Link Building and Content Marketing

Link building is a rapidly changing work. Best practices today may not be best practices just six months from now. This happens at an curiously high frequency, and it’s a consequence of Google’s ever-evolving stance on link building.

Right now, a slew of SEOs are moving towards content marketing as a main method of link building.

There are some similarities to be sure. For instance, they share common end goals, including Driving traffic

•    growing conversions

•    Brand building

•    Creating relationships

•    Improving online visibility

Although content marketing and link building go great together, the two practices can, and often are, implemented separately from each other.

Link building doesn’t necessarily require content. It may be easier to build links with content, but it’s not necessary. You can build links without content.

Why Content Marketing Helps Link Building

If you’re engaged in a content marketing drive just as a method of building links, you’re doing it wrong. Content marketing shouldn’t go out of its way to build links that point back to your site.

Of course, you don’t need to give away all of your best content. A sound content marketing policy will reserve a portion of the best content for your own domain. Like I said, users like good content: you don’t want your site to be absent of it because you gave away your best work to somebody else. This kind of content makes link building easier because excellence content on your site makes it far more linkable.

What defines quality content exactly? It varies, and technically quality is always subject to the eye of the beholder. In my mind, quality content is content that:

•    Is thoroughly researched

•    Clearly presents a message in crisp, commanding prose

•    Targets a exact audience

•    Adds value to a conversation

•    Fills a content gap

Why Link Building HelpsContent Marketing

I don’t care how good your content is, it is valueless if no one ever sees it. This means you need to do something to draw eyes to it. You may think you have the To Kill a Mockingbird of online content, but the internet is not Field of Dreams. There’s no such thing as “If you build it, they will come.

If you have a great piece of content out there on the web, build links to it. Or at least try to, through lively promotion to engaged audiences and relevant sites. Not only will you be generating referral traffic to your amazing content, but it will help to progress your content’s performance in search, thus further improving traffic. Don’t let anyone fool you into believing that link equity isn’t precious

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How Content Curation May enhance Your power

Analyzing the source of your traffic is a defining characteristic of content curation. continuously monitor the curated and shared content to learn how to make it effective.

Why Content Curation?

The aim audience receives a concentrated form of information without wasting sorting out through tons of content.

Content Curation is NOT Content Marketing

The content “world” is crack in two sides working towards the same goal. There shouldn’t be any confusion between curation and content marketing. The goals and methods are diverse and should not be blended into one big SEO mixer. There are some major differences between curatorial intent and creating brand awareness, links, and sympathizers through curatorial techniques.

How to Manage Large Amounts of Fresh Content

It’s no question a content curator needs to have so many behaviors given the fact that there aren’t many people who can handle the amount of content that’s created every day. Ranging from twitter posts to composite guides, if you want to be successful at curating, you need to manage all this data. It may seem like an overwhelming job. Below, I’m going to give you some tips on handling large amounts of fresh content efficiently.

Real Time Content Duration

1. Identify Your Target Audience’s Content Needs

T he foundation for a successful content curation career is learning who is your target audience. Tailor content especially for the people who are actually interested in the subject. Your audience’s tastes and interests fundamentally decide what content you should curate. If they don’t like what you post, the content might end up being useless data in the sea of billions of information on the internet.

2. Develop a Fresh Content Framework

You want to identify what social media networks and platforms your audience likes to follow. Those are the places you’ll want to share the curated content. In the end, you need to continuously look for hot topics that your audience currently talks about. Nothing is more engaging than fresh content that is currently on the front page of every site.

3. Real Time Duration

It’s okay to curate and create evergreen content that’s of interest to your target audience even if it’s not really fresh. But a common denominator to all people, no matter the niche is curating news. That’s what gets the attention of people and makes them discuss and share. You need to deliver fresh information and you have to deliver it as fast as you can.

4. Write or Share?

If you’re on the path of becoming a content curator or you’re already one, you need to know you have two choices. You can choose to share, where you’re going to just take the information and forward it without altering. This takes you less time and the information travels faster. And of course there’s the harder path, where you’ll need to filter and feather the content a bit before posting it. 

A curatorial method is different from the creation process or the marketing process. The intent is the same, only you also want to build a standing of being a useful source of information.

