Leigh McKenzie’s Post

Google processes over 40,000 searches per second on average. That makes organic search a HUGE opportunity. And one that a lot of businesses still aren’t taking advantage of. Keyword research is usually the first step of any legit SEO strategy. Get it right with this checklist: (Remark: First create a free Semrush account so you can follow along) 𝟭. 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 💡 □ Identify broad terms or phrases related to your brand, product, or service. □ Consider search terms users might use. □ Example keywords: "Tech News," "Buying Guides," "Gadget Review," "Tech Review site." 𝟮. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀 🔍 □ Enter a seed keyword into the Keyword Magic Tool to get ideas and metrics. □ Focus on suggested groups and subgroups relevant to your niche. 𝟯. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 🔑 □ Use long-tail keywords for topical authority and competitive ranking. □ Filter by "KD %" to show low difficulty keywords. □ Select "Easy" filter for easier keywords. □ Repeat the process for a strong list. □ Check personal Keyword Difficulty for top 10 SERP potential. 𝟰. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 🏆 □ Identify gaps using competitor keyword research. □ Use the Keyword Gap Tool to compare your URL with competitors. □ Click "missing" filter to find gaps. □ Create content based on these gaps for more traffic. 𝟱. 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 📊 □ Enter identified search terms into the Keyword Overview tool. □ Look into metrics like "Search Volume," "SERP features," "Keyword difficulty," and "CPC." □ Target keywords with high volume and low/medium difficulty scores. 𝟲. 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 🎯 □ Identify search intent types: Informational, Navigational, Commercial, Transactional. □ Use the "Intent" widget in Keyword Overview. □ Create content addressing each intent type. 𝟳. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 🗂️ □ Use Keyword Strategy Builder to structure lists. □ Create structured lists with up to five seed keywords. 𝟴. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 📌 □ Segment keywords by the content marketing funnel stages: ToFu, MoFu, BoFu. □ Target queries across all funnel stages for effective strategy. 𝟵. 𝗗𝗼 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁👥 □ Research competitor audiences to define your own. □ Use One2Target to analyze up to five competitors. □ Review audience demographics, socioeconomics, and behavior. Ensuring effective keyword research is crucial for maintaining your SEO performance and driving targeted traffic to your site. By following this checklist, you can stay ahead of the competition and optimize your content strategy. ♻️ Repost this checklist with your network if you found it helpful!

Pay close attention because in this post, I’ll show you the EXACT same techniques we’ve used to rank # 1 in Google for hundreds of keywords. Want to rank # 1? Here are our top 11 techniques to improve your organic rankings on Google. (with 2 bonus tips 😎):

SEO has gotten harder over time. With so many variables and ranking factors, it’s hard to know where to start. That’s why we created this template. 👇🏼 It will help you find good keywords to target, create content to target them, and ultimately push that content to the top of Google. It will show you how everything fits together. And it will help you avoid skipping over important steps. Here’s what’s included in this SEO marketing plan template: 1. 🔍 Find a target keyword: How to research search terms and pick the ones that will bring the best results for your business. 2. ✍️ Create and optimize your content: Content is the backbone of SEO. Follow the steps to create an amazing piece of content that both users and Google will love. 3. 🔗 Build links: Without backlinks, your SEO marketing plan is dead in the water. 4. 📊 Track your results: Make sure your efforts are paying off. How to use this template: 1. 📥 Download the free SEO Marketing Plan Template using the link at the bottom of this post. 2. 📑 Follow the step-by-step instructions to set up and execute your SEO plan. 3. 🔁 Go through the steps again each time you want to create a new page or target a new keyword. If you want more search traffic to your website, you need to tackle the right things in the right order. Use it to create an effective plan for targeting specific keywords. 👉🏼 STEAL IT HERE: https://lnkd.in/e2-RMmMf Let me know what you think of it!

Quick Tip: Google Search Console is awesome for finding new content ideas Here's my process: 🔍 Look for queries with high impressions but low clicks and average position. ✅ Check if these queries are relevant and fit our site's content strategy. 📊 Analyze which pages are getting impressions and why they might not be performing well. For example: Over the last 3 months, we had almost 50k impressions for "website audit" related queries. Our current SEO audit page is ranking, but it's not general enough. To fix this, we need to create a comprehensive website audit page covering SEO, CRO, accessibility, and design. 🔑 A quick keyword difficulty check in Semrush showed a Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD) of 40% (down from 77%), meaning it's relatively easy for us to rank for. Plus, the best ranking page earns ~2.5k visits per month from U.S. visitors. Added to the content backlog! 📝

If you can tell Google the meaning behind your content, it can show your most relevant content to the right people. ↳ This can lead to an increase in organic traffic and improved conversions. That’s what a Schema markup does. It’s code you add to your webpage that tells a search engine what your content is about. Here’s how to boost your SEO & search with Schema Markup:

Great opportunity to work with a high performing team!

