Tangential SEO: Advantages, disadvantages and implementation tips

Tangential SEO is a strategy that involves developing and optimising content which is indirectly related to your products or services. Instead of creating content that exclusively centres around what your business offers, the idea is to branch out and generate material on related topics that still interest your target audience, but are not your core business focus.

As opposed to solely targeting keywords directly related to your business, tangential SEO expands the scope by incorporating related topics, themes, or industries.

This approach is complementary to your principal content strategy and aims to drive more organic traffic, attract a wider audience, and increase brand visibility.

Here are a few examples to give you a clearer understanding of how tangential SEO works in practice:

• An online pet store might create content about pet-friendly travel, appealing to pet owners searching for vacation tips. For example, the pet store could create blog posts on the best pet-friendly destinations, offering tips on how to travel with pets and recommendations for pet-friendly accommodations. This type of content provides valuable information to pet owners and establishes the online pet store as an authority in the pet travel niche.

• A fashion blogger could write about sustainable fashion, attracting environmentally-conscious readers who might also be interested in their fashion recommendations. In addition to showcasing the latest fashion trends and providing style inspiration, the fashion blogger could incorporate articles on sustainable fashion practices. They could discuss eco-friendly materials, ethical fashion brands, and tips for building a sustainable wardrobe. By addressing the interests and concerns of environmentally-conscious readers, the fashion blogger expands their audience and establishes themselves as a trusted source for both fashion and sustainability.

• A fitness website can publish articles about healthy eating alongside workout routines. By touching on a broader topic like nutrition, the website can appeal to a wider audience searching for dietary advice, ultimately increasing the chances of attracting potential customers interested in fitness-related products or services.

One of the main advantages of tangential SEO is the potential to attract more organic traffic to your website.

By touching on additional topics and targeting a wider audience, you can capture potential customers who otherwise would not have reached your website.

A higher number of visitors to your website creates new opportunities for interaction and conversion, which can lead to more sales for your business.

Tangential SEO provides an excellent opportunity to expand your brand’s visibility. Creating content on additional topics allows you to reach people who may not be actively searching for your products or services, but who may still be interested in them.

By achieving further brand recognition and reaching a wider audience, you create more opportunities for leads and sales.

Additionally, when you create content that’s not strictly about your products or services, it makes your brand more relatable and memorable, thereby improving brand awareness.

Tangential SEO can open up new opportunities for backlink creation through collaboration with other websites and influencers in related sectors. Backlinks are a key factor in ranking in search engine results.

By creating backlinks, you generate cross-promotion and mutually beneficial partnerships that can lead to long-term business growth.

Tangential SEO can help you enhance your brand’s authority by demonstrating expertise and knowledge on a variety of topics related to your industry. When users find useful, high-quality content on your website, they begin to trust your brand and perceive it as a reliable source of information. This can increase your customers’ engagement, attract new customers, and foster your brand’s reputation.

Moreover, when you create high-quality content on a range of topics, you boost your website’s domain authority. Search engines consider domain authority when determining a site’s ranking in search results. Therefore, by increasing your domain’s authority through the creation of high-quality tangential content, you can improve your ranking in search results, which can lead to increased web traffic and, ultimately, more conversions.

When you are consistently producing content on core topics related to your business, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll be touching upon similar topics recurrently. Over time, this might cause a certain level of redundancy in your content, risking the chance that it becomes repetitive and, consequently, monotonous. This can undermine the engagement and interaction of your audience, as it may reduce their interest in the content you provide.

This is where tangential SEO comes into play. It is an excellent opportunity to diversify and freshen up your content portfolio, venturing into new topics that, while not directly related to your core business, still hold relevance for your target audience.

Bringing in innovative subject matter can reignite the curiosity of your audience and boost engagement.

While tangential SEO has its advantages, it’s important to consider its potential drawbacks.

By diversifying content to cover tangential topics, you run the risk of diluting your core brand message. It’s crucial to strike a balance between tangential and niche-related content to maintain a clear brand identity.

Tangential SEO requires careful research and planning to ensure that the additional topics are relevant and valuable to both the target audience and the website’s overall goals.

