SEO
How to Optimize Your Statistics Pages to Earn Links
You’ve probably already heard that statistics pages are a great way to generate links.
You’ve also likely noticed that some statistics pages are much more successful at earning links than others.
So I wanted to figure out what separates the most successful statistics pages from those that fall flat.
After researching and experimenting with my own content, I found five key things that seem to significantly improve a statistics post’s link attraction.
I’ll discuss each tactic in detail below and provide step-by-step instructions so that you can duplicate the results.
Incorporate Journalistic Keywords
I learned the reverse outreach hack from Brian Dean, and it’s now my favorite strategy to incorporate into any statistics page.
In the case study he wrote, his content organically earned over 5,000 links thanks to this method.
The idea is that instead of you reaching out to journalists and content marketers and begging them to link to your content, they find your content when looking for data to support their argument and naturally link to you.
So start by finding long-tail keywords that are clearly hunting for data – Brian Dean calls them “journalistic keywords.”
To find these keywords, you can use a couple of different tactics:
- Find long tail keywords on competing statistics pages.
- Answer “People Also Asked” questions.
Finding long-tail keywords is pretty easy. You can Google the main keyword (e.g., “SEO statistics” or “coaching statistics”), take the top-ranking URL, and put it into your favorite keyword tool. Then, you can look at all the long-tail keywords and questions the page ranks for.
Here’s an example of this in action:
The other option is to look at the People Also Asked question box for your main keyword:
A pro tip is to click on each of the questions as it will generate even more questions:
As you include the statistical answers to each question in your post, optimize them for featured snippets by setting up the People Also Asked phrase as a question and then answering it as a complete sentence.
Here’s an example:
How many people eat fast food every day?
Approximately 85 million Americans eat fast food every day.
Find And Update Popular Stats
Ahrefs did a popular link-building study that walked through how it built 36 backlinks (for free) to a stats page by emailing websites with outdated statistics and offering more recent statistics posted on its brand-new stats page.
As a result, its post quickly became the top-ranking post for the term “SEO statistics.” Two years later, it’s still sitting in the second position.
Step 1: Take the top-ranking URL for your main keyword (e.g., “SEO statistics”) and put it into your favorite keyword tool.
Step 2: Check out its backlink profile and look at the most popular statistics. You can do this by scrolling through the backlink profile for the page and then doing an anchor text search for numbers you notice repeatedly.
For example, this statistic (“a third of Americans eat fast food each day”) seems to be popular:
Step 3: Check that the statistic is outdated (at least 2-3 years old).
If it is, try to find a more updated statistic to replace it. If you can’t find a more up-to-date statistic, consider creating a new statistic yourself.
For example, I was doing a stats page for chatbots and found some dated statistics on how many people use chatbots by country.
So, I used Clearbit and another data extraction site to come up with more current statistics and then compared the new data to the dated statistics:
Step 4: Reach out to the websites with the dated statistics and offer the updated statistics.
Most people don’t respond to the traditional “link to my stats page because it’s better than the old page!”
However, most people like to have up-to-date content and, therefore, might be willing to swap out their old statistics for newer ones that you offer on a silver platter.
In fact, if you wanted to go the extra mile, you could even offer to update the whole page for them.
As mentioned earlier, this process helped Ahrefs earn 36 links in just a few weeks and catapult its page to the top of the search results.
Use A Hub And Spoke Model/Skyscraper Technique
I’ve noticed that many of the most successful statistics pages are organized in a hub and spoke/skyscraper style.
HubSpot’s Marketing Statistics page is an excellent example of a well-organized skyscraper-style statistics page.
Specifically, it includes the following sections:
- Content Marketing Statistics.
- Social Media Marketing Statistics.
- Video Marketing Statistics.
- Email Marketing Statistics.
- Lead Generation Statistics.
- Advertising Statistics.
- Marketing Technology Statistics.
- Sales Statistics.
This page even ranks well for many of these “spoke” statistics keywords. For example, the general page still ranks second for the term “content marketing statistics.”
So next time you create a statistics page, separate it into several categories and continuously update and build out those categories.
Include Original Data
Given that the meat of statistics pages is data, creating original data is another great way to attract links.
However, most people assume that creating new data is time-consuming and expensive.
While this is true if you intend to do a major “state of the industry” study, there are plenty of ways to create or extract original data for free (or cheap).
Below, I’ll walk you through a few of my go-to methods.
Scan Public Data
There is plenty of data available that most people simply don’t want to organize.
The first person to introduce me to this method was Andy Crestodina. He told me he wanted to know the average lifespan of a website, but that statistic didn’t exist.
So he pulled a list of the top 200 marketing websites (according to Alexa) and hired a VA to go into the Wayback Machine and record the last time the website had a major overhaul.
