Target pages
Choosing target pages comes in the second phase of an SEO campaign. After the learning phase, in the improving stage, we select target pages.
The improving stage is crucial because we gather knowledge from website quality audits, technical SEO audits, and proper keyword research for existing web pages. If you have completed all the steps up until now, then selecting target pages will be a fairly easy task.
What are the target pages?
We use target pages because many websites have a lot of webpages, and these can get tough to track. Moreover, among these extensive webpages, most of them are irrelevant to SEO. Another reason why we use target pages is to simplify the process of improving each segment of the website. Focusing on the target pages makes our job for SEO much easier.
We can improve the web traffic on such target pages as they are ‘low hanging fruit’ pages. By working on such segments of the website, you can deliver faster and noticeable results.
By choosing ‘focus’ or target pages, we are essentially creating a progress sheet that will record all the data from these focus pages. Selecting target pages is a simple process that will take into account the information collected from the website quality audit and keyword research. We choose target pages to map out the most important web pages on a website.
The progress tracking sheet will make it clear to the client what pages we are focusing on during the life of the SEO campaign.
Why do we need Target pages?
Let’s see some of the important reasons why we need to target pages in an SEO campaign.
Priority
We calculate the priority of the page based on a lot of factors like the opportunity of a page. In general, we like to focus on ‘low hanging fruit’ pages. The reason is that these pages are by now ranking for the main keywords. Then the effort in terms of putting links and keywords is also to be considered. Webpages that have a good existing structure of links and keywords will be ranking higher in priority. When we are assigning priority to the pages, we also see the value of the keywords to the company.
Section
Sectioning the website is important for you as an SEO specialist. Sometimes the budget of the client and the scope of SEO are very limited. In such cases, pouring in all the efforts at once is not feasible. The length of the SEO campaign also determines the number of sections that you will be doing. You cannot optimize all the pages at once, so segmenting these webpages comes in handy.
If you’re looking to extend the life of the campaign, then sectioning is a great method. Segmenting the webpages gives you more ease to operate and focus on different parts of the campaign like link building, keyword research, etc. You can duplicate the project plan and work on different sections of the webpages for a couple of months. Sectioning will maintain the quality of the work and the number of hours that you’re putting in.
Baselining
We benchmark where target keywords are at the beginning of the campaign and give us a definitive list of keywords to track. We will be recording the target pages across factors like current main keywords and their ranking. These keywords will be tracked as the SEO campaign progresses and will show how they are improving.
Link planning
Target pages are very useful in building an effective link building plan. By using the data collected, we can determine how many links we’ll need to acquire for each target page in the campaign. This will help us to rank the page higher!
Understanding the template of target pages
If you see the screenshot below, you’ll see the spreadsheet columns that you need to include. The columns and headings are very important as this sheet will be tracking your progress throughout the SEO campaign.
(Source : Google Images)
Let’s go through the nitty-gritty of the template for target pages. The first column is the priority, the priority is listed out in an ascending order where 1 is the highest priority. Then comes the sections of the target pages. As we discussed earlier, this column is very important. Make sure you map out the sections in order of the priority. After that comes the URL, then the main keyword of the target page.
The volume column tracks the number of keywords, including the main and the secondary keywords. The next column has the ranking of only the main keyword. After that comes the journey column, which has the data that we got from the keyword research.
See also: Keyword research through gap analysis & keyword research for existing pages.
(Source : Google Images)
Then comes the referring domains to that website and the domain authority of the page, which we will need for comparison purposes. After this, we have the top 3 results of the keyword research in terms of average referring domains, average domain authority, and average monthly velocity for the main keyword.
Then the next columns are suggested RD, DA, and velocity. These are just additions and modifications to the average values form the previous columns. We build such columns so that it gives us a framework to work on. Moreover, this data is beneficial in designing a link building strategy.
Designing a link building plan depends on what is the scope of your SEO campaign and what the client wants. This serves as a research tool for you to track your progress! The spreadsheet is pretty simple and easy to understand. It’s very straightforward and needs the data to be updated manually. Most of the information is based on previous audits and keyword research.
