How to Create SEO Content That Ranks in 2020

– Creating successfulSEO content isn't hard if you follow a proven formula.

That's what I'm going to show you today.

I use the HVC formula for every single SEO content asset I create.

It's so powerful that you'll never look at your SEO content thesame after I show you.

But before we jump in, pleaselike this video right now and leave a comment below saying, I'm ready, letting meknow that you're ready to learn this formula thatI've never shared publicly.

(upbeat music) So the first step of this process is to find a qualified keyword.

And I have several videos that can help you find the right keywords on my channel, but the best way to find keywords quickly is to analyze your competitors.

So you can use paid toolslike Ahrefs or SEMrush, or you can use a free tool like Neil Patel's backlinkanalyzer to find these ideas.

So now let me show you thefirst stage of the HVC formula.

So the first part of thisformula is what I call the hook.

Your SEO content successis largely dependent on whether or not peopleactually consume your content.

Google's algorithm analyzes user behavior to determine the quality of your content.

For example, if your SEO contentasset hits the first page, Google is going to measure your organic CTR for your results.

If it's low relative to the competitors and for the position that you're in, your rankings might decline.

But let's say your CTR's average, but a high percentage of peopleare hitting the back button on their browser and returning back to Google Search results.

This is known as Pogo stickingand there's some evidence that it can negativelyimpact your pages performance because it's an indicationthat the searcher wasn't satisfied withthe result and therefore had to return to the SERPsfor more information.

Now, there are many reasons why a searcher may behave this way, but one of the biggest factorsimpacting their behavior is your headline.

So when I say hook, I'm referring to twoelements in your SEO content.

The first is your headline.

Did you know that 80% of internet users don't read past the headline? That's why it's absolutely fundamental that you use the rightwords in your headlines.

Think of your headline as your one shot at persuading a user to readthe rest of your content.

♪ I am not throwing away my shot ♪ ♪ I am not throwing away my shot ♪ – Your headline is yourUSP for your content.

Fortunately, you don'tneed to be Frank Kern to create persuasive headlines.

You just need to followsome proven frameworks.

So here's several headline frameworks you can use to hook yourusers into your content.

The first is what I callthe guinea pig method.

So the guinea pig method isessentially using your own money or time or resources to createa unique piece of content.

We spent $1 million onlink building services between me and Chrisand a few other people, and we did it to try to find out what the best link building services were.

So we essentially were theguinea pig for this experiment.

And so if you can think of any way where you can become theguinea pig in your industry, it becomes very attractive and it becomes veryunique because in reality, no one is gonna be ableto emulate something that you've actually donethat's unique in some way.

Of course they could spendthe same amount of money, but in reality, whoevercomes up with the idea first is always going to get the most leverage and the most momentum.

So, this is a really, really exciting method that I love to use and it doesn't justwork with blog content.

You can actually also do itwith YouTube content as well.

So if you look at MrBeast, he is a perfect exampleof someone that uses what I call the guineapig method all the time.

The second type of hook, youcan use are ultimate guides.

So you're probably sick ofhearing about ultimate guides at this point, but the truth is they work.

And so here's a reallygood example from EasyBib and they created a huge guide on citing and writing in APA format.

Now, it isn't the most exciting piece of content you'll ever see, but it certainly satisfies the intent for their target keywordand it gives the user the information that theyactually need to succeed for whatever problem they'retrying to solve here.

And so then as you can see, this piece of content hasattracted a ton of links and it is performing extremelywell for its target keywords.

And so that is becauseit has a decent hook, which explains exactlywhat the user is going to get when they read it and then also, the content itself isactually really, really good and well-written, well-organized, it has unique graphics.

So there are plenty ofgood reasons why this piece of content has attracted links.

And ultimately because ofthe links that it's gotten, it's really driven a lotof organic search traffic.

The third hook is name-dropping.

So the name-droppingmethod is very simple.

You're just going to use a well-known name in whatever industry you're going after as leverage in your headline.

So of course, pretty mucheveryone knows what Netflix is.

And so what Vulture is doing here is they're using Netflix'sname to drive engagement and drive interests.

So, you can tell that, you know, this is using actually a combination of the few other frameworksI'll be showing you 'cause it's a list post, but they are using Netflix as a name-drop.

And so this is a reallypowerful way to drive interest.

And so you can tell as youscroll down through this, I'm not gonna do a deep analysis, but it's a good piece of content, not anything extraordinary, butlook at how it's performing.

It already has 119 referring domains and it's traffic is absolutely ridiculous.

So it's because this pieceof content likely generates a lot of user engagement.

It's of course getting linksand it's probably getting a lot of traction on social media too.

So it's really got a lot ofpositive signals going for it, but really the catalyst for all of this is the fact that they name-dropped and they used a name thata lot of people know.

The fourth hook are lists.

So it's no secret that listposts are incredibly effective for getting users toengage with their content and getting them to read your content.

But what I really loveabout this example is that it's actually leveraging the principles I've already explained.

So of course it's alist post in six steps, but it's also the usingthe guinea pig method because it is a case-studylike piece of content and it's also using thename-dropping method by using Craigslist.