The answer was two years and seven months.
Today, that single statistic has earned that post over 1,000 backlinks from websites like HubSpot, Forbes, Wikipedia, the Content Marketing Institute, and other websites that you could never buy a link from:
Leverage Internal Data
Another great way to create fresh statistics is to pull internal data.
Ahrefs has several excellent examples of this:
I want to point out that Ahrefs always creates an individual post on each of these statistics and then later adds the statistics to its other dedicated statistics pages.
I’ve found that this is a clever way to maximize the links you can get for a single statistic.
For example, the first post I mentioned (90.63% of Content Gets No Traffic From Google) has over 8,000 backlinks (over 3,000 referring domains).
Without a dedicated post, that statistic could have easily gotten lost on a massive statistics page.
Therefore, consider pulling out your most valuable statistics and creating a dedicated post to promote that statistic and maximize links.
Send Customer Surveys
If you have a large email list, another option is to survey your customers or audience. For example, Andy Crestodina does an annual blogger survey, which always receives much attention.
He says that it takes over 100 hours to put together, though you can see that it is well worth the effort, given that it organically attracted over 13,000 backlinks (over 3,000 referring domains).
If you don’t have a list, you can also use a market research tool like SurveyMonkey or Pollfish, though this can get more expensive.
Create Graphics
Content marketers need data to support their claims, but they also need graphics and images to support their claims. Therefore, I strongly recommend creating graphics for your data as well.
For example, in the Google Lens search for the graphic below, you can see that a lot of different websites have shared it.
The best part about graphics is that you can take existing statistics and make graphics of them with your branding (just be sure to credit the original source).
Oberlo has plenty of examples of this:
If you don’t have a designer on staff, you can hire someone on Upwork or Dribbble to create graphics for you.
Start Updating Your Statistics Pages Now
Creating a great statistics page is a lot more than just creating the longest list of statistics that exists.
It’s about creating a resource that journalists and other content marketers find useful and can use to support their claims.
Try out some of these tips, and let us know if they help you generate more links!
More resources:
Featured Image: SEVENNINE_79/Shutterstock
SEO
How To Write ChatGPT Prompts To Get The Best Results
ChatGPT is a game changer in the field of SEO. This powerful language model can generate human-like content, making it an invaluable tool for SEO professionals.
However, the prompts you provide largely determine the quality of the output.
To unlock the full potential of ChatGPT and create content that resonates with your audience and search engines, writing effective prompts is crucial.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the art of writing prompts for ChatGPT, covering everything from basic techniques to advanced strategies for layering prompts and generating high-quality, SEO-friendly content.
Writing Prompts For ChatGPT
What Is A ChatGPT Prompt?
A ChatGPT prompt is an instruction or discussion topic a user provides for the ChatGPT AI model to respond to.
The prompt can be a question, statement, or any other stimulus to spark creativity, reflection, or engagement.
Users can use the prompt to generate ideas, share their thoughts, or start a conversation.
ChatGPT prompts are designed to be open-ended and can be customized based on the user’s preferences and interests.
How To Write Prompts For ChatGPT
Start by giving ChatGPT a writing prompt, such as, “Write a short story about a person who discovers they have a superpower.”
ChatGPT will then generate a response based on your prompt. Depending on the prompt’s complexity and the level of detail you requested, the answer may be a few sentences or several paragraphs long.
Use the ChatGPT-generated response as a starting point for your writing. You can take the ideas and concepts presented in the answer and expand upon them, adding your own unique spin to the story.
If you want to generate additional ideas, try asking ChatGPT follow-up questions related to your original prompt.
For example, you could ask, “What challenges might the person face in exploring their newfound superpower?” Or, “How might the person’s relationships with others be affected by their superpower?”
Remember that ChatGPT’s answers are generated by artificial intelligence and may not always be perfect or exactly what you want.
However, they can still be a great source of inspiration and help you start writing.
Must-Have GPTs Assistant
I recommend installing the WebBrowser Assistant created by the OpenAI Team. This tool allows you to add relevant Bing results to your ChatGPT prompts.
This assistant adds the first web results to your ChatGPT prompts for more accurate and up-to-date conversations.
It is very easy to install in only two clicks. (Click on Start Chat.)
For example, if I ask, “Who is Vincent Terrasi?,” ChatGPT has no answer.
With WebBrower Assistant, the assistant creates a new prompt with the first Bing results, and now ChatGPT knows who Vincent Terrasi is.
You can test other GPT assistants available in the GPTs search engine if you want to use Google results.
Master Reverse Prompt Engineering
ChatGPT can be an excellent tool for reverse engineering prompts because it generates natural and engaging responses to any given input.
