3: Choose a Display Option

Here’s what the 4 options are

• Gutenberg block or shortcode: Use these to add breadcrumbs to individual pages. 
• Widget: Use this to add breadcrumbs to your blog post sidebar or footer.
• PHP code: Use this to add breadcrumbs site-wide (to all pages) instantly.

All these methods are easy to use. Let’s walk through them step-by-step.

Method 1: Gutenberg Block

As you may know, WordPress comes with the Gutenberg editor, which uses clickable blocks to add elements to a page. 

These elements might be a paragraph, a bulleted list, an image, or a table.

All in One SEO gives you some special Gutenberg blocks, including the AIOSEO – Breadcrumbs block.

To use this block, open a page and place your cursor where you want the breadcrumbs added. 

• Click on the black “+” sign to add a new block. 
• In the pop-up window, search for “breadcrumbs,” and the AIOSEO – Breadcrumbs block will appear.
• Click on it to add breadcrumbs to your page.
  

Method 2: Shortcode

There’s also a unique AIOSEO shortcode for adding breadcrumbs.

WordPress shortcodes are small bits of text that you copy and paste onto a page to add an element, like a table of contents. 

Like Gutenberg blocks, shortcodes are fast and easy to use.

Return to AIOSEO » General Settings » Breadcrumbs to get the breadcrumb shortcode.

1. Click on the Shortcode ico.
2. And copy the AIOSEO breadcrumbs shortcode underneath it.

Now, navigate to a page on your site that you want to add breadcrumbs to.

Then paste the shortcode into your article.

When previewing your web page, you can see that the breadcrumbs have been added.

Method 3: Widget

WordPress widgets enable you to add features to permanent parts of your site, like sidebars and footers. 

Widgets include calendars, search boxes, and archives.

To add breadcrumbs to your site using the widget option, go to Appearance » Widgets. 

(If your theme supports widget areas, you’ll see it on the menu.)

That will open a new window. You’ll see a scrollable replication of your sidebar on the right side. 

Now, click on the “+” icon next to the word Widgets.

That will open a search box. Start typing “breadcrumbs,” and the AIOSEO breadcrumbs widget will appear. 

Drag the widget to where you want it to appear in the sidebar. 

In our example, we’ll drag it to the footer area. 

Now our breadcrumbs will show up in the footer of the sidebar.

Of course, you can have breadcrumbs in your sidebar and at the top of your pages.

Method 4: PHP Code

You can easily add breadcrumbs site-wide using a PHP code snippet.

You’ll copy and paste this snippet just like you would regular text. 

The benefit of using this option is that it’ll automatically add breadcrumbs to all your pages, and you’ll never need to repeat this action. 

These are the steps:

1. Copy the code snippet.
2. Open the theme editor.
3. Click header.php.
4. Paste the code snippet in.

Let’s walk through these steps.

1. Copy the Code Snippet

On the AIOSEO Breadcrumbs page, 

• Click on PHP Code. That will cause a small line of code to appear. 
• Click the small copy icon to the right of the code snippet. 

Now that you’ve copied that line of code, you will paste it into your theme. 

2. Open the theme editor.

• In the left-hand navigation of WordPress, go to Appearance » Theme File Editor. 

A new window will open like this:

3. Click on header.php

• In the right-hand column (Theme Files), scroll to find header.php and click it.

That will cause a new code window to appear to the left.

4. Paste in the code.

• Look for the </head> tag. 
• Below it, paste the PHP code snippet.
• Then click Update File to save your changes.

Here’s a close-up of the </head> tag and the PHP breadcrumb code snippet.

After you click Update File, all your web pages will have breadcrumbs added. 

And new posts or pages will have them too.

Watch out: Before the </head> tag, there’s a <head> tag (without the slash). The PHP code snippet must go after the </head> tag.

Now that you know how to add breadcrumbs navigation on your WordPress website, we’ll show you how to customize their appearance.

Breadcrumb Settings

Changing your breadcrumb settings will alter how your breadcrumb trails look.

These settings include options to:

• Include or omit your homepage.
• Use different separator styles.
• Include or omit the current page (page title) the user is on.

First, you’ll see the Preview at the top of the Breadcrumb Settings area.

As you adjust the settings, this preview will change.

Below the preview, you can experiment with different separator styles. 

And you can toggle the homepage link off or give it a different label. (“Home” is the default label.)

Scroll down a bit.

Here you have 2 more customization options. 

• Breadcrumb Prefix: If you want text to display at the beginning of your breadcrumb trail, enter it here.
• Show Blog Home: Toggle to “Off” if you don’t want your blog name to appear in the breadcrumb trail.

Learn more about Breadcrumb Settings.

Using Pro Breadcrumb Templates

If you’re using the Pro version of All in One SEO (AIOSEO), you’ll see Breadcrumb Template options at the bottom of AIOSEO » General Settings » Breadcrumbs.

