Updated on August 18, 2025
You’ve completed your keyword research. You’ve reviewed your competitors. You’ve listed out content ideas that seem promising. Now you’re facing the more difficult task: figuring out which ones to actually write first.
Random guessing or going with what feels important isn’t a strategy. You need content that serves business goals, reaches real users, and fills actual gaps in your current site.
That’s what content prioritization is for.
What is Content Prioritization?
Content prioritization is the process of ranking your content ideas based on impact, effort, and strategic value. It helps you decide what to create, what to update, and what to ignore.
It’s not just about search volume anymore. Google looks at whether your content actually answers what people are searching for and how it fits within your broader site topics. You’re creating content that serves real needs, not just targeting keywords.
Why Prioritization Matters
Search engines keep getting better at understanding context. They care less about exact keyword matches and more about whether your content genuinely helps users.
Your competitors are also improving. They’re investing in better content, better design, and better user experience. If you’re still publishing content based only on what looks interesting, you’ll fall behind.
Every piece of content requires time, effort, and promotion. Prioritization ensures that investment goes where it can make a difference.
How to Use Data to Prioritize Content
1. Review Existing Content Performance
Start with what you’ve already published. Google Search Console can show you two important types of pages:
Pages with lots of impressions but few clicks. These likely rank on page 2 or 3. A small improvement in meta title, structure, or relevance could move them up. If your “WordPress hosting guide” gets 500 impressions but only 10 clicks, you’re probably ranking just outside the top 10.
Pages with very few impressions. These might not be indexed correctly, or they don’t match any meaningful search intent. Some may need rewrites or repurposing.
To find them:
- Check the Search Results report in Search Console
- Filter by pages
- Sort by impressions or CTR
- Look at the query data for each underperforming page
Ask yourself: Are these pages targeting the right topics? Are they matching what people actually want when they search those terms?
2. Understand What’s Ranking Today
Search your target topic in an incognito window. Look at the top 10 to 20 results. You need to see what Google is actually rewarding right now, not what your SEO tools say worked six months ago.
Look for:
- What type of content ranks (guides, product pages, comparisons, etc.)
- How long the content is
- What questions it answers
- How it’s formatted (headings, visuals, layout)
Then ask yourself:
- Can we realistically do better?
- Are there important angles they missed?
- What structure or features seem to help these pages rank?
This shows you real search intent. Tools can help, but live searches show you what’s working today.
3. Organize Ideas by Type and Funnel Stage
Track each content idea in a spreadsheet with:
- Content type (blog post, video, comparison, etc.)
- Funnel stage (awareness, consideration, decision)
- Target topic or intent
- Estimated effort
- Business value (lead generation, education, conversion)
Content that targets decision-stage queries and aligns with your business goals should usually come first.
For example, a detailed “Best Software for X” page might have lower volume than a broad guide, but it brings in visitors who are ready to convert.
4. Refresh Pages Before Creating New Ones
Updating existing content is usually faster and more effective than starting from scratch. Focus first on:
- Posts ranking in positions 11 to 50
- Content older than 18 months
- Pages with traffic that has recently slowed down
- High-impression pages with low clicks
- Pages with few impressions at all
Sometimes just rewriting a weak intro or updating a section can boost a post several positions. You already have the URL history and any existing backlinks working for you.
5. Use Internal Linking to Strengthen Your Structure
Plan where each new piece of content will fit into your site:
- Will it support a pillar, product category, or service page?
- Should it link to existing posts?
- What existing pages can link to it?
Good internal linking increases session duration, improves crawl paths, and shows Google how your content is organized around key topics.
Before you hit publish, make sure new content is linked from at least one relevant page. If you’re early in the content process, this will take some time and effort.
6. Map Content to Topics, Not Just Keywords
Google evaluates how well your entire site covers a subject area. Your goal isn’t to optimize for “best garden tools” alone. You want to build authority around gardening tools, use cases, comparisons, and user questions.
Group related content ideas together. Plan clusters with supporting articles that link to one another. Over time, this gives your site more topical depth and improves visibility across related searches.
7. Score and Rank Each Content Idea
Once you’ve gathered performance data, reviewed competitors, and labeled funnel stages, it’s time to score.
Use a simple scoring model. For example:
- Business value (1 to 5)
- SEO potential (1 to 5)
- Creation effort (1 to 5, where 5 is very hard)
- Content gap (1 to 5, based on how few strong results exist today)
Prioritize ideas with high business value and low to moderate creation effort. Focus on topics where you can outperform what’s already ranking.
Being Strategic About New Content is Key
Prioritizing content ideas isn’t about chasing trends or writing what sounds good. It’s about looking at real data, understanding intent, and being strategic about where you invest your effort.
If you don’t review your own analytics, you’re missing half the picture. If you don’t check what’s ranking right now, you’re guessing.
Make time to analyze, rank, and decide before creating. That’s how you build a content strategy that works today and will continue to work in the months ahead.
If you’d like help with your website content strategy or SEO, contact Garrett Digital today.
