Hi, I’m Lana! Freelance writer & content
strategist.
@Lana_Burgess_
lanaburgess.com
lana@lanaburgess.com

Killer competitor content
research and strategy
@Lana_Burgess_
lanaburgess.com
lana@lanaburgess.com

● Identifying search intentions.
● Researching competitor content.
● Analysing competitor content —
why does it perform so well?
● Content strategy/creation.
● Writing to outshine competition.
● Measuring success.

Identifying search intentions

How do search intentions evolve?
Trigger
event
Need
Search
intent

Mind map search intentions across
buying cycle.

Attraction — meeting intentions
triggered by life events.

Consideration — learning about
solutions and benefits.

Preference — why should they trust
you and how are you different?

Conversion — why buy now?

Now use tools to confirm your ideas.

● Google Ads Keyword Planner.
● Yoast Google Suggest Expander.
● Answer the Public.
● Search Intent.

Researching competitor
content

Easy, effective approach — incognito
browser and heuristic assessment.

In an incognito browser:
● Google.com/ncr.
● Set required country in settings.
● Type in your search intention.
● Analyse top five results.

Analysing competitor content
— why does it perform so well?

The top five perform well for a reason...

...make it your mission to understand
why.

What is it about this content that Google
loves?

What’s the page title and meta
description? Does this show that the
content meets the search intention?

What’s the H1? What are the H2s?
How do these show the search
intent is being met?

Does the piece get to the point
quickly and concisely?
Have a look at content that has
answer box queries present in
SERPs.

What’s the format?
Are images and videos crucial to the
search intention?

What’s the informational content?
Identify all the key points covered.

What’s the tone of the content?
Is it emotionally appropriate to the
search intention? What does this
tell you about searcher mind-set?

Content strategy, planning,
and creation

Use your research to form content pillars.

Use search intentions to plan content.

Use your analysis to create content briefs.

● Title.
● Search intention.
● H1, H2s, H3s.
● Key points.
● Tone/searcher mind-set/persona.
● Formatting considerations.
● Key sources.
● Call to action.

Writing to outshine the
competition

Want to write killer content that
outperforms competitors in SERPs?

Interrogate the brief — what search
intentions are you targeting and what
happens next?

Do your own search intent research.
Have a look at competitor content
yourself.

Plan a piece that does everything the
top five pieces do… and more.

11 ways to write better content than the
competition

1. Meet search intentions faster and
more concisely.

2. Tell readers exactly what you’ll
cover.

3. Write for a lower reading age.

4. Use an even clearer structure and
formatting.

5. Give clear definitions of key terms.

6. Expand on the topic as you
progress through the piece.

7. Let your brand voice shine through.

8. Use more authoritative, primary
sources.

9. Quote experts. And include social
proof.

10. Link to related content on your
site.

11. Tell readers what to do next.

Measuring success

Measure success against SMART
objectives.

Case study

Search intentions around “women in
tech” and other long-tail terms were not
being met effectively by competitors.

Learning People decided to work with
freelance writers on several series of
content.

Each series addressed groups of long-tail
search intentions around specific topics
relevant to their audience.

Lana Burgess was commissioned to
work on their “women in tech” series...

… and wrote a series of articles, using the
competitor content research and
writing process explored today.

Thank you!
@Lana_Burgess_
lanaburgess.com
lana@lanaburgess.com