{"id":9594,"date":"2023-05-23T12:47:19","date_gmt":"2023-05-23T12:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/23\/how-to-land-1830-ranking-positions-with-only-one-article\/"},"modified":"2023-05-23T12:47:19","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T12:47:19","slug":"how-to-land-1830-ranking-positions-with-only-one-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/23\/how-to-land-1830-ranking-positions-with-only-one-article\/","title":{"rendered":"How to land 1,830 ranking positions with only one article"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Within months of publishing, our \u201cresignation letter templates\u201d article climbed to number one in the SERPs for a client.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you know how to <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/reliably-predict-seo-success-389436\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">engineer success before starting<\/a> then this shouldn\u2019t be surprising.<\/p>\n<p>But hitting number one for a single keyword wasn\u2019t the most impressive thing about this article.<\/p>\n<p>Because <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/seo-work-this-year-results-next-year-395251\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">after about a year<\/a>, it was ranking for 1,830 keywords.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not a typo. It wasn\u2019t a fluke.<\/p>\n<p>And this article will explain exactly how to replicate it.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/23\/how-to-land-1830-ranking-positions-with-only-one-article\/#Long_vs_short_content_Heres_why_youre_asking_the_wrong_question\" >Long vs. short content? Here\u2019s why you\u2019re asking the wrong question<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/23\/how-to-land-1830-ranking-positions-with-only-one-article\/#First_compare_parent_child_keywords_and_%E2%80%98volume_vs_%E2%80%98potential_volume\" >First, compare parent + child keywords (and \u2018volume\u2019 vs. \u2018potential volume\u2019)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/23\/how-to-land-1830-ranking-positions-with-only-one-article\/#Then_compare_the_content_currently_ranking_across_each_unique_SERP_to_look_for_%E2%80%98overlaps_vs_%E2%80%98unique\" >Then, compare the content currently ranking across each unique SERP to look for \u2018overlaps\u2019 vs. \u2018unique\u2019<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/23\/how-to-land-1830-ranking-positions-with-only-one-article\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Long_vs_short_content_Heres_why_youre_asking_the_wrong_question\"><\/span>Long vs. short content? Here\u2019s why you\u2019re asking the wrong question<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIt depends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everyone is looking for a trick or a hack. A silver bullet that prints money without actually having to lift a finger.<\/p>\n<p>But the unfortunate truth is that \u201cit depends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Should you write a <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/long-form-content-steps-examples-392592\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">long, in-depth article<\/a> or a <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/short-form-content-393191\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">short, snappy one<\/a>? It depends.<\/p>\n<p>Should you produce content in high volume or prune your site to limit the noise? It depends.<\/p>\n<p>Should you try to target one keyword per article or multiple? Once again, it depends.<\/p>\n<p>There is no one-size-fits-all approach. (Despite what LinkedIn gurus guarantee.)<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick example:<\/p>\n<p> Typically, you\u2019d want to create one article around one primary topic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Add in your semantic themes and blend them together with similar-yet-complementary, laser-focused content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Tie it all up in a bow with internal links to create a dense web of content.<\/p>\n<p> Then, let topical authority + some <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/link-building-mistakes-brands-405368\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high-quality backlinks<\/a> do their thing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But <\/strong>this might not always be the case.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Imagine you\u2019re doing your <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/keyword-research-for-seo-6-questions-you-must-ask-yourself-393823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">keyword research<\/a>. As you do. And you see something like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Lots of closely-related keywords sharing similar intent.<\/p>\n<p>Volume on the low (to long-tail) side of the spectrum.<\/p>\n<p>With lower keyword difficulty targets, too.<\/p>\n<p>The next step <strong>isn\u2019t<\/strong> to send all these to your favorite cheap writer. Or, god forbid, <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/ai-proof-your-content-393638\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ChatGPT<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Cause the wrong content or just plain bad content isn\u2019t going to help you, anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, it\u2019s to roll up those sleeves and do some basic investigating.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"First_compare_parent_child_keywords_and_%E2%80%98volume_vs_%E2%80%98potential_volume\"><\/span>First, compare parent + child keywords (and \u2018volume\u2019 vs. \u2018potential volume\u2019)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The raw data an <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/guide\/what-is-seo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEO<\/a> tool spits out isn\u2019t all that helpful \u2013 mostly because it\u2019s garbage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Let me explain.<\/p>\n<p>For starters, volume numbers are entirely inaccurate! Look up volume in three different tools and you\u2019ll undoubtedly get three different answers.<\/p>\n<p>You know what <em>else<\/em> those three answers will have in common? They\u2019re completely wide of the mark from the actual, real-life volume or click-through rate data you might see.