Finding Ideas for SEO-Friendly Blogs

Believe it or not, sometimes I struggle to come up with topics for new content (and avoid duplicate content). In a world as diverse as search engine optimization, where creativity and technology intersect, there are a practically limitless number of relevant things you can discuss.?

But every so often, I can’t think of anything worthwhile. But the show must go on, and I still need content. So, what do I do?

The very first thing is to pour myself a big cup of coffee, with the idea that caffeine will stimulate me. And then I get to work.?

Here’s what I do:

1. Check Out the Competition

There is a quote (and perhaps mis-) attributed to Albert Einstein that says, “the secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”?

And while your competitors may have content that inspires you to create your own, in search engine optimization, knowing what the other side is doing has an even more important benefit: helping you identify opportunities you may have missed.?

For example, if you’re doing SEO for a hotdog company, you would probably already have created blogs for cookouts, snacks for baseball games, and various condiments and their uses. But when you check out your biggest competitor, you see they have a blog that goes in-depth about chili and chili dogs.?

On your own, you may not even have considered this topic, but now that you have, you can create your own rival blog post to steal clicks from them.?

2. Use Your Tools

Any SEO analytics tool worth its salt will provide you with a list of keywords and topics related to your site. Likewise, a keyword research tool (which could be the same as your analytics platform) can help you identify words and phrases to go after. And each of these represents an opportunity for you to capture search traffic.

Take a closer look at this information and find a topic you haven’t covered before, haven’t covered in-depth or have outdated content about. Then create a post with detailed, relevant information about it.?

If a term is showing up in your analytics, there’s traffic for it. Grab on to this opportunity by providing searchers with information they’ll find useful.

3. Try Social Listening

If you’re not familiar with the term, social listening refers to “analyzing conversations and trends related to your brand.”

Traditionally the domain of social media marketers, it can be very beneficial for SEO professionals too – if you know how to use it.?

If you’re not a social media specialist, and I’m going to assume you’re not – this is an SEO blog, after all – it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing social listening means paying attention to the interactions, tags and @ mentions related to your brand.

The debate rages on in the social media sphere about whether tracking this activity is part of social listening or merely social monitoring, but we’ll leave that discussion to others. For our purposes, we just need to recognize that social listening doesn’t seek to tell you what people are saying about you, but rather why they’re saying it.?

For SEO, you want to mine social platforms for topics related not just to your brand, but also your industry. Then use these to identify questions you can provide answers to.?

4. Revisit Your Top Performers

There’s probably a reason why certain blogs on your site get more hits than others. Often, it’s because they provide more valuable information.?

Take a closer look at your blogs that are performing well. Do they mention any topics that could warrant their own content? Are there concepts you allude to that you could flesh out into a full-sized piece? Maybe you can spin your existing content to go after a previously untapped base of searchers.

On the flip side, if you have pages that are not performing well, but you know they’re providing information searchers need, you need to revisit them. What’s causing them to lag in search results or driving viewers away?

Your analytics platform should make this process a lot easier by providing you with information on pageviews, bounce rate, time spent on page, etc.?

5. Take a Break

Wait, what? You may be saying right now; did I read that right? You’re telling me that by not trying to identify new content ideas for my website, I can find new content ideas?

Paradoxically, that’s exactly what I’m saying.?

There are two common approaches to overcoming writer’s block (which this is essentially the SEO version of):?

a.) Write your way out of it and power through using sheer willpower alone

b.) Take your mind off the problem and think about something else for a while

I’m advocating for the second. Ironically, many times the more pressure you put on yourself, the more difficult good ideas seem to be.?

I once worked for a C-suite marketing executive who had been around forever and done everything. One of the most important lessons I learned from him was that the best ideas often come in what he called the 3 Bs. That is, the bed, the bath and the bus.?

The idea is that when you’re lying in bed, showering or commuting, you’re thinking of things other than that new idea you so desperately need. This allows you to sneak up on the problem and catch it unaware.?

Once he told me that, I’ve noticed how true it is. I may be in the middle of lathering up some shampoo, driving to the bank or even sleeping in the middle of the night when it hits me like a thunderbolt – the answer I’ve been seeking.?

So, if you’re struggling to find areas for new content, don’t be afraid to take a break. Go for a walk. Grab a snack. Play a game of minesweeper (is that still a thing?). You’ll be amazed at how effective this strategy can be.?

Spend More Time Creating and Optimizing and Less on Boring SEO Tasks

Working in search engine optimization requires you to wear a lot of hats: content creator, researcher and data analyst, just to name a few. And for the lion’s share of SEO professionals, there are specific parts they like much more than others.

In my experience, one of the things SEOs dislike most about their job is reporting. It’s tedious and time-consuming. Or at least it used to be.??

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