Strategy•9 min read

Building an SEO Content Strategy From Scratch

Most 'content strategies' are just lists of topics. Here's how to build a strategy that actually drives rankings and business results.

Filip Samveljan

Filip Samveljan

Co-Founder at Soro·

"We need a content strategy."

What this usually means: "Give us a spreadsheet of blog post ideas."

What it should mean: "How do we build a content engine that systematically drives organic traffic and business results?"

The difference matters. A list of topics isn't a strategy. A strategy is a system — who you're targeting, what you're creating, why it matters, and how it compounds.

Here's how to build one from scratch.

What a real content strategy includes

A complete SEO content strategy answers:

  1. Who — Who is the audience? What do they search for?
  2. What — What content will we create? What formats?
  3. Why — How does each piece serve business goals?
  4. How — What's the production process? Who does what?
  5. When — What's the publishing cadence? What's prioritized first?
  6. Measurement — How do we know it's working?

If you're missing any of these, you don't have a strategy — you have a wishlist.

Step 1: Define your content domains

Don't try to cover everything.

The biggest strategy mistake is going too wide. Businesses try to rank for every tangentially related topic and end up with authority in nothing.

What to do:

Pick 2-3 core topic areas where:

  • You have genuine expertise
  • Your product/service is relevant
  • Customers search for solutions
  • You can realistically compete

Example:

A project management SaaS shouldn't try to own:

  • "Project management"
  • "Productivity"
  • "Leadership"
  • "Remote work"
  • "Team building"
  • "Business strategy"

That's too diffuse. Instead, focus on:

  • "Project management for remote teams"
  • "Agile project management"

Go deep in fewer areas rather than shallow in many.

Evaluating potential domains

For each topic area, assess:

Authority fit: Do you have genuine expertise? Can you demonstrate experience?

Business fit: Does this topic lead to your product? Will readers have buyer potential?

Competitive reality: Can you actually rank? Are competitors beatable?

Search volume: Do people search for this topic? Is there enough demand?

Related reading:

Step 2: Map the content landscape

Once you've chosen your domains, map what exists and what's needed.

Content audit (if you have existing content)

List all your content:

  • Topic covered
  • Target keyword
  • Current ranking (if any)
  • Traffic (monthly)
  • Business purpose (awareness, consideration, decision)
  • Quality assessment (keep, update, or delete)

Common findings:

  • Random topics that don't fit your core domains
  • Keyword cannibalization (multiple pages targeting same keyword)
  • Gaps in topic coverage
  • Content that ranks but doesn't convert (or vice versa)

Competitive analysis

For your core domains, analyze competitors:

  • What topics do they cover that you don't?
  • What content formats work in your space?
  • Where are they weak? What opportunities are they missing?
  • How much content do they have? (This is your benchmark)

Gap identification

The intersection of:

  • Topics you should cover (based on audience needs)
  • Topics competitors cover (validated demand)
  • Topics competitors miss (opportunity gaps)

This is your content opportunity list.

Step 3: Structure content into clusters

Random blog posts don't build authority. Topic clusters do.

How topic clusters work

Pillar page: Comprehensive guide covering a broad topic (2,000-5,000+ words)

Supporting content: Focused articles covering specific subtopics (1,000-2,000 words)

Internal linking: All supporting content links to pillar. Pillar links to all supporting content.

Example cluster:

Pillar: "The Complete Guide to Email Marketing"

Supporting content:

  • "How to Build an Email List"
  • "Email Subject Line Best Practices"
  • "Email Marketing Automation Explained"
  • "Email Deliverability: Getting to the Inbox"
  • "Email Marketing Metrics That Matter"
  • "Welcome Email Sequences"
  • "Email Segmentation Strategies"

Each supporting article ranks for its specific keyword while strengthening the pillar's authority on the broad topic.

Plan 3-5 clusters

For each of your core domains, plan a cluster:

  • Define the pillar topic
  • Identify 5-15 supporting topics
  • Map the internal linking structure
  • Prioritize which supporting topics to create first

Step 4: Match content to the buyer journey

Not all content serves the same purpose. Map content to stages:

Awareness stage

Searcher is learning about a problem or topic. Not ready to buy.

Content types:

  • Educational blog posts
  • How-to guides
  • Industry explainers
  • Problem identification content

Keywords:

  • "What is [topic]"
  • "How to [do something]"
  • "[Topic] explained"
  • "Why [problem] happens"

Goal: Attract relevant traffic, build brand awareness, demonstrate expertise.

Consideration stage

Searcher is evaluating solutions. Comparing options.

Content types:

  • Comparison guides
  • Feature explanations
  • Use case content
  • Alternative/competitor comparisons

Keywords:

  • "[Product A] vs [Product B]"
  • "Best [category] for [use case]"
  • "[Category] comparison"
  • "[Product] alternatives"

Goal: Position your solution favorably, capture high-intent traffic.

