Create Content Better Than Your Competitors

Even within niche markets, your business likely contends with numerous major competitors. Among them, some invest significant time and resources into content marketing and SEO efforts. Overcoming these competitors to secure top positions on search engine results pages (SERPs) is a formidable task.

There are several solutions to address this issue. One approach is to evade competition altogether by targeting a different demographic or catering to an alternative niche. However, if you prefer to confront your competitors directly, you must create content that surpasses theirs in some manner. Ultimately, Google prioritizes delivering the most excellent content to users for their queries.

So, how can you surpass competitors by covering comparable topics?

Enhanced Breadth

An alternative is to offer readers even more valuable depth.

Substantial Content

An extended post doesn't always equate to a superior one, but there's merit in delving into a topic with greater depth - which may require added length. Consider this scenario: your competitor has written a 1,000-word piece on the role of carbohydrates in nutrition. You could produce a 5,000-word article, exploring additional aspects including scientific research and overlooked details. However, it's crucial to note that aiming for word count alone is ineffective; content must remain substantive, devoid of any superfluous material that could detract from its quality.

Subtopics and Associated Themes

Another strategy involves crafting robust "pillar" content by incorporating subtopics and associated themes. Typically, extensive and comprehensive pieces tend to outperform smaller, fragmented ones (though exceptions exist). By offering additional context and secondary details, your content is likely to be regarded as more valuable.

Practical Guidance

Contemporary content marketing and SEO thrive on offering actionable insights. Individuals seek your expertise to aid in decision-making or to guide their actions. By focusing your content more on facilitating these actions, it is likely to yield better results.

Citations

To enhance authority and credibility, it's crucial to incorporate additional citations from reputable sources within your industry. This is particularly essential when making factual assertions or referencing specific data.

Search Intent and Value to Users

Search Intent refers to the underlying motivation driving a particular search query. Essentially, it delves into why users are searching for a specific piece of information. Google's primary objective is to satisfy search intent, so aligning your content to meet this intent enhances its likelihood of success. The crux of effectiveness lies in grasping the search intent users have when querying keywords and phrases, rather than solely focusing on your content. It's about discerning what users desire and how you can fulfill those needs.

Visual Content

Although written content remains highly valuable in today's landscape, content enriched with multimedia elements such as images and videos holds a distinct advantage. However, this doesn't justify adding superficial elements to your article. Instead, it's advisable to incorporate meaningful photos, infographics, and concise videos into your content. Particularly, charts, graphs, and shareable infographics offer significant value.

Brevity

Brevity holds importance across all communication channels, including SEO content creation. Whenever possible, aim to express ideas using fewer words, as this enhances the information density, readability, and likelihood of being cited by others.

Similarly, ensure that your content is easily scannable. This involves employing clear formatting to structure your piece, crafting concise sentences, and incorporating breaks in design to facilitate skimming.

Unique Research and Discoveries

Enhance the value of your content by incorporating original research and discoveries. Integrating numerical statistics into your content significantly increases the likelihood of other authors citing your research as a source. This facilitates the natural attraction of organic links, thereby enhancing the authority and visibility of your work.

Marketing Efforts

As a last resort, focus on amplifying your promotion. Even if your content matches your competitor's in quality and value, dedicating more time and resources to actively promoting it ensures greater visibility, more backlinks, and ultimately, higher rankings.