This is the #1 question from new clients at The HOTH. 

The only problem is it’s an impossible question, as there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for how many backlinks a website needs. 

In fact, asking this question is on par with other impossible questions like, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?” and, “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?”

When most SEOs get this question, they all say the same thing:

“It depends.”

We think that’s pretty lame, and we’re sick of hearing it. 

That’s why we’re going to do the impossible and attempt to answer this borderline rhetorical question. 

Along the way, you’ll learn more about the current state of backlinks as a ranking factor and some up-to-date techniques for generating high-quality links that point to your homepage and content.

Do Links Still Matter? Addressing Google’s Recent Comments

In September 2023, Google Analyst Gary Illyes downplayed the importance of backlinks, saying links were no longer a top 3 ranking factor. 

This led some digital marketers to believe backlinks no longer move the SEO needle, which isn’t true.

Illyes acknowledged the importance of backlinks but disagreed with their top-tier status. His words should be taken with caution, as Google is notoriously secretive about its ranking algorithms to prevent manipulation.

Google aims to deliver the best search results, meaning they only want to rank trustworthy and authoritative sites. For this reason, they have a bit of a love/hate relationship with SEO. 

They know that it’s necessary for businesses to improve their visibility on their engine, but their SEO advice seldom gets deeper than ‘make better content.’

Proof Backlinks Are Still The Real Deal 

Take it from us: backlinks still matter in a very big way, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. 

Perfect technical SEO (loading speed, mobile friendliness, URL structure, etc.) and flawless on-page factors (keyword usage, metadata optimization, high-quality content, etc.) will only get you so far.

Whenever we have a client that can’t outrank its competitors, links are almost always the reason why.

Since the websites occupying the top-ranking spots have more high-quality links than our clients’ sites, outranking them with basic SEO tactics is next to impossible. 

As a result, we spend the most time ‘closing the competitive gap’ by building enough relevant links for our clients to level the playing field with their top competitors. 

The fact remains that more backlinks equal better SERP rankings AND more organic traffic, which is why high-value links are so powerful (they’re literally working double duty for you).

To put our money where our mouth is, here’s hard evidence from one of our clients that backlinks and traffic go hand-in-hand:

As you can see by the line graphs, as the client’s backlinks started to increase, their organic traffic followed suit. 

How Many Backlinks Do I Need to Rank?

As you can see, backlinks are crucial to ranking your content in the SERPS. So, what’s the magic number of backlinks you should aim for?  

A well-established website typically has around 40-50 backlinks to its homepage, with individual pages varying from 0-100.  

Too few backlinks and Google might not consider your site as relevant. However, too many can raise red flags about potentially manipulative practices. 

The key is to focus on earning high-quality backlinks from reputable websites that have either topical or contextual relevance to your content.

In the section below, we’ll explore the factors affecting your ideal backlink count. 

What Factors Determine How Many Backlinks I Need to Rank?

While links are still extremely important for Google SEO, they’re not the only ranking factor. 

As we said before, building more links bridges the competitive gap for our clients. However, without strong technical and on-page factors, reaching the top of the SERPs is impossible.

Google’s algorithm looks at technical factors like loading speed and interactivity, URL structure, broken links, and indexing errors. 

On-page SEO factors, like keyword placement, content formatting, readability, and metadata optimization are also integral for high search rankings. 

Here’s a look at the top SERP ranking factors:

Content quality

Let’s be clear: the #1 most important ranking factor is the quality and relevance of your content. 

If you aren’t producing high-quality content that satisfies users’ search intent, your dreams of becoming the SEO GOAT will never come to fruition. 

Moreover, the quality and relevance of your content are also extremely important to your target audience, and you should always produce content for them first and search engines second. 

How does Google judge the quality of website content?

They use a team of human quality raters equipped with their Quality Rater Guidelines, which are represented by the acronym E-E-A-T – which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. 

Therefore, if you want Google to view your content as high-quality, you need to share first-hand experiences that demonstrate your expertise on a topic. An example would be citing a real-life case where you helped a client with your vast knowledge of your business’s area of expertise. 

As far as content goes, you only have to worry about the first two E’s (experience and expertise). 

Authoritativeness isn’t something you can build through content directly, as it has to do with the quality and relevance of the backlinks that point to your web pages. 

Lastly, trustworthiness is accrued by consistently demonstrating experience, expertise, and authoritativeness in your content.  

Content length 

The length of your content is also a ranking factor, and there’s a sweet spot that you need to hit. 

First, Google views web pages that contain less than approximately 1,000 words as thin content, and it doesn’t like to rank thin content because it’s viewed as unhelpful. 

As a rule of thumb, try to include at least 700 – 1,000 words on each web page to ensure they aren’t flagged as thin content. However, you need to make sure that the words still provide valuable information, as just writing nonsense to inflate the word count won’t work.   

If there are web pages that you just can’t add any more words to, try to merge them with a related page. 

Since Google doesn’t like thin content, some SEOs have falsely assumed that more words are always better, which isn’t the case.

Google’s algorithms can identify when a page contains useless or irrelevant information. For example, a how-to guide on stringing guitars doesn’t need to include a 400-word section on the history of the guitar. 

Sticking to the 1,000 – 2,000 word range for blogs is a good range to stick with for most topics. That’s not to say that you can’t write longer guides, just that every piece of information must be relevant and valuable. 

SSL certificate 

Security is a priority for Google, as they don’t want to direct users to unsecure websites where they might have sensitive personal or financial information stolen. 

That’s why they only rank websites that contain SSL certificates, which provide a secure web browsing experience through HTTPS. All communications are encrypted using the SSL/TLS protocol, making things like e-commerce transactions safe. 

The good news is it’s extremely easy to get an SSL certificate for free. 

Passing the Core Web Vitals test

Internet users have no patience for websites that don’t load within a fraction of a second. Google is aware of this, which is why they developed the Core Web Vitals test. 

It examines a website’s speed for not only loading but also interactivity. 

To learn more, you can check out our guide on passing the Core Web Vitals test. 

Keyword usage 

At the most basic level, search engines match user queries (keywords) with websites that contain exact matches and related keywords. 

An example would be Google ranking a piece of content called ‘How to String Guitars’ in the #1 spot for the query ‘how to string guitars.’

Make sense?

Despite all the advancements in the SEO world, proper keyword placement still matters. Here’s where to place your target keywords:

• In your title tag and H1 header 
• In the first 100 words of the content 
• In image alt tags 
• Organically, throughout the piece 
• In the metadata 

You can use our free keyword planner tool to uncover popular keywords related to your business, which is the best way to find topic ideas. 

URL and page architecture 

If Google’s algorithm can make heads or tails out of your site structure, your content likely won’t rank very well. 

Google prefers sites that use logical, ‘flat’ designs for their site architecture, where every page is only one or two clicks away from the homepage. 

Deep site architecture uses long link chains that lead to inner pages (which are hard for both Google and users to find). 

Whenever you’re designing your site and URL structure, follow the K.I.S.S. method and keep it super simple. 

Internal and external links 

Whenever you make a claim in your content, you should always back it up with evidence via an external link. 

The websites you choose matter here, too, as you want to link out to reputable sources. 

TLDs (top-level domains) ending in .gov, .edu, and .org are always safe best, as are academic journals and studies. 

Also, don’t forget to include internal links in your content. This serves a dual purpose, as it makes your content easier for Google to index – and internal links provide resources for further reading that will keep users engaged in your content loop (and will boost your dwell times). 

Drop anchor! Achieving the proper anchor text ratio 

Besides the links themselves, the anchor text you choose for each link is also incredibly important.

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text within a hyperlink. It typically appears in a different color (often blue, but we prefer red) and is underlined, signaling to users that it’s a link.

Here are the most important things you need to know about anchor text: 

Relevance: The anchor text should accurately describe what the linked page is about. This aligns with user expectations and helps search engines understand the target page’s content.

Balanced anchor text ratio: Aim for 2-5 words in your anchor text. Briefer phrases are more readable and less likely to appear spammy.

Natural language: Avoid overly optimized, keyword-stuffed anchor text. Use conversational language that flows organically within the text.

Variety: Change up your anchor text types to create a more natural backlink profile (more on that below).

Anchor text types

There are a few different types of anchor text that you can use, and it’s imperative to use a mix of them all. 

Google doesn’t like to see lots of exact-match anchors, which contain the keyword you’re targeting and nothing else. To Google, this is an attempt on the site owner’s part to manipulate the search rankings, which is why the need for an anchor text ratio arose in the first place. 

Competition in your niche 

Remember, you won’t be the only one optimizing your site for better performance on Google’s SERPs. Your competitors will also engage in SEO, so you always need to keep an eye on your top competitors. 

In particular, regularly analyzing their content and backlink profiles can provide valuable insights to boost your own strategies. 

You can use our free SEO audit and backlink checker tools to analyze your competitors. Pay attention to the keywords they use, where they get their backlinks from, and how much traffic/engagement they’re getting. 

The Classic Debate: Quantity vs. Quality 

SEOs are always fiercely debating whether backlink quality or quantity matters most. 

Some swear that only the most reputable, highest-quality backlinks are worth pursuing, while others claim to find success by building as many links as possible. 

Which side of the issue is true?

We hate to be boring, but the truth is that both quantity and quality are equally important to your link profile. 

Let’s clarify that a bit further. 

When quantity matters 

In terms of quantity, it’s NEVER worth pursuing low-grade backlinks from garbage websites that provide no value to users. 

These links scream spam to Google, and they’ll only hurt your SERP rankings. 

However, when you’re trying to bridge a significant link gap between you and a competitor (where you have dozens of links and they have hundreds or thousands), sometimes links with average domain authority (scores 40 to 50) are exactly what you need. 

These average links are still from real websites that provide services to users, so there’s no worry about them getting flagged as spam. 

Moreover, they’ll provide you with the volume of links you need to catch up to the competition. 

In other words, beggars can’t be choosers when you’re far behind in the backlink race. 

When quality matters

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t shoot for the stars and target high-value backlinks (DA scores 60 and above) at the same time, as you definitely should. 

Conversely, if you’re practically on par with the number of links a competitor has, then going for high-quality links is the name of the game. 

Ultimately, it depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re far behind, quantity can beat quality – but if you’re neck-and-neck, quality reigns supreme.

These factors are all imperative for SEO success, so you shouldn’t neglect any of them during your search campaign.

How Do You Get Backlinks?

By now, you should have a specific number of backlinks you need to build. To reiterate what we’ve covered so far:

Analyze your competitor’s backlinks to gauge the gap between your link profiles.  If the gap is significant, initially focus on building a larger number of links, even if some are of lower quality.

This helps establish a baseline. As you gain more links, shift your strategy to acquiring high-value links.

For brand-new websites, aim for 50 links to your homepage and around 100 for your most important pages.

Now that we’ve addressed the core question let’s explore another important aspect:

How do you build links that point back to your content?

Here’s a look at some of the most effective ways to acquire backlinks. 

Targeted link outreach 

Conducting outreach is necessary for just about any backlink technique, and it’s become more nuanced in recent years. 

In the past, SEOs found success using generic outreach templates that contained simple requests for guest articles, link insertions, and fixing broken links. 

The only problem is this technique worked a little too well. 

Once it caught on, it became the norm (and still is) for website owners to receive hundreds of generic outreach emails every day. 

Currently, the link outreach game is about standing out from the crowd while developing long-lasting relationships that lead to multiple links down the line. 

It’s crucial to shift your mindset from targeting one link at a time to forging long-term link partnerships with related websites in your field. 

Also, divorce the link outreach process from one particular tactic, such as guest posting. 

When done properly, your outreach can lead to a lot more than guest blogs (although those are pretty sweet, too). 

An outreach example

As an example scenario, let’s say that your website sells fitness products. 

In that case, you’d benefit from forming link partnerships with noncompetitors in your field – meaning you share a target audience but don’t compete for the same business. 

Examples include fitness news websites, fitness forums, and nutrition blogs – just to name a few. 

Instead of sending one-and-done outreach emails, you start interacting with these sites in a far more personal way. Your goal is to form a relationship instead of securing one measly link placement, so you should interact with their social media, ask interesting questions, and share their content. 

If you play your cards right, you’ll form a partnership that leads to guest posts, link insertions, and article syndications.

Article syndication 

Speaking of syndication, you can start publishing your articles on other websites to gain more exposure and accrue links. 

Relationship building is a key component here, too, as you’ll need an existing network of relevant websites to publish your articles. 

If you don’t have any connections yet, try searching on Google for things like:

• “Originally published on” (niche keyword)
• “Syndicated from” (niche keyword)
• “Originally appeared on” (niche keyword)

These search operators will help you find websites in your field that syndicate posts and it’s worth trying to build relationships with them. 

You can also use our free backlink checker tool to analyze your competitor’s links to see if they’re syndicated anywhere that you aren’t. 

Press releases 

Press releases (as long as they don’t mention time-sensitive events) are another great way to get the word out about your brand and obtain links. 

This is where it pays off to have relationships with news outlets in your niche, as you’ll be able to circulate your press releases to them for some easy links. 

Why can’t you mention time-sensitive events?

You shouldn’t because this type of press release exists to provide backlinks to your site. If you mention a time-sensitive event (like an upcoming conference), you’ll have to remove the press release as soon as it happens. 

That’s why you should stick to things like launching new products, hiring new executives, and interesting developments in your business (like adding a new department). 

Here’s an example of a press release we created and distributed through Cision for backlinks and better online visibility:

To further your education, here are some more reliable ways to build backlinks from relevant websites.

Broken backlinks 

Link rot is a real struggle that every website faces. 

It’s the tendency for hyperlinks to no longer point to their original web page or server after long periods of time. There are numerous causes for this, the most common of which is when a site migrates to a new CMS or changes its link structure. 

As a result, virtually every website will have broken links, and they present a unique link-building opportunity. 

Say that you come across a broken link on a website that covers a topic you already have a blog post about. 

In that case, you could reach out to the site owner, notify them of the broken link, and offer your content as a quick replacement. 

Since broken links hurt a website’s user experience, site owners have a very real incentive to fix them by adding your link. 

How do you find broken backlinks to target?

One of the easiest and most reliable ways is to use Ahrefs, but you can also use web crawlers like Screaming Frog. 

If you have an Ahrefs account, navigate to the Site Explorer tool. From there, enter the URL of the website that you want to check for broken links.

Under Backlink profile, select the Broken Backlinks report.

Voila, you now have a complete list of the website’s broken links that you can analyze for backlink opportunities. Try to find broken links that relate to your business’s content. If you don’t already have a viable replacement piece, you can always create one.

Start Building the Right Number of Links Today 

Well, wasn’t that a much better answer than simply saying, “It depends?”

Now, you have an accurate approximation of how many links you need to build to achieve your ranking goals, and you know the best ways to build them. 

This is only the first step in your journey to becoming the SERP master, so stay tuned to our blog for more practical advice. 

If you need help building the right number of links for your website, don’t wait to check out our Link Outreach and Link Insertion services.     

The post How Many Backlinks Does it Take to Rule Your Niche’s SERPs? appeared first on The HOTH.

But what if you could use AI to help with your link-building?

And… what if the links AI helped you build weren’t some watered-down version of a backlink, the same way so much AI content seems to be? What if they were better, more high-quality links?

If you’re unsure how this could work, read on. We’ve figured out a way to make SEO success with link building simpler than ever—and we’re using AI to do it. 

Introducing HOTH AI Link Select

Our Link Outreach services are still considered some of the best in the market. The HOTH’s focus on quality, scalability, and ease of use has allowed us to continue to grow long after many of our competitors have exited the market. 

And getting white-hat links isn’t easy (ask anybody who’s ever had to build them). Even agencies with incredibly experienced teams and a vast network of sites and publications put a ton of work into outreach. 

AI Link Select is going to change all that. 

What is HOTH AI Link Select?