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Basic SEO Tips

 Here are three ideas to help you smash through your upland and help you steadily boost your search visibility.

1. Release Your Content

We all know that great content is the key to increasing online visibility, whether its through SEO or social. 

Sure, it's significant to have gated content that helps your lead generation hard work, but you should try to get the best of both worlds. Whitepapers, videos, or case studies that are gated after a lead form won't get you any SEO value. These are major content assets that you should be utilizing for SEO.

Why not repurpose some of the thoughts in your whitepaper into blog posts that can be indexed and read by anyone visiting your site? Or maybe you could quote some of the key stats from your case study in a blog post promoting your services? Your gated content will still be there, but by repurposing the content you will increase your search visibility, social referrals and, inevitably, the number of leads your website generates.

Another way to utilize your gated content for SEO is to offer it in multiple places. Why not make it accessible to visitors as 'gated' content, but also offer it un-gated? Anyone who reached your lead form won't know that they could get the content without providing their details and filling out a form. This gives you the best of both worlds, the content will be indexed, it will make more traffic and your lead generation won't be harmed.

Though this may seem like you're misleading your 

visitors, you're not doing anything wrong. You're present the same content; you're just facilitating the lead generation process as well. This is a very common method.

2. Focus on the Long Tail

During the first few phases of an SEO campaign the focus is frequently on the major keywords and phrases. These will be linked to the most significant pages on the website. It's regularly the rankings of these key pages that plateau first.

When this happens, the best approach is to cast your net wider. This means focusing your efforts on the long tail.

Long-tail search rankings can often be just, if not more, precious than your major keywords and phrases. They have lower competition, are more specific and, if chosen well, can be really action oriented.

If you focus your SEO efforts on identifying and exploiting any opportunities you uncover, you could very promptly increase your search referrals and conversion rates.

3. Go Offline

This is absolutely the most commonly overlooked SEO tactic of them all. Just because the "nuts and bolts" of SEO are all digital, it doesn't mean that it's an entirely digital discipline.

One of the most efficient SEO strategies out there is the building and cultivation of human relationships. Yep, that means getting out of the office and talking to people.

Some of the most precious links, PR opportunities, and ideas I've ever come across have come from real world human relationships with people I've met in a face-to-face setting. Go and find out what's working for other people.

Network with key influencers and peers. If you do this frequently, I guarantee you will uncover opportunities and insights that will help you avoid any plateau in performance.

Summary

It's a principle that doesn't exclusively apply to SEO. You should use it in every aspect of your online marketing: If you reach a plateau, does something different.

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Google Hummingbird reactive Content marketing instructions

 The Google Hummingbird algorithm restore has been a hot topic of late. There are literally hundreds of blog posts and articles analyzing accurately what Hummingbird is, why it was engineered in the first place, and how to adjust reporting and client expectations when keywords hold far less weight than they once did.

Rather than rehash the ideas of others or take more stabs in the dark at what Hummingbird is, this post aims to overview several types of content that are more likely to be Hummingbird-friendly. Realistically, if you have followed Google’s direction and focused on generating quality content, you are already in front of the game.

Types of Content That Are Hummingbird Friendly

Not all quality content is created equally. If you are building outstanding materials but they only focus on you, your products/services, or some other self-serving objective, you are choosing to limit your exposure.

On the other hand, even some tried and true content types may fail to rank as well as they did previously. That said, if Google is truly starting to rank content based on user search intent and context of the content itself, several specific types of content stand out. Let’s take a look at what might work well in today’s SEO environment.
 

Evergreen content

“Evergreen” refers to content which does not have a shelf life or expiration date. Whereas breaking news is only of interest for a short period of time, evergreen content provides in sequence that is applicable to online searchers well into the future.

The beauty of evergreen content is that it only grows stronger in authority, ranking, and traffic over time. You will know when you’ve crafted a great piece of evergreen content by the stats. If you have content that has grown legs of its own, keep it updated on the same URL or redirect to the updated version. This sort of material earns its own links, provides real value, and will get you the eyeballs you are seeking for your site.

