{"id":9937,"date":"2023-06-15T12:50:07","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T12:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/"},"modified":"2023-06-15T12:50:07","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T12:50:07","slug":"how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/","title":{"rendered":"How to build your own SEO \u2018second brain\u2019 (and why you need it)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you\u2019re an internal <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/guide\/what-is-seo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEO<\/a> whiz or a digital agency pro, chances are you\u2019ve experienced one or more of these all-too-familiar problems:<\/p>\n<p>Feeling drowned in an ocean of ever-evolving industry trends.<\/p>\n<p>Spending forever in the set-up phase, building deliverable trackers, audit sheets, keyword map templates, content briefs, and backlog grooming can feel like you\u2019re on a never-ending treadmill.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, I\u2019ve been there too. I felt the relentless churn and knew that something had to shift dramatically if I wanted to continue growing as an SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This realization led me to discover the game-changing concept of building a \u201csecond brain,\u201d an idea popularized by Tiago Forte.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve since applied this concept to my own SEO practices. Below, I\u2019ll cover how you can build your own SEO second brain.<\/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\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#Why_you_should_consider_building_an_SEO_second_brain\" >Why you should consider building an SEO second brain\u00a0<\/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\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#How_to_start_building_your_own_SEO_second_brain\" >How to start building your own SEO second brain<\/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\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#Selecting_the_right_tools_to_suit_the_way_you_work\" >Selecting the right tools to suit the way you work<\/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\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#Structuring_your_second_brain_with_the_PARA_system\" >Structuring your second brain with the PARA system\u00a0<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#But_how_does_this_help_me_better_manage_SEO_projects\" >But how does this help me better manage SEO projects?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#Operating_your_second_brain_Start_with_idea_capturing\" >Operating your second brain: Start with idea capturing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#A_quick_walkthrough_of_my_own_SEO_second_brain\" >A quick walkthrough of my own SEO second brain<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#Building_reusable_templates\" >Building reusable templates<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#Documentation_at_hand\" >Documentation at hand<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/15\/how-to-build-your-own-seo-second-brain-and-why-you-need-it\/#How_to_make_the_most_of_your_second_brain_Exercise_it\" >How to make the most of your second brain? Exercise it!\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_you_should_consider_building_an_SEO_second_brain\"><\/span>Why you should consider building an SEO second brain\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Before building a second brain, let\u2019s examine what an organic brain excels at and where it falls short. Here\u2019s a quick snapshot:<\/p>\n<p>Our brains are great at:<\/p>\n<p>Generating original ideas.<\/p>\n<p>Interconnecting ideas and spinning compelling narratives.<\/p>\n<p>Fostering empathy with others.<\/p>\n<p>But terrible at:<\/p>\n<p>Retaining information over a prolonged period.<\/p>\n<p>Segmenting and categorizing stored data.<\/p>\n<p>Retrieving and applying stored information.<\/p>\n<p>By delegating the latter tasks to an external database or a \u201csecond brain,\u201d you can better store and retrieve crucial documentation, templates, and key learnings between websites.<\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, never again will you forget crucial information when you most need it.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_start_building_your_own_SEO_second_brain\"><\/span>How to start building your own SEO second brain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Building your second brain may seem daunting initially, but take it one step at a time, and you\u2019ll get there. Start with the following steps and tips:<\/p>\n<p>Selecting the right tools to suit the way you work<\/p>\n<p>Structuring your second brain with the PARA system<\/p>\n<p>Operating your second brain: Start with idea capturing<\/p>\n<p>A quick walkthrough of my own SEO second brain<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Selecting_the_right_tools_to_suit_the_way_you_work\"><\/span>Selecting the right tools to suit the way you work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You can use plenty of systems and platforms to build a second brain. It all comes down to your preference and which platform you\u2019re most comfortable with.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I use Notion to build my SEO second brain (and operate most of my SEO projects), so I\u2019ll use examples from Notion throughout this article.<\/p>\n<p>A great way to identify which tool to use for building your SEO second brain is to get to know your style of information organization. Here are some examples Forte mentions:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>The architect<\/strong>: Prefers systematizing information in a hierarchical manner, focusing on large-scale projects and using a systems mindset. They have to be careful not to force information into their system when it doesn\u2019t fit. Apps like Notion and Craft are well-suited to this style.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The gardener<\/strong>: Thrives on cultivating many ideas at the same time, favoring relationships and connections. They must beware of getting easily distracted by new, unrelated information. Apps like Obsidian and Roam are well-suited to this style.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The librarian<\/strong>: Practical and project-oriented, they like to capture information from diverse sources and curate a collection of knowledge. Their pitfall might be amassing content without using it. Apps like Evernote and Microsoft OneNote are well-suited to this style.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The student<\/strong>: Usually new to knowledge management or focusing on a specific part of their life. They favor ease of use and avoid complexity. Apps like Apple Notes or Google Keep are well-suited to this style.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Structuring_your_second_brain_with_the_PARA_system\"><\/span>Structuring your second brain with the PARA system\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The PARA system stands for:<\/p>\n<p><strong>P<\/strong>rojects: Specific tasks linked to a goal or deadline.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A<\/strong>reas: Responsibilities that need to be maintained over time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>R<\/strong>esources: A topic or theme of ongoing interest.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A<\/strong>rchives: Inactive items from the other three categories.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Here are some examples of which SEO tasks suit each category.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Projects:<\/strong> Your most important and time-sensitive tasks.<\/p>\n<p>Example<em>:<\/em> Optimize the internal linking structure for a core landing page by the end of the week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Areas:<\/strong> Your ongoing optimization efforts and routine tasks.<\/p>\n<p>Example<em>:<\/em> Create monthly performance reports.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Resources:<\/strong> Shared credentials and background information.<\/p>\n<p>Example<em>:<\/em> CMS logins and target personas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Archives:<\/strong> Completed tasks and documentation<\/p>\n<p>Example<em>:<\/em> Title tags updated over the past 24 months.