A Step-by-Step Guide to How I Do Content Research

I like to do content material analysis — what’s extra satisfying than falling down just a few 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

Why is content material analysis vital?

Considerate and thorough analysis will reward you with compelling, participating, and genuinely useful content material. You’re most likely already doing key phrase analysis (if not, learn the basics!), and also you most likely already know subject-matter specialists in your organization or community. Content material analysis will join all these factors collectively.

And “genuinely useful” can’t be understated. Should you perceive search intent and may reply your customers’ questions, you’re establishing your model as an authority, setting your self up for return guests, and displaying Google that you recognize your stuff.

Having a structured analysis plan will assist with different elements of your content workflow, like a marketing calendar or editorial calendar, content intelligence, and every other instruments you and your workforce use to take care of a well-oiled advertising machine. 

Parts of Content material Analysis

Though the sub-steps of content marketing analysis could look slightly totally different relying in your undertaking and subject — we’ll get into that within the subsequent part — there are just a few fundamentals which can be foundational to nice content material.

Key phrase Analysis

Start at the start, as they are saying. Key phrase analysis is the gateway to analyzing search intent that solutions not simply your customers’ preliminary questions, but additionally their follow-up questions (and perhaps even questions they didn’t know that they had).

You’ll be able to take a look at our beginner’s guide to keyword research, however listed below are the primary parts to bear in mind:

• Relevance: Your content material will solely rank for a key phrase if it meets the searchers’ wants.
• Authority: Google gives 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 30 days throughout all audiences.

Viewers Analysis

You most likely already know who your audience is, and you could even have buyer or purchaser personas. Additionally contemplate 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 is likely to be in search of subject-matter specialists on totally different sorts of supplies, together with inexpensive choices. If I’m advertising luxurious bedding, I would search for specialists 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 mistaken 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 possibly can see what one has that the opposite doesn’t — this may be tremendous helpful if you happen to’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 appears like:

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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:

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After I hit “Present key phrase alternatives,” I can see what the top-ranked hyperlink has that the Tenth-ranked hyperlink doesn’t:

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I confess I don’t know precisely what “coastal bedding” is, however the top-ranked hyperlink has a whole lot of it. Understanding the place my opponents are killing it is going to assist me take into consideration the search intent of my audience.

Begin interested by what you carry to the desk when it comes to your individual expertise, data, and community. What holes in search intent would possibly you be capable to fill?

Topical Analysis

Whether or not you begin on Google or an AI-powered search engine, just be sure you’re cautious about your sources. Are they web sites or publications that you recognize and belief? What information can you discover concerning the creator 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 sensible author who’s fallen for a model’s April Fools’ joke.)

A couple of beginning factors I’ve relied on in my very own analysis:

• Search LinkedIn on your key phrases. Oftentimes, I’ll discover specialists and thought leaders speaking about precisely what I’m writing about. Simply make certain that you cite and hyperlink to them if you happen to 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 is likely to be too tutorial on your viewers, this has helped me find specialists and discover the most recent analysis, particularly when AI is concerned.

  Professional tip: Test the publication date or limit your search to the final couple years, until you’re in search of historic data. For research, be sure to perceive the pattern measurement and the geographical location — they is likely to be fairly totally different to your individual audience, so proceed with warning.

• Publish by yourself LinkedIn. You probably have a large following and/or a powerful community in your business, letting different content managers know that you simply’re engaged on a bit can floor some specialists you could already know. Your community may additionally have recommendations for different folks or sources.
• Use major sources. You probably have a subscription to Statista or an analogous service, you possibly can normally discover a treasure trove of research which can be immediately related to your matter.

  Professional tip: Don’t depend on different articles that cite research — I’ve discovered that these are sometimes previous research, even when the article has a latest date.

• Use social media. Even if you happen to don’t have entry to social media listening instruments, you possibly can nonetheless dig into locations like Reddit, Quora, Substack, or area of interest on-line boards the place folks in your business collect and speak.
• Use your co-workers. Should you don’t have already got a Slack or Groups channel the place your fellow entrepreneurs can bounce concepts off one another or ask questions, contemplate this an indication to begin one. Your colleagues could also be specialists themselves, or they are able to join you with any person from their community.

Topic-matter Consultants

Not every thing you write requires a subject-matter expert, however getting an out of doors perspective on a subject may give you concepts and artistic inspiration, and professional quotes are good on your readers and good for search algorithms that prioritize private expertise.

Quotes and background info from the folks within the trenches can even distinguish your last product from AI-written content. I wish to preserve these informational interviews to simply quarter-hour — it’s lengthy sufficient to get some stable background information and quotes, and brief sufficient that it’s simple for even busy folks to say “sure” to.

