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In this post you’re going to learn exactly how to create and implement an effective SEO strategy, step-by-step.
In fact, this approach has helped me grow my website to 197,696 organic visitors every month.
So if you’re looking to get higher Google rankings, this new guide is for you.
What Is an SEO Strategy?
An SEO strategy (also referred to as “SEO approach” or “search engine optimization strategy”) is the process of planning, outlining and implementing steps designed to improve search engine rankings.
In other words: an SEO strategy is the process that you follow when you want to get more organic traffic.
With that, here are the steps to create an SEO strategy in 2020:
- Step #1: Create a List of Keywords
- Step #2: Analyze Google’s First Page
- Step #3: Create Something Different or Better
- Step #4: Add a Hook
- Step #5: Optimize For On-Page SEO
- Step #6: Optimize For Search Intent
- Step #7: Make Your Content Look Awesome
- Step #8: Build Links to Your Page
- Step #9: Improve and Update Your Content
Step #1: Create a List of Keywords
Everything in search engine optimization revolves around keywords.
Which is why keyword research is usually the first step of any legit SEO strategy.
You can easily find keywords that your target customer searches for using Google Suggest.
Start typing a keyword into Google’s search field, and it will populate a list of suggestions:
These usually make awesome keywords for SEO because they come straight from Google.
So you know that people are actually searching for them.
Plus, longer keywords (known as “long tail keywords”) tend to be less competitive than “short tail” terms.
So even though long tails have relatively low search volume levels, you can usually rank for them faster.
I recommend typing a few different keywords into Google until you have a list of about 10 keywords.
If you want to check out the search volume and competition levels for those terms, you can use a keyword tool like SEMrush or Ubersuggest.
If you want to dive deeper into keyword research, you can check out this video.
Once you have 10 keywords jotted down, you’re ready for step #2 of this SEO strategy.
Step #2: Analyze Google’s First Page
OK, so you found a handful of keywords.
Now it’s time to see what’s already working for those keywords.
To do that, just type one of the keywords that you found into Google.
Scan the top 10 results:
And jot down any patterns that you notice.
For example, the SERPs for “SEO Tools” is PACKED with lists of tools:
So if you wanted to cover that topic on your site, you’d want to note that the first page results are made up mostly of list posts.
And you’d probably want to publish a list post on your blog.
Then, move onto step #3…
Step #3: Create Something Different or Better
Now it’s time to create some super high-quality content.
When it comes to SEO content, you’ve got two options:
Option #1: You can create something different.
Option #2: You can create something better.
Different
Sometimes you want to create something bigger and better than what’s out there.
(aka The Skyscraper Technique)
But sometimes you’re better off with content that’s completely different.
Why?
Because it helps your content STAND OUT.
For example:
A few months ago I sat down to write a piece of content optimized around: “Mobile SEO”.
And I noticed Google’s first page was littered with list posts, like: “X Ways to Mobile Optimize Your Site.”
Now:
I could have created a bigger list post like: “150 Ways to Mobile Optimize Your Site”.
But that wouldn’t make any sense.
Instead, I created something totally different.
Specifically, I published an ultimate guide to mobile optimization.
And because my content stood out, it got a ton of shares:
Comments:
And most important of all, backlinks:
Better
All you need to do here is publish content that’s 10x better than what’s out there.
For example:
A while back I noticed that most content about “SEO tools” only listed 10-20 tools.
And I knew that publishing another list of 20 tools wouldn’t work.
So I decided to create a list of 188 SEO tools.
That post now ranks in the top 3 for the keyword “SEO Tools”:
Step #4: Add a Hook
If you want to improve your search engine rankings in 2020, you need to get backlinks.
In fact, according to a recent study by Stone Temple Consulting that was published on the Moz blog, links are still strongly correlated with first page Google rankings.
Which means they’re still a key Google ranking factor.
The question is: how do you do it
Well, you need to figure out why people link to specific pieces of content in your industry.
(“The Hook”)
Then, include that “Hook” in your content.
Last year I noticed more and more bloggers writing about voice search.
I noticed something else too:
When people wrote about voice search, they linked to content that featured stats and data:
So I decided to do a voice search study that was PACKED with stats:
To date, this single post has racked up 848 backlinks:
And 90%+ of these backlinks cite a specific stat from my post:
That said:
Data is just one type of “Hook” that you can use to build links to your content.
Another Hook that’s working well right now is Ultimate Guides.
When you publish an ultimate guide, your guide itself is The Hook.
I’ll explain with an example…
A few years back I published Link Building: The Definitive Guide.
It was (and still is) the most complete guide to link building out there.
Here’s where things get interesting…
Every now and again a blogger will mention “link building” in a post.
But they don’t have room to cover the entire topic.
So they link to my guide as a way for their readers to learn more:
Very cool.
Step #5: Optimize For On-Page SEO
This step is all about keyword-optimizing your content for SEO.
There’s a lot more to on-page SEO than I could cover in a single post.
So if you want to learn more about optimizing your content for SEO, this video may help.
That said, here are three on-page SEO techniques that I recommend focusing on in 2020.
Internal Linking
Yup, internal linking still works.
But you have to do it right.
Specifically, you want to link FROM high-authority web pages TO pages that need authority.
(And use keyword-rich anchor text in your internal links)
For example, I published Google Search Console: The Definitive Guide earlier this year.
So I found a page on my site with a ton of authority…
…and linked from that page to my new guide.
Simple.
Short, Keyword-Rich URLs
Our analysis of 1 million Google search results found something that surprised a lot of people:
When it comes to search engine optimization, short URLs crush long URLs.
That’s why I make my URLs either just my keyword…
… Or my target keyword plus one more word:
Either way works.
Semantic SEO
Finally, I optimize my content for Semantic SEO.
In other words:
I find words that are related to my target keyword.
Then, I use those terms in my content.
Here are the deets:
First, pop your keyword into Google Images.
And Google will give you words and phrases they consider closely-related to that topic:
Second, type the same keyword into normal Google search. And scroll down to the “Searches related to…” section.
Finally, sprinkle some of those terms into your content:
And you’re set.
Step #6: Optimize For Search Intent
In other words: The Skyscraper Technique 2.0.
I’ll show you how this works with a quick example.
A few years ago I wrote a post about getting more traffic to your site.
It did OK.
But it never cracked the top 5 for my target keyword (“increase website traffic”).
And when I analyzed Google’s first page, I realized why:
My page didn’t satisfy search intent for that keyword.
I’ll explain…
Most of the content ranking for “increase website traffic” listed bite-sized traffic tips.
But my post gave them a high-level process.
This wasn’t the user experience search engine visitors wanted. So I rewrote my content to match this keyword’s Search Intent.
Specifically, I turned my process into a list post:
And now that my content matches Search Intent, it ranks in the top 3 for my target keyword:
Which led to a 70.43% boost in search engine traffic compared to the old version of the post:
That said:
You can (and should) publish content with Search Intent in mind right out of the gate.
In fact, that’s what I did with my recent post: The Ultimate SEO Audit.
I saw that most of the content ranking for “SEO Audit” listed out non-technical steps.
So I included simple strategies that anyone could use:
I even emphasized the fact that my audit was non-technical.
(This hooks people so they don’t bounce back to the search results)
And this Search Intent optimization (and my site’s Domain Authority) helped my post crack the first page of Google within a month.
Step #7: Make Your Content Look Awesome
Design might be the most underrated part of content marketing.
You can have the best content ever written.
But if it looks like this…
…it’s not gonna work.
That’s why I invest a ton of time and money into content design.
For example, you’ve probably seen one of my definitive guides:
These guides are designed and coded 100% from scratch using WordPress.
(Which makes them super expensive to make)
That said:
Great content design doesn’t have to break the bank.
In fact, here are 4 types of visual content that are super easy to pull off.
Graphs and Charts
These work so well that I try to include at least one chart in every post.
