Mining For Content Ideas: Discover, Optimize, And Rank With Moz Pro — Next Level

Not to authorities nan obvious, but arsenic marketers, information of our business is to create content. Whether it’s successful nan style of blog posts, landing pages, societal media posts, emails, newsletters, and truthful connected — there’s nary measurement to get astir it. It is simply a captious constituent of our job. And sometimes, it tin beryllium challenging to recreation up pinch caller ideas aliases ways to iterate connected aged ones. With nan world consuming contented astatine lightning speed, it is becoming moreover overmuch difficult to support up pinch nan anticipation of turning retired caller content.

In nan past, we’ve published fantabulous pieces connected nan Moz Blog each astir contented distribution and strategy, including nan Whiteboard Fridays “Create High-Impact Content Using Backward Design” from Purna Virji and “How to Maximize Content” pinch Ross Simmonds. And, arsenic I’m judge I don’t personification to show you, contented ideation and inspiration tin recreation from anywhere. 

But what if I told you that you tin too usage nan Moz devices to excavation for contented ideas? Let’s excavation into different ways to usage nan Moz devices to supplement our contented readying strategies.

When supplementing aliases modifying your contented strategy, a bully spot to commencement is by examining your existing contented and uncovering nan gaps. This tin thief spot caller contented ideas and areas wherever your contented strategy whitethorn beryllium missing cardinal opportunities to thrive.

The Keyword Gap instrumentality successful Moz Pro allows you to participate your tract and up to 3 competitors to spot really your ranking keywords comparison to those of your competitors. 

Pro tip! Not judge who your online competitors are? Or conscionable want to corroborate and scope retired who they whitethorn be? Check retired the True Competitor instrumentality to find out.

Below nan interactive Venn diagram, the Keyword Gap tool will proviso pre-filtered lists of keywords to thief you identify Keywords to improve and New keyword opportunities.

Let’s commencement by looking at New keyword opportunities. This database of keywords consists of those wherever your competitors are ranking, but you’re not. This tin thief you quickly spot gaps successful your existing contented strategy truthful you tin make a strategy to build retired caller caller content.

Let’s opportunity I’m moving connected building retired nan “best of” conception of my Los Angeles foodie blog; I tin prime to spot keywords that spot “Best” and “Los Angeles” arsenic seen successful nan screenshot below. I tin now spot that I’m not ranking for “Best Pizza successful Los Angeles,” truthful I whitethorn want to spot creating a blog position astir this topic.

Pro tip! You tin adhd aggregate filters to your results to thief aboveground opportunities based connected niche, product, aliases location. You tin moreover prime by cardinal metrics aliases rank. Just click the Add Filter button! 

Have a information that should be ranking for these keywords and isn’t? Don’t worry! Later successful this article, we’ll chat astir really you tin spot areas for contented betterment and elevation.

Spotting these contented gaps tin fortify your contented strategy. It tin not only thief spark ideas for caller contented but too thief spot places wherever your contented tin beryllium improved aliases refreshed for amended performance. 

Find gaps successful your SEO strategy pinch AI-powered insights

Whether you’ve been posting for years aliases conscionable started building retired your content, there’s nary clip for illustration nan coming to look for ways to amended what you’ve already dedicated clip to producing. Just for illustration creating caller content, refreshing your existing URLs is basal to immoderate contented strategy. 

The Keywords to Improve position in Keyword Gap is your caller champion friend erstwhile it comes to identifying contented to refresh. After entering nan sites you’d for illustration to compare, this position will database keywords for which you and your competitors rank, but they presently outrank you.

You tin past usage nan prime options (as I did previously) to spot only circumstantial segments of keywords. For example, I whitethorn want to spot only keywords wherever I’m ranking connected nan 2nd page aliases keywords wherever I americium ranking conscionable down my competitor. The instrumentality will moreover show you the Traffic Lift for those keywords, which is nan magnitude of postulation Moz estimates you tin summation by overtaking your competitor successful nan SERP.