By analyzing the prompts generated by ChatGPT, it is possible to gain insight into the model’s underlying thought processes and decision-making strategies.
One key benefit of using ChatGPT to reverse engineer prompts is that the model is highly transparent in its decision-making.
This means that the reasoning and logic behind each response can be traced, making it easier to understand how the model arrives at its conclusions.
Once you’ve done this a few times for different types of content, you’ll gain insight into crafting more effective prompts.
Prepare Your ChatGPT For Generating Prompts
First, activate the reverse prompt engineering.
- Type the following prompt: “Enable Reverse Prompt Engineering? By Reverse Prompt Engineering I mean creating a prompt from a given text.”
ChatGPT is now ready to generate your prompt. You can test the product description in a new chatbot session and evaluate the generated prompt.
- Type: “Create a very technical reverse prompt engineering template for a product description about iPhone 11.”
The result is amazing. You can test with a full text that you want to reproduce. Here is an example of a prompt for selling a Kindle on Amazon.
- Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {product), capture the writing style and the length of the text :
product =”
I tested it on an SEJ blog post. Enjoy the analysis – it is excellent.
- Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {text}, capture the tone and writing style of the {text} to include in the prompt :
text = all text coming from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-bard-training-data/478941/”
But be careful not to use ChatGPT to generate your texts. It is just a personal assistant.
Go Deeper
Prompts and examples for SEO:
- Keyword research and content ideas prompt: “Provide a list of 20 long-tail keyword ideas related to ‘local SEO strategies’ along with brief content topic descriptions for each keyword.”
- Optimizing content for featured snippets prompt: “Write a 40-50 word paragraph optimized for the query ‘what is the featured snippet in Google search’ that could potentially earn the featured snippet.”
- Creating meta descriptions prompt: “Draft a compelling meta description for the following blog post title: ’10 Technical SEO Factors You Can’t Ignore in 2024′.”
Important Considerations:
- Always Fact-Check: While ChatGPT can be a helpful tool, it’s crucial to remember that it may generate inaccurate or fabricated information. Always verify any facts, statistics, or quotes generated by ChatGPT before incorporating them into your content.
- Maintain Control and Creativity: Use ChatGPT as a tool to assist your writing, not replace it. Don’t rely on it to do your thinking or create content from scratch. Your unique perspective and creativity are essential for producing high-quality, engaging content.
- Iteration is Key: Refine and revise the outputs generated by ChatGPT to ensure they align with your voice, style, and intended message.
Additional Prompts for Rewording and SEO:
– Rewrite this sentence to be more concise and impactful.
– Suggest alternative phrasing for this section to improve clarity.
– Identify opportunities to incorporate relevant internal and external links.
– Analyze the keyword density and suggest improvements for better SEO.
Remember, while ChatGPT can be a valuable tool, it’s essential to use it responsibly and maintain control over your content creation process.
Experiment And Refine Your Prompting Techniques
Writing effective prompts for ChatGPT is an essential skill for any SEO professional who wants to harness the power of AI-generated content.
Hopefully, the insights and examples shared in this article can inspire you and help guide you to crafting stronger prompts that yield high-quality content.
Remember to experiment with layering prompts, iterating on the output, and continually refining your prompting techniques.
This will help you stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world of SEO.
More resources:
Featured Image: Tapati Rinchumrus/Shutterstock
SEO
Measuring Content Impact Across The Customer Journey
Understanding the impact of your content at every touchpoint of the customer journey is essential – but that’s easier said than done. From attracting potential leads to nurturing them into loyal customers, there are many touchpoints to look into.
So how do you identify and take advantage of these opportunities for growth?
Watch this on-demand webinar and learn a comprehensive approach for measuring the value of your content initiatives, so you can optimize resource allocation for maximum impact.
You’ll learn:
- Fresh methods for measuring your content’s impact.
- Fascinating insights using first-touch attribution, and how it differs from the usual last-touch perspective.
- Ways to persuade decision-makers to invest in more content by showcasing its value convincingly.
With Bill Franklin and Oliver Tani of DAC Group, we unravel the nuances of attribution modeling, emphasizing the significance of layering first-touch and last-touch attribution within your measurement strategy.
Check out these insights to help you craft compelling content tailored to each stage, using an approach rooted in first-hand experience to ensure your content resonates.
Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or new to content measurement, this webinar promises valuable insights and actionable tactics to elevate your SEO game and optimize your content initiatives for success.
View the slides below or check out the full webinar for all the details.
SEO
How to Find and Use Competitor Keywords
Competitor keywords are the keywords your rivals rank for in Google’s search results. They may rank organically or pay for Google Ads to rank in the paid results.
Knowing your competitors’ keywords is the easiest form of keyword research. If your competitors rank for or target particular keywords, it might be worth it for you to target them, too.