The templates allow you to change how breadcrumbs look. You can choose different options for different post types.

Learn more about breadcrumb templates.

Types of Breadcrumb Navigation

In addition to hierarchy-based breadcrumbs covered above, there are 2 other types of breadcrumb navigation. 

History-Based Breadcrumbs (Path-Based Breadcrumbs)

This navigation type displays the pages you’ve visited on a site. 

It can become unwieldy when users visit lots of pages.

Attribute-Based Breadcrumbs

Some e-commerce websites include product attributes, such as color, finish, or size, in their breadcrumb trails. 

These may be combined with hierarchy-based breadcrumbs.

Best Practices

Google recommends that your breadcrumbs match your site’s hierarchy. 

That said, they shouldn’t replicate or replace your main navigation items. 

Summary

Breadcrumbs can improve your website’s usability and help your pages rank better in Google search results. 

E-commerce sites with many product pages and information-rich sites will benefit significantly from breadcrumb navigation. But any site owner can add it. 

What’s Next?

Now that you’ve learned how to add breadcrumbs, what’s next?

Learning how to add an HTML sitemap to your WordPress website is easy. And explore our DIY SEO projects for beginners.

If you found this article helpful, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You’ll find many more helpful tutorials there. You can also follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.

This customization option appears as a code snippet inside the new AIOSEO code library

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to enable these product attributes.

What are WooCommerce Product Attributes?

WooCommerce product attributes are features of products, such as size, color, material, brand.

When displayed on your website, visitors can use attributes to filter results. This provides improved navigation.

Why Enable WooCommerce Product Attributes in Search Results?

Enabling product attributes to appear in search results encourages click-throughs.

When searchers can see details of your product(s) in search results pages, interested shoppers will be likelier to visit your site.

Now let’s walk through the simple steps to getting your WooCommerce product attributes displaying in search results.

Step 1: Download All in One SEO (AIOSEO)

First, if you haven’t done so already, download and install All in One SEO (AIOSEO).

After you’ve uploaded the plugin to your WordPress site, a setup wizard will open and walk you through a few steps.

All in One SEO is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star ratings on WordPress.org. Currently, over 3 million people are using the plugin.

Step 2: Navigate to the Code Snippet Library

Next, in the WordPress admin bar, go to AIOSEO » Tools » Code Snippets

If you don’t already have WPCode installed, you’ll see a prompt to install it. You can get the plugin for free.

Now, you’ll see the code snippets.

Currently, there are 23 code snippets to choose from. And we’ll continue to add more.

For our tutorial, we’re using the snippet labeled Enable WooCommerce Product Attributes in Search Appearance.

This code snippet will enable product attributes like size, color, inventory, and material to be displayed in search results.

To get started, click the blue Use Snippet button. That will open a new window.

Note: If you’ve previously clicked on that button, it will read Edit Snippet instead of Use Snippet. Click it either way.

Step 3: Activate the Snippet

Now, in the upper right,

1. Toggle the Inactive button to Active.
2. Click Update.

That’s all you need to do. The code snippet is now active.

To deactivate a code snippet, simply toggle the button back to Inactive and click the blue Update button again.

Insertion Options

Directly below the code pane pictured above are insertion options.

Here, you can choose to auto-insert the attributes everywhere, or you can customize where and under what conditions you want them to appear.

For instance, you can select a calendar date range to control when they appear.

How to Access AIOSEO Code Snippets in WPCode

You can also access the WooCommerce code snippet directly from WPCode.

If you have WPCode installed, go to WPCode » Library.

You’ll see a button at the bottom left for AIOSEO’s code snippets.

Click it and select the snippet of your choice.

Do Rich Results Always Display in Search Pages?

You can’t force search engines to display search results in a specific way.

Search engines decide, on a per-search basis, whether to display rich results.

This depends on many factors, including internet speed. For instance, searchers with slow internet speeds may be served search results without rich features.

However, even if rich results for a page don’t always display or display for all users, the code behind the page helps Google and other search engines understand your content better and rank it for relevant queries.

What’s Next?

Now you know how to customize All in One SEO by adding WooCommerce product attributes to search results.

Next, learn how to add product review schema to your pages so ratings and reviews display in search results. Explore how to harmonize your email marketing and SEO to boost revenues. And discover 3 ways to improve your WooCommerce SEO.

Then subscribe to our YouTube Channel. We publish fresh content each week. And come join us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.

With billions of Google searches every day, being on the first page for valuable search terms can propel sales and revenue.

This article provides tested ways to rank higher on Google.

The good news is many of the steps are based on common sense. For instance, you’ll:

• Make your content easy to read and useful
• Study websites that already rank well in Google
• Optimize your pages so Google understands them better
• Get other websites to link to yours

As you take action, more people will find and visit your site. Implementing even a few of these tips can accelerate your wins.

The first step is to understand Google’s goals.

Think of Google as a Librarian

Google is like a librarian. Librarians organize books by topics and subjects. This makes it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for.

