GROWTH Framework - Step 3 : Optimize

I've been in SEO and online marketing for over 20 years and I'm here to share the wealth of knowledge , hints and tips I've amassed over that time . Hello and welcome back to SEO is not that hard .

It's me here , ed Dawson , hosting , as always , and today I'm on to well , part two of the growth framework update that I promised as part of my accountability process that I'm using you guys listening on this podcast to keep me accountable .

I'm telling you what I'm going to produce stuff and then I produce it , and a couple of weeks ago I said I'd produce two sections and I split it into two podcast episodes . So last Friday I did step two , the refined part of the process , and today we're going to do step three , the optimized part of the process .

Now , this process is the growth framework process and the growth is acronym and it covers the six steps of the framework . So that's gather , refine , optimize , watch , tune , hone and repeat . So if you haven't listened to the other episodes . It's very much worth going and listening to them .

Just search for growth framework in your podcast app of choice and it will bring up all the ones I've done so far in your podcast app of choice , and it will bring up all the ones I've done so far . So we'll now crack on with the optimize section of the process .

Oh , by the way , all this is in a shared word , google doc , that there's a link to in the show notes . You can go and see this as a work in progress and you can . There's details in there how to contact me , how to give feedback on this , any suggestions you've got , and it's great to hear from you .

So here we go now with step three optimize , creating and enhancing content . Once you've gathered a wealth of questions and organize them into clear clusters , the next stage is optimization . This phase is all about transforming transforming those clusters into high quality , engaging content that satisfies both search engines and your audience .

In this chapter , we cover four critical aspects of optimization Choosing the right medium , creating or updating content , on-page best practices and ensuring an excellent user experience . Choose the right medium . Content isn't one-size-fits-all . Different topics and audiences may respond better to different formats .

Choosing the right medium is key to effectively answering the questions your audience is asking . Understanding your audience . Start by identifying how your target audience prefers to consume information . Some audiences favour detailed written guides , while others may engage more with videos , podcasts or interactive tools .

For instance , technical audiences might appreciate step-by-step written tutorials accompanied by screenshots , whereas a broader consumer base might engage more with a short , dynamic video , matching the topic to the format . Consider the nature of the question . Complex how-to guides , written articles or downloadable PDFs that break down complex processes can work best here .

Visual explanations , explanations , infographics or explaining videos can simplify data , making it easier to digest intricate ideas . Interactive content tools like calculators or quizzes can actively involve users and personalize their experience , experimentation and data . Don't be afraid to test different media on similar clusters and measure performance .

Remember , a successful content strategy often involves a mix of formats that complement one another , helping you reach a broader audience . Create or update content . With your clusters mapped out and the appropriate medium chosen . The next step is content creation .

This phase involves crafting fresh , high-quality content or updating existing content to better answer the questions your audience is asking . Developing a content blueprint For each cluster . Start by outlining the key questions that need to be answered .

Develop a content blueprint that details the structure of your piece , what sections will cover which questions and how they will flow together . A detailed blueprint ensures that every sub-question is addressed and helps make a logical narrative throughout your content . Writing fresh content when creating new content , focus on clarity , depth and engagement .

Your goal is to provide comprehensive answers that leave no question unanswered . Engage with storytelling . Integrate personal stories , anecdotes or case studies where relevant . This not only builds credibility , but also makes the content relatable . Actionable insights provide clear , actionable steps that readers can implement immediately .

The more practical your advice , the more likely your audience will trust and share your content . Updating existing content If you already have content available that matches the intent of the questions and clusters you've identified , review it through the lens of your newly defined clusters . Content refresh Add new information .

Update updated statistics or restructure the article to align with current best practices . Integrate new keywords . Incorporate questions and phrases from your gathered data that may have emerged as trends since the original content was published . Enhance visuals and calls to actions .

Refresh images , infographics and calls to action to improve engagement and conversion rates , balancing depth with accessibility . While it's important to be thorough , ensure your content remains accessible . Break up large blocks of text with subheadings , bullet points and visuals to maintain reader interest and improve comprehension .

On-page best practices Optimizing your content isn't just about what you write . It's also how you present it . On-page SEO best practices help search engines understand your content and they play a crucial role in achieving higher rankings .

While this book isn't designed to be a comprehensive on-page SEO guide , here are some of the key areas to consider Headings and structure Use clear descriptive headings h1s , h2s , h3s , etc . To structure your content . Your primary keywords should appear naturally in your H1 and subheadings should further break down the topics .

This not only aids in SEO , but also improves readability for your users . Meta titles and descriptions Craft compelling meta titles and descriptions that accurately reflect your content and include relevant keywords . These elements can serve as the first impression in search results and can significantly impact click-through rates . Url structure Keep URLs concise and descriptive .

A well-structured URL that can include your target keyword can improve both user understanding and search engine indexing . Internal linking Use internal links to connect related content . This practice not only helps distribute page rank throughout your site , also guides users to additional relevant information .

Ensure the anchor text is descriptive , giving context to the linked content . Image optimization Include relevant images with descriptive file names and alt text . Compress images to ensure fast load times without sacrificing quality , and consider using schema markup if applicable .