Picture a software that allows you to plug in your target URL and any filters like DA, DR, and site traffic you’re looking for. 

Imagine that software can “read” your site to determine its content. You or a team member need not provide further context, and no more research is required.

That software takes your site and your filters and goes through thousands of sites that have been hand-selected for quality that can link back to yours. They meet all the metrics you’re searching for.

And beyond that, they’re relevant links. They’re in your industry or niche, making these links even more authoritative.

You see a list of sites that fit your metrics with descriptions of their content. Next to each link option, you see a price. You pick the links you want and expect delivery in 30 days or less (usually much sooner).

It’s as simple as that. 

Your Personalized Path to Page 1 

While AI takes the outreach wheel, you’re more in the driver’s seat because you have more control over which links you get to your site than ever before. 

While some links may be more expensive than our Link Outreach packages, others may be cheaper depending on the metrics you’re looking for. It’s an AI-powered white hat backlink marketplace. 

We can’t wait for you to try it. Click on the AI Link Select Product Page for faster, better, more relevant links– and experience the future of link building.

The post Using AI To Scale Your SEO With AI Link Select appeared first on The HOTH.

Eye-tracking studies have shown that online users ignore ads and make a beeline to the content they were looking for in the first place. 

In fact, users have become so ad-averse that they give the cold shoulder to content that resembles ads, is close to ads, or is in locations traditionally dedicated to ads (like the Sponsored section of Google’s search results). 

This behavior is known as banner blindness — a form of selective attention where users ignore ads or entire sections of a website that don’t have the type of content they want.

If visitors ignore your ads, you won’t generate as many clicks and conversions as you’d like. That’s not to mention all the money you’ll waste on paid ad placements (which don’t come cheap, especially today). 

So, how can you A) reach your target audience in a way they won’t ignore, and B) get them to complete the actions you want (i.e., sign up for your newsletter, make a purchase, etc.)?

One way is through sponsored content.

By getting trusted YouTubers, bloggers, and journalists to create sponsored content for you, you’ll gain your audience’s undivided attention (and they won’t even realize they’re being advertised to).  

If you’re not already using sponsored content in your marketing mix, you’re missing out on opportunities to engage and convert members of your target audience.

In this article, we’ll break down what sponsored content is, showcase different types, and provide examples of how to leverage this channel to drive measurable results.

What is sponsored content?

Sponsored content is a form of paid advertising where you work with blogs, newspapers, YouTube channels, and influencers to publish content that promotes your products and services.

Unlike traditional ads that are often intrusive, sponsored content appears organic as it comes in the form of blog posts, videos, and social media posts. 

In other words, instead of ads getting in the way of users trying to view something else (like an ad before a YouTube video), your sponsored content will be the very thing your audience is seeking out (like a TikTok video from one of their favorite creators who you sponsor).

How does sponsored content work?

The way it works is simple — a company partners with a content creator who agrees to publish content in exchange for payment (or another perk, like free products and services, discounts, etc.).

It’s up to you to determine how you’ll compensate your sponsors, but the most common way is to provide a fee for their service. 

Sponsored content is EVERYWHERE today, so you’ve undoubtedly encountered it while on social media or YouTube. 

After all, how many times have you heard a content creator on YouTube say “and that brings me to today’s sponsor,” followed by a lengthy plug for a product or service?

That’s sponsored content in action, and it’s exploded in popularity over the last decade.

To cite a real-world example, Audible, a subscription service for audiobooks, regularly partners with influencers. In the post below, photographer Jesse Driftwood discusses using Audible to listen to audiobooks on business management and productivity.

Source

As you can see, the post generated thousands of likes, and it directly appeals to professionals eager to continue their education. 

It also doesn’t appear like an ad since it just looks like one of Jesse’s regular posts (complete with a relevant, high-resolution image). For this reason, it circumvents the ‘banner blindness’ problem mentioned earlier, which is why sponsored content is so effective. 

Why bother with sponsored content?

Let’s face it:

Nobody likes ads.

We’ve all been there; you’re completely engrossed in a captivating article when, suddenly, a giant pop-up ad consumes your entire screen. 

Or worse, you’re watching a YouTube video, and just as things are getting juicy, it cuts to not one but two paid ads that you have to sit through.

It’s not surprising that 39% of respondents are often annoyed by internet advertising, which isn’t good news for paid advertisers. 

What makes matters worse is over 912 million internet users use Adblock to avoid ads completely.

The bottom line is that people don’t like ads, and many will go out of their way to block them.

Sponsored content provides an alternative to disruptive ads. A sponsored post will help you reach your audience without disrupting their current experience. Instead, the sponsored post will be the experience they actively seek out, so there won’t be any need to disrupt it. 

Since sponsored posts closely resemble editorial content (just like the Audible post from Jesse Driftwood), users are far more likely to engage with it (which is why that post got 10,000+ likes).

This type of paid advertising helps you:

• Raise brand awareness
• Educate and entertain your audience
• Build trust and credibility
• Establish thought leadership in your field

If users get value from your content (learning how to do something, answering a question, solving a problem, entertaining them, etc.), they’ll likely continue interacting with your brand in the future and may even become customers.

Sponsored content vs. native advertising

Due to some deceptively close similarities, it can be easy to mix up sponsored content with native advertising, but the two are distinct forms of advertising. 

Here’s how to tell the difference between a sponsored post and a native ad. 

Native ads

A native ad is a form of paid advertising that intentionally matches the look and feel of the platform on which it resides. 

In other words, a native ad on Instagram will try to ‘blend in’ with the organic posts that appear on your feed. A native ad will look like a post from any other profile, but it will subtly promote a product or service. 

Here’s an example of a native, in-feed ad on Instagram that perfectly illustrates what we’re talking about:

Source

Since this ad comes in the form of an Instagram post (complete with a profile, picture, and caption), it blends in with the rest of the user’s feed. Someone scrolling through their newsfeed may not even notice that this is an ad, which is the point of native advertising.  

Most native ads include the following:

• Headline
• Product image
• Short description
• Call to action

These ads are less intrusive than traditional ads, but that doesn’t mean that they’re indecipherable from organic posts. Most social platforms provide some way of telling users that a native advertisement is indeed an ad, such as the ‘Sponsored’ tag appearing on the top-right corner of the Instagram ad provided above. 

Paid advertising 

Paid search ads are another example of native ads, but they appear on search engines like Google instead of social media platforms. 

Let’s do a quick search and find some paid search ads to analyze. 

Sticking with the theme of the Instagram ad, If we search for “quality mineral water” in Google, these paid ads appear at the top of the results page:

The only clue that these listings are ads is the ‘Sponsored’ tag circled in red. Besides that, they appear like normal product listings that would appear for any type of search. 

Paid content 

Finally, another popular format for native ads is paid content that appears below an article, as shown below.

Source

Every article you see here promotes a product or service, which is noted by the Paid Content subheading above them. Despite this, they’re made to appear like regular blog posts, which is why they qualify as native ads. 

Clicking on these posts typically directs visitors to a landing page where they can learn more about a product and make a purchase.

Those are the different types of native ads, and they can certainly help you generate sales. In fact, research shows that native ads have a click-through rate that’s 8.8x higher than standard display ads. 

However, some visitors may find it off-putting if you try to push them towards a conversion too soon.

Also, native ads aren’t immune to banner blindness. As we’ve pointed out, every native ad will have some sort of identifier revealing that it’s an advertisement (required by law), which can cause users to scroll past them without a second thought. 

For these reasons, sponsored content is a better option to reach your audience without being too pushy, and it’s far less likely to cause banner blindness.

Sponsored content

Sponsored content takes a completely different approach to native advertising, and it’s a lot stealthier. 

For one, sponsored ads take the form of articles, videos, and social media posts. 

Another difference is that native ads are created by advertisers, while sponsored content comes directly from publishers and content creators. At first glance, this may seem negative, as it grants you less control over the content of your ads. However, this is usually a good thing, as it will make your ad appear more organic and less ‘salesy.’

Also, brands still create their own sponsored content at times, but they still have to work with a relevant publisher to ensure it fits their audience. 

The main reason why sponsored content is able to perfectly blend in with traditional content is that its primary goal is to educate rather than sell. Sponsored content isn’t concerned with hard sell tactics, as immediate conversions aren’t your aim. 

Instead, you want to build your audience’s trust by providing them with valuable content that answers questions and solves problems. Once your audience trusts you, they’ll be far more likely to make a purchase or sign up for a service.  

One thing to note before we continue is that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires publishers and influencers to disclose when they have a “material connection” to a brand.

Undisclosed advertising is illegal, so every type of ad, sponsored or not, must let the audience know in some way that it’s an advertisement. In the case of sponsored content, your audience must know that the content creator or publisher has a material connection to your brand (more on FTC guidelines below).  

Source

Types of sponsored content (with examples)

Creating sponsored content can be an effective way to raise brand awareness, showcase your expertise, and build trust with your audience.

Here’s a look at different types of sponsored content. We’ve also provided examples of how companies use these content formats to drive engagement.

Articles

Blog articles comprise the backbone of most companies’ content creation efforts. They’re cost-effective, easy to create, and can encompass numerous content types (how-to’s, buyer’s guides, listicles, etc.). 

As such, articles are one of the best ways to take advantage of sponsored content. As long as you post sponsored articles on your audience’s preferred platforms, they will help you reach and connect with qualified prospects. 

As an example, music streaming juggernaut Spotify once sponsored a BuzzFeed listicle entitled ‘15 Bands That Probably Wouldn’t Exist Without Led Zeppelin.’

Source

Notice that at the top of the page BuzzFeed clarifies that it’s a Paid Post, and they list Spotify as the Brand Publisher. 

Besides these two identifiers, users would have no way of knowing that the listicle is actually a paid ad for Spotify. 

Despite being an ad, the article is an informative, entertaining post that chronicles Led Zeppelin’s influence on modern rock music. It’s a genuinely interesting read for music enthusiasts and rock lovers, which are definitely who Spotify is trying to appeal to here. 

Videos

Long-form content (anything over 1,000 words) is a great way to explore a topic and provide lots of helpful information for your audience. 

Yet, many users prefer watching videos, so you shouldn’t ignore video-sharing platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Sponsored videos will help you reach new audiences and generate more sales. 

In fact, 82% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video. After all, there’s a reason why so many businesses choose to sponsor YouTubers. 

A good example is the investment firm BlackRock, which sponsored a series of financial well-being videos for the popular news outlet NowThis News.

(Source)

The sponsored videos provide financial advice on budgeting, investing, and more. It’s a perfect match for BlackRock as it offers investment management solutions.

Social media

The sponsored videos provide financial advice on budgeting, investing, and more. This was a perfect match for BlackRock, which offers investment management solutions to professionals worldwide. 

Social media

It’s no secret that social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are a huge part of consumers’ lives in the modern world.

People turn to social media to find entertainment, connect with friends, stay informed about current events, and learn more about local businesses. 

For this reason, it makes sense that brands are investing more in sponsored content for social media. 

In fact, global influencer marketing spending reached an impressive $34.08 billion in 2023.

Acquiring sponsored posts on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook gives you the opportunity to increase brand awareness and drive referral traffic to your site.

Let’s take a look at a sponsored post on social media to see an example. 

Popular OTC (over-the-counter) heartburn medication Tums sponsored the following post on First We Feast’s X account.

Source

First We Feast is known for producing the wildly popular Hot Ones series. The show’s host interviews famous celebrities while they eat spicy chicken wings (and typically struggle to do so).

While the ad is comical, it’s a perfect sponsorship — spicy food can cause an upset stomach, which antacids like TUMS just so happens to relieve.

Podcasts

While podcasts have been extremely popular since 2014, they’re still growing in popularity, so it’s not a content medium to ignore.

In 2024, it’s forecasted that 59.2% of US digital audio listeners will consume a podcast at least once per month, which totals 135.4 million people. 

Moreover, podcasts are extremely diverse, so it won’t matter your industry or niche focus (chances are there’ll be dozens of popular podcasts in your space already, so you’ll definitely have an audience to work with).

Sponsoring a podcast or a segment that’s related to your business will help you tap into this massive market to raise brand awareness, drive traffic, and drum up sales.

As an example, AG1 by Athletic Greens sponsors the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast. 

When polled, a massive portion of Joe Rogan fans claim they aspire to be fit and healthy (92%), so the sponsorship makes perfect sense.  

Source

The examples above are just some content types that you can sponsor. Others include:

• Ebooks. Does your audience consist of avid readers? Then, you may want to consider sponsoring relevant ebooks. For instance, TheScientist has a comprehensive list of sponsored ebooks. 

• Infographics. If you want your content to generate lots of shares and backlinks, infographics are an excellent choice, and plenty of publishers and content creators make them. Here’s an example of a co-sponsored infographic from Hunch. 

• Whitepapers. You can think of a whitepaper as a highly formal blog post that’s extremely well researched. Whitepapers are popular for professional industries, so sponsoring whitepapers is a good move if your target audience works in information technology (or another field with complicated products). The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has a section on their website dedicated to sponsored whitepapers. 

• Newsletters. Instead of flooding your prospects’ inboxes with promotional emails that they’ll never open, you’ll have a lot more success with sponsoring newsletters, which boast 62% read rates. As an example, Morning Brew’s newsletter features a large section of sponsored content. 

• Webinars. If you have a professional audience, sponsoring a webinar is a great way to promote your business while they’re engrossed in a valuable presentation. 54% of B2B professionals participate in webinars at least once a week. For instance, the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) offers sponsorship opportunities for their webinars.

FTC Guidelines for Sponsored Content

As stated before, undisclosed advertising is illegal, so you’ll have to follow the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) guidelines for your sponsored content. 

The idea is to protect audiences from being misled by undisclosed advertising, which is why the rules exist. 

Key Points of FTC Guidelines:

Clear disclosure: If you receive any compensation (money, free products, or experiences) in exchange for a social media post, you MUST disclose it clearly and conspicuously.

Use transparent language: Using vague terms like “thanks to,” or “#collab” isn’t sufficient. Use straightforward words like “#ad” or “sponsored” at the beginning of your post.

Placement matters: The disclosure should appear “above the fold” or be clearly visible without clicking “more.” It also needs to be noticeable in videos.

Own your experience: Even when a brand gives you talking points, you must remain honest about your genuine experience with the product or service.

Why does this matter? 

Builds trust: Transparency fosters a loyal audience that will trust your recommendations.

Protects you: Violating FTC guidelines can result in warnings or even fines.

It’s the right thing: Your audience deserves to know when content is promotional.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• FTC’s Endorsement Guides
• FTC Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers

Now, let’s look at how you can use sponsored content to connect with your target audience, regardless of their preferred platforms. 

How to get started with sponsored content

When done right, sponsored content drives measurable results for your business, and it can even establish your brand as a household name. 

But, just like any marketing strategy, you’ve got to develop a plan and allocate your resources accordingly if you want to find lasting success.

The following steps will teach you how to promote your brand using sponsored content.

1. Set a goal

Sponsored content is all about placing your branded messages in front of the right people. However, before you get started, you’ll need to decide on A) which branded messages to promote, B) which audience you want to target, and C) what you ultimately hope to achieve with your sponsored content (i.e., more brand awareness, referral traffic, etc.). 

Therefore, the first step is to define a goal (or goals) for your sponsored content campaign. 

Here’s a peek at some common goals:

• Raise brand awareness. This goal involves reaching a new audience on the platforms that they frequent. 

• Increase referral traffic. Referral traffic is beneficial because it’s a sign that you’re building brand awareness and loyalty online. There’s also less competition since the traffic isn’t coming from SEO keywords, and your referral traffic won’t be affected by algorithm changes. 

• Establish thought leadership. Sponsoring informative content will help establish your brand as a thought leader in your field. Other important types of content include whitepapers, webinars, and data-driven industry reports. 

• Drive more leads and sales. If you partner with trusted creators who share your target audience, you will drive more leads and sales for your most important products and services. 

