The document provides tips for improving SEO through better content. It discusses performing keyword research to understand user intent. This involves generating keywords, supplementing the list with site data, expanding keywords using tools, and analyzing statistics and intent for each keyword. It also discusses finding the right home for content by conducting an SEO audit and mapping keywords to pages. Tips are provided for writing better content, including using web-specific best practices, structuring pages well, and understanding specialty categories like ecommerce. More advanced tactics like structured data and featured snippets are also covered. The overall message is that creating comprehensive, well-structured content that answers user intent is key to better search rankings.

1. SEO Code-Breaking
How Smarter Content Leads to
Better Search Rankings
Chris Prendergast | chris@clickrain.com

2. Enigma Machine

3. 159,000,000,000,000,000,000
Possibilities

4. Alan Turing: Nerd Hero
Turing built off of this
guy’s work, Marian
Rejewski, but he’s not
part of the story.

5. The Bombe

6. W E T T E R

7. 159,000,000,000,000,000,000
1,054,560
Possibilities

9. ● Invented the modern
computer
● Solved for 159 quintillion
codes by adding context to
simplify the problem
● Helped save the free world
● Invented the modern
search engine
● Solves for 130 trillion web
pages by adding context to
simplify the problem
● Has fun cartoons on the
homepage!

10. The job of your content
is to provide context
for humans and search
engines to understand
your site.

11. Google Wants to Match Context to User Intent
cardinal
a cardinal
the cardinal
the cardinals

12. The job of your content
is to provide context
for humans and search
engines to understand
your site.

13. SEO Ranking Factors

14. Just Google?
For the purposes of this
presentation, Google
represents search in
general.
These tips and tricks will
help on Google, Bing,
Yahoo, and other organic
search engines.
SEO Ranking Factors > Google

15. SEO Is More Than Content
Other ranking factors:
● Backlinks
● Technology
● Page Speed
● User Experience
● Local Signals
● “RankBrain”
SEO Ranking Factors

16. Why Are We Focusing on Content?
Content is:
● Powerful
● Totally free
● In your control
But for most companies,
content is not a priority.
SEO Ranking Factors > Why Content

17. Priorities

18. What Is Your Priority?
How much time did you spend on:
● ...your social media channels?
● ...your company blog?
● …your website content?
Priorities

19. Posting on Social Media is Paying Rent
Priorities > Social Media

20. Improving Web Content is Home Renovation
Priorities > Web Content

21. Make content a priority
to invest in the
platform you own.

22. SEO Code-Breaking
1) Perform keyword research (12)
2) Find a home for your content
3) Learn tips to improve your web writing
4) Set expectations for what’s next
Table of Contents

23. Keyword Research

24. Why Keywords?
Keyword research is not about finding what words to
stuff your content with.
Keyword research is about using data to better
understand user intent, so you can provide the right
context.
Keyword Research

25. The Keyword Research Process
1) Generate seed keywords (human)
2) Supplement keywords with your own data
3) Expand the list with free and paid tools
4) Record stats and intent for each keyword
5) Narrow your list to determine content targets
Keyword Research

26. Generating Seed Keywords
What non-branded terms might people search for
around your business?
Keyword Research > Seed Keywords
business intelligence software
bi software
data visualization
graphing tool
analytics software
business analytics

27. Use Your Data to Supplement the List
● Search Console
● Paid Search Ads
● Google Analytics
Keyword Research > 1st-Party Data

28. Expand Your List with Tools
● Input your seed keywords
into a tool to get similar
and related keywords
● Input competitor websites
to see what search terms
they are ranking for
● Add all new keywords to
your list
Keyword Research > Keyword Expansion

29. Expand Your List with Tools
Keyword Research > Keyword Expansion > Tool List

30. Record Statistics for Each Keyword
Keyword Research > Statistics
KEYWORD VOLUME DIFF. RANK QUESTION
business intelligence software 1000 77% #15 N
bi software 720 76% #12 N
data visualization 18,100 69% N/A N
graphing tool 2,900 75% N/A N
analytics software 1,000 75% #6 N
business analytics 40,500 84% N/A N
what is the best bi tool 50 72% N/A Y
data visualization tools 4,400 78% #12 N