Efficiency Evaluation

You’re not fairly accomplished once you hit “publish.” Take a while to assessment your KPIs to see how the content material resonated together with your viewers, and whether or not there’s something it is best to contemplate enhancing now or revising sooner or later.

KPIs that you simply would possibly embody 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 sources to do a minimum of a light-weight month-to-month efficiency evaluation of all of your content material, patterns will emerge, and also you’ll be capable to additional refine SEO, E-E-A-T, voice and tone, and different parts that make your content material distinct.

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 contemplate myself an professional, 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 optimisation workforce, I do know that the first key phrase for this text is “B2B publication advertising,” so my first step is to make use of Ahrefs’ key phrase explorer:

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I can even slender my search by consumer intent by choosing the dropdown menu and ticking the “intent” field.

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A couple of issues I’m noticing in these outcomes: methods, examples, and greatest practices. This provides me an concept of what customers are in search of, and it’ll assist me construction my article to ensure it delivers actual worth.

Individuals Additionally Ask

On Google, I looked for “B2B publication advertising” and scrolled right down to the Individuals Additionally Ask part.

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It’s extra of the identical — customers need an summary of what B2B publication advertising is and what greatest practices are.

Ahrefs additionally has a useful SERPs overview with the identical information:

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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 typically use Perplexity for analysis and Claude for evaluation; collectively they may help me establish a perspective I hadn’t thought-about or uncover extra sources.

After I search Perplexity for “B2B publication advertising,” I can scroll right down to the Associated Questions part:

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No surprises right here — extra affirmation that customers are looking for an summary, greatest practices, and examples.

2. Analysis the competitors.

I exploit each Ahrefs and Perplexity to establish opponents.

Perplexity synthesizes information from its prime sources, so I wish to see what it’s recognized as a supply. I simply use a easy search time period for this relatively than a fancy engineered immediate:

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This exhibits me three sources; click on on the field that claims “Present all” to see all of the sources it’s pulling from.

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This reveals all of the sources and its hyperlinks, which supplies me an concept of the competitors.

In Ahrefs, I can skim by way of the checklist of the top-ranking articles that rank for a similar key phrase I’m concentrating on.

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One vital notice at this step: It may be very simple to inadvertently plagiarize from a competitor — perhaps a definition, the construction of the submit, 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 do exactly skim — however your mileage could differ, so do no matter works for you.

3. Think about your individual expertise.

I took down some notes concerning 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 publication platform, and classes discovered.

For example, at a earlier job with a really small workforce, I discovered myself head to head with a few of the extra technical elements of operating a publication. I had no clue what “DKIM” or “DMARC” meant, and so far as I knew, “SPF” referred to sunscreen.

So after I began engaged on a different blog post about B2B newsletters for HubSpot, I knew I wished to incorporate one thing concerning the technical aspect of newsletters with out going into an excessive amount of element.

I reached out to a HubSpotter on our MarTech workforce who was capable of give me some high-level recommendation on what entrepreneurs new to newsletters ought to contemplate from a technical perspective.

That is only a fraction of the data I acquired from a 15-minute Zoom name:

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Generally you don’t know what you don’t know, and reaching into your individual expertise may help uncover questions your viewers can have as they dive additional into the subject at hand.

4. Analysis the subject and any traits.

You probably have entry to a knowledge and analysis instrument like Statista, IBISWorld, or related, get within the behavior of operating just a few searches. This didn’t grow to be a serious supply for this explicit matter, however I did discover some information on personalization, which was one of many subtopics I touched on within the weblog submit.

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I additionally searched Google Scholar for “electronic mail newsletters in advertising,” proscribing 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 known as Digital Enterprise.

This ended up being a background useful resource for me relatively than one thing I quoted in my article, however in my view, it’s price taking a couple of minutes to examine scholarly journals — you by no means know once you’ll come throughout any person doing one thing model new within the subject.

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5. Interview subject-matter specialists.

This step could be intimidating if you happen to don’t know subject-matter specialists. Right here’s just a few 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 have been each talked about a number of instances, so that they went on my checklist.
• I searched LinkedIn for “B2B electronic mail advertising” and located different specialists and prime voices.
• I went by way of my very own community and located that I knew just a few folks on the technical aspect. I requested them if that they had any recommendations and suggestions.
• I requested different publication writers at HubSpot if I might speak 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 every day efficiency — so let your business and KPIs information you. Should you’re writing well timed (versus evergreen) content material, your pageviews will most likely peak inside the first week and even sooner.

Should you use HubSpot CMS, clicking “view submit 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 may help you fine-tune your distribution sooner or later. (Google Analytics, a generally used instrument, has related metrics.)

Analysis With Confidence