So it's combining these three together.

And what you'll notice with this headline and the previous ones and the ones that I'm about to show you, they're really using all these methods in combination to createpowerful headlines.

And so as you can tell, this post hasn't generated a ton of links, but it is already performing really well from an organic search stamp.

The fifth hook are versus posts.

So the next type of headline that attracts a lot of interest andengagement are versus posts.

And so everyone wants to see battles, everyone wants to see bigtimers against each other.

And so that's always an exciting topic.

So you can leverage thisparticular principle in pretty much any industry.

And so as you can tell in this example, this was a really huge geld, Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor.

Everyone was talking about this.

But as you can tell, this particular headline framework works really, really well.

And you can tell from thesignals itself, 26 million views.

And if we look at actuallythe link signals as well, we have 317 referring domainsand then look at the traffic.

It's honestly just ridiculous.

So that's because these typesof posts work really well.

But also keep in mind just doing versus on its own isn't going to work.

You need to also usethe name-dropping method by leveraging powerful names or industry authoritiesall in one headline.

The sixth hook is a question.

Now, question headlines do really well because of what I explainedearlier in this video, which is, it createsopen loops in your mind.

So naturally as humans, whenever a question is asked, we need to find the answerto whatever that question is.

So whenever you just leavean open loop like that, the user's naturally goingto want to figure out an answer to whatever question you asked.

Even if it's not a particularlyimportant question, they still need to closethat loop in their mind.

And so that's why questionheadlines work really well.

So you can tell from thisone that it's gonna drive, and of course BuzzFeed isreally, really good at headlines.

So as a side note, you should analyze what they're doing 'cause they do things really well.

But you can tell it has 281 comments, it likely has a lot of social shares.

But let's look at its link profile.

It has 57 referring domains, which isn't anything super exciting, but it's organic searchtraffic is pretty decent.

It looks like it's falling a little bit.

But the point here is that this type of headline works really, really well.

So you should definitely take advantage of question-like headlinesfrom time to time but definitely don't overuse it.

And the seventh hook is whatI like to call the why hook.

So any type of headlinethat uses why in it can be very effective becausewhenever you use the word why, it's an implication that you have an opinion about something.

And so you can tell from this headline why the Web 3.

0 matters andyou should know about it.

And so what the author is doing is saying, Hey, this is really, really important.

So you need to figure it out.

And of course this is the author's opinion because only you candecide what matters to you, but what it does is it sparksa little bit of controversy in your mind and it makes you wanna figure out why it actually matters.

And so you can tell that this post has done really, really well.

There's 486 referring domainsand it has some solids, organic search traffic as well.

So I definitely recommend using this type of headline as well from time to time.

And then there's one bonus and that stacking allof these hooks into one.

So now I want to show you one headline where it's actually leveraging all the principles that we discussed.

So I don't care about Michael Moore, I don't care about Donald Trump.

I literally don't careabout politics at all.

I think it's a hugewaste of time and effort to get all riled up about that stuff.

But this headline, if we just remove allpolitical bias from it is actually a really good headline.

This is a really good angle.

So, five reasons why, sohe's using the why principle five, he's using the list principle, he's also using Trump will win.

So Trump of course is a well-known name.

I think pretty much everyone in the world knows who Donald Trump is.

And then also Michael Moore, who's also very well-known.

So it's a double whammy here.

And so this is just areally powerful headline and you know that thisis gonna drive a lot of controversy for whatever side is either happy aboutit or angry about it.

But this is a very, very powerful headline and a very powerfulpositioning to be putting.

And even the image itself, like if you're a Democrat, this image may infuriate you.

If you're Republican, it may excite you.

So it's just a very powerfulexecution of content and so Michael Moore knows how to get people fired up about things.

That's really what he specializes in.

So definitely model things like this.

And then if we look at the performance, it has over 2000 referringdomains and it's ranking for over 17, 000 organic keywords, and so it is doing extremely well.

And the biggest catalystfor this performance is going to be the headlinebecause that's gonna be what drives that interest in an engagement and whatever controversythis may cause as well.

So now that you know somepowerful headline frameworks, it's time to take action.

I always write at least10 possible headlines for every single SEOcontent asset I create.

Then I run those headlines through AM InstitutesHeadline Analyzer tool.

You can eliminate most of yourideas with this tool alone, but that said, don't liveand die by this tool.

It's supplemental to your efforts, but it isn't always right.

The good news about creating headlines for SEO content is that it isn't final.

You can test your headlinesand iterate on them.

For example, if a pagesorganic CTR is low, then you can modify theheadline and see if it improves.

I recommend using Google Search Console and heat map technologylike Hotjar to analyze and test your headlines.

So as I mentioned before, your is just the firstpiece of the hook equation.

The second part is your intro.

It's important that yourprimary keywords show up in the first couplesentences of your intro, but all other spaceshould be used to persuade the reader to consumethe rest of your content.

So here are a few frameworks to use.

Number one is what I like tocall the strong statement.

So one technique you'llsee that I use quite often is the strong statements.

