Once we’ve targeted a search query that we want to rank for, it’s really important to create the right type of content which ranks highly for that query. For example, if we’re targeting ‘blue widgets’, the first step is to take a look at the existing search results and some related ones. It’s quite likely that the top results will be the major suppliers, because the search engine has found that most people searching for blue widgets want to buy them.
If we’re targeting ‘what is a blue widget’, however, we might find the top results may well be White Papers, blog posts or other articles. And for ‘how to replace a blue widget’, the results page might just be a string of videos. But we shouldn’t assume anything. It’s important to research the existing results.
We can get even more granular in our assessment of what the search engines like. For videos, how long are the top ones? For background articles, are the strong performers in-depth technical articles, definitions, reviews, or summary lists? We’re unlikely to change the type of content the search engine prefers for a particular query, but we can do better than the competition.