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Welcome to Volume 121
It takes a lot of work to produce content that drives millions of dollars of sales. You never know the true ROI of your content marketing efforts until you prioritize research and distribution.
Listen to the latest episode of Create Like the Greats while you work, to hear Ross Simmonds discuss the blog post that has helped Foundation unlock $1.4M in revenue. You’re going to love it.
Here’s what’s to come in today’s issue:
- What we think about the Yandex leak
- How to research content that drives over $2 million in sales
Let’s jump in.
SEO UPDATE
What We Think About the Yandex Leak
(My colleague Josh Gallant is taking over this section to share his expert opinion on the leak, so sit tight and enjoy the read. Over to you, Josh.)
If you’ve dabbled in SEO Twitter-land you may have seen a bunch of code snippet screenshots floating around this weekend.
Long story short, some code from Yandex was leaked. The leaked code revealed information about the ranking factors the Russian search engine uses to determine which pages and websites rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs).
In case you missed it, here are a few high-level findings to mull over:
- Age of links matters (newer links = better)
- Numbers in a URL are not ideal (i.e. /best-books vs /best-books-2023)
- Too many slashes in a URL are not ideal (a.k.a. keep URLs short).
- 4XX and 5XX errors on the domain are bad (always was assumed, but this adds credibility).
- Document age and last updated date matter (fresh content is better).
It’s also worth noting that many of the factors are labeled as “dynamic” in the code. This means that the way many of Yandex’s ranking factors are calculated and applied can shift from one SERP to the next in real time.
But you should remember Yandex IS NOT Google.
Is there “overlap” in some of the ranking factors? Almost definitely.
Are there lessons we can take from the Yandex info? Without a doubt.
Is this leaked data exposing the “secrets” you need to hack your way to guarantee SEO results from Google? Of course not!
At the end of the day, you still need to focus on the fundamentals.
Build a strong technical foundation for your website, so that it runs as quickly and as smoothly as possible. Create helpful content that increases organic traffic, generates leads, and builds backlinks. And keep those pesky numbers out of your URLs while you’re at it 😉.
For further reading on the leaks, check out:
- Yandex Search Ranking Factors Leak: Insights
- Twitter Thread From Alex Buraks
- Database of 21,000+ Yandex Ranking Factors from Rob Ousbey
Don’t miss out on the chance to network with industry leaders and learn from top experts.
On March 13 and 14, 2023, Ross will speak at the SearchLove Conference in San Diego alongside Aleyda Solis, Rand Fishkin, and other accomplished marketers. Register today and save 15% on tickets.
B2B RESEARCH
How To Research Content That Drives $2M+ in Sales
$2,000,000+
That’s how much we made from our B2B case study library, which includes Canva, Masterclass, Hootsuite, and Capterra.
That’s what happens when you prioritize research—you find ideas and unique angles your audience will love and create content that constantly resonates with them.
We created a guide that breaks down five ways we research content at Foundation.
You will learn how to use these to spot topics, trends, and unique angles that resonate with your target audience. We also included tools to gather the insights you need faster. (Yeah, we don’t ignore the value of AI. You shouldn’t either 😅).
You can read the guide here.
🎧 Ross sat down with Crystal J. Carter and Mordy Oberstein at Wix to discuss blog distribution strategies. Listen to the episode to learn best practices for increasing your content’s reach, visibility, and performance
B2B NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
🚀 One of the most valuable startups in the world, Stripe, plans to go public.
🤑 OpenAI’s ChatGPT goes premium, starting at $20 per month
💰 Web development platform Netlify acquired Gatsby for its Valhalla Content Hub
BRAIN FOOD OF THE WEEK:
I stumbled on Tim Denning’s Quiet People in Meetings Are Incredible early this week. One key lesson I drew from the article is the power of observing and learning from quiet people in meetings.
Most people favor the loudest in the room over the quiet ones. However, silence doesn’t always mean ignorance or fear. Neither does being the loudest in the room always equate to expertise. As much as loud people have their strengths in meetings, the quiet ones play a significant role. Being quiet can be an asset if done correctly.
Here are some ways Tim Denning recommends to help you embrace silence during meetings:
- Listen, take notes, and read the verbal and nonverbal cues in the room.
- Ask questions and note actionable points from the meeting. That’s how you return to your desk armed with solutions and ready to take consistent action.
- Know when to speak up and when to shut up. That means every time you speak, stay on topic. Get across the important details in the shortest time possible. Refusing to dominate the conversation gives other people a chance to be heard, and you can also identify what is not being said.
- Offer to take notes during meetings. That’s an opportunity to learn from customers and your team.
- Finally, dial down your importance. Instead of dominating meetings with your ideas alone, encourage others to share, listen, and learn from their verbal & nonverbal cues.
HIRING BRILLIANT B2B MARKETERS:
- VP of Client Services
- Director Of Strategy
- Content Marketing Strategist
- Content Marketing Specialist
TWITTER THREAD OF THE WEEK:
8 writing principles I live by to create best-in-class content by Erica Schneider
NICE FINDS YOU SHOULD BINGE
- Does a Future Still Exist For Content Marketers? – OpenView
- ChatGPT Won’t Replace Google Search (Yet) – Moz
- 15 Top Marketing Podcasts For B2B Marketers In 2023 – Taylor Perry
WHAT WE’RE WIRED INTO THIS WEEK 🎧:
This charcuterie board of insights is brought to you by me, Jessica Tee O. ✌🏾!
