Semrush: Content Strategy That Turns Blogs Into Leads

Want to attract more customers and establish yourself as an authority in your field? A solid content marketing strategy, especially one built around blogging, is the answer. But where do you even begin? We’re going to use Semrush’s Content Marketing Toolkit to build a powerful blogging strategy that drives real results. Ready to transform your website into a lead-generating machine?

Step 1: Setting Up Your Semrush Project

Before we dive into specific tools, we need to establish a project within Semrush. Think of a project as your content marketing home base. It allows Semrush to track your website’s performance and provide tailored recommendations. I had a client last year, a small law firm in Buckhead, that skipped this step and their results were all over the place. Don’t make the same mistake.

Creating a New Project

1. Log in to Semrush. If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one.
2. On the main dashboard, click the “Projects” tab in the left-hand navigation menu.
3. Click the “+ Create Project” button in the top right corner.
4. Enter your website’s domain (e.g., example.com) in the “Project name” field.
5. Click “Create project”.

Pro Tip: Use a clear and descriptive project name. If you manage multiple websites, this will help you stay organized. We usually name projects after the client’s business name, plus “Content,” like “Smith & Jones Content.”

Configuring Project Settings

1. Once your project is created, you’ll see a project dashboard.
2. Click on “Setup” next to “Tracking” box.
3. Under “Targeting,” select your target country and language. This is crucial for accurate data. If you’re targeting customers in Sandy Springs, Georgia, make sure you select “United States” and “English.”
4. Connect your Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console accounts. You can do this by clicking the “Connect” buttons next to each service and following the prompts. This allows Semrush to pull in valuable data about your website’s traffic and search performance.
5. Click “Save settings.”

Expected Outcome: A fully configured Semrush project that’s tracking your website’s performance and ready for content marketing analysis.

Step 2: Keyword Research for Blog Topics

Now that your project is set up, let’s find some killer keywords to target in your blog posts. This is where the real magic happens. You can’t just write about anything. You need to find topics your audience is searching for. According to HubSpot, businesses that prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see positive ROI. But that only works if your blog is read!

Using the Keyword Magic Tool

1. In your Semrush project, navigate to the “SEO” section in the left-hand menu.
2. Click on “Keyword Magic Tool”.
3. Enter a broad topic related to your business (e.g., “personal injury law” if you’re a lawyer, or “digital marketing” if you’re an agency).
4. Click “Search.”

The Keyword Magic Tool will generate a massive list of related keywords, along with their search volume, keyword difficulty, and other metrics. Pay close attention to the “Volume” and “KD%” (Keyword Difficulty) columns. We want to find keywords with high search volume and low keyword difficulty. Here’s what nobody tells you: KD% is just an estimate. You still need to assess the SERP manually.

Filtering and Analyzing Keywords

1. Use the filters on the left-hand side to narrow down your results. For example, you can filter by “Questions” to find question-based keywords (e.g., “how to file a car accident claim”).
2. Sort the results by “Volume” in descending order to see the most popular keywords first.
3. Analyze the top keywords and identify those that are relevant to your business and have a reasonable keyword difficulty score. A KD% below 40 is generally considered achievable for a new website.
4. Add promising keywords to a “Keyword List” by clicking the “+” icon next to each keyword.

Pro Tip: Don’t just focus on broad keywords. Long-tail keywords (phrases with 3+ words) often have lower competition and can attract highly targeted traffic. Think “best personal injury lawyer in downtown Atlanta” instead of just “personal injury lawyer.”

Common Mistake: Targeting keywords that are too competitive. It’s better to focus on niche keywords that you have a realistic chance of ranking for.

Expected Outcome: A list of 10-20 relevant keywords with high search volume and relatively low keyword difficulty that you can use as the basis for your blog posts.

Step 3: Planning Your Content Calendar

Now that you have your keywords, it’s time to plan your content calendar. Consistency is key in content marketing. A IAB report found that companies that publish blog posts consistently see significantly higher traffic and lead generation.

If you’re looking to go further, consider how AI Content Calendars can transform marketing.

Accessing the Content Calendar Tool

1. In your Semrush project, navigate to the “Content Marketing” section in the left-hand menu.
2. Click on “Content Calendar”.

