Online marketing is an ever-changing platform of numbers and letters combined. From Google analytics to shifting social media strategies, there is always something new being presented if you’re going to stay on top of the World Wide Web.

Net 360 Solutions would like to inform our readers about the ‘Content Marketing Updates You Will Want to Know for Your Business, and ensure you, or your digital marketing team is on top of the latest “musts” when it comes to your content.

The Numbers Are In – Here’s How the Research Reads

There was a recent study conducted by backlinko.com and BuzzSumo, where they analyzed 912 million blog posts to see how the content was being received online. This included format, word count, and headlines, and worked through how those key things translated into social media shares and linked back to – or from – the post itself.

Here are some of the top noted results…

• Longer content received over 77% more links, with content offering over 1000 words, but no more than 2000 words
• Longer headlines (14-17 words) received more social shares – to the tune of nearly 77% more shares
• That being said – only 1.3% of articles generate 75% of all social shares
• Interestingly – headlines with a question mark at the end received 23.3% more social shares
• As well …” lists” posts were among the most highly popular, receiving a whopping 218% more shares than “how-to” posts or infographics

Long-Format Content and Thoughts on Why Google May Like It 

Currently, studies show that Google rankings improve with long-format blog posts, but it doesn’t seem to be clear WHY. 

Perhaps there are simply more opportunities for keywords and phrases to be sprinkled throughout a longer blog posts, uncovered when Googling specific topics. 

It’s also well known that Google likes seeing people backlink to your site – and as mentioned above, people tend to be more likely to share or backlink to long-format blogs. 

Regardless of the “why”, with 77.2% of online audiences clicking on domain links with content over 1000 words, it seems worth offering long-winded content that delivers lists and share-worthy headlines.

Does Sharing Social Media Content Count for SEO Best Practices?

There are mixed reports on this, and the best way to uncover where your website traffic is flowing from is to get a monthly analytics report from your digital marketing company.

Although statistics shown in the above report displayed that not many people headed to websites via social media links; this data is set up against power posts receiving millions of hits, watering down the “small fish” in a sea of online sharks.

Is Click Bait a Good Idea – Yes or No?

For small business owners, clickbait is usually a bad idea. Although it generates a lot of website traffic to gossip sites, it leaves a bad taste in a consumer’s mouth looking for business and services that provide an authentic air right from the start. So if you can manage to create an authentic clickbait post – by all means. But use caution as savvy consumers definitely do not want to be duped by their local shops.

Takeaways Worth Remembering…

• Long headlines (14-17 words) get 76.7% more social shares
• Titles that end in “?” receive 23.3% more social shares
• Long blogs are (currently) liked a lot by Google
• Lists are loved by the general public who use Google and social media to find your information …and with 203% more shares in the list’s world, it’s worth making one!

At Net 360 Solutions, we work hard to ensure our team of local professionals stays on top of emerging data-based trends, helping our customers stay at the forefront too.

If you are looking for a company who is here to help your company grow – send us a message or give us a call. We look forward to discussing the plans you have for your businesses future!