how to create a traffic machine for your content
TRANSCRIPT
by Jon Henshaw
How to Create a Traffic Machine for Your Content
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“If I write great content,they will come.”
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But if you build a Traffic Machine they will
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Step 1: Focus on UX
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Brand
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Your brand is part of the UX and makesyou unique, memorable and trusted
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Generic themes donot communicate brand
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Brands have an identity
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Brands include authors
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Brands have a unique look and feel
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Layout
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The layout of your content determines pages per session and repeat visits
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How likely are you to come back here?
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I’m definitely coming back here!
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Make the reading experience match the quality of the content
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The reading experience should also be device responsive
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Duo AppTest Responsive Design
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Roots is a perfect starting place for WordPress
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https://webflow.com/
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Navigation
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Navigation helps emphasize the focus of the site to readers and bots
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Example of focused navigation
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Sharing
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Make your content easy to share, unless you don’t want it shared.
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Speed
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Speed up your site for a better user experience (it’s also a ranking factor)
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Also be prepared for the Digg effect
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Use a fast and reliable hosting provider
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Use a CDN for your assets http://www.cdnplanet.com/cdns/
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http://gtmetrix.com/
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The Unseen
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Visible performance often comes from what you can’t see
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Open Graph Protocol Provides structured data and enhances
how content is shared socially !
http://ogp.me/
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AuthorshipUsing Authorship and Publisher can
provide more visibility on Google
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Authorship in SERPs Authorship enables Rich Snippets and can easily land you on the 1st page of Google for those inside your G+ circles
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Publisher in SERPs Publisher enhances brand related
results, including control over the logo displayed and recent posts
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Use Schema.org microdata to enhance SERPs
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http://schema.org/Event
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http://schema.org/Recipe
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Doh! Google may steal your traffic!
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Content
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Quality content is no longer good enough
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Turn your content into Epic Content
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Epic Content is bigger content
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Epic Content is repurposed content
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Epic Content uses multiple channels
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Epic Content is interactive
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Epic Content is not MMEH (Massively Multimedia Epic Heave)
*MMEH was coined by Mark Armstrong
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Enhance posts with Google Charts
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Add an Interactive Timeline
http://timeline.knightlab.com/
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Include Interactions
http://interactions.webflow.com/
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http://www.frogdesign.com/techtrends2014/
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http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/21/5307992/inside-the-mind-of-a-fanboy
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https://www.distilled.net/content-guide/
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Repurpose Your Content
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Turn it into a deck and share on Slideshare
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Turn the deck into a video and post on Youtube
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Use your content for podcast topics
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Build a microsite with your content…capture emails
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Make an Infographic Using Cinemagraphs!!!
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Reuse quotes to tell a visual story
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Make it Portable Create an ebook, white paper and use content channels like Snippet.
Include links back to your site.
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Calls to Action
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Include CTAs to increase pages per session and to boost repeat traffic
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Ars Technica Related Articles
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TechCrunch Next Article
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Email is still one of the best sources for site traffic
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Record, measure and report with Google Analytics’ Goals and Events
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Social
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Epic Content + Connections = Traffic
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Don’t be a snob. Connect with as many people as possible that fit your target audience.
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Build up sharing equity
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Be social. That means commenting on posts, and always replying to comments on your own posts.
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Republish your content on sites that will send targeted traffic. Stop worrying about duped content.
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Participate in or create private sharing groups that have common interests and may followers
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Promote and boost your content with social ads
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Analytics
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Study the performance of your content, learn what works, and then rinse and repeat!
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I saw the Traffic Machine in a dream and this is what it looked like…
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Jon Henshaw