Category: Keyword Targeting

3 Common Myths About SEO That You Need To Know

Google Ranker, Google/Yahoo News, Keyword Targeting, SEO & SEM, Website Vitalizer App

SEO is a strange beast. It is surprising how many people have never heard of SEO.  And of the people who have heard of it, many don’t really know what it is. While others know what it is, but have no idea what to do about it.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, which is a fancy way of saying… make your site easier for Google to find and feature higher in their search results leading to growth in sales, leads or brand visibility.

But of course, it’s not that simple. There are many moving parts in SEO, and those parts are constantly changing due to Google updates, algorithm changes, and improvements in modern technology. On top of that, there are many people online who claim to be SEO experts, but under the most cursory of scrutiny reveal themselves to be at best incompetent, and at worst complete charlatans.

Even the real experts will have different opinions on what works and what doesn’t, so with SEO being so nebulous, it’s no wonder there are so many myths floating around.We could literally write thousands of pages on this topic, but we don’t want to bore you. Instead, here are the top three myths about SEO and why you really should leave it to the professionals.

It’s all about keywords

Myth: Whatever your website sells, the more times you mention it, the more likely you’ll be featured on Google’s first page. Selling chess sets? Then fill your copy with the phrase “chess sets” over and over again. That’s what people are searching for, right? Makes sense to talk about it?

The Truth: Once upon a time in the early days of the internet, this tactic of keyword stuffing actually had some merit. But that was before Google got smart and wised up to what was going on. For at least the past decade, keyword stuffing has been pointless and anyone using it will have their site punished, and even run the risk of having it removed from the search listings altogether! Not something you want to happen as it’s not the easiest or quickest job to get back in the search results.

Google is all about providing the best service to its users. They want the best website for the job, and simply cramming your site full of keywords is not going to help. This was a very old SEO technique which was in an ethical grey area to begin with, but now results in a website being flagged as untrustworthy. If someone recommends this, then it’s a clue they’ve no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to SEO – so move on quickly.

You can simply pay for the same result

Myth: Forget about spending time and money on SEO! Simply pay for Google Ads and you’ll be at the top of Google’s first page anyway!

The Truth: No, that’s not how it works.

While Google Ads can be helpful, particularly alongside organic SEO if you’re targeting certain keywords or running a special promotion, buying Google Ads does not help your site rise in their ranking or get you more organic visitors.

Ok, so, you’re not at the top of Google’s first page “organically”, who cares, you’re still there, right? Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean people will click on your ad. In fact, depending on the topic, the click-through rate on Google Ads can be as small as 2%!

The good news is, those who do click will probably go on to buy something, but the bad news is, the second you stop paying for those ads, you stop appearing on the first page.

Getting to the top of Google’s search results organically is undoubtedly hard, but has longer lasting results and is definitely worth the effort. Organic results are simply trusted more as there are so many factors involved in getting your website there. A key attribute of successful organic performance is E.A.T. or Expertise, Authority, and Trust.

SEO is no longer important

Myth: SEO is dead. There’s no need to optimise your site because Google is answering people’s questions directly on their results page. Add to that their constant algorithm changes, the rise of social media platforms, and mobile technology, and there’s no point in spending all that time and money on optimisation.

The Truth: SEO is more important now than ever, and the reason is because of all those changes. Google receives a mind-blowing six billion search queries per day. That’s roughly two trillion a year. As more and more people find themselves online across the globe, the number of websites, businesses, and products is increasing exponentially.

All these sites are fighting for clients and customers, and Google needs some method to rank them. To visit your site, people must know about it, and more than 95 per cent of clicks go to the top four search results. This is why, if you want to make it to the top of their search results, it’s essential to have a customised SEO strategy.

Visitors turn into customers, and at the end of the day, that’s what makes a business successful.

SEO – best left to the professionals

SEO is an incredibly complicated discipline, shifting in practice, theory, and even definition, year to year. Getting SEO right includes combining a large number of tools, using best practices that are evolving frequently and constantly adjusting to the numerous Google updates.

Even the experts in the field need to be on their toes, constantly keeping ahead of the curve when it comes to updates, software, and Google’s list of do’s and don’ts. It’ really no wonder there are so many myths about SEO and the best practice out there.

