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Content-Led SEO

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Guide•Demand Curve•Apr 11, 2023
SEO

Backlinks and individual keywords matter less than before. What matters more is:

Phase 1. Technical SEO

Help Google access, understand, and serve your content.

Resolve major technical issues first:

  • Sitemap.xml: inventory of URLs for crawling and indexing.
  • Robots.txt: tells crawlers what to crawl.
  • Internal links: define site architecture and help navigation.
  • Site architecture: how pages are structured and organized.
  • Title tags and subheadings: explain what the page is about.
  • Schema markup: structured data that improves SERP representation.
  • Mobile usability: responsive design, few intrusive pop-ups, fast pages.
  • Security: use https://.
  • Site cleanliness: fix broken links, limit 301s, remove 404s/500s.
  • Core Web Vitals: page speed, interactivity, visual stability.

    • Phase 2. Topical Authority

    Google rewards sites that clearly “own” a topic.

  • Content: clarifies what topics a page should rank for and whether it matches search intent.
  • Links: still a ranking factor, signaling relative authority of domains and pages.

    • Three principles of content-led SEO

  • Think niche: focus on product-related, high-intent keywords.
  • Topics are the new keywords:
    1. One topic (one core intent) per page.
    2. Include related keywords and angles within that page.
  • Context is king: use structure, examples, and supporting content to clarify intent.

    • Phase 3. User Engagement

    User behavior tells Google whether to keep ranking your content.

  • Match search intent.
  • Provide a smooth reading experience.
  • Encourage time on page and further clicks (internal links, multimedia, clear structure).

    • 1. Generate and Prioritize Keywords

    Focus on high-intent keywords around customer pain points, even if volume is low.

    Step 1. See what already works

    Use Google Search Console (GSC):

  • Open your domain → Performance.
  • Set date to Last 3 months and enable Clicks, Impressions, CTR, Position.
  • Export the data (CSV) to get queries you already rank for.

    • Step 2. Generate keywords

  • Brainstorm with your team.
  • Use Google: Autosuggest, People also ask, Related searches.
  • Do customer research (interviews, surveys, support tickets).
  • Run competitive analysis in tools like Ahrefs (Site Explorer → Organic keywords).

    • Step 3. Sort and prioritize

  • Use tools like Keyword Insights, Keyword Planner, or Ahrefs Keyword Explorer.
  • Export search volume data and prioritize by:
    • Business impact
    • Funnel stage
    • Intent (high-intent and strong problem-awareness terms first)

    • 2. Analyze the SERP

    Use the first page of results to decide your content angle and format.

    You will usually see:

  • Topic clusters
  • Resource / article pages
  • Comparison / review pages
  • Product / use case pages

    • Model your content type, angle, and depth on what already ranks, then add your unique twist.

    3. Write Original SEO Content

  • Match the SERP requirements: format, depth, and angle similar to winners.
  • Be specific: use concrete examples, numbers, screenshots, and steps.
  • Add originality:
    1. Take a contrarian or fresher viewpoint.
    2. Share your own frameworks and experiences.
    3. Interview experts.
    4. Do small original research and share the data.

    • 4. Create a Premium Content Experience

    Focus on:

  • Jump links (table of contents) for long guides.
  • Author bios and About pages to build trust.
  • Clear structure: short paragraphs, headings, bullets.
  • Multimedia: images, video, and interactive elements where useful.

    • 5. Plan Your Internal Linking Strategy

    Internal links support topical authority and rankings.

    Why internal links matter

  • Site architecture: groups related pages and topics.
  • Content hierarchy: pages with more links signal higher importance.
  • Context: anchor text and surrounding copy help Google understand topics.
  • Authority flow: pages with many backlinks can pass value via internal links.

    • Best practices

  • Use topic clusters (pillar pages + supporting articles).
  • Link out from your most authoritative pages.
  • Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text.
  • Vary anchor text naturally.
  • Prioritize relevance over exact placement.
  • Add internal links from older content to newer, strategic pages.

    • 6. Optimize, Prune, and Maintain Content

    Content optimization

    Tools like Clearscope can help improve relevance, coverage, and readability.

    Content pruning

    Remove or merge pages that:

  • Get little or no traffic.
  • Rank for no valuable keywords.
  • Have no worthwhile inbound links.

    • Content audit framework – key metrics

    Track for each URL:

  • Sessions (organic and total)
  • Number of inbound links
  • Publish date / last edited date
  • Keywords ranking in top 100, top 10, and top 3
  • Impressions
  • CTR
  • 12‑month traffic trend

    • 7. Track Performance

    Monitor:

  • Keyword performance (rank tracking tools)
  • Google Analytics for aggregate and page-level SEO performance
  • Google Search Console for search queries and page-level search metrics