Jamstack SEO Guide: Content SEO [First Half]

The discussion on Jamstack ends here for now. We strongly recommend that you continue reading the rest of the guide, which explains the basics of content SEO, whether you are an SEO consultant, a marketing consultant, a developer, or anyone else.

 

For articles with a large amount of content like this one, it is recommended to split it into multiple pages. Even for pages using the fast-loading Jamstack, loading speed will decrease if all content is packed into one page. Additionally, when the first page is clicked, it provides Google with information that the content on that page is liked. As the number of pages increases, more keywords are added, resulting in a higher ranking. This also affects the length of time a user stays on the page and the bounce rate and average page session duration.

Understanding SEO is more important than just knowing one or two signals, considering the constantly changing complexity and the number of potential ranking signals. It is necessary to see the big picture.

 

In Part 1 of the Jamstack SEO Guide, we introduced technical SEO for Jamstack websites and discussed how technical SEO complements content to achieve better rankings.

 

Let's take a look at the content of the website here.

 

Broadly speaking, content issues can be classified into one of these two segments.

 

1. On-page optimization: keyword research, content, keyword placement, meta tags, content structure, H tags, content pruning, etc.
2. Off-page optimization: domain authority, link building, brand building, PR, social shares, etc.

 

There are many articles that explain the above two in detail.

 

Therefore, I would like to approach content SEO in a slightly different way from other articles. Instead of tips and tricks for on-page/off-page optimization, I will introduce an approach to content SEO. I believe this is a perfect explanation for both beginners and experts to explain to the general public.

 

 

In the content SEO flow, instead of explaining each topic individually, we cover and provide a step-by-step framework for understanding and incorporating the best practices of content SEO (on-page/off-page).

1. Keyword Research

Services, products, and content are the core of a business, but the keywords that the audience is searching for are the foundation of the content and overall digital marketing strategy.

 

In keyword research, you can obtain information on what users are searching for, how much, and in what way in their areas of interest. You can also obtain information on what format they expect to receive this information in.

 

Keyword research is often mentioned in many guides and articles as a way to find strategic keywords to target in website content.

 

If we say without fear of misunderstanding, it is partly correct. Let's rephrase the above sentence.

 

Keyword research is used to find strategic keywords to target in website content and to find keywords that align with website rankings.

 

That's great, but where should I start? Also, how can I know which keywords to target?

 

Before you begin, remember to conduct keyword research based on your website (authority, reliable resources, number of pages, etc.), goals (branding, exposure, traffic, lead generation, sales), competitors (and their authority), and finally, your industry. This also applies to keywords that can rank high.

 

First, let's start by creating a list of important and relevant keywords and topics based on what you know about your business and the goals you are trying to achieve. If you already know, check out your competitors and see what they have been doing. If not, start by searching from the chosen keywords.

 

At this point, the best ally is Google and some free or paid keyword discovery tools.

 

• Google Search Results
• Auto-suggestion on Google search
• Similar searches on Google Search
• Free tools such as Answer the Public and Ubersuggest
• Paid tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz

 

Using these, we understand what is happening in the target industry and keywords, what the target audience is searching for, how they are searching, which keywords they are using, how popular those keywords are, the search volume for those keywords, the general intent displayed in the search results for those keywords, and what is needed to rank high for those keywords.

 

Using them, we will understand the competition and analyze the good and bad aspects of keyword, content, and backlink profile strategies. Just because they were business competitors does not necessarily mean they are also competitors in terms of content. The answer lies within the search results.

 

1-1 Long Tail Keywords

From top brands to new businesses, everyone who makes T-shirts wants to be ranked first in Google search results with the keyword "T-shirt" (with an average monthly search volume of about 300,000). This is because the higher the search volume, the more competition and effort is required to achieve a high ranking, making it a difficult task.

 

This is especially true for new businesses. In the case of authoritative brands, which are brands recognized by Google as authoritative in terms of keyword themes, it is difficult for new businesses to compete fairly, no matter how excellent they may be.

 

Therefore, we recommend that new entrants target long-tail keywords with low search volume. Interestingly, these keywords can lead to better conversions as they more specifically express what searchers are looking for.

 

Therefore, if we were to start a T-shirt business, it would be difficult to target T-shirt keywords. Instead, targeting keywords like "Jamstack T-shirt" would be a good choice in terms of keyword placement, conversion, and ultimately selling T-shirts.