Even more significantly, evergreen content provides a great way for Google to rank according to context. Something that has ranked well over time has been crawled repeatedly, and as algorithms are tweaked and improved, this same content has a golden opportunity to remain visible with the latest Hummingbird objectives.
 .
Educational Content / How to’s

Since Hummingbird aims to rank more related content for natural questions and queries, the logical first place to turn is educational content, including “How to…” types of materials.
When building this content, be sure not to confuse the related query by using too much jargon or obscure titles. Consider the following two potential subject lines for a new blog post:

•    “Slingshots and Trajectory: Experiments in Distance”

•    “How to Build a Killer Slingshot Using Common Household Items”

These two subject lines could easily be titles for the exact same blog post… or two completely dissimilar posts. Now think about Hummingbird – which of the two is most likely to match to a question on the topic?

1.    They tend to focus on company-specific questions

2.    They are naturally all represented on a single page as a list of questions with answers

3.    FAQ pages are notoriously weak at earning natural links

In other words, a typical FAQ page is more likely to rank for “company name FAQ” than for the content in any of the questions. But there is a way about that challenge.

When building your FAQ, make a separate page or blog post that answers each of the questions. Then link directly to that page or post using the question itself as secure text. Not only will this offer you with a dedicated page to rank for the query / question, but it will also allow you to deploy an internal link with rich anchor text.
If you are willing to restore your idea of what an FAQ page is, there is unclaimed value to be had.

Problem / Solution

 
Another way to aim semantic / intent based queries is to adopt a problem / solution format. In this case, the key is to spell out the problem in very clear language. This will make the context that Google needs to match open queries against the answer you spell out in the rest of the document.

Social / Viral resources

 
Although still a work in progress, it is very clear that Hummingbird is a step along the path to figuring out social SEO signals. This should come as no shock if you’ve been following Google’s actions the past 2-3 years. They have clearly stated that they have to figure out a way to analyze social signals.

What does this mean? The social media-based answer you get to any piece of content is poised to play a role in the context that Google assigns to that content. This can be calculated by way of shares, comments on the posting of the content, likes / +1’s, and a list of other actions.

If you have fallen into lazy habits such as broadcasting marketing spam on social networks, start re-evaluating your behavior now. It could be months or over a year before Google figures out how to handle social signals. Don’t wait until they do so to clean up your act. It could be too late by then.
 

Top Tips  

 
Top tips describe something we see with blog content all the time. A quick look at Twitter will reveal a litany of “Top 3 Ways to…” and “4 Marketing plans to Avoid” types of posts.
This format naturally lends itself to Q&A matching. Rather than just saying what to avoid, focus the title on the real reason(s) to accept or avoid the suggested actions.

Instead of the example above, try something like “4 Marketing Tactics That Can Lose You Customers”. The reader can easily surmise that it is best to avoid those tactics, and you are again calling out the context clearly and overtly.
In-depth Analysis

With the introduction of in-depth articles as a hub for Google earlier this year, they have made it clear that in-depth analysis is highly valued. I see the same thing with my own blog posts and other content – research and detailed analyses do very well for SEO purposes.

Data has always been a good way to get eyeballs and usual links. That remains true today.
Research and data are poised to have continued success without missing a step. This type of content approximately always answers a question, or at least draws an insightful conclusion. Regardless of which approach you prefer, the end result is the same – data and in depth analysis addresses unanswered questions.

You can conduct surveys, assimilate data from disparate sources, or give information about tests you have fielded directly. All of these make new answers to existing problems. This is exactly the type of content that Hummingbird favors.
 

Summary

The bottom line on all of this is to keep creating quality content, and start view more about how you will offer context to help Google better rank it for open questions. Of course, as the social signals part evolves, we will see a whole new range of recommendations you can adopt.

For now, be sure all of your original content comes with Author Markup, and start taking social more dangerously if are not already doing so. These two items, while not yet key pieces of the Google ranking algorithm, are poised to play a major role in the coming years.

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How To Create An Everlasting Blog Post

Ever since Google got better at assessing online content quality, content writers have started publishing less, but advanced content.

This has made many bloggers and Internet marketers pleased, as the idea of having to produce new content just because it is the only way to outrank a competitor isn’t really attractive. Creating really useful, everlasting content now seems to be in vogue; even more so with the foreword of the In-depth articles box in Google.

To find out what makes for a victorious everlasting article, let’s perform a small case study and consider 3 of my highest-performing posts ever published either on Link-Assistant.Com’s blog or elsewhere on the Web.