Why?
Because they make hard data easy to understand.
For example, take this stat from my mobile SEO guide.
I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time picturing 27.8 billion anything.
So I had our designer create a nice chart.
As a bonus, people will sometimes use your chart in a blog post… and link back to you:
Screenshots and Pictures
You might have noticed that I use LOTS of screenshots in every post.
In fact, this single post has 78 screenshots:
To be clear:
I don’t use screenshots just for the sake of using screenshots.
I only use them if it helps someone implement a specific step.
For example, these screenshots make the 2 steps from this guide dead-simple to follow:
That said:
Screenshots only make sense when you describe something technical.
What if you’re in a non-technical niche… like fitness?
Well, pictures serve the same purpose.
For example, my friend Steve Kamb at Nerd Fitness uses pictures to show you how to do exercises the right way:
Blog Post Banners
Unlike graphs and screenshots, blog post banners serve no practical purpose.
They just look cool 🙂
Depending on the post, I either use a right-aligned 220×200 image…
…or a giant banner at the top of the post:
Graphics and Visualizations
Graphics and visualizations are kind of like charts.
But instead of visualizing data, they visualize concepts.
To be clear:
These DON’T have to be fancy.
For example, in this post I explain how all 4 versions of your site should redirect to the same URL:
This isn’t rocket science.
But it’s hard to picture this idea in your mind.
So our designer made a simple visual that makes this concept easy to understand.
Step #8: Build Links to Your Page
Now it’s time to actively build links to your content.
Specifically, we’re going to tap into 3 link building strategies that are working GREAT right now.
Broken Link Building
Here’s where you find a broken link on someone’s site…
…and offer your content as a replacement.
For example, this is an outreach email that I sent to a blogger in the marketing niche:
(Note how specific I am. I don’t say “Please consider linking to me in a blog post”. I have a specific place on a specific page where my link makes sense)
And because I helped the person out BEFORE asking for anything, they were happy to add my link:
Competitor Analysis
This strategy is old school.
But it still works.
First, find a site that’s ranking for a keyword you want to rank for.
For example, I’m trying to rank for the keyword “SEO Audit”.
So I grab this result from the first page…
…and look at their backlinks.
I can see that this page has links from 160 domains:
So I should be able to get at least a handful of the same links they have.
To do that, I go one-by-one through their backlinks.
And find pages where my link would add value.
For example, this post mentions the Ahrefs content by name:
There’s no reason to link to my post there. So I moved onto the next opportunity on the list.
And I came across this post:
This time, the link to Ahrefs is part of a big list of resources.
A list that would be even BETTER and more complete with a link to my SEO audit post.
Evangelist Method
This strategy is less about links… and more about getting your content in front of the right people.
(Specifically: people that run blogs in your niche)
I’ll explain how this strategy works with an example…
A while back I wanted to promote a new Skyscraper Technique case study.
So I used BuzzSumo to see who recently shared content about The Skyscraper Technique.
And emailed everyone a variation of this template:
And when they replied “sure, I’ll check it out”, I sent them a link to the post:
(Note how I DON’T ask for a share. This is a Judo move that makes your outreach stand out)
Which led to dozens of shares to my brand post:
Step #9: Improve and Update Your Content
This is working amazingly well right now.
You might have read about the time that I used The Content Relaunch to boost my organic traffic by 260.7%:
And I’m happy to tell you that this approach still works.
For example, last year I relaunched this list of SEO techniques.
But I didn’t just re-post the same content and call it “new”.
Instead, I went through and removed old screenshots and images:
Added new strategies:
And deleted strategies that didn’t work anymore:
The result?
An 62.60% organic traffic boost to that page:
Now I’d Like To Hear From You
There you have it:
My 9-step SEO strategy for 2020.
Now I’d like to hear from you…
Which strategy from today’s post are you ready to try first?
Are you going to update and relaunch older content?
Or maybe you want to try Broken Link Building.
Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.
Brian, I can’t wait to try this for my niche sites. Your backlink strategies have always worked well with my sites. I’ll let you know how it goes
Sounds good, Reggie. Keep me posted.
Hi Brian
Thanks for this detailed breakdown. I will use it as a method for my next content campaign for sure.
Glad you’re going to give it a shot, Esben. Let me know how it goes.
Definitely bookmarking this page! The video is very useful and easy to follow. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Rachel! Let me know how the strategy works out for you.
Wow, brilliant strategy! I am thrilled to learn something new and effective that isn’t “black hat”. And yes, this does require work, but that’s precisely what it should require. I would rather see sites ranking high because they contribute terrific content (i.e. useful/interesting infographics) to their niche vs. the person exploiting the latest loophole. But that’s just my opinion 🙂
Thanks, Brian!
I couldn’t agree more, Barbara. The fact is: ranking today takes a ton of work.
Always love your tips. Wondering if you have any tips on how a car dealer might be able to use this strategy.
Thanks John.
There are so many amazing car-related topics you could turn into awesome content. Just off the top of my head I can think of: most expensive cars of all time, James Bond cars, biggest gas guzzlers…
When it’s done you can reach out to blogs in the car space.
This is my first time on your blog. I thought I already know everything about SEO until I saw your techniques. I browsed on your site and almost all your tips are unique and helpful. Thanks Brian!
Thanks Pauline
It’s the first time I read your blog and man… It’s outstanding! Thanks for your unique and useful tips!
Thanks Roberto!
Great advice! All comes down to adding value. The more value you can deliver, the more likely you’ll be to get the link.
Boom. Well said, Matt.
Just found your blog and I am digging it! This is also cool strategy and easy to establish a connection with different bloggers out there. Thanks for the tips Brian!
Thanks Sanjay.
You are absolutely right. The title has the biggest effect in the success of an article. I have the same experience.
You have some very good articles. I’m keep reading… 🙂
Thank you, Andras. That’s true: titles are HUGE.
That’s really and effective SEO strategy. Thank you so much for letting us know.
No prob, Justin.
Awesome idea. Gonna test this out to see how I can tweak it for my clients.
Sounds good, Sarra. Keep me posted.
This is some valuable information cramped in just one page i’ll definitely try these methods on my site
Thanks Hans.
Is there such thing as having too many backlinks?
Sandy, fortunately not. As long as they’re legit, the more the better.
Again, Brian, wonderful article.
Definitely going to apply this practise.
Thanks Matthew. Let me know how it goes.
The article is simply fabulous, I will implement this technique and many of the other techniques mentioned.
Unfortunately, these techniques are not as eficacez in Spanish, but we will do what we can. Thank you.
Sounds good, Roberto. Let me know how it works out.
Hi Brian, thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge globally. I can’t say that I understand everything as I still have lots (and lots) of things to learn, but I’m really happy to have come across your site. I subscribed, of course. 😀
You’re welcome, Zurainny. No worries. Just take it one step at a time and you’ll be set.
Hey Brian!
This is totally like a twin to the Skyscraper Technique! 🙂
My first is already in the works! 🙂
Have you seen success with taking an already successful post (on your own site) and turning it into an infographic?
Be awesome!
Keith Breseé
It’s a really refreshing idea. By doing this, people don’t get bored by your actual plan to influence them. Great!
Glad you liked it, Marieke.
Hello Brain,
I m working in French sem, do you think this startegy ‘ll work ?
Thnkx
Definitely, Sarah. It may even work better because there’s less people using it.
Thanks Brian, this is great!
You’re welcome, Bradley.
Is this the same SEO strategy for magento website? I mean e commerce magento website? thanks
Yes, Pierre, the same principles apply to all ecommerce sites.
Awesome work. I can’t wait to try this out in the next few weeks.
Sounds good, Derek!
Everytime I do some kind of SEO search in Google backlinko seems to be on page 1. Im impressed! 😀
What can I say, Allan, I practice what I preach 🙂
Great concept Brian, I am going to implement this for my business and look forward to more of your advice!
