“I need it yesterday,” is a phrase we frequently hear from brands we work with.
When it comes to SEO, everyone wants to see results now. And one of the most effective strategies to speed things up is ‘content velocity’.
This concept is revolutionising the way we approach SEO. Content velocity offers a turbocharged route to higher search engine rankings. Best of all, it isn’t dependent on high domain authority or link building campaigns, making it the ideal tactic for up-and-coming brands that don’t have deep pockets.
“Content velocity is the #1 lever to get faster SEO results, regardless of authority,” according to Nick Jordan from Workello.
But what exactly is content velocity and how can it accelerate your site’s organic growth? Buckle up as we embark on this exhilarating journey to a faster, more powerful, online presence!
What is content velocity?
At its core, content velocity refers to the rate at which content is produced and published on your website. However, it’s not just a measure of quantity. It’s a dynamic strategy that combines speed with relevance and quality.
Imagine content velocity as the pulse of your website’s content strategy. It’s the rhythm at which you introduce new topics, refresh existing information and engage with your audience. In simpler terms, it’s how often you update your blog, add new pages or post fresh content – all measured over a specific time frame.
How does content velocity impact SEO?
The speed at which you produce content significantly influences your website’s SEO performance.
Search engines like Google favour websites that consistently provide fresh, relevant content. This consistent flow of content signals to search engines that your site is not only active but also a continually evolving source of information. As a result, higher content velocity can lead to better search rankings, increased traffic and greater visibility online.
While increasing content velocity involves upping the frequency of content publication, you can’t just thrash out reams of crap content. Quality shouldn’t be sacrificed for quantity.
The key lies in finding a balance. Ideally, you should publish new content at a pace that keeps your audience engaged without compromising the depth, accuracy and the value of the information you provide. High content velocity should aim to solidify your position as a thought leader and a reliable source in your niche. Don’t become a content mill.
Here are the key benefits you can expect when your site’s content production shifts into a higher gear:
✅ Frequent updates attract search engine attention
Search engines are in a perpetual quest for fresh, up-to-date content. By frequently updating your website, you signal to search engines like Google that your site is a current and active participant in your industry. This constant stream of new content encourages more frequent indexing by search engines, which can lead to quicker improvements in your search rankings.
Simply put, Google will keep coming back for more!
✅ Establishing topical authority
Consistent content production around specific topics or themes helps establish your site as an authoritative source in your field. When you produce a variety of content pieces that cover different facets of a topic, you create a rich, interconnected network of information. This comprehensive coverage boosts your topical authority, which search engines reward with higher rankings for relevant queries.
Since Google’s updated its search rater guidelines to include the concept E-E-A-T (or Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness), establishing topical authority has become incredibly important.
✅ Creating multiple opportunities for rankings
With high content velocity, you’re not just enhancing your chances of ranking for a set of keywords. Instead, you’re expanding your reach across multiple related keywords and topics. Each new piece of content creates a new opportunity to appear in search results. This diversified approach means you’re not putting all your SEO eggs in one basket but instead casting a wider net to attract more traffic. As Matt Diggity delicately puts it, this can result in a “traffic boner”.
For more benefits, read: Digital Dialogue: 12 Benefits of Blogging for Businesses.
Balancing quality with quantity
A common misconception with content velocity is that producing more content inevitably leads to a drop in quality. While this can easily be true, the key to a successful content velocity strategy is the balance between quantity and quality.
Using these tips will help you maintain this balance while accelerating your content production:
🔍 Focus on user intent
Every piece of content should serve a purpose and address the needs or questions of your target audience. Aligning your content with user intent ensures relevance and value. Google wants to see “original, helpful content created for people”, so don’t let the quality drop!
“The helpful content system aims to better reward content where visitors feel they’ve had a satisfying experience, while content that doesn’t meet a visitor’s expectations won’t perform as well.”
Google Search Central
📈 Adhere to SEO best practices
While producing content at a high velocity, keep SEO fundamentals in mind. Make sure you get the basics right – include title tags, meta descriptions, image ALT text, a readability font (all the usual jazz) and make sure your site is mobile-friendly, responsive, quick, easy to crawl and index.
💡 Leverage expertise
Utilise the knowledge of subject matter experts to enhance the credibility and depth of your content. This could be through guest posts, interviews or collaboration with your internal experts. Play to your strengths!
How to measure and track content velocity
Calculating content velocity is pretty straight forward. It’s the amount of content produced within a specific timeframe. To calculate it:
- Count your content: Tally the number of blog posts, articles and new web pages created over a set period, such as a month or quarter.
- Divide by time: Divide the total count by the number of months or weeks in your chosen period.
For example, if you published 30 articles over three months, your content velocity is 10 articles per month. If you want to dive deeper, you can look at the total word count, as some content can be much longer. If you’re not sure what length blog posts to start with, read: What is the Ideal Blog Post Length? [17 Studies Compared]
Adjusting your strategy based on the data
Picking a content velocity is the first step, but that’s not enough. It’s important to monitor the performance of your content, then tweak your speed accordingly:
- Traffic analysis: Use tools like Google Analytics to track the increase in web traffic correlated with your content production rate.
- Engagement metrics: Look at engagement metrics such as time spent on page, bounce rate and social shares to gauge how well your content resonates with the audience.
- Keyword rankings: Monitor changes in your keyword rankings to see if increased content velocity is improving your search engine visibility.