Best practice SEO is definitely worth it when built on a strong foundation using good metadata, titles and descriptions, clear, concise headings, and a website optimised for the user. Then there are a large number of other factors – pagespeed, technical performance, lack of errors, page structure, user experience, structured data, backlinks, image optimisation, hosting, content delivery networks, mobile performance and many more. And of course, high quality, unique and informative content.

It’s a fluid, continuous work in progress, always changing and adapting to the demands of the digital horizon, and is never, ever, a one-time thing.So, in the end, what ranks best? What tweaks and twists can you do to get on that much sought-after, but all elusive first page of Google?

The basics are still the same as they were 20 years ago; select keywords (but not too many), create quality content that gives value to your audience, (not boring regurgitated words that offer nothing of value) and solid link-building (but not just to any old site).

To put it in simple terms, link building is the process used to get other websites to link back to your website. Building links is one of the many disciplines used in SEO as they indicate to Google that your site is a quality resource worthy of citation.

But alongside that, there are a thousand and one small nuances that constantly change over time, moving the goalposts for everyone. A good knowledgeable SEO professional will constantly educate themselves to keep up with the constant changes to Google’s algorithm and adhere to best practice within the industry, making sure they are doing their best for their clients to keep them in the game.

Invest $300 and get $2500 in a week completely legit

If you are thinking about implementing a customised SEO strategy to help your rankings in Google, please feel free to contact us and have a chat about what we can do for you and your business. We will break down the complexities of SEO into simple terms that you can understand.

We are a specialist inbound marketing agency with a range of clients across New Zealand and Australia. The Directors have over 15 years of experience in this space and our team bring specialist skills and years of experience to their roles.

We have been recognised by some of the largest content marketing and SEO organisations on the planet for our work including Content Marketing Institute, Copyblogger Media, Chief Content Officer magazine and a number of specialist SEO blogs. Our business approach is all about trust, transparency, a commitment to quality and representing our clients with integrity.

Gary Ireland

Gary Ireland

With experience in everything from graphic design to teenage counseling, Gary finally settled on writing as his main weapon of choice. “But writing is just one part of this job, which is why I love it so much. It’s hard to get bored with so many irons in the fire. If I’m not researching an article, I’m on Social Media, or working behind the scenes to optimise a site for Google’s latest algorithms. I learn something new every day, and each day brings with it new challenges.”

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Google Search Central

What are some of the biggest SEO Myths you see still being repeated (either at conferences, or in blogs, etc) Ryan, Michigan Have a question? Ask it in our Webmaster Help Forum: http://groups.google.com/a/googleprod… Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/googlewmc Get notified of new videos on Google+: http://www.google.com/+GoogleWebmasters More videos: http://www.youtube.com/GoogleWebmaste… Webmaster Central Blog: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspo… Webmaster Central: http://www.google.com/webmasters/

Keysearch Starter An Incredible Powerhouse of SEO Tools

Keyword Targeting, SEO & SEM, SEO Training Tools

Keysearch is not just a keyword research tool it’s a full fledged SEO powerhouse! Giving you all the tools you need to investigate your competitors and track your SEO efforts.

  • In-Depth Keyword Research
  • Keyword Difficulty Checker
  • SEO Competition Analysis
  • Rank Tracking
  • Brainstorm Niche Ideas
  • YouTube Competition Research
  • Backlink Checker
  • Webpage Audit Analyzer
  • Link Analysis
  • API & White-label Reporting
  • An easy to use, lighting fast web based system. No software to install.
  • Keyword Difficulty Checker
  • Full SEO competition analysis of any keyword or multiple keywords at once.
  • Keyword Suggestions
  • Multiple keyword suggestion options including search volume, CPC & PPC.

Bulk Keyword Difficulty Checker — Search Volume, CPC & PPC — Accurate Difficulty Scores! Keysearch gives you more ways to find related, niche relevant keywords than any other software. Just put in a seed keyword and Keysearch will return tons of related keywords with search volume, CPC & PPC data.

Refine your search with our Keyword Planner, Google Suggest, Amazon Suggest, YouTube suggest finders and our own database of over 1 billion keywords! Now if thats still not enough, you can even enter your competitors URL and have Keysearch grab keywords that your competitors are ranking for, giving you endless ways to search for hidden gem long tail keywords. Did I mention our YouTube research section, advanced filtering options & automatic exact match domain checker. SEO just became really easy!

