There’s practically no doubt that topical optimization is the way to go, ever since Google released the Hummingbird update. As we’re used to, in SEO, that’s easier said than done.
From keyword research to choosing a topic, to actually producing the right content, to measuring its impact in visibility - every step of the way has to be different, in order to transition from “traditional SEO” (that’s not really working as good as it used to) to a more Inbound approach to optimization.
Cutting through the clutter
How can you become an authority in your domain? It all starts with content, but not just any content. Writing authoritative content requires 2 things:
It’s no secret that our biggest challenge as content marketers is grabbing people’s attention. It’s now harder than ever to get it, with them being bombarded with information. It’s tough, but there’s a way to get through all that noise: by bringing them really good content.
Just add "purpose" to the recipe and you’re on the right track.
Don’t be that SEO guy who walks into a bar, pub, club...
There was a time when this joke used to paint a pretty good picture of what’s it like to be an SEO, especially the keyword research part of the job. Fortunately, time has challenged us (Google algorithms even more so) to focus more on users’ natural way of researching products, services or information. This means that we’re no longer targeting sets of keywords per landing page, but rather trying to understand the way our audience uses search engines.
Therefore, your keyword research should start with looking at the type of content your audience is looking for. This means that, for someone in the awareness stage, product- or service-related topics wouldn’t be what they are looking. You might want to consider optimizing for a more problem-focused topic, such as: “how to win more qualified leads”.