Allow us to start this blog with some noteworthy search engine optimization (SEO) findings from Backlinko:
• Seventy-five percent of all clicks go to the top three Google search results.
• Only 0.78 percent of users click on second-page results.
These figures show that being found on search results isn’t enough; you need to grab the top spots. Such positions on the search engine results pages (SERPs) enable you to reach prospects better and bring in qualified leads.
These figures also emphasize the importance of search engine optimization and a solid keyword strategy. To drive valuable traffic to your site, you must find keywords relevant to your business and optimize your website for them.
Marketers usually focus on user intent when optimizing sites and blogs for search. Therefore, they tend to target relevant and high-volume keywords, pushing out content to start ranking for them.
But while this is an effective optimization strategy, it can take a lot of time and effort. It’s also not the best tactic to employ if you need to generate quick SEO wins. For that, you’ll want to shift your attention to striking distance keywords.
In this blog, we will:
• Define a striking distance keyword
• Show how to identify striking distance keywords
• Outline the next steps to take (repurposing content to target striking distance keywords)
What Are Striking Distance Keywords?
Striking distance keywords are search terms that your brand already ranks for. However, they could be at the bottom of page one or within positions 11-30. This is how they got the name – they’re within “striking distance” from your goal, which is the top of the search results.
What’s great about striking distance keywords is that they’re low-effort, high-impact keywords. In fact, the smallest tweaks can bring about noticeable results in your SERP performance. You can simply improve your metadata, add LSI keywords to existing blogs or repurpose content to push your pages onto page one in no time.
Why Should Your Business Target Striking Distance Keywords?
If you’re looking to improve your business’s SEO performance easily, understanding how to identify striking distance keywords and how to repurpose your blog content effectively is the way to go.
According to Thrive’s Senior Lead SEO Strategist Ronnel Viloria, having striking distance keywords means Google considers your content relevant to the topic. You’re already ranking quite well for that query, so all you need to do is make small enhancements to secure a first-page position.
Remember: It’s much easier and more beneficial to move keywords within ranks 11-30 to the top than to target high-volume search terms that you do not rank for at all.
Here’s what you can achieve with the striking distance method and a repurposing strategy around it:
• Reach the top positions and maximize your revenues while saving time and effort.
• See an improved click-through rate.
• Generate valuable keyword wins, increased authority and better brand image.
How To Identify Striking Distance Keywords
Learning how to find striking distance keywords isn’t rocket science. You can quickly find and track them using tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs and SEMRush. Whatever you prefer to use, you need to look for keywords that rank at the bottom of the first page or within the second and third pages.
However, note that search volume for striking distance keywords is also important. You must ensure you’re targeting queries actually used by people. Your goal is to increase your organic revenue, not simply improve your ranking.
A good rule of thumb is to look for a low rate of search competition and high search volume for striking distance keywords. Once you’ve found the best search terms to focus on, study the pages that rank for them and find opportunities for optimization.
This is something you can do on your own, especially if you’re quite familiar with your tool. Otherwise, you can turn to SEO agencies specializing in both technical SEO and content writing to grab these low-hanging fruits.
How To Repurpose Blog Content and Optimize for Striking Distance Keywords
Targeting striking distance keywords is all about making small changes. Since you already rank for these terms, you only need to make a few tweaks here and there. Over-optimizing puts you at risk of losing favor with both Google and your users.
Moreover, know that this works best when integrated into your content repurposing strategy. The actionable tips on how to repurpose your blog content effectively listed below can give you ideas for building your own. But you may be asking, what is content repurposing in the first place?
What Is Content Repurposing?
Repurposing content generally means reusing or “recycling” an old piece of content to expand its reach. It encompasses both reimagining old content into a new format and simply updating existing content to keep it relevant. The tips enumerated here are applications of the latter.
Here are some smart ways to repurpose blog content and optimize it for striking distance keywords:
1. Add the Striking Distance Keyword to Your Content
Sometimes, a blog may rank for a striking distance keyword contextually, meaning that it doesn’t use the actual string of words at all. Other times, it may use the term only once or twice.