As I tin spot successful nan illustration below, my competitor is outranking maine for aggregate keywords related to “things to do successful Los Angeles” — I tin now return a look astatine my page that is ranking for this keyword and spot if location is an opportunity to update it to summation a competitory edge. I guidelines to summation an estimated further 2700 visits a play if I tin outrank my competitor.

Now we’ve looked astatine really you tin usage Keyword Gap to spot caller contented opportunities and contented you whitethorn want to return different look at, but what are immoderate further ways I tin really make my contented guidelines out? Elevating your existing contented is for illustration polishing your jewelry — it helps support it successful tip-top shape, extends nan piece's life, and keeps it applicable to your “collection.” There are galore ways to identify and update contented successful your existing library, but coming are 2 ways to get started (and find caller contented opportunities successful nan process).

First, let’s investigate featured snippet opportunities. Once I’ve created a Campaign successful Moz Pro and are hunt keywords complete time, I will personification entree to the SERP Features section. This information of nan tool tracks SERP features included successful nan hunt results for my tracked keywords, including featured snippets.

Alternatively, looking astatine which of my tracked keywords spot a featured snippet but wherever I americium not ranking connected nan first page (or astatine all) tin thief to spot imaginable opportunities for creating new, high-value content. We’ll conscionable want to beryllium judge to optimize for nan featured snippet correct from nan start. 

Pro tip: Export a CSV of nan SERP Features accusation successful your Campaign to benignant and prime extracurricular nan app. If a SERP characteristic is marked Included successful nan CSV, it intends your tract is included successful that peculiar feature. If it’s marked true it intends nan SERP characteristic is coming for that keyword, but your tracked tract isn’t included. 

Next, I’ll celebrated complete to the Page Optimization conception of my Campaign. Although nan superior intent of this characteristic is to exemplify really well-optimized a page is for a peculiar keyword, location is simply a hidden gem that tin thief spot contented refresh opportunities, caller contented ideas, and tangential topics. The Content Suggestions tab will database keywords and topics often utilized connected nan top-ranking pages for nan keyword I’m optimizing for.

In this example, I tin spot that 1 of nan competitors I’ve entered ranks bully for keywords related to mattress foundations. When I click done to nan ranking page I tin spot that it is simply a wide buying line that outlines nan types of foundations they have, their merchandise specs, and reviews. I tin now look astatine my ain ranking contented and inquire myself:

• Is this a taxable I tin amended surface connected my site? 
• Can I amended existing contented aliases adhd a different perspective, format, aliases contented type to nan space? 
• How tin I reformat my contented to amended work nan hunt intent of my audience?

The possibilities are endless!

Pro tip! You tin export nan Top Competing Content accusation to CSV to further filter, sort, and edit arsenic needed.

Sticking pinch nan mattress institution example, let’s opportunity I americium looking for contented ideas to thief build retired my precocious launched blog. I whitethorn cognize that location is worthy successful creating pieces astir mattress-related topics for illustration deciding connected a mattress size aliases determining what firmness would beryllium best, but what tangential contented ideas tin I spot successful my research? The illustration supra shows that my competitors are ranking for contented related to topics for illustration slumber calculators and what to do erstwhile you can’t sleep. These could beryllium awesome opportunities for maine to create caller contented not consecutive related to mattresses but still related to nan slumber industry. In fact, I whitethorn personification contented already related to these topics that could beryllium bully candidates for a refresh based connected what contented is outperforming my site.

Just for illustration contented creation, keyword investigation is simply a basal information of SEO and trading strategies. As you’re retired location digging into things for illustration hunt volume, difficulty, and SERP analysis, you whitethorn beryllium tin to uncover immoderate hidden gems to walk your contented strategy arsenic well.

Hopping complete to Keyword Explorer, I tin excavation for contented ideas successful the Keyword Suggestions conception of nan tool. Keyword Suggestions will proviso a database of keywords related to nan seed keyword entered, sorted by Relevancy to nan original term. I tin too usage filters, grouping preferences, and constrictive by hunt measurement to further specify your results.

Let’s commencement by selecting the Questions prime astatine nan apical of nan suggestions table. This position provides maine pinch a database of nan types of questions searchers inquire successful narration to my first keyword.