Crafting everlasting Content 

Now that we have looked at the three everlasting posts, let’s draw some conclusions. fundamentally, here is how to produce everlasting Web content:

• prefer a everlasting topic

This is the hardest part, since the topic you choose to cover shouldn’t be too broad or overly specifi

What about going for “How to create an effective call-to-action”?

• Confirm the topic’s actual status

What you think is a cool topic may not be. To confirm that people are really looking up the subject you plan to cover, use Google’s Keyword Planner tool to research what people are penetrating for.

It’s significant to use your main keyword in the title, since this increases the post’s chance to rank for your target keyword(s).

• ensure who you are going against

approximately any topic you take, chances are it’s been covered dozens of time by other authors. However, this doesn’t mean there is no space here for development. Of course, one shouldn’t simply repeat what’s already been said. See if you can:

- Approach the topic from a new angle

- Take an unpopular stance (if that’s really your stance)

- Go more in-depth

- Explain it in plainer language, etc.

At the same time, although the PDF is nice, it’s 235 pages long, about the size of a short novel. So, what you can offer as an alternative is a shorter/cleaner list. Or an insightful tutorial with examples, etc.

• Craft the best title probable

Now, here is the face with choosing a title. You don’t want it to be overly yellow-press, but you don’t want to be too traditional or expected either. Ideally, you’d need to find the happy medium.

• Use visuals and examples munificently

Visuals help those reading your post grasp the ideas explained in it better and earlier. Just make sure to optimize your images for the Web before your post them.

Plus, to show your points and to make them easier for your readers to digest, provide examples where possible. It does take time to look for examples, but nothing brings more clarity into what you write about.

• Make it truly one-stop-shop

Squeeze maximum value into the article. Just put yourself into your readers’ shoes and believe if you’d need additional information on the subject-matter after reading the post. While editing the post, you can definitely delete any needless epithets or sentences, but preserve any useful piece of information that adds value.

Conclusion

Of course, what makes an article everlasting is not just its size, or the number of images you use. Eventually, it has to be an exhaustive piece of a topic. Writing “timeless” content does take time and effort, but this is exactly why it performs so well – it spares readers the need to do all the work you did for them.

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Machine Learning for improved Content & SEO outcome

 We've all heard the terms "machine learning" and "learning algorithms", it'll be useful to any SEO or content writer to know... because they're the ones that'll be doing a lot of the teaching.

First, it's important to remember that an algorithm is simply a mathematical procedure. Don't expect to see true artificial intelligence emerge anytime soon. However, a mathematical algorithm can notice patterns and those patterns can be analyzed for probabilities. That, you've been seeing online for some time. Think patterns.

Types of Machine Learning Processes

Depending upon what the programmer is focusing upon, different approaches can be taken. Even in search, there can be unusual focuses.

The most common approaches are statistical reasoning and inductive reasoning.

Arithmetical analysis

Statistical reasoning simply gathers data and analyzes the probabilities of potential occurrences following prior observed results.

For example, if an algorithm observes that in 80 percent of observed instances, ravens are black, it will extrapolate from that the chance that 80 percent of future observed ravens will also be black.

Inductive analysis

Inductive analysis is somewhat similar, in that it also involves extrapolating probabilities, but it's geared toward proving or disproving a exact theory. For example, if the theory is that a startled dog will snap at a threat, it will gather results from tests and either confirm or disgrace that theory, based upon the preponderance of experiential results.

Neither arithmetical nor inductive reasoning models allow for the inclusion of random results, until they represent a significant percentage of the observed results. At that point, the patterns they define can become a factor in a arithmetical model, whereas in an inductive model, they will only effect findings ultimately.

How This Plays Into Search Engine Algorithms

Suppose, for instance, that a given algorithm is designed to determine how valid the SERPs are to an inquiry. It might look at a factor such as bounce rate as an pointer of validity. If users don't split the bounce threshold, the result could be deemed relevant to the query, indicating that the ranking algorithm was exact. That would be utilizing statistical reasoning.

On the other hand, an algorithm designed to detect purchased links could look at such things as other pages which are linked to from a source page, where those other purpose pages have been found to be buying links, which could establish some level of probability that your page had also purchased a link from that site. It would then look at other signals which would corroborate that probability or discredit it.