Why should you create goals for your sponsored content?

It’s because defining your goals will help provide guidance on the type of content you should create.

Let’s say your goal is to raise brand awareness. 

You could sponsor a sleek and well-written listicle entitled ‘10 Things to Consider Before Investing in (your product type).’ 

On the other hand, if thought leadership is your ultimate goal, you could sponsor a comprehensive industry report on a pain point facing your target audience. You could then offer it as a download on a respected website in your field. 

If you’re having a hard time coming up with goals, take a look at your existing sales funnel and ask yourself, “Where does sponsored content have the most potential to make a difference?” Answering this question will help you come up with valuable goals. 

2. Research your target audience

Understanding your target audience is integral to creating effective sponsored content.

Think about the audience that you want to reach. 

What are their demographics? What do they want to learn more about? What problems are they facing?

Here are some ways to research your audience:

• Collect and explore demographic data: Google Analytics offers plenty of information about your website visitors, like age, gender, interests, and more. You can also explore this data through Facebook Audience Insights and X Analytics.
• Conduct customer surveys: One of the best ways to learn about your audience is to ask them directly. Send out email surveys or, if possible, arrange face-to-face meetings with your existing customers.
• Analyze your competitors: Chances are your competitors are using platforms like Facebook and X. Analyzing their pages can also yield valuable insights into your target audience. Pay attention to the content their followers engage with and take inspiration from it.

Use the information you’ve gathered to create a realistic buyer persona – which is a detailed profile of your target audience. This will come in handy as you start creating sponsored content.

What is a buyer persona? A buyer persona (also known as a customer avatar) is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer. It’s created based on market research, customer data, and insights into your existing customer base. A buyer persona typically includes: Demographics: Age, gender, location, job title, income level, etc. Psychographics: Personality traits, values, interests, lifestyle. Goals and motivations: What problems do they want to solve? What are their aspirations? Pain points: What are their challenges or frustrations? Online behavior: Where do they spend time online? What influences their decisions?

3. Decide on a content type

Now that you understand where your audience spends their time online, it’s time to consider the formats that will reach them, like social media posts, blog articles, sponsored videos, etc.

It’s important to select a content type that aligns with the goals you set in step #1. For example, if one of your goals is to drive more organic search traffic, you might consider sponsoring long-form content.

Why is that?

It’s because HubSpot found that articles with longer word counts generate more traffic on average than shorter articles.

Search engines value content that goes into great depth about a topic, something that’s hard to do with short articles. That’s why sponsoring long-form content will likely drive more traffic to your pages.

Of course, don’t just limit yourself to one content type.

If you’re only sponsoring blog posts, you’re missing out on a portion of your audience who may prefer watching videos or listening to podcasts. Once you set up a process for sponsored articles, consider expanding into different formats.

4. Research and choose a publisher

The next step is to choose a company, influencer, or publisher to distribute your sponsored content.

Here are some things to consider:

• Audience: Choose a publisher with an audience that aligns with yours. For example, if you’re a travel agency, you might contact travel magazines or blogs. Research the platform to learn more about their audience.
• Traffic: Creating sponsored content takes a lot of time and effort, so you want to make it worthwhile. Use our free website traffic checker tool to estimate how much traffic a publisher receives a month. If they aren’t pulling the type of numbers you want to see, consider looking for another sponsor. 
• Cost: Find a publisher who fits your budget. The price you pay will depend on factors like demographics, reach, engagement, and content format.

Once you find a promising publisher, contact them and request a media kit – which is a document that contains information about their audience and other details, like engagement metrics.

Of course, don’t forget about influencers on social media. 

61% of consumers trust product recommendations from influencers, so the products and services they recommend hold true power. Use platforms like BuzzSumo, HypeAuditor, or AspireIQ to streamline your search for influencers in your field. To get the best results, set filters for niche, location, engagement metrics, and more.

Additional Tips

Don’t just focus on the big names: Your first move shouldn’t be to reach out to Logan Paul or Addison Rae, as they’re way too big. Micro-influencers often have highly engaged, niche audiences that can be a great fit, especially if you’re just starting out.

Start building relationships early: Engage with potential creators or publishers on social media, comment on their content, and nurture a connection before pitching partnerships.

5. Create your sponsored content

Often, publishers and creators want to create the sponsored content themselves to maintain control over what’s said. For example, T Brand Studio is a branch of The New York Times that works with companies to create branded content.

However, if you need to create your own sponsored content, then keep the following in mind:

• Provide value: Always focus on providing value no matter what publisher you choose to distribute your content. In other words, avoid hard sell tactics at all costs. If your content is too promotional, readers may simply tune out, or the publisher may reject it.
• Include multimedia: Nobody likes to read large walls of text. Include multimedia like images and videos in your article to increase engagement and to mix things up. Bloggers who include at least ten images report stronger results than those who use fewer images.
• Follow editorial guidelines: Many publications have strict guidelines of what they can and can’t accept. Make sure that you stick to these editorial standards to get your content accepted.
• Optimize for SEO: Don’t forget to optimize your sponsored content to improve its rankings in the search results. Use our free Google Keyword Planner Tool to identify keywords you can target.

If you’re looking to get professionally written content, then check out HOTH Blogger.

6. Measure your results

If you want your sponsored content efforts to bear fruit, you need to know how to measure your progress. Here’s a list of the most important metrics you’ll want to track:

• Reach and impressions: This represents how many people laid eyes on your content. 

• Engagement: Likes, comments, shares, clicks, etc. 

• Website traffic: The total number of visitors driven to your website from the sponsored content. 

• Conversions: This refers to the number of leads, sales, or other desired actions taken. 

Timing also matters, as sponsored posts on social platforms often see a quick engagement spike that fades over time. While sponsored blog articles may have a slower start, they provide longer-term benefits for your organic traffic. 

You should also use certain tools to track your performance, which include the following:

• Google Analytics. This platform provides website traffic stats, traffic numbers, referral sources, and conversion rates. 

• UTM tags. For granular insights, use these unique links for each campaign (provide your publishers with them). 

• Social media analytics. As stated before, each social platform has analytics that you can use to gain insights into the success of your sponsored content. 

• Social media monitoring. Tools like BuzzSumo and Ahrefs Alerts will notify you every time someone mentions your brand or when you pick up a new backlink. 

After that, the next step is to analyze the data to determine what worked and what didn’t. Did you see the most success from certain content formats, publishers, or platforms? Use these findings to guide your future sponsored content efforts. 

Conclusion

Consumers today are bombarded with ads, which has led to an ad fatigue pandemic.

It’s gotten to the point that many internet users ignore ads on web pages or even install software to block them entirely.

Sponsored content offers a solution. 

By providing genuine value and seamlessly blending into trusted platforms, it engages your audience in a way that feels authentic and builds brand credibility.

You’ve learned the steps for a successful sponsored content strategy.  Now, let’s put it into action!

Need help taking your content to the next level?

Schedule a call with our digital marketing experts to learn more. ​​We’ll partner with you to create expertly crafted sponsored content that positions you as an authority and drives results. 

The post Sponsored Content: Definition, Examples, and How to Get Started appeared first on The HOTH.

The company declared it would wipe out 40% of the spam currently in its index, which reinforces Google’s confidence in its spam-fighting systems. 

Among the new policies was the ‘site reputation abuse’ policy. 

Its goal is to crack down on websites that post low-quality, third-party pages in an attempt to manipulate search rankings. 

However, the policy doesn’t become official until May 5th. 

The reason for the delay?

Google wanted to give site owners a fair warning on this one, which is why they announced the policy update months in advance. Theoretically, this should give site owners enough time to remove any spammy third-party pages on their sites (more on this in a bit). 

They also confirmed that they plan on fighting site reputation spam with both manual actions (delivered by humans) and search algorithms (handled by machines). 

Manual actions are serious business, and may cause your content to disappear from the SERPs entirely. Algorithm enforcement is a bit less harsh (they devalue the ranking power of the web pages instead of de-indexing them), but can still be devastating to your rankings. 

Will the site reputation abuse policy affect your website?

Read on to learn everything you need to know, including how to prepare for the new policy. 

What is Site Reputation Abuse?

Here’s how Google explains what they deem to be site reputation abuse:

“Sometimes websites that have their own great content may also host low-quality content provided by third parties with the goal of capitalizing on the hosting site’s reputation.”

They also provide an example of a third-party publishing payday loan reviews on an educational website.

Since the educational website is already trusted by Google and regularly receives high rankings for virtually all its content, the low-quality third party pages will get to tag along for the ride. 

SEOs (search engine optimizers) have long had a term for this practice: parasite SEO.

You can think of these spammy third party web pages as Remoras, the tiny fish that attach themselves to large sharks in order to feed on their leftovers. 

These third-party pages act in the same manner, except they mooch off the hosting website’s traffic and search rankings. 

Google despises this practice because it floods its search results with spammy, garbage content that provides no value to users (which has been a massive problem for them lately). 

The site reputation abuse policy applies to all third-party content on websites, including sponsored, advertising, and partnered content. 

Do you need to get rid of all third party content on your site?

Does this mean that all third-party content is bad?

Not at all. 

Google clarifies that site reputation abuse only occurs when “third-party pages are published with little or no first-party oversight or involvement, where the purpose is to manipulate Search rankings by taking advantage of the first-party site’s ranking signals.”

So, if you have some high-quality sponsored or partnered content on your site that you directly oversaw (and is relevant to the rest of your website), you won’t have much to worry about. 

Google is only concerned with low-quality third-party content that provides no value to users and is completely unrelated to the first-party website’s purpose. 

That means you won’t have to panic and delete all the guest posts on your blog (as long as they’re relevant) or all the sponsored posts from influencers. 

Remember, Google will have a team of humans and machines reviewing each website, and its algorithm has become quite adept at identifying spam. If your third-party content truly is relevant and valuable, you shouldn’t need to delete it. 

Real-World Examples of Site Reputation Abuse 

What type of content does Google deem as site reputation abuse?

There are a few real-world examples we can point to, and it even seems as if Google was hinting at them with some of its comments. 

For example, Google provides this example, “A sports site hosting a page written by a third-party about “workout supplements reviews,” where the sports site’s editorial staff had little to no involvement in the content and the main purpose of hosting the page is to manipulate search rankings.”

This almost certainly refers to the AI-generated scandal Sports Illustrated found itself in in November of last year.

Technology news website Futurism found AI-generated product reviews with fake authors on Sports Illustrated’s website. 

Here’s one of the deep faked author profiles:

Yep, that’s a completely fake person. 

The bogus reviews and author profiles were provided by a third party called AdVon, which runs E-commerce product reviews for Sports Illustrated. 

When pressed, the team at The Arena Group (which owns the publishing rights to SI) claimed they had no idea that AdVon was using AI-generated content. 

Remember that part in Google’s policy about wanting to remove spammy third-party content that has no first-party oversight or involvement? This is the exact type of scenario they were talking about. 

Coupons, gambling, and reviews 

9 times out of 10, problematic third-party content has to do with coupon codes, gambling sites, and spammy product reviews (like the kind from Sports Illustrated). 

Google has this to say about news sites featuring coupons:

“A news site hosting coupons provided by a third-party with little to no oversight or involvement from the hosting site, and where the main purpose is to manipulate search rankings.”

For instance, the major news website USA Today has a subdomain containing an intricate coupon network, which may land the site in hot water with Google come May 5th. 

How to Prepare for the Site Reputation Abuse Policy 

Okay, now that you know what the site reputation abuse policy is all about, what should you do about it?

First, remember these two key qualifying factors:

1. For third-party content to qualify as spam, there has to be little to no oversight or involvement from the first-party website.
2. The content must provide no value to users and must be completely unrelated to the first-party website. 

If your sponsored, advertising, or partnered content doesn’t contain these factors, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. 

However, if you do have questionable third-party content that’s piggybacking off your established trust with Google, you’ll have to either:

• De-index the offending pages to avoid manual actions. 
• End partnerships with questionable third parties. 

As long as you do both before May 5th, you should be in the clear. 

Wrapping Up: Google’s New Spam Policy Coming Soon 

To summarize, Google’s site reputation abuse policy becomes official on May 5th, and the company will use a combination of manual actions and anti-spam algorithms to enforce it. 

Google wants to remove low-quality third-party content that only exists to manipulate search rankings and line the pockets of first-party websites with good reputations. 

If you directly oversee your sponsored content, this policy shouldn’t affect you. 

Do you need help getting your SEO strategy in order?

Our managed SEO service, HOTH X, will pair you with a dedicated campaign manager who will ensure you comply with all of Google’s new spam policies.   

The post Google’s Site Reputation Abuse Policy Begins on May 5th appeared first on The HOTH.

You should know that content remains a pivotal marketing channel in 2024, with 73% of B2B marketers and 70% of B2C marketers using content marketing as part of their overall strategy.  

As Insider Intelligence notes, a content strategy is ‘table stakes’ for any business wanting to compete in the digital age. 

That’s because content is integral for building brand awareness, connecting with audiences, and generating consistent leads.

However, random content creation won’t cut it (we’re looking at you, ChatGPT addicts). 

A successful content strategy takes clear goals, an in-depth understanding of your core audience, keyword research, and high-quality content containing original insights (translation: written by humans). 

Additionally, you need to understand what content formats resonate best with your audience – like short-form videos, in-depth blog posts, or something else entirely. 

For instance, some audiences will prefer short-form videos on TikTok (younger audiences), while others prefer in-depth blog posts (B2B clients). 

With a thought-out content strategy and editorial calendar, nothing will stand in your way from achieving your SEO goals. 

Ready to build a winning content strategy in 2024? Stick around to learn how! 

What is a digital content strategy?

A content strategy is a type of marketing plan where you create digital content to A) provide value to your target audience, and B) achieve your business goals.

In particular, businesses use content to boost their online visibility via search engine optimization (SEO), build brand awareness with target audiences, and generate leads & conversions.

It encompasses all organic digital marketing channels, like social media, SEO, blogging, video marketing, podcasts, and more.

The types of content used in these strategies include:

• Blog posts
• Podcasts
• eBooks
• Whitepapers
• Infographics
• Social media posts
• Video content 
• Webinars

Content creation is a form of inbound marketing, meaning you attract customers to you instead of pursuing them through disruptive ad placements (like interrupting a user’s experience on YouTube with an ad).

An example would be attracting leads to your website by answering common questions they have through your blog posts. 

The thinking is that whenever a prospect asks a search engine like Google one of these questions, they’ll come across one of your blog posts.

Another example would be converting prospects with in-depth video content and blog posts that link to your product pages via CTAs (calls to action). 

Whatever type of content you use, the idea remains the same – to grow your business and enhance your reputation by consistently creating great content that appeals to your target audience. 

Why Bother With A Formal Digital Content Strategy? 

We’ll clue you in on an insider secret: a content strategy isn’t just about creating content. 

Instead, it’s about creating the right type of content that your audience craves and aligns with your business goals. 

For example, you could write a blog post that A) answers a question the user has been searching for and B) directs them toward one of your products that will solve their problem forever. 

Content creation is also powerful because it’s a reliable and cost-effective way to consistently generate organic traffic to your website. If your landing pages are optimized for conversions, you’ll boost your sales and lead generation efforts along the way. 

However, you need to stay organized, or the whole thing will fall apart. 

Here’s a look at the benefits of taking the time to form an in-depth digital content strategy. 

Benefit #1: Clarity & Focus

• It eliminates guesswork: A strategy outlines your audience, goals, and what content will help you achieve those goals.
• A strong strategy aligns the team: Everyone knows what needs to be done and why, promoting efficiency and collaboration.

Benefit #2:  Improved Results & ROI

• Targeted content: Your efforts will place your content in front of the right people at the right time, increasing the likelihood of conversions.
• Data-driven decisions: With tracking and analysis built into your strategy, you’ll optimize what works and cut what doesn’t, maximizing your ROI.

