What trends should you look out for, and how should you adapt your marketing strategy for 2020? Well, let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n
How should your content strategy look for 2020?<\/h2>\n
Learning how to write pillar content should be the main priority. While pillar content isn\u2019t new, having a foundational piece of content that stands the test of time on your website, will help drive awareness to your website but also establish your brand as a thought leader and boost your business\u2019s SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aside from pillar content, you should also focus on snippets, keyword research, the competitor gap, and \u2018enriching content.\u2019 These are going to be prevalent in 2020 and should be incorporated into a marketer\u2019s content strategy.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s go into further detail.<\/p>\n Pillar pages are much more than a really long piece of content. While pillar content is a detailed and comprehensive guide on a particular topic, it also forms a \u2018topic cluster\u2019 in which it links to other, related topics. This makes pillar content incredibly useful for SEO purposes.<\/p>\n A \u2018topic cluster\u2019 helps search engines recognise you as an authority figure on a specific topic. Basically, a pillar piece consists of multiple topics that can interlink with other blog posts. Due to these links, you create a \u2018hub\u2019 \u2013 and with this hub, you have the ability to explore other subject in more depth too.<\/p>\n Typically, a pillar piece has three main components:<\/p>\n With both your pillar piece and connected blog content optimised with relevant keywords, this interconnected \u2018cluster\u2019 of content allows search engines to prioritise your website ahead of your competitors as you are viewed as an authority on the subject.<\/p>\n So, pillar content must form part of a wider content strategy if it is to drive value and be seen. It is not to be seen as \u201ca big blog post.\u201d It is so much more than that.<\/p>\n Creating the perfect piece of pillar content requires substantial research time and resources. You need to treat content creation as an investment, especially when it comes to developing pillar content.<\/p>\n You cannot write a free-form piece of content, include a few links and hope it achieves results! Here\u2019s a guide on how to write effective pillar content.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all too tempting to throw yourself deep into content writing with no clear map as to how you\u2019re going to make your points and end the piece properly. You need to conduct keyword research, know your topic inside out, and highlight relevant sub-topics so that you can form your \u2018topic cluster.\u2019<\/p>\n The process of planning your pillar piece can be in-depth. You will want to consider:<\/p>\n There\u2019s more to a pillar page than planning, writing and distributing the content. Pillar content needs to align with your overall content goals and SEO strategy<\/a>. What\u2019s more, you need to have the relevant blog posts to link to, otherwise what\u2019s your pillar piece a hub for?<\/p>\n Tip: If you are linking to old blog content, ensure this content is updated and optimised. This may involve changing keywords so that they are more relevant.<\/b><\/p>\n When everything is planned and your keyword research completed, it\u2019s time to write your content and hit the points you\u2019ve laid out. First drafts are important here; you will want to get your thoughts, stats, and statistics on the page, ensure your sub-topics are included, and then refine the content.<\/p>\n Once the content is completed, you need to review your linking strategy. Cross-linking correctly is essential if you want search engines to recognise you as a thought leader.<\/p>\n For your pillar piece to be successful, you need to ensure the content you\u2019ve written is up-to-date and factually correct. But where do you find facts and figures you can trust?<\/p>\n Luckily, you have the whole of the internet to conduct your research. You can simply look up your topic online and search through authoritative sites that are known for their reliability. Drill down on your topic by researching \u2013 dig deep so that there is no room for error.<\/p>\n Google is known for sniffing out relevant information and answering a searcher\u2019s query by providing a very brief summary in a box below the search bar. This widget is called a Snippet, and it is highly competitive with the amount of \u201cno click\u201d searchers on the rise.<\/p>\n How do you rank for a snippet, though?<\/strong><\/p>\n Certain words have a higher chance of being featured with a snippet. They are:<\/p>\n Include these words in titles and within the body of the text so that it is clear and concise for when Google is searching through your content.<\/p>\n However, it isn\u2019t just the words you use, but you also have to decide on the type of snippet too:<\/p>\n Fun Fact: The most popular type of featured snippet is the paragraph.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n While selecting the type of snippet may seem trivial in the whole grand scheme of things, you need to know how your competitors are ranking. By doing so, you know how to create and format your content so that you can knock their snippet out of pole position.