How to Optimise Existing Content for SEO

I look at digital content optimisation like growing a garden.

Imagine you have just planted some new seedlings.

That seed grows into a tiny green sprout, and eventually with some sunlight, fertiliser and water, grows into a beautiful green plant that you can proudly display in your home to bring a bit of colour to the corner of your lounge room.

Excited with your success, you then return to the garden to plant more seeds to expand your green footprint.

But then a few months go by, and then a full year, and one weekend you randomly notice that green plant in the corner of your lounge room is no longer green, and in fact is brown and in decay.

The plant never received any further sunlight, water or care from you, and so began to wither away.

Now what if I was to tell you that your website content works in the same manner?

You ALWAYS need to keep an eye on your existing content.

You need to breathe sunlight and pour a canteen of water into your website content every now and then to keep it not only alive, but optimised to perform at its best in search engine rankings.

A Blog that was last published in 2018 and has dropped from its Number 1 ranking in the SERP more than likely happened because it has not been optimised in a while, and the competition began to outrank it.

From a content and SEO perspective, this means performing content audits of your existing content, conducting a competitor analysis, re-researching potential new keywords to optimise the content with, and updating the content to reflect more recent research or market trends.

If you are new to search engine optimising your existing content, here are a couple of tips I've learned over the years (and actually seen positive results from) to help you get started.

How to run an audit for content optimisation

It's crucial to regularly audit your website's content.

This is like taking a close look at your content garden – understanding which plants are thriving, which ones are wilting, and where you might have missed some fertile ground for new growth.

This initial audit sets the stage for a data-driven approach, ensuring you focus your efforts on the areas that will yield the best improvements in organic traffic.

Here's what to examine:

• Tools like Google Analytics are like a magnifying glass, revealing which content pieces are attracting the most organic visitors. You can also identify any struggling content or unexpected traffic spikes.
• High bounce rates indicate content that fails to capture user interest, like a thorny bush that keeps visitors at bay. Low dwell times might suggest a lack of depth or value, like a plant that simply isn't flourishing.
• If your website has conversion goals (e.g., newsletter signups, online purchases), track how different content pieces contribute, like following the path bees take to pollinate your content flowers and reach the desired outcome. This helps identify content that efficiently drives conversions and areas where optimisation can create a smoother user journey towards your desired harvest.

How to do a competitor analysis for content optimisation

Where's the best place to start to do a competitor analysis.

I always say, "Google."

As a simple and basic exercise, type the keyword that your website page was intending to rank for into Google search, and review who is currently ranking in the Top 10.

This part of the process is where typically I like to work with people who are super motivated and competitive.

Because looking at the Top 10 is like seeing which local backyard gardens are better than yours.

Some people may shrug their shoulders and admit defeat.

I like to work with content managers who get fired up by this.

Once you have an idea of who your main competitors are (especially in the Top 3), it's time to start doing a content gap analysis.

There are many SEO tools out there that can help you run a content gap analysis for your landing page against your competitors to identify what keywords you may be weak or missing, and untapped keywords you could potentially capitalise on to get ahead of the competition.

You can analyse the keywords your existing content ranks for, like examining the types of seeds you've planted. Is your content aligned with the current search intent for those target keywords?

• Are there high-volume, relevant keywords you're missing out on, like fertile ground waiting for new seeds?
• Does your content still provide the information users are searching for, or has it become like an outdated seed variety that no longer yields a good crop?
• Is your content comprehensive enough to satisfy user needs, or is it like a small sprout that needs more nurturing to become a strong plant?

Through this process, you can identify which keywords suit your content and which ones you can go after to outrank your competitors.

Beyond keywords, looking at your competitors can also reveal what content they are talking about that you are not.

It's like taking a peek over the backyard fence to see what your neighbour is growing for some new ideas.

How to do keyword research for content optimisation

Our first stop for keyword research is Google Search Console (GSC).

Think of it as a harvest report for the seeds you've already sown (your content).

GSC shows you keywords people used to find your content, even if they didn't click through (impressions).

Look for terms with high impressions but low clicks – these are potential hidden clues that could yield more visitors with a little optimisation.

See which keywords are bringing traffic to similar content on your website. These are like companion plants that thrive together. You should think about incorporating these keywords strategically into your existing content to create a more robust and interconnected garden.

Once you've identified potential keywords, tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help you validate the "soil quality."

These tools show the monthly search volume (how many people search for these terms) and keyword difficulty (how competitive it is to rank for them).

Aim for long-tail keywords – they may have lower search volume (fewer total searches), but also lower competition (less crowded ground) making them easier to rank for.

No gardener operates in a vacuum. Take some time to analyse your competitors' garden, the websites ranking for the keywords you want to target.

See how they're using their keywords – are they prominent in titles, headings, sprinkled throughout the content, and even included in image descriptions?

Finally, look for opportunities to create content that surpasses your competitors' offerings.

Ask yourself: Can you provide more depth, a unique perspective, or address questions your competitors haven't considered?

How to refresh your copy for content optimisation

Putting aside the SEO jargon for a brief moment, there is one element of content optimisation that is often overlooked - and surprisingly the one I observe happening the most over the years.

Ask yourself this simple question: "When was the last time you read the website content from top to bottom?"

You'd seriously be surpised by how much awkward silence I typically hear after asking this question.

Throwing in a few new keywords and fixing up your meta tags is not enough.

Sometimes the thing that lets down your website is the actual on-page copy, and it can be for various reasons.

Imagine dumping a truckload of fertiliser and buckets of water onto a single sunflower and being frustrated that it's not growing faster - have you taken the time to properly inspect what you are throwing all your SEO energy at?

The first step is to weed out any outdated information. Have new industry best practices emerged since you first planted this content? Fact-check any data or statistics, ensuring they're still fresh and accurate.

Broken links are like wilted flowers – remove them and replace them with vibrant, relevant ones that enhance the user experience.

Sometimes, your content might be a bit like a patch of scraggly seedlings – lacking depth or detail. This "thin content" may not be engaging enough to keep readers interested or rank well in search results.

To enrich these areas, identify pages that seem sparse. You can research relevant keywords with high search volume and user intent, and then expand on existing topics, adding fresh information, examples, and related subtopics.

Some additional things to consider:

• Title Tags & Meta Descriptions: Analyse these like you would check the labels on your seed packets – are they clear, relevant to the content, and enticing enough to attract users to click?
• Headings: Headings structure your content and make it scannable, like stakes that guide your plants to grow straight and tall. Identify if your headings are clear, keyword-rich, and follow a logical hierarchy (H1, H2, H3). This improves user experience and helps search engines understand your content's organisation, just like proper staking helps your plants grow strong and orderly.
• Internal linking: Internal linking connects related content on your website, creating a strong information architecture. Analyse your internal linking strategy like examining the pathways in your garden – are there opportunities to link to relevant, high-performing content, directing users on a journey of discovery within your website?

Final thoughts

From my own experience, I've seen content optimisation fall by the wayside because many content folks are so keen and excited to keep pumping out fresh content to stay relevant with local trends.

This is by no means a bad thing.

However, a successful content strategy requires balance - it requires evenly dividing your time between what you have already, and what you intend to newly introduce.

My last garden analogy (I promise) is to say look at your entire content strategy like looking at your entire garden - you need to plant new seeds to keep up with the seasons, but you also need to ensure that the plants you have raised over the years continue to thrive well.

Remember, there is a reason why SEO traffic is called, "Organic."