What to do with what exists?
A decision for every existing page: keep, update, merge, or remove. Output: a decision sheet and a redirect map.
Content strategyContent strategy services
Content strategy services
that say what’s next.
A publishing calendar isn’t a strategy. A strategy answers what a calendar can’t: which topics are yours, which page answers which question, what you already have that needs work, and what’s missing. Every topic on the list has a reason, an intent, and a place in the site structure.
In short
What is an SEO content strategy?
An SEO content strategy is a plan for which topics a company should cover, on which pages, and in what order, to win traffic from the right audience. It covers a topic map, intent per page, the gap against competitors, internal linking structure, briefs, and a plan for refreshing existing content.
When it’s worth doing
- You publish regularly but don’t know which pieces pay off
- Competitors cover topics your customers ask about, and you don’t
- You’re entering a new market or category
- You have writers or an agency, but no direction
- After a content audit, you know what to fix and want to know what to add
When to start with something else
If you have hundreds of pages and don’t know which ones work, start with a content audit – a strategy on a neglected site adds new pages to an old mess. If pages aren’t indexed, start with an SEO audit.
Audit or strategy
Two different questions about content
Both services are about content, but they answer different questions and end in different documents. They’re often ordered together.
What to create next?
Topics worth covering, their intent, their place in the structure, and their order. Output: a topic map, briefs, and a publishing plan.
Clean up, then grow
The audit cleans and strengthens what exists; the strategy adds what’s missing – without new pages that cannibalize old ones.
If the site has fewer than a few dozen content pages, the audit usually fits inside the strategy.
Scope
What the strategy includes
Six elements, from a map of what you have to a plan you can measure.
Topic map
Current content grouped into topics and clusters, with traffic and rankings. You see where you have authority and where you only have scattered pieces.
Intent per page
One page, one main question. I assign intent to every existing and planned page, so new pieces don’t compete with old ones.
Competitor gap
Topics and keywords competitors rank for and you don’t – filtered for relevance to your offer and ordered by value.
Internal linking
A link structure between cluster pages and toward service pages, so authority flows where it matters for sales.
Briefs
For priority topics: intent, questions to cover, structure, data sources, internal links, and how the piece should differ from what already ranks.
Refresh plan
Which existing pages to update first and how to measure it: Search Console data before the change and after Google recrawls the page.
How I work
From a map of what exists to a measurable plan
- 01
Goals and audience
Who buys, what they ask before buying, and which services or products come first. A strategy without a business goal is a keyword list.
- 02
Current content map
I group existing pages into topics and check their results. Often a topic is covered, just poorly connected.
- 03
Gap and topics
A comparison with competitors and customer questions, filtering out off-offer topics, prioritized by value and difficulty.
- 04
Structure and briefs
Each topic’s place in the site structure, an internal linking plan, and briefs for the first batch.
- 05
Plan and measurement
The order of new pieces and refreshes, and how we measure: what we check, when, and what counts as success.
Measurement
How I measure a cluster refresh
Search Console impressions for one topic cluster before and after the refresh. The vertical line marks when changes went live – I count from the day Google recrawled the pages, not the publish date.
Below, two indicators for pages meant to sell: clicks and enquiries.
- Impressions
Clicks from the cluster
+48%
Enquiries from cluster pages
+5/mo
Illustrative example – it shows the measurement method, not a specific client’s result.
What you get
A topic with a reason, not a keyword with a volume
Every topic on the list has a rationale: why now, on which page, with what intent, and how we’ll measure it. Plus a cluster map, a linking plan, and briefs.
A topic from the competitor gap
- Topic
- CRM implementation cost for a services company
- Today
- Three competitors have a dedicated guide; you mention cost in one paragraph
- Decision
- A new page in the CRM cluster, linked from the service page and two related posts
- Intent
- Comparing costs before a decision – the answer with price ranges in the first paragraph
- Measurement
- Impressions and clicks on cost queries in Search Console after 8 weeks; leads from the page
Illustrative example – it shows the format, not a specific client’s data.
Honestly
What a strategy gives you, and what it doesn’t
Direction in scope
A topic list, a structure, briefs, and a measurement plan. Your team or agency knows what to write and why.
External links ongoing work
The strategy points out which pages may need links. Link acquisition itself isn’t part of the strategy – I only take it on in ongoing engagements.
Writing separate order
The strategy doesn’t include writing. Your team or agency can write – or you can order the writing from me as a separate project.
A strategy only works if someone executes it. If you don’t have writing capacity, we’ll sort that out before we start – including who will write.
Pricing
What drives the cost
Scope depends on the number of topics and markets. Four things affect the price:
Number of offer areas
A strategy for one service is a different scale from one for a company with several product lines.
Size of existing content
The more pages already exist, the more work on the topic map and intent.
Markets and languages
Each language has its own competitor gap and its own customer questions.
Briefs and support
The strategy only, or also briefs, a review of the first pieces, and post-publication measurement.
After a short call, I send a proposal with scope, timeline, and price – before any work starts.
Related services
GEO · AEO
AI search visibility
So ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and AI Overviews can find, understand, and cite you – measured, not promised.
MoreContentContent audit
A decision for every URL: keep, update, merge, or remove – with cannibalization, decay, and a redirect map.
MoreOngoingOngoing SEO consulting
Every month: a plan, sign-off on what shipped, decision-stage content, link acquisition, and AI visibility tracking – reported in leads, not just traffic.
MoreFrequently asked questions
How do you build E-E-A-T into content?
Through what can be verified: a named author with real experience in the topic, first-hand detail, numbers from primary sources with dates, and clearly labelled illustrative examples. I put this in the brief so the writer knows what’s missing before they start – it can’t be bolted on afterwards.
What goes into a brief?
The main keyword and intent, the questions the piece must answer, a proposed heading structure, data sources to use, internal links to and from the page, E-E-A-T requirements, and how the piece should differ from the pages that already rank.
How do you measure a content strategy?
For each published or refreshed page, I compare Search Console impressions, clicks, and positions on the brief’s keywords before the change and after Google recrawls the page. For pages meant to sell, I add enquiries and conversions from analytics. The first meaningful measurement usually comes a few weeks after publication.
How is a content strategy different from a publishing calendar?
A calendar says when to publish. A strategy says what and why: which topics matter for sales, which page answers which question, and how we’ll measure it. The calendar is the last step of a strategy, not a substitute for it.
How do you find content gaps against competitors?
I compare the keywords and topics competitors rank for with the ones your site ranks for. Then I filter out topics unrelated to your offer and order the rest by value and difficulty. A raw list of competitor keywords without that filter leads to writing about everything.
What is a topic cluster?
A group of pages that together cover one topic: a main topic page and detailed pages, connected by internal links. The structure shows search engines you have authority on the topic and helps readers move from a general question to a specific one.
Is it better to write new content or update old content?
Updates often pay off more and faster, because the page already has history, links, and rankings. New pieces make sense where a topic isn’t covered at all, or the existing page answers a different question.
How does internal linking affect SEO?
Internal links help search engines find pages, understand what they’re about, and judge which ones matter most. A page nothing links to has worse odds, even if it’s good. I plan links to support service pages and clusters.
Do you write the content too?
Yes, as a separate order outside the strategy. Most often I take the first batch, to show how a brief turns into a page, and your team or agency carries on from there.
Do you help with link building?
Yes, in ongoing engagements – not as part of a one-off strategy. Link acquisition then follows which pages really need links, not a monthly link count.
Let’s decide what’s worth writing
before the next piece.
Tell me what you sell and what your blog looks like today. I reply within one business day.
Ask about content strategy