Do we know whether any of the search engines really use these models in those scenarios? No, of course not. It's just one of many possibilities. What is more important in our context is, what might a machine learning algorithm be able to learn, in either case?

The statistical model is quite obvious. Once the algorithm decides that 80 percent of ravens are likely to be black, it can simply weight its predictions accordingly; a purely probabilistic weighting, based upon statistics.

In inductive models, the process is a little more subtle. naturally, there would be a number of other signals, each with their own weighting, which can vary, depending upon their prevalence. That implies a very non-linear probability curve which may be considerably more complex.

In the example above, such things as how many other target sites linked to from the source page are suspected of buying links, the chance weighting of those suspicions, the past history of all sites involved in the analysis and a host of other signals. Combined in a mathematical formula, a probability factor can be here at which could put the site over a preset threshold, triggering a dampening or a punishment.

Machine Learning Applied to Search Queries and Ranking

For instance, a simple willpower of whether a query or an on-page phrase is negative or positive can often be reached. More complex characteristics like sarcasm, satire or humor, however, are still largely beyond a machine's understanding. But a search query for [bad example of customer service] will render first page results with the terms "bad", "poor" and "worst" in the content, title and/or URL.

This may seem to be a simple example of recognizing synonyms for the search query, but remember that synonym recognition was just one of the early baby steps in search. Looking at a subtly different search query of  yields such pages as:

So "not good" is equated with "bad" by the algorithm. A baby step, perhaps, but a step, however. Rest assured that Google didn't physically enter all such possible relationships - there are far too many. This is much better accomplished by developing an algorithm that will continuously adjust its lexicon as it detects patterns.

Machine Learning & Your Content

The algorithms learn from the patterns they notice, both in queries and documents, as well as the relationships they find out between them. That's why writing content using a broader selection of terms .

•    It provides new syntax in an exact context, which can aid the algorithms' learning process.

•    It also enables you to write content that is more theoretical – directed to the reader, rather than to the search engines.

One end result is a more rapid development of complex sympathetic by machines – the heart of semantics. It also helps you provide content that is more informative, amusing, and engaging for your readers.

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Link Building Things To Be appreciative For 2013

After all, with the surge of updates, algorithm shifts, and keyword reporting changes that include happened in the past year, it’s easy to get caught up in being livid with Google.

However, as search evolves and link building becomes more and more about content, relationships, and authority… we, too, must evolve. On that note, here are ten things to be thankful for this Links giving:

1. Penguin Updates

While Penguin rolled out in 2012, updates continued to happen all over 2013 — and I, for one, am grateful. Not only am I a big fan of penguins, with their built-in tuxedos and hilarious walk, but also, I like that these updates are driving out spammy link plans.

As a celebrity who loves my clients, I work really hard to build great content and solid links for them. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing a bad site outrank a client’s because they are doing mass article directory submissions with keyword-specific anchor text or publishing press releases for no reason other than obtaining a keyword-focused link.

While I’m not against using keyword-specific anchor text I don’t disagree with Google that mass link handling is a bad strategy. I also know that Penguin is not perfect, but as link builders, it should compel us to think more about getting those good links versus mass quantities of links.

2. Authorship

For link builders, this is actually valuable. Users are more likely to click on a search result with an author photo, and I think it’s fair to say they are more likely to share a post from a person they hope. Authorship also allows us to show that there are real people behind company sites and blogs. This is pretty fantastic in the new world of “relationship building” (see #7) and something I am reasonably thankful for.

Be sure to give AJ Kohn’s latest post on authorship a read for more details on anecdotal authorship and entities.

3. Guest Blogging

Guest blogging gives you an opportunity to reach a new audience, write about something you adore about, and establish yourself beyond your personal or company blog.

Despite the fact guest blogging has gotten a bad rap lately, it’s still precious when done right. Make sure to choose sites relevant to your business, look for sites with authorship enabled, and, per Matt Cutts, do it in moderation.

4. Transparency

One of the big things happening in link building, and marketing in general, is the move toward greater simplicity. No one wants to be the person or company that gets caught buying links (*cough*) and surely no one wants to be the SEO company that gets thrown under the bus when said company gets caught.

