SEO Strategy: 2023 Guide
Google’s algorithm seeks to connect searchers with high quality content that best responds to their search query. Thus, effective SEO strategy can be simply defined as providing the highest quality response to the psychological intent behind a search query in the form of a web page.
When we break down SEO strategy a bit further, we encounter two separate arts: first, understanding the searcher’s intent when they typed in the keyword, and second, crafting a fulfilling answer to that intent. Looking at SEO in this way is purer than the way SEO strategy has traditionally been defined: technically, in terms of meta tags, site speed, and backlinks. It’s also more accurate in 2023, as the technical aspects of SEO are quickly becoming automated—most CMSs are fast and secure and allow users to input the targeted keyword on the back end.
SEO strategy is also different than in previous years because of the arrival of ChatGPT, Google Bard, and other AI chatbots, as they have replaced the need to target definitional or general research keywords, and pushed marketers to provide more value to searchers in the form of original insights, research, organization of ideas, and other content that aids in high level analysis and decision-making.
In 2023, marketers will find that content is still king, but only if the content is true thought leadership that stands out from what others can create with the assistance of AI tools. Google remains a meritocracy, where only one result earns the #1 spot, and that spot will continue to be occupied by the best content on the internet that respond to the keyword’s intent.
In sum, SEO strategy today consists of 5 elements:
These elements are interdependent, and executing a successful campaign requires that your team have a clear understanding of each. And because successfully executing on all 5 elements aligns your content with the philosophy that drives Google, the resulting search rankings often remain for years.
Developing Customer Personas for SEO
Successful SEO strategy depends on selecting the right audience, and the best way to do so is by creating customer personas. Personas are detailed summaries of your target audience, their goals, pain points, and other characteristics that push them towards an eventual conversion. Building detailed customer personas helps writers understand what points to emphasize and minimize in their content. A B2B customer persona includes job titles, responsibilities, superiors, and performance metrics. A B2C customer persona includes shopping histories, pain points, and relevant demographic information.
As an example, consider the two personas below:
The more detail included in a customer persona, the easier it will be to tailor your SEO strategy. A precise character profile provides content strategists with insights into the type of keywords the customer may be searching for, leading into our next topic of discussion; search intent.
Understanding Search Intent and Transactionality
Search intent refers to the reason a user searches a keyword, both express and implied. Search intent exists as a spectrum (depicted in the image below) of purposes, ranging from research-oriented keywords focused on developing a reader’s understanding of a particular topic to transaction-oriented keywords which reflect a desire to buy or purchase a product.
From an SEO standpoint, your personas are particularly important, as the keywords you target will be influenced by them. For example, Kevin from the B2B example is quite busy and therefore likely to want to quickly evaluate project management software, placing him further on the transactional end of the spectrum and more responsive to keywords such as:
By contrast, the B2C example with Emily notes that she’s much more interested than Kevin in doing preliminary research on a product to verify that it’s up to her standards before committing. This type of customer would respond to more research oriented keywords such as:
Targeting keywords that align with your searcher’s needs ensures they are satisfied with their search results, presenting more opportunities for conversions.
Applying the Hub & Spoke Model
The Hub & Spoke model of SEO is an efficient way to organize the keywords used in a campaign for easy linking and to create a direct path down a customer’s conversion funnel. It consists of a single short hub keyword, also known as a container keyword, which expands into long-tail keywords known as spokes. An example of a hub keyword with its spoke keywords is shown below.
Hubs serve the purpose of both:
It is important to note when implementing this model in your strategy, spokes must always contain the hub keyword. For example, “‘project management software” is included in all of the spokes shown above. There are 5 rules to follow when selecting spokes:
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After selecting spoke keywords following the above rules, the next step of SEO strategy is assigning each keyword and appropriate page type.
Assigning Appropriate Page Types for SEO Keywords
Page type refers to the layout, contents, and structure of a page. Depending on the search intent a page exists for, certain page types may fit your objective better than others (see the table below).
B2B companies are more likely to use landing pages that fall on the solve to commit region of the spectrum since their audience consists of professionals searching for solutions to niche problems. By contrast, B2C companies will primarily publish a more stratified mix of extremely transactional product pages supported by research-oriented blog articles.
Blog articles are an exception to the spectrum, as they can target nearly every search intent. For example, a blog can contain information that answers the search query while also presenting a call to action. Similarly, B2C customers may find their way toward transactional page types like a product page.
Creating the Best SEO Content
The best page on the Internet for a given keyword is the one that best fulfills the search intent of the target audience. You fulfill search intent both by choosing the right page to receive the searcher but also by writing in a way that answers both the questions they’ve expressly asked and the ones they didn’t realize they had.
Beyond the creative skill required to execute on the above, here are the 3 core elements of excellent SEO content:
Direct Tone
Once search intent has been established, articles should focus on immediately providing readers with their desired information. The searcher’s answer should ideally be included in the introduction in a condensed form, allowing the remainder of the piece to flesh the topic out further in the rest of the article. For example:
Providing value early on quickly establishes trust with the reader, making them more likely to:
The remainder of the content should present valuable information, avoiding figure-of-speech phrases, anecdotes, or other conversational approaches that detract from quickly getting to the point. The only exception is when a customer persona mandates a conversational tone (a relatively common occurrence in B2C).
Skimmable Elements
Skimmability refers not only to how easily readers can read the article, but more importantly how quickly they can identify important or relevant information. Writers can improve skimmability through the following techniques:
Many readers are unwilling to read an entire page. As a result, each section of an article should be written to stand alone, giving the reader the answers they need to gain a quick understanding of the content.
A great way to test the skimmability of a piece is to use the “scroll test.” Start at the top of the page and (without reading anything) slowly but steadily scroll down. Take note of where your eyes are drawn and (more importantly) where they glaze over. Once you’ve identified the latter, start looking at ways to improve that section by breaking up text or introducing lists, tables, or images.
Visual Aids
Visual elements such as tables, graphs, and images make information more digestible by breaking up long text and helps keep the reader’s eyes moving. Visual elements should be used with an intended purpose explained in the chart below.
Visual elements should only be included if they provide value for the reader. It might be tempting to include a relevant image next to a header to break up the page, but pictures should serve as a way to illustrate the content further. A stock image used only for its formatting value will signal to the reader that your content offers little value.