If you want to implement topical SEO into your content marketing strategy, you must conduct proper research. Remember that your goal is to respond to the queries that users present through search engines. In simple terms, you should not create content randomly just because it is related to your niche market. If no one is presenting questions on that topic, then your website will not get the desired traffic or customers. Fortunately, finding the right topics to focus on is relatively easy, regardless of your commercial sector.
Finding Popular Questions
As mentioned above, your content should be aimed at answering the questions that users will ask about your area of interest. Therefore, if you want to rank higher on the Google results page, you should identify the queries that people are likely to pose. This will help you create an in-depth article which will rank highly for the pertinent topic. The simplest technique for finding the perfect content subject is using different search engines. Consider these practical guidelines on identifying the popular questions for your niche market and finding the right queries to answer in your content.
Google Search Your Primary Keyword
The first step of your research is inputting your keyword into the Google search engine. The choice of the specific query will depend on your industry and the specific aspect of your website that you would like to optimize with content. For example, if you are in the construction business, you can search ‘residential construction’ or ‘commercial construction’. You will get even better results by being more specific about the different elements of building.
Find Related Questions
When you get your results, you should then go to the ‘people also ask’ section. This is a part of the results which combines the most asked questions which are related to your topic. This will allow you to understand what people want to know about your industry. You should also check out the ‘related searches’ section to find other areas of interest. Record these questions. You can vary your keyword search to get more comprehensive results.
Complement with Other Sources
While Google is the most popular search engine, there are other platforms which allow users to present their queries online. You should consider complimenting your list of popular questions by searching these sites using the same method. The search platforms that you should look into include Quora, Yahoo Answers, Reddit and Ask.com. Combine all your questions to create a long list.
Sort the Questions
You will need to sort the questions recorded from your sources before proceeding. Basically, all the queries may be related but not necessarily relevant. Choose the questions that are most relevant for your target market and eliminate those that are not directly connected to your business operations. Also, eliminate questions which are time-sensitive so that your content will be evergreen in nature. In addition, find redundant queries on your list. For instance, you will find repetitive questions which are phrased differently.
Classify the User Intent
Finally, you should classify the final list of questions according to the intent of the user. In most cases, people use search engine with two types of intent: informational and transactional. In the former case, the user simply wants to find more data on a specific topic. Transactional intent is where the user hopes to accomplish a specific action related to the keyword. Typically, the individual hopes to register, purchase or download something. Examine all your questions, understand the intent and put them under the two categories. With this information, you can build a good article structure for topical content optimization.
