I like to do content material analysis — what’s extra satisfying than falling down a couple of Google rabbit holes? (Do not reply that.)
In fact, 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 technique of gathering info to create helpful content material that meets your readers’ wants, furthers what you are promoting objectives, and ranks in search outcomes.
On the one hand, content material analysis is strictly what it appears like — researching content material. Nevertheless it’s a deceptively easy time period for a course of that’s much more advanced than a couple of Google searches.
Put into advertising phrases, content material analysis is the systematic technique of gathering info to create helpful content material that meets your readers’ wants, furthers what you are promoting objectives, and ranks in search outcomes.
Why is content material analysis essential?
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, learn the basics!), and also you in all probability already know subject-matter consultants in your organization or community. Content material analysis will join all these factors collectively.
And “genuinely useful” can’t be understated. For those who 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 you already know your stuff.
Having a structured analysis plan will assist with different points of your content workflow, like a marketing calendar or editorial calendar, content intelligence, and every other instruments you and your group use to keep up a well-oiled advertising machine.
Parts of Content material Analysis
Though the sub-steps of content marketing analysis could look just a little completely different relying in your mission and discipline — we’ll get into that within the subsequent part — there are a couple of fundamentals which are foundational to nice content material.
Key phrase Analysis
Start initially, 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 perhaps even questions they didn’t know that they had).
You possibly can take a look at our beginner’s guide to keyword research, however listed below are the principle components to remember:
- Relevance: Your content material will solely rank for a key phrase if it meets the searchers’ wants.
- Authority: Google offers extra weight to sources it deems authoritative.
- Quantity: Quantity is measured by MSV (month-to-month search quantity), which suggests the variety of instances the key phrase is searched per thirty days throughout all audiences.
Viewers Analysis
You in all probability already know who your target market is, and chances are you’ll even have buyer or purchaser personas. Additionally think about 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 could be on the lookout for subject-matter consultants on completely different sorts of supplies, together with cheaper choices. If I’m advertising luxurious bedding, I’d search for consultants on the highest-quality supplies and development strategies.
Whoever your viewers is, preserve these personas in entrance of you as you conduct the remainder of your analysis so that you don’t end up down the improper rabbit gap.
For a deeper dive into market analysis, together with a how-to information, take a look at our market research guide and templates.
Competitor Analysis
You’ll probably flip up some competitors as you do your key phrase analysis. I just like the Ahrefs instrument that compares two websites so you may see what one has that the opposite doesn’t — this may be tremendous helpful when you’re evaluating a top-ranking competitor with one which ranks a bit decrease. What units the primary other than the remainder?
Persevering with with luxurious bedding, right here’s what Ahrefs’ key phrase explorer seems like:
I wish to see what the top-ranked outcome has that the Tenth outcome 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 number of it. Realizing the place my rivals are killing it should assist me take into consideration the search intent of my target market.
Begin eager about what you convey to the desk by way of your personal expertise, information, and community. What holes in search intent may you have the ability to fill?
Topical Analysis
Whether or not you begin on Google or an AI-powered search engine, just remember to’re cautious about your sources. Are they web sites or publications that you already know and belief? What information 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, examine and ensure it’s not dated April 1. I do know a couple of 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 in your key phrases. Oftentimes, I’ll discover consultants and thought leaders speaking about precisely what I’m writing about. Simply make sure that you cite and hyperlink to them when you use their writing as a supply.
Professional tip: Do your due diligence — learn the individual’s LinkedIn profile and be sure to can belief their experience.
- Search Google Scholar. Despite the fact that the outcomes could be too tutorial in your viewers, this has helped me find consultants and discover the most recent analysis, particularly when AI is concerned.
Professional tip: Examine the publication date or limit your search to the final couple years, until you’re on the lookout for historic information. For research, be sure to perceive the pattern measurement and the geographical location — they could be fairly completely different to your personal target market, so proceed with warning.
- Put up by yourself LinkedIn. You probably have a large following and/or a powerful community in your trade, letting different content managers know that you just’re engaged on a chunk can floor some consultants chances are you’ll already know. Your community may also have recommendations for different folks or assets.
- Use major sources. You probably have a subscription to Statista or an identical service, you may often discover a treasure trove of research which are straight related to your subject.
Professional tip: Don’t depend on different articles that cite research — I’ve discovered that these are sometimes outdated research, even when the article has a current date.
- Use social media. Even when you don’t have entry to social media listening instruments, you may nonetheless dig into locations like Reddit, Quora, Substack, or area of interest on-line boards the place folks in your trade collect and discuss.
- Use your co-workers. For those who don’t have already got a Slack or Groups channel the place your fellow entrepreneurs can bounce concepts off one another or ask questions, think about this an indication to start out one. Your colleagues could also be consultants themselves, or they can join you with anyone from their community.