A librarian might also draw attention to popular books by creating special displays.

Similarly, Google ranks web pages by relevance to search queries. Pages that answer the search well are displayed at the top. And some web pages get featured in special displays like “featured snippets” and “People Also Ask” questions.

The outcome is the same. Both Google and the librarian make it easier for people to get the information they want.

Whether you search Google or go to the library, being able to find what you want quickly is the goal.

What Are Google Ranking Factors?

It also helps to keep in mind some of Google’s ranking factors.

Quality is the #1 Google ranking factor. Shortly, we’ll explain how to pick keywords well and how to plan your content so you reach quality goals.

Backlinks (links from other sites to yours) are another significant factor. In Google’s eyes, backlinks indicate that others value your content.

If you have a local business, some unique factors come into play. An optimized Google Business Profile and good Google Review ratings can elevate your business in local search results.

We’ll cover local SEO in more depth below.

Let’s get started.

How to Rank Higher on Google (14 Steps)

Ranking higher on Google starts with getting a basic understanding of what keywords are. You’ll discover interesting ways to create quality content that satisfies searchers and gets Google’s attention.

And you’ll optimize your page before publishing it.

Ready?

1. Understand Keyword Basics

It’s common to hear site owners say “I want my website to rank high.” But websites don’t rank: individual web pages do.

When a page ranks high, it ranks for specific keywords. Keywords are the same thing as search terms (also called search queries). These are the words or phrases people enter into search engines.

So the first step to ranking well on Google is to determine which keyword(s) you want a page to rank for.

If you’re starting out, we recommend you target one keyword. Keep in mind that most pages that rank, wind up ranking for multiple keywords.

Later in this article, under the measurement section, we’ll explain how to find out which keywords you’re ranking for.

Next, let’s look at how you can maximize your chances of ranking by choosing keywords well.

2. Pick Keywords (Topics) that are Easy to Rank for

Some keywords are nearly impossible to rank for. No matter how much content you create to target those keywords, you may never rank.

To avoid disappointment, and make progress, choose keywords that are easy to rank for.

The idea is new to many site owners. Learn how to find easy keywords.

That tutorial will walk you through how to use a keyword research tool that assigns a keyword difficulty label to every keyword. These labels range from “Very easy” to “Difficult.”

Your job? Pick keywords labeled “Easy” or “Very easy.”

Choosing easy keywords will not only help you begin ranking, it will elevate the overall authority of your website, making it easier to rank for more difficult terms in the future.

3. Choose Buyer Intent Keywords

Did you know you can choose keywords that signal buying intent?

The searcher using these keywords may be in the early stages of buying and exploring “how-to” articles to solve a problem. Others may be on the brink of buying.

Example of buyer intent keywords are:

• Geico vs. Progressive
• Best WordPress form plugins
• Brazilian teak hardwood flooring

So how do you find these keywords? Use a keyword research tool like Semrush. For each keyword entered you’ll see a “keyword intent” label.

Only Commercial or Transactional keywords signal buying intent.

Best of all, you can choose buyer intent keywords that are easy to rank for.

Learn more in our tutorial on buyer intent keywords.

4. Identify Search Intent

After you’ve picked your easy-to-rank-for keyword, it’s time to do a bit more research.

You’re going to discover the search intent behind the keyword. If you used Semrush, you’ve already got a clue. You have the keyword intent label. But there’s more to find out.

Search intent is the motivation and mindset of searchers, as revealed by Google. Searcher intent might be a better name for this.

The easiest way to explore search intent is to use Chrome Incognito.

Incognito is the privacy-based version of Chrome.

Here’s how to open Chrome in Incognito mode:

• Mac: Press Shift + Command (⌘) + n
• Windows, Linux, or Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Shift + n.

Next, enter your keyword.

Take a look at the top-ranking pages on Google. See any patterns?

Formatting: For instance, are most of the top-ranking articles step-by-step tutorials (common for “how-tos”)? Or are they all listsicles (common for “best of” articles). What Google rewards can be an indication of what users expect.

People Also Ask: Next, explore the People Also Ask questions. This is a search feature that appears for many (but not all) keywords. Here you’ll find the most common questions people have on your topic. Plan to answer some of these questions in your article.

These are 2 simple ways you can ensure your article satisfies searchers.

After you’ve chosen a keyword and scoped out search intent, you’re ready for the next step.

5. Improve on #1

You’ll need to come up with at least 1 way your page will be better than those ranking at the top. Remember, rankings are competitive. And if you want to dislodge the current top pages, you’ll need to create something better.

Better can be simple.

To get your creative thinking going, here are some flaws we’ve found in top-ranking articles. Next to each we’ve listed ways you could take advantage of these flaws to produce something better.

6. Create High-Quality Content

Quality is the #1 Google ranking factor. Catering to search intent, answering some People Also Ask questions in your content, and picking 1 way to improve on top-ranking articles, will put you in good stead.

