Charlie Rogers

Using Search Tools to Help Decide What Content to Feature

Search tools aren't just for SEO, they can also be useful in getting a sense of what content your audience might be interested in. There is a big caveat with this approach: it is backward-looking, focusing on previous performance. However, it's handy -- if you don't over-rely on it. Here's an … [Read more...] about Using Search Tools to Help Decide What Content to Feature

Using Search Tools to Determine if a Topic is Evergreen

It can be a waste of time, effort and money to publish an article that is only of interest for a week when, for the same amount of effort, you can publish something that will continue to attract readers long-term. Search tools can help with this as well. Does "Summer Reading" have legs? Is it of … [Read more...] about Using Search Tools to Determine if a Topic is Evergreen

Using Search Tools To Help Decide When To Publish Content

When is the best  time to publish our article on summer reading? When to Publish Based on this Google Trends chart, we'd try to publish the "Summer Reading" roundup in late March -- because it can take two weeks to begin ranking significantly on search results pages. After the page developed … [Read more...] about Using Search Tools To Help Decide When To Publish Content

Using Search Tools for Headlines and Key Terms

Google Trends is handy for suggesting key search phrases that can be incorporated into titles and body copy. Adwords can give even more detail. What headline should we give to our "Summer Reading" roundup?   Based on the Google Trends chart above we should include the key phrase … [Read more...] about Using Search Tools for Headlines and Key Terms

Headline Tweaking for Better Click-Throughs

Can changing headlines post-publish impact readership of an article? According to Visual Revenue, an analytic tool provider, during the 2012 Olympics, USA Today underwent a testing campaign of their headlines. As you can see from the results below, the newspaper was able to almost double … [Read more...] about Headline Tweaking for Better Click-Throughs

Why Your Site Fails To Attract The Audience It Deserves

This may be my favorite cartoon ever. The marvelous webcomic XKCD explains in one simple diagram what is wrong with most websites: They aren't about what the users want.   Has this always been so? In 1981's "The Soul of a New Machine," Pulitzer-Prize winner Tracy Kidder describes an … [Read more...] about Why Your Site Fails To Attract The Audience It Deserves