Alrighty! You’ve got your Google Sheet of decayed or limited traffic URLs from our last issue.
Or perhaps, you’ve made your own list of 2-5 URLs you think are worth updating.
This newsletter issue has been constructed as a standalone piece. No need to have read the previous post to be able to execute on anything you read below.
But I do invite you to check out The SEO's Handbook for Updating Old Pieces of Content [Part 1] if you haven’t seen it yet.
Side Note: Because I can’t share client information + I don’t have an interest in helping a competitor rank for a query that one of my clients might find lucrative — We’ll be assessing how to rank a random post that I’ve identified as having experienced decay.
The URL we’ll be auditing and making SEO update recommendations for
Today, we’ll be looking at Zapier’s blog. Specifically, their post entitled: How to create a pdf (naked URL: https://zapier.com/blog/create-pdf/).
How I identified this post as a worthwhile opportunity:
I asked myself, “What’s a company people know, and who has a large blog?” Answer Zapier. By the sheer size of their blog, it’s almost guaranteed they experience regular decay.
Entered zapier.com into the Ahrefs tool (image below)
Selected top pages from the left-hand navbar.
Sorted by traffic change by clicking the “change” header from the table column that’s immediately next to the traffic column (for your site, if using Ahrefs, consider sorting by value change).
Also, value decay:
Validate that it hasn’t been recently updated. The publish date is March of 2021. At 11 months old, given my experience, it’s safe to say this post could use an update.
The process for updating an old piece of content (or, what you came to learn):
Let’s dig right in. I’ll cover the entire process and include the way I think about approaching each step.
Step 1) Plugging our URL into our keyword research tool and learning about the queries associated with the page
Let’s get started by grabbing our URL and plugging it into that top search bar in Ahrefs.
The purpose of this initial exercise is to get a sense of which keywords the page is ranking best for as well as to see which keywords have experienced the most significant decay.
Side note: I have no allegiance to one keyword research tool. I currently have access to Ahrefs.
I actually learned on, and therefore primarily prefer the UI of SEMrush.
But the tools, for our purposes here, are effectively the same, and you should be able to do the same process I’m showing you in whichever tool you’re using.
From the “overview” page about this URL, you can simply click on the number of keywords to take you into the list of keywords for this post (image below).
Step 2) Investigation into which keywords are worth targeting.
Taking a look at the keyword information given to us by the image below, let’s walk through some of our insights.
The keywords associated with the most volume are ranked in positions 8 through 11. These are likely the culprits for the biggest drops in traffic.
Now, I see your over-eager eyes looking at those top 5 queries thinking “Bingo, these are our targets!” — maybe you’re not thinking that, but I know that’s my initial reaction.
It’s a positive sign that those queries are sitting at the bottom of page 1, but this page is also ranking higher for other longer-tail queries:
how to create pdf (position 4)
how do you make a pdf file (position 4)
how to make something a pdf (position 4)
And as a general rule, the keywords that you’re ranking higher for are those that Google believes are most relevant to your content (the searcher’s intent).
We need to figure out whether the current longtail keywords we are performing best for are compatible (read, “have a similar enough intent”) with those seed keywords at the top of that list.
Aka, can we rank the same piece of content for all of these keywords, or are the keywords that are dropping in the rankings actually dropping because they belong on a different piece of content?
Side note: I don’t take the keywords with terribly quirky spelling and incoherent phrasing into account for the evaluation. It’s not necessary, and you’ll also typically acquire them defacto with a good piece of content.
Example: how to.pdf
Please don’t ever put something like this into a piece of content. PLEASE.
Comparing SERPs to validate keyword targeting
To evaluate if those keywords belong on the same page, I like to do a Google search with two windows open side by side.
In one window, I’ll be searching “create pdf,” and in the other, I’ll search “how to create pdf” — let’s take a look below.
***Note: A day after publishing this newsletter - the Zapier page now is in the featured snippet spot (I predicted below that Adobe would lose that do to a 301 redirect).
What we’re looking for here is how similar these two SERPs are, especially near the top of the SERP.
Fortunately for us in this situation (I hadn’t checked previous to starting this post 😰) the top of this SERP is quite similar between the two SERPs. It is possible to rank high for both terms.
It’s still important to evaluate the main difference between the two SERPs to get a sense of why not everything ranks the same on both.
