How do you ensure that the content on a website is tailored to the target audience? I use frameworks like QPAFFCCGMIM (a framework I developed myself), which I use to truly understand the client’s situation and look beyond keyword research; I haven’t done keyword research in years to determine what we’re going to talk about. By delving deeply into the context of the target audience, I can create more relevant content that better addresses their needs.
How do you determine which tasks should be prioritized in your SEO strategy? Prioritization often comes down to assessing the impact of each project. For B2B clients, for example, I look at which customer groups convert the fastest or have the most potential value, and I focus on those areas first. In addition, we sometimes work with the client to decide what would be most valuable to tackle first.
In your opinion, what impact do user signals have on your search visibility? User signals definitely have an impact, especially now that Google is getting better and better at determining which content is relevant to the user. Signals such as clicks, time on page, and interaction indicate how valuable a page is. I’ve noticed that when the technical aspects are in order, high-quality content often performs better thanks to positive user signals. I was recently conducting research for a client that had lost almost all of its traffic. When you look at what was ranking at the time, it was competitors whose approach offered much better information or pages that directly addressed the searcher’s pain point or capitalized on it. Those other companies understood what people want to know and how to get the click. That’s when you’re doing it right: you know how to earn the click, but also how to truly “reward” the visitor for it. Google is bound to recognize that in user signals.
SEO is hard work—how do you measure the results of your SEO efforts? I measure performance at different levels, depending on the client and what we’re doing for them. For some clients, I look at the growth in branded traffic, which indicates that their brand is becoming better known. I see that as an important sign that organic marketing is working well. In addition, I use traditional SEO metrics such as rankings and traffic, but I also pay attention to qualitative indicators, such as how many new people a client reaches on social media, how often their content is shared, and how many people reach out as a result of the content. My reports look different for every client.