Before you begin, think about what a searcher would hope to accomplish by reading your page. How can you make it easier for them to accomplish their goal?

Reviews: If you’re reviewing products, show that you’ve actually used them. This can be done by including relevant screenshots or videos. This credibility in reviewing is key to ranking.

Experience: First-hand experience is a form of expertise that is valued on Google. The same principle that applies to reviews also applies to other content, like travel blog posts. A post that features images or video and a first-person account of travel will likely be more valued by searchers (and rank higher) than an article that simply recycles what the author read elsewhere.

Trustworthiness: Take care to be accurate. When citing statistics, for example, link to the original source.

Google puts a big emphasis on what it calls EEAT signals: this refers to Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness.

In our next section we’ll include a way you can highlight your EEAT for readers and search engines.

It’s time to turn our attention to optimizing your page before publishing it.

7. Optimize Your Page for Better Ranking

Optimizing your page (also called on-page SEO) can help Google understand your content better so it can rank it for relevant keywords.

WordPress users can use an SEO plugin. This simplifies SEO and makes it easy for beginners to do.

We recommend All in One SEO (AIOSEO). The plugin will analyze your pages and show you what to do to improve SEO.

It also automatically handles technical SEO tasks like generating and updating sitemaps.

All in One SEO is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star reviews on WordPress.org. Currently, over 3 million people are using the plugin.

After downloading and installing the plugin, navigate to a web page that you want to optimize. AIOSEO will appear as a right-hand sidebar.

The plugin will run several checks on your page. For example, it’ll check your focus keyword (target keyword) use.

Specifically, it’ll check to see if you used your keyword in:

• Title (also called an SEO title or title tag)
• Description (also called a meta description)
• First paragraph
• Some subheadings

This helps ensure your page topic is clear to Google and to readers.

If your keyword’s missing from any of these areas, you’ll be prompted to add it.

All in One SEO also runs checks for readability and good formatting.

Other features you can use to improve ranking include:

• Link Assistant: The Pro version of AIOSEO includes a Link Assistant which speeds up internal linking.
• Schema Generator: With a few button clicks you can add code called schema markup to your pages. This helps Google better understand your content and surface it for relevant queries.
• Author SEO: Fill out a form listing your education, experience, and areas of expertise. AIOSEO will generate an attractive author byline and bio, which can help signal EEAT. Optional: Add a second byline for a reviewer or fact-checker.

We’ve focused primarily on individual web pages. Now, let’s turn our attention to issues that may affect your site as a whole.

8. Fix Broken Links

Some broken links on a website are normal and Google doesn’t consider 404s to be a problem per se.

But having lots of broken links can lead to diminished rankings. Also it creates a poor user experience because people can’t find what they’re looking for.

If you’re having issues with broken links consider using a Broken Link Checker to find and fix these links.

9. Improve Page Experience

Page experience is a Google ranking factor and rolls together several things like page speed, site security, and how well your site functions on a mobile device.

Page speed is something of a relative ranking factor. If competing pages all load in roughly the same speed, then quality is going to influence rankings more than speed.

You can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to get diagnostics for your site. But be aware: it takes some technical knowledge to understand and act on the tool’s suggestions. WordPress users would be wise to simply switch to a theme that loads fast and works well on all devices.

10: Get Backlinks

Backlinks are a significant Google ranking factor. But they only help you if they’re from trustworthy sites.

So don’t pay for backlinks: paid links are typically from spammy operations and can harm your SEO.

The good news is quality content attracts links. People naturally want to share useful and interesting content.But you can also ask for links. To do this, identify some sites that might be interested in what you’re publishing. Then simply request a link.

You can pitch them by email. Make the pitch short. Show you understand their readership.

Inboxes are overflowing with link request emails. Most are written poorly and many are created with fake identities.

Write a classy email and use your real name. You’ll stand out.

11. Measure and Improve

After creating and optimizing your content, you’ll want to measure results.

Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a free tool that will provide you with plenty of traffic, conversion, and revenue data. Setting Google Analytics up for ecommerce tracking takes some effort, but there are plenty of free tutorials online.

Analytics, simplified: WordPress users can install MonsterInsights, which simplifies Google Analytics use and displays relevant data right inside the WordPress dashboard.

Track keyword rankings: Want to know which keywords you’re ranking for? Try the Elite version of All in One SEO (AIOSEO). Thanks to its integration with Google Search Console, you can track your progress without leaving WordPress.

This AIOSEO feature is called Search Statistics. It will also help you see which pages are slipping in rankings so you can prioritize improving those.

Prune your content garden: We all wind up with underperforming pages. This is where content pruning comes in.

Sometimes you can combine several underperformers (on the same topic) into one comprehensive article that ranks well.

Other times you may want to delete the really poor performers or content that’s no longer relevant to your goals. But check that page traffic first in Google Analytics. And don’t forget to redirect to a better page before deleting.