31. The Missing Piece of Research: User Intent
What type of content is Google rewarding on the SERP?
(SERP = Search Engine Results Page)
● Brand size: local vs. national brands
● Content age: new vs. old URLs
● Page type: product, category, blog post, landing
● Relevant to your business?
● Can you even compete?
Keyword Research > Statistics > User Intent

32. User Intent for business intelligence tool
Keyword Research > Statistics > User Intent

33. User Intent for what is business analytics
Keyword Research > Statistics > User Intent

34. User intent may be the
most important (and
forgotten) piece of
keyword research.

35. Narrow Your List to What’s Relevant & Possible
Start cutting and grouping your list.
Keep keywords that:
● Are not too difficult
● Have some level of search volume
● User intent matches your site
● Make sense for your business
Keyword Research > List Culling

36. Group Your Remaining Keywords
With whatever keywords you’re left with, group them
into logical buckets with a “parent topic”.
These topics become a foundation for your new content.
Keyword Research > List Culling > Keyword Grouping
business intelligence [30]
business analytics [16]
data visualization [31]
business software [25]

37. SEO Code-Breaking
1) Perform keyword research
2) Find a home for your content (9)
3) Learn tips to improve your web writing
4) Set expectations for what’s next
Table of Contents

38. Find a Home for Content

39. Find a Home for New & Updated Content
Write new content based around what people are
searching for. But now where should you put it?
1) Conduct an SEO content audit
2) Map your keywords to identify gaps
3) Benefits of new vs. existing pages
Content Home

40. How To Do an SEO Content Audit
An SEO Content Audit is a spreadsheet with data about
every page on your website. Start by crawling your site.
Include columns for total traffic, organic search traffic,
and organic search rankings from Search Console.
Content Home > SEO Content Audit

41. Keyword Research + Content Audit = Mapping
Match keyword groups with pages in your Content Audit.
Content Home > Keyword Mapping
https://moz.com/blog/build-content-keyword-map-for-seo-whiteboard-friday

42. Keyword Research + Content Audit = Mapping
Keyword groups will fall into three categories:
1. Expected pages rank for expected keywords
2. Certain keywords/groups have no associated pages
3. Keyword conflicts
a. Multiple pages for one keyword/group
b. Pages ranking for the wrong keyword
Content Home > Keyword Mapping

43. Write New Pages, or Update Old Ones?
“Google likes fresh content.” “Google prefers older pages.”
Content Home > New vs. Existing
https://moz.com/blog/google-fresh-factor-new
https://www.authorityhacker.com/how-long-to-rank-on-google/

44. Time Is the Hidden Variable for SEO
Content Home > New vs. Existing
https://ahrefs.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-rank/

45. Balance Old URLs With Fresh Content
Content Home > New vs. Existing > Recommendation
Google wants to rank
pages that have
authority and topical
relevance.
Old URLs already have
authority, so add fresh
content to old pages to
increase topical
relevance.

46. Biggest shortcut in SEO:
Find pages with
keywords ranking in
Position 8 - 12 in GSC,
and improve the content
on those pages.

47. SEO Code-Breaking
1) Perform keyword research
2) Find a home for your content
3) Learn tips to improve your web writing (50)
4) Set expectations for what’s next
Table of Contents

48. Write Better Content

49. Better Content Means Better Rankings
How can you write better content?
1) Learn web-specific writing best practices
2) Structure your pages around SEO and UX
3) Understand the nuances of specialty categories
4) Pick up advanced SEO content tactics,tips, & trends
Write Better Content

50. What’s Different About Web Writing?
Web writing should account for the following factors:
1) General writing tips
2) Appropriate keyword usage
3) Headlines
4) Meta tags
5) URL recommendations
6) Linking best practices
7) Images, videos, and interactives
Write Better Content > Web Writing