Locate Profitable, Long Tail Keywords! Keyword Research Made Easy!Locate Profitable, Long Tail Keywords!

Competition Analysis : With Keysearch you have the ability to do in-depth competition analysis lightning fast and with a push of a button. Our sophisticated algorithm uses multiple on-page and off-page ranking factors to give you an accurate, single number keyword difficulty score plus full first page search analysis.

You can bulk check competition for multiple keywords right from the Research page or paste a list of your own keywords into our bulk keyword difficulty checker. You can compare multiple keywords or dig even deeper by grabbing more data & LSI keywords with our Deep Analysis feature. With all of this at your finger tips you basically own the Google algorithm.

Rank Tracking & Link Analysis : Keysearch will track your rankings & your domains authority stats automatically. You will even have the option to get trackings down to your exact location! You can group keywords, create reports, create notifications and get on demand ranking updates. In addition our Link Analysis section is where SEO kicks into high gear. Allowing you to search backlinks for any site!

You can spy on your competitors or check the backlinks for your own sites. You can put in a list of URL’s and bulk check metrics like PA, DA, Alexa and so much more! Plus our Page Analayzer shows you what aspects of your site need to be improved. This gives you all the info you need, easily laid out to keep the leg up on your competition.

Source: https://www.keysearch.co

5 Main Reasons for Targeting Long-Tail Keywords on Blog Posts

Affiliate Marketing, Keyword Targeting, Marketing Hacks/Proposals, Marketing Strategy, SEO & SEM, SEO Training Tools

SEO professionals have known about the potential of long-tail keywords for some time now. Those who are good at what they do use them to drive traffic to their website and the websites of their clients. They also use them to increase leads and conversions.

In other words, it is possible to get real SEO results from long-tail keywords – results that are long-lasting and that can deliver for your business.

Plus, long-tail keywords are not the preserve of SEO professionals. There is nothing mysterious or particularly challenging about developing a strategy that targets long-tail keywords on your blog posts.

However, the reasons for doing so, and the results you can achieve, are compelling.

Easier to Get Good Rankings on Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific than standard keywords.

While it is true that standard keywords often have a higher number of monthly searches, most keywords typed into Google are long-tail keywords. This is because people are used to searching with a phrase, plus they have confidence in Google’s increasing ability to understand what they are asking.

These are reasons in themselves to target long-tail keywords on blog posts, but there is an even more important one – as there is less competition, it is easier to rank for long-tail keywords than it is to rank for short and single-word keywords. 

Furthermore, the longer and more specific the keyword, the easier it will be to get a good ranking.

As Long-Tail Keywords Are More Specific, They Have a Higher Conversion Value

In general, people use long-tail keywords as they get closer to a buying decision. After all, long-tail keywords often indicate a search that is narrowing as a potential customer moves from broad research to focus on the specific product or service they want to buy.

This results in better conversion rates.

You Can Beat the Competition, Including Big Competition

Trying to rank for competitive keywords, particularly against big competition, is an unrewarding uphill battle. Long-tail keywords provide you with an alternative solution.

So, instead of trying to compete on popular single-word or short phrases, you instead focus on blog topics that target long-tail keywords, i.e., keywords your competition is not necessarily targeting.

Even if your competitors have content on a long-tail keyword you want to target, it might still be possible to improve your rankings if you can create a better blog post. So, it’s a worthwhile strategy.

Long-Tail Keywords Provide You with New Blog Topics

One of the big challenges when writing regular blog posts is coming up with new topics. Long-tail keywords provide a solution.

In fact, using long-tail keywords is one of the fastest methods you can use to generate new blog topic ideas. For example, you can look at your Google Analytics search data and any other data that shows you the keywords used by the people looking for your business, services, or products. The long-tail keywords in this list are a starting point for multiple blog topic ideas.

The above method of finding new blog ideas also increases the relevancy of your blog posts, as you will be writing about topics that people are searching for.

Give Google More Context on Your Overall Website

Website context is a hot topic among SEO professionals at the moment as Google gets better at understanding search intent. Google’s ability to understand context is also making previously beneficial SEO strategies less effective. Therefore, the focus is increasingly on giving Google as much context as possible.

