content success factors · 2020-02-01 · content success factors data-driven performance insights...

Content Success FactorsData-Driven Performance Insights For 2016

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Slides!

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hmny.co/lotsofcontentdata

So… let’s get the definition of success out of the way.

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Your Goal:

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Brand Awareness

Engagement

Conversion

Retention

Your Success Metrics:

Traffic, Links, Shares, Rankings

Subscribers, Content Downloads

Leads, Sales

Repeat + Recurring Revenue, Referrals, Reviews

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Your Goal:

Brand Awareness

Engagement

Conversion

Retention

Your Success Metrics:

Traffic, Links, Shares, Rankings

Subscribers, Content Downloads

Leads, Sales

Repeat + Recurring Revenue, Referrals, Reviews

What Ranks?

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What Earns Links & Shares?

1

2

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Remember all of those great studies you forgot to read?

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I read all of them for you

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SOURCES:

Moz Ranking Factors: hmny.co/mozfactors

Searchmetrics Ranking Factors: hmny.co/searchmetricsfactors

Backlinko 1 Million Study: hmny.co/backlinkofactors

Buzzsumo/Moz Shares & Links: hmny.co/buzzmoz

Stat Featured Snippets: hmny.co/statblog

What Ranks?

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1

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Word Count?

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WORD COUNT

Backlinko:Average page one result is 1890 Words.

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Searchmetrics:Average page one result is 1285 Words.

Heavy spike towards bottom of page 1.

WORD COUNT

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STAT:Average page one result is 906 words.

WORD COUNT

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STAT Data: Modest upward trend on featured snippet SERPs.

WORD COUNT

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Moz Correlation: 5.6%

Searchmetrics Correlation: 7%

WORD COUNT

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WORD COUNT

Verdict: Kind of important.

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WORD COUNT

Verdict: Kind of important.

Make sure you’re above average for the primary SERP you’re targeting. 800-1200 words seems safe.

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Schema.org?

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Backlinko:Upward trend for positions 3-10.

Sharp decline on 1-2.

SCHEMA.ORG

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STAT Data:Lower Schema.org usage in #1-4 on featured snippet SERPs.

SCHEMA.ORG

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Moz Survey: 5% Correlation ExpectedMoz Data: 1% Actual Correlation

SCHEMA.ORG

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SCHEMA.ORG

Verdict: Don’t do it for the rankings.

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SCHEMA.ORG

Verdict: Don’t do it for the rankings.

Schema.org and other types of markup are important for rich snippets, however, so you shouldn’t totally ignore it.

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Keyword Usage?

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KEYWORD USAGE

Backlinko:Solid higher average “topic authority”for positions 1-3.

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KEYWORD USAGE

Searchmetrics:General upward trend except #1 & 2.

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KEYWORD USAGE

STAT DATA:Pretty clear trend.

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KEYWORD USAGE

Moz: Raw # of Keyword Matches In Body Text

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TITLE TAGS

Backlinko:Solid trend and quite a jump at #1.

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TITLE TAGS

STAT DATA:Mild trend peakingat first organic slot (#2 since #1 is a snippet).

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KEYWORD USAGE

Verdict: Would you believe me if I said keywords are still important?

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KEYWORD USAGE

Verdict: Would you believe me if I said keywords are still important?

Don’t get so caught up with link strategies and launch campaigns that you forget to block and tackle.

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Readability?

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READABILITY

Searchmetrics:Very slightly easier-to-read content leading the pack.

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READABILITY

STAT DATA:Trend looks mild but 2 points higher between #1-10.

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READABILITY

Verdict: Mildly Important

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READABILITY

Verdict: Mildly Important

Readability is probably more important for shareability than for rankings alone.

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Images & Video?

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IMAGES

Backlinko:Almost no trend here.

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IMAGES

Backlinko:Almost no trend here.

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IMAGES

STAT DATA:Actually a downward trend, with featured snippets tending to have fewer images.

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VIDEO

Searchmetrics:Pretty big page one jump here – 50% higher on average than page 2 results.

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VIDEO

STAT Data:Zero trend here within page 1 results.

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IMAGES & VIDEO

Verdict: Not a make-or-break factor.

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IMAGES & VIDEO

Verdict: Not a make-or-break factor.

Use images & video to improve overall user experienceand content quality, not for rankings.

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Lists? Tables? Links?

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UNORDERED LISTS

Searchmetrics:Upward trend towards #2.

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UNORDERED LISTS

STAT Data:Pretty flat.

Modest bump for first two organic results.

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ORDERED LISTS

STAT Data:Quite a bit more of a trend here, especially for the featured snippet position.

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TABLES

STAT Data:Similar trend to ordered lists, with featured snippet URLs being much more likely to have a <table>.

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OUTBOUND LINKS

STAT Data:Another noticeable trend for #2-3 positions.

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LISTS, TABLES, OUTBOUND LINKS

Verdict: <ol> & <table> usage trends almost as strongly as keyword usage on the page.

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LISTS, TABLES, OUTBOUND LINKS

Verdict: <ol> & <table> usage trends almost as strongly as keyword usage on the page.

I’m not going to say these are ranking factors, but I think they’re all indicative of well-formatted content. Use them!

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What Earns Links & Shares?2

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Buzzsumo & Moz: The vast majority of content gets <8 shares and 0 links.

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Buzzsumo & Moz: No correlation between links and social shares.

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Buzzsumo & Moz: ...except for posts with over 10,000 total shares:

Reverse is not true. Highly-linked posts show no correlation with social shares.

Word Count?

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WORD COUNT

Buzzsumo & Moz: Pretty clear trend here for social shares and links alike:

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WORD COUNT

Verdict: Pretty important.

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WORD COUNT

Verdict: Pretty important.

Formats?

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FORMATS

Which Post Formats Earn Links Versus Shares?:

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FORMATS

Which Post Formats Earn Links Versus Shares?:

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FORMATS

Which Post Formats Earn Links Versus Shares?:

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FORMATS

Data-Based Research Content Earns Higher Average Links:

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FORMATS

Verdict: Know your goal.

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FORMATS

Verdict: Know your goal.

Making content linkable & shareable is possible but needs to be well planned.

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TAKEAWAYS

1 - Design & formatting matters.

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TAKEAWAYS

2 – Use long-form content to build links & domain authority.

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TAKEAWAYS

3 – Use short-form content to keep audiences engaged cost effectively.

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TAKEAWAYS

4 – Align each content type and purpose with your keyword planning.

@KaneJamisonFounder, Content Harmony

#SearchFest

THANK YOU!

Slides!

hmny.co/lotsofcontentdata