Skip to main content
UploadLanguage (EN)Support
BusinessMobileSocial MediaMarketingTechnologyArt & PhotosCareerDesignEducationPresentations & Public SpeakingGovernment & NonprofitHealthcareInternetLawLeadership & ManagementAutomotiveEngineeringSoftwareRecruiting & HRRetailSalesServicesScienceSmall Business & EntrepreneurshipFoodEnvironmentEconomy & FinanceData & AnalyticsInvestor RelationsSportsSpiritualNews & PoliticsTravelSelf ImprovementReal EstateEntertainment & HumorHealth & MedicineDevices & HardwareLifestyle
patrickstox, profile picture
Uploaded bypatrickstox
PPTX, PDF753 views

Where to focus your SEO efforts to have the most impact Digital Summit Atlanta 2021 Patrick Stox

Patrick Stox provides tips on focusing SEO efforts to have greater impact. He recommends starting with common keywords or lists, seeing what competitors rank for, grouping keywords, and using tools like keyword maps and competitor analysis to identify opportunities. He also discusses content strategies like ensuring topic coverage, writing for featured snippets, creating useful content for different business types, and ongoing content refreshment and optimization.

Marketing◦
Related topics:
Link Building Strategies•Content Optimization•
Downloaded 14 times
@patrickstox @ahrefs Where to Focus Your SEO Efforts to Have Greater Impact
@patrickstox @ahrefs Product Advisor, Technical SEO, & Brand Ambassador at Ahrefs • I write for Ahrefs blog but have written for many industry publications in the past • I speak at some conferences like this one, SMX, Pubcon, UnGagged, TechSEO Boost • Organizer for the Raleigh SEO Meetup (most successful in US) and the Beer & SEO Meetup • We also run a conference, the Raleigh SEO Conference • Founder Technical SEO Slack Group • Moderator /r/TechSEO on Reddit • Helped define the role of Search Marketing Strategist for the US Department of Labor • Lead author for the SEO Chapter of the 2021 Web Almanac Who is Patrick Stox?
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs Most Common – Start With A Term Or List
@patrickstox @ahrefs See What Competitors Rank For
@patrickstox @ahrefs See What Competitors Rank For
@patrickstox @ahrefs Grouping Keywords Common terms Topics Topic/Subtopic
@patrickstox @ahrefs Tree Map – Quick View Of Opportunity
@patrickstox @ahrefs Competitor Pages
@patrickstox @ahrefs Competitor Pages - Many Export and Combine
@patrickstox @ahrefs Combine CSV Files 1. Save files to a new folder 2. Get the path either by shift+right-click on the folder and “Copy as path” or copy it from the address bar in the folder. 3. Open Command prompt. 4. Type cd, press Space, right-click and paste, then press Enter. 5. Type copy *.csv whatever-name.csv and Press Enter.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Big List Of Niche Content
@patrickstox @ahrefs Grouping – Pivot Table View Traffic Traffic value Number of competitors ranking
@patrickstox @ahrefs Competitor Linked Pages Studies Tools Quotes ???
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs How Do You Get To The Top Faster?