51. Make Content Easy to Scan and Easy to Read
1) Break up long pages to make content scannable
a) Use headers and subheaders
b) Use ordered and unordered lists
2) Simplify your content
a) Use active voice
b) Use simple language
c) Keep sentences short
d) Write short paragraphs
Write Better Content > Web Writing > General Tips

52. Simple Content
One of the best things you can do for your
content is to simplify your writing. You
can cut unnecessary words and not change
the meaning of your content. It may be a
good idea to find someone else to edit
your content and help make it cleaner.
Write Better Content > Web Writing > General Tips

53. Simple Content
One of the best things you can do for your
content is to simplify your writing. You
can cut unnecessary words and not change
the meaning of your content. It may be a
good idea to find someone else to edit
your content and help make it cleaner.
Write Better Content > Web Writing > General Tips

54. The Hemingway App Can Help
Write Better Content > Web Writing > General Tips > Hemingway App
http://www.hemingwayapp.com/

55. Use Keywords Naturally In Your Content
Provide a comprehensive answer to your topic. Your
primary keyword should come up naturally at least once,
but don’t force any specific keyword density.
Supporting keywords may be part of your answer, but
don’t get hung up on including them all word-for-word.
Write for people, providing the complete context around
your main point, and keywords will naturally be a part of
that context.
Write Better Content > Web Writing > Keyword Usage

56. Write Better Headlines and Subheadlines
If you can, put the main
headline in an <H1> tag
and subheaders in <H2>
and <H3> tags.
Include keywords if it
makes sense, but it’s more
important that headlines
are natural and appealing.
Write Better Content > Web Writing > Headlines
https://moz.com/blog/h1-seo-experiment

57. Write Better Meta Tags
Write Better Content > Web Writing > Meta Tags
https://www.authorityhacker.com/seo-title-tags/

58. All About Meta Title Tags
The best <title> tag:
● Is not identical to the <H1> (but should be similar)
● May include the keyword, as long as it’s natural
● Keeps the important part at the front
● Should be 50-60 characters long
Write Better Content > Web Writing > Meta Tags > Meta Titles

59. All About Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions:
● Are NOT used by search engines, so write for humans
● Include bolded words that match user search queries
● Can be 140-160 characters, but may get cut off
Write Better Content > Web Writing > Meta Tags > Meta Descriptions
https://www.portent.com/serp-preview-tool/

60. Shorter URLs Are Better URLs
Shorter URLs are better. Use a short keyword only if it
makes sense. Keep numbers and years out of the URL.
Write Better Content > Web Writing > URLs
/blog/12-seo-trends-for-2020-that-you-need-to-know/

61. Internal Linking
Write Better Content > Web Writing > Internal Links
https://www.authorityhacker.com/internal-links/

62. Internal Linking
Write Better Content > Web Writing > Internal Links
Internal links are a great way to connect your content
and improve your SEO. You’ve got a page on that!

63. Improving internal
linking is the easiest
thing you can do right
now to help your SEO.

64. Images, Videos, & Interactives
Images: break up content,
improve scannability
Videos: increase time-on-page,
but include a transcript
Interactives: increase time-on-
page, bring visitors back
Write Better Content > Web Writing > Images, Videos, & Interactives

65. Content Structure
1. Recommended content length
2. Information architecture
Write Better Content > Content Structure

66. Recommended Content Length
Studies show correlation
between longer content and
better search rankings.
Ignore those studies.
Google rewards full context
and complete answers, but
your complete answer may
be 5,000 words or only 200.
Write Better Content > Content Structure > Content Length
https://www.portent.com/blog/seo/how-long-should-your-blog-post-be-for-seo.htm

67. Information Architecture
Two approaches to structure your content and resolve
keyword conflicts: separate keywords into their own
pages, or combine them into a single super-page.
1. Pillar Pages - Break your keywords into separate
pages supporting one parent page
2. Fraggles - Target multiple keywords on a single page
Write Better Content > Content Structure > Information Architecture

