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