There are lots of ways you can do this, but one of the most effective is by targeting long-tail keywords in your blog posts.

When you target long-tail keywords, there will be content on your site that will show the extent of your expertise and the range of services that you offer. It is difficult to achieve the same level of context if your blog topics are more narrowly focused.

Why is this beneficial, though? Firstly, your website will appear on the search results pages of more keywords when Google understands the context of your pages and overall site.

In addition, Google’s enhanced understanding of your site can result in improvements in the rankings of other pages, including for single-word keywords and short keywords.

Final Thoughts

If traffic from Google is important to your business, you need an effective SEO strategy. You can transform your strategy by targeting long-tail keywords on your blog posts. By doing so, you will rank in high positions for keywords that have a good conversion rate. You will also get ahead of your competition for many search phrases, and you will improve the overall position of your website in Google.

Add all this together, and you get an improved return on investment on your SEO strategy.

As a result, it makes sense to target long-tail keywords on your blogs.

Source: axadra

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Isi Dixon

Even though relevant content is king when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) these days, keywords are still very important. People use them to find you. They are what people type in when they search for your content. You need to make sure these people find your blog posts. Here is the blog post I’m talking about in the video: http://www.wellorganised.org/the-impo… If you would like some help with setting up your business blog, why not download my free 10 Step Guide. You can find it here: http://www.wellorganised.org/10-step-… For more information about Well Organised Marketing, please visit my website http://www.wellorganised.org If you are looking for tips and advice on business blogging you can either visit my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/WellOrganised… or read some articles on my blog http://www.wellorganised.org/blog .

A Beginner’s Guide To Using Keywords In Google Ads

Google Analytics, Google Apps, Google Ranker, Google/Yahoo News, Keyword Targeting

Photo:

Google Ads can be an effective way to reach an audience of new customers. However, if you do not have a well-thought-out keyword list, your search and display ads may not be shown to those much-coveted consumers.

What is a keyword list? It is a set of terms, words and phrases that are associated with your business, brand or product. For example, if you own a yoga studio, keywords or phrases might include yoga classes, beginners’ yoga, hot yoga or meditation classes.

Beyond compiling a list of keywords and phrases that correlate to your business, think about the ways that people may search for you. Listing out your business or product name is always a must. But what if people do not already know about you? In our example of the yoga studio, keywords to use could be yoga studio near me, yoga studio in [town name], or even something as simple as good yoga studios.

The more specific your keywords are, the narrower the audience will be that finds them in their search. Ashtanga vinyasa yoga is a good keyword if you are targeting experienced and knowledgeable yogis, but it may exclude those new to the practice trying to find a studio. However, too broad of a keyword and you may be wasting money on showing your ad to people that may not be your target audience. Yoga is a pretty broad keyword and it competes with many other facets of the practice, including magazines, blogs and other online websites. Finding keywords that hit the proverbial sweet spot, as mentioned in paragraph three, will help optimize your reach to those searching for your business.

Once you have a keyword list ready, you must next decide on the modifiers. These are ways of inputting the keywords into Google Ads using quotation marks, brackets, plus signs, or leaving no modifiers of the keyword or phrase at all. The options are exact match, phrase match, broad match modifier, and broad match, respectively.

Exact Match is much like it sounds. By choosing the Exact Match modifier using brackets, ads will show when someone searches that exact term. [Beginners’ Yoga Studio] is an example of an exact match. Only someone searching that exact term will see the ad associated with that keyword.

Phrase Match uses quotation marks around the word or phrase. “Beginners’ Yoga” would be shown to those searching that phrase or a variation of that phrase, like beginners’ yoga classes.

Broad Match Modifier utilizes plus signs in front of the keywords so that they will appear when those terms, or close variations of those keywords, are searched in any order. +Beginners’ +yoga is an example of Broad Match Modifier. If someone searches yoga for beginners, the ad associated with that phrase will be shown to them.

Leaving out any modification and inputting the keywords or phrases just as they are is Broad Match. This type of matching leaves the terms open to include misspellings, synonyms and variations of the term. This is the default match when adding your keywords into Google Ads.

