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Welcome to Volume 86
We’ve got exciting news.
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Now let’s get to the good stuff:
- NP Digital (aka Neil Patel) Acquires AnswerThePublic
- How Databricks Uses Glossary Pages
- How to Navigate a Downturn or Recession
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🎧 Listen to the King of Distribution, Ross Simmonds, as he shares actionable tips on what distribution channels SMB owners should prioritize, video distribution tactics, and more.
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ACQUISITION
NP (Neil Patel) Digital Acquires AnswerThePublic
The News: Just before May went to sleep for another 365 days, NP Digital wrapped up negotiations to buy AnswerThePublic for an undisclosed amount. Lisa Ohman, COO of Ubersuggest, says the acquisition will further expand the technology capabilities of Ubersuggest providing deeper insights to marketers.
What the Acquisition Means For Marketers
Many marketers rely on AnswerThePublic to generate relevant topic ideas, long-tail keywords, and questions Google search users are asking around a keyword. AnswerThePublic will still exist apart from Ubersuggest. However, it’s now owned by NP Digital, and NP Digital’s cross-functional team plans to improve AnswerThePublic’s existing offerings.
Reactions: Since the news of the acquisition broke, there’s been a mix of love and hate from the SEO and Content Marketing Community. Some people feel the acquisition and NP Digital’s plans to improve the tool is a good move, while others feel AnswerThePublic may end up in a worse state.
What We Think: We think this is a brilliant move by NP Digital in terms of positioning. If they successfully pull off their plans for the tool, it can strengthen NP Digital’s authority in the market, and perhaps, earn the brand some more respect in the SEO and marketing community. But this is just a small part of what we think. We did a quick analysis of the acquisition and what it means.
B2B CASE STUDY
How Databricks Uses Glossary Pages to Generate 67,000 Monthly Organic Traffic
When you have an urgent question but no one around you can provide a definite answer, where’s the first place you go to seek help?
With Google being the most visited website and most popular search engine, owning 92% of the market share, it’s obvious that most people use Google as a dictionary. This desire to have the right answers creates a great opportunity for B2B brands. You build authority and credibility when you answer niche questions your target audience asks. That’s how Databricks won over 6000+ customers and 67,000 monthly organic traffic.
Databricks invested in creating in-depth glossary pages that define AI and Big Data analytics terms, positioning themselves on Google for prospects to find. As a result, Databricks glossary pages dominate the SERPs, outranking competitors like Dremio and Qubole.
STRATEGY
How to Navigate a Downturn or Recession
There’s no doubt that there’s a global economic downturn happening right now. With companies letting go of staff, hiring halted, employees jumping ship, and stocks falling, it’s now critical for SaaS companies to know what to do to navigate this season and the ones to come.
Early this week, Ross shared some tips on how individuals and companies can ride the wave successfully. Here are some key lessons I picked up while reading:
- Take extreme ownership of your responsibilities and core team priorities.
- Be aggressive about your attitude and personal growth as an individual.
- Keep investing in marketing as a company.
- Audit solutions and tools your team uses currently and cut the fat.
- Prioritize company-wide transparency and accountability.
- Invest in revamping, repurposing, and distributing old, evergreen content.
You can read the article to get the full context of Ross’ advice here. He also breaks down how to implement his tips. And you can read Y Combinator’s advice to its portfolio founders to gain additional insights on how to survive the downturn.
If you haven’t listened to the full episode already, listen here and share it with your network.
OTHER NEWS OF THE WEEK:
💵 Broadcom plans to acquire VMware for $61B, the largest tech deal in the chip industry.
🤝 TikTok partners with Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and others to allow creators to manage and optimize their content campaigns directly through these third-party platforms.
Side note: Isn’t this a brilliant strategy by TikTok? Announce that you’re partnering with all these brands and you’re immediately flooded with links and free coverage.
🔗 Zyppy analyzed 23 million internal links to determine whether or not internal links contribute to more organic traffic. You can see the results from the study here.
BRAIN FOOD OF THE WEEK:
Taking negative feedback is never easy. That’s because no one really likes to hear that they aren’t performing as expected. We all want to feel like we’re on top of our game. But being humble enough to receive and action negative feedback is what sets us apart from others.
For example, as a writer, you may have noticed that some editors leave feedback that’s unconstructive and confusing, such as a comment like, “This doesn’t make any sense.” Such a comment on a draft you spent 8+ hours creating can leave you feeling upset, frustrated, and confused about your next steps.Sometimes, you’ll find that updating that draft might take longer than usual because you spend too long trying to figure out what doesn’t make sense about the angle you took. Of course, a better way for an editor to leave comments is to offer specifics. You’d rather they call out what they think is wrong with the draft and share their thoughts on an angle they think would work better. Such context saves you time and teaches you a thing or two about brainstorming strategic angles for your next piece. You feel supported and empowered to do better.
Since we know not all editors are empathetic and patient, you can save yourself time and trouble by asking for clarity. Reach out to the editor and ask for more context on their feedback. Ask questions like: What part of this piece doesn’t make sense? Do you have any angles in mind you’d like me to explore? You can ask them to send a Loom explaining their feedback, keeping these questions in mind.
Also, when you receive negative feedback, avoid internalizing it. Focus on the lessons. Take those and discard everything else. Mistakes are a part of your growth process. The only thing that matters is that you stay curious, keep learning, and become better than you were yesterday.
INTERESTING FINDS ACROSS THE INTERNET
- Which SEO Elements to Layer In, and When
- Adam Mosseri TED TALK: “Verified Power is Shifting”
- How to successfully report your SEO process, efforts, and result
- How MongoDB is Winning Against Massive Cloud Competitors
- How NerdWallet Uses SEO Topic Clusters to Drive Traffic Worth $84M
TWITTER THREAD OF THE WEEK:
The Career Advice That Took Me 10 Years To Learn by Amanda Natividad
ALBUM OF THE WEEK:
