using the wisdom of the crowd for content excellence
TRANSCRIPT
Using the Wisdom of the
Crowd for Content
ExcellenceChanging Perspective on Keywords
for a Better Search Experience
Your Presenter
20 years of Online Experience• AMD• HomeAway.com• Builders Digital Experience• SpareFoot.com
Dell (4 years)• SEO Technology Lead, DCS (formerly eDell)• Technical SEO Instructor
Currently• Chief SEO Evangelist,
www.linkedin.com/in/keithlgoode
@keithgoode
Keith L. Goode, Chief SEO Evangelist
Changing PerspectivesOverhauling SEO One Activity at a Time
Perspective Is Everything
• Links lead to better ranking
• Ranking leads to more traffic
• More traffic leads to more revenue
• Content Is King• Publishing Lots of
Content Leads to Greater Relevance for
More Keywords• More keyword
relevance leads to more traffic…
Wrong Perspective = Red Herring• When perspective is off,
good results can be• Attributed to the wrong
causes (false causality)• Used to support incorrect
assumptions (confirmation bias)
• Used to assume the same results will happen every time (gambler’s fallacy)
• This can reinforce the wrong behaviors
Realigning Metrics for True SuccessYes… But…
Traffic increases are a measure of online success
Stickiness and Conversion Rates tell you if it’s good traffic
or notRankings are
highly influenced by links
Links are earned as a result of a Great Product or Great
ContentTargeting
keywords in content
establishes relevance
Being relevant for Topics, rather than keywords, establishes broader
Relevance
Redefining SEO as Search Experience Optimization
UsabilityIs your site fast, responsive, engaging, shareable, crawlable, and indexable?
Usability 01
Relevance
RelevanceYou establish relevance with great content that inspires, educates, informs, and entertains.
02
AuthorityEarned links, company online reputation, article references, citations, co-citations, etc.
Authority 03
The Key to Keyword Mining
How to Access the Wisdom of the Crowd
The Problems with the Classical Model of SEO Metrics
Keyword research can be time-consuming
Could be missing keyword
opportunities we don’t even know about!
A hyper-focus on keywords misses
out on the conversations
Problem #1: Time InvestmentNo Excuses. Do the work!
Relevance via Content StrategyRoad-mapping Relevance1. Audience and Market Size
evaluation (Topic development)
2. Audience segmentation (Topic management)
3. Content Mapping4. Content Optimization
Resources You Can Use• seoClarity Search Volume
Other Options:• Google Keyword Planner Tool • Keyword Difficulty Tool from Moz• Google Trends• Google Suggest
Problem #2: Tapping into the WoC
Keywords You
Rank For
Keywords Competitor B
Ranks For
Keywords Competitor A
Ranks For
Might be branded terms that you can’t
possibly rank for
Very likely that these are keywords you
should be interested in pursuing
Missed Opportunities: The Struggle is Real
How to Remove the Blinders1. Enter Your Competitor’s URL into a site analysis tool2. Download the resulting list of keywords3. Repeat this for one or more competitors4. Alphabetize the lists and align within the same
spreadsheet5. Insert your own list of ranking keywords6. Look for keywords where 2 or more competitors rank,
but you don’t
Resources You Can Use• seoClarity Data Grid
Other Options:• Google Keyword Planner Tool (“website” option)• SpyFu• SEMRush• Moz OSE• BuzzSumo
Head to Tail – Bridging the Gap
KEYWORDS TOPICS
Problem #3: Conversational Queries
Redefining the Long Tail of SearchSe
arch
Vo
lum
e
Query Length
Traditional Keyword Research
Traditional Long-Tail
Conversational Queries
Head Terms: Laptops
Body Terms: 15 inch laptops
Long-Tail Terms: 15 inch gaming laptop with 64GB memory
Conversational Queries: What is the best gaming laptop for Modern Warfare?
The Universe of Keywords Is Expanding
Keywords You
Rank For
Keywords Competitor B
Ranks For
Keywords Competitor A
Ranks For
Conversational queries relevant to your
industry
Google Is Proving My Case
Google going beyond Google
Suggest to recommend Instant
Answers
Organic Position 3 is Now
Position 5
How to Tap Into the Greater WoCManual Steps1. Identify source sites2. Run keyword queries on these sites (or “site:”
searches)3. Compile list of questions or conversations4. Prioritize list based on social shares, upvotes, etc.5. Use list to edify content strategy6. Rinse and Repeat for each product or service you offer.
How to Tap Into the Greater WoCThe Easy Approach • seoClarity Content Ideas
1800+ Sources Based on continuous review of sites that rank for over 120M keywordsCustomizable list of sources based on industry
The New Approach to Content• Only use Search Volume tools initially• Research what questions are being asked• Write simple, concise (but effective) answers• Use ordered or unordered lists• Mark up the key copy on the page
Thank You!Feel Free to Connect with Me!
@keithgoode