Less than 1% of users click past the first page of search results, according to the latest SEO statistics.
But with countless websites producing new content daily, how do you ensure yours ranks on top?
In this blog, we'll guide you through practical, no-nonsense steps you can take right now to create content that ranks.
Along the way, you'll also gain insight into the top ranking factors that Google prioritizes.
1. Shift your focus from customers to linkcreators
Here’s a controversial take: To create content that ranks, you need to appeal to website owners who are capable of linking back to your content – not your customers.
While customers are a top priority, most don’t own a website.
However, linkcreators, do.
Linkcreators – a term coined by Backlinko Founder Brian Dean – include bloggers, influencers, and journalists who seek credible sources to further enhance their own content.
When they find value in your content, they're likely to link back to it, earning you a "backlink."
These backlinks serve as trust signals. When Google sees other websites trusting your content, you get a boost in your search ranking.
In fact, Backlinko's study revealed that the top 1 result on Google has an average of 3.8 times more backlinks than positions 2 to 10.
So, before diving into content creation, find your linkcreators first.
Many tools can help you speed up this process.
For instance, Ahrefs Content Explorer can show you a list of popular content based on a target keyword, along with the sites – your potential linkcreators – that link to it.
Once you find them, you can dig further:
- Identify specific topics they’re interested in.
- Understand the type of content they prefer.
- Look for gaps in the existing content they’re linking to.
With such a data-driven approach, you’ll have a more stable footing to start with, as opposed to brainstorming random topic ideas from scratch.
2. Choose topics you can realistically rank for
If we were “just writing content”, choosing a topic would be a cakewalk – run a quick Google search, browse Reddit for user-generated content ideas, or even ask ChatGPT for keyword suggestions.
But since we’re making “content that ranks”, we need to figure out from the get go whether we have a real chance of ranking for a topic or keyword.
Luckily, there’s a framework to help us with this. Ask yourself these questions.
Can you compete?
The more competitive a keyword or topic is, the more effort it takes to rank.
Ahref’s Keyword Explorer tool gives you a “Keyword Difficulty (KD)” score.
For instance, the KD score for the keyword “ecommerce SEO” is flagged “hard”, as shown below:
Another way to look at how tight the competition is is by looking at the top ranking pages’ “Domain Rating (DR)” score. The DR reflects a domain’s backlink profile strength.
Using the same keyword earlier “ecommerce SEO”, below are the top ranking pages from Ahrefs:
This means that if your site’s DR is lower than these high-authority sites, you'll need to put in more effort to strengthen your backlink profile and raise your DR to be able to rank.
Do you have the expertise?
Do you have the knowledge and experience to create high-quality content on the topic?
This directly relates to Google’s E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principle.
For example, if you're an outdoor travel blogger, you likely have more expertise to write about "best hiking backpacks" than a general e-commerce website.
Google considers the entire context of a website when determining its ranking potential. Therefore, your expertise in your field can significantly enhance your chances of ranking higher.
Can you match the right content format?
When you search for your target keyword, note the types of content that appear on the first page. Are they blog posts, videos, infographics, or something else?
Search engines aim to deliver content that best matches user intent.
If users searching for your keyword prefer video content, and the top results are mostly videos, then creating engaging video might be necessary to meet their expectations.
If you can only create text content, it might be better to choose a different keyword or adjust your strategy to include a video element.
According to SEO expert Paul Hoda it all starts with good research on your topic.
3. Match the dominant search intent
Google's ranking algorithms heavily favor content that aligns with the dominant search intent – the most common intent or purpose behind a given search.
In other words, pages that best match the user's underlying purpose or need for a search query are more likely to rank higher.
So, how can you match search intent?
Simply analyzing the top ranking pages for a keyword will help you figure out the dominant search intent that Google has determined for that query.
When doing so, remember the 3 C’s of search intent:
- Content type: the prevalent format or category of content that’s ranking, for example, blog posts, videos, product pages, category pages, or landing pages
- Content format: the preferred presentation style or structure of the content, for example, how-to guides, list posts, reviews, case studies, or videos (we’ve discussed this bit earlier)
- Content angle: the hook or dominant selling proposition that the top ranking pages are using. This includes freshness, deals, and many others.
Say, your target keyword is “best gaming laptop”.
Looking further into each of the 5 top organic pages, you’ll find that:
- The content type is informative blog posts.
- The content format is a comparison/review, with star ratings, laptop specs, pros and cons, prices, and images.
- The content angle is the “freshness” angle, indicated by titles featuring 2024, implying that the content is relevant for the year.
To rank for this topic, your content should consider these cues and apply them accordingly. Performing an SEO content audit will help you identify areas for improvement and ensure your content is fully optimized.
4. Incorporate unique insights
As previously mentioned, we have to figure out the dominant search intent and address it in our own content.
However, this doesn’t mean we simply look at the ranking pages, copy what they’re doing and stop there…
Bring additional value by incorporating expert opinions or customer insights. Doing so increases your credibility in the eyes of both your target readers and search engines.
Here are some effective strategies to gather these insights:
- Engage industry experts and influencers to share their views on relevant topics.
If you're writing a blog about digital marketing trends, you could interview an accomplished digital marketing strategist about their predictions for the upcoming year.
