Awsome article. How many articles do you recommend in each "silo" before moving on to the next? Was thinking 20 for each silo with 5 silos (so that 100x contain the "foundation of the site"). Would that typically be a natural split between some guides, how-tos, comparisons and information articles or do you have a recommended split between monetized articles and informational?
Nope. The amount of content you post per day isn't relevant. The most important factor is that you're posting consistently. If you're posting two or three pieces on one day and then not posting anything for a couple weeks then Google wouldn't like that. But if you can maintain that pace then its all good. I usually shoot for one article per day, but less that that is fine as well as long as you're being consistent.
You're good to go as long as you're in the green. The only exception is if everyone else on the first page has a much higher score then your article. In that case you want your score to be slightly better than everything else that's on page one.
You can use the Wayback Machine to see what currently successful sites looked like in their early days: https://web.archive.org/.
Enter the URL of whatever sites are killing it in your niche and see what they looked like at different stages in their growth so you can know what to expect.
Topical authority is still a ranking factor but it's definitely been devalued.
Don't create 100% keyword-focused content anymore (too overoptimized). Some articles can target keywords, but others should be opinion/editorial or news content so your site doesn't seem overoptimized and built purely for SEO.
BowtiedFox referred me to your substance. Great stuff. Question I have is, if I am building a SaaS (And need to establish authority) should I narrow the number of silos I write about to be relevant to my SaaS product?
Let’s say you were starting a criminal defense firm, but you also would do some personal injury and bankruptcy. You’d be looking at which topic had the best keywords to use, start there, then start writing for the next (ie criminal defense first, then bankruptcy)? Do I sort of understand what you are saying?
Hey Tetra - Thanks so much for the great content! I have 2 questions below:
- How would the content writing advice change if someone is trying to build topical authority for an e-commerce site, versus an affiliate marketing? I’m guessing the broader strategy wouldn’t change too much, just that an e-commerce site would only focus on informational articles (as opposed to best of lists, product reviews, etc.). Is that correct?
- When writing content to support a Shopify based e-comm site, where should the actual writing happen? The "pages" and "blog posts" sections of Shopify are very limited in terms of customizability, so I was wondering if there is a better alternative.
You can use the blog posts section in Shopify for your e-com blog.
For e-commerce your money pages are product pages, not the individual reviews or best-of lists.
I recommend doing mostly informational content, but I have seen e-commerce blogs write best-of lists and product reviews and rank for them (linking to the product page on their own site instead of an affiliate link, obviously).
Is it necessary to use your face/identity for an 'About Us' page to establish credibility in the niche? I'm sure it would help but I'd prefer to stay anon. It would help to hear how you go about it. Thanks Tetra!
You can create a fake persona with an AI-generated face. Google doesn't have the resources yet to determine if someone is real or not. Maybe they will at some point in the future but not now.
Would you say a pop-culture review site that has content silos on movies, books, comics, games is a good concept to execute this topical authority model?
Awsome article. How many articles do you recommend in each "silo" before moving on to the next? Was thinking 20 for each silo with 5 silos (so that 100x contain the "foundation of the site"). Would that typically be a natural split between some guides, how-tos, comparisons and information articles or do you have a recommended split between monetized articles and informational?
Think you have answered here at 10-20 per silo? and 4-5 silos? as a foundation.
Yes that is a great foundation.
Any idea if Google would find it weird or not rank me as high if I posted two or three pieces of content per day?
Also - I'm just barely in the green on using SEOSurfer for my first article, I think a 79. Do you think it's worth working to a 90 or 100%?
Nope. The amount of content you post per day isn't relevant. The most important factor is that you're posting consistently. If you're posting two or three pieces on one day and then not posting anything for a couple weeks then Google wouldn't like that. But if you can maintain that pace then its all good. I usually shoot for one article per day, but less that that is fine as well as long as you're being consistent.
You're good to go as long as you're in the green. The only exception is if everyone else on the first page has a much higher score then your article. In that case you want your score to be slightly better than everything else that's on page one.
Great stuff! I’m really excited for this substack. I’ve built multiple websites but I’m starting at zero in terms of affiliate marketing knowledge.
Do you have a book or another resource you recommend to learn the absolute basics?
Also, what’s the best way to find 5-10 sites that are good examples of what a successful site might look like after a few months?
Passive Income Geek on Youtube is a great resource for basics: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqw18527pDqjDJoN5RD9VKA
You can use the Wayback Machine to see what currently successful sites looked like in their early days: https://web.archive.org/.
Enter the URL of whatever sites are killing it in your niche and see what they looked like at different stages in their growth so you can know what to expect.
Speaking of refreshing content - is this advice still valid here?
Topical authority is still a ranking factor but it's definitely been devalued.
Don't create 100% keyword-focused content anymore (too overoptimized). Some articles can target keywords, but others should be opinion/editorial or news content so your site doesn't seem overoptimized and built purely for SEO.
Thx big T 🫡
BowtiedFox referred me to your substance. Great stuff. Question I have is, if I am building a SaaS (And need to establish authority) should I narrow the number of silos I write about to be relevant to my SaaS product?
It's always better to start narrow and then you can expand out (or keep it narrow it's up to you)
Let’s say you were starting a criminal defense firm, but you also would do some personal injury and bankruptcy. You’d be looking at which topic had the best keywords to use, start there, then start writing for the next (ie criminal defense first, then bankruptcy)? Do I sort of understand what you are saying?
Yes I'd start by covering one of those topics and become the topical authority for that one area first before expanding to the next.
Thanks fren
With this strategy is it better to post 20 articles per silo all at once or daily for more impact on Google?
Post whenever they're ready so they can index and age.
Hey Tetra - Thanks so much for the great content! I have 2 questions below:
- How would the content writing advice change if someone is trying to build topical authority for an e-commerce site, versus an affiliate marketing? I’m guessing the broader strategy wouldn’t change too much, just that an e-commerce site would only focus on informational articles (as opposed to best of lists, product reviews, etc.). Is that correct?
- When writing content to support a Shopify based e-comm site, where should the actual writing happen? The "pages" and "blog posts" sections of Shopify are very limited in terms of customizability, so I was wondering if there is a better alternative.
Thanks!
You can use the blog posts section in Shopify for your e-com blog.
For e-commerce your money pages are product pages, not the individual reviews or best-of lists.
I recommend doing mostly informational content, but I have seen e-commerce blogs write best-of lists and product reviews and rank for them (linking to the product page on their own site instead of an affiliate link, obviously).
Is it necessary to use your face/identity for an 'About Us' page to establish credibility in the niche? I'm sure it would help but I'd prefer to stay anon. It would help to hear how you go about it. Thanks Tetra!
You can create a fake persona with an AI-generated face. Google doesn't have the resources yet to determine if someone is real or not. Maybe they will at some point in the future but not now.
Sorry that was a total NGMI question-I just read your second post which goes over this in detail lol..
Btw, are the tools you link to on this page (like Surfer SEO) your affiliate links? I want to make sure you get paid a commission.
Some of them are some aren't. I just recommend the best, if they happen to have an affiliate program I sign up for it.
The Beaver is in. Thanks Tetra...
Good to see you here, Beaver! Feels good to start giving back to the community.
Thanks pal! Good to be here. Appreciate you sharing your expertise.
Would you say a pop-culture review site that has content silos on movies, books, comics, games is a good concept to execute this topical authority model?
No. There are way too many highly-established sites covering "pop culture". I would not try to start a site in that niche.
Thank you for the reply!