Are your blog posts not getting enough traffic? Do you want to improve your rankings and increase your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs)? If you start using these powerful analytics platforms, you can easily identify underperforming blog posts and take the necessary steps to optimise them for better results. With a few simple tweaks and adjustments, you can improve your blog’s SEO and attract more readers to your site.
How to Use Google Search Console and Ahrefs to Identify and Improve Under-Performing Blog Posts
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Use Google Search Console
- Log in to your Google Search Console account and select the relevant property (website).
- Set the date range to “Last 6 months” to ensure that you get an accurate representation of your blog posts’ performance.
- Click on “+New” and select “Page…” to add a new page to the report.
- Enter your blog slug.
- Click on “Pages” above the results table.
- Sort the “Clicks” column from low to high to identify blog posts that have zero clicks.
Step 2: Use Ahrefs
- Log in to your Ahrefs account and select Site Explorer.
- Enter your URL and click on “Top Pages”.
- Enter a URL filter for your blog slug (e.g. “/blogs/”).
- Click on “Keyword Filters” and select “Position”.
- Enter “10” in the “From” box and leave the “To” box blank to identify blog posts that do not rank on the first page of search results.
Step 3: Update Under-Performing Blog Posts
Now that you have identified the underperforming blog posts, you can take the necessary steps to optimise them.
Steps to Optimise Your Underperforming Blog Posts
Here’s what to do:
Rewrite meta titles and descriptions to make them more keyword-rich and appealing to users. Front-load the target keyword, include a call-to-action (CTA), and use power words and numbers if relevant. This is the simplest and quickest way to improve a blog post’s ranking.
Re-check search intent to ensure that the content matches what users are searching for. Search intent can change over time, so go back and double-check to ensure that your content is still relevant and useful.
What is Search Intent?
Search intent is the reason behind a user’s search query. It’s the ultimate goal or desired outcome that the user has in mind when they conduct a search. Understanding search intent is essential for creating content that aligns with user expectations and ranks well in search results.
Adjust content structure to ensure that it is similar to the top 10 results in terms of the full article, paragraph level, sentence level, and tone. This will improve the relevance and readability of your blog post.
Revamp internal links to ensure that there are enough links to each blog post in the content cluster. Too few or too many links can hurt the blog post’s ranking, so make sure to get this right.
Add media, such as images and videos, to make the blog post more visually appealing and engaging. This is especially important if the top 10 results have more media than your blog post.
Tips for Advanced Optimisation of Your Blog Posts
In addition to the steps outlined above, there are a few more tips to keep in mind when using Google Search Console and Ahrefs to improve your blog posts:
- Focus on long-tail keywords: While it’s important to target keywords with high search volume, you should also focus on long-tail keywords. These are longer, more specific phrases that are less competitive but often have higher intent. By targeting long-tail keywords, you can attract more qualified traffic to your blog.
- Monitor your competitors: Ahrefs allows you to monitor your competitors’ rankings and backlinks. By analysing their strategies, you can identify opportunities for your own blog. You can also use this information to create better content than your competitors and outrank them in the search results.
- Optimise for featured snippets: Featured snippets are the boxes that appear at the top of some search results. They provide users with a quick answer to their query and are highly coveted by SEOs. To optimise for featured snippets, you should focus on answering questions that users might ask in a concise and informative manner.
- Use data to guide your content strategy: By analysing your Google Search Console and Ahrefs data, you can identify topics that are popular with your audience and create content that is more likely to rank. You can also use this data to identify gaps in your content strategy and create content that fills those gaps.
Let’s recap
Don’t let your blog get left behind in the search results! Boost your traffic and rankings with the power of Google Search Console and Ahrefs. But remember, the journey to the top is ongoing, and constant optimisation is key. Keep track of your progress and fine-tune your strategy for maximum impact. Ready to take your blog to the next level? Contact us today for expert content optimisation help!
Sobre el autor: Michael Masa
¿Por qué debería escucharme? Con una rica formación en marketing y pasión por compartir conocimientos, he dedicado los últimos 9 años de mi vida a este campo. He trabajado como director de marketing y he contribuido decisivamente a dar forma a la estrategia de marketing de una de las principales aseguradoras europeas, BAVARIA AG.
Antes de mi puesto actual, pasé 12 años como Director de Ventas, gestionando un equipo de 12 personas dinámicas y aplicando las últimas técnicas de ventas para impulsar el éxito. Esta experiencia me permitió perfeccionar mis dotes de liderazgo y adquirir un profundo conocimiento del sector de las ventas.
Ahora estoy al frente de Dealers League, una agencia de marketing que no solo crea y gestiona sitios web para empresas, sino que también se centra en la importancia de las estrategias de marketing eficaces. Reconociendo la necesidad de un aprendizaje continuo en este sector tan acelerado, ofrecemos cursos sobre las últimas técnicas de marketing.
Mi variada experiencia en ventas y marketing me da una visión única de cómo se entrecruzan estas dos áreas cruciales. Espero poder compartir mis conocimientos y puntos de vista con usted a través de este blog.
