# What Is Content Optimization?

Simply put, content optimization is optimizing content for Google. This way your content ranks higher on search results — which means more traffic and conversions.

Common content optimization strategies include:

- Including your target keyword and [LSI keywords](https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/lsi).
- Writing SEO-friendly URLs.
- Optimizing for featured snippets.
- Writing [meta descriptions](https://moz.com/learn/seo/meta-description) that drive clicks.
- Improving readability score.

… and much more.

The point? When you optimize content, you’re making it **SEO-friendly**.

## Why Is Content Optimization Important?

**Short answer:** if you don’t optimize content, it’s as good as invisible.

Content that is optimized for search engines:

- Outranks competitors.
- Earns more backlinks.
- Drives higher clicks.
- Brings high-quality leads.
- Generates more sales.

More importantly, content optimization helps with two things:

### 1. Better Content Quality

Content optimization helps you create high-quality [SEO content](/content/blog/semrush-online-marketing-can-be-easy/index.html). With such intense competition, quality content is a prerequisite at this point.

By optimizing content for readers, you drive more high-quality leads.

If your goal with content marketing is more leads and sales, optimizing content is an absolute must.

Better content quality = more search traffic.

### 2. More Search Traffic

Optimizing content is one of the most effective SEO strategies. When you optimize for Google, you rank higher. Which helps you reach the widest target audience.

How? **Higher** **rankings** **= more** **clicks** **= more** **page views**.

In fact, Brain Dean found that the #1 result has [10x CTR](https://backlinko.com/google-ctr-stats) (vs #10):

## How to Optimize Content? 5 Actionable Tips

If you’re still reading, you’re sold on the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of content optimization.

Now for the fun part: ‘ **how’ to optimize content.**

Here are five content optimization tips that’ll help you rank higher and drive more traffic:

### 1. Conduct Competitor Research

Before you begin optimizing content, you need to conduct competitor research.

Why? Your competitors are a goldmine of information that can inform your content optimization efforts and help you create _better_ SEO content.

Google your target keyword. Look at the top 2-3 competitors:

Besides the content itself, we want insights into:

- Content quality and comprehensiveness.
- Keyword usage (+ LSI keywords).
- Content freshness (or last published).
- Word count.
- Domain authority (DA).
- Number of backlinks.
- Number of social shares.

You can do this research manually. But we want to optimize content **FAST**.

### 2. Improve Internal Linking

[Internal links](https://yoast.com/internal-linking-for-seo-why-and-how/) are the most important ranking factor after content and backlinks.

> _“Internal links are the most powerful SEO lever you control 100% after content”._  
> _Kevin Indig, Director of SEO @ [Shopify](http://shopify.com/)_

Google uses internal links to find, understand, and index pages on your website. This makes it a major ranking factor. While you can’t control external links, you have full control over your internal linking structure.

### 3. Optimize for Featured Snippets

[Featured snippets](https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/featured-snippets) are short snippets of text that appear above Google’s organic search results to quickly answer a searcher’s query.

Ranking for a featured snippet drives more traffic. Why? Because your URL appears on the search results more than once. Once as a snippet and the other as a normal listing.

### 4. Improve your Content Grade

Content grade is a new concept. One popularized by [content optimization tools](/content/blog/content-optimization-software/index.html).

A content grade shows how well your content is optimized for SEO. The higher your grade, the higher your organic search ranking.

### 5. Add Content Optimization Tools to Your Workflow

In the last few years, content optimization tools exploded in popularity. And for good reason.

These tools can:

- **Remove guesswork.** With AI and NLP, you’re no longer shooting in the dark.
- **Save time.** Some tools can save you as many as ~100 hours each month.
- **Scale content.** Tools can do the heavy lifting so you can make great content.

## Final Thoughts

Creating great content no longer guarantees SEO success. To rank higher and drive more traffic, you need to optimize content.

> _What’s seen is sold._

Content that’s invisible isn’t going to drive any traffic, leads, or do anything else.

Didn’t get through the whole guide? Here’s a TLDR version:

- **Conduct competitor research.** The quintessential first step.
- **Build internal links.** The second most powerful SEO lever you control.
- **Optimize for featured snippets.** Two results are better than one.
- **Improve content grade.** By strategically including LSI keywords.
- **Optimize faster with tools.** Ex: [Ahrefs](http://ahrefs.com/), [Topic](/content/site-root.html), or [Hemingway](http://hemingwayapp.com/).

Want to create better SEO content, **FAST**? Try Topic today!