Do you optimize existing rankings before targeting new keywords?

Authority Builder

Authority Builder

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Hi everyone,

When you're targeting to grow a website, do you first work on pages that are already getting some rankings but are stuck on page 2 or 3 of Google or do you spend more time on creating new content and targeting new keywords ?

I would love to know what has worked best for you.
 
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I firstly focus on pages that are ranking on page 2 or 3. Small improvements to those pages brings result faster rather than starting from scratch with new keywords.
 
I'll usually focus on pages already sitting on page 2 or 3 first. In many cases, a few improvements can move those pages much faster than starting from scratch and I wouldn't ignore new content.
 
yeah same approach, page 2 or 3 pages first since they already have trust signal and just need push. What I specifically do is compare those pages against whatever ranking page 1 for same keyword, check if its thin content, outdated info, or title tag not matching search intent.
Made spreadsheet tracking keywords sitting between position 8 to 20 and go through them monthly instead of randomly picking. New content still matters long term but optimizing whats already half way there gives faster win while waiting for new pages to mature.
 
I usually push page 2 and 3 keywords first. Moving an existing page into the top results is often faster than starting from zero.
Then I use the extra traffic to guide new content ideas.
 
always check stuck rankings first, easier wins than starting from zero.
new content takes months to even show up, optimizing existing pages can move in weeks
 
I usually just clean up page 2–3 stuff first, those move way quicker than fresh posts most of the time.
 
Most of the time those pages dont need new content at all just one or two relevant links pointing at them. I have pushed stuck keywords from position 12 to top 5 with a single niche edit when the content was already solid. New pages take months to even get crawled properly, so that makes more sense.
 
Authority Builder said:
Hi everyone,

When you're targeting to grow a website, do you first work on pages that are already getting some rankings but are stuck on page 2 or 3 of Google or do you spend more time on creating new content and targeting new keywords ?

I would love to know what has worked best for you.
Click to expand...
Pages 2 and 3 are going to be my quick wins becuz those page will already match the purpose and have the element of trusts.
creating additional page is crucial although a long-term plan is to first optimize the pages that are almost there.
 
I usually prioritize pages already ranking on page 2 or 3 first. They're often the quickest wins. At the end of the day, SEO is all about experimenting, measuring results, and doubling down on what works.
 
Isn't it obvious? If you push already ranking pages to top 3, they'll keep bringing traffic so that conversions grow even for your new pages. If you blindly keep pumping new content, you might be struggling to index them.
 
I usually focus on improving pages that are already ranking first Small updates can sometimes bring quicker gains than starting from scratch with new keywords
 
Optimizing stuck pages on page 2 or 3 is always the fastest win. Internal linking, refreshing the content, and improving search intent can push them up much faster than waiting for entirely new keywords to rank. Balance it 70/30. :cool:
 
I always squeeze existing page 2/3 rankings first you get faster wins since the page already has momentum.

Update content, add FAQs from People Also Ask, boost internal links, and refresh title tags with the current year. Chasing new keywords takes way longer when you're leaving traffic gaps on pages that already rank :anyway:
 
The_Growth_Source said:
Optimizing stuck pages on page 2 or 3 is always the fastest win. Internal linking, refreshing the content, and improving search intent can push them up much faster than waiting for entirely new keywords to rank. Balance it 70/30. :cool:
Click to expand...
That 70/30 approach makes sense. Have you found internal linking and content updates helpful in moving the pages up ?
 
Velocitix Agency said:
I always squeeze existing page 2/3 rankings first you get faster wins since the page already has momentum.

Update content, add FAQs from People Also Ask, boost internal links, and refresh title tags with the current year. Chasing new keywords takes way longer when you're leaving traffic gaps on pages that already rank :anyway:
Click to expand...
Can you tell me out of those changes which one gives you the biggest ranking improvement ?
 
I check Search Console first. If I see keywords ranking between positions 11-20 then I focus there because those pages need less efforts to generate additional traffic.
 
Authority Builder said:
Hi everyone,

When you're targeting to grow a website, do you first work on pages that are already getting some rankings but are stuck on page 2 or 3 of Google or do you spend more time on creating new content and targeting new keywords ?

I would love to know what has worked best for you.
Click to expand...
i personally focus more on pushing out new content. i use the data from older rankings to make the new posts even better, and then tie everything together into topic clusters. for the posts that are stuck on page 2 or 3, i just interlink them from my top-ranking articles to funnel traffic and link juice to them.
 
For me, it's a mix, but page 2–3 keywords usually get priority because they tend to deliver faster ROI than starting from scratch.
 
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