I like to do content material analysis — what’s extra satisfying than falling down a couple of Google rabbit holes? (Do not reply that.)
After all, nice advertising content material is constructed on extra than simply Google search outcomes. I’ve put collectively a six-step information to how I do my very own content material analysis for HubSpot weblog posts utilizing a real-life instance.
Desk of Contents
What’s content material analysis?
Content material analysis is the systematic means of gathering info to create beneficial content material that meets your readers’ wants, furthers your small business targets, and ranks in search outcomes.
On the one hand, content material analysis is precisely what it feels like — researching content material. However it’s a deceptively easy time period for a course of that’s much more complicated than a couple of Google searches.
Put into advertising phrases, content material analysis is the systematic means of gathering info to create beneficial content material that meets your readers’ wants, furthers your small business targets, and ranks in search outcomes.
Why is content material analysis vital?
Considerate and thorough analysis will reward you with compelling, participating, and genuinely useful content material. You’re in all probability already doing key phrase analysis (if not, study the fundamentals!), and also you in all probability already know subject-matter specialists in your organization or community. Content material analysis will join all these factors collectively.
And “genuinely useful” can’t be understated. When you perceive search intent and might reply your customers’ questions, you’re establishing your model as an authority, setting your self up for return guests, and exhibiting Google that your stuff.
Having a structured analysis plan will assist with different points of your content material workflow, like a advertising calendar or editorial calendar, content material intelligence, and some other instruments you and your workforce use to keep up a well-oiled advertising machine.
Elements of Content material Analysis
Though the sub-steps of content material advertising analysis might look just a little completely different relying in your mission and subject — we’ll get into that within the subsequent part — there are a couple of fundamentals which can be foundational to nice content material.
Key phrase Analysis
Start originally, as they are saying. Key phrase analysis is the gateway to analyzing search intent that solutions not simply your customers’ preliminary questions, but in addition their follow-up questions (and possibly even questions they didn’t know they’d).
You possibly can take a look at our newbie’s information to key phrase analysis, however listed here are the primary parts to remember:
- Relevance: Your content material will solely rank for a key phrase if it meets the searchers’ wants.
- Authority: Google gives extra weight to sources it deems authoritative.
- Quantity: Quantity is measured by MSV (month-to-month search quantity), which suggests the variety of occasions the key phrase is searched per 30 days throughout all audiences.
Viewers Analysis
You in all probability already know who your target market is, and you could even have buyer or purchaser personas. Additionally take into account search intent and follow-up questions.
If I’m writing advertising content material about bedding, let’s say, there’ll be a considerable distinction within the viewers for funds bedding versus luxurious bedding. For the previous, I is perhaps in search of subject-matter specialists on completely different sorts of supplies, together with cheaper choices. If I’m advertising luxurious bedding, I would search for specialists on the highest-quality supplies and development strategies.
Whoever your viewers is, hold these personas in entrance of you as you conduct the remainder of your analysis so that you don’t end up down the fallacious rabbit gap.
For a deeper dive into market analysis, together with a how-to information, take a look at our market analysis information and templates.
Competitor Analysis
You’ll doubtless flip up some rivals as you do your key phrase analysis. I just like the Ahrefs instrument that compares two websites so you’ll be able to see what one has that the opposite doesn’t — this may be tremendous helpful for those who’re evaluating a top-ranking competitor with one which ranks a bit decrease. What units the primary other than the remaining?
Persevering with with luxurious bedding, right here’s what Ahrefs’ key phrase explorer seems to be like:
I need to see what the top-ranked end result has that the Tenth end result doesn’t. Within the Aggressive Evaluation tab, I can enter each of these URLs, like so:
Once I hit “Present key phrase alternatives,” I can see what the top-ranked hyperlink has that the Tenth-ranked hyperlink doesn’t:
I confess I don’t know precisely what “coastal bedding” is, however the top-ranked hyperlink has a whole lot of it. Figuring out the place my rivals are killing it is going to assist me take into consideration the search intent of my target market.
Begin occupied with what you carry to the desk when it comes to your individual expertise, data, and community. What holes in search intent would possibly you be capable of fill?
Topical Analysis
Whether or not you begin on Google or an AI-powered search engine, just be sure you’re cautious about your sources. Are they web sites or publications that and belief? What data can you discover in regards to the writer of their bio or on LinkedIn?
(Random professional tip that hopefully you’ll by no means want, however: If one thing appears too good to be true, test and ensure it’s not dated April 1. I do know multiple good author who’s fallen for a model’s April Fools’ joke.)