 

In most articles, it is recommended to search for high volume and low competition keywords. Please use these two filters to determine the business value. Remember that low competition keywords not only make it easier to rank, but also serve as a foundation and authority for targeting high volume keywords once they are ranked.

 

1-2 Difficulty of Keywords

If you are using a paid tool, there is a metric called Keyword Difficulty (KD).

 

First, please keep in mind that the KD value may vary depending on the measurement method of each tool. Also, please do not rely too much on KD. Before targeting a keyword, be sure to manually check the search results and evaluate the difficulty and search intent of the actual keyword.

 

Ultimately, proper keyword research not only supports SEO efforts, but also contributes to revenue from related traffic and helps to find valuable keywords. In other words, even if you gather a lot of traffic, it is meaningless if you cannot convert them.

 

However, just because your keyword research went well, it doesn't mean you can escape from useless websites and content.

2. Search Intent and Domain/Page Authority

 

To conduct proper keyword research, it is necessary to consider search intent and domain/page authority. Many may have thought "that's an unusual combination" when looking at the subtitle. The former is a genuine ranking factor, while the latter is a temporary value used in top SEO tools. We will explain in detail.

 

2-1 Search Intent

Google is always striving to provide the most relevant results to the searcher's query. In other words, their ultimate goal is to understand the intent behind the search query.

 

If you want to improve your ranking in Google search results in 2021, it is important to understand the search intent and create content accordingly. What is important is the intent behind the query/keyword and how well your content can solve it.

 

In general, there are four types of search intent: Informational, Navigational, Transactional, and Commercial Investigation. Let's briefly explain each one.

 

2-2 Informational

If you are asking specific questions with a search query, or if you want to know more about a specific topic, it is likely that you have an intention to provide information. Examples of this type of question include "Who is Brad Pitt?" and "What is Jamstack?" as well as directional questions such as "How to get to the airport?" and topic/keyword questions such as "Soccer" and "University education".

 

2-3 Navigational

When searching for specific websites such as "Bejamas" or "Gmail sign in", it applies to the type of navigation.

 

2-4 Transaction

People who are trying to do something, such as purchasing or watching videos, search with transactional intent. Queries such as "iPhone 10 price", "namecheap coupon", and "purchase secrid miniwallet" all fall into this category.

 

2-5 Commercial Investigation (Shopping Investigation)

There are people who are planning to purchase something in the near future, but want to gather information before making a purchase. In other words, queries such as "iPhone vs. Android", "iPhone reviews", "best wallet", "nearby record shops", and "affordable hotels in London" all fall under the intention of shopping research.

 

2-6 Local Search

Some articles recognize local queries as a different type. They are search queries that refer to local results. This is when you search for things like "cocktail bars near me" or "movie theaters near me". Most of them easily match the intended type of query.

 

2-7 Domain/Page Authority

Domain Authority/Domain Rating is an indicator designed to understand the strength of a website. Google may use something similar, but these indicators are defined by tools. In other words, what we want to convey is that Domain Authority and other similar indicators (such as KD) should be used as indicators of "something that may exist" rather than "something that exists".

 

Most tools provide an "overall" authority indicator, but this may add even more uncertainty to already ambiguous indicators. By adding an industry aspect to this, I believe it would be more effective for SEO to have an indicator of "authority in a specific industry or topic" rather than an overall one.

 

Finally, in order to establish authoritative sites through search engines and metrics such as "authority", it is necessary to have time and careful planning (keyword research, quality and quantity of content, backlinks). For example, domains with high "authority" metrics are usually trusted resources, so by publishing content, they can rank much faster than other domains.

 

Establishing yourself and your own site as an authority and acquiring links from existing authority sites can have a significant impact on your rankings.

 

2-8 Combine Two Together

So, why do we need to consider these two together? The answer lies within the search results. In this guide, we explain the reason why, despite having excellent content and previously ranking well, it no longer appears at the top for the keyword "headless CMS".

 

In addition, "Optimizing for searcher intent in 7 visuals" posted by Rand Fishkin of Moz is also helpful.

 

In our case studies, we introduce improvements made for our clients using Jamstack. If you have a project that is suitable for Jamstack or are considering migrating your website to a more performant stack, let's talk.