Benefit #3:  Building Brand Authority

• Consistency builds trust: A cohesive brand voice and high-quality content position you as a knowledgeable and reliable authority figure in your field. Consistent efforts will help you achieve the coveted and much sought-after thought leader status. 
• Thought leadership: Become a go-to source of information in your industry. Thought leadership blogs are relatively inexpensive to produce, and they can yield impressive results. In fact, 55% of brands gain new clients thanks to their blogging efforts, and marketers that prioritize blogging see a 13x higher ROI than those who do not. 

Benefit #4:  Increased Efficiency & Consistency

• Content calendars save time: With a detailed content calendar, you won’t be scrambling at the last minute to come up with posts.
• Repurposing power: A single strong piece of content can be adapted into multiple formats like infographics, blogs, and videos.

Benefit #5:  Competitive Advantage

• Stand out from the noise: A well-executed strategy helps you outshine competitors who are simply winging it (the chances are there are many).
• Adaptability: Your strategy allows you to respond to industry shifts and pivot when needed.

How to Develop a Digital Content Strategy in 10 Steps 

Consistently knocking it out of the park with outstanding content for your audience is definitely easier said than done. 

That’s why you need to know the core components of a winning content strategy. 

Whether you’re sitting on a vast content library or are about to sit down to write your first blog, these 10 steps will teach you how to develop a content strategy from scratch. 

#1: Audit your existing content 

Before you do anything, you need to know where you stand SEO-wise, which means auditing the content you’ve already published to ensure it’s properly optimized. 

This step won’t apply if you don’t have existing content on your website. However, it will apply once you’ve accrued a library of content, as regular audits are necessary for a healthy SEO profile. 

Here’s what a thorough content audit entails:

• Understand your audience’s preferences. Diving into your analytics will help you realize which types of content receive the most engagement and shares. Take notes on what your audience finds valuable and aim to produce similar types of content in the future. 

• Identify outdated content. If some of your content is no longer accurate or relevant, it will only hurt your user experience and credibility. Create a list of aging content that needs updating to become relevant again. 

• Find content gaps. Do you have a well-rounded content library that touches on all aspects of your business, or are you oversaturating one topic?

• Keyword optimization. During the content audit, pay attention to the target keywords (if any) for each post. If your older posts aren’t specifically targeting relevant keywords, edit them so that they do. 

• Goal alignment. A content audit will also let you know if the content you’re currently producing is inching you closer to your current goals or not. 

To summarize, a content audit bolsters your overall content strategy by discovering what works, removing what doesn’t, and making sure all your content pieces work together as a cohesive whole. 

#2: Clearly define your content goals 

A winning digital content strategy begins with a crystal-clear understanding of what you want to achieve for your business. Don’t fall into the trap of vague goals.

Here’s an example of a poorly defined goal:

To achieve higher SERP rankings and generate more revenue. 

This goal is far too scarce on essential details like a timeframe and specific targets to hit. 

Here’s a better version of the same goal:

To rank in the top 5 for our target keyword and increase revenue by 2x in 14 months. 

By now, the goal has some specifics you can sink your teeth into when developing the rest of your strategy. You know that you want to rank within the top 5 and see a twofold increase in revenue, and you’re giving yourself 14 months to make it happen. 

Not only will this better inform your overall content strategy, but it will also give you clear metrics to measure your success. 

#3: Develop a customer avatar 

Next, you need to get inside the heads of your target audience to better understand how they behave as consumers. 

How do you do that?

The best way is to create a detailed customer avatar (aka buyer persona), which is a consumer profile representing one of your typical audience members.

Your customer avatar needs the following:

• A Name 
• Age 
• Occupation 
• Interests
• Hobbies
• Consumer habits
• Pain points 

Feel free to get as detailed as you want with your avatar, as you can even include a picture if that helps you. The purpose of a customer avatar is to understand what your potential customers want and how they think. 

That will make it far easier to develop relevant content ideas that will appeal to them, which will help you achieve your content goals. 

Creating a customer avatar requires lots of research. In particular, you need to read and analyze:

• Customer interviews. Sit down and talk with your customers to peer inside their minds. What makes them get up in the morning? Are there any specific things that attracted them to your brand? 

• Surveys. Customer surveys are another great way to get in touch with your audience, specifically about the things they like/don’t like.

• Product reviews. What do past customers have to say about your products and services? Looking up third-party reviews is an effective way to learn more about your target audience. 

#4: Assemble a content creation team 

How do you plan on creating all the content you need for your strategy?

This is a question you need to ask yourself before you go any further with your content plans. 

You’ll need to decide how much content you’ll create by yourself (if any), how much your in-house team will handle (if you have one), and how much you’ll outsource to freelancers/automate with AI. 

If you plan on tackling some of the content yourself, do a ‘test run’ to see if it’s realistically feasible with your schedule (content creation is notoriously time-consuming, so beware). 

If not, consider services like iWriter and UpWork, as they’re excellent resources for finding freelance content creators – including writers, editors, graphic designers, web developers, and more.

You may also need to hire videographers and video editors for your video content, or you can choose to film it in-house. It’s crucial to work out the logistics of your videos before shooting to determine if you need elaborate production or if winging it with an iPhone and Windows Movie Maker can work. 

Publishing content can also be a challenge if you don’t have experience. If you don’t know how to upload content to a CMS (content management system) like WordPress, you’ll need to hire a freelancer to handle that for you as well. 

#5: Gather the necessary tools and resources

A well-planned digital content strategy isn’t just about the content itself; it’s about having the right tools to streamline the process. 

Here’s a look at what you’ll need at each step of the way:

#6: Conduct SEO keyword research

Once you’ve got your team and tools in place, it’s time to start conducting keyword research – not only for SEO purposes but also to guide your content strategy in the right direction.

Keywords or search queries are what your target audience types into search engines to find information about products and services related to what you do. 

By uncovering and targeting these keywords, you’ll not only appeal to search engines, but you’ll also better understand the types of content your target audience is looking for the most. 

It always helps to consider an example, so let’s say you sell gardening tools online. 

After doing a little digging using our free keyword planner tool, you land upon the long-tail keyword ‘how to prune roses.’

It has a high search volume and an upward trend, which means ranking for it will benefit your SEO profile. In addition, the keyword provides a hint at which type of content you should produce for it. 

Since it’s clear that lots of people want to learn how to prune roses (and the keyword has informational intent notated by the blue lowercase ‘i’), developing a how-to guide or tutorial in either video or blog format is the way to go. 

Ideally, your piece of content will begin to attract organic visitors eager to learn how to prune their garden roses properly. With a well-placed CTA or lead magnet, this helpful how-to guide will start generating sales & leads for your business. 

That’s a brief and idealistic breakdown of keyword research, but the principle is there. You need to identify trending keywords in your niche to create content for, and our free tool can help with that.

#7: Brainstorm content ideas for your keywords 

Once you have at least two to three keywords to target per piece of content, you can start brainstorming ideas for them. 

Pay attention to the intent behind the keyword, as that will provide clues to what type of content you should create. Is it informational? Then, you should consider blog posts, guides, and how-to posts. If it’s commercial, product reviews and free demos are the way to go. 

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what to produce, but you should base your decisions on your research. 

Let’s say you own a gardening accessories store and want to promote your gardening hoes. 

A quick look at our free keyword planner might initially discourage you – the term “how to use a garden hoe” seems to be on a downward trend. 

However, a gem emerges: “hoe garden tool” has a much better trend. Also, this has commercial intent – as signified by the tiny skyscraper next to it

This means the user is actively comparing gardening tools, which gives you the chance to land a conversion if your content is convincing enough. 

Content ideas:

Blog: A blog post like “The Top 10 Hoe Garden Tools You Must Try” is perfect for this keyword.  Review a mix of popular tools, including your own. Call-out boxes and a compelling CTA naturally promote your product.

Video demo: Consider a short video demonstrating the effectiveness and unique features of your gardening tool. Share it on YouTube and social platforms where how-to searches are common.

Infographic: Create a visually appealing infographic comparing different garden hoe types (draw hoe, scuffle hoe, etc.). Include the pros, cons, and best uses of each, all while subtly highlighting your own product’s strengths.

Key takeaway: Let trending keywords guide your content types. Pay close attention to the search intent behind the terms to ensure your content meets the searcher’s needs.

Other things to consider: 

Audience: Factor in your target audience’s age, online habits, and preferred platforms.  Younger audiences might respond best to short, engaging videos on TikTok as opposed to blog posts on LinkedIn (which are better for B2B decision-makers).

Goals: Are you aiming for brand awareness, product education, or direct sales? This influences content type.

Repurposing: Can a single piece of core content (like a blog post) be adapted into social posts, a short video, or an infographic?

Experiment: Don’t be afraid to try different formats. Tracking engagement helps you refine your choices over time.

#8: Create a content roadmap 

By now, you should have a list of relevant keywords and content ideas to go along with them. 

Yet, you still need to map out your path to victory via a content roadmap.

A content roadmap is a detailed, visual timeline that outlines your planned content initiatives.

It’s a centralized, ‘living’ document that guides your content strategy, not just a list of topics you want to cover.

 A content roadmap is usually a spreadsheet that includes the following:

• Content titles and topics
• Target keywords
• Content formats (blog posts, videos, social media, etc.)
• Publication dates or deadlines
• Responsible team members
• Distribution channels (blog, social media, email, etc.)
• Metrics and KPIs to track success

Why is a content roadmap important?

Alignment: A content map ensures that every piece you produce supports your overall business goals. It keeps everyone on your team working towards the same objectives, which is a plus. 

Organization: Content maps reduce chaos, which most organizations have an abundance of already. It also provides structure for content planning, assigning tasks, and staying on schedule.

Accountability: The map clarifies ownership of each content piece and its deadlines.

Adaptability: While a roadmap provides a plan, it also allows for flexibility as you track results and make adjustments based on audience engagement.

Long-term vision: A content roadmap helps you see the big picture and spot gaps or overlaps in your content calendar.

You should aim for a mix of evergreen and timely topics to achieve the best of both worlds. While your evergreen pieces continue to put in work for you, your timely pieces will ensure you capitalize on massive spikes of traffic that occur from reporting on buzzing topics. 

If you focus entirely on producing evergreen content, you’ll miss out on these traffic spikes – which can mean missing out on potential revenue and boosted brand awareness. 

When forming your release schedule, ensure that you’re blogging at least 2 – 4 times a week to see the best results. 

You should also factor in niche holidays that matter to your target audience, as publishing content around these events can help you generate more traffic and build a loyal following.

Want to learn more about content roadmaps? Check out our comprehensive guide to content mapping now. 

#9: Create and publish content 

Now that all the prep work is done (yeah, it’s a lot), you can finally start creating and publishing your own content. 

Along the way, keep an eye on your project management tools to ensure everything is going smoothly. 

Make sure that your content creation team knows when each piece is due to keep things running smoothly. Also, do your best to provide them with supplementary information like outlines, style guides, and detailed instructions. 

#10: Analyze data & monitor progress

While content marketing and SEO take time to start gaining traction, you should keep an eye on essential metrics and key performance indicators as soon as possible. 

That means checking Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor your SERP rankings, organic traffic, and conversion rates. 

If you don’t see the results you want within a few months, it’s a sign that you need to go back to the drawing board and try something else.

Common Digital Content Strategy Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake #1: Quantity over Quality

Some site owners are too eager to fill up their websites with lots of content, causing them to go for quantity over quality. 

However, this is a mistake because thin, poorly thought-out content dilutes brand messaging, fails to engage readers, and hurts search rankings.

Patience is a virtue here, so focus on creating fewer, higher-quality pieces instead of going ham with AI-generated content. 

Mistake #2: Neglecting SEO

Creating content isn’t just about providing value to your target audience (although that should be goal #1). Search engine optimization exists for a reason, so you don’t want to neglect SEO’s role in the process. 

That means you must dive into thorough keyword research, utilize a proper site structure, and build high-value links from trusted websites. 

Mistake #3: Ignoring your audience 

You should never create a piece of content on a whim because it’s what you think your audience wants. Even if you’re extremely familiar with your audience, every piece of content requires in-depth research to ensure it’s viable. 

Otherwise, you risk lowering your engagement, missing opportunities for lead generation, and forming a disconnect between your brand and its potential customers. 

Mistake #4: Not creating content for every stage of the sales funnel

Content plays a crucial role at each step of the buyer’s journey, so you shouldn’t limit your focus to only one stage of your sales funnel. 

Why is that?

It’s because only focusing on one stage will cause you to miss out on potential leads and conversions. 

For instance, some businesses only create content for prospects at the bottom of the funnel (BOFU), which is content that aims to convert. While scoring conversions is always great, this technique fails to cater to prospects who aren’t ready to make an immediate purchase. 

That’s why you need to produce content for each stage of your sales funnel. Here’s a quick breakdown of what that looks like:

TOFU (top-of-the-funnel): At this stage, the prospect is looking for information, usually to educate themselves by answering a question. Content types include informative blogs, videos, and infographics. 

MOFU (middle-of-the-funnel): By now, the prospect wants to learn more about your products and services. Content types for this stage include product videos, nurturing emails, eBooks, and webinars. 

BOFU (bottom-of-the-funnel): This is where the prospect is ready to make a purchase; you just have to convince them that you’re the best. BOFU content includes glowing reviews & testimonials, product demo videos, and blog posts that link to product pages.

Understanding the distinct needs of potential customers at each stage will ensure you reach all your prospects, not just the ones looking for information or making a purchase.

Putting Together a Digital Content Strategy That Works for You

That’s what it takes to develop a successful digital content strategy for any business.

As long as you base all your decisions on informed research, develop a content roadmap, and monitor your progress, you shouldn’t have trouble getting a winning content strategy off the ground.

Ready to take your content to the next level?

Let the experts at The HOTH do the heavy lifting. Our managed content services deliver a data-driven content strategy, granting you the freedom to focus on growing your business.

Then look no further than our managed content services at The HOTH. Our team of digital marketing & SEO gurus will provide a winning digital content strategy for you so you can focus on running your business. 

The post 10 Steps to Create a Winning Digital Content Strategy appeared first on The HOTH.

Our guess is never. 

That’s because a typical purchasing experience is much more complex than ‘see the product, buy the product.’

Instead, there are levels to this, which is why you need to use content mapping. 

In particular, those levels comprise your buyer’s journey and the different stages of your sales funnel – and content mapping is how you present the right c

In particular, there are levels to your buyer’s journey and sales funnel. 

For example, the levels of a typical customer’s journey look something like this:

1. Research products and services using a search engine like Google (this is the first step for 89% of customers online). 
2. Compare a few different providers to determine who has the highest quality, most affordable offering. 
3. Make an ultimate decision and make a purchase. 

These correspond directly with the levels of your sales funnel:

1. Awareness. The prospect becomes aware of your brand. 
2. Consideration. They begin researching your products and services. 
3. Decision. They decide to purchase something from you. 

A content map helps you develop the right type of content for each level since each stage has different content needs. 

During the awareness stage, prospects are looking for informative and educational content. Once you have their interest, then you move on to content like buyer’s guides, testimonials, and reviews to convince them to buy something. 

Stay tuned to learn how you can develop a detailed content map to ensure you always deliver the perfect content at the right time for your audience (making you appear like a mind reader in the process).  

What Is Content Mapping? 

A content map aligns your brand’s content with a typical customer’s buying journey. 

It’s a literal blueprint that visualizes:

• The specific people you’re trying to reach (their interests, desires, pain points, etc.).
• The stage of the sales funnel they’re in (awareness, consideration, decision).
• The kind of content that best resonates with your audience at each stage of their journey (blog posts, videos, infographics, etc). 
• The end goal of each piece of content (to educate, generate leads, drive sales, etc.).

Why Bother with Content Mapping?

If you’ve put in the SEO work and your web pages are ranking well, you may not feel the need to bother creating a content map. 

