How to Improve the SEO Ranking of Existing Blog Posts

Optimizing your existing blog posts is one of the best ways to increase your quality SEO traffic and get more out of your existing content. This is one on-page optimization strategy we use with our SEO clients at Enilon. To get started, run an audit of your existing posts.

Look at your blog posts that are getting a lot of impressions, but still not ranking well or getting the click-thru that you’d like. Also, review your primary keywords and determine long-tail versions that are relevant to your existing posts. With this data, you can identify some top posts that could give you the most improvement opportunities.

The most important aspect of ranking any post is…

User Intent! 

You can rank your post in many ways, but if the article doesn’t provide useful information, the ranking will be affected.

How to Satisfy User Intent

1. Clarify the Value Proposition: Clearly outline your topic’s or product’s main benefits to address the audience’s core challenges or interests. Explain how it can simplify their lives, solve specific problems, or deliver essential advantages, such as cost savings, improved efficiency, or enhanced convenience.
2. Detail Key Features or Points: Break down essential aspects or features in a way that’s easy for readers to understand. Use practical examples or real-world scenarios to illustrate their functionality and impact, helping readers connect the content to their own experiences or needs.
3. Incorporate Visual Aids: Boost clarity and engagement by adding visuals like diagrams, screenshots, or videos illustrating the key points. Visual elements can make complex information easier to digest and hold the reader’s attention. (This would mostly relate to service pages)
4. Include Testimonials or Success Stories: If applicable, include brief testimonials or case studies that demonstrate the positive impact of the topic or product. This adds credibility and helps readers see how others have benefited in similar situations.(This would mostly relate to service pages)
5. Provide Detailed Information for In-Depth Readers: Add specifications, industry insights, or additional resources to cater to those seeking technical details or more in-depth knowledge. This layer of detail appeals to more experienced readers who want a deeper understanding.
6. Offer Interactive Elements: Engage readers further with interactive components like polls, downloadable resources, or embedded videos. These elements allow users to explore the content actively, deepening their experience and engagement.

Important Aspects of Ranking a Post

• The title/headline of the article has the primary keyword
• The Meta Titles & Descriptions have the primary keyword
• The titles have “built-in” user intent questions:
  • Instructional Headlines – How to [Desired Outcome], How to [Do Something] Like a Pro” 
  • Question Headlines – “What, Why, Which, When”
  • List Headlines – “Ways to – 5 ways to – 5 Tips to – 5 reasons Why”
  • Problem Solution Headlines – “How to Fix, The Best Way To, Don’t Do this..”
  • Benefit Driven – “Get [Result] with These, Improve Your [Thing] in [Timeline]”
  • Curiosity Driven – “Here’s what you didn’t know, Surprising Fact”
  • Case Study or Success Headlines – “How We Increased, What Happened When” 
  • Comparison Headlines – “Is [Topic S] vs [Topic b] Which Is Better for You?”
• The H tags are not formatted correctly. Subheadlines are almost always H2. H3 is rarely used unless associated with a secondary subcategory.
• The subheadlines don’t include keywords. Missing an opportunity to answer a question or contain secondary keywords 

Post Ranking Strategies

• When you see a keyword in Search Console – that is what Google is showing the page or post is ranking for based on the content. If you see that an article is getting impressions for the wrong keyword, then the focus of the page needs to be adjusted by either a headline change, meta title or content change.
• When you see multiple posts ranking for the same keyword, then the focus of the page needs to be adjusted. By either a headline change, meta title or content change.
• You should focus a piece of content for one primary keyword
• In most cases, posts will outrank pages considering the content. If you want a service page to outrank a post, then it must satisfy user intent and be comprehensive. 

When two posts are ranking for the same keyword then they must be adjusted by either combining the content or refocusing the intent of each. Combining the two articles could be a strong approach if you want to create a comprehensive guide for your audience.

When it comes to creating content, a lot of resources are used – time, energy, money. Content is so important, but if it’s not optimized correctly, then unfortunately it’s being wasted. Use this guide to help you get more traffic out of your content. If you’re strapped on time and would like to be getting more out of your content, let’s connect and see how we can help you increase your SEO rankings and traffic from your content.