So if you go to any of my blog posts, you'll see that I oftenwill just make a statement to start this blog post.

So for example, I say backlinks are the nitrous of every successful SEO campaign.

So my goal there is to make a very clear argumentright out of the gate.

And I'm basically saying thatyou need to get backlinks and they're super important if you wanna get better SEO results.

And so if you were someonethat agreed with that, you would want to continue reading because it will confirm your position, which is also known as confirmation bias.

But if you're someone whodoesn't agree with that, you're also gonna wannaread 'cause you're going to see if any of theinformation there is going to conflict with yourcurrent belief system.

So that is why making strong statements are so powerful 'causeyou're hitting both sides of the opinion scale.

Number two is to use questions and data.

So just like in your headlines, another method I'd love to use is just to simply ask a questionright out of the gate.

And so the question here is what's the fastest way to learn SEO? Well, if someone lands onthis page after searching SEO, they likely have thatquestion in their mind.

So I'm just confirming thatthey're on the right page.

And then I add this part where I say I asked 130 realSEO experts to find out.

So I added a number or a piece of data to make this more interesting and unique.

Now just remember whenyou're asking a question, you're creating an openloop and that incentivizes the user to want to actually consume the content because theywanna get that loop closed.

The third method is to leverage an authority within your industry.

And one other method, which I've used in some other industries, but I can't obviously show those websites.

So I just wanted to give you an example of what that's like is leveragingsomeone else's authority to make a point for yourself.

So as you can tell righthere in this example, I just say according to Rand Fishkin, who, if you don't know who he is, he was the former founder and CEO of Moz.

SEO is only going to get harder.

And so what I'm doing is I'mleveraging someone's name, I'm name-dropping like wedid in the headlines earlier.

And then I'm making a strong statement and then I say, here's why.

So this essentially is combining all of the other elementsI've explained into one.

I'm name-dropping, I'm doing a strong statementand I'm creating an open loop.

And the fourth method is to use stories.

Now one other method that can be really, really powerful isto inject a relevant story.

So as you can tell from this post, I talk about PBN generally here, but then I immediately get into a story about how I used to use PBNs.

And what I'm doing is I'm building rapport with the user and I'm helping relate to them and their situation and stories are absolutelythe best way to persuade.

And so if you have astory that is relevant to your primary keyword, you should definitely takeadvantage of it and use it and craft it in a way that's gonna make your content far more engaging, especially in the beginning of the content in the introduction section.

Now the key to nailingyour intro is to create as many open loops as possible.

For example, if you rewind this video, you'll see that I injecteda simple open loop.

Watch this clip.

(distorting) So when I say hook, I'm referring to twoelements in your SEO content.

The first is your headline.

Did you know that 80% of internet users don't read past the headline? (distorting) Did you catch the open loop? Well I told you that they're going to be two elements of the hook, but I only told you about the first one.

Use these types of open loops in all of the content you create online.

Now you understand how to craft the perfect hook for your content.

And if you're stillwatching this awesome job because I'm going to show you the V portion of this equation.

But before I do write me acomment below saying finisher because you're going to finish the rest of the video and learn the rest of this powerful content-creation formula.

So the next part of theHVC formula is value.

This is the most complexpart of the process, but there is really onlyone high-level strategy that you need to understand.

Your goal with all of your SEO content should be to create something different than what currently exists.

Don't try to be better.

Focus on finding a uniqueangle for the target keyword and then create something awesome.

Trust me, this is mucheasier and more effective.

It's always better to be firstby creating something unique.

You also have to understandthat how your SEO content is perceived is influenced by your brand's authorityand social proof.

That's why you should alwayshave your content written by a subject-matter expert and you incorporateelements of social proof.

For example, if thepost has a decent amount of social shares, youshould show the number.

If you have some unique data that validates any of the pointsyou're making, then use it.

If you can get an authoritativefigure to contribute a small quote for your content, do it.

Also, you need to work to driveengagement on your content.

This will push the socialproof element even more.

Which brings me to the lastpart of the HVC formula.

The last part of the HVC formulais CTA or call to action, and I know this is really anacronym within an acronym, but bear with me.

So every piece of SEO content you create should haveat least one primary CTA.

Now what type of CTAyou use will depend on the nature of the content.

For example, if you're targeting an informationaltop-of-the-funnel keyword, the CTA should either be acall to share the content, engage with the content, or to subscribe for a free lead magnet.

It almost never makes sense to try to sell a reader on aninformational type of asset.

The other important part of this process is to add CTAs throughoutyour SEO content.

Don't just drop one at the end because most peoplewon't make it that far.

You should have micro CTAsthroughout your content.

Like in this video, I've asked you a few times to leave a comment and like the video.

So if you haven't donethat already, please do.

Don't be scared to ask someoneto engage with your content.

So that's all you need toknow about the HVC formula.

Memorize this formula and think about it everysingle time you create a new piece of content.

If you enjoyed thisvideo, please like it now and comment below with what HVC stands for and then tell me what you think about it.

Thank you so much for watching and please subscribe because I have some really cool content coming out soon.

I'll see you soon and thankyou so much for watching.

.