How to Use Semrush SEO Content Template to Rank Top in 2024

If you are writing content for organic traffic, you do not expect to rank them on the 10th page. In fact, you want your piece of SEO content to rank in the first three top spots on Google.

But does it happen often?

Nowadays, how hard is it to get your content ranked on the first page for your targeted keyword phrase?

Have you ever thought about why that is?

Maybe your content strategy needs to improve. Perhaps your content lacks components that Google thinks do not deserve to rank on the first page.

But what about your competition?

How have competitors structured their content uniquely so that your content won’t get the attraction to search engine result pages (SERPs)?

That is where this tool from Semrush comes in handy. It is none other than the SEO Content Template.

What is an SEO Content Template?

SEO Content Template (SCT) essentially analyzes the top ten competitors on the SERP for your targeted keyword at the desired location and provides you recommendations on how to structure the content and SEO strategy so that you can outrank them.

In the SEO Content Template, you will get:

Basic SEO recommendations
Analyzed top-10-ranking rivals for your target keywords
Key recommendations based on your top ten rivals to ensure you’re doing better and to help to be at least competitive

Review of SEO Content Template

First, you must have a Semrush account to use the SEO Content Template. Create your free account over here, and then go to the ‘SEO Content Template’ section under Content Marketing Dashboard in your Semrush account.

The first step is defining what audience you want to target. For that, Semrush provides several options.

• Select location. You can go deeper down to the City level. See, I have chosen Los Angeles as the city.
• Select the language. Is your content written in other than English? Semrush SEO Content Template currently supports Spanish. In my case, I selected English.
• Select device. Two options are Desktop and Mobile. Select one. For my case, I selected Desktop because next, I will target a keyword that business owners mostly use.

The second step is entering a keyword. This could be the one you intend to target primarily. I want to get a list of SEO writing recommendations for the ‘Solo Ads’ keyword.

It is a good keyword with medium traffic volume and keyword difficulty. Once you enter the keyword, click the ‘Create SEO Template’ button.

In a moment, you will get your SEO content template report. I will review the SEO Content Template sections one by one.

At the very top, under ‘SEO Recommendations,’ you will see the top 10 pages ranking for the targeted keyword for the target settings. (i.e., location, language, and device). As you might know, Google delivers personalized results for each person. But, this list of top 10 keyword ranking websites is based on live Semrush crawl data.

Key recommendations

Key recommendations by Semrush SEO Content Template might be the first thing that takes your eye because it lists key ingredients for a well-optimized winning piece of content.

Semantically related keywords

Semantic Keywords (also known as LSI keywords) are basically ones that fulfill a well-optimized piece of content. For example, if I want to rank my content on ‘Solo Ads,’ it should enrich content covering these keywords or topics.

Semantic keyword	Why should it be included	Where can be used
Solo ad vendor	Finding a reliable solo ad vendor with quality traffic is essential to the solo ads business.	As a section of the article, particularly in an H2 or H3 tag.
email marketing	Solo ads are basically email advertisements. By buying solo ads, you get to build your email list. So, you need to know basic email marketing strategies.	In the main section on how to use solo ads for email list building, best email marketing practices, etc.,
buying solo ads	Like buying Google ads, there are some practices to follow to purchase quality solo ads traffic	In the main section
social media	How do solo ads compare with social media traffic?	In a lower-level heading like H4. (ex: Solo ads vs. Facebook ads)
conversion rate	Do solo ads have a reasonable conversion rate? People who have this misconception of solo ads have less CVR. You can debunk it.	In an H4 section about myths of solo ads
high quality	Finding quality traffic sources is a difficult task in solo ads.	In content

Can you add more keywords?

Absolutely!

Here is why:

If you noticed, the Semrush SEO Content Template recommended keyword report does not provide keywords related to Solo ads tracking, pros and cons of solo ads, monetizing solo ads traffic, etc. But, if you want to compile a more excellent article that Google and people love, you can add more sections, as I did in this Ultimate Guide to Solo Ads.

Backlinks

Although, as hard-working content writers, we would like to see a day where backlinks or link-building matter no more, the reality is backlinks are still a significant factor in Google ranking. In the Semrush SEO Content Template, you will get the exact domains from which to acquire backlinks.

That does not mean that getting backlinks from other highly authoritative sites won’t matter. Remember, this Semrush SEO Content Template is created based on the top ten rivals.

Readability & Text Length

Readability Score simply implies how easy your content is for people to understand. The readability score will differ based on the wording and content structure. It is always recommended to have a readability score that a simple person can grasp. On the Semrush Content Template, you have done a good job if you have a higher readability score.

Similarly, the text length is also paramount as it demonstrates which areas your article covered. Simply speaking, more words are better for SEO. The recommended text length is based on your competitors. But, it does not mean that it is the perfect length.

Google started the Passage Indexing algorithm, which gives prominence to a piece of content covering a wider range of topics. If you want to cover more sub-topics, you must produce extensive content that deeply addresses wider topics.

How your competitors use your target keywords

Another great feature you will come across in the Semrush SEO Content Template is keyword occurrences. It basically shows you where the competitor web pages use the targeted keyword.

