If you're serious about improving your organic visibility, you need a system. Writing content that ranks well in search engines isn’t just about keywords—it’s about understanding intent, analyzing competition, and structuring content to deliver maximum value. Below, I’ll walk you through a proven step-by-step method to write SEO-focused blog posts using real data and competitive research.

Step 1: Use AnswerThePublic to Find Real Questions

Start by going to AnswerThePublic. Enter your target keyword or niche topic and let the tool show you what real people are asking. It will visualize questions, prepositions, and comparisons that people type into Google every day. This helps you understand searcher intent and collect long-tail keyword ideas to build your article around.

For example, if your keyword is “on-page SEO,” AnswerThePublic might reveal queries like “how to structure content for SEO,” “does image size affect SEO,” or “what are the best SEO tools in 2025.” These become your subheadings or section prompts.

Step 2: Google the Top Questions and Analyze the Competition

Next, take the top 5–10 questions from AnswerThePublic and search them on Google individually. For each query, open the top 5 ranking pages. Pay attention to:

• Article structure (use of headings, length, formatting)
• Keywords in titles and subheadings
• Use of visuals, infographics, or embedded media
• Content tone and depth of coverage

Make notes about what these posts do well, what they lack, and how you can improve or combine them into a single, better piece. The goal is to reverse-engineer what works.

Step 3: Merge, Rewrite, and Add Unique Value

Now it’s time to write your own article. Using the insights from your research, combine the strongest ideas and structures from the top-ranking content. Then rewrite everything in your own voice, avoiding duplicate phrasing and adding original insight. Aim to:

• Answer every core question thoroughly
• Include fresh angles or personal experience
• Support your content with stats, links, and visuals

Remember to format your post for SEO: use <h1>, <h2>, and <h3> headers logically, break up paragraphs, and include relevant internal and external links.

Step 4: Optimize for Featured Snippets and Search Intent

Once your content is written, fine-tune for Google’s rich results. To increase your chances of ranking in featured snippets or People Also Ask boxes, do the following:

• Use question-based headings (e.g., “What is on-page SEO?”)
• Include short, direct answers immediately after each question
• Add bullet lists and tables to make content skimmable

Don’t forget to add your meta title and description manually. Make them click-worthy and include your primary keyword near the beginning.

Step 5: Monitor and Update Regularly

After publishing, track your article's performance using Google Search Console and a rank tracker like Ahrefs or Ubersuggest. Look at impressions, clicks, and position changes for your target queries. Update your article periodically with new data, better explanations, or additional sections based on what you’re ranking for—or what competitors are catching up with.

Summary

This simple but effective SEO content workflow—starting from AnswerThePublic, analyzing the top 5 search results, and merging their best elements—can dramatically improve your rankings and organic traffic. It’s not about reinventing the wheel, but about outperforming existing content by being more complete, relevant, and helpful.

Start your next post using this process, and you’ll be building SEO content that Google wants to rank.