Local SEO Tips for Small Businesses

To rank well in local search results, businesses need to do a few extra things.

The good news is these 3 steps are incredibly easy. And each one is recommended by Google in its guidance on improving local rankings.

12. Optimize Your Google Business Profile

The first step is to create and optimize a Google Business Profile. When people search for your business, they’ll see a prominent display thanks to this profile.

Information from your profile will appear in many areas of Google Search, including in Google Maps and in the new AI feature. This improves your online visibility.

Google Business Profile was cited as the #1 local ranking factor in a recent survey of marketers.

13. Get Google Reviews

When customers review your business on Google Reviews, the results will show up on your profile.

Searchers can see your average star rating, number of reviews, and reviewer comments.

These review ratings show up all over the internet. So it’s to your advantage to ask for reviews and respond quickly to them.

The biggest mistake is to stop asking for new reviews. Research shows that shoppers consider recency of reviews when trying to choose between 2 businesses.

Learn how to manage Google Reviews for improved SEO.

You’ve got this. It isn’t hard. And don’t fret about negative reviews. Research shows consumers find a mix of reviews to be more trustworthy.

14. Obtain Business Directory Listings

When a business is mentioned on several different websites it can give consumers confidence it’s legitimate.

So it’s not surprising that getting your business listed in relevant online directories is a local ranking factor.

This is one of the easiest steps you’ll ever take for SEO.

You can use a low-cost service to get the listings for you. Then if your contact information or hours of operation change, you can ask the service to update the listings too.

These listings are sometimes referred to as citations and the line gets blurred between directories, Google Business Profile, social media profiles, as well as local chambers of commerce listings.

They’re all good for your online visibility.

Find out how to get business directory listings. And read our guide on why keeping your business information consistent across the web is critical for local rankings.

Q&A on How to Rank Higher on Google

Almost everyone wants to understand how to rank higher on Google. And this attracts lots of questions.

We’ve answered some of the most common ones below. If you have an additional question, drop it in the comments section below this article. We’d be delighted to be of assistance.

Next SEO Steps

Now that you know how to rank higher on Google, what’s next?

Learn how to use topic clusters to accelerate SEO results. Then explore how to combine email marketing and SEO to boost revenue.

Come join us on our YouTube Channel to find simple WordPress SEO tutorials. You can also follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.

Even a simple strategy can spark long-term revenue and sales growth.

Your strategy will explain how you’ll use content to solve your prospect’s problems and meet business goals.

Let’s start laying the groundwork for content that delights audiences and accelerates conversions and growth.

We’ll begin with a definition.

What is Content Strategy?

A content strategy is a plan for creating, measuring, and maintaining content that serves a target audience’s needs and achieves business goals.

The scope of a content strategy includes:

• Who will plan, create, review, and maintain the content?
• A playbook that spells out content types, channels, formats, and style to be used.
• How will success be measured? Who will set targets for goals?

Writing produces clarity: Your content strategy should be documented. Research shows that organizations with documented content strategies perform better than those without.

Why Create a Content Strategy?

A content strategy is a road map with a destination. Want to arrive at your planned destination? Don’t forget the road map!

The alternative to a content strategy is an ad hoc approach, which defies measurement and fails to achieve objectives.

How to Get Started

The best content strategies display clear alignment between business goals, the tactics for achieving them, KPIs, and targets.

So, the foundational requirement for any successful content strategy is clear business objectives.

1. Pick Your Business Objectives

Start by choosing your most important business objectives. Following the advice of marketing visionary Avinash Kaushik, pick 3-5.

Limiting the objectives will help you focus and get traction.

As the authors of 4DX note, this narrow focus ” . . . will make all the difference, instead of giving mediocre effort to dozens of goals.”

Here are some sample objectives.

• Increase brand awareness
• Generate leads
• Grow sales
• Increase customer retention
• Increase customer satisfaction

2. Clarify Your Audience

Next, chart out your target audience. This is going to help you create relevant content that appeals to them.

First, you’ll identify your LAQA or Largest Addressable Qualified Audience. This is the segment at the top of your sales funnel.

And we’ll use a variation on the sales funnel concept. Instead of the old Awareness, Consideration, and Action stages, we’ll use See, Think, Do.

The difference is subtle: it shifts the focus to what you want the customer experience to be like, as they:

• See your brand for the first time
• Think about your products or services
• Do (transact with you)

Here’s a sample table, which you can copy. You’ll fill in the far-right column with your audience information.

Example: A Nutrition Education Business

In our example, we charted a table for a fictional business that sells a nutrition app and online courses for optimizing nutrition.

The app tracks meals and displays how close a user is to reaching their daily targets for protein and fiber intake. And it tracks goals for vegetable and fruit consumption.

App users can also sign up for online courses targeting specific nutrition goals.

As you’ll learn later in this article, each audience cluster (or ‘stage’) has different content needs. By meeting those needs, you’ll maximize your outcomes.