Mobile optimization With a majority of users browsing on mobile devices , ensure your site is fully responsive . Mobile-friendly design is a critical ranking factor and essential for a positive user experience . Content readability Break your content into manageable paragraphs .

Use bullet points and numbered lists where appropriate , and choose fonts and colours that are easy to read . Accessibility is not only good for SEO , it's also good for your audience . If you are looking for more in-depth SEO content , then a good place to start is my podcast . Seo is Not that Hard , available on all popular podcast networks .

Enhancing user experience UX Great content must be paired with a superior user experience . Ux encompasses everything from page load speed to intuitive navigation and overall visual appeal . A seamless user experience keeps visitors engaged and encourages them to explore your site further . Page speed Fast load times are critical .

Optimise images , leverage browser caching and consider using a content delivery network to reduce latency . Remember , both search engines and users favour fast loading pages . Responsive design your website should look and function flawlessly across all devices .

Responsive design ensures that your content is easily accessible wherever your audience is , whether it's on a desktop , tablet or a smartphone . Clear navigation Simplify your site's navigation by ensuring that menus are intuitive and that users can easily find the content they're looking for .

Well-organised site structure not only helps with UX , but also aids search engine understanding your site's hierarchy . Engaging layout and visuals Use white space effectively to create a clean layout . High-quality visuals , infographics and interactive elements can enhance engagement . Visual cues , such as images , icons and videos , break up the text and keep readers interested .

Accessibility Design your content to be accessible to all users , including those with disabilities . Use alt texture images . Ensure that your colour contrast is sufficient and follow best practices for web accessibility , such as those outlined by the WCAG guidelines .

Call to actions CTAs Guide your users with clear and compelling call to actions , whether it's subscribing to a newsletter , reading a related article or exploring a product page . Effective call to actions help drive conversions and keep users interacting with your content . User feedback integration Lastly , continuously gather and analyse user feedback .

Use tools like surveys , comment sections and analytics to understand how visitors interact with your content . This feedback is invaluable for making iterative improvements that enhance the overall user experience . Bringing it all together , strategic planning takes shape into actionable content that both satisfies user intent and meets search engine criteria .

By choosing the right medium , you can ensure that your content resonates with your target audience in a format that they love . Creating or updating content with thorough research and actionable insights turns raw question clusters into comprehensive resources .

Adhering to on-page best practices ensures that your content is discoverable and well-structured , while a focus on user experience guarantees that visitors remain engaged and are more likely to convert . Together , these elements form a robust content creation strategy that not only drives organic traffic , but also builds lasting authority in your niche .

As you move forward , remember that optimization is an iterative process , one that benefits from continuous testing , feedback and refinement . In the next chapter , we'll delve into the watch phase , where you learn how to monitor performance and gather insights to inform future improvements . So that's the step three optimized part of the framework .

Hopefully that gives you an idea of you know we're taking those , we've got our clusters and we're now going to turn that into actual content , how we decide what content , what format it's going to be in , and the process for doing that , and also the best practices for making sure a you know it's readable , people are going to engage with it , it's done in

formats , it's good for the search engines , all the things you need to do to get that , those clusters , into content that people can then actually consume . So that brings us up , as I said in the next thing is the watch phase next . So I , as part of my accountability process now , I'm going to get that watch phase out within . Let's have a look .

We've got watch and tune . I think I'm going to try and get watch and tune done four weeks . What was last friday ? So let's see what date that will be . So that will be the 21st of march . So , yeah , I'll make sure that those next two sections are ready . Um , for the 21st of march .

Um , so yeah , do go and check out the full document in work in progress . It's getting much bigger now . Um , you may have noticed , at the moment it's just text . Obviously , when I come through this is the first draft that we're creating .

So once I've got this first draft done and the whole thinking and the process down in words , that's when I'm going to go back through it again . We'll obviously edit it again based on feedback I've been given , and I'll also be putting in lots of images and lots of examples and more case studies , that kind of thing in there .

But in this first instance I'm just trying to get the process out in order . So , yeah , again , with all these things like producing a big piece of content like this , which is essentially looking like it's going to be a book or a small book sized amount of content is to , yeah , do a first draft out and then go through and refine . So that's it for today .

Um , do look , comments welcome . Please get in touch . Love hearing from you all and so until next time , keep optimizing , stay curious and remember seo is not that hard when you understand the basics . Thanks for listening . It means a lot to me . This is where I get to remind you where you can connect with me and my SEO tools and services .

You can find links to all the links I mention here in the show notes . Just remember , with all these places where I use my name , that Ed is spelled with two Ds . You can find me on LinkedIn and Blue Sky . Just search for Ed Dawson on both . You can record a voice question to get answered on the podcast . The link is in the show notes .

You can try our seo intelligence platform keywords people use at keywords people usecom , where we can help you discover the questions and keywords people are asking online . Post those questions and keywords into related groups so you know what content you need to build topical authority .

And , finally , connect your google search console account for your sites so we can crawl and understand your actual content , find what keywords you rank for and then help you optimize , continually refine your content and targeted , personalized advice to keep your traffic growing .

If you're interested in learning more about me personally or looking for dedicated consulting advice , then visit wwweddawsoncom . Bye for now and see you in the next episode of SEO . That Is Not that Hard .