Sounds like a plan, Lars.
Awesome read Dean! A lot of really good information in this article. I’m sure I’ll put this to good use 🙂
Thanks Fraklin. I hope so. This strategy is working really well right now.
Hey Brian, great post!
I’m right at the start of trying out the skyscraper technique with my new blog post so I’ll let you know how that goes (it’s already got great results!)
I’ll be sure to try this out next and give you an update!
Thanks Liam!
Oh cool. The Skyscraper Technique is great. This works really well too.
This is something that I should definitely has a crack at. Seems that if you get it right the results are amazing!
Thanks!
I agree, Nigel. Definitely give it a go.
I’m going to have to put this one into action! Thanks Brian!
Sounds good, Matt.
Brian all of your posts inspire me to get up and do something! I love your actionable style. I am brand new to the blogging biz and currently have 0 traffic. I am hoping to use this as well as other strategies I’ve learned from your posts to change that number! Thanks for all the great info!
Thanks Annie.
Brian, you are just awesome, the tactics explained here are completely unique, following some of your tactics I have also been able to fetch the reply from sites like Huffington. Soon gonna share on my site and with you that how I grew my traffic by more than 1000% 🙂
Oh nice! Glad to see you’re putting my strategies into action, Karan.
Hi Brian
This was extremely useful for me – can’t wait to give it a go 😉
Sounds good, Chris.
Hi Brian,
This post is a real eye opener. I have simply been publishing posts without giving much thought toward how to make it more appealing to users (and of course wondering why I am not getting any visitors). Your post gave me some creative ideas that I can use right away. Thanks.
Sounds good, April. This approach will probably work a lot better.
And another great post by Brian, never gonna get tired from the posts you are publishing! Keep on rockin’!
Thanks Hugh. I’ll keep it up then.
100% grade A quality. I’m not sure that I’ve ever ran across a Google ranking guide that’s quite this thorough, and I’m most definitely bookmarking/sending out to clients. Appreciate your hard work and effort!
Thanks Brandy. As far as I know this is the only one out there.
Ohh man…Just starting an SEO agency. This will come very handy. Thanks Brian.
Yes it will, Sebastian.
Hi Brian
Just want to thank you for this post, very great details and informative, I will apply this strategy for my blog.
Thanks again.
Happy to help, Lan
Hey Brian,
This is a rocking stategy it seems. Never used but atleast this inspires me to get me out of my comfort zone to do something creative and get traffic + rankings. I will definitely give this a try and see how it works for my niche.
Great post mate.
Cheers Keyur
Hey Brian,
Quick Question: What do you use to create your example images? I usually just do a screen shot, but what do you use to make the red arrows and boxes you usually use?
Great post btw… but you knew that lol
Hi RJ, I use greenshot.
Thanks,
Cheers!
Brian, as always your posts are just awesome. Keep them coming 🙂
Thanks Collin.
Another great article Brian! Perfect tips for my niche sites to give them an extra boost on page 1. Thanks!
Happy to help, Holly.
This information was eye-opening for me. As someone who is relatively new to the blog scene, tips like these give me a lot of inspiration for getting a larger following. Thank you for putting all this information in one place!!
👍👍👍
We will definitely try this. Thanks for sharing your ideas! 🙂
You’re welcome, Maribel
Great post. Sort of reflects the changing face of all PR and Marketing. Establish relationships, and provide true value. These are the ways to drive traffic and build a successful business.
The days of just crossing fingers hoping for a hit are over.
Well said, Alena. I 1000% agree.
A consistent theme among your blog posts and SEO course is go against the grain and do something different than other people.
I consider this a “Contrarian SEO” approach and I think it’s super cool you do this. I try to apply this to my day to day job and also in freelance/contractor gigs as they come in.
One question I have is how does someone who has carved out a place in SEO beat the OG contrarian SEO?
Thanks Arash. That’s a tough one. I recommend developing your own strategies and techniques. If they go against the grain, great. If not, as long as you have something that works, people will listen either way.
You’re a bad mama-jama Brian.
Thanks 👍👍👍👍
Hey Brian, You always rock, and provides great knowledge to your followers, and I’m one if your follower too. Thanks for this amazing info😊
You’re welcome, Amit.
Good information, as always, Brian. I will digest this slowly & get back to you if I have any questions. Thanks again for your help on helping us all!
Sounds good. Let me know how it goes.
Hello Brian,
Just wanted to say, thank you for this awesome Blog.
You’re welcome, Amit. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for sharing such an amaizng Strategies. Your SEO Strategies help to rank much faster on Google. Hope you will come with more new strategies in Future.
No problem, Rayyan. Glad you learned some new strategies from today’s post.
Great post Brian! But in this strategy you haven’t spoke about Rank brain algorithm, as you specific only user intent. Any updates for rank brain algorithm
RankBrain is how Google measures and interprets the user experience/user intent signals. It’s involved in almost every query, so it’s always running behind the scenes.
Hi Brian, this is a real, eye-opening info for me too. I’ve been struggling to get some of my ‘confident pages’ ranked high, felt like I’d done everything I could.
I’ve read this article of yours twice now and am going to apply as much as I can. Thank you for sharing your advice! 🙂
That’s great to hear, Ray. I hope this helps your pages get on the right track.
receive just your newsletter! Thanks for the information ! Is this also working for a real based Website?
You’re welcome, Dominik. Not sure what you mean by “real based website”. Did you mean real estate?
Hi, Brian. Your every content is fantastic. I always follow your instructions. Thanks.
You’re welcome, Boris
Thanks you so much for helping me by this Superb SEO strategy . Very useful information for ranking my website on google.
Thanks again Brian ! Keep posting
You’re welcome, Bharat. Glad to hear that my strategies have helped you!
Hello Brian,
Your content is a great tool always to explore SEO. There are many take-aways in each post. Thank you for this and keep sharing thru 2019 as well.
Cheers from Turkey!
You’re welcome, Can. Glad you enjoyed the post!
Something I learned today. A good SEO strategy is to update article every few months like Brian :). without a lot of extra work you will boost your search engine traffic…. and rankings.
That’s definitely a good strategy 🙂
Learnt new thing again. Thanks Brian for the great post.
You’re welcome, Vara.
Thanks, Brian,
I will try some of your SEO strategies. I hope it works for my health niche.
I hope so too, Isreal. Let me know if you have any questions.
Writing a really useful post and making it look great are two different things.Then comes the rest. A very good strategy to take the post to the next level
Well said.
Amazing as always Brian!
Thanks Davis 👍👍👍
Great article, Brian. Like that you’re finally talking about Domain Authority (DA). It’s essential to make skyscraper technique work as well. Also, a great pointer on comments as I have personally seen articles perform well because of comments. Do you recommend closing the comments as well a few days after the article is published? Kinda like Copyblogger does now.
Thanks Chintan. I actually keep them open. The problem with that is that most of the GOOD comments come in early. Then, a higher and higher percentage of the posts are spammy. You still get some good comments. But not as many. So I can see why some sites close comments after a few days.
Always great stuff, Brian! I can’t help but feel a little self-indulgent to see my SEO Auditor ranking #1 in your screen shots 🙂
Thanks Dario. You should feel proud: that’s an awesome keyword. Solid search volume and a high CPC.
That’s a great guide! Right in time for my new idea about a branded guide to create blog posts. You said branded things are awesome to get backlinks and shares, so will I.
I think I will link to some guides of yours and let you know for future updates and collaborations, Brian!
Regards,
Marco
Sounds good, Marco. Let me know how it goes.
Hey Brian. Your Website is awesome but your Website Content is Amazing thanks
I appreciate that.
Anytime I visit your blog, I leave better than I came, thumbs up
Thanks!
Hi,
Thanks for the information. It is very useful and I’ll be following the information.
You’re welcome, Graham.
