In my previous blog, we looked at search impact lifecycle and how a structured model can help SEO managers approach changes in the search landscape and effectively drive SEO projects in large enterprises.
Changes in search patterns can influence SEO and overall business content strategy. For example, a shift in search trends from branded terms (keywords that include the company or product name) to nonbranded keywords suggests the creation and optimization of content focused on themes built around these new search terms; for example, topics about specific product features and functionalities.
Let’s take a look at the following case study. The analysis of branded and nonbranded keyword trends for one of our products showed an increasing trend toward the use of non-branded keywords. Please see the chart below, representing aggregate search volume for value keywords in both groups. This analysis is performed in the initial “change” phase of the SEO lifecycle.
Once we completed the analysis and identified opportunities, we created a POV, got a buy-in, and planned a pilot, where we created 15 pages (SEO-localizing these in 14 geos) focused on specific product features, targeting high-value nonbranded keywords.
In the implementation phase, we optimized and published pages, focusing on user experience. We ensured that we addressed technical SEO (page template coding, URL naming convention, page indexing, geotargeting, etc.). We also tested and selected the best-performing title and metadescription messaging to maximize click-through rate (CTR) from search results, and worked on creating cross-links to these new pages from select theme-relevant pages to enhance the user experience and help page indexing and theme.
Search engines indexed the new pages and established theme relevancy, and we started to see a steady progress over time for the main SEO key performance indicators (KPIs).
When analyzing the impact, we looked at the visibility of target nonbranded keywords, using the BrightEdge SEO platform. Specifically, we were interested in the progress of rankings of preferred landing pages on the first page of Google search results (blue area on the bar-chart, screenshot below).