If you have a blog post like this in your hands, these are the steps you can take:
• Determine how many times the blog used the search function’s search term.
• Add the striking distance keyword two to three times, depending on how often it was already used. Avoid keyword stuffing as this can hurt your SEO performance more than improve it.
2. Improve Context by Inserting Relevant LSI Keywords
Before we tackle the tips on how to improve your blog’s context, what are LSI keywords or latent semantic indexing keywords?
To answer this, let’s borrow LSI Graph’s LSI keywords definition:
“LSI keywords are keywords that are semantically linked to a target keyword or a search query. It helps search engines to thoroughly understand the topic of a piece of web content.”
Alexa’s LSI keywords definition also explains that these related terms enable search engines to grasp a page’s content better. However, the LSI keywords definition provided by SEMRush emphasizes that these are not synonyms but are simply closely related words that further clarify what a piece of content is about.
Here are some ways to find LSI keywords to add to your content:
• Look at the “People also ask” section.
• Check the bottom of the SERPs for related searches.
• Use LSI keyword generators.
3. Optimize the Blog’s Metadata
Another easy yet effective way how to repurpose content for striking distance keywords is to tweak the elements in it. Check if you can add the ranking keyword in your:
• Title tag
• H1 tag
• Schema tags and image alt tags
• Meta description
Although meta descriptions are not a ranking factor, they’re still among the first things users see on SERPs. With this, putting time and thought into your descriptions can improve your click-through rates and, eventually, your rankings.
4. Work on Your Blogs’ Lengths
Still stuck on how to repurpose your blog content effectively? First, take a look at how long your high-ranking blog post is. You can easily optimize blogs with 200-500 words by beefing them up and adding new sections. Make sure, however, to target the striking distance keyword within the additional part to effectively bolster its SEO performance.
There are no strict standards regarding content length, but studies show that Google prefers longer content. According to Backlinko, posts that rank organically on the first page have an average of 1,447 words.
5. Update Older, High-Performing Posts
Another thing to remember when repurposing content is that even posts produced from thorough research a year ago may not be relevant to today’s context. So, if you’re looking for more ways to repurpose blog content, think of how to refresh your older but high-performing posts.
Here are some of your options:
• Repurpose content by simply adding updated information.
• Perform major revisions while keeping the existing title and URL to preserve its SEO value.
If you feel you have plenty of blogs to review and update, enlisting a content repurposing service from your trusted agency is a smart solution. Established agencies have a team of content experts who know how to repurpose content on your blog page quickly and effectively.
6. Find Link Building Opportunities
Adding internal and external links further improves your post’s ranking for your striking distance keywords.
Internal links guide users as they navigate your blog page while helping Google crawl it. On the other hand, your external links tell search engines that your content is valuable as you can point readers to other helpful resources.
Here are two internal link building tips you can follow right now to get results:
• Find high-ranking blog pages that already include your striking distance keyword.
• Use the striking distance keyword as anchor text to the content you want to rank better.
Enjoy Quick SEO Wins by Enlisting a Content Repurposing Service You Can Trust
Striking distance keywords give you opportunities to grab quick SEO wins. To successfully target them, however, you must understand what they are and how to identify them. Moreover, you can’t simply go after all high-ranking search terms; always remember the importance of search volume for striking distance keywords.
In this blog, we shared with you the tools you can use to find them, plus tips on how to repurpose content effectively. We also answered the questions, what is content repurposing and what are LSI keywords to give you more ideas. With all the tips discussed, we hope you feel more empowered to tackle this SEO technique with your team.
However, if you’re still struggling to reach these targets, know that we’re always here to help. Consider Thrive as your go-to agency for a content repurposing service you can be confident in.
We’ve been in the business since 2005; through the years, we’ve unlocked effective strategies for content repurposing and search engine marketing. Most importantly, we know that the ultimate goal is not to secure high rankings – it’s to drive clicks, generate sales and make your brand the best it could be.
Ready to give your organic efforts a major boost? Get in touch with us today, and let’s start maximizing your strike zone phrase opportunities!