Just a few beginning factors I’ve relied on in my very own analysis:
- Search LinkedIn on your key phrases. Oftentimes, I’ll discover specialists and thought leaders speaking about precisely what I’m writing about. Simply make sure that you cite and hyperlink to them for those who use their writing as a supply.
Professional tip: Do your due diligence — learn the particular person’s LinkedIn profile and be sure to can belief their experience.
- Search Google Scholar. Though the outcomes is perhaps too educational on your viewers, this has helped me find specialists and discover the latest analysis, particularly when AI is concerned.
Professional tip: Examine the publication date or prohibit your search to the final couple years, except you’re in search of historic data. For research, be sure to perceive the pattern dimension and the geographical location — they is perhaps fairly completely different to your individual target market, so proceed with warning.
- Submit by yourself LinkedIn. When you’ve got a large following and/or a robust community in your business, letting different content material managers know that you just’re engaged on a bit can floor some specialists you could already know. Your community may additionally have options for different individuals or assets.
- Use main sources. When you’ve got a subscription to Statista or an analogous service, you’ll be able to normally discover a treasure trove of research which can be immediately related to your matter.
Professional tip: Don’t depend on different articles that cite research — I’ve discovered that these are sometimes previous research, even when the article has a current date.
- Use social media. Even for those who don’t have entry to social media listening instruments, you’ll be able to nonetheless dig into locations like Reddit, Quora, Substack, or area of interest on-line boards the place individuals in your business collect and discuss.
- Use your co-workers. When you don’t have already got a Slack or Groups channel the place your fellow entrepreneurs can bounce concepts off one another or ask questions, take into account this an indication to begin one. Your colleagues could also be specialists themselves, or they are able to join you with any individual from their community.
Topic-matter Consultants
Not every part you write requires a subject-matter skilled, however getting an out of doors perspective on a subject can provide you concepts and artistic inspiration, and skilled quotes are good on your readers and good for search algorithms that prioritize private expertise.
Quotes and background info from the individuals within the trenches may even distinguish your remaining product from AI-written content material. I prefer to hold these informational interviews to only quarter-hour — it’s lengthy sufficient to get some stable background data and quotes, and brief sufficient that it’s straightforward for even busy individuals to say “sure” to.
Efficiency Evaluation
You’re not fairly finished once you hit “publish.” Take a while to evaluate your KPIs to see how the content material resonated along with your viewers, and whether or not there’s something you must take into account modifying now or revising sooner or later.
KPIs that you just would possibly embody in your evaluation:
- Engagement metrics like scroll depth, click-through charges, and bounce charges
- Visitors metrics like web page views, distinctive guests, and return guests
- Conversion metrics like lead technology charges, product purchases, and electronic mail signups
When you’ve got the assets to do at the very least a light-weight month-to-month efficiency evaluation of all of your content material, patterns will emerge, and also you’ll be capable of additional refine search engine optimization, E-E-A-T, voice and tone, and different parts that make your content material distinct.
The right way to Do Content material Analysis
Let’s use a bit I wrote lately about B2B newsletters for instance. It’s a subject I’ve expertise with, however I wouldn’t take into account myself an skilled, per se.
Right here’s how I carried out my content material analysis:
1. Analysis key phrases and viewers intent.
Due to our crack search engine optimization workforce, I do know that the first key phrase for this text is “B2B e-newsletter advertising,” so my first step is to make use of Ahrefs’ key phrase explorer:
I may slim my search by person intent by choosing the dropdown menu and ticking the “intent” field.
Just a few issues I’m noticing in these outcomes: methods, examples, and finest practices. This provides me an concept of what customers are in search of, and it’ll assist me construction my article to ensure it delivers actual worth.
Folks Additionally Ask
On Google, I looked for “B2B e-newsletter advertising” and scrolled all the way down to the Folks Additionally Ask part.
It’s extra of the identical — customers need an summary of what B2B e-newsletter advertising is and what finest practices are.
Ahrefs additionally has a helpful SERPs overview with the identical data:
AI Search Engines
I personally don’t like to make use of AI for outlines or first drafts, however I do prefer it for content material analysis. I usually use Perplexity for analysis and Claude for evaluation; collectively they may help me determine a perspective I hadn’t thought-about or uncover extra assets.