Now, gather your team for an intriguing brainstorming session.

3. Sketch the Big Picture

The next step is to work through these 3 questions as they apply to your website.

1. How are we going to acquire traffic?
2. What do we want visitors to do once they arrive?
3. What business outcomes will #1 and #2 achieve?

These questions are derived from Avinash Kaushik’s Acquisition, Behavior, and Outcomes model.

Remember, you have to do something to get traffic. You can go for free traffic (from SEO and social media), paid traffic (from advertising), or a combination.

Keep your sketch simple. Here’s a sample result from this type of brainstorm, for a business with 3 topline objectives:

• Increase brand awareness
• Generate leads
• Grow sales

Now, you’ve clarified your business objectives and audience and have a big-picture sketch of your strategy.

It’s time to pull these together into a common-sense plan.

Planning Content Creation

In this section, we’ll match content types to marketing channels.

We need to answer the question, “What kind of content is effective for reaching prospects in the See stage? Or the Think or Do stages?”

And which marketing types (channels) are most effective for those stages?

Here we’ll rely on Kaushik’s insights, informed by his extensive experience consulting for Fortune 500 brands. We’ll also share our own approach.

Content Types

Let’s start with our playbook: the content types we use to achieve consistent growth.

General Background and Content Snacks

Effective channels: SEO, Facebook Ads, YouTube

To increase brand awareness, we create articles that answer searchers’ common questions about our niche: SEO.

Examples are:

• What is the Google Guaranteed Badge for Local Businesses?
• What is NAP in SEO? (Plus Business Directory Listing Tips)
• What is Structured Data and How Does it Impact SEO?

Increasing brand awareness: This content is a good fit for prospects in the See stage. They find us because they’re searching for answers to those questions, not because they know our brand. When they arrive on our site, they become aware of our brand for the first time.

Newsfeed-based Social Media: For those who want to wrest the full potential of social media, we recommend creating a Facebook Page and then using Facebook Ads to attract your audience. Publish compelling content snacks: appealing photos, short anecdotes, or fun videos.

Remember: Most people on Facebook are there to socialize. They respond well to business content that’s brief, refreshing, and inviting.

Product Comparisons and How-Tos

Effective channels: SEO, email marketing, YouTube

Next, we create “how-to” content on popular SEO topics to attract our Think prospects. These “how-tos” are step-by-step tutorials that include relevant mentions of our product.

This way, our audience learns how our product helps solve SEO problems.

Here are examples of our how-tos:

• How to Create Scannable Content
• How to Use the Flesch Reading Ease Score to Grow Traffic
• How to Set Up Automatic Redirects in WordPress

To develop “how-to” content ideas, jot down problems related to your niche that your target audience is trying to solve.

Next, realize that some in your audience may already have buying intent. They’re at the stage of comparing products. So, help them do that. Create content that shows how your brand compares with competing solutions.

Follow our simple tips for creating “versus” comparison articles.

Check out these examples of “versus” articles.

• Yoast vs. RankMath vs. All in One SEO: Which is Better?
• GravityForms vs. WPForms: The Ultimate Plugin Debate
• signNow vs. DocuSign: Which eSignature app is the right fit for you?

Look at how 2 of these articles show up in search results. WPForms boldly declares, “WPForms is the winner.”

And signNow says it “provides users with more premium features for less . . .”

The trick to writing versus articles that rank is to be honest and objective. Show you have hands-on experience with the competitors’ products, and create a truly helpful comparison.

Being objective includes saying positive things about the competition’s praiseworthy features.

Matching Content Types to Channels

Not every marketing channel works well to reach prospects in all these stages. This is a key insight that Avinash Kaushik provided with his See – Think – Do framework.

For instance, while Facebook is great for increasing brand awareness, people who are busy socializing can be turned off by “Buy now!” messages.

If you want to maximize results and return-on-investment (ROI), match your content types to channels suitable for reaching the given audience stage.

We’ll make this easy by putting it into a chart.

Keyword Secrets

Next, we need to talk about keywords. Each piece of content you create should be based on a single topic or keyword.

Here’s the thing: some keywords are impossible to rank for. Others are easy.

Pick easy keywords: The secret that all marketers know is you can pick keywords that are easy to rank for.

Find out how to do this in Keyword Difficulty in SEO: What It is and How to Use It

Target buyers: The other secret is that you can pick keywords that signal buying intent.

Keyword research tools like Semrush label all keywords with one of four intents: Informational, Navigational, Commercial, or Transactional.

As you probably guessed, Commercial and Transactional keywords signal buying intent.

And, yes, you can pick “buying intent” keywords that are also easy to rank for.

Learn more in Buyer Intent Keywords: Boost Sales With This SEO Strategy.

Let’s add a new row to our table for keyword intent. And we’ll add one for “marketer slang,” in case you come across those terms.

Our strategy is to create “MOFU” and “BOFU” content because it attracts prospects with buying intent. This allows us to earn revenue as we create content.

We create some informational content, but MOFU and BOFU content delivers better ROI.

And before publishing, we optimize each piece of content. This takes around 10-15 minutes.

Optimization for Search Engines

On-page SEO is a vital pre-publication step for your content. This type of optimization helps Google understand your content better so it can be ranked for relevant keywords.

The result is that your target audience can easily find your business, your products, and your content.

The easiest way to optimize content for SEO is to use a tool. For WordPress users, we recommend All in One SEO (AIOSEO).

The plugin will automatically analyze your content and then show you how to optimize it.

Because no prior SEO experience is needed, this plugin is a good fit for teams with varying levels of SEO experience. And while it’s beginner-friendly, it’s also used by agencies.

Search engine optimization of your site and individual pages will include:

• Build authority: Use the Author SEO feature to signal your experience, expertise, and trustworthiness.
• On-page SEO checklist: For each page, AIOSEO displays an SEO score. Act on the simple recommendations and watch your score go up.
• Optimize your homepage: Get instant recommendations on improving the SEO of your homepage, so your business can be found in search results.
• Boost rankings with internal links: Increasing internal links to your most important pages can boost their rankings significantly. All in One SEO’s Link Assistant speeds up internal linking.
• Look good on social media: Control precisely how your content displays on social platforms.
• Boost traffic with a video sitemap: This is available in the Pro version of AIOSEO and it’s automatically generated. Learn more about WordPress video SEO.
• Get rich snippets: Click some buttons to add unique code that helps Google understand and rank your content. This code makes your content eligible to be displayed as a rich snippet in search results. Research shows that rich snippets get more click-throughs.

All in One SEO is an established plugin with thousands of 5-star reviews on WordPress.org. Currently, over 3 million site owners are using the plugin.

Maintenance

After content’s been created, optimized, and launched, there’s a maintenance aspect too.

Reasons for maintenance include:

• Content decay: It’s natural for content to decay (lose ranking) over time. Improving content slipping in rankings can be done on a set schedule.
• Content updates: Changes to your products or policies may necessitate updating existing content. Additionally, headlines that mention a year (like 10 Google Ranking Factors to Act On in 2024) will begin declining in ranking as soon as New Year’s Day arrives. Plan to update those mentions every January.
• Underperforming content: Content that never ranks can be reviewed for action. Combining several related underperformers into 1 new article can improve ranking. Content that becomes obsolete may need to be deleted. Consider the role of redirects when deleting pages. (All in One SEO makes redirects easy for beginners to do.)

Measurement

There are 3 steps we recommend to measure the success of your content efforts.

First, remember the 3-5 business objectives you chose? You’ll need to track and measure those outcomes.

Business Objectives

Create a table listing each business objective, the digital strategies you’ll use to achieve it, your KPIs, and targets. We’ve borrowed this concept from Avinash Kaushik’s Digital Measurement and Marketing Model (DMMM).

Boost alignment by adopting EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System. We’ve found EOS to be very helpful, particularly the Level 10 template for meetings. Each weekly L10 meeting includes a scorecard featuring top-line objectives.

Focusing on what matters most each week keeps goals in focus and fosters accountability.

Website Results

Then, sign up for a free Google Analytics account. You can use it to track conversion rates and discover which web pages, ad campaigns, or social media pages are driving results.

When you know what’s working, you can do more of it. And you can pull resources from underperforming activities.

Keyword Rankings

Lastly, you can see which keywords you’re ranking for without leaving WordPress. This feature, called Search Statistics, comes with the Elite version of All in One SEO.

Search Statistics will also tell you if your pages are slipping in rankings. That way, you can add some improvements to the article.

In addition, you can use this feature to detect the impact of Google algorithm updates on your results.

As you can see, there’s an overlap between measurement and content updates or maintenance.

Content Strategy vs. Content Marketing Strategy

Often, content strategy and content marketing strategy are used interchangeably. Traditionally, content strategy has dealt with determining staff roles, governance, liability issues, and processes, among other things.

For small businesses with few employees, detailed discussions of roles and governance may seem like overkill.

Here are some areas all businesses can benefit from covering.

• Liability: Using a single image you don’t have a required license for can lead to copyright fines as great as $150k per instance. Create written guidance for staff on image use.
• Access control: Most website platforms like WordPress offer user roles with varying levels of administrative access. Avoid liability issues and errors by only providing staff with the necessary access level.
• Review and approval: Create an efficient approval workflow so content is reviewed and signed off on before publishing, ensuring consistent quality and messaging.

Businesses may also want to:

• Audit existing content: This is a process of reviewing your current content and how it’s organized, in order to to identify areas for improvement.
• Develop an editorial calendar: Plotting a schedule when different content assets will be produced and published can keep the team aligned and on track.

AI-Generated Content

You’ve probably heard a lot about AI-generated content. There’s been such fevered coverage of this trend, that it can be hard to sort out solid use cases from over-optimistic claims.

