With the addition of AI results in the SERP, search behavior is becoming even more specific. The share of long-tail keywords will only continue to rise. By applying Ranch-Style SEO in your content production, you ensure that you can capture these longer search queries with targeted content. Stay ahead of changes in search behavior and make sure you start ranking on long-tail keywords now with Ranch-Style SEO!
What is Ranch-Style SEO?
Ranch-style SEO is a form of SEO where you split your content into very specific topics. Instead of writing long and general texts about a subject, you write specific texts that fully illuminate one aspect of the subject. This way, each text addresses a specific search query for the topic.
Why Ranch-Style SEO is relevant!
In recent years, Google algorithm updates have increasingly focused on the quality of content on pages and the user experience of the pages. This is reflected in the Helpful Content updates and the principle of EEAT (Experience - Expertise - Authority - Trustworthy).
Additionally, Google places more value on content that adds new information to the Google Knowledge Graph. It is no longer sufficient to write content that only includes keywords; you must also add new information and demonstrate your expertise.
This shift is partly caused by the increasing use of AI in content production. AI is good at producing large amounts of content, but the quality is low, and AI cannot yet generate original and correct information.
By applying Ranch-Style SEO in your content production, you make it easier to add new valuable information to the Google Knowledge Graph. With this strategy, you can also better capture the different search intents of consumers. You focus not only on the keywords but on the topic being searched for.
Ranch-Style vs. Skyscraper SEO
In traditional SEO, also known as Skyscraper SEO, you create large, long content pages that provide absolutely all the information about a particular topic. What is Z, how does Z work, why does Z work, etc. Additionally, you often include a table of contents filled with different keywords about the topic.
In Ranch-Style SEO, you break these types of pages apart. You create separate pages for the subtopics, ensuring that each content page aligns with a specific topic and specific search query. 'This is Z, the latest trend', 'How to apply Z yourself', 'The top 10 benefits of Z', etc.
The focus of the pages you generate with Ranch-Style SEO is less on keywords and search volumes and much more on search intents and the relevance of the topic. Ranch-style SEO also focuses on creating new content that:
- provides a firsthand experience
- demonstrates your expertise
- offers a relevant perspective for a specific search intent
- adds new information to the Google Knowledge Graph
Ranch-Style SEO is a term introduced by Bernard Huang in 2021 (in this tweet) to describe a “spread-out plain” approach to content development. On this plain, the searcher finds content that precisely matches their search intent, without having to search through the entire tower as in Skyscraper SEO.
How does it affect your SEO?
People are increasingly switching from traditional search engines to channels like Reddit and Quora to find information that appears unbiased and reliable. More AI generators are also being used to quickly get an answer to a specific question. This migration from traditional to alternative platforms poses a challenge for a platform like Google.
To regain users' trust, Google changed the algorithm to prioritize content with high quality and reliability. A major part of this change is the use of manual reviewers.
Manual reviewers play a crucial, but relatively unknown, role in training Google's algorithms. They use the EEAT guidelines when assessing web pages, with recent emphasis on the experience part of EEAT. Through these assessments, the algorithm more quickly recognizes the qualitative and subjective aspects of content.
When producing your own content, you must consider the possibility that a manual reviewer will look at your content. Good ways to tailor your content to a human audience and pay attention to the EEAT guidelines include:
- Providing author information with all your texts, explaining how the author is an expert on that topic.
- Using a form of citation in your texts or even conducting and adding your own research to demonstrate your dedication and authority.
- Using your own visuals and graphics instead of stock photos, which also reduces the chance of plagiarism.
- Making the piece on your page 'above the fold' extra attractive to invite people to read further.
By focusing on elements that are appealing to a human reader, you ensure not only that the algorithm finds your text appealing but also that you create a rich and reliable experience for your reader.
Short guide for implementation
There are several ways to find new or not widely discussed content topics to highlight in Ranch-Style SEO. We briefly highlight the pros and cons of four methods.
Using topics with a search volume of 0
- Advantage: There is already interest in these topics, as seen by their inclusion in the tools used for keyword research, but they are not yet trending topics. This way, you can be one of the first in your industry to talk about them.
- Disadvantage: Not all research tools give you the results with 0 search volume, so it can be difficult to conduct sufficiently in-depth research.
Use videos for hard-to-replicate original content
- Advantage: If used well, videos can give you a significant advantage over the competition.
- Disadvantage: Producing videos takes a lot of time and effort.
Conduct your own research
- Advantage: Sharing your own research with your own insights and ideas is hard to replicate and use by competitors without citing you as a source.
- Disadvantage: This is also a costly and time-consuming way to create original content.
Use human-guided AI
- Advantage: Some AI products can help you find niches.
- Disadvantage: It is crucial that a human writer/fact-checker reviews the content to ensure there are no factual errors, especially with YMYL topics, such as consumer health advice.
The key with all these methods is to focus on highlighting new information and using your own unique perspectives on it. Always ensure that your content is of real value to your audience and that you are not just writing for the sake of writing.
Not suitable for
While Ranch-Style SEO can be applied to many types of content, there are some pages that are better not described in this way, such as:
- Ecommerce product pages
- Ecommerce category pages
- SaaS product pages
- Local SEO service pages
Ranch-Style SEO is also not suitable for optimizing navigation and branded search queries, where you want to rank for 'window cleaner in Utrecht', for example.
In short
Over the years, SEO has changed from a technical to a content-focused and creative process that prioritizes user experience and satisfaction. While a CMS handles most of the technical SEO tasks, you as a human are more concerned with content relevance and user search intents.
Ranch-Style SEO helps you make the switch from keywords to search topics, allowing you to better cater to your customers' needs and searches. By contributing new and under-highlighted information to Google's Knowledge Graph, you ensure that you stay ahead in terms of expertise and rank higher in search results on the SERP.
In addition to success in your SEO results, Ranch-Style SEO also ensures that your audience remains engaged with your relevant and high-quality content.
Do you have questions about how to apply Ranch-Style SEO in your content strategy? Quickly get in contact with Follo!
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