Content creation is an important part of SEO. In fact, to aid your rankings, if you’re not creating new content then you’re tweaking already existing content. But this alone is not enough – you must know the right types of content to use.
What are these content types? Read on.
1. Resources
So, technically this will still be a blog post sometimes. But it’s different. Resource posts take different forms, but they’re generally ultimate list posts or skyscraper list posts.
A digital marketer can create an ultimate list of tools used for ‘X’ in their niche. A travel blogger can write about an ultimate list of places to visit in ‘X’ city or region.
Simplistic, I know. But you get the point. As the concept of the Skyscraper technique suggests, it should be a definitive list containing everything a reader would hope to find about the topic.
For example, this page on Host Advice has reviews of the best website hosting services, and is an incredible resource. It features over 32,000 reviews of 4,000+ web hosting services.
Similarly, this resource featuring the rankings of 312 universities in the US is an example of a successful post done in a niche outside digital marketing.
As you’ll notice, these are posts people would want to bookmark or print. With a little planning and forethought, you can discover valuable ideas for resource posts in your niche.
When done well, it can bring you more traffic and links than any other post on your blog. Well, unless all posts on your blog are resource posts, in which case you should ignore this point and move to the next already.
Don’t have any resource posts on your site yet? Create one in 2022.
2. Software
A web or mobile app is a type of content. It’s the reason some sites are popular even though they have no blog. And for some folks who have the skills, it’s the easier, albeit more expensive, type of content to create. But you won’t spend only money; you’ll spend time too.
To show how effective this type of content is, according to RankWatch’s link explorer, Engage – an infographic maker, has over 778,000 backlinks.
Granted, you may feel that it is ultimately a paid tool, even though it has a free version. So, here are the stats for a completely free tool – Answer the Public has 909,000+ backlinks.
If Answer the Public decides to create blog posts, all those backlinks will come in handy for their rankings.
It’s easy to see why the number of marketing software apps available increases year after year. Because when done right, it works.
To put it in perspective, in 2011 about 150 marketing software apps existed. Five years later that number was 4,891, and by 2017 it was 5,381. And these stats are only for software in the marketing niche.
Think carefully of software you can create to solve problems in your niche. Brainstorm ideas with members of your team. When you get it right, you will not just boost your SEO efforts, but you may also make money in the long run if you choose to monetize it.
3. Infographics
Over the years, I’ve seen some excellent infographics. I’m sure you have too. One study showed that, when done well, infographics were liked and shared on social media up to three times more often than other content.
If you create a truly share-worthy infographic, other sites will use it on their sites and link to you as the source. For example, this infographic I created in 2015 about infographic ideas was also shared on HubSpot.
You know what’s both sad and funny?
The HubSpot version ranks at #5 for the “list of infographic ideas”, as they’re obviously a bigger site, while mine fluctuates between #9 and #12.
Many businesses have jumped on the infographic bandwagon in the years since Neil Patel first described (in 2012) how well it worked for Kissmetrics. Understandably, a particular marketing tactic can become less effective the more it’s adopted. You know, like how content ranking on page one of Google became longer and more in-depth, and not the 500-word posts or less that were common in 2006.
But it shouldn’t stop you from trying it with your audience. Especially if you’ve never done it before. The results will pleasantly surprise you.
4. Research and original data
Many writers use research and data to back up their ideas and this is why this type of content is an SEO treasure.
For example, if you find a strategy that’s working for you repeatedly you can carry out a test to find out if you’re just an exception, or if it’s a “digital marketing rule” or “best practice”.
If you can hire a programmer to help with the analysis, good. If you can write programs, better. Because it’s a necessity for analyzing big data.
With the right amount of promotion, research and original data get lots of backlinks, which are very good for SEO. As an example, the Content Marketing Institute publishes its B2B research annually. I used RankWatch to analyze the URL analyzing and launching the B2B research, and I found over 5,270 backlinks to that page.
This isn’t an anomaly. Compare this to Backlinko’s research on Google results. RankWatch reveals that it has over 9,600 backlinks.
Can you imagine any other form of content consistently performing this well, in this manner for your site? I can’t either.
And you know the best part?
You can easily partner with another business in your niche to create such research. Apart from helping you save costs (where you can’t afford original research on your own), it also helps to amplify the content’s reach. That’s because the other parties will also share and link to the research widely on their own platforms. Win-win.
If you’re still sitting on the fence over creating your own research, don’t doubt it anymore.
Conclusion
SEO is changing constantly, year after year. Search engine algorithms and SEO tactics are constantly evolving, and marketers and SEOs must constantly change with the times.
Nowadays, the written content isn’t the only type of content you should create in 2022. Sure, some types I mentioned here involve the written word, but they’re not just traditional blog posts. Spend time in creating the right types of content in 2022 and watch your rankings soar.
What types of content do you plan to focus on more to boost your rankings in 2022? Let us know in the comments.