10 Content Optimization Tips From 13 SEO Experts

I asked 13 SEO and Content experts for their best content optimization tips and mistakes to avoid when creating content that both people and search engines love.

Here’s what they had to say + how to implement their tips.

1. Define a purpose for each piece of content

When creating content that ranks well, the most important thing to do is clearly identify 'why' you are creating this content.

‍– Andrew Holland, Director of SEO @ JBH

Don’t get caught up in chasing vanity metrics.

It doesn't help anyone if you create content just for traffic that won't have any business impact.

‍– Dani Leitner, Independent SEO Consultant

This might seem like a counterintuitive tip, as SEO is supposed to be all about getting people to your website.

So, you spend countless hours creating (great) content, and people will come.

But then what? Crickets..

What to do instead?

Identify a business reason for creating every piece of content before you open up a blank doc.

‍– Andrew Holland, Director of SEO @ JBH

Instead of asking, “How do we rank?” ask, “What action do we want from readers?” Here are some examples:

Generate leads: Create educational posts that offer solutions, with CTAs for sign-ups.
Build backlinks: Publish data-driven resources that attract natural links, boosting SEO.
Drive conversions: Share case studies or testimonials to help prospects see the value in your product.

2. Think about your audience

The business value is one side of the coin. The other side is your audience.

Create content that your audience actually wants. Not just content that you think Google wants.

– Chase Dimond, Partner @ Structured Agency

The best thing is to talk to your audience. They’re real people. Set up some user calls and listen.

Find out why they’re using your product or service, what problems it’s helping them solve, what are their goals and needs, and what support they need.

It all starts with the audience, really. Understanding what topics your users are interested in and what is the intent behind the related queries.

– Emina Demiri-Watson, Head of Digital Marketing @ Vixen Digital

You can also find this out through secondary research by checking your competitors' content. What topics are they writing about?

Let’s say you’re a Digital Marketing agency. Then you’d need to talk about topics like “Advertising Strategies” and “Marketing Strategies.” Your competitors probably are already.

Focus on topics and not keywords to start with.

– Emina Demiri-Watson, Head of Digital Marketing @ Vixen Digital

Not sure which topics to cover?

Head into Surfer’s Topical Map and connect your Google Search Console. This will show you all the topics relevant to your niche.

Surfer identified 72 topics for a Digital Marketing website.

Next, you can head to the Map to visualize your topical coverage and identify low-hanging fruit.

3. Go back to basics

Us Marketers love following trends and flashy new techniques (guilty as charged).

But it’s important to stick to the basics.

Keyword research is still the cornerstone of SEO.

Use comprehensive keyword research to identify relevant keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching for.

‍– Anna York, Independent Digital Marketing Consultant

With Surfer, you can seamlessly move from topics to keywords.

Topical Map can help you identify which keywords to target to complete your topic clusters.

Once you select a topic cluster, you’ll find a list of related keywords that you can target under the cluster

Incorporate a mix of primary and long-tail keywords throughout your content, including in headings, subheadings, and meta tags. This will improve your chances of ranking for various related queries and help attract more targeted traffic to your site.
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‍– Anna York, Independent Digital Marketing Consultant

And don’t forget:

Keep following best practices. On-page SEO, internal linking, backlinking, and a clean technical foundation.

– Maeva Cifuentes, CEO & Founder @ Flying Cat

4. Satisfy search intent

Create content that effectively connects with users' needs to help them achieve their goals better than anything else out there.

– Aleyda Solis, SEO Consultant & Founder @ Orainti

For that you need to satisfy user search intent.

When they type in a query, do users want to learn something, buy something, go somewhere specific, or get something done?

You can identify the user intent by looking at what’s already ranking for a particular keyword.

To create content that ranks, you need to understand who is already winning on Google.

– Connor Gillivan, Founder @ TrioSEO

Google ranks those pages because they help users get where they want to go.

For instance, the SERPs for “time management” tell us the users are looking for tips and strategies - they have an informational intent.

To rank for such a keyword, you should also create an article on improving time management skills.

Meanwhile, when searching for “time management course”, the user is interested in enrolling in a structured course to improve time management skills.

This is evident by the pages ranking for this keyword. They are landing pages that include course details, benefits, testimonials, and a call-to-action for sign-ups.

You wouldn’t show up here with an informational listicle. The users are in a different stage of their buying journey.

There's no point in creating content that doesn't align with your buyers' journey.

– Emilia Korczynka, VP of Marketing @ Userpilot

5. Reverse engineer the SERPs

Top-ranking pages set the rules of the game.

So before you start writing:

Take a look at the SERPs! What's already ranking out there? What patterns do you identify from the already ranked pages?

– Aleyda Solis, SEO Consultant & Founder @ Orainti

How to go about it? Connor explains it best.

Search the main keyword on Google and analyze the top 3 organic search results. Go into their pages/articles, take note of the headings they're using, and then work new headings into your content so that it matches what's on the top 3 results, and levels it up.

– Connor Gillivan, Founder @ TrioSEO

This will help you build a comprehensive content outline.

You can do this manually or automate article outlines by plugging your keyword into Surfer’s Content Editor and using the Insert Outline function.

Surfer will analyze the top ranking pages and build a comprehensive outline.

Your goal is to cover a topic comprehensively, not to replicate what’s already out there.

If you only replicate, you’ll always fall behind.

‍– Aleyda Solis, SEO Consultant & Founder @ Orainti

Instead:

Cover the most important questions but also do it better than anyone else.