Once you have enough data, you can use it to refine your content strategy:
- Identify high-performing content: Analyse which types of content are performing best and adjust your content plan to produce more of this kind.
- Seasonal adjustments: Be mindful of seasonal trends or industry events that might necessitate a temporary increase or decrease in content production.
- Feedback loop: Regularly review your content strategy based on analytics and feedback, making necessary adjustments to maintain a balance between quantity and quality.
Comparing (and overtaking) your competitors
To fully leverage the power of content velocity in your SEO strategy, it’s essential to understand how your efforts stack up against your competitors. It’s no use going 100mph if everyone else is going 200mph!
By benchmarking your content velocity against that of your industry rivals, you can gain valuable insights to inform and refine your content strategy.
Follow these steps to get started:
- Identify key competitors: Start by identifying your main competitors. These could be businesses that rank well for your target keywords or are known industry leaders.
- Analyse content output: Calculate your competitors’ content velocity. Note how often they publish new articles, blog posts and other content types.
- Evaluate content quality: While assessing their content velocity, also pay attention to the quality of their content. Look at factors like depth, engagement and user response. If the competition are releasing mountains of rubbish, don’t try to match their speed.
- Set realistic goals: Based on your findings, set achievable content velocity goals that push you beyond your current efforts but are still realistic considering your resources.
- Find content gaps: Look for topics or content types your competitors might be overlooking. Filling these gaps can give you a competitive edge.
- Adjust your content mix: If your competitors focus heavily on one type of content (like blog posts), consider diversifying your approach to include other formats like videos, infographics or podcasts.
- Regular monitoring: Keep an eye on your competitors’ content strategies. Regular monitoring helps you stay agile and responsive to changes in the competitive landscape. Who knows what they’ll get up to!
How to increase your content velocity without burnout
Boosting your content velocity is more than just ramping up the quantity of your output. It’s about doing so smartly and sustainably.
Nick Zviadadze from MintSEO recommends that clients create a minimum of 20,000 to 30,000 words of new content monthly. “By publishing content faster and incorporating relevant keywords, you can reach topical authority more quickly,” he said. “Although Google doesn’t have a specific authority metric, a website with a small number of pages can rarely be considered an authority.”
However, this level of content might not be achievable for every brand. Here are some actionable tips to help you increase your content velocity while maintaining (or even enhancing) the quality of your content.
1. Streamline your content creation process
- Develop a Content Calendar: Plan your content in advance using a content calendar. This will help you organise topics, assign tasks and set deadlines, ensuring a steady flow of content.
- Template Use: Create templates for different types of content. Templates streamline the creation process and ensure consistency across your posts. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at these: 80 Different Blog Posts Types.
- Batch Content Production: Dedicate specific days for content creation activities like writing, editing and graphic design. Batching similar tasks can improve focus and efficiency.
2. Expand Your Content Team
- Hire additional content writers, blog writers and editors: If your budget allows, consider expanding your team to handle increased content production.
- Outsource when necessary: Leverage SEO content writers, graphic designers and videographers to supplement your in-house team, especially during periods of high content demand.
- Utilise user-generated content: Encourage user-generated content like guest posts, customer testimonials or community contributions, which can add valuable diversity to your content.
3. Optimise workflow with technology
- Content management tools: Use content management systems (CMS) and project management software to keep your content process organised and on track.
- Automation tools: Automate where possible. Tools like social media schedulers or SEO plugins can save time and streamline routine tasks.
4. Focus on scalable content ideas
- Evergreen Content: Invest in evergreen content that remains relevant over time and requires less frequent updating. For more information on this topic, read: Evergreen Vs Topical Content: What’s Best for My Blog?
- Repurpose existing content: Update and repurpose old content. Turning a blog post into a video or an infographic, for example, is an effective way to produce new content quickly.
5. Regular reviews and adjustments
- Monitor performance: Regularly review the performance of your content to identify what works and what doesn’t. Use these insights to refine your strategy.
- Stay flexible: Be prepared to adjust your content plan based on performance data, market trends or changes in your business goals.
Integrating content velocity into your SEO strategy
Successfully integrating content velocity into your overall SEO strategy requires a holistic approach. It’s not just about increasing the number of articles or blog posts. It’s about ensuring that each piece of content contributes meaningfully to your SEO objectives.
Remember, content velocity is a powerful tool in your SEO arsenal. When executed correctly, it can significantly enhance your online presence, drive more traffic to your site and improve your search engine rankings. By integrating content velocity into your overall SEO strategy, you can achieve sustainable, long-term success in the digital landscape.
In the end, it’s about creating a synergy between the quantity of your content and the quality of your SEO efforts, ensuring every piece of content has a purpose and contributes to your overall goals.
It’s also about jumping in your DeLorean and gunning it to 88! 🏎️💨
Do you need help moving up a gear?
Understanding and implementing content velocity can be a game-changer for your website’s traffic and search engine rankings. But, revving up your content production without sacrificing quality can be tricky.
That’s where Wrise comes in!
At Wrise, we specialise in creating high-velocity content strategies that strike the perfect balance between quantity and quality. Our tailored approach ensures your website stays ahead in the fast-paced digital race.
Eager to see how content velocity can turbocharge your SEO? Discover our range of content and blog writing services. Or, if you’re ready to accelerate your online presence, let’s connect and discuss how we can help you shift your content strategy into overdrive.