There is no way to see your competitors’ keywords without a tool like Ahrefs, which has a database of keywords and the sites that rank for them. As far as we know, Ahrefs has the biggest database of these keywords.
How to find all the keywords your competitor ranks for
- Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
- Enter your competitor’s domain
- Go to the Organic keywords report
The report is sorted by traffic to show you the keywords sending your competitor the most visits. For example, Mailchimp gets most of its organic traffic from the keyword “mailchimp.”
Since you’re unlikely to rank for your competitor’s brand, you might want to exclude branded keywords from the report. You can do this by adding a Keyword > Doesn’t contain filter. In this example, we’ll filter out keywords containing “mailchimp” or any potential misspellings:
If you’re a new brand competing with one that’s established, you might also want to look for popular low-difficulty keywords. You can do this by setting the Volume filter to a minimum of 500 and the KD filter to a maximum of 10.
How to find keywords your competitor ranks for, but you don’t
- Go to Competitive Analysis
- Enter your domain in the This target doesn’t rank for section
- Enter your competitor’s domain in the But these competitors do section
Hit “Show keyword opportunities,” and you’ll see all the keywords your competitor ranks for, but you don’t.
You can also add a Volume and KD filter to find popular, low-difficulty keywords in this report.
How to find keywords multiple competitors rank for, but you don’t
- Go to Competitive Analysis
- Enter your domain in the This target doesn’t rank for section
- Enter the domains of multiple competitors in the But these competitors do section
You’ll see all the keywords that at least one of these competitors ranks for, but you don’t.
You can also narrow the list down to keywords that all competitors rank for. Click on the Competitors’ positions filter and choose All 3 competitors:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
- Enter your competitor’s domain
- Go to the Paid keywords report
This report shows you the keywords your competitors are targeting via Google Ads.
Since your competitor is paying for traffic from these keywords, it may indicate that they’re profitable for them—and could be for you, too.
You know what keywords your competitors are ranking for or bidding on. But what do you do with them? There are basically three options.
1. Create pages to target these keywords
You can only rank for keywords if you have content about them. So, the most straightforward thing you can do for competitors’ keywords you want to rank for is to create pages to target them.
However, before you do this, it’s worth clustering your competitor’s keywords by Parent Topic. This will group keywords that mean the same or similar things so you can target them all with one page.
Here’s how to do that:
- Export your competitor’s keywords, either from the Organic Keywords or Content Gap report
- Paste them into Keywords Explorer
- Click the “Clusters by Parent Topic” tab
For example, MailChimp ranks for keywords like “what is digital marketing” and “digital marketing definition.” These and many others get clustered under the Parent Topic of “digital marketing” because people searching for them are all looking for the same thing: a definition of digital marketing. You only need to create one page to potentially rank for all these keywords.
2. Optimize existing content by filling subtopics
You don’t always need to create new content to rank for competitors’ keywords. Sometimes, you can optimize the content you already have to rank for them.
How do you know which keywords you can do this for? Try this:
- Export your competitor’s keywords
- Paste them into Keywords Explorer
- Click the “Clusters by Parent Topic” tab
- Look for Parent Topics you already have content about
For example, if we analyze our competitor, we can see that seven keywords they rank for fall under the Parent Topic of “press release template.”
If we search our site, we see that we already have a page about this topic.
If we click the caret and check the keywords in the cluster, we see keywords like “press release example” and “press release format.”
To rank for the keywords in the cluster, we can probably optimize the page we already have by adding sections about the subtopics of “press release examples” and “press release format.”
3. Target these keywords with Google Ads
Paid keywords are the simplest—look through the report and see if there are any relevant keywords you might want to target, too.
For example, Mailchimp is bidding for the keyword “how to create a newsletter.”
If you’re ConvertKit, you may also want to target this keyword since it’s relevant.
If you decide to target the same keyword via Google Ads, you can hover over the magnifying glass to see the ads your competitor is using.
You can also see the landing page your competitor directs ad traffic to under the URL column.
Learn more
Check out more tutorials on how to do competitor keyword analysis:
-
PPC5 days ago
19 Best SEO Tools in 2024 (For Every Use Case)
-
MARKETING7 days ago
Streamlining Processes for Increased Efficiency and Results
-
SEARCHENGINES6 days ago
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 17, 2024
-
PPC7 days ago
97 Marvelous May Content Ideas for Blog Posts, Videos, & More
-
SEO7 days ago
An In-Depth Guide And Best Practices For Mobile SEO
-
SEARCHENGINES5 days ago
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 18, 2024
-
MARKETING6 days ago
Ecommerce evolution: Blurring the lines between B2B and B2C
-
SEARCHENGINES4 days ago
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 19, 2024
You must be logged in to post a comment Login