After all, if it’s not broken, why fix it?

However, you need to ask yourself a very important question:

Are my search rankings translating into the results I want for my business?

#1 search rankings are great, but if your conversion rates, bounce rates, and dwell times are less than stellar, you’re doing something wrong. 

For example, if you’re ranking in the #1 spot for crucial ‘money’ keywords (keywords that drive purchases), but you still have low conversion rates – that’s a telltale sign that your content is failing you. 

With the lack of a content map, you may create content that doesn’t fully satisfy your visitor’s search intent (the reason they clicked on the page in the first place). 

If a visitor wants to learn more about your brand but gets directed to a hard-sell product page straight off the bat, they may get turned off and click back to the search results. 

That’s why content mapping and SEO go hand-in-hand. 

A content map maximizes your SEO investment by ensuring you’re delivering the right content to satisfy search intent. This means more conversions, happy visitors, and a stronger brand reputation.

If you’re ready to see your SEO efforts pay off, let’s explore how a content map will transform your customer experience.

How to Create a Content Map

Just as a pirate’s treasure map leads to treasure, your content map leads you to more online revenue. 

However, you need to know how to create a quality content map for it to work. Otherwise, it will lead you to a pile of coal instead of a pot of gold. 

To create a content map, you need to understand your target audience, which brings us to the first step.

Step #1: Build buyer personas

A buyer persona (also called a customer avatar) is a fictional representative of a member of your target audience. It’s a tool for familiarizing yourself with your target audience by outlining their key characteristics, challenges, and motivations.

Personas help you tailor your content to truly resonate with your audience’s needs, desires, pain points, and interests. 

When done correctly, this leads to more engagement and better results from your content strategy.

Let’s work together and create a buyer persona from scratch. 

We’ll say that your fictional company is Acme Solutions, a software company specializing in human resources management software.  

Demographics

Start with the basics like: 

• Name: Overworked Olivia  
• Age range: 32 – 45 
• Gender (if applicable to your product/service): Female
• Location (general region or even specific cities): Suburban/urban areas 
• Job title/Industry: HR hiring manager  
• Income level/Budget: Willing to make a modest investment to improve productivity and time management 
• Education level: College graduate 
• Hobbies: Reading novels, gardening 

Pain points 

What problems does your ideal customer experience that your product or service can solve? Be as specific as possible.

As an example for Overworked Olivia, many recruiting specialists struggle with finding enough time to review all the resumes they receive for open positions. The average open job position receives hundreds of applications, which provides a daunting amount of work for hiring managers. 

If you were selling automated applicant tracking software, you’ve got the perfect solution to her problem, so you should create content based around that pain point. 

You could draw her in with a blog piece like ‘How to Easily Manage Hundreds of Applications’ where you show off the automated features of your applicant tracking system. 

That’s one simple example of how you can use your audience’s problems and pain points to market your products and services. 

Goals 

What is your ideal customer hoping to achieve? What are their aspirations, both personally and professionally? How does this align with what you offer?

It could be that your target audience wants to learn a new skill to take their career to the next level, and you sell a product that teaches them that skill. 

For Overworked Olivia, she wants to increase productivity and improve her time management. She also wants to gain better visibility into ongoing projects and her current workload. 

If you’re able to align your product/service offerings with your audience’s goals, you’ll have an easy time convincing them to make a purchase. 

Motivations

What truly drives their decisions? Is it a desire for status, security, convenience, or something else? Understanding motivations helps you craft more persuasive messaging.

This goes a bit deeper than appealing to your audience’s goals. 

In particular, someone’s goals are usually driven by their motivations. For instance, if your prospects goal is to advance their career, their motivations are likely to achieve higher status and more security – which you can play to with your content. 

Overworked Olivia, as her nickname implies, is overworked and highly stressed. She’s motivated by a desire to free up more of her time and de-stress during the workday. 

Online behavior

To really understand your ideal customer, you can also peer inside your customer’s minds by frequenting their favorite online haunts. Think: 

Social media platforms: Your audience’s preferred social media platforms influence your content’s format, tone, and promotion. LinkedIn = professional tone. Instagram/TikTok = informal and fun. 

Websites and blogs: These let you know the type of content your audience regularly consumes online, so take notes.

Search terms: Specific keywords have the power to uncover your audience’s search intent and the problems they need solutions to. 

If you don’t have that kind of data yet, then now is the time to get cracking and start talking to your customers. 

For Overworked Olivia, she searches Google for phrases like ‘best HR software for saving time.’ She also reads HR industry blogs and follows relevant social media influencers. She subscribes to an HR newsletter for business tips, and she prefers blog posts and short explainer videos. 

Tips for creating buyer personas 

Here are some pro tips for creating buyer personas from scratch:

Don’t rely on guesswork. Conduct interviews with existing customers, analyze your sales data, and use website analytics tools to gather hard insights into your audience’s behavior.

Interview real customers. Nothing beats direct conversations for understanding motivations and pain points.

Give your personas names and personalities. This makes them more relatable and will help you remember key details about their motivations/desires/pain points (e.g., “Data-Driven Dave” or “Ambitious Anna”).

Create 3-5 personas to represent the main segments of your target audience. Instead of treating customer personas as a ‘one-and-done’ deal, you should create multiple personas for each segment of your target audience. If your products and services appeal to multiple demographics, then each one needs a buyer persona. 

Regularly revisit your personas and update them as your business and customer base evolve. Tastes and needs change with time, so your personas will grow stagnant over time. Regularly revisit and update your buyer personas to ensure they stay fresh and relevant. 

Step #2: Understand your buyer’s journey 

Next, it’s time to map out the unique buyer’s journey for each one of your personas.

The buyer’s journey consists of three main stages: Awareness, Consideration, and Decision.

For this section, we’ll preview each stage of the buyer’s journey to ‘Overworked Olivia,’ our fictional buyer persona. 

She’s an HR professional who has far too many responsibilities and tasks to keep track of during the day. As a result, she’s teetering on burnout and seriously needs a productivity solution to stay organized and take some of the work off her hands. 

Your fictional software company has the perfect solution: a comprehensive human capital management (HCM) system that automates repetitive tasks and stores all employee records in one location. 

Here’s how you can map out content for Olivia during each stage of her buyer’s journey:

1. Awareness stage

At this stage, the buyer has become aware that they have a problem or a need. They may not have a clear definition of it yet, but they’re beginning to experience some pain points or are seeking to improve something (i.e., their mental health, physical fitness, career advancement, etc).

In the case of Overworked Olivia, she’s feeling overwhelmed and knows she needs a change, but she’s not yet aware of the specific solutions available. 

Content focus: Aim for educational and thought-leadership content that helps the prospect understand their problem and positions you as an insightful resource.

Awareness stage content should focus on informing and educating your audience above all else. Avoid hard-sell tactics at this stage, as your primary goal is to position your brand as a helpful resource that will answer their questions and provide solutions to problems. 

In addition to providing answers and solutions, awareness stage content can also help define a problem your target audience wasn’t yet aware they had – like that Olivia is feeling burned out due to the lack of HCM software. 

So, we want to let Overworked Olivia know that A) she has a problem and B) that we can solve it. 

Here are some content ideas:

• Blog post: ‘How Stressed-Out HR Managers Can Boost Productivity’
• Infographic: ‘5 Signs Your Business Needs HCM Software’ 
• Social media posts: Short posts providing tips on how to automate tasks using HCM features

2. Consideration stage

The buyer has now defined their problem and is actively seeking solutions. They’re busy comparing options, weighing pros and cons, and looking for anything that will help them make the most informed decision.

Olivia is now aware that HCM software will make her life a lot easier. She’s actively researching software tools, and she’s comparing features and pricing. 

Content focus: Provide content highlighting your product/service as a solution, demonstrating its benefits, and addressing common objections. Formats like comparison guides, case studies, testimonial videos, and demos are valuable here.

At this stage, your goal is to convince your audience that your brand stands tall above the competition. That means providing plenty of social proof via case studies and testimonials to show off your past successes. 

For Olivia, we want to convince her that our HCM software is the no-brainer choice for her specific needs. 

Here are some content ideas:

• Case studies: Success stories from HR professionals who used your software 
• Webinars: In-depth demonstrations of what your software can do (and comparisons to competitors) 
• Product reviews/testimonials: Highlight positive reviews and testimonials from past customers vouching for the quality of your product. 

3. Decision stage

The buyer has nearly made up their mind and is ready to commit to a particular solution/vendor. They’re likely conducting a few final comparisons of their top options, and it’s up to the strength of your decision stage content to ensure your brand comes out on top. 

Overworked Olivia is just about ready to commit to your software, but she has a few lingering doubts. As a result, she’s doing some final searches to compare the price, value, and learning curve of your product compared to her second most-liked option. 

Content focus: Content for decision-stage buyers could offer free trials, personalized pricing consultations, testimonials, and any further information that reassures them of their choice. Also, hit potential customers with strong product pages containing your highest converting CTAs (calls to action).

Here are some content ideas for Olivia:

• Free trials or product demos: Give Olivia hands-on experience with your tool to put her mind at ease regarding the learning curve. 
• Pricing guides: A pricing guide provides Olivia with different pricing plans that cater to her budget needs. 
• Dedicated consultations: A consultation gives Olivia the chance to ask any lingering questions she has about the product. 

Bonus: Delight stage 

Some models expand the buyer’s journey to include post-purchase stages focused on customer retention and advocacy.

After all, it would be a shame to convert a prospect only to lose their repeat business down the line. 

By ‘delighting’ your customers with additional content and support, you’re showing that you value their business – and that you’ll do whatever you can to provide helpful resources. 

At this point, Olivia has decided to implement your software. Now, the challenge becomes ensuring she gets maximum value out of your program and becomes a lifelong customer and brand advocate. 

Content focus: Onboarding materials, knowledge bases, exclusive content, and community-building initiatives help keep customers engaged and successful, turning them into advocates for your brand.

Here are some delight stage content ideas for Overworked Olivia:

• Onboarding tutorials: Easy-to-follow setup guides and tutorials for using your software. 
• Knowledge base articles: Olivia can reference these if she runs into an issue or doesn’t know how to access a certain feature. 
• Community forums: If Olivia runs into a particularly perplexing problem, she can ask some of the user experts on your community forums for assistance. 

Step #3: Conduct a content audit

Before you start pumping out new content, you’ve got to know what you already have. A content audit helps you identify gaps, repurpose existing assets, and streamline your content strategy. Here’s how to knock one out:

Step 1: Gather your inventory

Create a content master list: Use a spreadsheet or a content management tool to compile a comprehensive list of ALL your existing content. Include:

Blog posts

Website pages (landing pages, product pages, etc.)

Videos (webinars, explainer videos, etc.)

Social media posts (if they contain substantial content)

Ebooks, whitepapers, reports

  Slide decks

Any other content formats you use

Step 2: Analyze and categorize

For each content piece, record the following:

Topic: What is the main subject matter?

Content format: Text, video, infographic, podcast, etc.

Buyer’s journey stage: Which stage does it primarily address (awareness, consideration, decision)?

Additional notes: You might add columns for publication date, keywords, performance metrics like page views and social engagement (if available), and any additional relevant observations.

Why does a content audit matter?

This sounds like a lot of work—and it is—but it’s worth it. So, dig in and be as thorough as possible. The more complete your inventory, the better insights you’ll gain from it.

Also, don’t be afraid to prune the hedges. 

If any of your content is outdated or irrelevant, don’t hesitate to mark it as a candidate for removal or optimization.

Once the content audit is complete, you’ll have a crystal clear picture of what you have, what’s working well, and where your strategy might have gaps. 

This sets you up perfectly for the next step: identifying new content opportunities.

Step #4: Identify content gaps and opportunities

Now that you’ve audited your content, it’s time to pinpoint areas for improvement and expansion. 

In particular, you need to keep an eye out for:

• Gaps in the buyer’s journey 
• Topics you haven’t covered yet 
• Existing content that needs updating 

Gaps in the buyer’s journey

Analyze your content audit. 

Do you have sufficient content for each stage of the buyer’s journey (awareness, consideration, decision)? 

If not, those are immediate content gaps, and they aren’t good. They could cause prospects to fall out of your sales funnel, so you should avoid them. 

Refer back to your buyer personas. Does your existing content address all their pain points, questions, and aspirations? Have you drafted content that educates and persuades users to make a purchase?

Identify topics you haven’t covered

Are there industry trends, competitor offerings, or common customer questions that your content library lacks?

Keyword research tools (SEMrush, Ahrefs, etc.) can help uncover popular topics relevant to your personas.

You can also check popular online forums like Reddit and question/answer platforms like Quora to peek deeper inside the minds of your target audience. 

Upgrade existing content

Can you transform existing content assets into new formats to reach a wider audience? Here are a few ideas:

Can successful content be repurposed into different formats? For example, a popular blog post could be repurposed into a video or an infographic – both of which increase the chances of users sharing your content (infographics and videos generate more shares than regular blog posts).

Are there outdated pieces that need updating or can be combined for a more comprehensive resource?

Does underperforming content have the potential to be optimized with better keywords, a stronger call to action, or new visuals?

This is a lot to take in, we know, but you shouldn’t panic. 

Here are some questions to help you identify your content gaps. 

Where do your competitors excel? What content are they creating that you aren’t? (Don’t copy – but look for inspiration!)

What are people asking? Monitor industry forums, social media, and customer support inquiries to identify common questions and knowledge gaps.

Where are potential customers dropping off? Analyze your website analytics to see which pages have high bounce rates or where fall out of your sales funnel (i.e., at the decision stage). This can point to content weaknesses.

Where are potential customers getting stuck in their journey? Do you need more content to move them to the next stage?

What questions keep coming up in sales conversations? Could content preemptively address these and streamline their decision?

Step #5: Create your content mapYour content map is the beating heart of your content strategy. It combines all your previous work’s insights and lays out a clear execution plan.

If you’re just starting out, an Excel spreadsheet is a simple and accessible way to organize your content map. Start with a template and customize it to your needs. It should include the following columns:

Content Title/Topic: A brief description of the content piece.

Content Format: Text (blog, article), video, infographic, podcast, etc.

Target Persona: Which of your buyer personas does the content primarily address (e.g., “Overworked Olivia”)?

Buyer’s Journey Stage: Where does the content fit (awareness, consideration, decision)

Keywords: Primary and secondary keywords targeted by the content.

Distribution Channels: Where you’ll promote the content (social media platforms, email newsletter, website, etc.)

Here is an example: 

You can also add additional columns, including:

• Publication Date: For scheduling content
• Owner: The person responsible for creating the content.
• Status: (Idea, in progress, published, etc.)
• Notes: Any additional details or context

The sky’s the limit! With that said, don’t feel pressured into using all the additional columns at first. Expand as needed.

The outcome: Your content map is a blueprint to guide your content creation. It ensures strategic alignment with your goals and audiences, leading to a more effective content marketing strategy overall.

Final Thoughts: Content Mapping is Worth the Effort 

Content mapping may seem like an extra step, but it’s a vital one that pays off in the long run. 

Your content will make or break your entire SEO campaign, so it’s worth putting in the prep time to ensure it’s successful. 

By making candid efforts to better understand your target audience and align your content with their needs, you’ll transform your content marketing from a guessing game into a lead-generating, customer-delighting machine.

If you want to enjoy a winning SEO strategy (complete with a content map) without having to lift a finger or learn any confusing jargon, don’t wait to check out HOTH X, our renowned managed SEO service.        

The post Content Mapping: The Secret to Reading Your Customer’s Minds appeared first on The HOTH.

Or maybe you’re an independent site owner who doesn’t have a marketing team, meaning you’re spread even thinner (and are likely approaching burnout if you aren’t there already). 

Between social media marketing, managing paid ads, and engaging in email marketing campaigns – there’s not much time for anything else. 

The problem?