Tangential SEO can be highly effective, but it should not replace or overshadow your core content strategy. It should complement and enhance it, providing additional value to your audience without diluting your brand or message.

As more businesses adopt tangential SEO strategies, the competition for related keywords and topics may intensify. It’s essential to perform thorough keyword research and maintain quality content to stand out from the crowd.

Crafting high-quality content that covers a wider range of topics demands significant investment in terms of resources and time, potentially challenging your content creation and copywriting capabilities.

Among other aspects, implementing tangential SEO requires a deep understanding of the additional audience and their interests, as well as extensive keyword research.

Without a clear understanding of the audience’s needs and desires, you may struggle to engage with the intended readership.

Tangential SEO, although effective in boosting website traffic, might lead to reduced conversion rates.

This is because the content, while resonating with a broader audience, might draw in visitors who are intrigued by the related topics, but not necessarily interested in your products or services.

This could result in a surge in less qualified leads, lower conversion rates and lower return on investment.

Knowing when to utilize tangential SEO tactics is key to maximizing its benefits. Here are a few instances where it can be particularly advantageous:

• Niche saturation: If your website is primarily targeting a highly competitive niche and finding it challenging to rank for relevant keywords, incorporating tangential topics can provide an opportunity to expand your reach and attract new audiences.

• Diversified revenue streams: Tangential SEO can be particularly beneficial for businesses looking to diversify their revenue streams by entering related industries or offering supplementary products/services.

• Seasonal/temporary content: Tangential SEO can be employed for creating seasonal or temporary content that aligns with popular trends, thereby capitalizing on the surge in search volume during specific periods.

By recognizing the right scenarios, you can leverage tangential SEO to you advantage, enhancing existing strategies and reaping the rewards of increased visibility.

Measuring the effectiveness of tangential SEO requires a comprehensive approach. Here are some key metrics to consider:

• Organic traffic: Keep a close eye on changes in organic traffic, both in terms of quantity and quality, to assess the impact of tangential SEO efforts.

• Keyword rankings: Track the performance of both the core and tangential keywords to identify improvements or areas that require further attention.

• Engagement metrics: Monitor user engagement metrics such as time spent on page, bounce rate, and social shares to gauge the relevancy and impact of tangential content.

• Conversion rates: Analyze how tangential SEO efforts contribute to conversion rates, assessing the quality of traffic and its ability to generate business opportunities.

By regularly tracking and analyzing these metrics, you can adapt tangential SEO strategies, fine-tuning efforts and maximizing results.

Tangential SEO, if used correctly, can become a potent weapon in your SEO arsenal. By stepping outside the box, your brand will have the opportunity to captivate audiences in new ways and foster new meaningful connections.

However, incorporating tangential content into your SEO strategy is a delicate balancing act. It requires a thoughtful analysis of the audience, careful planning, and an ongoing measurement and adjustment process. It should be part of a content strategy that always keeps the brand’s core message and audience needs at heart.

Here are some suggestions to guide you in the implementation of tangential SEO:

1. Identify tangential topics: Research and brainstorm tangential topics that align with your core business. Consider related industries, complementary services, or broader themes that could attract a wider audience.

2. Research keywords: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant tangential keywords with high search volume and low competition. Incorporate these keywords strategically into your content.

3. Create high-quality content: Craft informative, engaging, and shareable content that adds value to your readers. Ensure that your tangential content complements your core content seamlessly.

4. Promote collaborations: Reach out to influencers or websites in related industries for potential collaborations or guest blogging opportunities. This facilitates cross-promotion and enhances your brand’s visibility.

5. Monitor and analyze: Continuously monitor the performance of your tangential SEO efforts, using the aforementioned metrics to gauge effectiveness. Be prepared to adapt and refine your strategies based on the data.

6. Plan for the long term: Bear in mind that the ROI of tangential content may be more about long-term brand building than immediate sales, and set your expectations accordingly.

7. Stay true to your brand: Ensure that even your tangential content reflects your brand values, voice, and mission to maintain a consistent brand identity.