So now that we’re done seeing the basics of the file, you can just send the same through to the client. Next, we can even put these in a keyword ranking tracker so that we can keep updating the progress. The results of the tracker are important for the monthly reports that you send out to the client.
How to set up the target pages file?
After you have initially set up the template from the keyword research file, it’s time to make sections. Sectioning, setting priority, and putting the suggested velocity of the page are the next steps in setting up your target pages.
Now setting priority is a very difficult task. With so many factors to consider, it gets confusing to choose which ones to give importance to. As a rule of thumb, look at the lead generation target pages first. In any SEO campaign, we first look at the lead generation pages and then the blog posts. Blog posts are next in priority as they also have a lot of referring domains to it.
The homepage is the first on priority for improvements in terms of referring domains for the main keyword.
Low Hanging Fruit Method
Then after that, what we suggest is go for the ‘low hanging fruit’ method to set priority. In this method, we will be choosing web pages that already have a decent ranking in the range of 6-20.
The reason why we choose web pages that are ranking in the range 6-20 is because these webpages are on the verge of gaining web traffic. We need to compare with the keyword volume to judge the opportunity of the page. Most of the organic traffic comes not only from the homepage but also from the top 3 positions.
So, we find these pages that google already likes and make them rank much better. Getting pages from a lower ranking to the top will take a lot of time. However, it’s easier to pull a page to the top because it already has a good ranking. Little adjustments, like link building, on-page changes, and analysis like meta titles and description. This will make our job a whole lot easier if we put these webpages higher on priority.
Comparing Against Keyword Metrics
Another method for setting up the target pages is comparing the pages against the metrics that are already on the sheet. In this method, we are looking at the keywords and the opportunity to rank the score to make the priority list. All these scores and metrics help us decide the priority score of certain keywords and URLs.
There’s no right method to do this. While many people prefer to outsource such work, it is preferred to have someone do this in-house. Putting the work on priority is not just for the client’s understanding, but also to decide how we are distributing the efforts over the life of the SEO campaign.
(Source : Google Images)
The template is just a framework that suggests the best way to go about making a target pages checklist. We are using the already present data to make decisions regarding the priority and the sectioning of the pages.
There is no fixed format to section the URLs; it all depends on the size of the client and the scope of the campaign and the competitiveness of the keyword.
The target pages file is a great way to show the client what the goals and next steps have to be in the SEO campaign. It is also beneficial to increase the budget/scope of the project with the improvements that you are suggesting.
Next steps
Now that you have set up the target pages file let’s outline the next steps that you should be considering for your SEO campaign.
• Pushing into the improvement stage of the campaign
Using the site sections to alter the project plan and set the next stage of the campaign into action (on the page). This way, you can deliver more and show them the progress that you want to implement.
• This is a living file, it should be updated
As you add more content to the site, we want to track them as target pages. Whether it is a new landing page or a new blog post, you want to make sure to update it on the sheet. As the campaign grows, tracking the changes is most important. The new webpages will need links, tracking, and reporting to show growth over time.
• These pages should be reported on
Reporting on the keyword progress of these pages every month in the Data Studio monthly SEO report. In this report, the most important pages are the target pages file and the target keywords report.
How optimizing target pages increases Lead generation?
Once you’ve completed your initial analysis of your website’s webpages, you need to prioritize those pages and optimize them to function as target pages so you can increase lead generation. So how do you do that? Simply adhere to the advice we’ve provided below:
Check which webpages are your target pages
The first step in optimizing your target pages is to know which pages exactly are your target pages. You can find this out easily through the web page’s SERP position. You can use Ahrefs’ tracking tool to find out how your websites are performing online and how they rank on search engines like Google for particular keywords. Instead of aiming for lower ranking pages on page 15 or more, try to rank for pages that are on pages 5-7. There are more chances that your targeted page will be more visible, resulting in more traffic and a better position, if you go for higher-ranked pages.
