Emily Willson
Regular Member
- Mar 20, 2024
- 347
- 97
Let’s simplify this into three focused steps, combining related ideas and making sure everything is logical and easy to follow.
1. Analyze the Host Site and Find Relevant, Overlapping Topics
Start by researching the site where you plan to publish your guest post. You need to understand:
• Top-performing pages: Identify the content that brings in the most traffic.
• Existing keyword rankings: See which keywords the site already ranks for and what search terms drive their visibility.
As we can see in the screenshot, the keywords related to the topic of marriage drive the most traffic. This clearly indicates a strong audience interest in this subject. To increase the chances of your article ranking well, it’s a smart move to focus your content around this theme.
Once you know what works for them, find a common ground between their niche and yours. This overlap makes your content both relevant and natural for their audience. For example, if you’re a lawyer writing for a fashion blog, a topic like “What to Wear to a Court Hearing” connects both themes seamlessly.
2. Choose the Right Keyword: Balance Volume, Competition, and Relevance
When selecting a keyword, focus on three critical factors:
• Search volume (SV): Choose keywords with 30–700 monthly searches — enough traffic without being too competitive.
• Keyword difficulty (KD): Stick to lower-difficulty keywords unless the host site has strong domain authority.
• Who’s ranking for this keyword: This is one of the most important steps. Check which types of sites currently rank in the top results.
Bad example: The top results are from high-authority media, like Forbes, Harvard Business Review, or government websites. If you’re writing for a smaller niche blog, it will be extremely hard to outrank these giants. For instance, if you see mostly large financial news sites or academic journals ranking for “business plan”, it’s better to look for another keyword where you have a realistic chance to reach higher positions.
Good example: The top results include competitors of the site where you want to publish or sites from the same niche. This means there’s a good chance your article can compete and rank well. For example, if you’re writing a guest post for a small business finance blog and you see similar industry blogs ranking for the keyword “free home health care business plan template”, this is a great sign.
Now, as shown in the screenshot, by switching to a different keyword, we can see that sites we can realistically compete with are ranking for it. This presents a great opportunity to target a keyword that gives us a better chance of ranking higher.
3. Analyze Ranking Content and Build a Winning Title
Once you’ve chosen your keyword, carefully study the pages that are already ranking for it. Look for patterns like:
• Title structure: If most top-ranking articles use the exact keyword in their titles, follow that pattern — it’s a clear signal of what works.
• Content format: Identify whether the top results are guides, listicles, step-by-step tutorials, or case studies — and align your format with what’s proven to perform well.
• Site type and authority: Pay attention to sites with average performance — those ranking well without being industry giants. Their content strategy, not just domain strength, helps them succeed — and that’s the approach you want to replicate.
Finally, create a strategic, optimized headline. For inspiration, check similar keywords in related niches and see how well their headlines are designed. Then, adapt those structures to your topic while keeping your keyword placement natural and effective.
Example: Let’s say your chosen keyword is “how to choose a divorce lawyer”. By searching for similar phrases like “how to find a family lawyer” or “how to hire a good attorney”, you might notice a pattern in titles like:
• “10 Tips for Choosing the Right Family Lawyer”
• “The Ultimate Guide to Finding a Family Lawyer”
From these, you can create something tailored and optimized, like:
• “7 Tips for Choosing the Right Divorce Lawyer”
• “Finding the Right Divorce Lawyer: A Step-by-Step Guide”
Here, I’ve outlined how my process works, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. If you have any insights or strategies you’d like to share, feel free to join the discussion. Thank you for your attention!
1. Analyze the Host Site and Find Relevant, Overlapping Topics
Start by researching the site where you plan to publish your guest post. You need to understand:
• Top-performing pages: Identify the content that brings in the most traffic.
• Existing keyword rankings: See which keywords the site already ranks for and what search terms drive their visibility.
As we can see in the screenshot, the keywords related to the topic of marriage drive the most traffic. This clearly indicates a strong audience interest in this subject. To increase the chances of your article ranking well, it’s a smart move to focus your content around this theme.
Once you know what works for them, find a common ground between their niche and yours. This overlap makes your content both relevant and natural for their audience. For example, if you’re a lawyer writing for a fashion blog, a topic like “What to Wear to a Court Hearing” connects both themes seamlessly.
2. Choose the Right Keyword: Balance Volume, Competition, and Relevance
When selecting a keyword, focus on three critical factors:
• Search volume (SV): Choose keywords with 30–700 monthly searches — enough traffic without being too competitive.
• Keyword difficulty (KD): Stick to lower-difficulty keywords unless the host site has strong domain authority.
• Who’s ranking for this keyword: This is one of the most important steps. Check which types of sites currently rank in the top results.
Bad example: The top results are from high-authority media, like Forbes, Harvard Business Review, or government websites. If you’re writing for a smaller niche blog, it will be extremely hard to outrank these giants. For instance, if you see mostly large financial news sites or academic journals ranking for “business plan”, it’s better to look for another keyword where you have a realistic chance to reach higher positions.
Good example: The top results include competitors of the site where you want to publish or sites from the same niche. This means there’s a good chance your article can compete and rank well. For example, if you’re writing a guest post for a small business finance blog and you see similar industry blogs ranking for the keyword “free home health care business plan template”, this is a great sign.
Now, as shown in the screenshot, by switching to a different keyword, we can see that sites we can realistically compete with are ranking for it. This presents a great opportunity to target a keyword that gives us a better chance of ranking higher.
3. Analyze Ranking Content and Build a Winning Title
Once you’ve chosen your keyword, carefully study the pages that are already ranking for it. Look for patterns like:
• Title structure: If most top-ranking articles use the exact keyword in their titles, follow that pattern — it’s a clear signal of what works.
• Content format: Identify whether the top results are guides, listicles, step-by-step tutorials, or case studies — and align your format with what’s proven to perform well.
• Site type and authority: Pay attention to sites with average performance — those ranking well without being industry giants. Their content strategy, not just domain strength, helps them succeed — and that’s the approach you want to replicate.
Finally, create a strategic, optimized headline. For inspiration, check similar keywords in related niches and see how well their headlines are designed. Then, adapt those structures to your topic while keeping your keyword placement natural and effective.
Example: Let’s say your chosen keyword is “how to choose a divorce lawyer”. By searching for similar phrases like “how to find a family lawyer” or “how to hire a good attorney”, you might notice a pattern in titles like:
• “10 Tips for Choosing the Right Family Lawyer”
• “The Ultimate Guide to Finding a Family Lawyer”
From these, you can create something tailored and optimized, like:
• “7 Tips for Choosing the Right Divorce Lawyer”
• “Finding the Right Divorce Lawyer: A Step-by-Step Guide”
Here, I’ve outlined how my process works, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. If you have any insights or strategies you’d like to share, feel free to join the discussion. Thank you for your attention!