In this example, spot that I activity for a existent spot agency and americium researching contented related to buying a house. Using the Questions prime will proviso maine pinch circumstantial contented ideas related to what group inquire erstwhile buying a home. This tin relationship a aureate excavation of contented ideas to soma retired a existent spot blog aliases website to thief clients find nan accusation they seek.

I tin moreover return this investigation 1 measurement further by grouping my keyword suggestions by lexical similarity. Just a reminder coming that lexical similarity refers to really intimately related aliases akin nan keywords successful nan group are. Low lexical similarity will consequence successful little groups pinch overmuch keywords since nan instrumentality will group keywords that are small similar. 

Grouping keywords tin thief maine spot further keywords I whitethorn want to target and broad-match keywords that whitethorn beryllium worthy including successful my content. Be mindful of over-optimizing, though! We want to debar keyword stuffing and cannibalization since they whitethorn negatively effect rankings. That being said, spot nan beneath illustration of really grouping keywords has helped to spot a less contented gems. 

Using nan erstwhile illustration of “buying a house” arsenic nan seed keyword, I’ve grouped my keywords by debased lexical similarity. Within nan “how to bargain a location for nan first time” group, location are multiple long-tail keywords that whitethorn beryllium awesome inspiration for a caller information of contented for my existent spot agency including “what to cognize erstwhile buying a location for nan first time” and “how overmuch do I petition to make to bargain a 400k house.” I tin now return that accusation and create a dedicated assets aliases a blog position that includes accusation connected what to spot erstwhile buying a location for nan first clip and what nan buying process looks like, including what to expect erstwhile trying to get approved for a location loan. Imagine nan inspiration you tin get from digging into these suggestions moreover further!

Before we move connected to our adjacent wealthiness hunt, I want to constituent retired nan Search Intent record successful Keyword Suggestions arsenic well. This record notes nan superior hunt intent associated pinch nan keywords listed. This is simply a awesome measurement to spot what type of contented you should create and really Google thinks group are interacting pinch results related to that keyword. 

For example, nan mostly of nan keywords successful nan results supra are identified as Informational which makes consciousness since they are each related to learning overmuch astir nan process of buying a home. For these keywords, contented for illustration blogs, long-form content, and informational videos would beryllium ideal.

If I group my prime options to look at Top Suggestions, I will spot that galore of nan apical keywords associated pinch “buying a home” are Transactional or Navigational — they are related to circumstantial sites for illustration Zillow aliases topics for illustration circumstantial buying programs. Since these keywords are astir doing point aliases going somewhere, nan type of contented I create to reside them should beryllium different. I whitethorn opt to create location pages aliases FAQs that reside these circumstantial topics.

So far, we’ve identified contented opportunities, uncovered caller ideas, and recovered gaps successful our existing strategy. But what astir our competition? What are they doing? I touched connected this a spot utilizing nan Keyword Gap instrumentality but let’s excavation successful further. When modifying your contented strategy, it’s important to understand what your competitors are doing and what their assemblage is engaging with. Although you won’t personification entree to their postulation data, location is simply a measurement you tin get an thought of what contented whitethorn beryllium driving postulation to their site. Or, astatine nan very least, what contented is of precocious value. This is done nexus analysis. Moz offers alternatively a less ways to do this, but I’m going to point a characteristic that tin thief get america started pinch this research.

Top Pages in Link Explorer will return a database of nan pages connected a tract pinch nan most backlinks. This tin proviso penetration into nan types of contented group find valuable connected a tract — pages pinch overmuch links are overmuch valuable. This is partially because backlinks are a ranking factor. Additionally, each those links proviso benefits for illustration traffic, marque exposure, and more. 

After inputting a competitor into Top Pages, I tin get an thought of which pages connected their tract proviso nan astir value. In nan screenshot above, I tin spot that this peculiar competitor has a batch of “best of” articles that summation a batch of links. I tin now investigation these pages and spot if location is an opportunity to create aliases modify contented connected my ain tract to meet akin demands.

Pro tip: Once you’ve created your content, you tin use Link Intersect to find domains and pages linking to your competitors and not to you. This tin relationship a awesome measurement to supplement a nexus building strategy!