Which modifier is better to use is up to you. However, Google Ads makes it very easy to access your keywords and make changes at any time. If you start your ads with Broad Match but find that you are not converting customers, try Broad Match Modifier or Phrase Match. Google Ads’ dashboard can help you determine which keywords are successful. Google will also provide you recommendations on what keywords you may want to add to the campaign.

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Finally, create a negative keyword list for terms for which you do not want to be found. Using the yoga studio as an example again, if it does not offer hot yoga classes, then the term hot yoga can be added to the negative keyword list. When people search the term hot yoga, your ads will not show up, saving the money on ads to be shown to those who are in the market for your type of studio.

Google Ads can act as a driver to gain brand awareness, push more visits to your website, receive more phone calls and, most especially, grow your customer base if they are set up correctly. Taking your time with your keyword list is a great way to start.

Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Rebecca Kowalewicz Rebecca Kowalewicz

Vice President, Digital at Clearbridge Branding Agency, overseeing clients’ digital efforts.

 

Source: https://www.forbes.com

 

Keysearch Research Tool

With KeySearch you have the ability to do in-depth competition analysis lightning fast and with a push of a button. Our sophisticated algorithm uses multiple on-page and off-page ranking factors to give you an accurate, single number keyword difficulty score plus full first page search results analysis. You can bulk check competition for multiple keywords right from the Research page or paste a list of your own keywords into our bulk keyword difficulty checker. You can compare multiple keywords or dig even deeper by grabbing more data & LSI keywords with our Deep Analysis feature. Giving you loads of insight into the workings of Google’s algorithm.

Video Express 2 – World’s First & Best Video Suite to Rank Any Video You Want

Content Marketing, Keyword Targeting, Tagging Strategy, Video Marketing App, Video Ranker Tools, Video Ranking, Video Ranking Tool

With three simple steps you can find the most trending keywords to rank for, optimize your video automatically and also create backlinks for your uploaded video, making sure you gonna rank and stick. Enter a keyword and Video Express 2 will instantly give you the most relevant keywords to rank for, it gives you the right title, description and tags that will generate the most views and traffic for your videos immediately and Post your video and it will instantly generate dozens of backlinks that are gonna make your videos rank and stick. It shows you the most relevant keywords to rank for, the keywords that will get you the best results, saving you time and money and gives everything you need to rank, the right title, description and tags that you need to make sure you will get results from the serps but also related videos of yours………

Read more: http://getvideoexpress2.com/live-2-2/?aid=1

CrowdSearch – Lets Google Know To Rank Your Website Higher

Content Marketing, Google Ranker, Keyword Targeting, Page Ranking Tools, Ranking Tools, SEO & SEM, SEO Training Tools, Video Ranking, Video Ranking Tool

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CrowdSearch Lets Google Know To Rank Your Website Higher. For example, if your keyword is “Blue Widgets” and your website is currently in the 59th position of Google’s organic search index for that keyword, by searching for that keyword, finding your site in the 59th position, visiting your site and then spending a significant amount of time browsing your site and clicking internal links, this shows Google that people value your content for that search phrase. Google places a lot of authority on who’s getting visited for specific search phrases.

Our Advanced Algorithm first determines your current keyword position in Google.  It then looks at the overall search volume for this keyword and determines the perfect # of searches and dwell time required to boost you up higher.  The system constantly evaluates your keyword position and adjusts to keep boosting you up higher. And it does this all Automatically. Thousands of Real People on their own computers will be searching and clicking on your website. This means unique IPs, different browsers, and a mixture of other variables will all be used for a Completely Natural Process.No more being afraid of the next Google Update.  These are real people doing real searches in Google.  It doesn’t get any safer than this…..

Over 500,000 Searchers Assigned Cloud Based Tasks to Search and Find Your Website using Real Devices from iPads to PCs to Android Smart Phones.Every time someone from the Crowd Search Army visits your website they will spend up to 15 minutes randomly browsing and scrolling through your inner pages. Anything You Enter into CrowdSearch is kept 100% Private and Safe from the search army so you can rest easy knowing your information is safe from any prying eyes.