You’re forgetting about SEO (search engine optimization), one of the most critical marketing channels. 

Every business today needs a strong online presence if it wants to grow, and increasing visibility on search engines like Google is crucial for long-term growth. 

Yet, SEO is a complicated process that entails decades’ worth of knowledge obtained from successful experimentation and best practices developed by marketers and website owners. 

That’s not even mentioning the baffling amount of lingo involved in the industry, which is enough to turn off most small business owners from the get-go. 

The good news is that outsourcing SEO services is easier than ever, as there’s no shortage of freelancers and SEO agencies out there ready and willing to take the entire process off your hands (and all the complexity that comes with it). 

There’s a lot to consider when outsourcing SEO services, so stick around to learn how to find the perfect provider for your needs.

Why is SEO Outsourcing Worth Your Time and Money?

SEO has proved to be an Energizer bunny of sorts, as it just keeps going. 

In lieu of the fact that it’s become trendy for online marketers to declare ‘SEO is dead’ every few years, it remains one of the most effective marketing channels. 

Organic clicks (meaning the users clicked on a Google search result and not a paid ad) still account for 45.1% of all search engine clicks – proving that users trust organically ranked search results above other options.  

While zero-click searches are on the rise, savvy SEO agencies can still leverage these in your favor by increasing your brand visibility. 

It’s also true that  89% of internet users begin their buying process on search engines like Google and Bing. 

So, if your website isn’t optimized to rank high on search engines, you’re missing out on all that potential traffic. This is why SEO is worth your time and money.

Besides capitalizing on users ready to make a purchase, SEO content works at every level of your sales funnel. 

Even if users aren’t ready to buy anything yet – informative blog content that answers their questions will establish you as a thought leader, which is an extremely valuable position to hold (especially for B2B companies).

What’s so special about being a thought leader

It’s no secret that consumers prefer companies that they trust and respect, which is what forming thought leadership is all about. 

According to a study by Edelman and LinkedIn, almost 90% of C-level decision-makers feel thought leadership impacts their opinions of a company. 

In other words, strong SEO content will help you earn the trust of your most important prospects. 

Planting a Seed: Outsourcing SEO Will Help Your Business Grow 

At The HOTH, we’ve helped countless websites significantly grow their online presence, reputation, and customer base with our SEO prowess, so we can attest to its power first-hand. 

Here’s a look at the referring domains and organic traffic growth of one of our clients:

As you can see, shortly after we started working with them in November of 2021, the results started rolling in, and they haven’t let up yet. 

If we hadn’t taken the wheel for their SEO strategy, they’d still be virtually unknown online. 

Instead, they’re ranking for thousands of keywords (63 of which are in the top 3), and they’re consistently generating $1.3k worth of organic traffic. 

That means whenever users search for keywords related to their business, products, and services, their brand appears at the top of the results. 

Key Point: How do we calculate the value of organic traffic?

When analyzing SEO metrics, you may notice a dollar amount next to a website’s organic traffic. This is the expected revenue a business should see from generating a specific amount of monthly traffic – and it’s based on concrete numbers. 

Here’s a breakdown of the formula we use (it sounds more complicated than it is):

Organic traffic value = monthly traffic (average order size x conversion rate) 

Put simply; the formula combines a site’s monthly traffic, its click-through rate (how many users actually click through to their landing page), the average order size, and conversion rate (how many visitors actually make a purchase). 

So, if a company sees 2,500 visitors each month, has an average order size of $20, and converts 2.6% of visitors – its organic traffic value would look like this:

2,500 (20 *0.026) = 1,300

This means the company can expect to earn $1,300 worth of revenue from the 2,500 visitors it generates from search engines each month.  

Which SEO Services Can You Outsource?

SEO is an umbrella term that encompasses many different tactics and marketing techniques, such as link-building, content creation, and keyword research. 

Did we mention that SEO was complicated yet?

On the plus side, you can easily outsource every service that SEO encompasses; you just have to know what your needs are first. 

Once again, you should double-check that each agency you look into offers the services you want, as not every agency will offer every service on this list (except us).

Link-building 

If you want to dominate the SERPs on Google, you need lots of high-authority websites vouching for your content via backlinks.

For quick reference, a backlink is a link on another website that ‘points back’ to yours, hence the name.  Google’s ranking algorithm is similar to academic papers, which cite trusted sources to back up their claims, although backlinks replace citations.

Therefore, if trusted websites link to your content, it signals to Google that your content is also trustworthy. 

Link-building is one of the most challenging aspects of SEO, which is why so many businesses and websites choose to outsource it. 

That’s because it takes a lot of work to convince authoritative websites to link back to your content. 

If you don’t have existing relationships with relevant sites in your industry, the process becomes even more difficult. 

At The HOTH, our clients enjoy targeted Link Outreach, Link Insertions, Press Releases, and Content Syndication services that leverage our network of 300+ media outlets and news sites. Since we’ve built existing relationships with sites from virtually every niche, we’re able to consistently build high-quality link placements to boost search rankings.  

Keyword research and content creation

Remember how we said achieving thought leadership was a major goal of any SEO campaign?

Well, you have to publish a staggering amount of content to achieve thought-leader status in your field. 

Outsourcing your content creation is a great way to keep up with the Joneses without having to work around the clock. 

Our Blog Content and Website Content Writing services ensure our clients’ content remains remarkably consistent in both quality and publishing frequency. 

Currently, lots of businesses are using AI to keep up with their content demands, but AI content creation is a subtle art that few have mastered. 

We offer AI Content Plus, which is our AI-plus-human-powered content creation service that achieves the best of both worlds (speed plus creativity).

Our AI-powered content creation tools provide plenty of speed, as they can generate content within seconds. After that, our human editors come in to provide a unique, creative punch to ensure the content stands out from the crowd (and contains some original insights). 

Technical SEO 

There are loads of factors going on behind the scenes that affect your performance on search engines. 

If your site runs slow or if you have lots of duplicate content, you could all but disappear from the SERPs entirely. 

This is another aspect of SEO that’s mercilessly complicated, and it can be quite intimidating for SMBs (small-to-medium-sized businesses). 

For example, if you want to rank on Google’s search results pages, your website must pass the Core Web Vitals test. 

This test measures not only the loading speed of your site but also its stability and interactivity. If you aren’t able to pass the test, Google won’t feel comfortable ranking you since you could have a negative effect on its user experience (they don’t want search users to click on sites that won’t load quickly). 

If you’ve been having problems with these types of issues, a technical SEO audit will restore your website to optimal health.

Local SEO 

Local businesses face a whole host of unique SEO challenges, which is why local SEO is its own subgenre (sort of like acid jazz).

Google Business Profile (GBP) is the main platform local businesses use to capitalize on relevant search keywords. 

It provides a free business profile containing a business’s NAP (name, address, and phone number) in addition to:

• Hours of operation
• Photos
• Offers
• Reviews (and review responses) 
• Posts (which are essential for local SEO) 

GBP is also required to be featured in local map packs, a SERP feature that appears for most local searches. 

What’s a local map pack?

It’s a Google Map integration that appears at the top of the results whenever a user searches for a business near them. It will highlight a handful of businesses in the area, including their location on the map, business hours, and average customer rating. 

Local keyword research is also unique, as you’ll want to target keywords that include cities, towns, and states.

The Benefits of Outsourcing SEO

Besides expanding your online reach and earning more money, let’s take a look at the other benefits involved with outsourcing SEO services.

Outsourcing SEO is extremely cost-effective 

Building an in-house team of SEO professionals is costly, especially for smaller websites that don’t have large marketing budgets. 

Hiring and recruiting top SEO specialists isn’t cheap, and that’s not to mention other expenses like onboarding, salary, benefits, and training. 

It will also take some time to assemble the right team for your needs, as you may have to go through a few professionals before you find what you need – which will cost even more money. 

Instead of spending six months to a year building your in-house SEO team, you can start outsourcing SEO services in a few days or less. 

With an SEO agency, you’ll see results faster because they have the skills in-house to ensure they’re adding value right away.  

Advanced SEO knowledge, expertise, and skills 

Proper SEO requires a lot of expertise that goes far beyond the basics. If you want results, hiring inexperienced SEO interns is not a great idea.

Plus, experienced SEOs (search engine optimizers) are extremely familiar with all the latest Google algorithm changes, as well as how to handle the upcoming shift to Search Generative Experience (SGE) – which is something every website on the planet needs to prepare for, by the way. 

You’ll want to trust your SEO campaign with a highly experienced agency that’s been around the block a few times. 

The last thing you should do is trust your search campaign to a newbie that nosedives straight into a beginner pitfall, like paying for low-quality backlinks. 

Trust us; you’ll likely spend more money trying to undo problems caused by inexperienced SEOs, so your best bet is to stick with the pros.

Access to powerful SEO tools and resources  

Decorated SEO agencies (like yours truly!) have many tricks up their sleeves, so to speak. 

In our case, we’re home to experienced SEO gurus who know search engine algorithms inside and out, and we also have a Batman-style utility belt packed with advanced SEO tools and resources.

These include tools for:

• Analyzing crucial metrics like SERP position rankings, organic traffic, conversion rates, and more 
• Viewing competitor backlink profiles
• Segmenting audiences into different groups 
• Auditing the ranking power of other websites
• Generating high-quality copy and blog ideas (AI-powered tools)

Besides our arsenal of gadgets and gizmos, we’ve also built large networks of link partners, news sites, and media outlets. 

These networks are what make our link-building services possible, and they took many years to build. 

That’s why it’s so beneficial to outsource SEO services to an agency like ours, as we’ve already built the infrastructure necessary to build lots of high-quality links for our clients. 

If you’re building an in-house SEO team from scratch, you’re starting at square one regarding access to tools and link networks, which is a disadvantage. 

To summarize, you have options when it comes to managing your SEO. 

Outsourcing allows you to simplify your SEO by leaving it up to experienced professionals, effectively placing your digital marketing on autopilot. 

On the other hand, building an in-house team is an option, but it will take a lot more time and effort to achieve the same results.

The Drawbacks of Outsourcing SEO

While there are a lot of benefits to outsourcing SEO, there are some challenges. 

To help you understand the possible drawbacks, let’s explore some and how to solve them: 

Lack of industry-specific knowledge

Problem

SEO agencies work across various industries, which means they might not have specialized knowledge about your specific sector. 

This can impact their effectiveness. 

Solution

Choose an agency with experience in your sector or one that’s willing to dive into research and truly understand your industry. Ask for case studies or examples of their work in similar sectors. 

Encourage them to work closely with your in-house team to provide guidance on your industry and topics that your customers care about.

Communication challenges

Problem 

Working with an external agency can sometimes lead to communication gaps. Differences in time zones, work cultures, and the absence of face-to-face interactions can affect project progress.

Solution

Establish clear communication channels and regular check-ins from the start. Use project management tools and platforms to track progress. 

Consider scheduling regular video calls for more personal interaction and to foster a stronger working relationship. 

It’s also a good idea to agree on a communication plan that takes into account time zone differences and work cultures.

Quality control

Problem 

Maintaining consistent quality can be challenging. Agencies may work on multiple projects simultaneously, which can lead to variations in the attention and resources allocated to your project.

Solution

Set clear expectations for quality and timelines. Include these in your contract and discuss how the agency plans to allocate resources to your project. 

Request regular updates and reports on progress, and consider setting up a trial period to evaluate the agency’s work before committing to something long-term.

Less control over SEO practices

Problem 

You may have less control over the specific SEO tactics used by an agency. Some may use aggressive or borderline tactics that could potentially harm your site.

Solution

Take the time to outline acceptable SEO strategies and tactics in your contract. Also, stay informed about SEO best practices and guidelines from search engines like Google and Bing. 

Regularly review the agency’s approach and tactics to ensure they align with your expectations. 

It may also be necessary to include a clause in your contract that allows for termination if the agency employs tactics you’re not happy with.

How to Select the Right SEO Outsourcing Partner for You 

You should be pretty picky when looking for an SEO agency to outsource with, especially if you want to see amazing results. 

There are quite a few factors to consider, including your needs, budget, and goals, so let’s take a look at each. 

Set your goals first

Before diving into the sea of SEO agencies out there, it’s essential to nail down your goals. 

This clarity is your best defense against A) spending on services you don’t need and B) finding yourself without a yardstick to measure the agency’s success against your expectations.

What is your main goal? Are you looking to ramp up your online presence, or are you zeroing in on driving up lead and sales numbers? Maybe there are some technical gremlins in your site’s machinery that need ironing out.

Pinpointing your aims will guide you to the exact services you should be eyeing. For instance, if you crave more online visibility, content creation should be your go-to. 

If your site’s more sluggish than a snail on a leisurely stroll or riddled with broken links, then a technical SEO audit should be your first port of call.

And remember, when setting those targets, being specific (and grounded in reality) is the way forward. Here’s what we mean:

Our goal is to boost our organic traffic by 50% in 12 months. 

This is a specific, realistic goal that any reputable SEO agency should be able to meet for you.

Research providers online (case studies, reviews, etc.) 

Now that you know what you want, it’s time to start doing your homework by researching SEO agencies. 

First, know that every agency differs in what they offer, so you should know your needs first. It’s usually best (and more affordable) to find agencies that offer packages instead of selecting multiple services from different providers. 

Don’t stop there, though. 

You need to look up each agency’s case studies, independent reviews, and testimonials to verify they’re the real deal. Try to find reviews on third-party websites, as those tend to be more neutral than those on agency sites. 

If you’re a marketing agency, you’ll benefit the most from working with agencies offering white-label services. 

What are those?

A white-label SEO agency allows other marketing agencies to repackage their SEO services as their own for a fee. 

That means you can advertise that you now offer SEO services to your clients, even though you’re outsourcing them to a white-label agency. 

The white-label provider will work hand-in-hand with you and your clients to ensure optimal results, and your brand gets to take credit for everything.

White labeling is an excellent way for marketing agencies to expand their service offerings without hiring more staff.

Agree on services, budget, and a timeline 

Once you have a preferred provider, it’s time to hash out the nitty-gritty details. Here are the three main things you should agree on with a provider: 

Choose your SEO services

Start by listing the SEO tasks you want help with. SEO covers a lot, from keyword research and content strategy to link building and fixing technical issues on your site. 

Do you need a comprehensive strategy that includes all these aspects, or are you focusing on specific areas like improving your local SEO or getting a technical site audit? 

Knowing exactly what you want helps potential agencies understand if they can deliver what you want.

Set up a timeline 

Setting clear deadlines is important for planning and ensuring the project remains on schedule.

Discuss the timeline for each deliverable and confirm that the agency can meet these deadlines. It’s also wise to account for the time needed for revisions, approvals, and any unexpected issues that could arise.

Discuss the costs

It’s really important to be clear about your budget right from the start. 

This way, you can work with agencies that can stay within your spending limits. Ask agencies to give you detailed proposals that show all the costs involved. 

This openness helps you see how they plan to use their resources and lets you check if it fits with what you’re able to spend.

Once you’ve worked everything out, you can sign on the dotted line and start working with your new SEO partner.

Start Outsourcing Your SEO Today 

To wrap things up, outsourcing SEO is a game-changer for businesses aiming to boost their online footprint and attract more targeted traffic. 

It’s about tapping into expert agencies’ specialized skills and resources to fast-track your SEO success.

The key? 

Picking the right agency is everything. You need a partner who’s not just competent but also ready to dive deep into your industry, communicate clearly, and play by the rules — both yours and Google’s. 

Setting clear terms, staying connected, and working together can help you navigate the pitfalls and make the most of outsourcing SEO.

Think of it as more than just delegating tasks; it’s about forging a dynamic partnership that evolves with your business, mirrors your values, and propels you toward your digital marketing dreams. 

Done right, outsourcing SEO isn’t just a strategy — it’s a catalyst for growth.

If you want to enjoy a winning SEO campaign for your business, don’t wait to sign up for HOTH X, our coveted managed SEO service.   