@patrickstox @ahrefs What People Search
@patrickstox @ahrefs Card Sorting Exercise Add these topics to index cards. Have those involved sort and have them sort them in a way that makes sense to them. This is a good way to get people to understand what pages you need to create and what content may be included on those pages. It’s training people to make pages and outlines for those pages.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Wine - Type Grapes Fruit
@patrickstox @ahrefs Wine - Types Moscato Pinot Cabernet Rose Riesling
@patrickstox @ahrefs Wine - Types Red White Pink Sparkling
@patrickstox @ahrefs Wine - Containers Glasses Bottles Boxes Barrels
@patrickstox @ahrefs Wine - Taste Dry Sweet Taste
@patrickstox @ahrefs Wine - Origin French Spanish Italian
@patrickstox @ahrefs Wine - Drinks Coolers Drinks Sangria Sherry Fortified Mulled
@patrickstox @ahrefs Wine - More Cooking Pairings – dessert, meats Good/Best wines Price – cheap, fine Amount of alcohol
@patrickstox @ahrefs Intent Each of those searches is an intent
@patrickstox @ahrefs Intent – Types of Wine 2 dominant intents Red = cabernets, pinot, chardonnay, etc Blue = red, white, pink, sparkling
@patrickstox @ahrefs Intent - Wine Red = buy Blue = local Green = software Purple = informational
@patrickstox @ahrefs What Other Top Pages Talk About More descriptive terms Tasting notes More food pairings Tannins Age Varietals Benefit: Doesn’t have to include searched terms
@patrickstox @ahrefs What Other Top Pages Rank For Confirmation
@patrickstox @ahrefs The Data All Points The Same Way What People Search = What Top Pages Talk About = What Top Pages Rank For + They match one or more of the main intents.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Pages Rank For A Lot Of Terms
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs Topic Coverage – What Makes A Good Result? Covers what people search. Talk about the things they want to know. Be the expert.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Topic Coverage – Types Of Wine Intent #1
@patrickstox @ahrefs Topic Coverage – Types Of Wine Intent #2
@patrickstox @ahrefs Topic Coverage – Types Of Wine Tannins Aging Taste Varietals
@patrickstox @ahrefs Topic Coverage – Types Of Wine Profile Taste Style Food pairings
@patrickstox @ahrefs Content Brief/Outline What to cover Important points / expertise / insights
@patrickstox @ahrefs Writing For Featured Snippets Did you know there’s an eligible set of featured snippets?
@patrickstox @ahrefs Writing For Featured Snippets
@patrickstox @ahrefs Writing For Featured Snippets -site1.com
@patrickstox @ahrefs Writing For Featured Snippets -site1.com -site2.com
@patrickstox @ahrefs Writing For Featured Snippets Look for commonalities (likely what’s needed to be eligible) Look for differences (why is one better than the other)
@patrickstox @ahrefs Some Queries May Not Have More Than 1 But you can refine to a similar query / main intent like “what is x” and see what is likely needed.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Useful Content Features Think about what’s useful for different business types
@patrickstox @ahrefs Useful Content Features - Ecommerce Q&As Pricing Reviews – with customer photos Product selection Facets (filters) Description Documentation Return policy Shipping info Contact/support
@patrickstox @ahrefs Useful Content Features - Local Who you are – You, team, business What do you do – services, processes, timelines, pricing When are you open - hours Why should I choose you – social proof like reviews or testimonials, USP Where you are – location, map, directions How do I contact you – phone #, email
@patrickstox @ahrefs Who Do You Need To Write Great Content? Job Knowledge / Insights Research Good writer Editing Expert ✔️ ❌ ❌ ❌ SEO ❌ ✔️ ❌ ❌ Writer ❌ ❌ ✔️ ❌ Editor ❌ ❌ ❌ ✔️
@patrickstox @ahrefs At Least Try To Interview the expert or have them review. Get input from SEO
@patrickstox @ahrefs GPT-3 / Automated Content Creation Expertise may be a bigger differentiator in the future if all the basic content is covered.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Kill/Keep/Update/Combine/Wait https://lucid.app/lucidchart/invitations/accept/inv_7d8742df- aa72-44d5-9211-110f69e0fb26
@patrickstox @ahrefs Better Cannibalization Check Add &filter=0 to the end of your search URL. https://www.google.com/search?q=types+of+wine&filter=0 Removes clustering.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Better Cannibalization Check Masterclass.com is 2nd and 16th
@patrickstox @ahrefs Refresh Content
@patrickstox @ahrefs What If I Wrote Everything Already? Revisit current content. Go narrow and deep and really own the niche. Credibility and Expertise. Go wide. What related content might people be looking for? Go into another vertical.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Translate Successful Content
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs Competitor Links – Local Link Intersect What links are common between top competitors?