Pillar pages are the foundation of an effective SEO strategy. At Backlinko, we use pillar pages to secure high search rankings for thousands of keywords. Ex: Our pillar page for the topic “Link Building for SEO.” ↳ appears at the top of Google Search results for its keyword. As you can see, excellent pillar page content helps boost your website’s visibility on Google. That’s why creating it should be an integral part of your content marketing strategy. Now, how do you create pillar pages? Here’s how:

16 best free & paid keyword research tools for SEO: Keyword research is the backbone of SEO. Whether you are: • A beginner 🆕 • An advanced user 🧑💻 • A professional SEO expert 💼 You need to know the best tools to find keywords. But why are these tools so important? Because they drive traffic and boost rankings. ↓ Effective keyword research drives 53% of website traffic from organic search. • (Industry Research) Top-performing sites use tools to guide their strategies. • (SEO Experts) These top sites make up only 1% of all websites. Want to join the 1%? Check them out: 1. Free Keyword Tool by Backlinko: Beginner-friendly tool leveraging Semrush’s keyword database for free keyword data. 2. Semrush: Comprehensive competitor and keyword analysis with a powerful Keyword Magic tool. 3. Google Search Console: Identifies and enhances existing rankings with a focus on Opportunity Keywords. 4. Soovle: Provides quick, multi-source keyword suggestions with a handy saved suggestions feature. 5. Jaaxy: Delivers in-depth keyword competition analysis with a focus on Quoted Search Results. 6. Ahrefs Keywords Explorer: Offers detailed keyword insights with a unique Keyword Difficulty metric. 7. SECockpit: Advanced keyword research for SEO pros, featuring extensive filtering options. 8. Google Keyword Planner: Accesses Google's massive keyword database, highlighting commercial intent. 9. KeywordTool[dot]io: Generates numerous targeted keyword ideas with a useful competitor analysis feature. 10. Moz Keyword Explorer: Finds high-traffic keywords with unique lateral keyword suggestions and CTR insights. 11. Keywords Everywhere: Displays keyword data across multiple websites directly in your browser. 12. Keyword Snatcher: Generates thousands of keyword ideas from a single search. 13. Google Trends: Tracks keyword popularity and finds trending topics over time. 14. KWFinder: Easy-to-use keyword tool with automatic Keyword Difficulty scores. 15. QuestionDB: Sources question-focused keyword ideas from Reddit threads. 16. Serpstat: Analyzes first-page competition with a visual Competitors Graph. Which tool is your favorite? ♻️ Repost for others if this was useful!

40k+ monthly visits. 150+ new referring domains (so far). A surge in new Semrush sign-ups. We've launched 6 free tools this year at Backlinko. And they’re working amazingly well. Not surprising. Free stuff—whether it’s tools, templates, or guides—can be a huge growth engine for your business. 📈 Here’s why it works: 1. Boosts Traffic: Free resources attract qualified traffic. 2. Generates Leads: They’re lead magnets, pulling users into your ecosystem. 3. Builds Trust: Offering value for free builds brand authority. 4. Scalable: Once created, they keep working for you 24/7. 🗂️ Examples of free resources that drive results: 1. Calculators ↳ HubSpot: Marketing ROI calculator ↳ Bankrate: Mortgage calculator 2. Templates ↳ Canva: Social media post templates ↳ Figma: Landing page templates 3. Checklists ↳ Backlinko: SEO checklists ↳ Asana: Project management checklists 4. Workflows ↳ Zapier: Automation workflows ↳ Trello: Workflow templates for project management 5. How-to Guides ↳ Semrush: SEO starter guide ↳ Hootsuite: Social media marketing guide Offer value, solve problems, and watch your traffic and leads soar! 🚀

🔍 Google is testing a new DTC sub-nav feature in SERPs 📊 They’re grouping related topics and product categories together. This means your search results are starting to look more like an e-commerce category page.  💡 Why does this matter? It’s likely a move to drive more paid ad clicks, keeping users on SERPs longer. Has anyone else seen this in the wild? Leave a screenshot comment below. h/t Matt DiMenno #SEO #PPC #DigitalMarketing #Ecommerce #GoogleUpdates