The post SEO Outsourcing: Having Your Cake and Eating It, Too appeared first on The HOTH.

First off, this is no ordinary core update, as it includes major changes to multiple core ranking systems – and it introduces brand-new spam policies. 

Not only that, but Google has now fully incorporated its helpful content system into its core ranking algorithm, meaning there won’t be any more helpful content updates.

This update has been in the works since the Helpful Content Update of August 2022, which explains why it’s so complex. 

If you’ve been in the SEO game long enough to remember the Penguin update, you’re probably shuddering right now. 

Back then, Google went completely scorched earth and began penalizing and de-indexing thousands of websites, causing businesses to lose 100% of their traffic overnight. 

The scary part?

The exact same thing has been happening over the last few days. 

Manual actions are going out left and right, and websites are getting de-indexed at historic rates. 

It’s no secret that Google has come under serious scrutiny as of late, with countless users complaining about AI-generated spam clogging up Google’s search results. 

And while Google claims that the March Update is separate from introducing manual penalties again, the two are happening in tandem. 

Eager to protect their reputation as the internet’s go-to search engine, this update is Google’s response to the criticism. 

Read on to learn everything you need to know about the March 2024 Core Update, including what to do if your site’s been impacted. 

March 2024 Core Update: Three Updates in One  

There was a ton of publicity from Google before this update, which isn’t common for run-of-the-mill core updates. 

Why all the PR buzz?

There are several reasons, the first being all the negative feedback Google’s been receiving over the past few months. Users aren’t happy with the amount of spam showing up on Google’s SERPs (which is partly due to the massive spam attack from a few months back), and it’s been hurting their reputation. 

As a result, the company is in recovery mode. It’s clear they’re eager to win back user’s trust with the severity of this update and the amount of PR surrounding it. 

Next, this isn’t a regular core update by any means. 

In fact, you can think of it as three updates in one. That’s because it contains:

1. Updates to Google’s core ranking algorithm 
2. Updates to the Helpful Content system (and integrating it into the core system) 
3. New spam policies and updates to SpamBrain

In other words, the March 2024 update is a core update, a helpful content update, and a spam update, so it’s no surprise that the SERPs are so volatile right now.  

Google released a detailed blog post explaining the reason behind the update, along with the prediction to reduce low-quality, unhelpful search results by 40%. 

Over on Google Search Central, the company published another post letting site owners know what they can expect from the update, and included its new spam policies. 

Overall, Google claims this update refines its understanding of ‘low-quality, unhelpful web pages that feel like they were created for search engines instead of users.’ 

The reaction so far: an SEO apocalypse?

While the update has only been rolling out for a few days at this point, it’s been setting the internet on fire. SEOs are reporting manual actions like never before, and websites are completely disappearing from the SERPs. 

Again, Google claims these are separate, but the bottom line is, they are happening, and at the same time as this new update. 

X user Lily Ray saw a whopping 10 websites disappear from the SERPs overnight, and it’s by no means an isolated case. 

In the not-so-distant past, manual actions were a pretty rare occurrence. Rather than de-index a website, Google preferred to devalue the impact spam, auto-generated content, and paid links had on a site’s search rankings. 

That’s no longer the case, as Google is dead set on improving the quality of their search results. 

So far, the sites that have been impacted the most are low-quality, AI-generated sites that only exist to manipulate search results. These sites have been popping up all over the place due to the prevalence of free tools like ChatGPT, and they’ve had a noticeably negative effect on the quality of Google’s search results. 

Yet, Google updates are never error-free, as there are also reports of websites disappearing from the SERPs that didn’t use AI whatsoever – but that’s likely due to one of the new spam policies. 

The New Spam Policies: Expired Domain Abuse, Scaled Content Abuse, and Site Reputation Abuse 

Google’s newly announced spam policies are the culprit for most of the manual actions going out, so it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with them. 

According to the post on Google Search Central, the update cracks down on the following:

• Expired domain abuse. A favorite trick of SEOs that build PBNs (private blog networks) is to seek out expired domains that still carry authority. For instance, an SEO may purchase an expired educational domain to take advantage of its ranking power, only to then populate the site with worthless content. The March 2024 update refined Google’s ability to detect expired domain abuse, and they aren’t hesitating to deliver manual actions. 

• Scaled content abuse. This is the policy that cracks down on mass AI-generated content intended to manipulate search results. These are low-grade web pages that don’t answer user’s questions or provide any valuable information, and Google is eager to rid their SERPs of them entirely. 

• Site reputation abuse. Some authoritative sites take advantage of their good reputation and publish unrelated third-party pages that confuse or irritate their core audience. This technique goes by the unflattering name ‘Parasite SEO.’ The example Google gives is a third-party site posting payday loan reviews on an educational website to piggyback off their ranking power (sort of like how remora fish cling to sharks). This particular policy features a two-month notice, so it won’t go into effect until May 5th. 

SEOs should not only memorize these policies but also pay close attention to the sites that were de-indexed/penalized to understand what they did wrong. 

What Can You Do to Prepare/Recover?

Google’s advice on ranking fluctuations due to core updates has remained unchanged for years now, and it boils down to ‘create better content.’ 

Yet, for this update, we have a lot of concrete information to go on.

In particular, ensure that your website does not employ any of the spam methods included in Google’s new policies.

AI-generated content isn’t inherently bad, but you should do your best to avoid it since Google is cracking down on it so hard. Also, exhibit E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) signals in every piece of content you create. 

There’s a reason why Reddit posts rank for so many Google searches. 

It’s because Google values real experiences and first-hand expertise – so demonstrate both whenever possible. 

If you run a reputable site that has some questionable third-party content, it’s in your best interest to remove it before May 5th to avoid a manual action, which can be disastrous to recover from. 

As long as you’re publishing valuable content that your core audience actually wants to consume, you shouldn’t have much to worry about. 

Wrapping Up: A Historical Core Update 

While it doesn’t have as catchy a name, the March 2024 Core Update will go down in history alongside milestone updates like Florida, Panda, and Penguin. 

It’s brought major changes to Google’s helpful content, core, and spam algorithms, and it has already massively reshaped the SERPs. 

Despite the chaos, the principle of sound SEO still remains true; create valuable content for your audience first, and search engines second. 

Do you need help mastering SEO in this uncertain age?

Then don’t wait to sign up for HOTH X, our managed SEO service that removes all the complexity from the process while yielding outstanding results.     

Or, book a direct call with our team, for a one-on-one deep dive on exactly how to move forward. 

The post Google’s March 2024 Core Update Hits Hard: Are You Prepared? appeared first on The HOTH.

Even if your site follows SEO best practices to the letter – you may still have a hard time ranking #1 if your website lacks one crucial ingredient: domain authority. 

Since Google only wants to rank trusted websites that provide accurate information, it uses backlinks (links from other sites pointing to your web pages) to determine the ‘authority’ of domains. 

In particular, Google looks for links from websites that it already considers authoritative, like educational institutions, medical journals, legacy media sites, and trusted industry websites that have already built authority through their own SEO efforts. 

This means you’ll need to generate lots of backlinks from websites that Google already trusts to pass authority back to you (trust by association, so to speak). 

The proof?

The top Google result contains an average of 3.8x more high-quality backlinks than positions #2 – #10. 

Also, countless experiments and campaigns have proved the effectiveness of acquiring high-authority backlinks for better SERP (search engine results pages) rankings. 

But what is domain authority? Will keeping track of it help your SEO? Is it actually something Google uses to rank websites?

These are the questions we’re going to answer today, so stay tuned. 

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at: 

What domain authority is and why it’s useful

How to check your website’s DA

Strategies to boost your DA score to improve your chances of ranking on the first page of Google.

The History of Domain Authority (PageRank) 

First, it’s crucial to note that the domain authority metric we’re about to discuss is different from the actual domain authority formula that Google uses – which is called PageRank. 

Wait, what?

Back in the day (around the year 2000), Google’s PageRank algorithm, which ranks web pages based on the number and quality of backlinks they have, featured public data. 

It was available through the Google toolbar (which has since been discontinued entirely in 2021), and it served as a source of obsession for digital marketers at the time. 

The PageRank toolbar would provide a simple 1 – 10 score for how ‘important’ Google thought the page was (in other words, how likely it was to rank for its target keyword). This 1 – 10 score was the first iteration of domain authority, and those pesky black hat SEOs are responsible for its demise. 

Since Google’s domain authority data was public, it was very easy for search engine optimizers to use spam tactics to manipulate the results. Since PageRank was public, they could monitor the success of their efforts in real time. 

Excessive spamming became such a problem that Google removed PageRank from the Google toolbar in 2016, and the data is now private. 

Since a domain’s ranking power on Google became a mystery, SEOs have developed substitute metrics that mimic PageRank. 

Moz’s domain authority score 

That brings us to domain authority, which is a third-party SEO metric first developed by SEO software company Moz. It represents how likely a domain is to appear in the SERPs over its competitors. 

First rearing its head in 2004, Moz’s domain authority (DA) goes a bit more in-depth than Google’s PageRank toolbar.  

For one, it’s a score from 1 – 100, with 100 being the strongest and 1 being the weakest level of authority. Also, Moz looks at ranking factors besides backlinks when calculating domain authority (more on these below). 

As a result, Moz’s domain authority is more of an all-inclusive representation of a domain’s SEO performance, whereas PageRank only looks at the number and quality of backlinks. 

Yet, as we know, Google has more than 200 ranking factors, which include many that Moz uses in its domain authority calculations. That’s why checking a domain’s authority score is considered the most accurate judge of its ranking power. 

If there’s another website you can’t seem to outrank, Google probably considers them more authoritative – so don’t forget to check their domain authority score. 

Domain authority isn’t something that you can improve overnight, but airtight on-page SEO practices and a winning link-building strategy will help you improve your DA score. 

While your SEO strategy shouldn’t revolve around building domain authority, it is a reliable metric for judging the likelihood of your content appearing on the SERPs. 

The concept of domain authority 

As a concept, domain authority has been around since 1999 when it was mentioned in a paper by John Kleinberg called Authoritative Sources in a Hyperlinked Environment.

In it, Kleinberg asserts that search engines have an ‘abundance’ problem – where all the relevant results that could be returned for a query are too large for a human to digest. 

Therefore, search engines need a way to filter the results so that only the most ‘authoritative’ or ‘definitive’ results remain. 

That’s why the top-ranking results on Google are always the most trusted, highest-quality websites.

Which Factors Does DA Look At?

As stated before, Moz’s domain authority score considers lots of factors related to a website’s link profile and SEO performance to estimate its potential to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). 

While exact details are scarce, here are a few factors that impact your DA score:

• Linking root domains
• Social signals 
• The age of a domain
• Total number of links
• Link quality
• Monthly organic traffic 
• Internal link structure
• General SEO performance
• MozRank
• MozTrust

Linking root domains and a website’s total number of links are two of the strongest ranking signals related to your domain authority score. 

Linking root domains: This refers to the number of unique domains linking to the website. More unique domains generally contribute to a higher DA.

Total number of links: The total number of inbound links to the website from external sources, including multiple links from the same domain.

In other words, the DA score is a reliable way to judge the strength of your link profile (and of your competitors) – which definitely matters for achieving better SERP rankings.

Machine learning 

In addition to these factors, Moz also uses a machine learning algorithm that predicts how often Google will use a domain in its SERPs. 

If domain A is determined to appear more in the SERPs than domain B, then it will have a higher domain authority score.

Since this machine learning algorithm is always at work (and users are performing searches 24/7), it’s common for DA scores to fluctuate often. 

This algorithm looks at data that constantly changes, comparing your website with others.

For example, if Wikipedia were to acquire 100,000 new backlinks, everyone else’s DA score would drop. 

Established domains like Wikipedia, Amazon, and Facebook have such massive link profiles that they tend to occupy the higher DA score slots (think of scores 80 to 100). 

As a result, most small-to-medium-sized websites have average DA scores ranging from 10  to 60. 

Also, it’ll be easier to raise your DA score from 20 to 30 than from 60 to 70. Moz recommends using Domain Authority (DA) scores to compare your website with similarly well-known ones. 

This helps you understand where your site stands in comparison.

So, don’t fret if you can’t raise your DA score to 100, as that’s next to impossible for most businesses. Instead, ensure that your DA score is around the same or higher than your direct competitors. 

If a competitor outranks you with a DA score of 56 and yours is 48, raising it to 60 should nudge you over the top. 

Is domain authority an official Google ranking factor?

Speaking of using domain authority strictly as a comparative metric, it’s not an official Google ranking factor – and Moz will be the first to tell you this. 

To quote their website directly, “Domain authority is NOT an official Google ranking factor and has no effect on the SERPs.”

Google’s John Mueller has also stated repeatedly that Google’s algorithms do not use domain authority as a metric when ranking websites. 

Remember, Google’s official ‘domain authority’ calculation, the PageRank algorithm, is kept private to discourage spammers and link schemes. 

Since it’s not an official ranking factor, why pay attention to your domain authority?

While Google’s ranking algorithms don’t use Moz’s exact domain authority formula, it’s no secret that things like backlinks, referring domains, search traffic, and user experience ARE Google ranking factors, and they comprise domain authority calculations. 

As such, domain authority is a useful metric for comparing your site health and SEO-friendliness to your direct competitors – even though it’s not directly measured by Google. 

How to use domain authority 

Let’s say that your eCommerce store has a DA score of 50, and you’re only able to rank in position #2 for your target keyword. 

After doing a little digging, you uncover that the website outranking you has a DA score of 58.

This is a strong indication that they have superior site health and a stronger backlink profile than you – which is why they’re currently outperforming you. 

The good news is you can closely analyze their website and backlink profile to discover what they’re doing that you aren’t (more on this in a bit). 

To summarize, digital marketers still pay attention to domain authority because it’s a quick and easy way to gauge the overall SEO-friendliness of a website. 

You can think of your DA as the overall grade representing the strength of your SEO stats (i.e., organic traffic, referring domains, etc.).

Using it this way will help you gauge how much work it’ll take to bridge the gap between you and your competitors. If you’re only 8 points lower than a site you want to outrank, it shouldn’t take too much work to even the playing field. 

Optimizing your existing content and acquiring a handful of high-authority links should boost your score enough to leave them in the dust. 

Focus on Page Authority

SEO involves more than getting your homepage to rank; it’s also about snagging the #1 position for your most important web pages.

Your product pages, landing pages, and content pages all need adequate authority in order to rank for the keywords most important to your target audience. 

This means you need a way to determine the ranking strength of each web page. 

After all, you could have a decent DA, but if the authority of your most crucial product pages and blogs is less than optimal – you’ll be in trouble. While your homepage rakes in plenty of organic traffic, your ‘money’ pages will only see crickets and tumbleweeds. 

Enter page authority (PA), a metric that lets you judge the ranking strength of any page on your website. 

Much like domain authority, it’s not an official Google ranking factor but instead serves as a score grading a page’s overall probability of ranking in a top spot. 

Important note: While page authority looks at crucial factors like the total number of links – it does not consider on-page SEO elements like keyword use or content optimization. That means you should only view a web page’s authority to gauge the strength of its backlink profile and ranking probability. 

To evaluate your on-page SEO, use our free SEO Audit Tool instead. Not only will it let you know a website’s domain authority, but it also judges crucial metrics like keyword usage and user experience.

How Can You Check Domain Authority?

If you want to check your DA or a competitor’s DA score, you have plenty of options. 

While Moz’s domain authority was the OG, plenty of other SEO companies have developed their own authority metrics in the years since, including:

• Ahrefs uses two metrics: Domain Rating (DR) and Ahrefs Rank (AR). Domain Rating is a comparative metric (like Moz’s DA) that compares the strength of a website’s backlink profile to others in Ahrefs’ database. AR ranks the websites in Ahrefs’ database according to the size and quality of their backlinks. 
• SEMrush uses an Authority Score that measures the overall quality and performance of a domain or individual webpage. It’s less of a comparative metric and more of a straightforward gauge of your SEO-friendliness. 
• Majestic’s Flow Metric Scores measure content quality and a website’s total number of links.