For an example of the latter, see this AI content experiment which soared and then nose-dived into oblivion.

The end. 🤷‍♂️ https://t.co/Swwip8IuAv pic.twitter.com/rYxogck4Pw

— Tim Soulo 🇺🇦 (@timsoulo) January 3, 2024

Here are 2 of our favorite uses of AI-generated content.

1. Localized video: Thanks to the advent of voice cloning (provided by 11Labs), tools like Rask.ai enable you to translate your video content into foreign languages, while the speaker’s tone of voice is maintained. Lip syncing is not at the level where this technology can currently replace, say, film dubbing, but it’s surprisingly effective.
   
   Good use cases: Translate product and how-to tutorial videos.
2. Programmatic SEO (pSEO): This tactic enables you to create hundreds or thousands of web pages using templates, variables, and AI-generated content. We think it’s best to restrict this tactic to repetitive forms of content and to edit the content.
   
   Good use cases: hotel and real estate listings, corporate earnings reports, and online glossaries.

Content Strategy Bonus Tips

• Lead magnets: Every business needs to generate leads, and your website is a perfect place to do this. WordPress users will like Beacon.by and OptinMonster’s Exit-Intent popups (these appear when people are leaving a site).
• Calls-to-Action (CTAs): For any CTAs on a web page, make sure they’re placed near the top. Many users don’t bother scrolling down pages.
• Content gap analysis: Learn how to do a content gap analysis (also called a keyword gap analysis) to discover which keywords your competitors are ranking for but you aren’t.
• Topic clusters: Learn how to create topic clusters to establish authority and accelerate rankings.

Q&A on Content Strategies

Are buyer personas the same thing as buyer types?

No, buyer personas are not the same thing as buyer types (also called buyer modalities), although types can inform the creation of personas.

Buyer personas are detailed representations of your target audience based on research. This research may provide insight into common values, hobbies, preferences, and online behaviors shared by identifiable segments of your audience.

The persona itself is depicted as a fictionalized character with data-based traits. Condensing research into a character is said to help creators produce more relevant content.

Buyer types can help you identify what type of information people need before they’ll make a purchasing decision. Using this information can help you boost conversions by filling content gaps on your website and social media platforms.

Are personas important for content strategies?

As with many marketing questions, the answer is “It depends.” Plenty of marketers advocate for the creation and use of personas. At the same time, we know of dozens of successful online companies that never use personas.

Personas often use demographics. That works fine for businesses whose products or services were created for a specific demographic (e.g., transportation services for older people). But if your product wasn’t designed to serve a particular demographic, using personas can generate unwarranted assumptions about your best audience.

Many marketing breakthroughs have been achieved by targeting audiences based on shared interests rather than demographics. See this YouTube study, published by Think with Google, for more on affinity audiences.

What is account-based marketing and how does it relate to B2B content strategy?

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a strategic approach that focuses marketing and sales efforts on targeted individual accounts/companies that offer the greatest potential value.

In terms of B2B content strategy, ABM requires creating customized content that speaks directly to the needs, interests, and goals of key decision makers within those high-value accounts. This could include:

• Personalized emails with content tailored to business challenges the target account is facing
• Custom ebooks, whitepapers, case studies for the target accounts
• Account-specific landing pages with messaging relevant to that company

An ABM approach ensures alignment of sales and marketing through coordinated content that engages decision makers at those tier-1 and tier-2 accounts.

Should user-generated content be part of my content strategy?

Google rewards high-quality content, no matter how it’s created. However, user-generated content tends to be mediocre. And publishing it on your site can harm your SEO. That’s because Google doesn’t differentiate between UGC and content you’ve created.

And with the release of the Helpful Content System, a large amount of poor-quality UGC on a website can diminish your rankings.

Caveat: Anything can be done well or poorly, and that includes UGC. One of best examples of excellent UGC is the TABB Forum, which presents in-depth content on highly specialized financial subjects.

It’s worth noting that TABB Forum functions like a professional publication and edits user-generated content.

Another nod to user-generated content comes from Google’s new elevation of select forum threads, originating from Reddit or sometimes Quora, into page #1 search results for select terms.

What is behavior-based marketing and what role does it play in content strategy?

Behavior-based marketing uses customer data, even anonymous browsing behavior, to match content to individual preferences. This can include alterations of web page layouts or greeting visitors by their first name, without any required login.

While the breadth and depth of this type of personalization isn’t new, its capabilities may be new to many site owners.

This approach can drive exponential increases in conversion rates. To get a sense of what’s possible, explore Ortto and Klaviyo for starters.

The Future of Content Strategy

While new developments in AI, distribution, and personalization will transform content strategies, the core mission will remain the same: to help prospects solve problems and obtain opportunities.

To the degree that your content helps them do that, you’ll succeed, both on Google and on other platforms like YouTube.

We hope that as you create and refine your content strategy you’ll return to this blog for additional insights in content that converts.

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