Simon Owens's Tech and Media - How should publishers prioritize SEO?
How should publishers prioritize SEO?Depending on how narrow your chosen niche is, there could be a lot of search demand that hasn’t been serviced.
Hello there! This is the latest edition of my Q&A series where readers ask me questions and I do my best to answer them. And if you want to subscribe, the link below will get you 10% off for your first year. Not only will you be able to participate in these Q&A sessions, but you’ll be supporting the work I do for my newsletter and podcast. Ok, let’s jump into it… How should publishers prioritize SEO?The first question comes from Ari Lewis
Most newly-launched media companies start out by producing one of two kinds of content: SEO-friendly content or share-friendly content. The SEO-friendly content, in general, attempts to answer questions that people are likely to type into Google, usually at a time when they immediately need an answer to their question. Publishers that start out specializing in SEO-friendly content typically cater to business models that try to quickly drive some kind of purchase or transaction. Their readers are researching options to buy a new computer or hire a plumber or invest in real estate. Audiences for SEO-friendly outlets don’t tend to be very loyal because they only stumble across your content when they need something specific. Share-friendly content is either news-pegged or contains some component that would compel its readers to share it — whether it’s to express their political views, advertise their own expertise, or bring joy to others. These types of outlets tend to build more loyal audiences that return again and again, either by subscribing to a newsletter, bookmarking the homepage, or following on social media. I think of the newsletter you’re reading right now as a share-friendly outlet. Like I said, brand new media outlets tend to only have the resources and inclination to create content for one of these categories. But once a media business reaches a certain maturation point at which it has access to more resources, then the editors can start to brainstorm new content categories that will help diversify traffic sources. Right before I started writing this newsletter, for instance, I got off the phone with a media operator who built a super successful real estate blog that performs well on Google, but she was looking for ways she could diversify her traffic and build a more loyal audience. She essentially had the exact opposite problem that you have. So what’s a good way for a share-friendly outlet to start prioritizing SEO? To answer that question, let’s turn to Pat Walls.
So how can you apply this to your own individual niche? Here are a few ideas for article topics:
Depending on how narrow your chosen niche is, there could be a lot of search demand that hasn’t been serviced. It’s just a matter of determining which questions haven’t been properly answered. Struggling to create video content on a consistent basis? Video Husky can help.[Sponsored] If you’re like many video creators, editing is your least favorite part of the creative process. That’s because it’s usually the most time-consuming part. You’re probably spending countless hours scrubbing through a massive backlog of footage, monotonously piecing them together in post-production. So think about this: what would it mean if you could get back those hours spent editing your own videos? With Video Husky, you don’t have to wonder. As a done-for-you-editing service for creators and businesses, we handle the heavy lifting of video editing so you don’t have to. With Video Husky, you’re not just getting a video editor. You’re also getting:
Web3’s blatant blind spotsThe next question comes from George Aliferis
Let me start by translating this question: George has noticed that the owners of Web3 startups tend to promote their projects on traditional social media sites instead of publishing mainly to Web3 platforms. Your question points to the thing that Web3 enthusiasts gloss over when touting the utopia of a “decentralized” web: that there’s a reason why content creators and users were attracted to centralized platforms in the first place. Believe me, I think the world would be better off if these people spent more time posting to Web3 platforms and less time posting to social media. It would be a lot easier to ignore them. Searching for Web3’s use casesHere’s a related question from Jon Winsor
Ha, I actually tweeted out this joke on Twitter today: “My guilty pleasure is reading Web3 press releases and trying to figure out what the hell the company does just from the press release.” For instance, here’s an excerpt from a press release I received from a company called Calaxy, which just raised a whopping $26 million. I’ll pay someone $5 if they can figure out what Calaxy actually does:
If you can't succinctly explain what makes your company special in the press release, then your average user won't get it. I think that’s why you’re struggling to understand the value; you keep seeing buzz phrases like “decentralize the web” or “own your content,” but you don’t see how the product is solving a problem that you actually have. That’s why a lot of Web3 companies tend to use technical jargon like “decentralized, permissionless protocol with open-source governance” as if that’s supposed to mean anything to anyone. It doesn’t! At least not to the normie consumer who’s going to supposedly abandon Web 2.0 and flock to its Web3 counterparts. If the jargon is confusing you, it’s also confusing most other people. Quick hitsThis isn’t media related, but I just finished the season 2 finale of Hacks last night on HBO Max, and that show is so good. You should check it out!
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