Super awesome ideas, Brian
Thanks for putting great efforts to write about the SEO.
Organic traffic is always my dream and hence I focus more on SEO.
What is your viewpoint about Keyword Density?
Do you focus on it?
Thanks Nirmala. I don’t pay any attention to keyword density these days. I just make sure that I use my target keyword a few times on the page.
Bang bang…
I got a new strategy #Content partnership
Awesome 👍
I want to add one more strategy (home page interlinking strategy that will boost ranking of other pages)
Hidden Natural secret
I am going to share with you this amazing strategy on my blog with real life example.
Sounds good Sammy. I’d like to read that post.
Always love your content dean. thanks for the new post 🙂
No problem, Eric. Happy to help.
Very Nice… I’ve been on to broken Links technics but hasn’t work out…i run an Entertainment blog…I want to try and create a community for my site…gained that from today’s lesson…
Thanks Brian, I will be glad if you can do a little help for me over my blog…
Sounds good, Ahmmed. A community can only help your site grow.
Hi Brian, your trick with google image is awesome!
I’m using that feature in google image for so many times, but it didn’t cross my mind to use it in my content..
Great post btw
Thanks Irvan. You’re the first person to comment on that! I think a lot of people missed that because it’s kind of buried in the middle of the post.
I recognize a skyscraper when I see one! Great post, My biggest takeaway is to try and make a better result when the SERP is filled with list posts. Optimizing for user intent for 2019.
HA! Good one Jeff. Same here: user intent optimization is going to be huge in 2019.
This article is very important for me. But I can’t understand what you mean by the word of Jot down in step 2.
Jot down=write down.
Thanks Brian for sharing SEO strategy. I learned a lot from your article.
You’re welcome
Hi Brian,
I’ve been reading your stuff for about a year now and it has helped our blog immensely. Obviously your custom charts and graphics are awesome, but I think they’re a bit over done on this particular post.
It felt like I had to scroll and scroll to get to a few sentences of your advice before scrolling again. I think you’re a great writer, and at the end of the day that’s why people read your stuff, so it’d be nice if there was some more written content to go along with all the visuals.
Just wanted to share my opinion!
Thanks for the feedback, Grant.
This is honestly more than a post, Brian: it’s a treasure. I have already bookmarked it! The backlinks work pretty well for me: I started a travel blog 90 days ago and I’m glad that I could reach a DA of 12. I think that I’m gonna try the (shall I call it like this since I have a travel blog?) “Off the beaten path keyword” next. I already have an idea after reading your article, so I ‘ll try to write about it and implement ypur techniques.
Thank you very much for sharing, I’m always glad to receive your newsletter (which brought me here). Cheers!
You’re welcome, George. Good luck with the new travel blog!
Does it matter which platform you use for comments?
I haven’t tested this but I’m confident Google can see comments/community with most comment options (WordPress, Disqus etc.)
Thanks Brian!
This is a very comprehensive article and I really love it. Keep up the good work here.
Thank you
Brian My SEOman …. You do a brilliant job (Insane actionable). I was reading your post “21 Actionable SEO Techniques That Work GREAT in 2018 ” in my office
and suddenly I got an email notification about this article. Generally, I watch your YouTube videos, again and again, every night because I have a problem with my eyes and I cannot read for a long time. I
I read, watch and note down all points so that I can use it in my next article.
Brian my hero… If you get time, please upload more videos.
one in 15 days …. or I am also happy if you do once in a month or once in two months. I would be grateful to you. Thanks love from India
👍👍👍👍
Seems like an old post? Says updated today, but it’s the same ol stuff you’ve always taught, so I’m confused. In the email that went out, you said ythis is a ‘new strategy’, but what is new about this strategy than skyscraper? Find content people search for, write better content, outreach, etc.
Am I missing something?
Why aren’t the comments dated? From a user experience perspective, I’d definitely date the comments…. I’m like ‘what, the heck, where are the dates? Is he hiding them cuz this is an old post? Are these questions and comments even relevant anymore?’
Ty, not sure what to tell you. This is a 100% new post.
Refreshing old content with new content, images, etc. has been my latest SEO strategy. TBD on results, but I know it’s making a better UX overall.
That’s great, Rachel. That’s a good point: there’s really no downside to updating and improving old content.
A HUGE thanks to you Brian, I always follow your strategies and these work for me. It is the blog where I find something special. And I want to tell you that just following your On Page SEO guidelines, I ranked on page 1 with ZERO backlinks. WOW! Before that, I wasn’t able to bring my article event on 3rd page. You are Awesome! Again thanks 🙂
NICE
Hi Brian,
Building the backlinks is not so easy task.
What will be your advice for those with limited resources and time:
– Would it better to create one comprehensive article covering multiple keywords and create many backlinks to it?
-Or it is better to create multiple articles to different keywords and create few backlinks to each separate article in the blog?
Thanks for your answer in advance!
Definitely one comprehensive article.
Come on Brian….
It’s 2019 already, give us a real content not just changing the year and add a few bits of content on the old article.
ahahaha great content anyway, Thanks!
What?! This is on an old URL but the content is 100% new.
So this is 100% new content on the same URL?
What’s more important assets to website? Is it the URL or the content? By discarding old contents, you simply throw away lots of effort, time and money. How you can be so sure that the new content will be better than the old content?
Exactly. The content on this URL was outdated. So I wrote a completely new post to replace it.
Thanks, Brian for such a great article and all of your tips are amazing and really helpful for me.
Happy to help
What if I can’t Find exact match niche for guest Post outreach but can find “somehow” related sites or cross niche sites… will the guest post links add any value due to not very relevant ?
It depends how relevant they are. As long as they’re somewhat related, you’re good. That said, the more relevant the site linking to you the better.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for your 2019 tips. As a startup business I’m researching heavily on all SEO matters and you’re giving me the confidence to succeed. Just one question if I may. I’m creating a platform that will have 50,000 pages… As it’s practically impossible to create backlinks to all individual pages, do backlinks count from the domain, for example blog posts. Thanks, Matt
Hey Matt, you’re welcome. Yes, exactly: backlinks to blog posts can help all of your pages rank better.
Hey Brian, you seem to be adding more and more images to your blog posts, this is obviously something that you think helps rank, or is it simply satisfying user intent?
Hey Matt, I don’t think images help rankings directly. It’s more to make the post easier to follow and understand, which can indirectly help with rankings.
You’re a genius Brian (and definitely not a failure). I’m saying this because it’s just dawn on me what kind of thought leader you need to be to gather tens of thousands of following.
Thanks Thomas. I appreciate that.
Great post Brian, thanks. I must say, although it me literally the entire day to process and implement these strategies, it has been worth it. Will be watching my page closely to see how well it’ll do. Great stuff
Thanks Amu. SEO is definitely worth it!
Hey Brian, terrific article as always, I’m a big fan. I was wondering does Google mainly take backlinks into account for DA? If you have a site with high traffic but few backlinks will it still rank highly in search results?
Thanks Alison. That’s right: Google mostly uses backlinks to determine a site’s Domain Authority. There are probably other signals that go into it (like branded searches). But links are the big one.
Wow, I just start to learn SEO a few month ago, and this article make me clear how to do SEO, especialy in SEO content strategy..
Step 3 and 4 will be my focus now..
and which one are better for new website like what I have,
focus to create one quality content each week or
just publish content each day until I reach a lot of content to start think about more deep quality content?
thank you for your advice!
Thank you. Definitely focus on quality.
Brian, i like the article a lot, just one question, how do you find that keyword? what made you choose the seo audit keyword? how do you get to that point? Thanks man an enjoy your stuff
Hey Steve, part of it was the fact that “SEO audit” is an Opportunity Keyword. Other than that, I used the strategies outlined here: https://backlinko.com/keyword-research
I never thought of searching Google images! I’ll definitely have to try that. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Joanna, you’re welcome. Glad you noticed that! That’s a cool tip from the post that most people missed.