Track Your Keyword Rank Movement Directly within your dashboard Included with your CrowdSearch Account. Similar Keyword Ranking Software Would Cost You Just As much for the price of CrowdSearch alone! Tracks Google, Bing, Yahoo, & YouTube. Keyword Rank is Highly Accurate, Updated Every 24 Hours, and Tracked Weekly & Monthly!Keyword Finder is able to scan the search engines to find which Keywords you are already ranked for and simultaneously turn that into a CrowdSearch campaign so you can receive automatic traffic to Boost it even higher!

Read more: http://crowdsearch.me/special-backdoor/

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Long Tail Pro Black Friday – Discover How To Improve Your Rankings & Get Quality Traffic to Your Site Automatically

Content Marketing, Keyword Targeting, Page Ranking Tools, Ranking Tools, Video Ranking, Video Ranking Tool

Long Tail Pro provides exact search volume data, as well as our industry-leading Keyword Competitiveness (KC) metric. You can search for specific keywords, or get hundreds of keyword suggestions at a time. Use the Google AdWords Suggestions to find hundreds of new related keywords in minutes, for any country or language. View your domain statistics and pick the best keywords for your site. Use Target KC to find out which keywords are easy, which ones will take extra effort, and which ones to avoid. Measure your success and keep tabs on how you’re doing with the Brand New Rank Tracker feature in Long Tail Pro, fresh out of beta testing. Based on feedback from 70,000 marketers…..

Read more: https://learnu.lpages.co/black-friday-onetime/?aid=1

Niche Genetics Expert v2 – A Complete In Depth Analysis of Google Ranking Algorithm

Content Marketing, Google Analytics, Google Apps, Google Ranker, Keyword Targeting, Niche Analyzer, Niche Finder/Search Tool, Niche Marketing, Niche Marketing Tool, Niche Social Network, Page Ranking Tools, Ranking Tools, SEO & SEM, Video Ranking, Video Ranking Tool

We all know by now… Ranking on Google is more difficult than ever before. With its never-ending stream of algorithm updates and “slaps”, Getting a site to rank consistently has become a major challenge. Until now! NicheGenetics will analyze, dissect and then reveal Google’s hidden and ever-changing algorithm. This allows you to “crack the Google code”…So you can find out exactly what to do in order to get your site ranking on top of Google, for the best keywords in your niche. The keywords that matter most to your bottom line! Our intuitive, easy-to-navigate design will make you an expert in no time. Let our advanced keyword analysis help you discover new opportunities to increase sales and profits …..

Read more: http://www.nichegenetics.com/

How to Use Keyword Gap Analysis to Land High-Quality Guest Posts – Dustin Christensen

Content Blogger, Content Building Tools, Content Curation, Content Marketing, Content Strategy/Generating Content, Content Targeting, Keyword Targeting, Niche Marketing, SEO Training Tools

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The days of guest blogging strictly for SEO purposes may be over – Google long ago called out the tactic  – but it is still a great way to build rapport with your industry. Guest posting is also an ideal way to provide value to your audience without having a large platform yourself, which is often the case with new brands or websites.

One of the most challenging parts of this process is finding the right topic to pitch to your target sites. This can be particularly difficult when approaching large sites that have hundreds or thousands of published articles spanning many years. The chance that your topic has already been covered may be high.

Recently, I discovered an easy way to find potential topics for your guest posts that can nearly guarantee you will pitch something they haven’t covered before. It takes some research, but can dramatically improve your success rate when it comes to editors accepting your ideas.

Here is how it works:

1. Find a website you’d like to write for and identify their main organic competition.

2. Use the SEMrush Keyword Gap Tool to find keywords that the competition ranks for, but your target site does not.

With this data, you will have plenty of topics that your target site hasn’t sufficiently covered, and with the right approach, you can craft a pitch that is tailored to that site’s focus and audience. This doesn’t mean you will automatically get your idea published, but it will help you avoid pitching topics they have already discussed.

In your pitch, you can also allude to the fact that their closest competitors have covered the topic, which may help your case.

I recently used this strategy to write a contributor post for Foundr.com; a site focused on early-stage entrepreneurship. Here is a look at the process I used, and how you can apply this to your guest blogging campaigns.

Find Your Target Website

Many websites still accept guest posts or editorial submissions, so building your potential prospect list should be straightforward. I began by looking for entrepreneurship, business, and marketing sites that seemed accessible, and made a list of 5 – 10 websites I wanted to pitch.

