If there’s one thing that a website should do, it is providing the audience with quality content that is based on facts and verifiable data instead of presenting content that is sub-par and does not do much to fulfill their purpose of visiting your website. Incorporation of verifiable facts is what data driven content marketing is all about, and it has proven to be the most effective technique.
Without high-quality content that is data-driven, not only is your website less reliable and trustworthy but it is also less visible and accessible. In order for any website to be successful, it has to be accessible and helpful to the audience it caters to.
Quality of content determines SEO and SEO determines the success rate of a website, both are extremely important for each other and have an interdependent relationship. This makes the quality of the content being put up on a website, and the inclusion of data driven content marketing techniques, even more important.
Being a content writer, you need to engage in creating content that is of high quality and fulfills the purpose for which it is created. If you fail to do so, you risk harming the website you are writing for significantly.
If you are new to the content writing scene or are not sure about what quality content should entail if it is to enhance SEO, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s start by taking a look at what quality content is all about, why it is important, and how it helps SEO, and then move on to take a look at how to write data driven content that is of optimal quality and will boost a website’s SEO.
QUALITY CONTENT: WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT
All websites contain written content, however, not all written content is of good quality. Content can only be deemed of quality if it fits certain parameters and fulfills certain purposes.
Content posted on a website should have a purpose, it should either be directed at helping people, helping a brand or some other set purpose. Text that lacks direction lacks clarity, which makes it ineffective and unpersuasive – this defeats the very purpose of content meant for a website.
One of the most important features of quality content is that it is data-driven, meaning that it is based on scientific research and proven facts that can be backed up. You cannot make outrageous arbitrary claims and expect them to be accepted. The importance of data in the quality and impact of written content cannot be denied.
Let’s take a brief look at what data-driven content entails.
DATA-DRIVEN CONTENT: WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT
Data-driven content, based on the purpose it is being written for, depends on active research. If the purpose of some content is to provide information to people without marketing a product, then the research conducted to create the content should be general and focus on those resources and references that will help make firm claims with evidence to back them up.
If the purpose for which some content is written is marketing, then the data used to create content should largely be based on any material or information about that particular product, especially user testimonials and reviews.
Another category of data that can be used is one that is derived from user activity. You can use analytical tools and surveys to find out what type of data it is that people want more and what it is that attracts them to a website. You can study the pattern of their activity and website interaction using analytical tools and use that to create content for your website. This way, you’ll know what your audience wants and will be able to cater to their needs more effectively.
Also Read: Tips & Tricks for social media marketing
IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY AND DATA DRIVEN CONTENT
To answer the questions of “how is data driven content beneficial,” and “how is quality content beneficial,” there is a lot of material and evidence. Here is a list of some of the most reasons why data-driven, high-quality content is important for your overall business and website’s SEO:
DATA-DRIVEN CONTENT MEANS RELIABLE CONTENT AND A BOND OF TRUST
People are a lot more skeptical these days, there is so much information on the internet and so much of it is false. It is important for people to be able to sort through texts to find what is reliable and what they are looking for, this is where data comes in.
If you provide quality content that is backed up by resources and written in confidence, then people are more likely to trust you and come back to you for more. Not only does this bond of trust improve customer relations, but also helps improve your SEO. High-quality content with references tends to rank higher on search results pages.
DATA-DRIVEN CONTENT LEADS TO INCREASED READERSHIP
If people trust your content, they’ll come back to you themselves and might even share the link to your website with their friends and family – this will help expand your audience and flow of traffic directed towards your website.
This improves SEO as those websites that are frequently visited by a lot of people tend to rank higher and have improved visibility compared to those that have fewer visitors and traffic.
DATA-DRIVEN QUALITY CONTENT HELPS MAINTAIN RELEVANCE
For any content posted on the internet to be successful, it has to be relevant – across audiences and across time. You can use data gathered from various sources and analytical studies to write something that will appeal to a majority of people and will be as relevant tomorrow as it is today when it comes to that topic.
This will help SEO as only that data survives on the internet as is visible to people and of help, along with being relevant across certain domains.
Also read: 10 Reasons why guest posting is important for your website
WRITING HIGH-QUALITY DATA-DRIVEN CONTENT: HERE’S A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
If you’ve been wondering about how to write data driven content, follow the steps below and you’ll have high-quality data-driven content that is as persuasive and effective as possible, along with being helpful in improving a website’s SEO.
1. CRAFT A UNIQUE TITLE AND PLAN YOUR APPROACH
One of the most important parts of writing high-quality content that is based on data is figuring out a specific topic and mapping the appropriate approach based on the stance that you are to take in what you write.
As you start, think of a catchy title that will appeal to people, make it specific and to the point. Figure out whether you want to be positive, negative, or neutral about the topic, and then decide on the format you will use to present the data you will use to support your ideas.
2. DO YOUR RESEARCH THOROUGHLY AND KEEP IT HONEST
As simple and basic as it might sound, you need to conduct thorough and honest research on the topic you are writing about. Your research should take into account not one but various sources of information, based on which you develop your understanding and find the opinion that is the most valid and acceptable.
Your job, however, does not end here. You need to make sure that your research material is credible and can be trusted just as you want the content you create to be trusted by others.
3. DECIDE WHAT INFORMATION IS WORTH KEEPING
With the immense amount of information available on the internet, you’ll end up gathering more than you need. Once you have decided on a topic and compiled all your research material, you need to start cutting it down and keep only what will help you write your article and will be included in it.
4. WRITE YOUR HEART OUT
Once you’ve done your research and narrowed all the data down to what you need, you can start the process of writing your content. Create an outline, put your thoughts together, think of everything you know about writing for online platforms and your purpose for writing, and get started.
Make sure to include statistics and facts you’ve gathered from your research. If you forget this step, it isn’t high quality data-driven content.
CONCLUSION
Data-driven content writing is the future of content writing. With the increasing amount of information and the increasing complexities of customer demands, it is really helpful to have some data that can help you gain clarity.
As long as you use these tips, you’ll be able to write high-quality content that is data-driven, and even succeed in data driven content marketing. With improved SEO and a higher ranking, your website and business are bound to succeed and grow.