Decision stage

Searcher is ready to buy. Looking for specifics.

Content types:

  • Pricing guides
  • Product demos
  • Case studies
  • Testimonials and reviews

Keywords:

  • "[Product] pricing"
  • "[Product] review"
  • "How [product] works"
  • "[Product] case study"

Goal: Convert visitors to customers.

Content ratio

Most businesses need:

  • 60-70% awareness content (drives volume)
  • 20-30% consideration content (qualifies traffic)
  • 10-15% decision content (converts traffic)

If you only have decision-stage content, you're missing the top of the funnel. If you only have awareness content, you're not capturing buyer intent.

Step 5: Define production process

Strategy without execution is worthless. Define how content actually gets created.

Content production options

In-house writing:

  • Pro: Control over quality and voice
  • Con: Time-intensive, limited scale
  • Cost: Your time (opportunity cost)

Freelance writers:

  • Pro: Scalable, varied expertise
  • Con: Management overhead, quality variance
  • Cost: $100-400 per article for quality writers

Content agencies:

  • Pro: Managed service, consistent output
  • Con: Expensive, less customization
  • Cost: $200-600+ per article

Content automation:

  • Pro: Scale without proportional time/cost increase
  • Con: Requires oversight, brand voice setup
  • Cost: Flat monthly fee (like Soro)

Most businesses use a hybrid — automation or freelancers for volume, in-house for strategic pieces.

Production workflow

Define:

  • Who creates content briefs?
  • Who writes/generates content?
  • Who reviews and edits?
  • Who handles SEO optimization?
  • Who publishes?
  • What's the timeline for each step?

Without clear ownership, content doesn't get created.

Step 6: Set publishing cadence

Consistency matters more than volume spikes.

Minimum viable cadence: 2 articles per week (8-10 monthly)

Better: 4 articles per week (15-20 monthly)

Ideal: Daily publishing (30+ monthly)

The higher the cadence, the faster you build topical authority and see results.

The consistency rule: Whatever cadence you set, maintain it. 2 articles weekly for 12 months beats 20 articles in January then nothing.

Step 7: Prioritize ruthlessly

You can't do everything at once. Prioritize based on:

Opportunity vs. effort matrix

High opportunity / Low effort: Do first

  • Easy keywords with good volume
  • Topics where you have existing expertise
  • Gaps competitors haven't filled

High opportunity / High effort: Plan for later

  • Competitive keywords worth fighting for
  • Comprehensive pillar content
  • Original research requiring resources

Low opportunity / Low effort: Batch these

  • Supporting content for clusters
  • Content refreshes
  • Quick wins with limited impact

Low opportunity / High effort: Skip

  • Vanity topics that don't drive business
  • Ultra-competitive keywords you can't win
  • Content requiring resources you don't have

Starting point

First 90 days should focus on:

  1. Publishing cluster supporting content (volume build)
  2. Creating 1-2 pillar pages (authority anchors)
  3. Quick wins in low-competition keywords
  4. Content that serves sales (enables team, answers objections)

Step 8: Measure and iterate

Strategy isn't static. Review and adjust.

Monthly metrics

  • Content published (did you hit cadence?)
  • Pages indexed (is Google seeing your content?)
  • Impressions growth (is visibility increasing?)
  • Ranking progress (are positions improving?)

Quarterly review

  • Which content is driving traffic?
  • Which content is converting?
  • What topics are working best?
  • What should we do more of? Less of?
  • Are we on track for annual goals?

Adjust based on data

  • Topics performing well: Create more supporting content
  • Topics struggling: Assess competition, consider pivoting
  • High traffic / low conversion: Add conversion elements
  • High conversion / low traffic: Create more content in this area

The strategy document

Consolidate everything into a document that includes:

  1. Core topic domains (2-3 focus areas)
  2. Topic clusters (pillar + supporting for each domain)
  3. Content calendar (what gets published when)
  4. Buyer journey mapping (what content for each stage)
  5. Production process (who does what)
  6. Publishing cadence (frequency commitment)
  7. Success metrics (what we're measuring)

Update quarterly based on results.

Common strategy mistakes

Going too wide: Trying to cover everything instead of dominating a few areas.

No clusters: Publishing random posts instead of building interconnected content.

All awareness, no conversion: Building traffic without path to purchase.

Inconsistent publishing: Bursts of activity followed by months of nothing.

No measurement: Creating content without tracking what works.

Never iterating: Sticking to original plan despite data showing what works/doesn't.

The bottom line

A content strategy is a system, not a spreadsheet.

It defines what you're building (topic clusters), why (business outcomes), how (production process), and how you'll know it's working (metrics).

Start with 2-3 focused domains. Build clusters. Publish consistently. Measure and iterate.

That's strategy. Everything else is just ideas.

Related reading:

Content StrategySEOContent MarketingPlanning
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