This month, Google turned the search engine optimization (SEO) world on its head when it rolled out the Helpful Content Update. Many sites will soon find that their current content strategy doesn’t cut the mustard and will have to change to survive. If you discover that your site has dramatically dropped in rankings seemingly overnight, don’t despair; simply dust off the damage and pivot your strategy with our helpful tips.

Why Should You Adjust Your Content Strategy?

Once you notice something wrong with your rankings, it’s time to make quick moves for improvement. The sooner, the better because your rankings are only down and out for a few months in the least harmful scenario. However, letting this problem fester can quickly lead the competition permanently outranking your site, ultimately damaging your reputation and bottom line.

Top Quick Way to Refine Your Content Approach

Getting your rankings for specific keywords back where you want them may take some time. Yet, practicing these tips the moment you know something has gone awry with your strategy improves your odds of being back on page one for relevant searches faster.

Review Your Analytics

Don’t jump straight into optimizing pages you think are the problem. The first step toward recovery is understanding which pages on your site are holding it back. Reviewing your site’s analytics on Google Analytics or through an SEO program like SEMRush can uncover:

• Which pages perform well
• Which pages are no longer successful
• Which keywords you no longer rank for
• Any technical SEO issues like page speed or messy URLs that no longer rank after an update

Once you understand where you need to improve your site, you can start optimizing with a plan and resolve the SEO issues on your site.

Search the Keywords You Want to Rank For

Once you’ve built up a list of keywords you need to improve in rank, it’s time to find out who’s dethroned you from your top spots. The first steps of this research process are easy. Go to Google, type in the targeted search terms, and review who dominates the first page of the search. From there, visit the websites, and find out the type of content they are writing, the formatting of their service pages, and what they offer your target audience. These pages are your key competitors for coveted keywords. While directly copying their work is a black hat practice that will worsen your situation, finding your unique twist on their strategy could be what starts digging you out of an update ditch.

Update or Delete Underperforming Content

You’ve uncovered your underperforming content. Now what? You have the choice to either optimize it to meet current standards or let it go. If your content answers a relevant question, can hold up over time with minor tweaks, and can naturally use the keywords you target, keep it and improve it through:

• Expanding your ideas on the subject
• Adding relevant links to the content
• Improving its conversational flow
• Adding a new spin on a topic that stands out from the competition

However, if the content doesn’t read well, contains keyword stuffing, has lousy backlinks, and hasn’t gotten much traction since published, it’s time to make way for new, curated content that ranks.

Create New Content

Aside from updating old content, keep your goals in mind when creating new content. Keeping your site’s content consistently updated with relevant material that helps readers will eventually help build back your site’s good standing on search engines. Some content creation tips that can help your site’s rankings are:

• Writing content for the human audience, not a search engine.
• Create expansive content that answers as many questions as possible about a topic. This lets users make your site the last stop on their search for answers and increases your authority.
• Using localized keywords within your content. This garners local recognition in search, increases organic views, and can increase your rankings and industry authority.
• Optimize your images for SEO. Remember, keyword use in descriptions and alt text count!

Need a Strategic Facelift? Dallas SEO Dogs Can Help!

If you’re ready to change your SEO strategy but don’t have the experience or time to dig through analytics and perform technical and on-site optimization, Dallas SEO Dogs can help! Our team has the experience to inject new life into your strategy. From unique content to complete professional oversight of your site’s strategy, our team can help you get back to the top of search engine results pages. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation with a team member.   About the author: We started as a small SEO company with 4 employees in 2006. Today, we’re a comprehensive digital marketing agency with a staff of 30+. Dallas SEO Dogs is one of the leading digital marketing agencies in the United States. We are a close group diverse in ethnicity, gender, age, personality, interest, and religious background. Team members have different experiences, perspectives, and insights into a wide array of business types and audience demographics.