Analytics + SEO = Content

Analytics
+ SEO
= Content

copyright 2011 Portent Interactive

Reports do not
equal Analytics


Reports are spreadsheets.

Analytics draws conclusions.


A ‘conclusion’ might be ‘I
need to write more about
this subject’ or ‘man, that
last promo really flopped.


Ian’s 1st rule of analytics:

For every conclusion,
provide one action.


Ian’s 2nd rule of analytics:

Analytics finds
opportunity.


Time for an example.

I have this friend who
writes a marketing blog.

Hey
there!


He could just look at
traffic reports and see
how he’s doing...


But that breaks both of
our laws of analytics.

yeah.


Instead, I’ll use analytics
to find the best-performing
content with potential
(opportunity).

yeah.


Then we can use that to
decide what to write next.

yeah.


If I look at my top content report in Google
Analytics: My top 2 pieces of content
appeal to nerds and marketers. I need to
write more for them.


Or, I can set up a quick filter on my organic
search traffic report. That will show me the
best-performing topics.


I’m writing a blog. So I’ll focus on ‘soft’
metrics, like time on site. I want to see
phrases that keep people onsite for more than
1.5 minutes - above average for my site...


...and I want to see phrases that result in a
bounce rate of 80% or less. That’s above
average for my blog.


Important finger-wagging
interlude #1


Notice that I’m selecting
keywords based on potential
and opportunity, not sheer
search volume.

If you have an established site,
you should always start with
this.


Why not start by moving up for
terms for which you already
rank, instead of starting from
scratch with new phrases?

Huh?

Why not?!


Yep. That’s right.

So start with the phrases
you’ve already got. Once you’ve
topped out the rankings for
those, you can move on to new
stuff.


So, where were we?

Oh yeah. SEO, analytics and
keyword selection.


Run a search in Google Analytics. Find the
phrases that send the best-quality traffic.


Now, take a quick look at the top 10.
Check the rankings for each phrase.


I rank #2 for this term. So, I’ll research
what it would take to get to #1. And
whether it’s worth the effort.


Important finger-wagging
interlude #2


Beware personalization!

Google customizes the
rankings you see based on your
search history, even if you don’t
have a Google account.


Which means you can’t trust
the rankings you see.


So, use a proxy tool. My
favorite is Proxify.


Here it is:


Do. not. abuse it.

Proxify isn’t there to be your
nifty cool hacking tool.


Use it to get accurate rankings.
Other people depend on Proxify
to protect their identities in
places like, oh, Libya.

So don’t be a jerk and cause
trouble.


End of finger-wagging
interlude #2


I’d just discovered that I rank
#2 for social media expert.

Now, I need to figure out if it’s
worth it to work for a #1
ranking.


Meh. SEMRUSH.com search data
shows this isn’t the greatest
phrase.


By the way, SEMRUSH rocks. I
won’t make money if you sign up.
They just have a great toolset.


So, I’m not thrilled with social
media expert as a phrase.

I’ll dig a little deeper, though,
using Google Suggest.


Go to Google. Start to type in
your search phrase. Google will
suggest related searches.


Hmmm. Social media policy.
That could be a good one.


Ah-HAH. It’s a decent phrase. I don’t
rank for it, but competition is low and I
rank for related terms.


Now, I’ll take a look at the rankings for
social media policy. I need to see if I can
compete.


A quick check on opensiteexplorer.org
shows that yes, I can compete.
Authority-wise, I match up pretty well.


(Ian flexes his rippling link muscles)


I don’t have an existing
page that’s relevant to
my target phrase.

So this term will end up
on my keyword map and
headline list.

My keyword map is just a list of phrases, how
competitive they are, where I currently rank,
and whether there’s an existing page on my
site that I should optimize for that phrase.


Do I need a new page?


My target phrase


The current ranking page on my site, if any.


Current traffic I receive from this phrase.


Potential volume if I hit #1.



This is a very approximate number: 50% of the
total search volume, which I average between
the Google Adwords keyword tool and
SEMRush. Basically, a guess.


Sorry. It’s all I’ve got.


Number of results found if I search for
allintitle:social media policy on Google


Number of results found if I search for
allintitle:social media policy on Google

You can use the same search to get a rough
idea of competition. Go to Google, type in
allintitle:your search phrase, then write
down the number of results.

SEMRush’s competition number,
for another competition metric.


There you have it. A keyword map. It can
keep you organized and focused on goals.


I also keep a separate headline list. This
is a brainstorming list of headlines based
on the keyword map. I can then go
through them myself, or assign them to
other writers.


Nothing magical here. Just a list to keep
me organized.


Every week, check the keyword map and
update it. Assign new phrases to the
map. And add new headlines to your
headline list.


Write content for each headline
and post it.


Do all the other proper SEO stuff: A
good title tag, great overall writing,
smart code, and some smart
internal linking.


Go out into the world and tell folks
about your great new article/page/
blog post.


Repeat as necessary.


That’s it. Follow these steps and you can
guide your content and SEO strategy
with analytics.


It requires persistence.


It also works. Really well.


Find me

@portentint

www.conversationmarketing.com

www.portent.com

Analytics + SEO = Content

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