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs Competitor Links – Niche Specific Link research scaled.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Top 50 US Cities https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_wSRfQyy2DTucqAfR075hs3U_ZB1bK V4VLbYhXqzYe0/copy Make a copy
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs Focus On Niche Sites, Not Directories Keyword URL Country Difficulty Volume Clicks CPS Return Rate Parent Topic Parent Topic Volume Last Update Referring Domains Domain rating Ahrefs Rank Traffic Keywords accountant seattle https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=tax+accountant&find_loc=Seattle%2C+WA us 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 0 94 50 205 10 accountant seattle https://www.seattlecpaprofessionals.com/ us 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 21 1 51894760 241 49 accountant seattle https://www.indeed.com/q-Accounting-l-Seattle,-WA-jobs.html us 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 11 90 689 356 21 accountant seattle https://www.indeed.com/q-Tax-Accountant-l-Seattle,-WA-jobs.htmlus 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 1 90 689 46 9 accountant seattle https://www.glassdoor.com/Job/seattle-accountant-jobs-SRCH_IL.0,7_IC1150505_KO8,18.htm us 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 5 90 1020 128 32 accountant seattle https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/Accountant/-in-Seattle,WA us 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 2 85 3800 74 19 accountant seattle https://www.expertise.com/wa/seattle/accountant-cpa us 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 5 86 2890 149 46 accountant seattle https://www.angieslist.com/companylist/seattle/accountants.htm us 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 0 91 516 36 21 accountant seattle https://www.upwork.com/l/us/accountants-in-seattle-wa/ us 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 1 90 1122 12 38 accountant seattle https://www.monster.com/jobs/q-accounting-jobs-l-seattle-wa us 1 250 accountant seattle 250 ######## 3 87 2673 44 37 accountant las vegas https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Small+Business+Accountant&find_loc=Las+Vegas%2C+NV us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 1 94 50 103 17 accountant las vegas https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=accountants&find_loc=Las+Vegas%2C+NV us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 0 94 50 118 15 accountant las vegas https://www.expertise.com/nv/las-vegas/accountant-cpa us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 6 86 2890 158 65 accountant las vegas https://llbcpa.com/las-vegas-small-business-accountant/ us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 11 12 15313035 66 116 accountant las vegas https://www.indeed.com/q-Accounting-l-Las-Vegas,-NV-jobs.html us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 7 90 689 411 23 accountant las vegas https://www.indeed.com/q-Tax-Accountant-l-Las-Vegas,-NV-jobs.html us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 0 90 689 16 4 accountant las vegas https://clutch.co/accounting/las-vegas us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 0 87 2766 247 45 accountant las vegas https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/Accountant/-in-Las-Vegas,NV us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 2 85 3800 100 18 accountant las vegas https://www.angieslist.com/companylist/las-vegas/accountants.htm us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 0 91 516 22 39 accountant las vegas https://www.glassdoor.com/Job/las-vegas-accountant-jobs-SRCH_IL.0,9_IC1149603_KO10,20.htm