As we all know, SEO can be time-consuming. It also takes a lot of effort to have your website rank on the top positions in SERPs.
However, there are a few things you can do to boost certain pages or blog posts that are important to you.
But first, a caveat: I am in no way a fan of cutting corners. True SEO results happen with time and with constant effort. I explain this every time we onboard a new client for SEO writing at my agency. Yes, there are things you can do to boost one or two pages of your website. But consistency is key for long-term ROI.
Let’s dig in.
1. Get rid of bad/low-quality content
I know, you worked on each and every one of your pieces of content. So what’s the harm in keeping them online? Maybe they don’t do any good, but they don’t do any harm either.
In fact, they do.
Google knows every word on your website. And when you didn’t hit the right keys and didn’t convey a clear enough message, your pages are demoted.
Much like a credit score, everything on your website can work for you or against you.
So don’t hesitate to delete low-quality content. Not every piece you produce can be a masterpiece, right?
How do you identify which content needs to be deleted, you ask?
Start with Google Search Console. You can easily arrange your dashboard to show content with little or no traffic.
But organic traffic isn’t everything, so take some time (OK, a lot of time) to re-visit your content manually. Think about what pieces are outdated. Surely some industry standards have changed since you began blogging, right?
Once you’re done with the poorest content pieces on your website, it’s time for the next step.
2. Improve existing content
Some outdated pieces can be easily revived by adding more content and/or replacing broken links.
This is one task you should always perform with your target audience in mind. Think about their needs and their expectations.
Then proceed to adding new(er) research reports, statistics, media files and more. While you’re at it, you can also improve the headlines, the CTA and the readability.
Just like in the previous step, you can identify these pieces through Google Search Console. Take a look at the pieces of content that currently rank on the second, third or fourth page. They are very easy to improve.
Typically, you will just need to add some more paragraphs, new links and media files. The key here is writing more, enough to make sure that your content is in-depth and that it covers your topic thoroughly.
But in order to make the most out of the time you spend revisiting old content, make sure the pieces you choose are relevant for both your audience and your business goals.
3. Up your internal linking game
A friendly link exchange between your own posts can be a major ranking booster, especially if you use the right anchors. It can also be a great opportunity to revive some old content.
When you start working on the step above, take a look at what other links you can add, too. Let’s say you found an older post that can use some boosting. You add some extra paragraphs, go more in-depth and add some media files, too.
When you’re done with all this, edit newer posts to link to the one you just improved on.
It’s one of the easiest hacks you can do, but it’s still too often overlooked. Just think about all the link opportunities that appeared within your own website since you published that post. You definitely have a few new articles that can add some link juice to older ones, don’t you?
4. Up your external linking game
This is something that you can use for both older (but recently updated) and new content. You already know that authority content needs a lot of references to make it believable and in-depth.
Most likely, those resources also come from the web. Take some time to craft an email to send to all the bloggers, companies and media outlets whose content you used to support your own claims.
You don’t have to be pushy. A simple thank you email letting them know that one of their resources was extremely useful to you is enough. You can also ask them to share your article on their social channels – the more eyes on it, the better your ranking.
In an ideal world, they might even consider linking to one of your articles on their blog. But offering to exchange links is so 2010, so you might as well skip this proposal. Just keep it human and you’ll be fine.
Wrapping things up
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to SEO or SEO content. But there are some things you can test and play with. Try the tactics above on some of your articles, tweak when necessary, and watch your rankings soar. Then rinse and repeat.
And, if you need SEO content that ranks well AND converts like mad, check out our content writing and copywriting services. My team of expert writers and I would be happy to help!