Thanks for this great, detailed post, Brian! I love “The Evangelist Method” … will be trying that for sure! 😃
You’re welcome, Kalli. Let me know how The Evangelist Method works out for you.
Thanks again for another informative list! Some of the suggestions make my head spin but I’m going to start with reviewing user intent and updating my older posts. I also can see the merits in providing in-depth data and know the opportunity cost would be worth it.
You’re welcome, Gem. Updating older content is a great first step.
I tried your step #6 (aka Skyscraper 2.0), and it really works!!!!! My page shot up from page 3 to page 1 and stays there! Thanks.. 🙂 Just curious. On average, how much time do you spend on one guest post?
Awesome! I usually spend about 10-15 hours on a guest post.
Hi brian,
Thanks for your amazing post. I have a question How many links we can put in A page that has high authrity ? And can we link keywords of the same article to new post? Is it wisely? What is your advise? Thank you.
You’re welcome, Aroos. You can technically put hundreds. But I recommend sticking to <50
Great article Brian, I an making a real go of it in quite a busy and tough niche (Blogging Tips and Affiliate Marketing) really attempting to do just really detailed posts (10k+ once a week) targeting different keywords for each post (obviously! duh!)
couple of questions…
1) How long before I see traction in new site?
2) My content for many posts are quite similar showing how to build sites in different niches but telling the same techniques, methods on gaining traffic and social media presence…could this, similar LSI keywords penalise my SEO efforts?
Thanks Derek. 1. That’s really hard to answer. It depends on the keywords you pick, how much outreach you do etc. etc. 2. I’d definitely try to make each piece of content 100% unique and cover different topics.
Awesome! I’m practising every single strategy on Backlinko, and it works… really well. My site generate 100,000 to 1,000,000 visitors per month.
But I just focus on my local country, much easier to rank 🙂
As long I can make some money.
That’s a lot of traffic. Nice work!
Thank you for sharing this effective SEO strategy, Brian. I like your putting a lot of images and useful information in the article. It makes it much easier for a foreigner to understand your articles! Please keep publishing such an awesome content. I would love to share it in my country 🙂
No problem. Happy to help
Really nice post! It takes me actually an hour to read (English as my second language) but well worth the time to read and understand. 🙂
Thanks, Brian! Keep up the great work!
You’re welcome, Zella. Glad you enjoyed it!
Good stuff Brian! One thing I like to do for Step #9 is use Search Console as a guide to improving my content. If I write an article about “green widgets” but Search Console says it’s getting a lot of impressions and clicks for “blue-green widgets” then I’ll try to use that info to make my article more relevant and useful for those readers. That alone is a great way to continually update your content to reflect your “momentum” in Google. Thanks for the updated guide!
Nice! Awesome strategy, Dustin
As usual that is a really helpful and extensive SEO tactics article!
I am working in Travel and all your tests, indications and tips helps me a lot getting more organic traffic.
I Increased my traffic on the website significantly by reading you and trying to apply some practices.
Thanks for that Brian!
Idea: why not a complete guide especially for commercial product pages?
You’re welcome Trystan. I’m glad to hear that your traffic is improving. And thanks for the content suggestion!
Hi Brian,
your tips are great. I am going to use competitor backlink and post-relaunch technique for my sites.
👍👍👍
Semantic SEO is supper supper amazing for my content right now !!!!
Thank Brian !
You’re welcome, Jessica.
So long and in depth. You definitely go that extra mile for helping the community. I couldn’t help but notice how much time u have invested to put this amazing post. Keep it up.
Brian, Im a blogger who is blogging in health and fitness niche. After reading your post, im wondering how can i use the hook technique in my niche.
Good question, Mannu. I’m not in your niche so I’m not 100% sure. Your best bet is to see what people in your space already link to.
Just noticed your blog today, SEO I really need it, I want to try the method you said. My website is new and there is no traffic for the time being. Thank you
You’re welcome, Allen
Hello Brain,
Great post. Can you please let me know how can i find opportunity keywords? Is there any tool or tip?
Thanks
You’re welcome. Your best bet is to look at the SERPs and see how much stuff is crowding out the organic results.
Thanks Brian,
I just started a blog this new year, I will start implementing these amazing tips. Your video Seo tips helped me a lot last time.
Sounds good. Best of luck with the new blog!
wow that’s a very detailed post but have one question regarding redirecting, as you mentioned in your post that all four URLs should redirect to yourwebsite.com but what I’m doing is
www livingeasyaruba.com
livingeasyaruba.com
All these versions are redirecting to
www livingeasyaruba.com instead livingeasyaruba.com as you mentioned.
Am I doing something wrong? Should I redirect as you mentioned?
Looking forward… thank you.
Hi Herbert, as long as they all redirect to the same place, you’re good. So it looks like you’re all set.
Great, thank you so much for clearing this out.
Interesting post!
“Content Partnership” is looking unique and effective for SEO. It’s new for me.
It will be great if I found an opportunity with you. 🙂
Thanks, Brian.
You’re welcome 👍👍👍
Hello Brian,
As I am beginner, I would like to confirmation from you about what SEO strategy will work at this stage. As I know, it takes time and patience to build an authoritive domain. What should be the strategy (listed above) apply to get atleast some good amount of traffic.
Thank You!
You’re welcome. I’d just follow all of the steps in this guide.
Hello Brian,
Amaaaaazing post as usual !
I just have one question about Short URLs.
I already knew that short URLs are better, but is it more important than the structure of your site?
For example, you could have created categories for your blog :
-Youtube
-Linkbuilding
-Case Studies
-…
Is it only because it would have resulted in longer URLs that you did not do it ?
Thanks
Good question. There’s nothing wrong with adding categories to your URLs. Like you said, they do make your URLs longer, which I generally don’t like.
Thanks Brian for such informative article… how you do that… its very informative guide I am very impressed of your work. Keep up the great work 👍👍👍
Thanks!
I have started new startup ,and this is very useful for me …Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome
Hi Brain Dean,
I like most of way to improve Organic Search traffic and
My first step will be to Improve and Update existing Content(Blog Post).
But I have few questions like
1. All of the above tips/ Ideas can work for Blogging website but how we can implement them on service pages?
2. For Internet linking as you, we need to give the link from high authority page to new pages. Generally, we are adding the link of our old blog post in new blog same way you did in this blog post. Will it ok or we need to make some changes?
1. This is definitely content-focused. Some of the tips apply to services pages though (like the on-page SEO stuff). 2. I’m not sure exactly what you mean.
Hi Brian,
You are always amazing with work. I don’t understand how does your mind think so different which gives awesome output.
These 9-Step SEO Strategy for 2019 are really amazing infact this post for SEO Strategy for 2019 is something unique to learn for SEO 2019
Thank you, Nia.
I’m restarting our startup’s content and SEO strategy and I am so lost. However, on an insanely brighter note, I’m soooo glad to receive this article in my inbox. I’m excited to put your strategy to work. Thank you, Brian!
Nice! Happy to help Priscilla
Hello Brian,
As your every post gives us insights on the subject… I have one question how to develop the go-to mindset for the SEO strategy? any long term habit which gives you best result in long term.
Thanks…
I’d say the #1 mindset is always experiment.
Thanks a lot for sharing these amazing strategies. Will surely try in 2019.
Sounds good, Derk.
Good day Mr. Brian. I am blessed reading this post. Have a question for you.
When you want to write a list article e.g 71 ways to grow old.
Do you include 71 as a keyword?
I’m not sure what you mean by “as a keyword”.
Thank you Brian for another great post. I intend to start putting more effort into styling my content. I’ve mostly been using pics from ShutterStock but I agree with you that good design is worth the time, effort and cost. I’m also going to refresh our content and client content we produced for some quick wins. Keep up the great work.