5. Google Analytics

Putting your [not provided] anger aside, Google Analytics really is a wonderful platform. It offers so much in the way of website data and visitor information — and on top of that, it’s Free!

Analytics can help you recognize content themes for your link building strategy, tell you what type of links send traffic your way, confirm whether or not a campaign worked and much more.

6. Relationships

The whole idea of “relationship building” is maybe one of my favorite things to come out of the link penalties and something I’m absolutely thankful for — not just because I’m a PR wannabe, but also because I’m a big believer that the goal of any online marketing campaign should be to enlarge conversions and drive revenue. Crappy links on non-relevant sites no longer help with that.

7. Social Media & WOM

 Along the same lines as “relationship building” comes word-of-mouth marketing and the control of social media. Customers have a bigger voice than ever before, and businesses have an chance to reach these customers and get them talking.

9. Content Marketing

Content is Queen. Content is King. make content. More content. Ahhh! Look, I know that content is the backbone of any successful online marketing or link building strategy, but what I’m most thankful for is more people are realizing that content isn’t marketing without a strategy.

It’s significant that before you even begin writing, you have a goal in mind, understand your audience, and understand the idea of that piece. For link builders, this is just as important as you have to understand what people are interested in and will want to share.

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The actual Future of Social is Search

 I’m sure a lot of people would disagree that it’s the other way about – that search’s future is social. Either way, the two fields are converging, and with billions of dollars riding on them, it’s going to be significant to address the two as a vibrant duo.

To understand why the future of social is search, let’s look at why search has been spinning its eye toward social. Search is all about fundability. Whether paid or organic, the real aim of search is to be found by your target audience, and hopefully have them take a secondary feat. That action may be as simple as a share or like, or as complex as moving down the funnel into a lead and then to a purchase. Social has provided an excellent way for people, ideas and content to be found.

That said, social is a busy place. Numerous channels, millions of users, and a deluge of content mean the days of simple social fundability are over. While networks rush to create filters, surface content they think you’ll find attractive, and make more relevant connections, marketers need to focus on being found from other angles. You can’t change the algorithms that Facebook, Google, or other organizations put in place – so what can you do?

You can make the content that is ever-present when people search for it.

2. Look for Concepts, Not physical Terminology

 

While this may sound like a repeat of number one, you should focus on discussions applicable to your brand. Here you will find a wealth of information to attach with existing audiences and recognize new audiences. This means you can be creating content that touches on current topics. While many people think they’re previously doing this, I’ll point out an example of what this looks like in practice.

A traditional approach will include monitoring conversations for: Nike, run (and variations like running and runner), shoes, and cross training; as well as competitors like Asics, Reebok, etc. In the past few years we’ve evolved to monitoring for things such as: Marathon, trails, and road race.

The next evolution should focus on the conversations that are happening around running and running shoes on social, and expand Nike’s awareness on things like: Carbohydrates, personal trainer, joint pain, weather predictions, etc. These come from tweets, Instagram photos and Facebook posts like this one.

For example, Nike could do marathon-inspired recipes and content, along with shoe suggestions for users that are searching for pre-run meals. The company could also display store information alongside searches for local personal trainers. Another great way to engage would be to serve up content for cushioning running shoes when people mention runner-related injuries.

3. Generate Content That is Socially Searchable & Consumable

Knowing people are going to be on social channels and busy with lots of “stuff” is only half the clash. Now you need to make sure you’re creating content that works well for those mediums and is also easily found when users search.

The Hangout is conducted live, giving the audience a chance to tweet questions to FOUNDFriday. It is then posted to:

•    YouTube

•    SlideShare

•    Our Blog

The Google Hangout is publicized on Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to the GinzaMetrics audience, as well as the audience of whomever is guest talking.

The YouTube video provides an chance for increased visibility on Google as well as transcription.

SlideShare is great because you can pull key points and turn them into an illustrated, easily consumable format. SlideShare also has great SEO value with a full transcript built-in below that is findable by search engines.

The blog post includes links to the SlideShare, YouTube video, and notes from previous FOUND Friday efforts, as well as links to other referencing sources – garnering even more findability. Each of these items are not only shared socially, but findable via social media as well. 