Once I search Perplexity for “B2B e-newsletter advertising,” I can scroll all the way down to the Associated Questions part:
No surprises right here — extra affirmation that customers are looking for an summary, finest practices, and examples.
2. Analysis the competitors.
I exploit each Ahrefs and Perplexity to determine rivals.
Perplexity synthesizes data from its high sources, so I need to see what it’s recognized as a supply. I simply use a easy search time period for this reasonably than a posh engineered immediate:
This reveals me three sources; click on on the field that claims “Present all” to see all of the sources it’s pulling from.
This reveals all of the sources and its hyperlinks, which provides me an concept of the competitors.
In Ahrefs, I can skim by means of the listing of the top-ranking articles that rank for a similar key phrase I’m focusing on.
One vital word at this step: It may be very straightforward to inadvertently plagiarize from a competitor — possibly a definition, the construction of the submit, or perhaps a flip of phrase. You’ll learn one thing, it will get caught in your head, and a day later, you write it down with out realizing it’s from one other supply.
My technique for avoiding that is to not spend a ton of time studying the competitors — I actually just do skim — however your mileage might fluctuate, so do no matter works for you.
3. Contemplate your individual expertise.
I took down some notes in regards to the newsletters I’ve written for over the previous few years — questions I had, questions I didn’t know I had till I used to be knee-deep in an electronic mail e-newsletter platform, and classes discovered.
For example, at a earlier job with a really small workforce, I discovered myself nose to nose with a number of the extra technical points of operating a e-newsletter. I had no clue what “DKIM” or “DMARC” meant, and so far as I knew, “SPF” referred to sunscreen.
So once I began engaged on a completely different weblog submit about B2B newsletters for HubSpot, I knew I needed to incorporate one thing in regards to the technical aspect of newsletters with out going into an excessive amount of element.
I reached out to a HubSpotter on our MarTech workforce who was capable of give me some high-level recommendation on what entrepreneurs new to newsletters ought to take into account from a technical perspective.
That is only a fraction of the knowledge I bought from a 15-minute Zoom name:
Typically you don’t know what you don’t know, and reaching into your individual expertise may help uncover questions your viewers may have as they dive additional into the subject at hand.
4. Analysis the subject and any traits.
When you’ve got entry to a knowledge and analysis instrument like Statista, IBISWorld, or related, get within the behavior of operating a couple of searches. This didn’t develop into a serious supply for this explicit matter, however I did discover some knowledge on personalization, which was one of many subtopics I touched on within the weblog submit.
I additionally searched Google Scholar for “electronic mail newsletters in advertising,” limiting outcomes to something from 2023 or later. I got here throughout a December 2023 paper entitled “Personalization (In)effectiveness in electronic mail advertising” from a journal known as Digital Enterprise.
This ended up being a background useful resource for me reasonably than one thing I quoted in my article, however in my view, it’s value taking a couple of minutes to test scholarly journals — you by no means know once you’ll come throughout any individual doing one thing model new within the subject.
5. Interview subject-matter specialists.
This step may be intimidating for those who don’t know subject-matter specialists. Right here’s a couple of of my methods I used to search out individuals to speak to about B2B newsletters:
- I began by asking the HubSpot #advertising Slack channel: What are your favourite electronic mail newsletters? Lia Haberman’s ICYMI and Alexis Grant’s They Bought Acquired had been each talked about a number of occasions, in order that they went on my listing.
- I searched LinkedIn for “B2B electronic mail advertising” and located different specialists and high voices.
- I went by means of my very own community and located that I knew a couple of individuals on the technical aspect. I requested them if they’d any options and proposals.
- I requested different e-newsletter writers at HubSpot if I may discuss to them, and in the event that they knew anyone they might introduce me to.
6. Analyze the efficiency.
It’s good to test the efficiency of your piece after a month, although I’ve additionally labored in locations the place we monitored day by day efficiency — so let your business and KPIs information you. When you’re writing well timed (versus evergreen) content material, your pageviews will in all probability peak inside the first week and even sooner.
When you use HubSpot CMS, clicking “view submit particulars” will allow you to monitor metrics like lead conversion charges, income attributed, and different metrics. HubSpot additionally reveals you the breakdown of site visitors sources, which may help you fine-tune your distribution sooner or later. (Google Analytics, a generally used instrument, has related metrics.)
Analysis With Confidence
There are a lot of approaches to content material analysis, and never every part I’ve outlined might apply to you. However you must now have a stable basis for content material analysis, the various paths it might take, and the way to successfully and effectively begin researching nice content material.
