When you’re looking for something to write about, or simply want to see what is trending online as far as content, you go directly to a search engine or to a popular website, right? Chances are, so is everyone else. But don't worry, there is another way! Read on for a growth hacking secret that will not only help you find the most desired content on a specific matter, but also what has been most recently shared.
Here's the Secret:
AHREFS.com is well known for their Site Explorer. Around 2011, Site Explorer was introduced to the pubic and it quickly became known as one of the best backlink analysis tools around. Site Explorer is a great tool to use and is highly recommended by many for any SEO manager.
However, the buzz lately has been about the launch of one of their newest tools, the Content Explorer. In short, they made finding the most shared content for any topic easier than riding a bike. (Click to Tweet!)
Once you learn the system, you’ll be great at it and you just might stay out until the streetlights come on. You rebel you.
The tool definitely gives its competitors like Buzzsumo and Topsy a run for their money and this is why:
In addition to key information on each article such as the title, website, and publish date, Ahrefs provides the specific link to see the content live. There’s also a thumbnail image from the post for the visual appreciators out there.
You can even see the break down of social shares by network and get access to information regarding how many referring domains are linking to the post. Fancy! When you’re searching for specific content, Ahrefs has filter options such as date, language, and domain name. For the over-achievers, set up alerts based on your defined search criteria.
The Gizmo in Action
Since I have a soft spot for the HubSpot COS, I used Ahrefs to search for it and found some great topics on what people are saying about it. To balance the research scale, I also searched "banana pancakes" and found a stellar recipe to make some- gluten free! (Click to Tweet!)
Try searching for topics you’re interested in to get started. Now that we know the basics of this popular tool, what can we do with it?
- First and for most- find great content! You can see what readers actually share and more importantly, you’ll find content that readers actually enjoy.
- Follow and network with top influencers who are the ones publishing- this abides by the quote, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”
- Pick up on formatting tips that are working. Focus on areas such as the use of bullet points, buzz words, and tone of voice. What style works for them?
- What time are they publishing? What days? Check out their other blogs and see how consistently they’re posting.
- Do their titles jump out at you? Compare their titles to yours and see where you can improve. Would you have read this blog if the title read, “How to Find Good Content”? Maybe, maybe not. But you clicked this one (thank you, by the way)! Take this information and then AB test it to prove which titles actually work best.
- See what your competition is up to and generate your own ideas after seeing what’s hot in your industry.
- Just for fun, check out the top 10 content to see what the entire world is interested in in real time.
For more information on building great content, check out this piece on leveraging your marketing efforts or how to get more people to your site. If you are ready to take the next step to conquering great content marketing, complete your SMART marketing goals worksheet! 