<\/p>\n Easy. Use SEMrush to find out which featured snippets your competitors are ranking for (as well as any snippets you may be placing first in). Once you know what your competitors are ranking for, you can optimise your content so that you are competing for the same keywords.<\/p>\n Tip: When checking your own snippets, see whether there are any other keyword variations you could rank for as well as the ones you are already using.<\/strong><\/p>\n How could you, really? Get into the mindset of your audience and Google queries or questions they are likely to search for. This is a great exercise in itself when it comes to understanding your customers better.<\/p>\n For instance, are you a budding baker with a blog? If so, Google one of your recipes and see what pops up, or other related baking questions like \u201cwhat is the cup to grams conversions?\u201d so that you can also focus on your audience outside of America.<\/p>\n You can also use the \u201cPeople also ask\u201d section for more information on what your audience is looking for regarding your industry.<\/p>\n Both SEMrush and Google are quick, easy and inexpensive ways to conduct research for your snippets.<\/p>\n You should already be performing keyword research, but you can greatly improve your featured snippet luck by optimising your keywords to this marketing tactic, too.<\/p>\n There are many tools available, but you can also enlist the help of a digital marketing agency. You can use Keyword Explorer or Serpstat as they show which keywords bring up certain snippets. This is crucial information for those who are looking to rank #0.<\/p>\n Typically, the keywords for featured snippets will be in question form. As mentioned above, you can get into the heads of your consumers and Google questions they may ask, but you will want to include more than one question in your content.<\/p>\n Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n Because once one piece of content earns a featured snippet for one question, it is more likely to be featured for other related queries. That\u2019s why an FAQ-style piece of content is so optimal when landing rank #0.<\/p>\n Tip: Keep your questions and answers to the point and simple. <\/strong><\/p>\n You may have numerous keywords to hit, but that doesn\u2019t mean overstuffing and oversaturating your content. Keep your content concise and to the point. You may have lots of questions and points to hit, but overall, your content may only be 50 or so words long.<\/p>\n According to SEMrush<\/a>, the most common length of content for featured snippets is between 40 to 50 words \u2013 no more, no less.<\/p>\n Long sentences and paragraphs are falling out of favour. We want bite-sized content that we can easily and quickly digest, much like listicles. Make sure to break up your content by including headers (your questions\/answers) when formatting your copy.<\/p>\n Be sure to organise your headers by the correct size; that means using h1, h2, h3 or h4 appropriately. Organising your content with headers, and in chronological order, will make your copy more likely to feature in Google.<\/p>\nPillar content, what is it and why do you need it?<\/h2>\n
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![\"topic](\"https:\/\/www.staging-uk.clickintelligence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/topic-clusters-1024x587.png\")
<\/p>\nHow to write pillar content<\/h3>\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Plan before you start writing<\/h4>\n
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2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Consult your wider content strategy<\/h4>\n
3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pen to paper, fingers to keyboard \u2013 time to write your pillar piece<\/h4>\n
Research tips: where should you find the relevant information?<\/h3>\n
![\"rich](\"https:\/\/www.staging-uk.clickintelligence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/rich-snippet-1-1024x734.png\")
<\/p>\nThe Snippet, and how to utilise this trend<\/h2>\n
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![\"semrush](\"https:\/\/www.staging-uk.clickintelligence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/pt-tracking-featured-snippets-1024x606.png\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\nHow to find your competitors\u2019 snippets?<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t forget Google<\/h3>\n
![\"SEMRush](\"https:\/\/www.staging-uk.clickintelligence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Keyword-Research-Tool-2-1024x373.jpg\")
<\/p>\nKeyword research: a walk through<\/h3>\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Find all the relevant keyword questions<\/h4>\n
2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Answer multiple questions<\/h4>\n
3. Keep your word count low<\/h4>\n
4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s all about the headers<\/h4>\n
![\"guide](\"https:\/\/www.staging-uk.clickintelligence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/5f700d91-763e-4f45-9576-9431d3415976.png\")
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