68. Pillar Pages
A “pillar page” is one page for a
big keyword that mentions
specific keywords.
Additional pages provide
extended details on those
specific keywords.
All pages within this pillar
should link to each other.
Write Better Content > Content Structure > Information Architecture > Pillar Pages
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-is-a-pillar-page

69. Fraggle = Fragment + Handle
● Fragment: A “chunk” of a page
addressing one topic
● Handle: An anchor link pointing
to that specific fragment
● Fraggle: A linkable, indexable
“chunk” of a page
Any page with a good outline and at
least three <H2> tags is a candidate.
Write Better Content > Content Structure > Information Architecture > Fraggles
https://moz.com/blog/fraggles

70. Fraggle = Fragment + Handle
● Fragment: A “chunk” of a page
addressing one topic
● Handle: An anchor link pointing
to that specific fragment
● Fraggle: A linkable, indexable
“chunk” of a page
Any page with a good outline and at
least three <H2> tags is a candidate.
Write Better Content > Content Structure > Information Architecture > Fraggles
https://moz.com/blog/fraggles

71. Fraggle Examples in the SERP
Write Better Content > Content Structure > Information Architecture > Fraggles > Examples

72. Fraggles will help your
long content target more
keywords and rank for
more search queries.

73. Specialty Website Categories
● Multi-Location Business Websites
● Ecommerce Websites
Write Better Content > Specialty Categories

74. Multi-Location Business Websites
Every location should have:
● A unique web page
● Unique content
● Unique photos
● Structured data for
hours & address
Write Better Content > Specialty Categories > Multi-Location

75. Multi-Location Business Websites
Every location should have:
● A unique web page
● Unique content
● Unique photos
● Structured data for
hours & address
But for local SEO, content is only useful if you combine it
with local listings and reviews.
Write Better Content > Specialty Categories > Multi-Location

76. Ecommerce Websites
● Product pages are
important
● But category pages are
arguably more important
○ 202% more traffic than
product pages
● Informational pages:
anti-case study
Write Better Content > Specialty Categories > Ecommerce
https://www.slideshare.net/jillkocher/scalable-ecommerce-seo-for-category-pages-smx-west-2020

77. Your best ecommerce
ROI will come from
improving category
pages.

78. Advanced Content SEO Tactics
Start with the SEO foundations. When you’ve got the
basics right, consider these advanced tactics, tips, and
trends to push your content forward.
● Structured Data & Rich Snippets
● Featured Snippets
● Voice Search
● Adding Context
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics

79. Structured Data & Rich Snippets
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Structured Data & Rich Snippets
Structured data: hidden code
on your page to tell Google
what the content is about
Rich snippets: bonus visuals
in SERP to show off specific
structured data
https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool/u/0/

80. Structured Data & Rich Snippets
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Structured Data & Rich Snippets
Structured data: hidden code
on your page to tell Google
what the content is about
Rich snippets: bonus visuals
in SERP to show off specific
structured data
https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool/u/0/

81. Structured Data & Rich Snippets
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Structured Data & Rich Snippets > FAQ Schema

82. Structured Data & Rich Snippets
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Structured Data & Rich Snippets > FAQ Schema
FAQ Schema can be applied to any page—not just FAQ
pages—and gives a massive increase to SERP real estate.

83. Structured Data & Rich Snippets
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Structured Data & Rich Snippets > FAQ Schema
FAQ Schema can be applied to any page—not just FAQ
pages—and gives a massive increase to SERP real estate.

84. Structured Data & Rich Snippets
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Structured Data & Rich Snippets > FAQ Schema
FAQ Schema can be applied to any page—not just FAQ
pages—and gives a massive increase to SERP real estate.

