I’ve lastly hit the milestone: 100 weblog posts for the Ahrefs weblog.
So, I made a decision to replicate on my journey. I did two Ask Me Something (AMA) periods to see what individuals needed to know: one on Twitter X and another on LinkedIn. I used to be pleasantly stunned that so many individuals have been , so thanks to everybody for the sort questions.
Listed below are the teachings I’ve realized from crossing this milestone.
When a scholar approaches a mentor with issues, the mentor doesn’t lay out 200+ options. It’s not useful and causes determination paralysis. As a substitute, the mentor factors out the precise drawback and gives one or two particular items of recommendation to assist the scholar recover from the hurdle.
I believe our content material ought to do the identical factor: determine our reader’s actual drawback and supply the greatest recommendation—not the whole thing of all recommendation.
For instance, I may have listed each potential link-building technique in my post on white hat link-building. Whereas which may have been helpful for some, it might have been overwhelming for many. To not point out, there would have been no indication of what works in actual life.
So, I saved it easy and targeted solely on the techniques that SEOs vouched for.
My best-performing article is my submit on affiliate marketing. I didn’t “write” it; all I did was repurpose Sam’s video.
My worst-performing article is… I’ve too many to depend. I put a number of work into a few of them. My submit on Quora marketing had me spending time on the platform, but it surely by no means received any robust traction. I had to enroll and immediate 39 AI writing instruments for my submit on AI writing tools, however the joke by no means landed. My favourite submit—marketing skills—was written from my six years of expertise as a digital marketer however received nowhere both.
I believe that’s the character of content material creation. Most issues simply don’t work, and for people who do, you’ll be able to by no means predict prior.
I’m not saying to cease placing effort into your content material. I’m simply saying there’s no correlation between how lengthy you’re employed on one thing versus its “success.”
However on the finish of the day, if you wish to create distinctive content material or supply a singular viewpoint, you continue to must put within the work. That you must be an operator (see subsequent level) or do onerous issues.
Nice writing ought to really feel onerous. If you happen to can crank out an article by opening a couple of browser tabs, so can everybody else. However interview somebody, learn a ebook, discover an esoteric analysis paper, or gather some information… and your willingness to do one thing troublesome offers you an edge.
Rankings don’t final ceaselessly. That’s why refreshing content material is an integral a part of our SEO content strategy.
For instance, I’ve up to date the submit on affiliate marketing online twice. I’ve additionally up to date alternative search engines twice, SEO statistics twice (and counting), evergreen content twice, and top Google searches numerous occasions.
Every time we replace our posts, site visitors spikes.
However it isn’t all about search engine marketing and gaining extra natural site visitors. If you happen to’ve realized one thing new concerning the matter, you’re doing all your viewers a disservice by not telling them about it. So, ensure you’re constantly renewing and refreshing your current content material.
Your readers will not be dumb. They’ll inform when an article is a mishmash of scraped “theoretical” recommendation or written from expertise.
Somebody writing from expertise can pinpoint challenges and obstacles. They’ll determine nuances and spot specifics. They’ll have robust opinions. They’ll be capable of present proof.
In brief: They’re plausible.
If you wish to be plausible, that you must have pores and skin within the sport and take a look at issues in opposition to actuality.
For instance, I’ve finished a number of visitor posts myself. That’s how I may supply loads of distinctive ideas after I wrote my post on guest blogging. I even introduced loads of proof of my visitor posts, my interactions with publishers, and extra.
In truth, one of many blogs I wrote for even broke down my pitch electronic mail to them—proof that I knew what I used to be speaking about:
I as soon as heard bestselling creator Ramit Sethi say that he spent 80% of his book-writing time on the desk of contents.
I imagine him. As a result of I wrestle probably the most attempting to arrange every article I write. Living proof: I took means too lengthy attempting to provide you with one of the best “structure” for this submit. Finally, I settled on this.
However as soon as I’m glad with the construction, the writing simply flows.
Searchers are sick of each weblog submit being the size of a Tolstoy ebook. They don’t wish to see content material with the standard “search engine marketing” stuff: what’s X and why is X necessary. They’ll get these solutions from AI now.
In order for you your content material to face out and be distinctive on this new world of generative AI, that you must escape of the mindset of being an search engine marketing.
Don’t merely copy what the top-ranking pages are writing about or fill content material gaps. Take into consideration how one can add, enhance, or reframe the dialog across the matter you’re writing about.
For instance, our post on long-tail keywords tried to right the misunderstanding that long-tail key phrases are lengthy (i.e., 3+ phrases) key phrases. In actuality, they’re long-tail resulting from their place on the search demand curve.
It’s an identical story for my post on creating an SEO campaign. Most guides on that matter have been merely a masquerade for an additional “newbie’s information to search engine marketing.” I attempted to focus particularly on what a “marketing campaign” was and the three main steps to setting one up.
My first few posts on the Ahrefs weblog have been lengthy. Too lengthy, actually. They have been rambly and meandering. This was partly as a result of I believed that lengthy = good. Skyscraper, proper?
However the fact is, I used to be wasteful—I used too many phrases to say one thing. No person desires to slog by way of 5,000 phrases to study one thing. As creator Morgan Housel says, “Writing is an effectivity sport. Whoever says probably the most stuff within the fewest phrases wins.”
Today, I attempt to preserve my posts as quick as attainable. I’ve even seen 20-30% decreases in size after rewrites. As a author, it’s a must to be ruthless and reduce out sections that don’t work.
I received so many questions throughout the AMA about how lengthy I take to put in writing every weblog submit and the typical size. Some even needed to know the breakdown of every part (researching, writing, modifying).
I don’t suppose I gave nice solutions as a result of I’ve by no means tracked that. And I’m undecided my solutions would even be useful anyway.
So what if I took two hours to put in writing a weblog submit? Does that imply you’re higher or worse than me when you took kind of time? I don’t suppose so—and admittedly, I don’t see how that improves my work as a content material author or marketer.
Particulars do matter. However not all particulars are made equal. Accuracy, uniqueness, phrase alternative, and phrasing are necessary. Not article size or how a lot time somebody took.
I don’t suppose I may have created my greatest content material with out peer suggestions. It’s probably the greatest issues we launched into our content material advertising workflow. Realizing that somebody will level out and problem you on the inaccuracies, logical loopholes, phrasing, and extra actually makes your work higher.
Living proof: my first draft of this very submit. I wrote about another lesson, however Joshua’s suggestions was that it was convoluted and complicated.
It was onerous to listen to, however I agreed. So, I eliminated the level.
Ultimate ideas
Some individuals requested me how they are often good at writing. I’m undecided I’ve one of the best recommendation right here, as a result of I’m removed from being good. However I imagine one factor: If you wish to be good, you could goal to be prolific.
100 appears lots, however I’m simply getting began. There’s extra to discover, extra to study, and extra to enhance. I’ll goal to put in writing 200, then 300, possibly even a thousand.
If you wish to enhance your writing and content material advertising, why not join me on the same journey to put in writing 100 and extra?