– Kevin Indig, Growth Advisor

How can you do that? Check the next tip.

6. Differentiate with unique expertise

Think about what could make an article outstanding

‍– Kevin Indig, Growth Advisor

Maeva has a great tip for this. One that I see constantly applied in the Flying Cat Marketing blog.

Enrich your content with insights from industry experts or firsthand experiences.

– Maeva Cifuentes, CEO & Founder @ Flying Cat

For instance, check out their article on “SEO buy-in.” It starts with a personal story from the author, Ashwin Balakrishnan.

From the get-go, you know this won’t be just another piece of content in the SERPs.

2024's updates sent a clear message from Google: get helpful or get out. The boom in results from Reddit isn't only a result of the deal with Google, but also a result of people wanting to hear stories from other people.

– Maeva Cifuentes, CEO & Founder @ Flying Cat

Sharing original data is another great way to differentiate your content from the rest.

Here’s an example of how we do that here at Surfer.

If you add your view of things, some special insights, and answer questions your clients really have – you will stick out, not just for Google but also for users.

– Dani Leitner, Independent SEO Consultant

And SEO content efforts, build up. This practice will help you communicate E-E-A-T to Google, which I cover in the next section.

7. Convey E-E-A-T signals

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T): that’s what Google wants to see in your content - especially on topics where accuracy and credibility are critical, such as health and finance.

But let’s be real. Accuracy and credibility are important in any niche.

Show EEAT - which, while not a ranking signal, is one of the most helpful frameworks. It's baked into the Raters Guidelines. This is even more relevant with AI content being so widespread.

‍– Emina Demiri-Watson, Head of Digital Marketing @ Vixen Digital

Here are some tips to help you demonstrate E-E-A-T to Google:

Share personal stories, case studies, or specific examples that reflect hands-on experience.
Get backlinks from reputable sites and encourage mentions in the industry, e.g., by sharing original data.
Cite reputable sources and include links to credible references.
Include testimonials, reviews, or endorsements from users, clients, or readers to show that others trust your expertise and advice.
Add a bio for authors on your site with details on their expertise, credentials, and previous work.
Make your content transparent by explaining the process or methodology behind your research or recommendations.

Here’s an example of NerdWallet ticking the above boxes. Coupled with a “Why trust NerdWallet” section.

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What if you’re not yet an expert in your field? Then, become one.

Become an expert in your niche. Attend panels, podcasts, interview people in your niche and collaborate with other well-established brands. Make Google notice you.

‍– Milica Kuzmanovic, Global Offsite SEO Lead @ Betsson Group

8. Balance SEO with readability

One of the biggest mistakes people keep making when writing SEO content is 👇

Overdoing it: adding 100500 internal links, keywords, prioritizing SEO over readability and helping a reader.

– Olga Mykhoparkina, Founder @ Quoleady

There can be too much of a good thing.

As Milica perfectly puts it:

Write for people, optimize for the engines.

– Milica Kuzmanovic, Global Offsite SEO Lead @ Betsson Group

Here’s how you can strike that balance:

Use keywords naturally throughout your content
Include internal links only where they add genuine value
Break up text with headers, subheaders, and bullet points

If you look at Surfer’s Content Editor guidelines, you’ll see that keyword optimization is only one part of the equation.

Your content structure is the other.

By following the Content Editor’s suggestions, you can create content that is optimized for both search engines and users.

And another great way to boost readability is to follow the next tip.

9. Use visuals to enhance engagement

I ran a study on a client and found that out of the biggest losers and biggest winners after a quarter, 100% of the losers had no infographics, and 78% of the winners did.

‍– Maeva Cifuentes, CEO & Founder @ Flying Cat

The message is clear.

Add graphics with your content that help break it up, professionalize, and add value to what you're saying.

– Dani Leitner, Independent SEO Consultant

Of course, you shouldn’t add visuals for the sake of it. They should help clarify your point and make complex data and concepts more digestible.

Check out this example from Userpilot. Pretty handy, right?

Stop using stock photography.

– Maeva Cifuentes, CEO & Founder @ Flying Cat

Instead, support your content with:

Data-driven infographics
Custom diagrams or illustrations
Screenshots and examples

Visuals help boost engagement by getting people to stay on your page longer.

When people on the receiving end actually enjoy and care about your content, they're going to frequently reference it and share it with their coworkers.

– Chase Dimond, Partner @ Structured Agency

10. Regularly update your content

The SEO content process does not end when you hit publish.

Don’t think you’ll hit the bullseye right away. Publish. Iterate. Publish. Iterate.

– Kevin Indig, Growth Advisor

Continually update your content to keep it fresh and relevant. Don't let your content go stale.

‍– Chase Dimond, Partner @ Structured Agency

SERPs are continuously changing. Your rankings are not guaranteed.

Competitors might outrank you, the search intent might change, and your information might get outdated.

My number one content optimization tip is to keep a close eye on posts that cover information that needs to be updated regularly. Such posts include those that use the year, discuss the best options, and talk about the features and functionality of tools. Make sure to create a proper process for updating these posts regularly to avoid losing traffic and subsequently having to battle this issue.

‍– Alexandra Tachalova, CEO & Founder @ Digital Olympus

Also, content updates are one of the fastest ways to boost your rankings.

By focusing on content updates, Dapper Marketing was able to realize 100% growth in organic traffic, 150 new leads, and 3 sales for one of his clients in just 2 months.

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