Since Semrush represents raw text content, it isn’t easy to know which specific heading tags are there. So, I would like to see if Semrush styled them so we can see which HTML tags are also used, like ordered and unordered lists.

Basic Recommendations

At the very bottom, you will see basic recommendations to be mindful of when optimizing content for search engines. Sometimes, we forget basic stuff and think about big things. But, at the end of the day, small things impact a lot, like how long-tail keywords drive more traffic than medium or head tails!

I expected the Semrush SEO Content Template to suggest an optimal keyword density ratio. But, as you know, there is no clear indication of how to calculate the “best” keyword density, and it’s getting irrelevant as days go by since Google uses Rank Brain and punishes content that stuffs keywords.

SEO Content Template’s Features

In my recent review of Semrush, I shared a wide variety of features and functionalities of the entire platform. In the Semrush SEO Content Template, you will come across very specific characteristics. Here are some of them:

Optimize Existing Content

What if you already have a piece of content? Can you optimize it using the Semrush SEO Content Template?

Absolutely! Here’s how:

Click the ‘Yes’ button in the message that says, “Do you already have existing content for your target keywords?“. Next, enter the web page URL and click on the ‘Check it’ button.

Export to Doc

In the exported document file, you will find a brief list of content-writing recommendations. You can use it as a reminder or send it to your writing team to craft content accordingly.

Download this document from here.

Real-time Content Check

Real-time Content Check analyzes your existing content in Semrush Writing Assistant and suggests what needs to be improved for better-crafted SEO-friendly content. It is based on four main criteria.

1. Readability
2. SEO
3. Originality
4. Tone of Voice

Essentially, the Real-time Content Check tool or Semrush Writing Assistant on SEO Content Template is best for analyzing new content on your site.

Change Google Search Targeting

Last but not least, the SEO Content Template by Semrush allows you to change the Google search targeting and get new recommendations.

How has Semrush SEO Content Template improved my SEO Content writing?

Writing preferred content won’t guarantee any positive results on organic traffic. You must follow some practices to ensure the content is also written for search engines.

On the other hand, if you overoptimize, you will likewise lose search engine traffic.

That is why I use the SEO Content Template of Semrush to get content writing recommendations.

Use it if you…

Are not sure which keywords to include.
Want to get to know which backlinks to acquire to outrank the competition
Want to know the optimal word length and basic SEO implementation to rank for a keyword

Semrush SEO Content Template Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

Google Search targeting (Get recommendations for local SEO and different languages)
Top 10 SERP rivals, analysis for keyword occurrences
Get a list of related keywords and backlinks to acquire an optimal readability score and text length to be competitive with competitors
Check content adherence to the recommendations with real-time content check
Optimize existing content and get more insightful details like technical SEO errors, backlinks, and content writing weaknesses
Integration with Semrush Writing Assistant and Google Docs plugin to collaborate with others who do not have a Semrush account
Export recommendation brief as a Word document
Order content writing from Semrush Marketplace

Cons

Does not provide an optimal keyword density or TF-IDF score for semantically related words
Lack of details of competitor web pages like last updated date, keyword occurrences for related search queries, and total word count
Does not provide how much competitors use visual content and how many visuals you should use

Prices

Semrush’s Content Writing Template is given under every subscription. Semrush Pricing plans start from $119.95/mo. Learn a more detailed review of Semrush prices.

SEO Idea Units

SEO Idea Units are consumed every time you generate a Content Template with SEO Content Template, SEO Writing Assistant, or On-Page SEO Checker tools. For instance, Semrush’s Guru plan has a total of 800 SEO Idea Units per month.

If you want to top up your account with more SEO Idea units, you can contact the Semrush team and ask for more. However, a Pro account holder will receive 500 SEO Idea units; in my opinion, that is enough for many solopreneurs.

Is Semrush SEO Content Template worth the price?

Among many SEO tools, Semrush takes a leap ahead when it comes to the extensivity of both the quality and quantity of tools.

If you divide 800 Content Templates among three tools, each one has more than 250 equal units. That means you can write more than 250 quality SEO-friendly pieces of content using Semrush’s content marketing platform tools.

Considering Semrush pricing for Guru, it costs less than $1 for a successfully crafted SEO-friendly article!

Without taking in other factors like the tremendous value you receive under the Semrush Guru (like Keyword Tracking, Topic Research, Keyword Research, Backlink Monitoring, Competitor Analysis, Social mention tracking, etc.), getting well-crafted SEO content recommendations and checking SEO writing under $1 is a steal any day!

Conclusion on Semrush SEO Content Template

SEO content writing is not guesswork anymore. You cannot write anything, place any related keywords, and expect Google to rank your site at the top. In reality, search intent and engagement matter. That is why Semrush SEO Content Template gives you recommendations based on the top ten Google rankings.

It includes:

• SEO factors – Like what related content should be included
• Content writing factors – Like typical readability score, text length

Also, Semrush SEO Content Template lets you check the content quality with the Writing Assistant. So, if you want to write awesome content that Google and people love, get started with the Semrush SEO Content Template.

What is your experience using Semrush SEO Content Template in your SEO content writing process?