85. Structured Data & Rich Snippets
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Structured Data & Rich Snippets > FAQ Schema

86. FAQ Schema is the
untapped trend for every
business to grow your
presence in the SERP.

87. Featured Snippet Examples
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Featured Snippets

88. How to Rank For Featured Snippets
1. Prerequisite: You have to rank on Page 1 already
2. Prerequisite: The SERP needs to be eligible to show a
featured snippet
3. Answer the question clearly, concisely, and right
away—get to the point and add clarity after the fact
4. Featured snippets love structured data
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Featured Snippets

89. Featured Snippet Examples
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Featured Snippets
https://moz.com/blog/the-power-of-is-
featured-snippet-case-study

90. Snippet Stealing: Find
where you rank on the
first page but someone
else has the featured
snippet. Write a better
page than them.

91. Snippet Stealing Really Works
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Featured Snippets > Snippet Stealing

92. Ranking for Voice Search
Facts about voice SEO:
● Similar to structured
data & featured snippets
● Keep your answers
human and direct
● The average Google
Home result is 29 words
● Don’t worry about voice
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Voice Search
https://backlinko.com/voice-search-seo-study

93. We Return to the “Context” Conversation
Google tries to
understand context
through Natural
Language Processing
(NLP).
You can test your page
NLP with a Google
tool.
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Adding Context > NLP
https://cloud.google.com/natural-language

94. Skynet SEO: How Google is Becoming Human
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Adding Context > NLP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFvAqQPnl4g

95. Two Acronyms About Adding Context
TF-IDF - Term Frequency - Inverse Document
Frequency
LSI - Latent Semantic Index
Both of these basically mean this:
What supporting topics have you written about to add
context besides your original keyword and topic?
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Adding Context > Acronyms
https://ahrefs.com/blog/lsi-keywords/
https://ipullrank.com/ultimate-guide-to-tf-idf-content-optimization/

96. Adding Context: best iphone productivity apps
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Adding Context > Example
All the top results mention:
● Things
● Ulysses
● Dropbox
● Evernote
● free apps
These terms add context to
that search query.

97. Adding Context: best iphone productivity apps
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Adding Context > Example
Google tells you what topics
add context:
● People Also Ask box
● Related Searches box
● Google Autocomplete
Free tools to help automate:
● AnswerThePublic.com
● AlsoAsked.com

98. Adding Context: best iphone productivity apps
Write Better Content > Advanced Tactics > Adding Context > Example
Other tools to generate
contextual topics:
● ClearScope
● Surfer SEO
● Seobility TF-IDF
It’s not about adding more
keywords—it’s about making
your content deeper and
more complete.

99. The #1 way to make your
page better: Add relevant
topics to make your
context deeper and your
content more complete.

100. SEO Code-Breaking
1) Perform keyword research
2) Find a home for your content
3) Learn tips to improve your web writing
4) Set expectations for what’s next (5)
Table of Contents

101. What’s Next

102. What to Expect Next
You’ve written great new content. What should you
expect to happen next?
1) First, make sure Google sees your content
2) Set expectations for how quickly rankings change
3) Finally, generate an editorial strategy to plan ahead
What’s Next

103. How to Make Google Index Your Content
Tell Google that you have new or updated content in
order to get indexed more quickly:
● Submit the URL to Google Search Console
● Update sitemap.XML with the new/updated page
● Build backlinks through PR and promotion
What’s Next > Index Your Content

104. When Will My Search Rankings Change?
● Rank changes may take weeks (or months) to realize
● Speed up the process by building more authority
What’s Next > Rank Changes

105. Develop an Editorial Content Strategy
What’s Next > Editorial Content Strategy
How often should you blog? Only as often as you:
● have time to make it great
● have budget to promote it (amplification plan)
How often should you review your website content?
● Review every page on your site at least every 12 months
● Find opportunities to improve content, simplify writing,
add context and related topics, or create internal links
● Make it better because it can always be better

106. SEO Code-Breaking
1) Perform keyword research
2) Find a home for your content
3) Learn tips to improve your web writing
4) Set expectations for what’s next
You have everything you need. You have the power to
add CONTEXT to improve your CONTENT, and give a
better experience to search engines and your customers.
We Did It

107. You have the tools.
Now you can crack
the unbreakable code.

108. SEO Code-Breaking
How Smarter Content Leads to
Better Search Rankings
Chris Prendergast | chris@clickrain.com