<\/p>\n<p>While others, like <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/keyword-difficulty-seo-427048\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">keyword difficulty<\/a>, heavily bias things like the number of page-level referring domains instead of the quality of said domains or even the overall domain strength (like domain rating) across the top 10 on any given SERP.<\/p>\n<p>The point here is to focus less on the actual numbers and more on what the relationship of the numbers might be telling you.<\/p>\n<p>Check out this \u201cconstruction project management\u201d example. Look it up in Ahrefs, then drill down into the \u201cchild\u201d keyword ideas sorted underneath the primary \u201cparent\u201d topic.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Now, you\u2019ll see a list of closely related keywords that could be the perfect starting point for a brand-new cluster of a dozen or so articles.<\/p>\n<p>Or it could just be one really long, in-depth article.<\/p>\n<p>How do you know?<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a giant clue.<\/p>\n<p>Compare the difference or ratio between <em>Volume<\/em> (local, specific to this keyword) and <em>Traffic Potential<\/em> (as in, with other keywords, too). You can even compare <em>Global Volume<\/em> if you appeal to international customers, too.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>The fact that the Traffic Potential to Volume ratio here is ~4:1 tells me that you probably have a lot of very similar keywords displaying the same content pieces.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, one really good, probably longer, and in-depth article on \u201csteps of construction\u201d will most likely be displayed for many long-tail variations around the same theme.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This means you also <strong>don\u2019t<\/strong> need to create unique pieces of content to rank for each.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s exactly what happened. <\/p>\n<p>We created one in-depth piece of content and picked up the first position for lots of similar keywords \u2013 effectively ~4xing (or more) the traffic to this article vs. what any keyword tool might have originally told us.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>The good news is that you don\u2019t have to rely on hunches or decades of experience to verify this.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You just need to do a little additional legwork when you spot these clues.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing\u2026Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Then_compare_the_content_currently_ranking_across_each_unique_SERP_to_look_for_%E2%80%98overlaps_vs_%E2%80%98unique\"><\/span>Then, compare the content currently ranking across each unique SERP to look for \u2018overlaps\u2019 vs. \u2018unique\u2019<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>SEO isn\u2019t all that hard at the end of the day.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, there are some complicated elements to think through. But it\u2019s not a complete mystery or black box.<\/p>\n<p>Heck. Google literally shows you exactly what works vs. what doesn\u2019t. Hiding in plain sight.<\/p>\n<p>That means whenever there are doubts about what people want to find out about a particular keyword and, therefore, what Google wants to display, all you have to do is simply\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Google it!<\/p>\n<p>Seriously, don\u2019t overthink it.<\/p>\n<p>Pull up the keyword we\u2019ve been discussing, like \u201csteps of construction.\u201d Then, look at the actual content already ranking for this query.<\/p>\n<p>What do they have in common?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What are they all doing well?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What gaps are there that you think you can exploit?<\/p>\n<p>And last but not least, how much of this same exact content is showing up for other closely-related keywords you\u2019ve found?<\/p>\n<p>The easiest way to do this is a simple side-by-side comparison. So take your \u201csteps of construction\u201d SERP\u2026<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0\u2026 and compare it with the top 10 articles ranking for \u201cprocess of construction,\u201d too.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>See that?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Several articles that are exactly the same, showing up for different (yet similar) keywords \u2013 that most keyword research tools tell you are actually separate or distinct.<\/p>\n<p>But in Google\u2019s mind, they\u2019re <strong>not<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>And at the end of the day, that\u2019s the only perspective you should care about when it comes to SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Don\u2019t lose sight of the forest through the trees.<\/p>\n<p>SEO tactics or metrics or \u201cbest practices\u201d \u2013 in isolation \u2013 are limited at best or completely misleading at worst.<\/p>\n<p>That means Ahrefs&#8217; volume metric doesn\u2019t matter. Same as Moz\u2019s or Semrush, or [insert new cool hipster tool here].<\/p>\n<p>At least not on their own. They don\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>What matters is how you interpret the data and see the relationships or patterns in SERPs to understand what&#8217;s happening under the surface.<\/p>\n<p>That means sometimes you want to do more frequent, short articles. While other times, you want to do the opposite.<\/p>\n<p>As the saying goes, everything looks like a nail to the man with the hammer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/multiple-ranking-positions-one-article-427372\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to land 1,830 ranking positions with only one article<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Within months of publishing, our \u201cresignation letter templates\u201d article climbed to number one in the SERPs for a client.\u00a0 If you know how to engineer success before starting then this shouldn\u2019t be surprising. But hitting number one for a single keyword wasn\u2019t the most impressive thing about this article. Because after about a year, it was ranking for 1,830 keywords.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a typo. It wasn\u2019t a fluke. And this article will explain exactly how to replicate it. Long vs. short content? Here\u2019s why you\u2019re asking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9594\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}