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Well-Planned Content For enhanced Marketing Results

There are several types of content, and they will each take part in a different role in your strategy.  In this article I’ll show you how content created with a specific use will perform.

Informational Content

Informational or journalistic content aims to offer your users with fresh insights in regards to a specific topic. This kind of content can:

• Attract Regular Traffic

• Be Very appealing

• Get Shared on Social Media

You can mark these topics all over. You see them on blogs, people talk about them on social media, they might even make the information.  For example, if you’re keeping an eye on search engine marketing blogs, you have probably spotted titles about search ranking factors or Google-related news, such as “not provided” keyword problem.

On the other hand, this kind of content, although it might be accepted a period of time, can rapidly get outdated and forgotten.  With that being said, this type of content can help you build your fan base. If you’re using analytics software, a news content article tends to look like this:

Where to Look for motivation

Google Trends

It might sound obvious, but you can find motivation everywhere. To make “everywhere” a bit closer, start with a quick look at Google Trends. For example, there’s always a big buzz concerning Google’s search algorithm updates. As a SEO expert, you might want to cover that theme and add your opinion.

As you can see the Google Penguin algorithm topic is still quite accepted. If you have any catchy news or findings on algorithm updates, you’re good to go.

Product Blogs

If you’re looking for firsthand news, follow industry connected product sites, business blogs, social media profiles, rss feeds, and subscribe to newsletters. Companies online are fighting for your attention and dying for your engagement. Staying in touch will keep you in the middle of the achievement and could mean access to fresh stories first!

Social Networks

Are you staying in touch with experts in your industry? If not, you should start right now. Social media, in addition to it’s communication and content sharing value, is a great place to see what people are talking about and what they are sharing. Maybe some of those tweets or shares will inspire you.

Content Ideas

Most of the news will concern some topics in common. Provide your readers with fresh information about:

• New Product Launches

• Offers & Giveaways

• Case Studies & Reports

• Industry News

• Reviews

• Popular Debates

Educational Content

Educational, also known as evergreen content, is totally different from informational content. The main difference is that educational content delivers higher price because it gets good traffic over a long period of time. Educational content can:

• Attract Traffic Over a Long Period of Time

• Garner High Engagement

• Be Easy to Share

Such content mainly doesn’t go out of date and doesn’t rely on current trends. Of course, educational content will become outdated finally, but instead of creating new content, you can update your current article. That translates into ongoing development of the useful information you’re providing your readers with.

Evergreen content is a long-term speculation. If properly crafted, it would build upon people’s natural interest in the topic and desire for a complete resource. It will also help drive traffic, leads, and conversions to your sites.

Where to Start?

The key elements of evergreen, educational content is usefulness and clarity. You should be aiming to provide in-depth information in regards to a specific topic that is relevant to your business.

Educational content is highly correlated with SEO. Due to it’s universal character, such content should be created with keywords in mind. If your content will be comprehensive, it will probably earn itself a high position in search engine results page.

For more reference you can check this interesting case study about evergreen content’s performance over time from Moz.

Content Ideas

If you’re up to creating informative, evergreen content you can consider writing:

• In-Depth Topic Analysis

• Comprehensive How-To

• Top Tips in Regards to a Specific Issue

Entertaining Content

The last kind of content  is entertaining content. Such a content doesn’t provide much value other than a smile on your reader’s faces. Similar to informational content, entertaining content has a short shelf life and  won’t bring you a long-term profit. On the other hand, it can go viral and bring you quite a bit of exposure.

How to win your readers hearts?

Apparently there’s no formula on creating such a content. Fresh ideas, good timing, and a sense of humor are the keys to creating something brilliant. Just keep trying – maybe someday your content will become legendary!

Final Thoughts

The examples of content types aren’t the ones you should rigidly stick to. Mix up your content. Experiment with forms – infographics, videos, white-papers. Always add a bit of yourself to your work too – your sense of humor and your thoughts on the topic. Your content  will be rich and engaging.

When creating a content and picking it’s purpose, keep your overall marketing strategy in mind. There’s no universal method of attracting visitors to your website – you have to adapt your tactics, measure your data, and observe what kind of content engages your audience the most. If you’re serious about your online marketing, such knowledge will help you build an effective content marketing campaign. 

you might also like: Content Marketing Tips for Small Business