This article relies on two related arguments: 1. Bad content on big websites earns more links than it deserves. 2. Great content on small websites earns fewer links than it deserves. Why does this matter? Because most of us base our content strategy on the “most linked” content on a topic. Too often, that focuses attention on great websites rather than great content. Many of the “top performers” are mediocre articles that earn links solely because they’re on popular sites. What we really want to find is content that earned a disproportionately large number of links for a given site. How to Earn If a post earns 20 links on a site that no one comes to regularly, can’t rank quickly, and doesn’t get any distribution support, that content likely has some great lessons.
This article shows
You how to identify these “overachievers.” But first, let me show you the power of context. The power of context: a brief analogy Say we want to create a list of the executive email list greatest NBA players of all time. That way, we can determine the most important qualities in a player. We’ll use a simple metric: wins. That sounds reasonable, right? If we identify the NBA players (i.e., posts) with the most wins (i.e., links), that should give us a great list to work from. Based on that analysis, these are the top 10 NBA players of all time: It’s not a bad list. But there are plenty of omissions—unless you believe Michael Jordan is 32nd, Magic Johnson 37th, and Larry Bird 54th. In fact, you may already be questioning the methodology.
If we add just a bit
Of context—the percentage of games won—the list changes rather dramatically, and for the better: Is it perfect? No. (Jordan is still 18th.) Am I better off focusing on the BZ Lists qualities of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rather than Tony Parker and Derek Fisher? Absolutely! How to Earn And what about all the other bits of context that would make this list even better—points, assists, championships, etc.? That’s how you can take the simple analyses below to the next level. Based on the number of referring domains (51 and 21, respectively), the post on Forbes appears to be of higher “quality.” But consider all the advantages enjoyed by content on Forbes.com: Native audience. Millions will see anything featured on the front page, helping the content earn more views; Strong domain.
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