SEO Patterns

SEO Patterns

Keyword Research Framework

Keyword Tiers

1. Pillar keywords — high volume, high competition, broad intent (1-2 words)
2. Cluster keywords — medium volume, medium competition, specific intent (2-4 words)
3. Long-tail keywords — low volume, low competition, high intent (4+ words)

Research Process

1. Seed with product/service terms
2. Expand via Google Autocomplete, "People Also Ask", Related Searches
3. Pull competitors' ranking keywords (Ahrefs/Semrush)
4. Filter by: search volume ≥ 100/mo, KD ≤ 40 for new sites
5. Group by intent: Informational / Navigational / Commercial / Transactional
6. Map one primary keyword + 3-5 semantic variants per page

Intent Classification

On-Page Optimization Checklist

Title Tag

• Primary keyword in first 60 characters
• Unique per page
• Includes power word or number where natural
• Format: Primary KW — Secondary KW | Brand

Meta Description

• 150-160 characters
• Includes primary keyword naturally
• Has clear CTA ("Learn how", "Get started", "See pricing")
• Unique per page

Headers

• H1: contains primary keyword, one per page
• H2s: contain semantic variants and subtopics
• H3s: support H2s with specifics
• Logical hierarchy — never skip levels

Content

• Primary keyword in first 100 words
• Keyword density 1-2% (avoid stuffing)
• Semantic keywords (LSI) distributed naturally
• Internal links to cluster pages (3-5 per post)
• External links to authoritative sources
• Images: descriptive filenames, alt text with keywords where natural
• Content length matches top 3 SERP results ± 20%

URL Structure

• Short, descriptive slug (/guide/keyword-research not /blog/post?id=123)
• Lowercase, hyphens (not underscores)
• No stop words unless needed for clarity
• Consistent folder structure

Technical SEO Checklist

Crawlability

• robots.txt allows Googlebot on key pages
• XML sitemap at /sitemap.xml, submitted to GSC
• No orphan pages (every page linked from somewhere)
• Canonical tags on duplicate/similar content
• 301 redirects for changed URLs — never 302 for permanent moves

Indexability

• No noindex on pages you want ranked
• Check for accidental noindex in CMS settings
• Pagination handled with rel="next"/"prev" or canonical
• Thin content pages consolidated or noindexed

Site Speed (Core Web Vitals targets)

Speed Fixes Priority

1. Serve images in WebP/AVIF, explicit dimensions
2. Lazy-load below-fold images
3. Eliminate render-blocking JS (defer/async)
4. Minify CSS/JS, enable compression (gzip/brotli)
5. Use CDN for static assets
6. Implement caching headers

Mobile

• Responsive design (Google mobile-first indexing)
• Touch targets ≥ 48px
• No horizontal scroll
• Readable font size (≥ 16px body)

HTTPS & Security

• HTTPS on all pages
• No mixed content warnings
• HSTS header enabled

Content Clustering (Topic Authority Model)

Cluster Architecture

Pillar Page: "Email Marketing Guide" (broad, 3000+ words)
  └── Cluster: "Email Subject Line Best Practices"
  └── Cluster: "Email Segmentation Strategies"
  └── Cluster: "Email Automation Workflows"
  └── Cluster: "Email Deliverability Guide"
  └── Cluster: "Email A/B Testing"

Internal Linking Rules

• Pillar links to all clusters
• Each cluster links back to pillar
• Clusters cross-link when topically relevant
• Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here")
• Anchor text = target page's primary keyword variant

Schema Markup

High-Value Schema Types

// Article
{
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Title",
  "datePublished": "2024-01-01",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "..." },
  "image": "https://..."
}

// FAQ (boosts SERP space)
{
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [{
    "@type": "Question",
    "name": "Question text?",
    "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Answer text." }
  }]
}

// Product
{
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Product Name",
  "aggregateRating": { "@type": "AggregateRating", "ratingValue": "4.8", "reviewCount": "127" }
}

SERP Feature Targeting

Featured Snippet Optimization

• Answer the question directly in first paragraph (40-60 words)
• Use the question as an H2
• Follow with list or table for list snippets
• Format: Question → Direct answer → Supporting detail

People Also Ask

• Include PAA questions as H2/H3 subheadings
• Answer each in 40-60 words immediately below the header
• Use NLP-friendly phrasing that mirrors the question

Link Building Strategies

Tier 1 (Highest ROI)

1. Digital PR — create data studies, original research, newsworthy content
2. Broken link building — find dead links on authority sites, offer your content
3. Resource page outreach — find "useful links" pages in your niche
4. Unlinked brand mentions — convert mentions to links via outreach

Outreach Email Template

Subject: Quick question about [their page title]

Hi [Name],

Found your [page URL] while researching [topic]. 
You link to [broken/outdated resource] — that page no longer exists.

I wrote an updated guide on [topic]: [your URL]

Might be a good replacement if you're open to it.

[Your name]

SEO Reporting KPIs