- Gather feedback from your customers through surveys, polls, and direct interactions.
If you run an ecommerce site selling fitness equipment, you could conduct a Twitter survey to learn about your followers’ preferred workout routines and equipment choices.
- Conduct your own research or use case studies to provide unique data and insights
If you're writing about the effectiveness of a new productivity tool, you can conduct a case study with a group of users to showcase how it impacts their workflow.
- Include interviews and quotes from respected industry figures to add authority.
When creating content about sustainable fashion, you may include quotes from fashion designers leading the charge toward eco-friendly clothing production.
5. Keyword optimize your content
Keyword optimization means incorporating target keywords naturally into your content.
This is important because Google uses keywords to understand the relevance and topic of your content, which affects how it ranks in search results.
Below are keyword optimization best practices you must apply when creating content:
Target one keyword per blog/article
Focus on one primary keyword per piece of content.
Use rank tracking tools like Google Rank Check to keep a track on the rankings for your focus keywords.
If you target multiple primary keywords in a single article, you risk keyword cannibalization, where your own pages compete against each other in search results, reducing their overall effectiveness.
Place keywords strategically
You should place your primary keyword in the title, headers, and the first 100 words of your content.
This placement signals to search engines the main focus of your article.
On the other hand, secondary keywords like related terms and synonyms should be sprinkled throughout your content to further establish the context.
Make sure these placements allow for a smooth and natural flow of ideas.
Otherwise, forcing keywords unnaturally (i.e., keyword stuffing) can lead to awkward reading and may result in penalties from search engines.
Balance keyword density with content quality
Keyword density refers to the percentage of times a keyword appears in your content compared to the total word count.
It used to be a critical factor, however, it’s not as important now.
Google’s John Mueller even advises content SEOs to prioritize content quality over keyword density.
Nevertheless, achieving a reasonable keyword density can still be beneficial.
After all, keywords serve as important context clues for search engines to understand your site.
The key is to strike a balance.
If trying to reach a certain percentage of keyword density would mean having to write filler words and fluff material and compromising user experience, it’s best to prioritize content quality instead.
6. Make your content complete and easy to read
In today's online space, keeping readers' attention means offering more than just valuable information. It also requires readability and depth.
Here are ways to ensure your content is informative, compelling, and reader-friendly:
Discuss in detail
Your readers shouldn’t need to manually switch tabs to do extra research.
You must approach each article or blog post with the goal of providing a thorough resource.
Research what your readers might need and aim to cover it within your content.
Implement strategic internal linking
It’s impossible to cover every aspect of a topic without turning content into a lengthy scroll.
This is where internal linking helps.
When you link to other pages on your site relevant to the current topic, you enhance user experience by providing readers with additional information.
This benefits your site in two ways: you distribute link equity across your pages and increase time spent on your site – both of which are positive ranking signals.
Incorporate authoritative external links
Integrate high-quality links to credible external sources that support your points or provide additional context.
This not only bolsters the credibility of your content but also signals to search engines that your material is well-researched and informative.
Begin with a compelling introduction
An effective introduction should hook your readers, making it more likely for them to follow through your content.
The key is to research and understand your reader’s pain points, fears, and goals, and use these to grab their attention from the outset.
Improve readability
No one wants to read articles with dense blocks of text. Content should always be easy to scan and understand.
Below are ways to achieve this:
- Opt for shorter paragraphs, ideally around 2 to 3 lines per paragraph.
- Use headings and subheadings (H1, H2, H3) to provide clear structure.
- Use bullet points and numbered lists to highlight key ideas.
- Integrate images, infographics, and videos to visually illustrate concepts and complex information. Use platforms like Canva or Piktochart.
- Correct typographical and grammatical errors. A popular and effective tool you can use is Grammarly.
- Use tone and language that your readers understand. Tools like Hemingway App can help you assess readability score.
7. Fix your site's technical and on-page SEO
Creating content that ranks involves a lot more behind-the-scenes work than it seems, particularly in the areas of technical SEO and on-page SEO.
Without taking care of these two areas, your content may never reach its intended audience.
Technical SEO refers to the optimization of your website’s infrastructure, ensuring that search engines can crawl and index your site effectively.
On the other hand, on-page SEO involves optimizing individual pages on your site to improve their search engine rankings. This includes keyword placement, meta tags, and internal linking.
Generally, technical and on-page SEO involves these steps:
- Ensuring your site loads quickly
- Making your site function and display well on mobile devices
- Creating and submitting an XML sitemap to help search engines find and index your pages
- Securing your site with HTTPS
- Optimizing meta titles and descriptions to improve click-through rates and search engine understanding.
- Supplying images with alt text for increased search engine visibility, as well as adjusting sizes to help improve site speed.
Technical SEO tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog help identify and fix technical issues.
For on-page SEO, tools like Yoast SEO, Ahrefs, and SEMrush provide insights and recommendations for optimizing individual pages.
8. Seek professional SEO assistance
Implementing both technical and on-page SEO can be a lot of work.
It requires continuous monitoring and adjustments to ensure your site stays optimized and your rankings improve over time.
From site audits to tracking progress and tweaking strategies, they handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on creating top-notch content.