Testing the Rankability of an Article

Yes, as an SEO expert, there are several methods to test and evaluate the rankability of an article. Here are some effective strategies:

1. Use SEO Tools for On-Page Analysis

• Tools: Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, SurferSEO, Yoast (for WordPress).
• What to Analyze:
  • Keyword density and placement.
  • Meta tags (title, description, headers).
  • Content structure (use of headings, subheadings, bullet points).
  • Internal and external linking.
  • Readability and word count.
  • Use of multimedia (images, videos).
  • SEO scores provided by these tools can give you an idea of how well the article is optimized.

2. Conduct a Competitor Analysis

• Steps:
  1. Identify the top-ranking articles for your target keywords.
  2. Analyze their content structure, length, keyword usage, and backlinks.
  3. Compare your article against these benchmarks to determine areas for improvement.

3. Use Rank Tracking Tools

• Tools: SERPWatcher, AccuRanker, Rank Tracker.
• Purpose: Track how your article ranks over time for specific keywords. This allows you to see if your optimizations are helping the article climb the search engine results pages (SERPs).

4. A/B Testing and User Engagement Metrics

• Steps:
  1. Publish the article and track metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), bounce rate, and time on page using Google Analytics or similar tools.
  2. Experiment with different titles, meta descriptions, and content layouts to see which versions perform better.
  3. Use tools like Hotjar to analyze user behavior on the page.

5. Check for Indexing and Crawlability

• Tools: Google Search Console, Screaming Frog.
• What to Check:
  • Ensure that your article is being indexed by search engines.
  • Check for any crawl errors or issues that might prevent the article from being ranked.
  • Use the “Fetch as Google” feature in Search Console to see how Google views your page.

6. Backlink Analysis

• Tools: Ahrefs, Majestic, Moz Link Explorer.
• Steps:
  1. Assess the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your article.
  2. Build high-quality backlinks from reputable sources to improve rankability.

7. User Intent Alignment

• Steps:
  1. Ensure that the article aligns with the search intent behind the target keywords.
  2. If the intent is informational, ensure the article is comprehensive and answers common questions. If it’s transactional, include clear calls-to-action.

8. Content Refresh Testing

• Steps:
  1. After publishing, update the content periodically with new information, updated statistics, or additional sections.
  2. Monitor the impact of these updates on the article’s ranking over time.

9. Assessing Mobile Friendliness

• Tools: Google Mobile-Friendly Test, PageSpeed Insights.
• Steps:
  1. Ensure your article is fully responsive and loads quickly on mobile devices.
  2. Check for mobile usability issues and optimize accordingly.

10. Social Signals and Engagement

• Steps:
  1. Promote the article on social media to drive traffic and engagement.
  2. Monitor social shares, likes, and comments as they can indirectly influence SEO by increasing visibility and backlinks.

Conclusion

By combining these methods, you can get a comprehensive understanding of how well an article is likely to rank. Regularly updating your approach based on data and SEO trends will also help you stay ahead in the rankings.