Lead generation pages and content
Your target pages should be those that generate leads and have high-quality content. Many people believe blogs are one of the most significant parts of lead generation. However, when looked carefully, blogs typically have little importance, only assist with internal linking and focused keywords, and aren’t effective as a lead generation web page.
Focus on the home page
When you are looking for webpages on your website that you can prioritize, your website’s home page acts as one of the target pages. The fact that your home page is at the highest level on the silo list will give it authority when Google runs its algorithm over your website. This gets us to the idea that when trying to optimise target sites for lead generation, the home page should be given the most attention.
There are some best practices that you can employ to make sure your home page looks good, ranks higher on SERP, visually appealing and converts more visitors to leads.
• You should state the value proposition of your website clearly at the very beginning of the page so the visitors know what you are providing them. This can include your products and services, what makes you better than your competitors, and why visitors should trust and purchase from your website.
• Your website’s home page should be simple for visitors to navigate and understand, and it should be well-organized. You can use bullet points, large fonts, and information that are relevant to their search. Include in-depth information according to the needs of your target audience but make it simple to read and understand.
• Make sure your home page is built correctly using the appropriate font and color combinations. It should have an appealing design layout and engaging media. Additionally, it is always a good idea to incorporate subliminal psychology when designing your homepage because colors have a significant influence on the brain and how we process any information.
• Free stuff is always a favorite! Therefore, the best strategy for your visitors to become leads is to provide them with something for free and highlight it on your site. Depending on your niche, you might give a BOGO deal, a free guide, a free consultation, or even a free product.
• To help build the trust of your visitors and potential clients, make sure you add a section on your home page of testimonials. Include a few customer testimonials that are positive to increase credibility and trust among visitors and increase sales.
• Less is always more, and that goes for your homepage as well. You want to design a homepage that can be read from top to bottom in under a minute because many people don’t want to spend more time looking for the correct page. When creating your homepage, it is always best to stick to the least number of pages. Up to 3 pages long are more than enough to include the details about your products and services.
To Sum Up
The target pages file and the reporting represent a smooth flow of the keywords and their progress. It gives proper backing to the conclusions and the suggested changes that you are requesting. These files are a great way to show the client how much effort you’re putting in and what are the steps that you have taken.
Once you’ve setup your target pages, you can point some of our powerful niche edits to help send them to the top of the SERPs.
FAQ
How to leverage target pages for SEO?
Target pages are important for SEO, and to leverage them, you need to section the SEO initiative by targeting to optimize just a single target page at a time to make it less costly for your client. The clients can monitor the growth of their pages easily by concentrating on one page at a time. You should establish page authority which is usually called a silo structure where you need to prioritize working on the most important page followed by the next less important page.
Target pages serve as a website’s core, and by adding articles under every group in a silo structure, you can rank other pillars. This improves website organization and raises your SERP ranking. Finally, focus on target pages that will be helpful in your link-building strategies. You can carry out an analysis to figure out what number of internal links and backlinks can provide your target pages the ranking boost they need.
Why are target pages important for SEO?
Target pages are important for SEO as these are the pages that will draw additional traffic to your website and help you rank for the best and the most relevant keywords. Additionally, your website will produce results faster if these pages are optimized for SEO.
How on page SEO is used to optimize target pages?
Target pages can be optimized using a variety of on-page SEO elements. First, compare the primary, secondary, and related keywords and make changes to them wherever necessary. Work on the syntax and readability of the on-page information to improve it. Include CTA to provide more easy navigation to your visitors. Create links between your target page so people can access those other pages from your target page. Make sure your target page has an engaging meta title and meta description. Finally, make use of schema tags to generate good results.
What is the difference between a target page and landing page?
A targeted page is a page of a website that has been designed for a particular keyword and has a more related keyword. These pages are typically SEO-optimized and built to rank highly for specific keywords associated with that subject. The landing page, on the other hand, is all about conversion rather than focusing on SEO. Its primary objective is to turn visitors into customers. By opening a link in an email, webpage, or advertisement, users can access landing pages which eventually leads to more traffic.
