How do you adapt your keyword strategy to changing search trends and algorithms?

Have a weekly MAA feedback loop. MAA is Metrics, Analysis, Action-- which is not canned reporting, but thoughtful analysis of WHY certain key metrics have gone up or down. When a business metric such as sales or leads has changed (not a diagnostic metric like search volume of average position), then troubleshoot back all the way up into the content and then into the keywords. Don't make the mistake of trying to go from keywords down.

Adapting keyword strategy to changing search trends and algorithms involves continuous monitoring of search trends, algorithm updates, and competitor behavior. It's essential to stay informed about industry developments, user behavior shifts, and emerging keywords or topics relevant to your business. Regularly analyzing search query data, user engagement metrics, and performance of existing keywords can help identify opportunities for optimization and refinement. Additionally, staying agile and flexible allows for quick adjustments to keyword targeting, ad copy, and landing page content to align with evolving search trends and algorithm changes.

Adapting your keyword strategy to changing search trends and algorithms is crucial for maintaining high search rankings. Start by conducting regular keyword research using tools like Google Trends, SEMrush, Ahrefs to identify emerging keywords and shifting search behaviors. Monitor algorithm updates from Google and adjust your content accordingly, focusing on user intent and quality. Implement long-tail keywords and natural language phrases to align with voice search trends. Regularly update your existing content to keep it relevant and optimize for mobile users. Leverage analytics to track performance and refine your strategy based on data-driven insights, ensuring your SEO efforts stay effective.

Thing to Consider while mapping keywords: Keywords become outdated after some time and we have to look for ways to stay ahead, the strategy I use to update my keywords maps is competitors analysis. How I do it? I have identified my top 20 competitors and from time to time I analyze their domains using semrush. From their I can get an idea from which new keywords they have start ranking and which keywords they have removed. By getting this information I mold my own keyword strategy and add/remove some keywords from my list.

One strategy I use to optimize content for specific keywords is tiered updates. This is especially useful for more competitive keywords. Here’s how it works: 1) Put out an initial piece of content 2) Monitor rankings until the piece of content cracks position 20 3) Put out an update by analyzing SERP leaders for content gaps 4) Put out another update at position 6–3 This is a reliable way to gradually optimize a piece of content for a specific keyword. Ideally, each update builds on the last one to create a final piece that’s comprehensive (and well-optimized to rank for the target keyword).

On the topic of videos: make sure your video content is optimized in its hosting location (YT, Vimeo, etc) and links back to the original blog/page you have it embedded in. And don't forget to check on how that video is indexing and showing up through Google Search Console.

Follow the below steps and adapt to changes in search trends and algorithms. -Ensure your content meets the algorithm’s update. -Check and analyze the SERP for changes in search intent, keyword volume, and keyword difficulty. -Once you see and understand the change, upgrade your content so that it matches the new search intent behind the keyword.