Content Strategy

Project Overview

Challenge: Queer Athena lacked a structured content strategy to capture valuable organic traffic related to LGBTQ events and cultural searches.

My Role: Freelance SEO Specialist

Objective: Establish a data-driven content strategy and scalable framework to significantly increase organic visibility and engagement.

Phase 1: Market Research & Keyword Discovery

Research Process:

  • Conducted systematic keyword research (100+ long-tail keywords)
  • Analyzed search intent: informational, transactional, seasonal
  • Organized keywords into strategic pillars:
    • NYC LGBTQ Events & Venues
    • Pride Travel & Historical Context
    • Gay Social Spaces & Meetups
    • Cultural Milestones & Community Resources

Tools Used: Google Autocomplete, AnswerThePublic, manual competitor analysis, Google Sheets

Key Insight: Competitors largely focused on broad advice, leaving significant gaps in localized, event-driven LGBTQ content.

Phase 2: Content Gap Analysis

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Identified High-Value Gaps:

  • "Where can I find gay social clubs in NYC?"
  • "What is the NYC Pride Pier Dance?"
  • "Gay history landmarks in NYC"

These queries presented an opportunity to capture search visibility due to limited quality content from existing competitors, especially around timely community events.

Phase 3: Strategic Framework Development

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Content Roadmap Development:

  • Mapped keyword opportunities to content pillars and grouped them by thematic relevance.
  • Used a scoring model to prioritize blog titles based on:
    • Search volume potential
    • Competitive keyword difficulty
    • Seasonal timing (e.g. Pride Month)
    • Relevance to Queer Athena’s audience
  • Created a structured editorial calendar synced with major LGBTQ+ events and cultural dates.

Keyword-to-Content Mapping Examples:

  • Query: "Where can I find gay social clubs in NYC?"
    • Content Title: "NYC's Gay Social Clubs – How To Connect & Thrive"
  • Query: "NYC Pride Pier Dance"
    • Content Title: "What is the NYC Pride Pier Dance? Everything You Need To Know"
  • Query: "Gay history NYC"
    • Content Title: "Gay History & Landmarks in NYC – Discover The Untold Stories"

Phase 4: Implementation Framework

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Content Production:

  • Crafted detailed content briefs for each prioritized topic
  • Set standardized SEO templates:
    • Structured titles and H1s
    • Defined internal linking strategy
  • Implemented keyword tracking system to measure future performance
  • Established a repeatable framework for geographic expansion

Validation of Strategic Approach

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  • Piloted 3 strategic blog posts
  • Achieved 13.5% average click-through rate (industry standard is 2-5%)
  • Generated 689 total impressions and 93 clicks

This engagement validated the keyword research and title strategies as effectively capturing user search intent and driving organic traffic.

Strategic Foundation Delivered

Immediate Deliverables:

  • Robust keyword research database (100+ terms)
  • Ready-to-execute content pipeline (40+ detailed briefs)
  • Strategic editorial calendar aligned with community-driven events

Long-term Value:

  • Framework to guide copywriter hiring and content prioritization
  • Sustainable organic growth strategy
  • Scalable content framework for new market expansion
  • Established content performance tracking system

Project Impact & Value

The structured, strategic approach focused on creating foundational infrastructure rather than short-term outcomes. Queer Athena now has the essential framework and actionable roadmap required for sustained organic growth and efficient scalability.

This approach succeeded by prioritizing strategic alignment with community interests, rigorous keyword targeting, and validated performance metrics.