The only SEO secret you need to know
This is the best kept SEO secret you need to know. Everyone wants to rank on Google and other search engines. And because we all know content is key, everyone is jumping onto the tried and tested strategy of creating content and publishing it online. However there is one big issue, most of the content published online, is not new. Rather, its an amalgamation of content that already exits online. This has created an epidemic of thin content. So while many feel they are working hard “summarizing” information that already exists, their efforts bear no fruits.
If you search for something online, chances are, most of the websites will contain similar information. The only difference perhaps is the writing style and illustrations.
Contents
The role of research and original content
Because of the flurry of thin content out there, Google and other search engines are desperate for highly original, quality content that cannot be found elsewhere on the internet. They want websites that add to the existing knowledge base, rather than simply amalgamate and/or summarize. It is thus important for anyone serious about getting results with SEO, to learn how to research and present their findings.
So how do you do research?
This is harder than it looks. Essentially you have to think like a scientist. I will try to simplify the process. Every good research method can be broken down into the following.
- Finding a topic to research
- Figure out the control environment
- Conducting the experiment
- Analyzing the findings
- Presenting the findings
Let us discuss each one of them in depth
Finding a topic to research
This is very straight forward. You need to figure out what your audience needs to learn. What questions are they always asking? Are there definite answers to those questions that are backed by facts? If you come across a question or topic that is rather ambiguous, then you are in luck. That may present a topic for research.
Figure out the control environment
Before you conduct any experiment, you need to identify the base conditions. For example, if you are trying to find out for example, which landing page works well, you need to define several conditions such as
- Demography of traffic
- Time of day
These I like to call constants. If they vary, then they may throw off your findings and your experiment will not be constant.
Another example, if you are researching bows and arrows, you may need to maintain the following constants;
- Wind speed
- Bow tension
- Arrow weight and balance
Am sure by now you are getting the idea. If your environment varies, you findings will not be accurate.
Conduct the experiment
Once all the factors that need to be constant are constant, you are free to conduct your experiments. This is often the easy part. Most of the time, you just need to observe and record your findings.
Analyzing your findings
After you are through with your experiment, you need to analyze your findings. This is because, after the experiment all you have is raw data that may not make sense to everyone else. You need to organize this mass of data and sort it.
Presenting your findings
This is often one of the hardest steps. Data presentation is important, but it needs to be done in way that is not drab and boring. You want to sort of entertain your reader, on top of educating them. There are several ways I recommend to present your information;
Infographs
I love infographs are I feel they are heaven sent. These allow you to present key information in a visual format. They are amazing because, in a glace, someone is able to get the information they need. And because they are highly skimmable, reading them is a breeze.
All the research I do, the primary means of information dissemination has been infographs. A great tool I recommend to create infographs is Canva
Tables
Tables are also really efficient. They allow for easy dissemination of information and they are one of the best ways to present tabular numerical data.
If you are able to embed a Google Sheet, that works really great too. Some websites even provide templates that with formulas built in to help people calculate stuff.
Normal blog format
This works great too and gives your website an opportunity to rank. The best part is that Google and the other search engines will realize that your blog is provides unique and valuable insights and push it higher in the rankings.
Benefits or original research
Now let us discuss why original research is the best kept SEO secret your need to know. There are many benefits to original research, but I will focus on just one.
It helps with your E.A.T
That acronym stands for Expertise Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. This helps Google and other search engines identify genuine experts.
So how does it help?
You see, when you post original content, lots of people will use your content as a basis for their content. Lots or writers are too lazy or too busy to do their own research, so they go online. Google will notice that your content is being referred to in lots of other blogs and websites. If all of them are referring to your content, it must mean you are an authority and expert. So it will take your website more seriously and this will boost your rankings.
In addition to that, all those referrals will result in additional traffic to further boost your numbers. Readers will read the content that is derived from your content and click on the link that leads back to your website for more information.
Let us not forget too that your own readers will love the original data and will most likely share your page. This will further boost your traffic
On top of that, there may be lots of discourse and discussions centered around your findings. Maybe your findings went against commonly accepted truths. This may present opportunities for interviews for you to give further explanations. This will dramatically boost your image and brand and make you a thought leader.
Summary
For this reason I strongly believe, those who are capable of doing original research and coming across great findings stand a better chance at SEO success. As a matter of fact, I advise most of my clients that, unless you are planning to add new things to the internet, don’t bother creating the website.
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