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve adopted some version of the PARA framework to manage SEO campaigns for 35+ websites.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a game-changer to help me get the most impactful tasks done first and still deliver on smaller issues.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"But_how_does_this_help_me_better_manage_SEO_projects\"><\/span>But how does this help me better manage SEO projects?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Traditionally, SEOs tend to structure our work into static categories like keyword research, technical audit, link building, and content production. However, this doesn\u2019t mirror the dynamic nature of SEO projects.<\/p>\n<p>This conventional and static way of organizing information is like categorizing your kitchen by individual ingredients rather than usage and priority (a fun analogy credited to Forte).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Wouldn\u2019t it be odd to organize your kitchen by carrots, potatoes, and fruits rather than stovetop items, pantry goods, and fridge contents?<\/p>\n<p>Like kitchens, static file structures can lead to \u201ccross-contamination\u201d between outdated and fresh documents, making it challenging to locate the most relevant information quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Enter the PARA framework \u2013 a dynamic solution reflecting the shifting priorities of an SEO project:<\/p>\n<p>Immediate concerns reside in the <em>Project<\/em> folder.<\/p>\n<p>Ongoing work belongs to the <em>Area<\/em> folder.<\/p>\n<p>Thematic and research material is kept in the <em>Resources<\/em> folder.<\/p>\n<p>Completed tasks and old data go into the <em>Archives<\/em> folder.<\/p>\n<p>This way, PARA keeps your SEO project fluid, organized, and current.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Operating_your_second_brain_Start_with_idea_capturing\"><\/span>Operating your second brain: Start with idea capturing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve built an SEO second brain of your own. How do you go about using it in the best way possible?<\/p>\n<p>For me, it\u2019s all about idea capturing. This is the act of quickly and effortlessly storing information you\u2019ve encountered throughout the day in a temporary repository. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the single most important mechanism to master in operating a second brain.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>That\u2019s because it enables me to quickly and passively store new information in a temporary space of my second brain so that I can later revisit and move it to relevant sections of the brain.<\/p>\n<p>These can include:<\/p>\n<p>Important algorithm or industry updates.<\/p>\n<p>Interesting articles on new tactics I can apply to my own websites.<\/p>\n<p>Add meeting notes and recordings throughout the day.<\/p>\n<p>Insightful conversations I\u2019ve had with my colleagues.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve built an empty page in my second brain called the <em>Idea Capturing Station<\/em>, meant to do just this, keeping it immediately accessible to me at all times on both desktop and mobile.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of how I quickly capture an interesting article on desktop:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>And here\u2019s how I quickly capture a new idea on mobile:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_quick_walkthrough_of_my_own_SEO_second_brain\"><\/span>A quick walkthrough of my own SEO second brain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick snapshot of what my SEO second brain dashboard looks like.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Each of these individual areas, like <em>Project Timeline<\/em>, is then linked to separate databases where I store and organize information hierarchically. That\u2019s right. I\u2019m a classic architect when it comes to information organization.<\/p>\n<p>In reality, however, I rarely use this dashboard. I use the tool\u2019s internal search function to find specific areas of my second brain I want to navigate to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if I\u2019d like to find one of my project timelines, I can search for it and hop straight to it like so.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Building_reusable_templates\"><\/span>Building reusable templates<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>One of the most useful \u201cpowers\u201d of this second brain is its ability to create reusable templates, giving me an almost instant set-up each time we onboard a new client at my agency.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>With just a few clicks, I am able to populate a full SEO roadmap timeline, each broken into tickets with specified templates to be delegated to team members and shared with clients. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keyword mapping<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Content production<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Documentation_at_hand\"><\/span><strong>Documentation at hand<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What about that time you forgot a key piece of information or statistic while meeting with stakeholders?<\/p>\n<p>I have a database called the <em>Knowledge Bank<\/em> that allows me to pull up key information to reference at all times.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Let\u2019s say I\u2019m trying to convince some stakeholders that it can be worthwhile pursuing keywords with \u201czero search volume.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the middle of the conversation, I vaguely recall having read an article by Steve Toff on discovering zero search volume keywords, showing strong evidence of their ROI potential.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, I can quickly search for the article on my second brain and reference the article almost instantly.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_make_the_most_of_your_second_brain_Exercise_it\"><\/span>How to make the most of your second brain? Exercise it!\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>My second brain is far from complete and probably always will be (very much like our organic brains!).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The key here is to exercise our SEO second brain regularly so that we get better at using it to store, retrieve and synthesize information.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re familiar, extend your second brain to other domains of life!<\/p>\n<p>Our second brain goes far beyond SEO at Criclabs, the digital agency I\u2019m running. We use it to track new hires, document company processes, run employee portals and more.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is many of us already have an SEO second brain in the works, whether we know it or not. If you have a shared drive to store information or occasionally take notes on your phone, your SEO second brain is already on its way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What you can do now is what we SEOs know best, optimize it!<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/seo-second-brain-428290\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to build your own SEO \u2018second brain\u2019 (and why you need it)<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you\u2019re an internal SEO whiz or a digital agency pro, chances are you\u2019ve experienced one or more of these all-too-familiar problems: Feeling drowned in an ocean of ever-evolving industry trends. Spending forever in the set-up phase, building deliverable trackers, audit sheets, keyword map templates, content briefs, and backlog grooming can feel like you\u2019re on a never-ending treadmill. Yes, I\u2019ve been there too. I felt the relentless churn and knew that something had to shift dramatically if I wanted to continue growing as an SEO.\u00a0 This [&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-9937","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\/9937","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=9937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9937\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}