And keep an eye on the presence of featured snippets and rich snippets (such as People Also Ask, image carousels, video snippets, etc.)
Here is my interpretation of what I’m seeing here:
1. “how to create pdf”
The longtail query “how to create pdf” is much easier for Google to interpret what a searcher’s intent is.
Someone wants to learn how to create a PDF.
And the questions in the PAA snippet let me know that people want to know multiple ways to create pdfs (on a phone, with adobe, from an image, for free etc.)
The longtail query also importantly features a rich snippet for videos. This tells us that Google has noticed people enjoy learning about this subject by both written instructions and video instructions.
If we have a video at our disposal, it’s worth embedding on this page - or suggesting that a video is created to enhance this blog post.
2. “create pdf”
Google is less clear on what exactly a searcher using this seed keyword wants (as is normal for one to two-word keywords)
Based on the results, people who search this are looking for two things. Directions on how to make a pdf OR a tool that will make/convert files into a PDF
The above distinction explains why we see both articles/blog and tool pages on the SERP.
It’s also worth noting that both SERPs feature the same featured snippet.
Based on the two SERPs, I think we can crack the top 3 of “how to create pdf” and the top 5 for “create pdf”. With some cleverness, I also think we might be able to weasel into the top 4 via just an instruction-style piece (and hopefully that featured snippet).
If I really valued this piece of content and had developer resources, then I’d recommend that a pdf converter tool be created for this page (I’m going to assume for the rest of this post that we won’t be receiving any developer resources and therefore won’t be building a tool).
Verdict of analysis:
We can go ahead and target both the longtail and seed keywords from our list of keyword targets.
Don’t miss out on more hands-on SEO advice next week!
Step 3) Comparing our content to the competitor’s content
For this step, I’ll literally jump around the different top URLs to see how closely our post matches the rest of the SERP and where any potential gaps are.
Let’s check out the competition:
Snippet details worth calling out
The number one result for the featured snippet for both SERPs is a product page from Adobe.
The URL for that snippet has been 301 redirected from a “how-to” page on the Adobe website AND the actual copy/formatting from the snippet was not carried over to the product page (mistake on Adobe’s part). This redirect must be recent as both pages are on the SERPs but only one is actually still live. That means that the featured snippet will be changing very soon.
Competitor headers and SERP info that will help inform OUR headers
Here are a bunch of the headers from our competitors - notice the use of headers to indicate each different way to make a PDF.
Here are the snippets from the SERPs that also help shape potential headers. I’ll explain more about headers and featured snippets below. The People Also Ask questions give us a few more header options when we think about the many ways people want to create a PDF:
Tools (aka non-article/non-blog pages)
And remember that in addition to these how-to posts, we should take into consideration some of the tools on page 1 of “create pdf”:
Adobe
PDF24
Small PDF
Free PDF Converter
We should think about whether Zapier is compatible with any of these tools when we think about which ones we want to include.
People also like to search for “free” tools so having some type of pricing structure built into the post will help us give that information to readers while also satisfying Google.
Length as it relates to thoroughness
Finally, the lengths of these posts are all pretty varied and relatively short. A common way of figuring out how long a post might need to be is to grab the top 3-4 posts on a SERP and average their word counts (it’s not a perfect science).
After you review a number of pages, you’ll pick up on when lengths feel important to ranking. Don’t confuse length as being a ranking factor (it’s not).
Length is supposed to give some indication of just how many sections across a topic you’ll need to cover and how thoroughly you need to cover them.
The gist of why “length” is a part of this process and conversation:
SEOs need an easy way to communicate to writers that don’t necessarily understand the nuances of SEO.
Additionally, writers often charge by the word. This forces SEO specialists and clients to attempt to find the exact word limit with which they can be confident that they covered enough information to rank — while simultaneously keeping costs to a minimum.
Because the lengths are varied and some pages have almost no copy on them for the SERPs we’re currently comparing — we can reasonably conclude that length is a fairly unnecessary measure of content quality in this case.
Step 4) Building an outline for a new post (and utilizing your old post)
The beauty of having a post that performs “okay” like the Zapier post, is that we’re not necessarily starting from scratch. Zapier’s SEO or SEOs most likely built this post originally using a very similar process.
Take stock of your current outline (https://zapier.com/blog/create-pdf/)
The good news is that our current header structure is pretty good.