You’re welcome, Brian. Good call. It takes more effort to custom design everything. But in my experience, it’s totally worth it.
Thanks for sharing such quality content online. I really loved the way you have written this blog post. SEO is the most important factor if you want to increase your online network. SEO, not just only helps in getting more organic traffic via search engines but also builds a good brand authority online. I have learned a few new tips which I think can help me out improving my blog’s SEO score. Looking forward to more quality content in the future… 🙂
👍👍👍
Another killer post Brian, well done. I just like how you make it so easy with all the images and examples even for beginners and people who just start with SEO! Thanks for all your work.
You’re welcome, Tim.
This strategy is very fact-finding, your tips are very helpful, in fact, the first time I saw your video on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkgLUo82eWg I am really amazed how straight-forward your tips are, So I subscribed to your mailing list to be updated. Looking forward to your future post. Thanks, Brian.
Thanks April
Great Post Brian. I love to read your blog and I think that this strategy should be applying on my next Blog content.
Thanks Nick
Thanks for these amazing tips, You rock 🙂
You’re welcome, Patrice!
Hey Brian,
I recently come across a case study where a newly found business was able to climb up high in search results without building links. Their strategy was to create a buzz for their main business term across social media platforms and they made people talk about it as well as visit their respective pages. In 2019, Do we have to look at various means through which we can improve our rankings without building links? What are your thoughts? I am sure Rank Brain also listen to what people talk about a brand or business than just identifying it through backlinks.
We have seen in 2018 some personalities ranking for certain terms, only because of what people were talking about points at it.
Hey Saheen, I’ve seen pages rank for non-competitive keywords without links. But if you look at any sort of competitive keywords, all the top pages have links.
Thanks for the ideas – I’m laboriously working my way through them all. Quick question about design. Where would an SMB owner like me get someone who can do the whole thing, once the content was written? Or would it really have to be – graphic designer – web developer with me in the middle?
They Geoff, it would probably be you in the middle at least at first. Then, you might be able to find a project manager to go between writers, designer and developers.
I’m making a content push commitment this year on a new blog and love researching. I’ll be using ahrefs and buzzsumo to spy on my competitors! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Tammy.
That’s what we were looking for our new site. Brian, I have to say about content optimization for old posts. We did experiment with 2-3 pages in site and it worked well. thanks to you.
Glad to hear that, Kay. I’ve noticed the same thing: updating and improving old posts is working really well right now.
Thanks a bunch.
Hey Brian as usual simply the best SEO strategy clearly set out in a skyscraper post, I have seen you grow and followed you for years because you are simply the best that I have seen, not BS and you are right about hooks and rich content and lots of it. brilliant stuff Brian – awesome!
Thanks John!
Another excellent article Brian, all the tips that you have written are great and actionable, I liked the most the first tip about finding “the opportunity keyword” because that’s the start of a great SEO campaign.
Anyway, thank you again for all of your work.
You’re welcome, Burim
Hi brian,
It is great stuff, this post is my most favourite blog post of your blog Backlinko.
I want to know that, what steps I need to follow to be a master of keyword research. Please tell me about this.
Thanks. I’d read this guide: https://backlinko.com/keyword-research
Hey Brian,
Another excellent article! I’m particularly excited to start leveraging some of your ideas around case studies at my own company. Thanks for putting in all the hard work. 🙂
Sounds good, Dan. Let me know how it goes
Thanks, Brian you did a great job. You explained these tips in a very simple way anyone can learn quickly. This is my first comment on your blog, and I am super excited to follow these tips for my own site. Well done
Thanks! I appreciate your kind words
Thank you for a great post.
I have a question: the social share is a ranking factor or just increase the authority of the site?
You’re welcome, Ruth. I think social signals can help a page temporarily rank.
Hi, Brian.
I learn a lot from you – blog and youtube. Cool SEO stuffs
I have a question. How to apply the 9 SEO Strategies to a new homepage – not a blog post? Or do you have a reference of your articles? Please send me the link.
Also, I want to target keywords on my local language – bahasa Indonesia. Is SEO tools like aherfs or other tools applicable for the local language – not english? Or do you have suggestion?
Really appreaciate to get some insights from you.
++ How do I know if you reply my comment? Sorry, because you got a huge comments and I had difficulty to look for my comment.
Hi Clement, most of these strategies don’t apply to a homepage. Unless your homepage is a valuable piece of content. Re: tools, it depends on each tool.
Brian. You are the best.
What SEO Strategy would you recommend for a fresh website?
I have no problem ranking with high DA domain. But a new site is a whole other game.
Maybe you have some pro tips on it. Or you could create a killer content explaining in details 😉
Thanks in advance.
I’d follow this exact plan for a new site too.
Glad i came across this post! The perfect way to start my SEO year!
👍👍👍
So this is great for lots of content. Would love to get your thoughts someday on ecommerce, specifically product pages and category pages.
Here you go: https://backlinko.com/ecommerce-seo
Brian,
I see all your post has all comments listed to them.
1. Loading all comments(which is consider conent of the page I guess) will help or hurt SEO?
2. Loading comment will slow down page, get from source(db) and then page size. Does this hurt SEO? Your post are very very long with hundreds of comment which load your page slowly but does not seems to hurt your SEO.
Yes, comments definitely slow down page loading. So it’s a balance of what’s more important. My priority is to make it easy for people in the Backlinko community to comment and give their take… even if that slows down the page a little.
Thanks, Brian! Your blog is one of the few websites I direct enter URL in the address bar to swallow your excellent content every week. Your content helps me rank top #1 some of my niche site in just 2 months.
Nice!
Hi Brian,
Excellent reading as always. Question on the comments and being selective. As a webmaster then do you delete comments that come in of that sort such as ‘interesting’ ; ‘great flower store’ or rubbish of that sort? These are the ones that aren’t spam but almost.
Hi Yash, I usually only trash those. Most of the time people that say “great post” mean it. So it’s not fair to hit “spam” and get them banned from commenting on other sites.
Hi Brian,
Great strategies as always! Can you help me to get my head around the difference between posting an article which is different to stand out (Step 3) and an article which is the same to meet user intent (Step 6). How can I do both at the same time?
Hi Caron, thanks! Great question. It’s honestly not easy to do. But it’s doable with enough research. For example, take my SEO tools post: https://backlinko.com/seo-tools. Because I reviewed 150+ tools, it stands out. And because it has a filter for people to find the tools that are a good fit for them, it meets user intent. Hope that helps.
Very clear explainations, thanks a lot!
No problem, Laudine. Happy to help
Thanks Brian for sharing this very long post on SEO Strategy. I got a question for you. How much time do you spend before posting a large post like this one?
You’re welcome, Kurban. A post like this takes around 25 hours from start to finish.
…and takes roughly 70 days for a user to fully digest 🙂
Hello sir!
I am Suman and I have my own Metro taxi business, I build my website and did seo, I read your sharing and apply to my metro taxi business website! In just 1 month I got my keywords on 2nd page without buying any backlink this is all because of backlinko!
I just love your Blog Thanks for the sharing and please always share latest things and updates for local business owners!
Thanks!
Awesome Suman!
Thanks Brian, great content as always. Am going to try and implement all of the above! Moving our ecommerce site to shopify from woocommerce and looking at content and seo again from scratch.
Sounds good, Bev. Let me know how it goes.
Thank you so much Brian, I have learned a lot from you.
My favorite: update the old content (while you add internal links), the broken links techniques, use graphic and pictures
You’re welcome, Michele
If I could publish a detailed post like this one, I’ll go for presidency, with a thousand point agenda memo 🙂 Thanks Brian, bookmarked!
LOL. Sounds good, Tomi
Its very hard for a do-it-yourself kind of guy to learn all aspects of SEO. But i do find your website to be filled with helpful information. We all know a good seo guy will run $500 a month and a small towing business has enough overhead. So i like to come a read about methods to self improve my seo.