As you can see, each of these domain authority scores is a bit different. 

We think Ahrefs is useful because you get both a comparative metric and a more straightforward one, whereas SEMrush is more about judging the quality of your SEO strategy. 

In addition to these tools, our free SEO Checker Tool will provide an overview of an entire website or specific web page (including both DA and PA).

Techniques for Building Domain Authority

If your DA and PA scores are falling behind your competitors, it’s time to start building them back up. 

How do you do that?

Here’s a look at the most effective techniques for increasing domain authority. 

Guest posting 

If you want your DA score to rise, acquiring high-authority backlinks is key – and guest posts remain one of the best ways to snag them.

Guest posting involves finding relevant websites in your niche that accept guest posts and then contacting them with an article pitch. 

If you want a snowball’s chance of securing a guest blog, your pitch needs to provide real value to the website’s target audience (which, if you’re playing your cards right, should align perfectly with your core audience). 

Don’t try to regurgitate one of your existing blogs since it’s much better to create something brand-new. If you’ve got your heart set on increasing exposure for your blog’s ‘greatest hits,’ you’re better off pursuing article syndication instead. 

True guest posting involves writing new posts specifically for the website in question, especially in terms of topic choice. You should select a topic that A) relates to one of your essential products or services and B) aligns with the guest website audience’s interests. 

Let’s say that you sell gardening tools online, and you write a guest post for a gardening enthusiast’s blog. 

This is perfect because the blog’s audience is adjacent to yours, but you aren’t directly competing for business. In other words, the gardening blog is only there to provide reading material for gardeners, and they aren’t selling any products that compete with yours. 

That makes them the ideal candidate for a guest post. At the same time, you should select a topic that their audience would enjoy, such as how to prune roses (while including a backlink to your product page selling pruners). 

How can you find guest post opportunities?

Google Search Operators are your best friend when looking for websites that accept guest posts in your field. 

In particular, this formula works wonders:

Your niche keyword is “guest post.” 

For instance, if you’re in the accounting industry, and looking for websites to guest post on, here are some search operators you could use:

Accounting “guest post”

Accounting “write for us”

Accounting “guest poster wanted”

Accounting “This post was contributed by.”

Besides using Google, you can also check out our extensive list of vetted guest post websites in need of fresh content.

The best part about our list is that all the websites were self-submitted, meaning they’re actively seeking guest posters. 

Analyze competitor websites and backlink profiles 

If you always seem to be a few steps behind one of your competitors on the SERPs, you should take a peek at their link profile to see what’s up.

Every website has a link profile, and there are plenty of tools online that make them visible. 

Competitor link profiles can provide invaluable information for your SEO campaign. For instance, by analyzing a competitor’s link profile, you’ll be able to see where their top backlinks are coming from. 

It could be a website they frequently guest post on, a directory you aren’t listed on yet, or a media outlet that they syndicate articles to. 

Whatever the case may be, your competitors’ link profiles can provide you with lots of backlink opportunities that you may not have found otherwise. 

You can use our free Backlink Checker Tool to view the backlink profile of any website on the internet (including yours).

When examining a competitor’s link profile, keep an eye out for the following things:

• Do you notice any guest posts?
• Are they listed in any directories that you aren’t?
• Do any ‘top 10 lists’ mention their products?

Also, just keep an eye out for any websites you think might want to link to your website. 

In addition to looking for backlinks you can poach, you can also look for glaring weaknesses in their content. 

For example, let’s say you pull up a competitor’s top-ranked blog posts and put them under a microscope. 

You notice that they don’t explore the topic as fully as you can and that some of their information is false. 

That prompts you to create an even more in-depth blog on the same topic containing accurate, up-to-date information – boosting your authority and outranking the competitor as a result.

Fix broken links

Broken link building is a good way to find chances to boost your Domain Authority (DA) scores. Here’s the simple approach:

• Use our Backlink Checker Tool to spot broken links on other sites.
• Make or find content on your site that can replace the missing link.
• Reach out to the website owner and suggest your content as a replacement.

Fixing broken links is a speedy way to acquire backlinks, especially if you already have a suitable replacement page ready to go. 

Ensure optimal site performance 

The strength of your backlink profile isn’t the only factor determining your domain authority score. 

You also need to ensure that your website features a pleasant and engaging user experience. 

What does that entail?

Quite a few things. 

First, if you want to appear on Google’s SERPs, your website must pass the Core Web Vitals test. 

It judges your website’s loading speed, including how long it takes for users to start interacting with your website. 

If your page loads poorly, you’ll fail the test and won’t be able to rank. To find out if your loading times are up to snuff, you can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

Mobile responsiveness is another necessity for modern websites, and Google has used mobile-first indexing since 2017. 

That means you’ll need a responsive website design to rank on the SERPs. Luckily, Google has another free tool to check your mobile friendliness, the Google Mobile-Friendly Test. 

Final Takeaways: What is Domain Authority?

While domain authority and page authority aren’t official metrics that Google measures, they’re both one of the most reliable ways to judge the ranking power of a website or web page. 

If your domain authority is lacking, you must improve your site’s performance and acquire more high-quality backlinks. 

Do you need help improving the domain authority for your website? 

Then don’t wait to check out our Link Outreach and Link Insertion Services from The HOTH. 

Our link-building gurus have built stellar link profiles for countless clients, so don’t wait to get in touch.      

The post What is Domain Authority and How Can You Build It? appeared first on The HOTH.

Punch that question into Google, and you’ll have an immediate answer at the top of the page (along with pictures, his birthday, height, a short bio, and other tidbits of information). 

This is a zero-click search because you got the information you wanted without clicking on any search results. 

These types of searches are nothing new, as Google has used SERP (search engine results pages) features like rich snippets and knowledge bars for quite some time now. 

Yet, zero-click searches have been on the rise recently, and that trend is set to intensify. 

Things like voice-powered search, brand-new SERP features, and generative AI have increased the number of zero-click searches by a significant margin. 

According to a recent SEMrush study, 25.6% of all Google searches end without the user clicking on any organic results. 

This concerns SEO professionals since the whole point of optimizing content for search engines is to generate more website traffic. If users aren’t clicking on any organic results, your hard-earned SERP rankings are for nothing. 

What should SEOs do about it?

You’ll need to determine whether you want to target zero-click searches or avoid them like the plague, which is what we’re going to cover today. 

Read on to determine whether zero-click searches are your best friend or your worst enemy. 

Why is Zero-Click Search Gaining Popularity?

Besides improving the search experience by providing quick, direct answers to simple queries – zero-click searches are Google’s attempt to encourage platform-native content to its users. 

Why direct users elsewhere when you can keep them engaged on your platform?

This is Google’s philosophy on the matter, but it doesn’t exactly align with the goals of digital marketers and search engine optimizers. 

The fact that Google actively tries to facilitate a zero-click environment doesn’t make things any easier, either. Their newest plan in the works is Google SGE (Search Generative Experience), which has been in its testing phase since May 2023. 

SGE uses artificial intelligence to create ‘Snapshots’ for specific user queries. These AI-powered Snapshots provide direct answers to user queries via a chatbot. 

This is concerning because, with the power of generative AI, the Snapshot can provide direct answers to more complicated queries. 

At the moment, most SERP features appear for very basic questions and inquiries, such as ‘What time is it in Australia.’ 

Yet, with deep learning and natural language processing, Google’s AI chatbot can provide direct answers to more complex questions. That means whenever SGE goes live, you can expect to see a huge uptick in zero-click searches. 

Voice-powered search is another reason why zero-click searches are taking over. 

If you’ve ever asked Siri or Alexa a question and received an answer, you’ve conducted a zero-click voice search. Since AI virtual assistants are available through smartphones and other devices, this type of search has become extremely popular (there are 1 billion voice searches each month). 

How Do Zero-Click Searches Hurt SEO?

Whenever a SERP feature or AI-generated Snapshot appears at the top of the results page for a keyword, you’ll always be at a disadvantage traffic-wise, even if you’re ranked in the #1 organic spot. 

It has to do with a concept called ‘page real estate.’ 

SERP features and SGE Snapshots appear at the top of the page in a spot dubbed position zero. Not only that, but these types of features have been gobbling up even more real estate as they add pictures, videos, ‘people also ask’ sections and knowledge bars. 

As an example, here’s what Google looks like whenever we enter the keyword ‘SEO.’ 

As you can see, a featured snippet defines the term SEO for us, and there’s also a ‘people also ask’ section and a knowledge bar on the right. 

In this scenario, you can’t even see the #1-ranked organic result, and this screenshot came from a PC. 

That means the page real estate problem is even more of an issue on mobile devices, which is how most users browse the web. 

‘SEO’ is a huge keyword, and there are countless websites with targeted content attempting to rank for it. Yet, their efforts were largely all for naught, as most users will get all the information they need from the screenshot listed above. 

The team at Mailchimp are the true winners here, as they’re the lucky dogs that snagged position zero due to some clever optimization, but we’ll get into how you can target SERP features in a bit. 

Doing Detective Work: How to Uncover Zero-Click Search Keywords 

The best way to ensure zero-click searches don’t affect your SEO is to uncover which keywords are most likely to trigger SERP features and AI Snapshots. 

Luckily, it’s not too difficult to identify zero-click search keywords. 

Here are some telltale signs of keywords that have no click potential:

• Can you answer the question the keyword poses in a sentence or two? 
• Does the keyword feature lots of paid ads?
• Does the keyword have lots of SERP features when you run it through Google?

These are all red flags if you want to avoid zero-click search keywords. 

SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool makes the process even easier. 

With it, you can quickly determine whether a keyword triggers any SERP features or not. 

Under the Filters tab, go to the SERP features filter and select None. 

This will filter your results so that only keywords without SERP features will appear, which is extremely handy if you’re trying to avoid zero-click searches. 

Of course, you can always do things the slow way and manually plug each keyword you want to target into Google to see if they’re dominated by snippets and knowledge bars. 

If you’re sticking with traditional organic SEO, you’ll enjoy better click-through rates (CTR) for keywords without any SERP features. These results pages start listing organic results right off the bat, so you won’t be fighting for page real estate. 

To Target Zero-Click Searches or Not to Target Zero-Click Searches: That is the Question 

Now that you know more about zero-click search and how it’s taking over Google, what should you do about it?

First, you need to factor zero-click search into your overall SEO strategy, whether you choose to target them or not. These types of searches are here to stay, so you need to find ways to either get around them or work with them. 

If you ignore zero-click search, you could wind up wasting your marketing budget creating high-quality content for keywords that yield no clicks. 

You’ll have two options: targeting zero-click search keywords to build brand awareness or avoiding them to keep generating as much traffic as possible. 

Option #1: Using Position Zero to Build Brand Awareness and Loyalty 

This is the ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ option. 

Since zero-click search keywords exist, why not use them to your advantage by building brand awareness and credibility?

This tactic involves intentionally targeting zero-click keywords and creating content for them that appears in SERP features like snippets. 

In other words, your brand will be the one providing quick answers to user’s questions at the top of the SERPs. 

Here’s a look at the different types of SERP features you can target to acquire position zero. 

Featured snippets 

Featured snippets are the most popular type of zero-click search content, and they come in many forms. There are paragraph snippets, carousel snippets, video snippets, table snippets, and list snippets. 

Remember how Mailchimp’s content provided the paragraph snippet for the keyword ‘SEO’?

Well, that wasn’t by accident. 

Their content team intentionally targeted the snippet by optimizing their content for it. For instance, the webpage in question immediately answers the question, ‘What is SEO?’ within the first 100 words. 

This appeals to Google’s algorithm because it was able to find a succinct definition for SEO at the very beginning of the content. That makes it easy for the algorithm to identify the definition and include it in a snippet. 

Imagine if they decided to include the SEO definition smack dab in the middle or at the end of the article. 

The algorithm wouldn’t pick up on it, and they wouldn’t be staring down at the organic results from position zero. 

Featured snippets tend to appear for question-based keywords. To target them, include the titular question at the beginning of the article and answer it in a few clear sentences. 

People also ask (PAA) 

The keyword ‘SEO’ also triggered a ‘people also ask’ section, which is a SERP feature containing a drop-down list of commonly asked questions related to a search query. 

Whenever users click on one of the questions to learn more, a paragraph snippet appears that answers it. Google also cites the web page it drew the answer from, which is something you can target. 

Even if users don’t click through to your content, they’ll see your brand name alongside the paragraph snippet that answers their question. 

That’s why it’s wise to target PAA sections in addition to featured snippets for boosted brand visibility. 

What’s the best way to get featured in PAA sections?

Since Google’s search algorithm is looking for answers to common questions, including FAQ (frequently asked questions) sections at the end of your blogs is the way to go. However, you shouldn’t answer random questions you think your target audience will ask. 

Instead, back your questions up through research by digging through relevant Reddit and Quora posts from your core audience. 

You can also use our free keyword planner tool to uncover commonly asked questions related to your products and services. 

Video snippets 

Arguably, the most effective way to promote your brand through zero-click search is to create engaging short videos that answer common questions related to your industry. 

Why is that?

It’s because a video will contain your brand’s logo, colors, jingles, and brand name. Not only that, but your video’s thumbnail serves as a promotional image, so don’t forget to include your brand’s logo front and center. 

Other SERP features, like paragraph snippets, will only include a blue hyperlink to your website (and possibly a small logo), which doesn’t give you much of a chance to get your brand in front of your audience’s eyes. 

More often than not, users will read the giant text written in bold that answers their question and then immediately click off the page. 

That’s why video snippets are so powerful because they provide full brand exposure in a zero-click environment. 

Local packs 

If you run a local business, then you’ll want to target Google’s local packs, which you’ve seen before if you’ve ever searched for restaurants in your area. 

Certain local SEO keywords, such as ‘sushi near me,’ trigger the local pack, which contains a map along with 3 relevant local businesses (including their address, rating out of five stars, and hours of operation). 

Getting featured in the local pack is a must for any business with a brick-and-mortar location. 

To target local packs, you need to optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP). Make sure that you fill out every section of the profile, and don’t forget to include as many 5-star reviews as possible. 

Option #2: Avoid Zero-Click Search Keywords 

The other option is to keep your keyword lists free and clear of zero-click search queries. That way, you won’t have to compete with any SERP features. 

That means if you snag the #1-ranked organic spot, you’ll be the king of the SERP castle. 

When doing keyword research, exclusively target keywords that don’t trigger any SERP features or AI Snapshots. 

Long-tail keywords are your best friend in this regard, as they’re more obscure and tend not to have snippets and knowledge bars. 

A long-tail keyword is a search query that receives very little search volume – typically around 100 searches per month. 

Despite this, long-tail keywords convert at higher rates than shorter keywords, and it’s easier to identify their intent (such as whether a user is ready to make a purchase). 

There’s also next to no competition due to the low search volume. As a result, you can reach the top of the SERPs for long-tail keywords with minimal effort, and there won’t be any SERP features getting in your way. 

Improving Online Visibility Despite Zero-Click Search 

While those are the two main options for dealing with zero-click searches, there’s no rule stating you can’t combine them for the best of both worlds. 

In fact, that’s the route we recommend you take. 

For zero-click search keywords, you should create content that answers the user’s questions in the most concise way possible. 

When attempting to drive traffic to your most important landing and product pages, ensure you target keywords that don’t trigger SERP features. 

Do you want to thrive with SEO in the age of zero-click search and SGE?

Then don’t wait to put your digital marketing on autopilot with HOTH X, our managed SEO service featuring dedicated campaign managers who will take your online visibility to the next level.  

The post Zero-Click Search: Should SEOs Work With It or Against It? appeared first on The HOTH.