Looking to add an extra punch to your content to earn links from outreach and publishing efforts? One effective solution lies in data.
We all understand the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) and link building, particularly in this digital age. However, earning links can be challenging unless you grasp why people choose to link.
Most individuals linking to a web page seek something to support a claim or back up their narratives; they require data to bolster their ideas.
Let’s explore three types of data-driven content that can significantly enhance your ability to earn authoritative links.
### 1. Data Analysis
Content-based data analysis might sound tedious, but in reality, much of the top-performing, link-attracting content on the web results from data analysis.
Content data analysis involves original research, such as correlation studies and other applications of statistical methods to data. Sometimes, this data is publicly available; other times, it’s acquired through proprietary means.
As an SEO professional, you might be familiar with ranking correlation studies by companies like SEMrush and Ahrefs, which have earned them numerous backlinks.
These ranking correlation studies typically:
– Use proprietary tools to analyze search engine results for a large list of keywords.
– Examine various on-page and off-page metrics associated with these search results.
– Report correlations between these metrics and rankings in the search results.
Correlation measures how often two factors go hand in hand, on a scale from -1 to 1. However, it doesn’t determine if one factor causes the other, if they share a common cause, or if chance is responsible for the correlation. Despite this, correlations are a solid starting point for exploring potential causal connections.
Such analysis is valuable both within and beyond the SEO community. For instance, a dating site has produced content by analyzing how users rate others’ attractiveness, revealing interesting insights.
While over 300 domains have linked to this content, suggesting the power of data analysis-based content, you don’t always need proprietary data to create this kind of content. Consider analyzing publicly-available data from sources like:
– United States Census Bureau
– Dow Jones Weekly Returns
– Bureau of Labor Statistics
– Yelp Open Dataset
Cross-referencing these datasets can yield fascinating correlations worth sharing in a data-driven piece of content.
### 2. Surveys
An engaging post on Search Engine Land featured a survey by BrightLocal titled “88% Of Consumers Trust Online Reviews As Much As Personal Recommendations.” This survey involved answers from 2,104 recipients and garnered over 140 backlinks.
Surveys like these tend to gain press coverage and collect numerous links if the survey topic is original, newsworthy, and interesting to your target audience.
To conduct such a survey and develop fitting content, start by:
– Identifying a question of interest to your target audience or their influencers. It should be a quantitative question, and if covered before, enough time should have elapsed since the last study.
– Browsing forums and Q&A sites for questions lacking satisfactory quantitative answers.
– Choosing a survey platform, such as Google Surveys or SurveyMonkey.
– Keeping the survey concise to enhance response accuracy.
– Ensuring questions aren’t open-ended, and answers are informative.
– Using survey results to craft a compelling headline around the most eye-catching data.
– Building content that elaborates on your headline while providing expert interpretations.
– Citing previous research, whether yours or others, and integrating examples or personal experiences.
### 3. Research Compilations
Research compilations compile prior data-focused research to create a thorough overview of a topic.
Though not receiving as much attention as original research, research compilations can be created more easily and consistently. Since they gather results from various sources and discuss topics comprehensively, these pieces tend to remain relevant and continue gathering links over time.
They can also be updated regularly as new information becomes available.
For example, a massive roundup post at HubSpot, featuring numerous quantitative facts sorted into categories, has gained nearly 2,000 links. These lists aren’t the only way to do research compilations, though.
Consider the Search Engine Land’s “What Is SEO?” guide, one of their most linked content pieces, introducing readers to SEO with reputable sources.
Despite varying approaches to research compilations, successful examples often:
– Offer comprehensive content adding value beyond previous works.
– Are heavily sourced, with authoritative references.
– Are evergreen, encouraging return visits.
– Are well-structured, with easy navigation and coherent information flow.
– Include data visualization to avoid monotony.
– Have their attention drawn through the site’s structure, via main navigation or calls to action elsewhere on the site.
### Conclusion
Data-driven content excels because hard facts and numbers lend weight to your arguments like nothing else can. The tangible nature of data-based insights draws attention and makes you a source worth citing.
Data analysis reveals intriguing connections with meaningful implications, surveys align your audience with current trends, and research compilations offer timeless content worth revisiting.