I appreciate your information. Your website rocks!
Happy to help, Stan.
You always go so in depth and precise, and that’s why your content ranks and why people love it so much! Keep being awesome brother, look forward to more and new things coming from you. Launch this year forward!
Thanks Johnathan. I appreciate that.
Hi Brian, this content is really really great, as usual. But could u tell me how the method you do the brainstorm before making a writing frame, and start writing ? Your article is comfortable to read even though it’s very long. It’s so amazing for me.
Thanks Rizki. Thank you! That’s a lot to cover in a blog comment.
Great article Brian. Keep up the good work.👍
Thanks Arjun!
Hi Brian,
Please let us be fair, how long does it take for a great post like this one to complete
I had a post that took me 20 hours because of the images and editing (sorting sections to the best of my knowledge) and I am completely very reluctant to do it again
I know to rank good you have to write an epic post but it is very hard for one man show how is raising up 2 little boys
Hi Sameh, it’s about the same for me: it takes 20-ish hours to write a post like this.
Can’t wait to implement all those tips to my new site. thanks for awesome value.
I have question to you? which tools you use to take and edit screenshoot like this?
Sounds good. To answer your question: Greenshot + Photoshop
Snipping Tool is pretty cool too… Windows utility. Search for it.
Amazing content as always. Brian I noticed this post was just easier and smoother to read. Or maybe it was my passion to go through all.
Thanks so much for sharing all this great info!
Thanks Yash.
I’d love to see the WordPress Plugins that you have on your site. That would be a great post.
Thanks James. I might write a post on that.
brian, I hear now that Google is more in the commercial direction, while most of the visitors, in my opinion, are looking for reviews of a product (not directly buying) – will the review site be far behind?
because some of my competitors now like online stores are jumping like GHOST to the first position, even if they look at ahrefs they have 0 backlinks?
Great and impressive article! Sounds good, but looks good for blogs where you are giving usefull information to readers, like strategies, advices etc. But unfortunately I can now hardly imagine how I will apply it in the gambling industry, where people are just looking for bonuses, but not for useful content. But I will try, will try to improve firstly user intent.
Brian Dean I honestly admire the effort you put into all your blog post and how educative they are because am usually stuck at max 1500 words blog article when writing, but seeing the effort you put in its encouraging.
Well, of all the 9 strategies you discussed on, I would try “Email Blogger Outreach” especially with your kind of format if that’s ok by you?
Sounds good, Felix
Hi Brian – what a great article. I especially like how every one of your posts gives me 3-5 other posts that will also help my sites do better. This guide is going to be super helpful for my existing sites, especially on my YMYL sites that took a bit of a dip in late 2018 and need anything to help recover from the drop.
Any advice/posts you would recommend on how to accelerate brand new websites and urls with no age?
Hey Brian, Great info indeed.
Umm, could you please tell me which tool you use to snip out screenshots?. They are high quality ones.
Hi!
A very easy tool to snip out screenshots is the Snipping Tool, and every Windows computer has it.
Simply click on the Start button, search for snipping tool, and when you’re on the page or object that you want, click New, then drag, and there you have it.
All that’s left for you is to save it and use it as you see fit.
That’s great Brian
I too personally believe that creating something different or new type of content increases the chance of getting natural links.
Brian, I have a question and I want your point of view about it
My question is: How the anchor text of Internal links play role in ranking an article to the top position in Google?
Regards
Abhishek
Thank you. I like to use keyword-rich anchor text for internal links. It’s a small signal to Google, but still helps
Thanks for your suggestion, Brian
Hi Brian,
I agree updating the post helps it move up on Google.
However, the tip I struggle with is making my post better.
For example, I posted a list of 137 free blogging tools last year.
It briefly ranked badly in the SERPs and now doesn’t rank at all.
I am confused. I go to the lengths of making something 10X better not to see results. Can you please explain so I can make sure my efforts produce better results next time? Thanks!
Janice
Hey Janice, I’d check out this post: https://backlinko.com/skyscraper-technique-2-0. User Intent might be the missing piece
Really informative post Brian. I am a great fan of your skyscraper technique.That simple strategy could really produce amazing results.I am quite surprised by the social share counts that each of your article receives.Are you practicing any specific technique for a wider social media recognition?
Thanks Joe. It’s all about creating shareable stuff and getting it in front of people. Social sharing buttons help too 🙂
Hi Brian. Another great post. First one of your’s I’m reading this year, been a hectic start. But this is something I’m happy I got my hands on early.
Passing this on to the team, always love how you break it down to practical steps man! Thanks so much.
Wish I could get something like this every day from you! 🙂
All the best for the year ahead!
Looking forward to what you have to say this year, especially now that SEO is moving into a super interesting phase.
Thanks Jandre. I appreciate your support.
Thanks for a great article Brian!
I just started a new project/website after selling my old business last year.
This time around I would like to get everything right from the start, as i’ve learnt a lot from my last venture.
One thing I have a hard time deciding on is folder/silo structure and internal linking structure.
I used to have a flat architecture, (domain.com/article name) this time I’m going for silos. This means many important pages will be “further away” from the index page.
What do you prefer, flat or silo? I know you have a flat architecture on backlinko, but if you started today, would you do it the same way?
Also, some people argue only(as much as possible at least) to internal link between pages within the same folder structure. If you need to link to a page in another folder, link to the parent of that folder instead.
(This is apparently to keep the integrity of the folders)
I’ve never done it that way myself, do you have any thoughts on it?
Keep up the good work!
Hey Maria, You’re welcome 🙂 I still prefer flat architecture. But honestly, I don’t think it’s a big deal either way.
Thanks for the great info Brian. I have a goal of 10x ing our organic traffic this year and you’ve been a huge help so far!
You’re welcome, Pail. Let me know how it goes.
Once again – awesome read. I’ve been implementing and re-teaching several of your tactics to our members.
Between you and Neil, there isn’t really anyone else I recommend for SEO or online marketing.
Keep up the awesome work Brian.
Thanks David
Great your technique always work for me, I’m glad to let you know I use your technique and my traffic goes 440-1.23k
Thank’s Brian
😊love from India.
Nice!
“The Hook” is that one thing missing from my process!
This is a fantastic tip that should 10x the keyword research.
Thank you, Brian.
You’re welcome, Carlo. Let me know how it goes
Thanks so much for sharing Brian. We’ve been religiously applying these methods into our client’s projects and have found great success!
Awesome!
Great article and I think it’s really cool you take the time to respond to every comment.
Thanks Arash
NICE
Many thanks for this detailed post. Two ideas I’ll be adopting: short URLS and content upgrading.
This is a very well thought out article, thank you Brian! Very easy to read as well, which I find is invaluable when you’re trying to learn new skills/tricks.
I’ve just taken the SEO role at my agency full time and, whilst it can be difficult at times, I am liking the challenge. I wonder if you had any suggestions when it came to finding “opportunity keywords” for term/subjects that don’t necessarily have massive search volumes associated to them? I use a few tools and utilise Google’s related terms already, but wondered if there were any tricks for finding new markets?
Thanks Max.I’d try out seedkeywords.com
Hi Brian,
Great post! Love all of your content. One question, with what kind of tool do you make the screenshots? If we make Them, the quality realy is so awefull.
Hi Brian,
A friend recommended your blog. Its great, wow, i learnt a lot in just a single day from reading all the posts.
I am going to launch a travel blog and I am interested to know if you think its a significant detriment to launch it on a WordPress site built with a visual builder? Apparently it affects the SEO due to”shortcodes”.
The main advantage is obviously its much easier for me to construct but i would rather pay for a developer if its going to start me off on the wrong foot!
Thanks
Iain
Iaian, thank you. It’s hard to say without knowing more details. That said, I agree that paying a developer is worthwhile for the new site.