Topic-matter Specialists
Not the whole lot you write requires a subject-matter expert, however getting an outdoor perspective on a subject can provide you concepts and inventive inspiration, and knowledgeable quotes are good in your readers and good for search algorithms that prioritize private expertise.
Quotes and background info from the folks within the trenches will even distinguish your last product from AI-written content. I wish to preserve these informational interviews to only quarter-hour — it’s lengthy sufficient to get some stable background information and quotes, and quick sufficient that it’s simple for even busy folks to say “sure” to.
Efficiency Evaluation
You’re not fairly finished if you hit “publish.” Take a while to evaluate your KPIs to see how the content material resonated together with your viewers, and whether or not there’s something you must think about modifying now or revising sooner or later.
KPIs that you just may embrace 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
You probably have the assets to do not less than a light-weight month-to-month efficiency evaluation of all of your content material, patterns will emerge, and also you’ll have the ability to additional refine SEO, E-E-A-T, voice and tone, and different components that make your content material distinct.
The best way to Do Content material Analysis
Let’s use a piece I wrote recently about B2B newsletters for example. It’s a subject I’ve expertise with, however I wouldn’t think about myself an knowledgeable, per se.
Right here’s how I carried out my content material analysis:
1. Analysis key phrases and viewers intent.
Because of our crack search engine optimization group, 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 also 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 greatest practices. This offers me an thought of what customers are on the lookout for, 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 right down to the Folks Additionally Ask part.
It’s extra of the identical — customers need an outline of what B2B e-newsletter advertising is and what greatest practices are.
Ahrefs additionally has a helpful SERPs overview with the identical information:
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 will help me establish a perspective I hadn’t thought of or uncover extra assets.
Once I search Perplexity for “B2B e-newsletter advertising,” I can scroll right down to the Associated Questions part:
No surprises right here — extra affirmation that customers are looking for an outline, greatest practices, and examples.
2. Analysis the competitors.
I exploit each Ahrefs and Perplexity to establish rivals.
Perplexity synthesizes information from its high sources, so I wish 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 exhibits 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 supplies me an thought of the competitors.
In Ahrefs, I can skim by the listing of the top-ranking articles that rank for a similar key phrase I’m concentrating on.
One essential word at this step: It may be very simple to inadvertently plagiarize from a competitor — perhaps a definition, the construction of the publish, 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 could fluctuate, so do no matter works for you.
3. Contemplate your personal 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 realized.
As an illustration, at a earlier job with a really small group, I discovered myself nose to nose with among 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 different blog post about B2B newsletters for HubSpot, I knew I wished 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 group who was in a position to give me some high-level recommendation on what entrepreneurs new to newsletters ought to think about from a technical perspective.
That is only a fraction of the data I bought from a 15-minute Zoom name:
Generally you don’t know what you don’t know, and reaching into your personal expertise will help uncover questions your viewers could have as they dive additional into the subject at hand.
4. Analysis the subject and any tendencies.
You probably have entry to an information and analysis instrument like Statista, IBISWorld, or comparable, get within the behavior of operating a couple of searches. This didn’t turn into a serious supply for this explicit subject, however I did discover some information on personalization, which was one of many subtopics I touched on within the weblog publish.
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 email marketing” from a journal referred to as Digital Enterprise.
This ended up being a background useful resource for me reasonably than one thing I quoted in my article, however for my part, it’s price taking a couple of minutes to examine scholarly journals — you by no means know if you’ll come throughout anyone doing one thing model new within the discipline.
5. Interview subject-matter consultants.
This step will be intimidating when you don’t know subject-matter consultants. Right here’s a couple of of my tips I used to search out folks to speak to about B2B newsletters:
- I began by asking the HubSpot #advertising Slack channel: What are your favorite email newsletters? Lia Haberman’s ICYMI and Alexis Grant’s They Got Acquired had been each talked about a number of instances, in order that they went on my listing.
- I searched LinkedIn for “B2B electronic mail advertising” and located different consultants and high voices.
- I went by my very own community and located that I knew a couple of folks on the technical aspect. I requested them if that they had any recommendations 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 examine the efficiency of your piece after a month, although I’ve additionally labored in locations the place we monitored each day efficiency — so let your trade and KPIs information you. For those who’re writing well timed (versus evergreen) content material, your pageviews will in all probability peak throughout the first week and even sooner.
For those who use HubSpot CMS, clicking “view publish particulars” will allow you to monitor metrics like lead conversion charges, income attributed, and different metrics. HubSpot additionally exhibits you the breakdown of site visitors sources, which will help you fine-tune your distribution sooner or later. (Google Analytics, a generally used instrument, has comparable metrics.)
Analysis With Confidence
There are a lot of approaches to content material analysis, and never the whole lot I’ve outlined could apply to you. However you must now have a stable basis for content material analysis, the numerous paths it will probably take, and the best way to successfully and effectively begin researching nice content material.