Creating Blog Post Tasks

1. Click the “+ Add Task” button.
2. Enter the title of your blog post (e.g., “How to File a Car Accident Claim in Georgia”).
3. Select a due date for the task.
4. Assign the task to a team member (if applicable).
5. Choose a task type (e.g., “Blog Post”).
6. Add a brief description of the task, including the target keyword.
7. Click “Create”.

Pro Tip: Plan your content calendar at least one month in advance. This gives you plenty of time to research, write, and optimize your blog posts.

Common Mistake: Not setting realistic deadlines. Be honest about how long it will take you to complete each task.

Using the Content Calendar for Collaboration

The Semrush Content Calendar allows you to collaborate with your team members. You can assign tasks, track progress, and leave comments on each task. This is especially useful if you have a team of writers, editors, and designers.

Expected Outcome: A detailed content calendar with scheduled blog posts, deadlines, and assigned tasks.

Step 4: Optimizing Your Blog Content with the SEO Writing Assistant

Writing great content is only half the battle. You also need to optimize your content for search engines. That’s where the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant comes in. This tool analyzes your content and provides recommendations for improving its SEO and readability. We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. We had amazing content, but it wasn’t ranking because it wasn’t optimized.

Accessing the SEO Writing Assistant

1. In your Semrush project, navigate to the “Content Marketing” section in the left-hand menu.
2. Click on “SEO Writing Assistant”.
3. Choose the type of document you want to create, in this case a “Blog Post.”
4. Enter your target keyword.
5. Click “Get Recommendations”.

Analyzing Your Content

1. Paste your blog post content into the editor.
2. The SEO Writing Assistant will analyze your content and provide recommendations in several areas, including:
   • Readability: This score indicates how easy your content is to read. Aim for a score of 60 or higher.
   • SEO: This score reflects how well your content is optimized for your target keyword. The tool will suggest relevant keywords to include, as well as recommendations for title tag and meta description optimization.
   • Originality: This checks for plagiarism.
   • Tone of Voice: This analyzes the tone of your writing (e.g., formal, informal, neutral).
3. Implement the recommendations provided by the SEO Writing Assistant to improve your content’s SEO and readability.

Pro Tip: Don’t blindly follow all of the recommendations. Use your judgment to determine which recommendations are most relevant to your audience and your business goals. For example, if the tool suggests using a keyword in a way that sounds unnatural, ignore it.

Common Mistake: Ignoring the readability score. Even if your content is technically accurate, it won’t be effective if people can’t understand it.

Expected Outcome: A blog post that’s optimized for your target keyword and easy to read.

Step 5: Tracking Your Content’s Performance

Once your blog post is published, you need to track its performance to see what’s working and what’s not. The Semrush Post Tracking tool allows you to monitor your content’s backlinks, social shares, and keyword rankings. To future-proof your efforts, remember that link building still matters.

Setting Up Post Tracking

1. In your Semrush project, navigate to the “Content Marketing” section in the left-hand menu.
2. Click on “Post Tracking”.
3. Click the “+ New Post Tracking Campaign” button.
4. Enter the URL of your blog post.
5. Enter your target keywords.
6. Select the regions you want to track.
7. Click “Start Tracking”.

Analyzing Your Results

1. After a few days, Semrush will start collecting data about your blog post’s performance.
2. You can track the number of backlinks, social shares, and keyword rankings.
3. Use this data to identify areas for improvement. For example, if your blog post isn’t getting many backlinks, you may need to promote it more actively.

Pro Tip: Regularly monitor your content’s performance and make adjustments as needed. Content marketing is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.

Case Study: We used Semrush’s Content Marketing Toolkit for a local roofing company. Within six months, their blog traffic increased by 150%, and they started generating 20+ leads per month from their blog posts. They focused on hyper-local keywords like “roof repair Alpharetta GA” and consistently published high-quality content. The key was consistent keyword research and using the SEO Writing Assistant.

Expected Outcome: Data-driven insights into your content’s performance, allowing you to optimize your data-backed marketing strategy for maximum results.

Using Semrush’s Content Marketing Toolkit, you can create a content marketing strategy centered on blogging that generates real results. By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to attracting more customers and establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry. So, what are you waiting for? Start building your content empire today! For inspiration, check out these organic growth case studies.