Here is the current header outline of our post right now:
H1 How to create a PDF
H2 Create a PDF on a Windows PC
H2 Create a PDF on a Mac
H2 Create a PDF on iOS and Android
H2 Convert any file to a PDF with CloudConvert
So if the heading structure if fine, what modifications should we be making?
Optimize the H1 header
First, the H1 header should be enhanced. I appreciate how to the point it is. But let’s give it a quick update that tells readers more about what they could find in this post.
H1 6 Easy Ways to Create PDFs (+ Top PDF Converter Tools)
Expand the number of ways to create a PDF with H2 headers
Second, let’s give searchers a generous number of ways to make a PDF. We’ll keep the first three original H2 headers as is, but let’s add a few more based on what we’ve seen from the competition.
H2 Create a PDF on a Windows PC
H2 Make a PDF on a Mac
H2 Build a PDF on iOS and Android (for phones and tablets) (modified)
H2 Create a PDF with Adobe (new)
H2 Merge multiples documents to make a PDF (new)
H2. Make a PDF from an image (new)
Utilize new H2s, H3s, and H4s to account for the tool-based results and people who search with pricing indicators (E.g. “free pdf converter tool”)
We’ve got two other targets we need to build into our page. We want that featured snippet spot AND we need to find a way to give searchers tool-related information.
For the tools, I have a couple ideas I think readers will find valuable.
We introduce new H3s into our post under the above list of H2s that will be labeled “Available tools and apps”
We utilize another H2 at the bottom that lists “Top tools and apps for converting your files into PDFs (free and premium)”
Under this H2, we’ll place the name of each tool as H3s. And under those H3s we’ll nest H4s for price.
This might be getting a bit convoluted to follow so let me layout the headers that I have planned so far.
H1 6 Easy Ways to Create PDFs (+ Top PDF Converter Tools)
H2 Create a PDF on a Windows PC
These body sections should be concise steps-by-step instructions rather than overly narrative pieces
Include screenshots of the tools used as is necessary to provide thorough instruction
H3 Available tools and apps (New)
These should list any apps or tools that make this type of PDF creation possible
H2 Make a PDF on a Mac
H3 Available tools and apps (New)
H2 Build a PDF on iOS and Android (for phones and tablets) (Modified)
H3 Available tools and apps (New)
H2 Create a PDF with Adobe (New)
H3 Available tools and apps (New)
H2 Merge multiples documents to make PDFs (New)
H3 Available tools and apps (New)
H2. Make a PDF from an image (New)
H3 Available tools and apps (New)
H2 Top tools and apps for converting your files into PDFs (free and premium) (New)
H3 CloudConvert (Modified)
These sections should generally discuss what this tool is, what its top features are and differentiate it from the other tools listed.
H4 Price (New)
These sections are for listing the price or price range of this tool
H3 Adobe (New)
H4 Price (New)
H3 Free PDF Convert (New)
H4 Price (New)
H2 Available Zaps for tools mentioned in this post (New)
CTA section that should show all the relevant zaps for CloudConvert and soon to come Adobe zaps.
So this covers a more thorough piece of content via headers in which we’ll have more ways in which users can create PDF files. Additionally, we managed to find a way to include tools in our lists which our users will appreciate and that will likely help us move up the “create pdf” SERP that had more tool-based results.
Notes on getting featured snippets like the one we’re aiming for here
But what about that featured snippet spot — how do we optimize for that?
Unfortunately, we can’t reverse engineer how Adobe’s original page had it laid out, but I’ll tell you what I know about lists/step-by-step featured snippets.
There are effectively 3 ways to format for a featured snippet like the one on our SERP (Note that Google will sometimes pull whatever it feels is the most efficient result, but there are ways to increase our odds.)
1. Google will sometimes utilize header formatting - If you look at the structure of the above outline, you’ll notice that the H2s are always nested under the H1, and the H3s are always nested under the H2s. Using the below page structures, Google can pull a list from headers (and you can still have your paragraph text or H3s under those H2 headers without impacting Google’s ability to understand the list).