You make it sound so simple, well of course apart from the hard work that goes on in the background
It’s simple. But not easy 🙂
Great post Brian! It helps me a lot.
Keep up the great work 🙂
Hi Brian Dean,
Always use to read your blog. Yes, your strategies are right if I have a blog. But I have a service based website then how could I apply the same SEO Strategies?
Very in-depth information, Brian. I love the part about updating old content, I still find old articles in search results, sometimes 3+ years ago that are clearly out of date when it comes to marketing topics. I usually skip those results, and wonder how that content is still ranking, but it would be great if everyone updated that content. This entire post is full of useful tips, as usual. I am bookmarking now, and sharing-
Thank You for a Fantastic Post Brian!
I only started a brand new project/website following selling my previous company this past year.
This time around I’d love to get everything straight from the beginning, like I’ve learnt a great deal from my past venture.
1 thing that I have a tough time choosing is folder/silo construction and internal linking structure.
I used to get a level structure, (domain.com/article title ) this time I am opting to get silos. This implies many crucial pages will probably be”farther away” in the catalog page.
What should you prefer, apartment or silo? I understand you get a level structure on backlinko, however should you started now, do you do it the exact same way?
Additionally, some folks claim only(as far as you can ) to inner connection between pages inside precisely the exact same folder structure. Should you have to link to some page in a different folder, then link into the parent of the folder instead.
Hi Brian,
Love your stuff! I’m getting ready to launch my first “Ultimate Guide” based on all your help 😀 I’m excited (and a little nervous)!
When launching a new piece of SEO-optimized content, do you recommend launching it as a “page” or a “post” (I’m using WordPress).
Also, does if Google Analytics is already set up on the site, will the new page/post be automatically tracked? Or do I have to do anything special to make sure it’s properly tracked?
Thanks for all your help!
Brian, thanks for the great detail in your posts like always. What would be your advice on branded anchor text for backlinks? Should this be the #1 anchor text target? Or is the naked URL the #1 concern? Thanks!
I read to the end of the post and just wanted to see if I made it in that 90%…Ha JK! I currently have a few browser tabs open with your posts to help me put together content that needs a lot of work. I’m confident in the results I will get because of how well you lay out all the information. My SEO Mount Rushmore has your head on it for sure!
I will always find time to read your posts because they are just the best.
Thank you 🙂
Awesome post Brian. I recently found your website / channel and have been implementing some of your tactics to find great results! I appreciate how in-depth you go with your topics. Keep it up!
Thanks Eric. I appreciate that.
Geez Brian, as comprehensive as ever. I really like the Google image idea BTW. Thanks for posting.
Happy to help, Derek
I can’t believe he did all those things alone. This knowledge is really useful, and to be honest, these techniques do not require too much experience or skill. The beginners can absolutely do that.
Very in-depth information, Brian. I love the part about updating old content, I still find old articles in search results, sometimes 3+ years ago that are clearly out of date when it comes to marketing topics. I usually skip those results, and wonder how that content is still ranking, but it would be great if everyone updated that content.
Regards
Thank you, David.
Definitely going to give broken link building a try! I have had reasonable success with guest posting, now its time to kick my link building into high gear! Great stuff as always Brian.
Thank You
I always follows your videos on youtube especially link-building and seo strategies because you are the best
Thanks Brian for sharing such awesome SEO strategies. Where my sites are today is only because of your youtube videos and killer content. Love your work.
Best Regards,
Andrew
Happy to help, Andrew.
Thank you for always dropping so much value in your blogs! It’s insane how much you give away Brian. I really appreciate it and I’m sure thousands of others do as well.
You’re welcome, Kyle
Hey Brian,
It’s just stunning how a proper out of the box thinking and consistency can bring you to the top. You are an inspiration.
I really love the steps you provide and the info is very practical and easy to follow.
Now, I have work to do! 🙂 Keep up the pace!
Brian, whenever I read your content I remember why you are the king of the skyscraper content. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Leonardo!
Great content
But I need to understand something.
When you write an in-depth article, that you know has more quality than most of your competitors, but still, your competitors are still outranking you, what will you do
I it because they have a higher domain authority than you?
Thanks Ben. Yup, at the end of the day it’s all about backlinks.
Once again you’ve shared some great strategies. Optimising for user intent is so important yet so many people overlook it!
Keep up the great content.
Thanks Josh. Yup, user intent is HUGE right now.
Love the way you struture your post Brian!
Makes it easier to read.
Thanks for the step by step SEO strategy.
Best Regards…
Thanks Brian.
I really like the part about the opportunity keywords, with so many search results getting clogged up with Google items, it is a great mentality to have when looking for good keywords.
Thanks and I look forward to reading your other articles.
Thanks a lot for an effective tips. I got dozen of quality links from big sites like forbes, entrpreneur.com inc.com and other as well with your guestographic technique.
If you’r interested i can write my success story and u can publish as a case study.
Thanks
Bilal
Hi Bilal, please send the deets via our contact form.
Great article Brian, Love it! I do agree with you that search intent is one of the most important things for SEO these days. Without serving what users really want, you are never going to do well in SEO.
However, one question here, when you said you couldn’t get to the top 5 of the ranking for that particular article, and when you changed it to list type article and got the result, what is the reason it climbed up the ranking? Is it an increase in CTR by the users or it’s because of Google’s algorithm?
Thanks Jackie. Glad you enjoyed it. It’s probably a combination of traditional on-page SEO stuff and user experience signals.
Brian Dean! I noticed you tried to respond to every message. Hope you will also notice my message as well.
I am working on an evergreen niche! The baby names and their meanings.
How I can adapt the above strategy? I should also create a blog alongside my portal?
Hi Brian,
Thanks for the great article. I’ve started podcasting and would love to know your thoughts on that. Are the strategies the same when using seo to drive traffic and views to a podcast? Also, have you considered doing one yourself in addition to your blog???
Hi, Brian
It is very effective for me and i learned a lot of things. But i’m little bit confused about nerd fitness link which is not relevant with this article.
I want to ask for a seo strategy optimization schema, how does it affect SEO?
Hey Brian,
Sounds good for this blog. I’ll try this strategy. Then I’ll tell you how it’s going.
Thanks
This was a great 9 Steps article. Do you have a team to help you follow those steps at once or you just do this work by yourself for each blog post, for each strategy? Cause for one marketer, there are some of the time-consuming issues to follow all of the,. So, how do you manage to do all this? or how many time I need to make all of them?
Hi Kate, I used to follow the steps myself. But now I have a team to help me out with some of the steps.
I think the strategy of creating content that is better still remains the mantra going in to 2020. I really like what you said about better not meaning bigger – e.g. 150 ways to x rather than 15 ways to x. Quality content that is different (but it in a good way) is what should get the recognition and even newish sites can have early success with this method. Thanks for interesting read Brian and I’d love to see a 2020 update (I’m sure you’re working on it!)
Thanks Jason! You’re right: I’m definitely looking to update this post for 2020.
Thank you, Brian, for this article. it will help me really to decide what strategy we should use for my local seo. Recently we have just started working on our new seo strategy for new content stuff specially for voice-based search in 2020. I really appreciate it for this and it helped us to build a new technique for link buildings.
Hey Brian,
Thank you for this excellent and helpful read. Will try to implement for sure!!
Thank you brian for this superb article, and i wish you can be keynote at seocon in jakarta 26-27 february 2020. I’m your big fan
Thank you!! your posts are really helpful for me since the time I have started SEO work. Used your technique to build my site.
A great compendium of advice and tactics for ongoing SEO. Brian, you hooked me when you talked about the opportunity keyword, and explained the value of how far down the page certain SERPs will push your top-ranking down the page. What’s the point of being at the top if, in actuality, you really aren’t?
Keep up the good work.
Great post!
Do you have a strategy on how to promote high-competition niche sites?
Thanks Danny. I’d follow the same process.