us 2 200 accountant las vegas 200 ######## 1 90 1020 123 33 accountant chicago https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=personal+accountant&find_loc=Chicago%2C+IL us 12 200 accountant chicago 200 ######## 1 94 50 0 15 accountant chicago https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Tax+Accountant&find_loc=Chicago%2C+IL us 12 200 accountant chicago 200 ######## 0 94 50 114 14 accountant chicago https://www.chicago-accountant.com/ us 12 200 accountant chicago 200 ######## 38 2 42022825 74 64 accountant chicago https://www.expertise.com/il/chicago/accountant-cpa us 12 200 accountant chicago 200 ######## 7 86 2890 257 67 accountant chicago https://cpa-in-chicago.com/ us 12 200 accountant chicago 200 ######## 34 2 47994870 131 73
@patrickstox @ahrefs Data Cleaning 1. Insert > Table 2. Filter > DR less than 50 3. Filter Type > Organic
@patrickstox @ahrefs Top Accountants From Different Cities Keyword URL accountant seattle https://www.seattlecpaprofessionals.com/ accountant las vegas https://llbcpa.com/las-vegas-small-business-accountant/ accountant chicago https://www.chicago-accountant.com/ accountant chicago https://cpa-in-chicago.com/ accountant chicago https://www.actgroupltd.com/ accountant los angeles https://www.johnweldoncpa.com/ accountant los angeles https://www.roberthalltaxes.com/business-services/accounting/ accountant tucson https://www.cpa-tucson.com/ accountant tucson https://www.cpatucson.com/ accountant tucson https://www.pinpointeaccounting.com/ accountant tucson https://beachfleischman.com/ accountant san diego https://www.regalgroupcpa.com/ accountant portland https://perkinsaccounting.com/ accountant portland https://www.orcpa.org/for-the-public/find-a-cpa accountant philadelphia https://accountant-philadelphia.com/ accountant philadelphia https://www.daletaxservice.com/ accountant philadelphia https://taxprofessionalphiladelphia.com/ accountant tampa https://www.waterscpagroup.com/ accountant tampa https://www.rgcocpa.com/ accountant tampa https://www.zachcpa.com/ accountant tampa http://jrosencpa.com/ accountant tampa https://www.taxaccountantsoftampabay.com/
@patrickstox @ahrefs For Each Site, Export Their Referring Domains
@patrickstox @ahrefs Combine Files 1. Windows Button + R 2. Type cmd and click ok 3. I open the folder where I saved the files in File Explorer and click the address bar to copy the path 4. Back in Command Prompt, type “cd “ and then press ctrl+v to paste the copied path 5. Type copy *.csv whatever.csv
@patrickstox @ahrefs Data Cleaning 1. Insert > Table 2. Insert Column next to Referring Domain to add Count 3. In the Count Column, add the formula =COUNTIF(B:B,[@[Referring Domain]])
@patrickstox @ahrefs Data Cleaning 4. Copy the numbers in the Count column and paste in the same place as values. 5. Data > Remove Duplicates based on the Referring Domain 6. Data > Sort by Count > Largest to Smallest
@patrickstox @ahrefs Top Referring Sites To Top Accountants Referring Domain Count yellowpages.com 58 localbest.com 55 clutch.co 49 topratedlocal.com 48 expertise.com 47 find-open.com 41 goodfirms.co 38 yp.com 31 privatebanking.com 31 owler.com 29 tntcode.com 28 threebestrated.com 28 ucpaa.org 27
@patrickstox @ahrefs Categorize - Niche Referring Domain Count privatebanking.com 31 ucpaa.org 27 findtaxexperts.com 21 advisors.directory 16 cpagrades.com 14 accountingmatch.com 13 bestpayrollservices.com 12 cpatool.com 10 cpaconnection.net 9 findbestcpa.com 9 buildyourfirm.com 8 officialaccountants.com 5 payrollleads.net 5 goodaccountants.com 4 successfulpayroll.com 4
@patrickstox @ahrefs Categorize Any other ways that make sense. Directories? Coupons?
