---
aliases: ["SEO Content Optimization"]
Is A: Procedure
Belongs to: "[[responsibility-grow-newsletter]]"
Cadence: Monthly
Owner: "[[person-luca-rossi]]"
---
# SEO Content Optimization

Search traffic is the most sustainable growth channel for a content business because it compounds — an article optimized today continues to bring readers for months or years. This monthly procedure systematically improves existing articles with updated keywords, better internal linking, and structural improvements that help search engines and readers alike find and engage with the content. The effort here directly supports [[measure-subscribers]] growth by expanding the top of the funnel.

## Steps

- [ ] Pull the search performance report from Google Search Console: identify the top 20 articles by impressions and click-through rate
- [ ] Identify "almost there" articles — pieces ranking on page 2 (positions 11-20) that could reach page 1 with targeted improvements
- [ ] For each priority article, research current keyword opportunities: are there related terms or questions people search for that the article does not address?
- [ ] Update article titles and meta descriptions to better match high-volume search queries while maintaining natural readability
- [ ] Improve internal linking: add 3-5 relevant internal links from the target article to other content, and add links from high-authority pages back to the target article
- [ ] Review and improve the article's structure: add or refine headers (H2/H3), break up long paragraphs, and ensure the content answers the searcher's intent clearly
- [ ] Update any outdated information, statistics, or examples that could hurt credibility or engagement
- [ ] Submit updated URLs for re-indexing in Google Search Console
- [ ] Track the changes made and the article's ranking position for comparison in next month's review

## Notes

- Focus on improving existing content before creating new SEO-targeted pieces. Updating a page-2 article to page 1 is almost always higher ROI than writing a new article from scratch.
- Do not stuff keywords. Write for readers first, search engines second. Google's algorithms are sophisticated enough that naturally written, comprehensive content ranks better than keyword-optimized thin content.
- Internal linking is the most underutilized SEO lever for independent publishers. Each internal link passes authority and helps search engines understand content relationships — treat it as seriously as external link building.
- Changes take 2-6 weeks to reflect in search rankings. Do not judge the impact of this month's work until the following month's review. Patience is essential.
- Coordinate with [[person-sara-ricci]] when updates require significant content revisions — SEO optimization should improve quality, not degrade it. The [[procedure-editorial-review]] process applies to updated content too.