From there, I started with Foundr.com because the site met my criteria and includes a contributor page with information on how to submit content ideas. When a site offers this info, it is much easier to adapt your pitch to exactly what they are looking for.

foundr contributor form

Aside from being a fan of Foundr’s podcast, I also spent some time browsing their recent and most popular blog articles to get an idea of the site’s tone, voice, and style. Once I was comfortable knowing I could pitch a topic that would be valuable to their audience, I began researching the site’s organic competition.

Identify the Organic Competition

The SEMrush Organic Competitors report identified more than 7,500 domains that had keywords in common with Foundr.com, including large sites like Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, and Medium.com.

foundr organic competition

When choosing domains to run through the Keyword Gap Analysis, however, I like to use sites that aren’t too large – otherwise, you will get a lot of keywords and topics that aren’t necessarily related to your target site.

If I were to run YouTube and Foundr through the analysis, for example, I would get thousands of keywords YouTube ranks for that are unrelated to Foundr.

It helps to identify sites of the same relative size and scope of your target site, and this will make the next step easier when choosing keywords and potential content topics. In my research, I found one site that seemed to have a large amount of data to work with, but was focused enough to provide targeted results, and that was Harvard Business Review.

foundr competition

Harvard Business Review covers everything from entrepreneurship to leadership, management, and marketing. The site seemed a good fit because Foundr takes a decidedly young approach to entrepreneurship, where HBR is a decades-old non-profit whose goal is “to improve the practice of management in a changing world.” They may cover similar topics, but their philosophies are different, and I believed I could use this to my advantage when crafting article ideas.

The next step was to find keywords and topics that HBR ranked for that Foundr did not.

Use Keyword Gap Analysis to Find Relevant Keywords

Using the Keyword Gap tool, I entered HBR.org as the first domain and Foundr.com as the second. In between, I chose the “Unique to the first domain’s keywords” option. This gave me more than one million keywords.

foundr gap analysis tool

To clean things up, I narrowed down the results by volume (keywords between 80 and 500 searches) and keyword difficulty (less than 85). This gave me a more manageable starting point of about 150,000 keywords.

how to build resilience at work keyword

Next, I began going through the keywords to see if there was anything I could use as the seed of an article for Foundr. Here is where critical thinking comes into play, and although it is not always fun to work through hundreds of keywords, the time you put into this stage can make or break your pitches down the road.

Many keywords were related to careers and management, including:

  • How to tell someone they are being laid off
  • Office politics hbr
  • How to write short cover letter

Some of these may be good long-tail topics, but Foundr is about early-career entrepreneurs and founders – not traditional career advice. After some research, one of the top keywords stood out:

  • how to build resilience at work

That was something that applied to entrepreneurship because of the immense obstacles and challenges facing those looking to build businesses. Resilience isn’t just helpful for founders – it is practically a requirement.

After doing further research on Foundr’s content, including a Google “site:” search, I found no other article that seemed to hit on the same topic. I had a winner.

Tailor Your Keyword with an Appealing Angle

Once you have your keywords in mind, it is not enough to simply pitch that search query as your topic. You will want to craft an angle that is specific to your target site’s audience and goals. For Foundr, it was not a stretch to relate resilience and entrepreneurship, but I needed to refocus the keyword to be more focused on their brand and business goals.

In my submission, I described “how entrepreneurs can build world-class resiliency by rethinking the way they approach their struggles and challenges.” I explained that for entrepreneurs, resilience is often more important than more concrete skills that are easier to quantify.

The search “how to build resilience at work” then became the topic of how to build resilience while building a business.

I sent the pitch and the next day received an email from the editor saying they were interested in the article. Several drafts, revisions, and months later, the article was published and shared more than 70 times.

building resilience article

Conclusion

For many writers and marketers, finding a good angle for content is often harder than the writing itself. Using the SEMrush Gap Analysis tool, I was able to cut hours of time from my prep work by focusing on topics I knew websites would be more likely to publish. It is not a fool-proof method to landing guest posts, but it can make the outreach process much more efficient.

In the end, the success of your guest post campaigns comes down to your ability to provide real, practical value to your audience, and the right keyword research can help you demonstrate that value front and center starting with your guest blog pitch.

If everyone who read the articles and like it, that would be favorable to have your donations – Thank you.