@patrickstox @ahrefs Competitor Links – City Specific Same idea but city specific.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Top Niches https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YtCs0d- B65UZq4pXa41crFMYThAJgT2_A5RbyEhzw7I/copy Make a copy
@patrickstox @ahrefs
@patrickstox @ahrefs Getting The Data Follow the same steps we used before for the cities.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Jobs Scholarships Club sponsorships Discounts Categorize – Colleges/Universities Referring Domain Count ncsu.edu 18 thewolfweb.com 18 unc.edu 4 duke.edu 4 waketech.edu 2 meredith.edu 2
@patrickstox @ahrefs Categorize – Raleigh Specific Referring Domain Count shoplocalraleigh.org 25 downtownraleigh.org 19 visitraleigh.com 14 thisisraleigh.com 10 dtraleigh.com 8 919raleigh.com 8 raleighspecialstonight.com 8 raleighsearch.org 7 hbawake.com 7 raleighhasit.com 6 yourbackyardraleigh.com 6 visitnorthhills.com 5 raleighwhatsup.blogspot.com 5 ncartmuseum.org 5 downtowndame.com 4 outraleighpride.org 4 raleighbeltliner.com 4 theraleighedit.com 4 raleighweekend.com 4 cityofraleighmuseum.org 3 camraleigh.org 3 northraleighrotary.org 2 midtownraleighalliance.org 2 raleighnc.gov 2 downtownpsychology.com 1 downtownraleigh.com 1 raleighdowntowneats.blogspot.com 1 downtowndurham.com 1 northraleighministries.com 1 northhills5k.com 1 northraleighfood.com 1
@patrickstox @ahrefs Categorize – Local News & Magazines Referring Domain Count wral.com 33 indyweek.com 29 raleighmag.com 25 waltermagazine.com 21 midtownmag.com 16 trianglefoodblog.com 14 newsobserver.com 7 itbinsider.com 7 carycitizenarchive.com 6 northcarolinanewsdaily.com 5 northcarolinaheadlines.com 4 https://carycitizen.news/ 2 northcarolinahealthnews.org 1 http://www.candidslice.com/ 1
@patrickstox @ahrefs Categorize – State or Surrounding Area Referring Domain Count heartofncweddings.com 25 travel-northcarolina.com 15 thecarolinasmagazine.com 12 trianglenace.com 10 visitnc.com 8 bestthingsnc.com 8 caryliving.com 8 triangleonthecheap.com 8 nctripping.com 7 nctriangledining.com 7 thebestofcarync.com 7 north-carolina-bd.com 6 johnstoncounty.today 6 kasteventsnc.com 6 north-carolina-pages.com 5 ncheadlines.com 5 runnc.com 5 funnorthcarolina.com 4 charlottencnorthcarolina.com 4 ncagr.gov 4 ncbreweriesandfoodtrucks.com 4 researchtriangle.org 4 go-north-carolina.com 3 thenorthcarolina100.com 2
@patrickstox @ahrefs Categorize - Misc Weddings: DJs Photographers Event planners These link to people involved.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Categorize - Misc Realtors Apartments Home communities (HOAs) These link to things to do.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Categorize - Misc Suppliers / Affiliations Meetup (hosting, sponsoring) Podcasts Charities / sponsorships Awards Coupons Directories
@patrickstox @ahrefs Link Reclamation – Unlinked Mentions Sometimes websites mention you but don’t link to you. You can ask them to link.
@patrickstox @ahrefs Manual Process Google “intext:term –site.com”, where term could be a brand or a person and site is your website Scrape results Check if there’s a link
@patrickstox @ahrefs Easier
@patrickstox @ahrefs Links Without Mentions Content Title Content URL Author Elmiron drug linked to vision problems in women https://www.wral.com/elmiron-drug-linked-to-vision-problems-in-women/193138 How Giving Tuesday impacts the Triangle https://abc11.com/society/how-giving-tuesday-impacts-the-triangle-/5732175/ Michael Perchick 5 Best Divorce Attorneys in San Antonio 🥇 https://kevsbest.com/divorce-attorneys-in-san-antonio/ Elevating Others Scholarship at Pennsylvania State University Fayette, Eberly Campus (Penn State Fayette) | Uloop https://fepsu.uloop.com/scholarships/view.php/1079951447/Elevating-Others-Sch Whitley law firm new bern nc http://myphamsandy.com/cne0zhw/whitley-law-firm-new-bern-nc.html ‘Air hunger’ opinion a factor in $1.5M settlement – North Carolina Lawyers Weekly https://nclawyersweekly.com/2014/03/18/air-hunger-opinion-a-factor-in-1-5m-se David Donovan
@patrickstox @ahrefs