Building a formidable brand takes countless hours of work, dedication and – in many cases – money. There are a variety of ways to drive traffic to your website, with some focusing on organic strategies and others using paid efforts to generate the same outcome.

However you choose to promote your website or brand, there is no doubt that organic traffic is the most desirable form of business. After all, who doesn’t want to drive people to their website for free and on a consistent basis?

Today, we’ll examine what your content should aim for when you’re aiming to be featured prominently in Google’s search results.

Picking the Right “Anchor” Keyword

Before you begin writing any piece of content, you must first consider exactly what you want to target in Google with it. As such, it is crucial to pick which “anchor” keyword will be the basis for the content.

For example, if you’re providing tips about gardening, then you might settle on “gardening tips” (or a variant that’s more specific, depending on your SEO clout). This keyword should be featured in your title and in relevant places throughout the content. By pinging to Google a clear keyword that defines the content, you have a better chance of ranking prominently.

Analyze Your Biggest Competitors

There are clear winners and losers in every search niche: if you want to maximize your content’s visibility, then study and learn from those who are already succeeding. There are many unique variables that can impact how prominently content is ranked, including links, domain authority and relevance.

Through careful research, you should be able to observe clear trends and commonalities among your biggest competitors. What are they doing right – and what are others doing wrong – to earn their rankings? This information is invaluable, and knowing what exactly it takes to be visible within your niche is often hidden in plain sight (in the form of your competitors’ success stories).

Address a Unique Angle

Content is valued by both search engines and people alike due to its inherent quality and perspective. All too often, bloggers and brands focus on the first attribute and forget just how important perspective can be in securing rankings.

Those who can provide a unique perspective and address topics from a particular angle may find it easier to rank in select SERPs. After all, even within relatively small niches, there are different desires from your audience in terms of how content, information and service are approached. By providing a unique viewpoint, you can reach a subset of people who currently are not being targeted (and dominate within relevant SERPs).

Achieving dominance within Google SERPs isn’t as easy as it once was – but is still worthwhile and achievable. By addressing specific viewpoints with a unique approach, analyzing what your competition is doing to generate its success and pinging to Google the right keywords and phrases, you can build a solid foundation for future success. While this is just the beginning of building a formidable content strategy, you’ll be ready to pursue more advanced tactics with the basics covered.