Example:
H1 Prompt or question (How to create a pdf)
H2 List item 1 (step 1)
H2 List item 2 (step 2)
H2 List item 3 (step 3)
OR…
Example
H2 Prompt or question (How to create a pdf)
H3 List item 1 (step 1)
H3 List item 2 (step 2)
H3 List item 3 (step 3)
2. Google will prioritize an immediate response after a header prompt/question - Make the main prompt or question a header and the immediate sentence, paragraph, or bulleted list after that header should be in direct response to that header.
Example
H1 or H2 Prompt or question (How to create a pdf)
An immediate list of bulleted steps in an <ol></ol> format
A 1-2 sentence response on how to do it in <p></p> format
3. Structured data for a how-to article - it’s often beneficial to utilize Google’s own language to give it concrete signals (labels) that what it is reading are steps to complete a project/goal.
The first option (above) would require us to add a lot of bulky structure to an already thorough header format. This bulking would also significantly increase the cost of production without an ability to confidently know that it’s the right move for getting that snippet.
The second option is the one that I’d recommend. We can simply communicate this to the writer. Additionally, we can format all 6 of the ways we list in this article the same way. This allows Google to choose which of the “ways” it might like to list. Recall that the current snippet result isn’t an objective how-to. It is directions for specifically using Adobe (hence the addition of that section in our new outline).
The third option is much more feasible if we were creating a structured, detailed blog post on a single way to create a PDF. When you’re going to do multiple on one page, the accurate structured data application gets more complicated.
Step 5) Write the new content and adjust the formatting of the post
This is the execution part of the process. You designed it, and now you’ve got to write and reformat the piece accordingly.
Step 6) Improving the title tag and meta description
Now we should do our due diligence and make sure our title tag is optimized to include intent AND make it more interesting to click on.
Example: How to Create a PDF (6 Easy Ways + Tools)
Important: Title tags are keyword sensitive
Meta descriptions should be accurate and enticing.
Example: Learn 6 easy ways to make or convert your files into PDFs. Plus, checkout our list of free and premium converter tools.
Important: Meta descriptions are NOT keyword sensitive
Step 7) Optimizing the internal linking structure and adding external-facing links
There is always a chance that updating the internal linking structure on a domain as strong as Zapiers would be enough to improve rankings.
In fact, if you suspect your content is high enough quality, you should check to see if you have enough relevant internal links pointing into the post. Passing along link equity from high ranking pages and tightening up the links between relevant content is one of the easiest way to get a piece of content “unstuck” on the SERPs.
According to Ahrefs, there are only two meaningful internal links pointing at this post.
Doing a simple site command in the Google search bar should help us find other posts that talk about PDFs or document conversion. These other posts should link to our newly updated URL:
In addition to having these listed URLs internally link into our updated post, we’ll also want to be sure we’re giving the readers what they want for external links.
This means linking directly to any tools or apps that they’ll likely want to learn more about. It also means linking to any Zap integrations related to the tools put in this post.
Step 7) Applying updates to the current URL and don’t forget to update the time stamp when publishing
Now we approach the finish line on our update. Be sure to utilize the same URL for the content that you are updating. This ensures the quickest and most reliable results.
Some people will create a new URL and then 301 redirect the old one to the new one.
That’s unnecessary, and while usually effective, does leave your ability to recover your results up to chance. There is no guarantee that Google’s algorithms will pass along or recognize all of the weighted factors of your original URL.
And before you click publish, be sure to update the publishing date to whatever day it is that you’re updating on. This will communicate to your readers as well as Google that this piece is current and therefore more relevant than older pieces.
Step 8) Distribute, distribute, distribute
And as always, distribute your content. Chop it up and tease for social media consumption. Email it to relevant subscribers and customers. Recycle it for months. Etc. Etc. Etc.
If you found this post helpful, please send it along to others in the SEO and content marketing community.
Since I’m only 4 issues into this newsletter, I’ve decided to make a name change.
Instead of this newsletter being called “A Lonely Marketer’s Thoughts” - I’ve decided to call this newsletter, “The SEO Trade School”.
It’s a play on words based on Tom Critchlow’s prominent newsletter and course, The SEO MBA.
The SEO content that we’re going over is meant to be for the practitioner - and therefore reads much more like a trade program course than business school theory.
Next Week’s Topic:
What you need to know about keywords before you can do keyword research
Thanks for reading! — And don’t miss out on future issues by subscribing below.
Derek works for an agency that specializes in SEO and content marketing for growing SaaS brands called Ten Speed. Interested in learning more about their work?
